December was a busy month at Haverford House! We started off the month with an information session for prospective Haverford House Fellows. It feels like just yesterday that we ourselves were sitting in the CPGC Cafe listening to last years’ Fellows describe their experiences with Haverford House! We each had the opportunity to answer questions and share stories about our year so far. 

Many of us attended holiday celebrations at our work placements. Amanda attended the Philadelphia Legal Assistance and Community Legal Services joint party. It was a great chance for the two offices to celebrate their collaborative work. Feven had a potluck with the other staff at AFAHO, in celebration of the year ending. Hanae attended HIAS PA’s famous office party and enjoyed a large spread of international foods (Hanae brought gyoza, or Japanese dumplings!) and a lively “white elephant” gift exchange.  

We had the first installment of our bread and soup series with our “Lenape Presence and History in PA: Conversation with Adam DePaul” event. Adam DePaul is a member of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, as well as a professor at Temple University. Professor DePaul gave a nuanced and clarifying overview of Lenape history and presence in Pennsylvania and facilitated an engaging discussion with attendees. We also shared some bread and soup that we had prepared for our guests. The event was very well attended by our neighbors in West Philadelphia, as well as Tr-iCo students and professors.  For more information, we recommend going to the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania website. 

Finally, we were all able to take a bit of time off from work to visit with family and friends during the Holidays! It was really nice to have some time to rest and rejuvenate before resuming work in January. We are all happy to be back in our house together, and are excited to share future events with you all! 

- Lili Domenick '19, Feven Gezahegn '19, Amanda Grolig '19, Gabe Halperin-Goldstein '19, Hanae Togami '19