Well I just got back from our ReOrientatino retreat up near San Francisco and the break from LA was very needed. Each one of our retreats focuses on one of the JVC values, this one being social justice. One of the speakers from the retreat is a layperson on the board of the California province of Jesuits, and he spoke about the financial investments of the society. In addition to just investing money for financial growth, they strategically target companies that they can implement new policies in.
For example, the California Jesuits became a major shareholder of Chevron a few years ago, and since this new relationship, they have used their influence to work with the company to improve it's human rights record. In the past, local militias hired through the company to protect its pipelines had harassed and murdered some locals living along the route, even though they were not a threat. Not that Chevron ever ordered this to happen, but the lack of oversight and guidelines at leaset put some share of instances like this on the company. However, Jesuit school alumni in the organization and the Society of Jesus representives to the board have spearheaded new efforts to face these regions directly to ensure the safety of locals and to also invest in the communities where Chevron has operations.
What struck me the most about this speaker was that he showed how working with businesses, instead of villifying them, can bring positive change for the marginalized. He said that public shaming of a person or company makes the people involved unwilling to work together over an uncomfortable and pertinant issue. This isn't meant to say that the shit should never hit the fan for companies (Enron anyone?) so that new laws are put in place to protect the consumer and average person. I believe he instead wanted to highlight a manner in which companies and individuals can rise to the daily occasion of acting both responsibly and ethically and how to address injustices from within as opposed to waiting for a whistleblower to take down the whole house of cards. It was exciting to see how the Jesuits and Jesuit educated people share a common mission that can be impliemented in a way that is obviously both protects human rights, and also makes good business practice.
Needless to say, this retreat provided many opportunites for me to focus on these issues and to learn from the other JV's who work with the underserved and vulnurable populations of immigrants, abused women, homeless youth, and minority students. The goal is to ask no just WHAT can I do to help these people, but WHY do they need my help. What structure in their job, country, or society has caused them to be in this position? I feel that by being on the "front lines" of working with the marginalized, I am learning the answer to the WHY. It is never a clear-cut answer, but I believe it comes down in some way to opportunity. By ensuring that people have an opportunity to succeed and invest in their skills and education, then hopefully less of my work will actually be needed.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Well into the spring semester, I've now started the next big project through Campus Ministry - planning the spring break immersion trip! Tentatively, I will be leading a group of 10 students with 2 other chaperones to Navajo Nation in southeastern Utah. I was put into contact with the office of service at USC, and they have been making a trip like this for years. Needless to say, I've crafted quite a few emails asking for their contacts and itineraries so I can work off of their format. While this is all good, I can't tell you how many times I've tried calling contacts, and numbers don't have answering machines or are disconnected! Emails? naw..... they use P.O. Boxes...... Regardless, since USC has done this trip for years for a much larger group, I know that our school will be able to handle it as well.
This past week the LA JVs have been offered so much free food and of course, we graciously accepted! For one of the events, the Jesuits in East LA invited about 15 of us JVs over for dinner. In my mind, I had envisioned a quiet dinner around a giant table in their house as they asked us about our work. Instead, we had brats, beers, watched football, and had a lot of laughs! Fr. Greg Boyle (of Homeboy Industires and author of Tattoos on the Heart) made a mean orange chicken dish and some of the best chocolate chip cookies too. Of many conversation topics, one was how celebrating the sacraments doesn't always go as expected. I realized I had the perfect example and I shared (at my baptism I believe I've been told?) how upon hearing the priest say "Do you reject Satan? and all his evil works?," Uncle Casey responded with, "YEP! I HATE THE GUY!" or something of the sort. As usual, Casey always knows how to draw a big laugh!
So starting this upcoming weekend is ReO, or reorientation, for JVC and we get to head all the way upstate to San Jose for the 5 day retreat. It will be a time to reflect at the halfway point of my experience, reconnect with others in the JV southwest region, and enjoy the fresh air and freetime outside of LA!
This past week the LA JVs have been offered so much free food and of course, we graciously accepted! For one of the events, the Jesuits in East LA invited about 15 of us JVs over for dinner. In my mind, I had envisioned a quiet dinner around a giant table in their house as they asked us about our work. Instead, we had brats, beers, watched football, and had a lot of laughs! Fr. Greg Boyle (of Homeboy Industires and author of Tattoos on the Heart) made a mean orange chicken dish and some of the best chocolate chip cookies too. Of many conversation topics, one was how celebrating the sacraments doesn't always go as expected. I realized I had the perfect example and I shared (at my baptism I believe I've been told?) how upon hearing the priest say "Do you reject Satan? and all his evil works?," Uncle Casey responded with, "YEP! I HATE THE GUY!" or something of the sort. As usual, Casey always knows how to draw a big laugh!
So starting this upcoming weekend is ReO, or reorientation, for JVC and we get to head all the way upstate to San Jose for the 5 day retreat. It will be a time to reflect at the halfway point of my experience, reconnect with others in the JV southwest region, and enjoy the fresh air and freetime outside of LA!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Christmas Break and Into the New Year!
Sorry to all my readers that it has been over a month since my last entry! Due to my lack of writing, there is now a lot to cover in this post!
One of the perks of working at a high school is I had the same Christmas break as I did when I was a student - 2 weeks! For the first part of my break, I flew down to Little Rock to see Melissa and her family. We went to her cousin's wedding, hiked around Mt. Magazine, and ate at the world famous Chicken-to-Go in her hometown. Melissa has made many trips up to Chicago to see me and my family, so I was very happy to be able to do the same for her.
