Thanksgiving Recap

While it wasn't the usual Thanksgiving, the trip to Phoenix with the other JV's made for a great holiday weekend.  The traffic actually wasn't too bad and we rolled into town around 2am.  Everyone pitched in the next day to help make dinner happen for 30 people at the house.  One JV borrowed the chairs and tables from a local Catholic elementary while another borrowed cooking supplies from a neighbor.  The rest of us paid our dues to cover the cost of food and the feast began!  My favorite from the meal was a butternut squash soup...mmmmmm......    It was nice catching up with the other JV's who we hadn't seen since orientation back in August.  It really made me appreciate how close my own community has grown over the past five months. 

On Friday, we went for a great hike up Camelback mountain, which is essentially a huge rock in the middle of Phoenix.  It took us about 1.5 hours to climb but the view from the top was spectacular!  Staying hydrated was always a challenge since we were in the high desert, and it was amazing how drinking two glasses of water almost instantly rid us of headaches!

On Saturday morning, my housemates and I left super early in the morning and trekked up to the Grand Canyon.  We thought, oh, Phoenix... Grand Canyon... both in Arizona... must be a quick trip to go see it... WRONG!  It took us 4 hours to get up there and 8 hours back to LA... but it was so worth it.  It was so massive and humbling to stand right on the rim of the canyon.  Some ledges didn't even have guard rails, so I was slightly terrified just watching people get near them.  I was able to go out on a much wider peninsula, but for the sake of assuring my parents - the boy scout in me assures you it was safe! 

The 8 hour drive home had beautiful views as we saw the sunset over the desert and then the Milky Way in the sky.  Being out in the middle of nowhere made for some nice stargazing! 

While this was a holiday break spent with JV's, I'm very much looking forward the Christmas break back east, and then in Vegas!

I'm thankful for...

I am thankful for the opportunity to do JVC, to have the luxury of not having to work seriously yet, and for the time to develop my faith, friendships, and community.  I am thankful for my family, for their love and support this year and in all the years before.  I am thankful for my friends and all of the fun memories we've had together.  I am thankful for Melissa and for all of our great memories together and for her patience, support, and dedication while we are half the country apart.  I am thankful for my education, that it has opened up new worlds and possibilities for me to explore.  I am thankful for everything good in my life, as it is a joy to have, and for everything bad, as it will only help me to grow as a person.

Turkey Day almost here

As we approach Thanksgiving, the campus ministry department put on a Homeless Awareness project for the students to participate in.  For three nights, a group of faculty and students slept outside in the school courtyard with just cardboard and sleeping bags.  Our guest speakers were formally homeless people who shared their story of life on the streets.  The goal of the exercise was get outside the comfort zone of where we sleep and to learn to empathize with the homeless.  At the evening reflections, I heard students comment on how grateful they were for all that their parents provide and how nice it is not to wake up with a soaked sleeping bag because of morning dew!

Another event was the freshman service trip to Skid Row where we volunteered at the Midnight Mission.  Last time we worked at the food kitchen, the chef had us cut onions for hours, which was obviously painful......   but this time we had a better task - carving turkeys!  This shelter is expecting to feed over 4500 people a Thanksgiving meal, and so we had some serious turkey to carve to help them out.  Needless to say, myself and the group of freshman became experts at this skill and I'm going to volunteer to cut it on Thursday!

Sadly, this will be the first Thanksgiving I've had to miss from my family, as I will be traveling to Phoenix with the other Los Angeles JV's.  I wish I could be there with my family, but this is a JV tradition for us to travel to our sister houses in Arizona (it gets lonely out there since the rest of us are in Cali!).  I'll have an update on the weekend when I get home, but what I know now is that the 2nd largest city in the US has all of its citizens trying to get out of LA to see grandma right now... at it's only 3:30pm.  I just CANNOT WAIT to leave at 7pm.... I'll just have to remember what my mom has always told me - patience is a virtue!

