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.)