Forecast: 75 and sunny with a chance of some Christmas spirit

Sometimes here in Immokalee it is hard to keep track of time because the seasons no longer change the way I am used to in the Midwest. I am amazed that Christmas is this week and the nice string of 70 degree weather and sunshine only fuel my incredulity. Thanks to some of the wonderful people of Immokalee though, there is no mistaking what season it is. Here are some pictures of what we see on a nightly basis around town. So while we may not have snow, we still have our fair share of the Christmas spirit. (I apologize for the quality of the pictures, my camera is not what one would refer to as "professional grade.")

Peace Out
Love,
Babs

It is I Who Must Begin

It is I who must begin.

Once I begin, once I try --

here and now,

right where I am,

not excusing myself

by saying things

would be easier elsewhere,

without grand speeches and

ostentatious gestures,

but all the more persistently

-- to live in harmony

with the "voice of Being," as I

understand it within myself

-- as soon as I begin that,

I suddenly discover,

to my surprise, that

I am neither the only one,

nor the first,

nor the most important one

to have set out

upon that road.

Whether all is really lost

or not depends entirely on

whether or not I am lost.

~Vaclav Havel

The author of this poem, Vaclav Havel, passed away today. An obituary can be found here.

Havel was an activist in Czechoslovakia and his leadership was critical to the success of the non-violent Velvet revolution, which brought democracy in the country shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was then elected President of Czechoslovakia, and after the country split, the first President of the Czech Republic.

I share his story on this blog, because Havel was a dreamer. He dreamed of a world better than the authoritarian regime of the status quo and he worked to achieve it. Havel started as a playwright, masterfully criticizing soviet rule through his art. After decades of speaking truth to power and being jailed for it, he reluctantly rose to political leadership and had to adjust to the practical realities that come with holding national office. Still, Havel held to his values and was often seen as a moral voice for the country as it charted a new course.

As Humility of Mary Volunteers, we have committed to take action in solidarity with all who are marginalized in a peaceful and non-violent manner. Though we are limited in many ways as individuals, there is still much we can do. We can follow Vaclav Havel’s example and speak truth to power in all things. We can forcefully advocate with and for those who have little or no voice of their own. We can dream of a world better than the one we inhabit today, and we can work to bring that dream to fruition. 

We can do all of these things right where we are, but many times, we find excuses to put it off. For me, I always dreamed of doing good in the world "when I grow up." Havel's poem taught me that these plans for the future mean nothing if I am unwilling to act on them in the present. I learned that my dreams are only worth something if I leave behind the excuses and the need for "grand speeches and ostentatious gestures." If I can get past the obstacles and distractions that keep pushing the dream to some distant and remote future. In other words, dreams can only become a reality by taking that first step and beginning, here and now, right where I am.

Rest in peace Vaclav Havel. Thank you for your inspiring words.

Tempus Fugit

Time flies.



It is hard to believe that Christmas is only about one week away. And it is equally hard to believe that we are now more than 1/3 of the way through our year with the HMs.

As I speak with the unaccompanied minors at the children’s immigration shelter in Miami, I am reminded of how precious time truly is and how often we forget to treasure the time we have with our friends, family, loved ones, and others.

During the last several months I have interviewed a number of boys under the age of ten who had traveled alone to the USA to be with their families who were already living here. When I asked them why the came, each of them said “I wanted to see my mom.” Some, with tears streaming down their faces, even said “I want to meet my mom.” Many of the children I see during my service with AIJustice have never known their parents or have only had telephone contact with them. Their parents left them many years ago to come to the USA, leaving them in their home countries with grandparents or other relatives. These children have endured weeks and months of the difficult journey from Central America to the USA to now find themselves detained by immigration. Yet, their perseverance remains, and they remain committed to being with their parents and fighting for a better life and a better future.

This Christmas, I hope we each take the time to reflect on the precious time we have together with our friends, our coworkers, our families . . . and keep in mind that each and every moment is a blessing and a gift. No instance can be taken for granted.