Our prayer before dinner last night

~Some words of wisdom from Mother Teresa

          People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

            If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

            If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

            What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

            The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

         Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

         In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

College Essays and Life's Challenges

Over the past two weeks, some of the most rewarding work I've done is help the students refine and polish their college essays.  We all remember the typical prompt - "Discuss an obstacle in life that you've had to overcome and how has this shaped you as a person."  For me, I wrote about moving from Salt Lake City to Chicago when I was 12.  Although this was definitely a difficult experience at the time, I feel it does not even compare to what some of the boys here at Verbum Dei have had to deal with.

One of the students wrote about how his parents came to the United States after fleeing the El Salvadoran civil war back in the 80's.  Those parents valued education because they had to quit school to work in the fields at age 12, although they wished they could have continued.  This student wants to be the first in his family to go to college to provide for his family, but he realizes that there may not be enough money for both him and his brother to go.  He closes his essay saying that if it came down to only having enough money for one brother to go to school, he would drop out to work to send his younger brother to college.

Another student, a football player, mentions how he finds his strength from his mother.  She had the courage to leave an abusive husband who threatened to kill both her and the children.  Years later, this student's dad, in a fit of rage, shot his girlfriend in the chest and is now in prison for life.  The boy refuses to be defined by his father's legacy and has found strength in becoming his own man.  He is one of the most athletic, involved, and religious students at the school and is respected by his peers.  To add to his dynamic, his mother suffers from many illnesses and he wakes up throughout the night to check on her.  It is during these breaks throughout the night that he finds the time to do his homework.

More insight to students' hidden struggles comes from a student survey after the freshman lock-in at the school.  The question "what was your favorite part of the retreat?" was answered with "the trust blindfold activity - it felt so good to actually be able to trust someone."  The question "What did you most like about sleeping over at the school for the night?" was answered simply by multiple students: "I felt safe...".

In my everyday interactions with these students, they are just typical high school boys.  They laugh and talk about girls and sports.  But underneath this guise of normalcy, many have baggage such as this.  Domestic violence, sexual abuse, economic strains, and the destruction of gang activity all weigh heavy on their lives.  The boys carry these burdons on their shoulders as they venture into the unknown of being first-generation college students, somehow with poise, grace, and most remarkably, a smile.

Quick Trip to STL

I had such a great time this past weekend when I visited St. Louis!  Going back to the Midwest for a quick trip made me realize how much I miss all that it has to offer.  From the fall colors, to the crispness of the air, to the red-brick architecture of the city, I have learned to appreciate all of these things when I get to see them.  It's weird that the football season in California isn't paired with visiting corn mazes, wearing hoodies while jogging, and raking all those leaves!

The trip itself though was great - I saw Melissa's apartment out in Kirkwood and we cooked an awesome white chicken chili with her roommate, which was then followed by game night!  We also carved SLU pumpkin (now a tradition in it's second year... haha) and had a great Italian dinner at a restaurant I can't pronounce - but the bruschetta was delish!

I also got to hang with Ian and Brian at their apartment and watch the Cardinals World Series game.  It's so easy to get right back into friendships after time apart and I'm so happy that they are kicking butt at SLU med and still haven't lost all of their hair due to stress!  It's a bit bittersweet to be back at SLU just as a visitor, but I do feel energized as I come back to LA to continue working in JVC.

St. Louis will always be a home to me, but for the time being, it's nice to have so many friends and family across the US that I can feel welcome pretty much wherever I go.

PS:  here is a picture of the pumpkin Melissa and I carved.  With my creativity and her precise carving technique, it's an unstoppable pumpkin carving team!     

Urban Plunge to Skid Row

This past weekend I was one of the chaperones on an urban plunge retreat where the students do work throughout Skid Row and other centers of the homeless population.  The first night, we served a spaghetti dinner to 80 homeless men and then conversed at the tables as we ate.  It was grateful for my Spanish as I was able to talk with them about their lives and learn about thier daily struggles.