The second part of my trip was spending 3 days in Chicago with my family and Erin and Aunt Mary. Although there was no snow on the ground, we made it feel like Christmas with plenty of game playing, story telling, and a wonderful Christmas eve dinner followed by presents around the tree.
The third part of the trip was then flying to LAS VEGAS BABY! This trip was sooooo much fun. My family rented a house off the Strip where extended family, Melissa, and Andrew's girlfriend Chrissy spent the week. We all took turns cooking dinner and festivities included a pool tournament and a talent show! Unfortunately, my rendition of the Utah County Song did not take the cake.
I think the whole family found a new passion in Pai Gow (or however it's spelled....) Poker. Being a little shy to risk my money, I spent the first couple of days placing five-cent bets at the slots. Then, I finally worked up the courage to sit down at a table, risk a bit more money, and play the $10 minimun bet. I sat down at the table, announced myself as a newbie to Vegas and to Pai Gow, and eagerly awaited my first hand. When I pulled it up, I wasn't sure what a good hand was, but my dad and brother's reaction told me that I had something good, and sure enough I won $30 on my first hand! However, this celebration was short lived as in the rush of the excitement of the win, I promply got a bloody nose and bled all over my luck-laden card playing hands.... game over.... Thank goodness I didn't win any more money though because who knows what medical emergency would have arisen!
This Christmas break was just what I needed though. It was so refreshing to spend time with my parents, brother, Melissa, Chrissy, and all of my extended family on both the Lee and Carnahan side. To wrap up this post, the following are brief memories and inside jokes with everyone who stayed in the house on my vacation:
Dad: IGUALMENTE!
Mom: "Erin, I want you to have a special Christmas and let's start it off with this awesome first gift!" Erin replies, "Uh, Aunt Abby, there's nothing in here...."
Andrew: aren't you proud of my inquisitiveness to the dealer about if the chips were made of clay?!
Casey: BEER ON THE WALL
Amy: late night hangouts around the island in the kitchen
Molly: that orange vodka.... whew!
Beau: don't worry, I couldn't hear you on the roller coaster!
Melissa: you made a great conceited, rich, and aloof woman ...i think you have a career in the soaps
Chrissy: thumb to the forehead!
Tim: thanks for offering me the chance to beat you in pool best out of three..... of five.... of seven.....
Katie: Chicken with peach and prunes... so delish!
Johnny: watching you with Casey at the Price is Right - is your left ear deaf from his cheering?
Grandma: I always knew you had a tenedor in your pocket ;)
One of the perks of working at a high school is I had the same Christmas break as I did when I was a student - 2 weeks! For the first part of my break, I flew down to Little Rock to see Melissa and her family. We went to her cousin's wedding, hiked around Mt. Magazine, and ate at the world famous Chicken-to-Go in her hometown. Melissa has made many trips up to Chicago to see me and my family, so I was very happy to be able to do the same for her.
The second part of my trip was spending 3 days in Chicago with my family and Erin and Aunt Mary. Although there was no snow on the ground, we made it feel like Christmas with plenty of game playing, story telling, and a wonderful Christmas eve dinner followed by presents around the tree.
The third part of the trip was then flying to LAS VEGAS BABY! This trip was sooooo much fun. My family rented a house off the Strip where extended family, Melissa, and Andrew's girlfriend Chrissy spent the week. We all took turns cooking dinner and festivities included a pool tournament and a talent show! Unfortunately, my rendition of the Utah County Song did not take the cake.
I think the whole family found a new passion in Pai Gow (or however it's spelled....) Poker. Being a little shy to risk my money, I spent the first couple of days placing five-cent bets at the slots. Then, I finally worked up the courage to sit down at a table, risk a bit more money, and play the $10 minimun bet. I sat down at the table, announced myself as a newbie to Vegas and to Pai Gow, and eagerly awaited my first hand. When I pulled it up, I wasn't sure what a good hand was, but my dad and brother's reaction told me that I had something good, and sure enough I won $30 on my first hand! However, this celebration was short lived as in the rush of the excitement of the win, I promply got a bloody nose and bled all over my luck-laden card playing hands.... game over.... Thank goodness I didn't win any more money though because who knows what medical emergency would have arisen!
This Christmas break was just what I needed though. It was so refreshing to spend time with my parents, brother, Melissa, Chrissy, and all of my extended family on both the Lee and Carnahan side. To wrap up this post, the following are brief memories and inside jokes with everyone who stayed in the house on my vacation:
Dad: IGUALMENTE!
Mom: "Erin, I want you to have a special Christmas and let's start it off with this awesome first gift!" Erin replies, "Uh, Aunt Abby, there's nothing in here...."
Andrew: aren't you proud of my inquisitiveness to the dealer about if the chips were made of clay?!
Casey: BEER ON THE WALL
Amy: late night hangouts around the island in the kitchen
Molly: that orange vodka.... whew!
Beau: don't worry, I couldn't hear you on the roller coaster!
Melissa: you made a great conceited, rich, and aloof woman ...i think you have a career in the soaps
Chrissy: thumb to the forehead!
Tim: thanks for offering me the chance to beat you in pool best out of three..... of five.... of seven.....
Katie: Chicken with peach and prunes... so delish!
Johnny: watching you with Casey at the Price is Right - is your left ear deaf from his cheering?
Grandma: I always knew you had a tenedor in your pocket ;)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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!
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!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Our prayer before dinner last night
~Some words of wisdom from Mother Teresa
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
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.
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