-Adam

Cut,Split,Stack - The Beauty of Wood

December Greetings

The past several weeks the farm crew has been out to the surrounding woods to gather wood for the greenhouse furnace. A logging crew came out and cut down trees that are then cut and split into firewood. Villa land is filled with oak, hickory, pine, and sassafras trees. The job of cutting, splitting and stacking wood is definitely a team effort. Mike with chain saw in hand does most of the cutting, Gary and John run the splitter while Richard supervises the stacking to ensure the correct balance on the trailer. Meanwhile Monica and Eilis (Just One Year members) and Romi and I stack the trailer. This past week I had the opportunity to run the splitter - the log is lifted onto the splitter and then cut into two smaller pieces. My oldest brother spent years on a timber crew and I know he was giving me a gentle nudge with each piece. The smell of the earth, the fresh cut wood and the sawdust is refreshing.

After the trailer is filled we drive back to the greenhouse to unload the wood. It is definitely a physical day (sore arms and backs) but a great feeling to see the pile of wood and know the greenhouse is fueled by this effort. Each day the crew fills the furnace with wood and monitors the temperature. If the weather changes quickly (as it does in Pa & Ohio) more or less wood is added to ensure the plants are kept at the accurate temperature.

I mentioned in our recent Skype we were patiently waiting for the Poinsettias to color to perfection. Below is a piece of Sassafras (my favorite) and a beautiful bouquet of white Poinsettias.

Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand: A Montessori Education

Villa Montessori Center: ( Fall 1995- present)

Villa Montessori Center: please note the core pillars of respect, explore,

learn, achieve, and together. These pillars are essential to the Montessori education.

This station has more going on than you would first notice

in a glance.

Classroom helper list: contains jobs such as

prayer helper, flag helper, line leader, star of the week,

rug helper.

Traffic light: visual cue for the color the child

everyday at preschool. The child wants to have a green light. If they have

a yellow light, their clip is moved to yellow, and a note is sent home.

If they are on a red light, their clip is moved to red, and they miss a

few minutes of down time.

Christmas tree: visual countdown of days until the annual Christmas pageant. The kindergartners and the preschoolers put on a small musical performance depicting

the night that Jesus was born.

Sticker chart: who doesn't love positive reinforcement with stickers?!

Once the child fills up the sticker chart they can show their guardians

and get a small prize.

Practical Life Station: here the children have a chance to practice

everyday life activities such as using utensils, pouring, and carrying.

This activity also helps to improve fine motor skills and

following exact directions.

Mini Gym ( I forget the exact name usually associated with this room):

In this room children can play more active games, which helps

them prepare for later gym classes and work on

gross motor skills.

On the day of my interview (way back last December)

I saw an imaginary game of bowling!

Awesome A from the language center: 1) A says ahh,

2) A says its name

Geography and Culture Center: Here the students learn

about different continents, and do many fun activities

such as coloring different countries maps

and writing out the names of the countries.

Art display: here are a few of the many

beautiful and creative art projects.

Dr. Maria Montessori: this station, I believe

does a wonderful job of displaying American pride with

the flag, Maria Montessori the creator of the Montessori

education model, and the angel and cross, which

demonstrates the Catholic identity of the school and the

HM sisters.

Vision & Mission

Vision
Fostering Success at Villa Montessori Center is the main thrust for both students and their families, thereby improving the overall social and economic well-being of the greater community. Our success in Early Childhood Education is the direct result of continually enhancing the spiritual and family values through Montessori -based programs offered in a multi-cultured, urban environment.

Mission Statement
The Villa Montessori Center, located in the inner city, provides an affordable quality Montessori Education for children ages 3 to 6 in a multi-cultured Catholic Christian environment.

*** taken directly from the website in an attempt to accurately reflect these key components of the Montessori curriculum

website: http://villamontessoricenter.org/index.html

I hope the pictures and descriptions have helped you have a little sneak peek into my life every Wednesday and Thursday! Have a wonderful week.

Love,

Tina

Shiners and the Healthcare Debate

When you live in a small town like Immokalee the ideas of community and entertainment take on a whole new definition. Community is very important here. Everyone knows everyone. Some people may view this as a negative i.e. there is no escaping. It is more often viewed in a positive light—as a close knit group of people who are always there for you. Now for the entertainment portion—what does a small community do for fun? The closest movie theater is 45 minutes away. There are a limited number of restaurants in town so it is easy to get burnt out on them quickly. Activities such as disc golf can take up to an hour to get to. So while some days we embrace the idea that “the journey getting there is half the fun,” there are other days when we want something close to home. As a result, one of our favorite activities here in Immokalee is games in the park. The lights in the park stay on until 10pm every night and usually at least 1 night a week if not more, you will find a group of us out playing basketball, volleyball, or soccer.