The following morning, we served breakfast at another homeless shelter, and then took a tour of Skid Row.  For those who don't know, Skid Row is an area next to downtown Los Angeles where many homeless live.  Tents on the sidewalks, cardboard shantys, and shopping carts full of their life's possessions are some of the most common sites.  After the tour, we served dinner at the Midnight Mission, a shelter that serves over 800 people a meal.  At this site, we met Jim, a well-mannered and professional tour guide.  He also is a recovering alcholic and was homeless for the past 10 years before turning his life around.

Perhaps the most important thing I learned from his story is that to be chronically homeless does not mean that the person is lazy.  I always knew this, but it's so easy to think- why don't they just go get a job?  The majority of this population suffers from extreme mental illness, drug and alchol addiction, and lack of friend and familial support.  Another huge obstacle is the availability of affordable housing, which is definied as costing 30% of one's income.  Many of the homeless actually do have jobs or some source of income, but in Los Angeles, as with other major cities, housing costs much more than this 30%, so savings are not feasable. 

In spite of these obstacels, it was so impressive to see how Jim was able to escape the viscious cycle of his addiction and condition.  The Midnight Mission offers affordable houseing, dorm style, for men who are willing to get clean from drugs and alcohol.  Additionally, they are given jobs throughout the organization or in the city, and this helps subsidize their rent.  Lastly, it is a requirement that they save 70% of their earnings so that when they leave the program, they have saved enough money to make a down-payment.  The skills they learned working at the organization also translate into earning jobs outside Skid Row.  The model of Midnight Mission teaches self sufficiency and responsibility.  The men take pride that they can earn money to pay for their dorm style housing.  Jim spoke of maintaing dignity while on Skid Row - these men need to give something back to the charity received in order to discover the value in themselves. 

I realized that for the chronically homeless, some will never walk through the doors to recieve the same help that Jim did.  They simply have been homeless for too long that their mental state makes it impossible for a life beyond Skid Row.  However, many others who have found themselves tired of being at the 'rock - bottom' can find hope in these organizations.  Those people at non-profits tirelessly work to provide the resources and opportunities for people to learn to help themselves. 

 

a bit of wisdom from the landlord

When cleaning the house the other day, I had an encounter with a creepy guest - a California cockroach.  It was dead, but still large enough to make my housemates freak out. Personally, I thought it was cool looking, so I had no problem sweeping it up and throwing it outside.  Now anyone who knows me could attest to the fact I don't get unnerved by many things, but spiders and I do not get along.  They are creepy, can hang near face-level, and should just stay out of my line of sight (and science textbooks as well!). 

However, when the landlord came over to check on things last night, he had a bit of wisdom that may change my perception of spiders.  When I told him about finding the cockroach, he said to be extra diligent about keeping the doors closed and picking up all food scraps and crumbs.  He said they live around conditions that are not the cleanest, and if you try to kill one, it moves extremely fast, often toward you!  If you step on it, well.... let's just say it may be a bit gooey.

The landlord then elaborated how spiders are actually much better house guests.  I always knew they keep other bugs away, but the presence of spiders does not necessarily mean the house is dirty.  They just set up residence in low-traffic areas.  If you try to kill one, it moves fairly slowly and never toward you.  Lastly, when killed, the spider is ever the gentleman because it curls up nicely with no residue as if saying "good game mate, you won, so I'll make cleanup easier for you!" 

Even though this all makes perfect sense, does this mean I'm magically ok with our so called eight legged friends?   ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!

good laughs

As a more light hearted post, I'd like to share some of the funny and absurd happening that have happened so far.  For those who haven't heard the story already, I had been in desperate need of a lunchbox.  I was tired of bringing my lunch in those plastic sacks where everything gets squished.  As such, I thought the thrift store would have just what I needed.  Upon arriving, I headed straight to the bin that had shoulder bags, fanny packs, purses, and one lunchbox.  Perfect!  It was a bit light blue with some shine to it, but it would suffice.  After telling the cashier how happy I was I found the last lunchbox in the bin, she gave me a funny look and then just shrugged it off. 

