August's Last Stand

Ahh yes, the end of August, that time of the year when the little kiddies pack up the minivans and head to institutions of higher learning in the hopes that they might become fuller, more worldly persons (at least that's what I hoped for during my first days at SJU. Let's see if that pans out.) As I rolled up to Hopkins today to once again take my share of free internet, I was greeted by a scene that hearkened back to those days spent on the majestic Gest Lawn of my illustrious alma mater, Saint Joseph's. Young men and women, fresh from teary goodbyes with their parents, were sprawled upon what I can only assume to be Johns Hopkins' campus "quad." (after all, I have no idea what this campus looks like.) Grills were smoking, frisbees were flying, and music was blasting as the class of '13 looked to squeeze the last bits of juice out of a succulent summer. As I pushed my bike up to la biblioteca to sit and write to you from this very computer, I lamented the fact that I am no longer in college; those carefree days of fun and excitement are long behind me. However, if I continue to have weekends like the one I just had, then I could certainly get used to this "year of volunteering" thing (hey Mom and Dad, I think I might want to live on a stipend for the rest of my life!)

Friday night was the epitome of thrift. The roomies and I had planned to go to the Orioles game, not so much that we are diehard fans of the O's (though they could use all they help they can get), but because tickets were only 6 dollars. That, coupled with the fact that the JVC office passed on two free tickets, and that Mr. Moore gave us all coupons for free burritos at Chipotle, made for the cheapest night I'd seen since my college days. After enjoying our hot, spicy little bundle of free-ness, we proceeded to Camden Yards, hoping the rain would hold off. Well, it didn't (sort of). The game was delayed for about an hour, which was fine by us because we could sit wherever we wanted (I wanted to sit in the dugout but apparently you need a uniform for that. What kind of rule is that?!) Irregardless, the Orioles beat the Indians by some score that I don't remember, and we had a wonderful time with all 17 of Baltimore's fans.

Saturday was spent playing the legendary game of Ultimate Frisbee. Myself, Kelly and Tom, plus about 15 other people all related to JVC or Jesuits in general met at Druid Hill Park to take part in a friendly game of frisbee-toss. Now, this being the first time I had engaged in such a sport, I have to tell you, it was a BLAST! I couldn't tell if my shirt was drenched from sweat or the humidity, but we were all very fatigued after the game. We spent the afternoon doing some feng-shui'ing of the downstairs furniture, and we spent the night over an intense game of Monopoly (Kelly "technically" won, but I feel I had a better long-term strategy..Long term as in, if the game were to go on for years).

That brings us to today (or Hoy for you Spanish-speakers). On such an immaculately clear day, my only choice was to hop on the ol' two wheeler and pedal down to the Inner Harbor for some people watching. Overall, it was a great weekend in Charm City, one that didn't cost an arm and a leg (which is good, because that would make it difficult for me to ride my bike. That, and I wouldn't be able to do my secret handshake with Mr. Moore).

Hopefully you had a weekend of equal or greater value, and perhaps I would like to hear about it! But for now, please excuse me as I pretend I am a Johns Hopkins student so as to fill my bag with free food and drinks. And maybe a frisbee.

(Check out the photos I took from this weekend here.)

Lessons

So here we are, a few blog posts in, things are going well, you're laughing at my jokes (hopefully) and I'm feeling cool because I have a blog. You might be thinking, "Hey, this is great writing from an intensely funny person, but what is he actually doing in Baltimore? And where the heck is Guilford Ave.?"

I'm glad you asked. I am currently working as a Jesuit Volunteer at the St. Frances Community Center in Baltimore, MD (MD stands for Maryland- you know, the state with the crab cakes and the harbor and all those Catholics). My official title at the center is Assistant Director, though how they came to believe I could assistantly direct anything is beyond me. But hey, we live and we learn, right? Being a Jesuit Volunteer basically means that I pledge to live by the four values of JVC: community, spirituality, social justice, and simple living. More on these fancy concepts later, but simple living means an $85 paycheck each month. So you understand my obsession with meat in the previous post.