Last week was no different. There was a group of us playing basketball on a crisp Tuesday night (I say crisp because cold is something that hasn’t really happened yet this far south). It was a friendly yet intense game of 3 on 3 and my team was winning (I’m only guessing at this because we do not really keep score, but we were doing really good). At one point there was a loose ball and my own teammate and I both fervently went after it. In all of our focus on the location of the ball we forgot to keep track of the locations of our heads and their proximity to each other. We collided. I stood up quickly thinking it was all ok when I noticed everyone staring at me. I was bleeding from my head. Paper towels were quickly procured from someone’s car and I soon found myself sitting out (luckily at this point another friend had shown up so the game of 3 on 3 continued). After I stopped the bleeding I returned for the last 10 minutes or so of our game.

When we got home that night I washed out my wound and after the assessment from myself (a certified athletic trainer and licensed physical therapist) and my roommate (a former EMT) we determined that I would indeed need stitches. With head wounds you really need to get stitched up within 12 hours of the injury. That meant we would have to go that night as we all had work the next morning. So when you live in rural Florida and you need to get stitches at 11:00 at night what do you do? Drive to the Naples ER. 2 hours of travel, 1 hour in the ER, 1 awesome roommate, 1 PA, 1 hilarious nurse named Jose, 1 updated tetanus shot, and 3 stitches later and I was finally in bed for the night. Check out the awesome shiner I’ve been rocking for the past week (yep, my kindergarteners love it!):

So then I was thinking about healthcare and how lucky I am. First of all, I have some training so I was able to assess my wound and know what I needed to do. I then was able to use my internet to look up numbers of local urgent care centers and then use my cell phone to call them to see what their hours were (they were all closed because apparently people only need urgent care between the hours of 8am and 8pm). Then I was able to get in my car filled with gas and drive an hour to an emergency room where I used my insurance card to get care. It was not a matter of whether or not I was going to get care, it was just a matter of where. Many people do not have any of the above resources that I just mentioned. They could get the same exact injury and not know what to do or not know where to go to get advice. Then even if they knew where to go they might not have transportation or a means to pay for the services. It is likely that they would end up with a wound that had a hard time healing and became infected. And we’re just talking about a minor head laceration here—imagine some of the bigger health issues out there such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes, cancer, or major orthopedic issues due to accidents. Just a few weeks before my minor injury there was a local man who injured his knee playing soccer. He was unable to work in the fields (no AFLAC to cover bills here), and he had no health insurance to cover the surgery that he would need (it was also a time sensitive injury and needed to be operated on within a week, not a lot of time to figure out your financials in this case). It took a lot of community organizing and donations to enable him to have his surgery (once again that close knit thing comes into play). Regardless, it is hard to believe that we live in a country where people are denied the right to take care of their own bodies. I know that the system we have now is broken, but I do not know what the answer is. We need a solution that allows for care for all people without a breakdown in the quality that is provided. There is no easy fix and it is a problem that will need a lot of brainpower and ingenuity behind it in order for a successful outcome. In the words of Albert Einstein, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Peace Out
Love,
Babs

Courage does not always roar.

...neither does success. At Migration and Refugee Services where I have been teaching vocational skills and job readiness classes to adult refugees, I've been counting my small daily triumphs.

There is a phrase used often by a number of my coworkers: "That's so MRS." This phrase is uttered in frustration, exclaimed in exasperation, stated in disbelief, and even said with a laugh and an eye roll, depending upon the situation. It is an all-encompassing phrase that reminds me of three separate words in Pohnpeian (the language of the small island where I spent the last two years teaching with Jesuit Volunteer Corps). "Oiei..." is used to express annoyance, embarrassment, and disgust at the egoism of another; "ohsa!" is used to express anger; and "ohtier..." is used to express exhaustion. "That's so MRS" encompasses all of these sentiments and more. At its root, it describes the inability of MRS Staff to know exactly what each day will bring - the necessary inconsistency of our work.

For example, I was talking with my supervisor today about emergency planning for refugee arrivals over Christmas, as I will be one of the only staff members not out of town between December 22 and January 3. The US Department of State must think it's still 1999, because they actually still send us notice of arrivals via fax. Faxing very important documents, as we all know, is not the most reliable form of communication; I could list all of the reasons, but the most important one is: EMAIL. We were discussing how to hit the "Easy" button in the event that I receive a fax during Christmastime regarding incoming arrivals so I don't have to work on Christmas day.