The next day at work some coworkers noticed the change in equipment and asked what brand it was.  To be honest, I never thought to check.  Arctic Zone?  Polar Freeze?  All those seem somewhat familiar from my middle school days.  Upon opening the lunch box, however, my heart sank.... CLINIQUE?!  I had bought a makeup bag?  I guess that explains the light blue with glitter......  For the following two weeks, I would carry the bag inside a plain black shoulder sling just to hide it from the inevitable snickers of others.  Needless to say, the 'lunchbox' has now been given to a housemate and I have legitimate lunchbox, one with navy blue coloring and absolutely no glitter... or mascara. 


On a side note, I just saw this on youtube and it made my day: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8

And the autotune version!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZShmt19uQ

Some Success in College Guidance

My project in college guidance for the two weeks has been to update all the GPA and ACT/SAT test scores from last year's graduating class into a new database.  This program links students' profiles to a college search feature and scholarship information.  The data helps create a picture of where Verbum Dei students have applied in the past and schools that have accepted them.  The most beneficial thing in this is that schools that would be considered out of reach are actually good matches for Verb students.  For example, if a student were interested in USC, the posted ACT average of a student there would be around 30, which is out of reach for most of the students.  However, with this new program, they can see that Verb students admitted there averaged, say, around a 24. 

Just because their scores are statistically lower than admission numbers for colleges, it doesn't diminish the students' improvements over the years and the obstacles they have faced which make them hungry to succeed in college.  With their corporate work study experience and community service hours, they should soon learn that while they should try their best, there are more important things than test scores in making a dynamic college applicant.  

It has been very rewarding this week to discuss college plans with students and to show them that their hard work over the years here will pay when they start applying to colleges. 

Labor Day weekend was a blast because Melissa came to visit L.A. and the long weekend made it perfect to do some serious tourist traps!  We were THOSE people on the walk of fame with our heads down taking pictures of famous names.  Probably the biggest surprise of Hollywood Blvd was how unglamorous the area is.  For example, just across from the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held is a row of medical marijuana shops (the only thing medical looking about them was the worker wore a white coat...) and t-shirt vendors.  I have a feeling those will be out of the camera shot during the Oscars next February...  

Next on our tour was Venice Beach to see the muscle men and street performers.  Again, more 'medical' marijuana stores here,  muuuuccchhh more.... so much that I'm not even sure if it is illegal in California or if the police just turn a blind eye to all the 18 year old skateboarders with chronic and debilitating back pain...  Either way, if people watching is your thing, Venice Beach is the place for you -  Melissa and I enjoyed the rollerblading, turban wearing, guitar playing man!

Labor Day itself was very relaxing and Mel and I made my housemate a carrot cake for her birthday - sooo good.  We had a great time and we'll have to find more tourist traps when she visits again.  Back to work though for the week and things are starting to pick up!

Spirituality Night Reading

As a part of JVC, my community has committed to two event nights a week centered on community and spirituality.  I led the spirituality night last week and shared with my housemates one of my favorite readings from a college course on the restlessness of the soul.  It is a commencement address given by David Foster Wallace which discusses with humor and careful insight the repetition of adult life.  I find this entirely relevant because everything I have done so far in life is to 'get to the next step.'  Do well in middle school to get honors courses in high school, rock the ACT to get into college, and study like crazy in college to get into med school.  There has always been a very near and practical goal to what I do.  But now in the post-college and nascent adult years, I feel this reading sheds light on how to approach the openendness of what's next.  Enjoy!

http://moreintelligentlife.com/story/david-foster-wallace-in-his-own-words

back to high school!

I'm finally getting settled at work at Verbum Dei High School (here on referred to as Verb).  Students are required to get a certain number of community service hours in a year, and it is my job to organize service trips and make connections with non-profits around the city.  This has been a unique experience so far because while the students certainly come from poorer families, they work mainly with the homeless, and I assume the students realize how fortunate they are even though they don't have much. 

In college guidance where I spend the other half of my day, I've come to learn of the difficulties that students face getting into college.  Many don't have internet access at home so filling out the online applications must be done at school without the aid of a parent.  Also, as many will be first generation college students, they don't have the support of a parent who knows the process.  This has definitely made me more grateful for all the help my parents have given me. 