Moving right along! During this first week at work, I have been doing a lot of people-meeting and document-reading (I even got an official email address!) Mr. Moore, the Director of the center and my boss, has been keeping me on my toes from the moment I arrive each day. A lifelong Baltimorean (Baltimorean? Baltimorite? Someone from Baltimore?), Mr. Moore has spent the last 8 years at the center and his work has been invaluable to the community. He has a relentlessly engaging personality, he loves Motown music (he told me he was the 6th Temptation. I believed him.), and he even lives 2 blocks from our house!

This week, Mr. Moore took me on a walking tour of the community in which St. Frances resides and which it serves. The neighborhoods I'm talking about are Brentwood Village and Johnston Square, which basically means the area between the Fallsway and Eden St (W to E) and Eager St. to Hoffman St. (S to N) Either get a map and find it, or pretend you know where this is and continue reading.

On our walk, Mr. Moore told me the story of this neighborhood. He told me about the vibrant rowhomes that were built, only to be replaced by high-rise public housing units, and how those were replaced by low-income project homes. He showed me entire blocks of boarded-up windows and doors, and street corners with no local businesses. He told me that average income in this neighborhood hovers around $10,000, and that unemployment hits at 80%. I was losing faith, and I had only been out there for an hour.

Then he told me about 2007, when an open air drug market was forming right outside of St. Frances. Drug dealers were handing out free samples and were violating the unspoken "buffer zone" around the school grounds. Mr. Moore and members of administration (including the JV at the time) organized a "Peace March" through the streets to reclaim their neighborhood. Hundreds of community members walked in solidarity with each other with the steadfast refusal to give up their homes to violence and crime. Banners were posted on lamp posts denoting the "Peace Zone," and they still fly today. I came to realize that St. Frances and the Community Center are beacons of light to this neighborhood that is overshadowed by the daunting tower of the Maryland state penitentary, and that the work we are doing is utterly important.

I look forward to learning from Mr. Moore. He seemed to have a conversation with each person we met on the streets, and a talk between himself and a man named Mr. Jones revealed to me the far-reaching effect of his work, and of the dangers involved in improving this neighborhood. Mr. Jones told me that he would have had a molotov cocktail thrown through his window had he not personally known the members of a gang whom he was accused of selling out to the police. Mr. Moore also said that he would never give out or sell any of the information of the men and women who come to community events (many of whom have troubled pasts). He said that trust is key. This suprised me, then I understood. Life in the city is complex, and how can community leaders like Mr. Moore and Mr. Jones ask for trust and respect if they are not willing to give it to everyone, including criminals?

And so goes another lesson from the illustrious Mr. Moore. I can't wait to see what kind of intellectually-stimulating nugget he has for me tomorrow (I could listen to this man talk all day; he seriously sounds just like James Earl Jones. Maybe I'll try to get him to say "Luke, I am your father," or "Bell Atlantic, the heart of communication." I might even ask him where the Sandlot is!)

Fun With Nuns

My first day of real-live, grown-up, 9-5 work was a lot like my first day of school (minus the unabashed crying and desperate pleading with my mother not to make me go. But who knows? That could still be within the realm of possibilities.) Scarring childhood memories aside, Monday brought all the enchantment and wonder of starting a new chapter in my life at a new job in a new city. So when I arrived at the Community Center, only one thing could quench my excitement and thirst for adventure: A pilgrimage.

8a.m. I arrived at the main office. I met an ocean of new faces, shook a gaggle of hands, and pretended to memorize a litany of new names (apparently no one here has last names; they all introduced themselves as "Tom" or "Linda" etc. Perhaps I've stumbled back in time to pre-Middle Age England. Then again, perhaps not.) During two separate conversations, I think I agreed to become the coach of the school's golf and lacrosse teams, so we'll see how that goes. Anyway, my colleagues (I have colleagues!) and I proceed onto a bus to take part in a pilgrimage around the city of Baltimore to visit historic sites having to do with the founding of our school. Do people with real jobs really go on field trips?