I made the mistake of asking my supervisor the question I've always wondered: What is the shortest period of time that you had notice for a new arrival?

Half-jokingly, she reached over to her desk phone, picked it up, and said, "What? They're on the plane?"

She proceeded to tell me a tale (non-fiction) of the time last year when they received notice of a family of eight arriving that same day, and had their home set up for them by the time they arrived in Cleveland... four hours later. Four... hours... later. She encouraged me to remember this tale when whatever happens over Christmas happens - and remember that it could be worse. Also to remember - "That's so MRS."

The phrase, at its core, means that every once in a while we have to drop whatever we're doing and help each other out to prepare for a short-notice arrival or otherwise emergency situation - someone in the hospital and their kids at home alone, someone has been evicted and the landlord will be throwing all of their furniture and belongings out in the yard unless we go pack them up and get them out TODAY, someone who accidentally got on a bus to a different city and can't find their way back, and so on, and so on.

I can arrive at the office in the morning with whatever grand plans I want - to get all of my thank you notes done for all of the donations we've received in the last four months, to assign volunteer mentors to families and set up meetings, to organize materials for my classes, to call that guy who I was supposed to call four weeks ago, to wash the Tupperware that's been under my desk for about 14 days. But reality at MRS demands that something else may pop up, and my day will take an exciting or frustrating new turn. The donors will just have to call again and demand their thank you notes (which double as charitable contribution tax donation receipts), the volunteers will have to wait, I'll show up to class totally unprepared, and that guy will just have to call someone else. And the two-week old Tupperware? It will be of help to me in one of my favorite community activities - sticking it in front of JP's face and opening the lid, and watching him scream and thrash around and threaten to get sick.

And so in the face of this uncertainty, I have to take my victories where I can get them. Here's an example:

I had been confused for months about the odd head motion of the Nepalis in response to my yes/no questions. It is a quick, slight tip of the right ear towards the right shoulder, with a blank look on their face. In American, this means "I don't know" or "Well, I'll give it a shot!" So you can imagine how frustrating of a response this is to my furious, repeated question, "Do you understand?" Once, exasperated, I took a woman's chin and hairline in my hands and nodded it up and down until the whole class was falling over with laughter. Finally, a few weeks ago, a Nepali who understands American customs quite well explained to me that this is the Nepali version of the "yes" nod - they had been trying to tell me "yes, I understand!" the whole time! Delirious with relief, I asked my interpreter to explain to them that they looked to me like a bunch of baby dolls whose heads weren't screwed on right. He told them and they erupted in laughter. They responded to him, and he translated for me: "Well, they didn't know what you were doing either. When you nod, you look like one of those stupid bobble-head dolls!" We all laughed for a while before continuing our math lesson of converting fractions to decimals.

So there it is. That is what I have accomplished at MRS - mocking Nepali customs and inciting them to mock mine. All kidding aside, it was a new level of cultural understanding, and one achieved through humor and friendship. That interaction could have easily offended one of us or the other, and I could have become so frustrated and angry with them for their seeming lack of concern for understanding, that they may have stopped attending my class or dreaded it. But I stayed patient and waited for the day of discovery of this custom that was so strange to me. And when I discovered it, used humor to cover up embarrassment and feelings of degradation or of being "different." Now, they nod their head emphatically and though they're probably mocking me more than anything, I feel victorious.

I have one more class-time moment that sticks out in my memory. It teaches no moral lesson, and probably shouldn't be counted as a success, but I'll tell it anyway. In Vocabulary class, I was teaching the names of various feelings - sad, angry, tired, sick. I was really struggling with "disgusted." My charades of examples were making them confuse it with something smelling bad, tasting bad, or with a person feeling sick. My mind flashed back to an Etiquette class from the other day when I taught them that picking their nose is not acceptable in American culture. I looked around pensively, and zeroed in on one Sudanese woman towards the front of the room. With my eyes locked on her, I slowly ran my finger up my face until it was firmly inside of my nose, dug around for a few seconds, pulled it out, looked at what I'd found, opened my mouth, and stuck it in. Her eyes became wide as she shrieked "Ayyyyiiii!" and her motherly instincts forced her out of her seat. She lunged for my hand and pulled it violently out of my mouth. I looked at the rest of the class, who were again laughing at me (it's a daily occurrence) and exclaimed, "Disgusted!" They all nodded that they understood.