I know that these positions will come with challenges in dealing with the kids: as with most high schools, there are drugs.  There is a strong gang presence in LA, so some aspect of these students' lives are impacted by gangs, whether it be a family member who is affiliated or who has been a victim of gang violence.  While the kids are gregarious and energetic, I always have to remind myself that their environment may be dramatically different than mine was in the days of my high school. 

Regardless of these obstacles, Verbum Dei is an impressive school which is a part of the Cristo Rey Network.  What's that you ask?  Long story short - some Jesuits went to Chicago and asked the poorer neighborhoods what they needed ---- the answer was access to prep schools at an affordable price for low-income families.  To make this work, the Jesuits worked deals with coorporations where students do a work/study program to subsidize the cost of their tuition.  Students work at companies like E&Y, Price Waterhouse, etc. in downtown for one day a week, splitting the job (so a freshman does the job on Monday, a sophomore on Tuesday, etc.).  The company gains because it is cheaper to pay the student then to hire the worker.  The student wins because he is covering the cost of his tuition, and also gaining self-confidence, learning the corporate culture and work skills, and also gets to network with those whom have college degrees.  Genius, right? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89qwAdSX9Ow

Here's a video of a 60 minutes segment that explains the school system in more detail.  Enjoy!

A few pics

This is the view from behind the Hollywood sign....  sooo many cameras and fences around the thing but still a cool view!

My first blog entry.... getting settled into JVC!

Well I've been in California for two weeks now and things have been busy as I've started my year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  For anyone not familiar with the program, JVC pairs recent graduates with non-profit organizations around the United States.  The homeless, immigrant, urban youth, incarcerated, abused women, and gang members are just a few of the at-risk and/or distressed populations that the Jesuit Volunteers, or JV's, serve. 

While this program does seek to positively influence these lives, it is not a one-directional relationship, but instead requires that the JV's open their hearts and minds to help and growth as well.  Core to the committment of JVC are four values: simplicity, spirituality, social justice, and community.  It would be incorrect to label this year as an act of charity which implies that I have all I need but I choose to give to help the less fortunate.  Instead, this is a year where I can focus on people more than material things, on developing a more active and informed prayer life, on recognizing whom the marginalized are in society, and on living with others who form a community committed to these ideals. 

Now to the good stuff!  After a five-day training retreat on the beach near San Jose, my housemates and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway 1 to Los Angeles.  Although the average speed was about 30mph, the views were AMAZING.  On my left were cliffs of rock and dense forests and on my right was the Pacific Ocean, with the winding road precariously plotted between the two.  This has definitely been scratched off my bucket list. 

The house where I live can best be described as cross between your favorite ecclectic campus bar and a fraternity house.  Tacky decorations are everywhere, halloween costumes keep turning up in random drawers, no plateware matches in the kitchen, and there is an abundance of sticky walls and floors as evidence from a previous shindig and/or cooking mishap.  However, after a weekend of some solid cleaning, the house is definitely clean, but still tacky (wouldn't have it any other way!). 

As mentioned earlier, I live in community with six other people and I couldn't have asked for a better group.  My roommate is Kevin, the only California native has a knack for saying funny things without knowing it.  Jackie is from Minnisoooooota, Erica and Mike (the guitar whiz!) are from Baaaaaaawwwwston, Sonia is from Rhode Island, and Naomi from North Carolina.  For my year of service, I am the Christian Service coordinator and College Guidance Assistant at an all male Jesuit prep high school in the neighborhood of Watts, Los Angeles.  I've only been at work a week so there will be plenty of updates on this in the future.

Although we've all been getting used to our agencies, there still has been plenty of time for fun.  We have already been to the Staples center, toured the Santa Monica pier, and hiked to the Hollywood sign.  There will be plenty more to do, but most important for us is figuring out a time to go the Price is Right!

This year has already been so busy and exciting, so I hope this blog gives you a chance to know what I am experiencing.  Lastly, I just wanted to express my appreciation to everyone who has been so supportive and excited for me as I begin this year!