The first stop on our little religious tour-de-force was at the original mother house of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. For ye laymen (and laywomen), the OSP was founded by Mother Mary Lange, who also founded Saint Frances Academy (yes, the very one that now employs this blogger!) Lange was of Haitian descent who came to Baltimore with her family (I think). She began teaching slave children and other children of minorities in the lower chapel (what the nuns now call Chappelle Basse), and this would officially become St. Frances Academy in 1828. A year later, she and three other women took their vows and created the OSP. St. Frances can claim to be the oldest African American Catholic High School in the United States (and some parts of the building look it!)

The tour then continued to the outskirts of the city, where we ate lunch with the sisters at their convent (or mother house, or novitiate, I couldn't tell which..seriously, these religious types have a lot of names for where they live). The sisters provided a delicious meal, and later, I would tell my roommates that I had meat for lunch- HA! After shootin' the breeze with the good ol' sistas, we left the house and traveled to the cemetary where Mother Lange is buried. I was suprised to learn that during the early days of the OSP, when a sister died, she was not permitted to be buried in the main cemetary. Rather, because of the color of her skin (the OSP is predominantly black) a deceased nun was buried on the side of a hill, in a really plain plot of land. It was with a sorrowful feeling that I realized that, even in death, these women still could not achieve equality.

The day was certainly an interesting and appropriate way to start my year. As I meet my new coworkers and continue to learn about the school and community center, I can see Mother Lange and the work of the OSP everywhere. The sense of pride and purpose that the people here have regarding their history is incredible, and I can see the work of Mother Lange permeate through each faculty and staff member.

Today there was no field trip, but I had meat again for lunch! We spent most of the day getting to know each other (meaning the faculty and staff) and later, Mr. Moore took me for a walking tour of the neighborhood. So much did I learn during this healthy gait around Johnston Square that a separate blog is necessary. Suffice it to say that Mr. Moore has an encyclopedic wealth of knowledge about the neighborhood and Baltimore in general, and I cannot wait to learn all I can from him. (And in giving me an idea of what I'll be doing this year, Mr. Moore ran down the calendar of events for the community center, among which is a franks & beans fundraising event in June- more meat!)

So, for being in the real world, this ain't so bad. And hey, I'm still riding my bike to work, just like I did to elementary school. Except this time there aren't any dirt trails to conquer, and my mother isn't looking out our back window to make sure I got to school on time. But who knows? That could still be within the realm of possibilities.

Doctor My Eyes!

Yesterday, my eyes were officially opened to the city, and to this upcoming year in particular. Mr. Moore (my boss) and Tom Malone (Kelly and Tom's boss from Cristo Rey) took us on a bus tour of the agencies where we will be working. First stop was the Public Justice Center, where Amanda will be working. Her boss John (not to mention the champion of all things having to do with our house- can you say hot water? SI SE PUEDE!) was there to greet us and to explain a bit about what PJC does. Basically, they fight for the rights of the underprivileged, marginalized, and ignored members of our society. In particular, Amanda will be working to build a case against the Baltimore County Detention Center, which apparently has been committing some serious acts of omission regarding inmates' health (witholding necessary medication, delayed or no reaction to health problems, lack of over sanitation). Learning about PJC confronted me with the reality of social justice. It is not just feeding the hungry or sheltering the homeless that makes up the bulk of working towards justice and equality. The hard part- the real meat and potatoes- of social justice is facing one's own pre-conceived notions and shaking them up. It's not that I was previously against prisoner's rights; I had just never really thought about them, and the realities they face every day. I am glad there are organizations like the PJC to represent them and I hope to question more of my own realities in the coming year.

We stopped at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and I was very impressed. Impressed with the faculty, the facilities, and the students already in class for summer session. CRJ has an interesting set-up: the students are involved in a work-study program in which they work at major corporations and institutions in Baltimore, as well as attend class every day. By doing this, they are able to pay for a part of their tuiton, and also gain valuable real-life skills and business connections. Coming from college, I know how important networking is, and I am impressed that the school has the forsight to get the kids out there now, and that the kids are motivated enough to work for their own education.