Victorious.

Peace,

Samantha

Race, Multiculturalism, and Immigration in America

So a few days ago I picked up an old grad school book of my mom’s titled “The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society” written by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. It was published in 1991 and definitely must be reflected upon with consideration to the post cold war context within which it was written. Certainly there is a vast amount much more recent research into the fields of cultural and ethnic studies since its publication. Either way, it has made me consider the themes of race and ethnicity in a way relevant to the work I am doing at AI Justice – two themes I might add that continue to hold a pungent taboo within our society, thus hampering further discussion in solving many problems facing our country

Schlesinger’s main argument is that as an era of “ideological conflict subsides,” humanity will enter/re-enter a more dangerous era of “racial and ethnic animosity.” Despite my objection to his idea of “ideological conflict”, which should really be interpreted as political conflict, I think it is an interesting idea to discuss or bring up in general given the nation’s current political climate and immigration issues. I think most people would object to this idea on a person-to-person basis, weather for political/social correctness or sincere sentiments. However, could it be more systemic in a larger legal or immigration framework? I don’t know.

In relation to my own work, there is a new law or database in play called Secure Communities. What this does is link the criminal database of local law enforcement to not only that of the FBI, but also ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement – the chief entity responsible for detaining and deporting people from the U.S.). At first it was up to the state and specific city whether or not they wanted to integrate into this system, but congress quickly rescinded this option and Secure Communities will be installed nation wide by 2013. Another program allows police officers to act of behalf of ICE, when ordered to do so, upon initially running the names of criminal perpetrators through the database and then taking appropriate measures (often detention). One problem that activist have with Secure Communities is that is ultimately leads to racial profiling as local law enforcement official believe their own jurisdiction has widened into issues with immigration (civil infractions I might add). Even though this nationwide database is supposed to be used only for running the names of suspected criminals, it undoubtedly also affects victims of crimes as local police often unjustly widen their purview of enforcement into immigration issues.

The question that I propose it that, do you think the rates of unjust immigration detentions due to Secure Communities and other relevant programs differs in cities like Miami where the population is majority of Lantin@ and ethnic (not white) descent compared to more northern and whiter cities? I don’t have any figures or data in front of me but I would like to know the answer.

I also recently read the convocation address from my college President Grant Cornwell. In his speech he summarizes the work of Orlando Patterson and his essay “Ecumenical America: Global Culture and the American Cosmos.” Cornwell laid out Patterson argument that the U.S. can best be understood sociologically, culturally, and economically as a network of regional “cosmoses, each of which extends beyond the U.S. border.” He paraphrases Patterson stating that Miami is thus the capital of the West Atlantic regional cosmos, “but whose reach extend throughout the Carribbean, Central, and South America.” Would Miami being the center of this regional cosmos then affect its social and cultural dynamic of immigration arrests connected to the newest laws such as Secure Communities now in place?

In his summation, Cornwell doesn’t mention race, however I think it has to be considered a factor at play within the larger scope of this idea. How will multiculturalism and regional differentiation in the U.S possibly affect immigration issues in differing cities? It would be my guess that Secure Communities may have a negative impact in cities less racially and culturally diverse than Miami. But that is just a hunch. Either way, I think leaving the taboo of race and ethnicity behind can only further the development of well-reasoned opinions. It is an intricate part of a global-historical context that I believe to be vital in our human progression.

Cheers,

Anthony

In substitute of pictures, I leave you this. A pretty cool article about Grant Cornwell, who I just quoted, and Wooster.

Solidarity

I take public transpo to my work sites. On Thursday and Friday this is an easy 15 minute ride from point A to B on one of the most reliable bus routes of the city...... On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this is an hour long commute involving two buses sprinkled with the occasional cranky driver, packed coach, and creepy creeper who keeps tryin to give you the eye. Sometimes your bus is really late, sometimes it doesn't even show up cause it broke down somewhere, sometimes it breaks down with you on it. Every now and thing this makes me go "ugh," but if *anything* I do in my service is in total solidarity with the people I serve, it's definitely taking that bus.

Struggle on. Solidarity yo.

~Jennifer