Monday, Monday...

Back again...

I haven't really had much to write about recently. I've been here just over a month, and I haven't gotten to start my programs yet. I got bored with writing entries that say, "and today I went around and met people. And tomorrow I'll go around and meet people."

The new twist this week is that I'm actually going around and meeting the teenagers that I'll be working with. They're awesome. I really can't wait to get started.

Two days ago, I went ahead and created a lesson plan for the first week, even though I didn't know when exactly that was going to wind up being. Yesterday, we decided to go ahead and begin on Monday.

Here's what happened: My first week here was orientation for me. My second week here, Sr. Angie was out of the country with the Marumba (sp?) band. That's the children's choir. They play Sunday masses, and go on tour from time to time because they're just that good. I went around and met people that week. My third week, Sr. Angie was on vacation. I went around and met people that week. My fourth week, the church was going through and audit, which turned out to be somewhat similar to hell on earth for a large number of people who run the large number of programs at Holy Cross- IHM. They said that sometimes it goes really smoothly, and sometimes they tear open everything. This time it lasted all week. So everything I was going to do got cancelled. I went to Kid's Cafe and fed kids. I wrote a lot in my book. I met with Yesica about Project Hope. Nothing much happened.

But this week. This is the week for getting things together. This is the week where I am not just meeting people who work at the Church, but I meet the kids I'm going to be working with. I tell them about my art and writing classes. See what they're interested in. Offer my services for tutoring (I will be doing both after all). See what they're interested in. I'm meeting with Sr. Angie tomorrow to get the starting schedule down. I"m making flyers to distribute in various groups and places.

My schedule, starting out, is going to be Monday Wednesday Friday, 3-ish to 8-ish. Plus whatever days Yesica needs me to work (but there's not a lot I can do with Project Hope until I am certified, and the training people are nearly impossible to get ahold of. So that will come later. I'll also be working with Fr. Bruce on RCIA on Saturdays. No, I won't actually be teaching RCIA. My job is actually to be personable with the young people. When we break off into groups to discuss issues, I go with the teens. They have different things to talk about than the forty year old mother of five, for instance. Plus, Fr. Bruce said something vague like, with your art, you may be interested in working with the altars for the Day of the Dead. Ever since then, I've been in charge of getting all that together.

In Mexican communities, All Soul's Day is a really big deal. They build altars for their ancestors to put up in churches, in their homes. They'll stay up in the church for about a month. It's a way for people to feel connected to they people they have loved who have died. I've learned this in the past week. I don't know anything about these altars. I don't know what they're made of, what they look like... I guess me job here will be to say, Hey, let's do this. And then we will.

Also, I'm in a training program right now called Advancing Youth Development. This program is for youth workers to become aware of issues in the field, as well as to develop a common vocabulary to work with, as well as to come together as a community to share experience and ideas, as well as make connections because no one does everything- so it's good to know others. It's an eight-week program on Tuesdays. I've met a lot of interesting people through this so far. I met one woman whose organization, among other things, develops traveling opportunities for kids who couldn't normally afford to travel for the sake of travel. She went to Fisk University in Nashville, and she used to know Dr. Jonathan Farley, whose congressional campaign I worked on last year.

Oh, and I think I had said that Michael will be lobbying the UN. He has since found out that the way I had put it is not entirely true. He will be lobbying the UN through letters, emails, and phone calls. He will be lobbying Congress in person. He's been spending most of his time thus far doing research on many interesting things. For instance, perhaps some of you have heard of Project for a New American Century? No? Well, you know how people talk about this evil conspiracy by the guys in the White House to take over the world? Well, that's it. It was think tank group in Washington that made it into the White House when Bush was "elected". Cheney's in it. Jeb Bush is in it. Rupert Murdock is in it. I want to say Rumsfeld. But anyway, look up information. This is not made up. This is real and it is scary when you realize their agenda. Project for a New American Century.

I don't have much else to say right now. Hopefully more will come soon...