Beans & Bread Outreach Center (Rachel's place) was another eye-opening experience. We were there for lunch, and each of us sat down with the clients in the cafeteria and shared a meal with them. I took a seat next to a man and a woman, and immediately I was uncomfortable. The usual questions and comments I make to start conversation suddenly felt useless. "Where do you live?" and "What do you do for a living?" probably didn't apply to these people, and I was stuck at what to say to connect with them. Luckily, the woman quickly pointed out that it was hot outside (which was accurate, to say the least) and that there was a picture of her on the wall. We didn't say much else to each other, but I learned a great deal from her. Though we each come from different worlds, there will always be some basics that connect us, and I will try doing a better job at discovering them.

Don Miller House, our final stop, was again different and the same as the other sites. People living with HIV/AIDs live at the house, and Stacey will be a part of the support staff there. We met Louise, a client who has been living there, and she showed us (very proudly I might add) her room and her flat screen TV. She was especially excited to show us photos of her family, her mother, father, and brothers, as well as a photo of herself when she was eighteen. I wondered where those people are today, and I suspect she sort of did as well.

After a long morning, our pal Mr. Moore treated us to ice cream at a place called Dominion (they had spinach, carrot, and jalapeno ice creams!) The proprietor was more than friendly, and we were sad to learn she is moving soon. All in all, yesterday was a great day to finally see and experience our lives for the next year, and to come to the realization that there is work to be done. And that much of that work is to occur within us.

(I intentionally left out a description of my site, St. Frances Community Center, because I figure that since I'll be there for the whole year, you will get more than enough tasty morsels of insight and commentary. That, and to list all of Mr. Moore's jokes would take eons. That's right, eons.)

The Guilford Guild

well would you look at that! Another blog post! As I find myself here in what I perceive to be the Science and Engineering Library section (lots of smart looking people around, but are they smart enough to know I don't even go to Johns Hopkins? I think not! muahahaha), I have decided to fill you all in the major players of my house...sooo, in no particular order...

Tom is from Holden, Massachusets and will be working as a writing skills (?) teacher at Christo Rey Jesuit High School down near Fell's Point (I believe). Though he is a Villanova grad (gasp!), he's a real stand-up gent, and the rivalry has remained civil (until basketball season at least).

Kelly's birthday is today, the big 2-2. She's from San Diego, CA (groovy) and went to Providence College in RI where she played soccer (or, futbol for my Spanish followers. Do I have Spanish followers?) She too will be working at Christo Rey as a teacher and soccer coach.

Rachel is from Connecticut, and went to Holy Cross (a fellow Jesuit instution). She'll be working at Beans & Bread, which I gather is a homeless shelter/center. She studied abroad for a year in Scotland! Also, she is the resident driver of the house, as she is the only one with a car (the thing with the engine and brakes and steering wheel).

Stacey hails from Colorado Springs, CO and attended Seattle University (in....Seattle!) She'll be working at the Don Miller House, which serves the Homeless/AIDS population of Baltimore. This summer she spent 12 days hiking around Peru, apparently just walking around, saying "Hey!" to Peruvians!

Amanda is a second year JV from Louisville, Kentucky. She spent last year in Syracuse, and this year she's working at the Public Justice Center working on a case for prisoner's rights. Her experience from last year has been a big help to us, and as a bonus, her southern drawl comes out once and a while! How awesome is that, y'all?!

Ok, so that's our merry band (plus me of course). That's it for now, I have to go food shopping and you probably have to do something important. Peace Love Soul Rock & Roll.

Is This Thing On?

Hello World (or, my family and the few friends that care to read this)! It is I, Scott, coming to you live from Baltimore, MD! More specificially, I am coming to you from Johns Hopkins Univ. Library, and even MORE specifically, the computer to the right. Also, I am sitting on a stool. Good, now that we have logistics taken care of, my next point of address is regarding this little electronic tool you now find yourself reading. This is (apparently) a blog, and I am (apparently) a blogger! I wanted to keep you all informed and entertained of my year working as a Jesuit Volunteer in B-more, and I thought getting a letter-writing chain going would be too expensive (plus, I couldn't find any parchment or quills to my liking). Soo, this is where you will be able to read about my trials and triumphs, my escapades and shenanigans, my adventures and misfortunes, and all other goodies that will surely occur this year. I could write more, but this is getting kind of boring, and it's nice outside. Until next time (who knows when that will be? surely not I!), Peace Love Soul Rock & Roll!