An Echo in the Forest

I feel like I don't even know this blogging project of mine. And, consequently, anyone who's been hoping to hear about my life from time to time doesn't know a thing either. And now I'm thinking I should say something - but, as with the first post, I cannot possibly capture everything. Deep breath...

So I've received my own caseload of clients. And it's been updated. I began with clients from the last JV, so it was a sort of transitional type of experience. Many of the initial procedures that we go through with new clients had been taken care of, and I felt a lot of urgency to find jobs for them, because they were already at least halfway through their time with us. Luckily, I've been able to employ most of them. Ironically, I've been having the most difficulty with my two clients who speak fluent English. Cultural and religious components make it difficult to employ them in the most basic positions, but, at the same time, cultural components make it difficult to employ them in higher skilled jobs. For instance, if you can't work with pork or alcohol, you can't wash dishes. But, if you can't hypothetically alphabetize file cabinets by last name, it's difficult to fill out part of the application to work in a warehouse.

Now my caseload has been updated, so I finally get to work with clients from the beginning to the end. I actually just returned from taking clients to the Career Center to register with Tyson Foods. This is one of our basic first steps with new clients. I have just finished Jonathan Safran Foer's book, Eating Animals, and I have officially begun my vegetarian efforts. He paints a disgusting, immoral picture of the modern food industry, and I do not doubt the truth of it. As much as I'd like to stop registering clients for Tyson, I also recognize a hierarchy of social justice issues. I will continue learning about food justice and practicing more just behaviors and fight against the present industry, but I cannot do this and, in turn, deny my clients an income - which is denying them food, clothing, shelter, and security. If I could employ a Burmese client with grade school education and no English language skills somewhere else, I would. But with the economy and with those basic personal difficulties, it's nearly impossible.

My small yet profound victory today occurred when I took four clients to register for Tyson - a Congolese couple and a Nepalese couple. Some of them spoke enough English that they could help each other understand the questions I was asking. At one point, the Congolese man asked the Nepalese woman how to say something in Nepali. It was just a beautiful little experience of cooperation, camaraderie, and compassion. I don't know how our future efforts will go. I just know that I dropped them all off at their apartments and had a peaceful, joyful drive back to the office on a Friday afternoon. I welcome gifts of peace and joy and embrace their fleeting nature.

What else? I'm coaching a U-8 soccer team with Scott, and Sophie is our team mom/manager. Have I talked about this? I can't see my old post right now as I type. Let's pretend I haven't. I went into it having all these ideas for developing skills and doing creative drills. Then I got to the field and saw these teeny tiny kids who couldn't kick a soccer ball and who ASKED if they could run laps around the field. They didn't know anything. Nevertheless, we are now 3-1-1 with our final game occurring this Saturday. It may turn out to be a scrappy game of random players from every team, since it's Fall Break and a bunch of kids will be out of town. It would be a shame - we (read: the coaches) have gotten very competitive - but it could also be seen (but not by us - probably by my mother) as a fun way to end the season. And, of course, everyone gets trophies. I think the girls get female soccer players on their trophies? So that's cool. Which transitions into an impromptu book recommendation and peak into my list of books to read: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof. The best part of my morning is finding a new article by Kristof in the New York Times. My good friend Sean from Creighton has stamped it with his approval, so my eagerness to read is only further enhanced.

This is an echo in the forest. Hopefully I can sort through the rest of these massive, dense trees and shout a little bit more at you very soon. I haven't covered everything I wanted to, but the work day is over and I have standards. And this room is just two grades cooler than a sauna.

Next time: first solo concert in Nashville (as spectator), searching for a writers' workshop, setting up a creative writing class at a jail, my conversation with a Wendy's manager at the drive-thru window, and returning to the island.