NASST AYS -- Day 5

It's hard to believe that today is the last official day of volunteering and spending time with the kids in the AYS space! This week has gone by so quickly, and tomorrow we will be taking the kids on a field trip to the book store so they can pick out books that they want to read, and then heading back to Ann Arbor in the afternoon. There were less kids today as well, though it seemed equally chaotic because everyone was rushing around signing each other's shirts to keep as a souvenir for this week! The kids also did not do homework today, because it is their rule to not do homework on Fridays. Besides working on the shirts, today we also got a framed photo of our team and Shari to give to Shari tomorrow for all that she has done for us and the kids, as well as took the kids to the park (which they have been dying to do all week).

Our shirts! Most of the kids put M's on their shirts as well so hopefully they will always remember us!

Connie with one of the youngest AYS members!

CRYP 2012: Life on the Res

Hey there! The past few days have been very long and busy. We have morning meetings at 9 AM, where our facilitator Megan organizes the plans for the rest of the day. We've spent most of our mornings out in the garden with one of the long-term volunteers, Jordan. We've helped weed the garden, plant starters and flowers, transfer vegetable sprouts, and we're working on building a compost bin. We get lunch at noon and afterwards we split up; some of us work with the older kids at the teen center (ages 13 +) and some others work with the children at the Main (ages 4 - 12). We help set out snacks and those working at the Main make dinner for the younger kids. There are a lot of activities we've helped out with and put together, and then we close by 9 PM. We clean the whole center and then get back to our living quarters, the center's library. It's been rigorous, but super fun along the way. We've met a lot of nice people - the coordinators at the site, the long-term volunteers, families on the Reservation and their kids who visit the center. 

Sukhee and Meagan helping out in the garden 

Paige and Jordan are making signs for Saturday's art fair

Going on an adventure to get some wood pallets for a compost bin we're helping to build. We rode in the bed of a truck on the way to the dump, where we did uncover a few pallets :)

The view from the truck

Making seed bombs. We'll be doing an activity with the kids where we throw these into a space behind the garden where we hope wildflowers will sprout up. 

Cooking with one of the long term volunteers, Alexa (on right). We made enchiladas for the Cinco de Mayo party with the younger kids. 

Being festive and having fun celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Playing with balloons at the party!

Chaos reigns after the piñata has been struck down 

Peace, 

Meagan, Pranavi, Paige, Sukhee & Jordan

God's Love We Deliver - Days 1 & 2

Have you ever volunteered at an organization that seemed – let’s say, less than organized?  Well, that is certainly not the case at God’s Love We Deliver.  Our volunteer orientation featured a video that summarized the mission of this admirable organization.  Simply put, their mission is: “To improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. We prepare and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. We also provide illness-specific nutrition education and counseling to our clients, families, care providers and other service organizations.  All of our services are provided free of charge without regard to income.”  With a three-part team of donors, employees, and volunteers, this mission has been accomplished for 26 years, delivering meals to an average of 4,200 New York residents per day.

DAY 1: Three hours in the kitchen

Following this short video, we worked in the kitchen for three hours.  We packaged meals, diced chicken, sliced cucumbers, and chopped zucchini for the following day.  The efficiency of the process was astounding – God’s Love knows what they’re doing.  A chef, Santos, supervised the entire process.  All volunteers worked together, if working on separate tasks, to meticulously prepare each meal.

At the table next to us, other volunteers worked to package meals.  We met one of them, Sandy, in the volunteer lounge before our orientation.  Sandy has volunteered for God's Love for a total of over 6,000 hours.  He and his fellow – generally older – volunteers had a wonderful sense of camaraderie: they truly seemed to be enjoying themselves and each other.

There are two lessons I took away from this experience.  One, I am capable of handling an adult 12-inch knife and chop vegetables without losing any of my fingers.  Two, and far more importantly, I realized what a small, intricate part of the machine that is God’s Love We Deliver that I am.  Sure, I prepare food.  Someone has to create the recipes and portions, someone has to cook the chicken, someone has to package the food, someone has to drive them to clients, and finally, someone has to deliver them.  I alone am not making a difference, but as part of a larger network of devoted individuals, I am contributing in some small way.  And that is one thing I’ve really taken away from the preparation as well as the execution of this wonderful trip: for me – or any individual – to think that I can make a change is folly.  The best I can do is dice chicken with the hope that others will contribute as well.  

DAY 2: On the road

On our second day at God’s Love, we moved from preparation in the kitchen to actually delivering meals to clients.  Each of us accompanied different drivers for the day and successfully navigated thorough the incredibly narrow streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and New Jersey.  Through this process, we got a chance to directly interact with the clients.  Though the buzz-in systems, old-school elevators, and “push to open” buttons near doors were sometimes confusing to us Michiganders, the small complications were certainly worth the rewards.

Most clients, no matter how sick, were immensely warm and thankful.  A few invited us into their homes, but we were forced to politely decline.  While the knowledge of myself as a small piece of the puzzle never strayed from my mind, this was certainly rewarding work that allowed me to see first hand the difference God’s Love makes everyday.  The warm welcome with which I was received, nonetheless, made an impact.  One man insisted on waiting outside his apartment until the elevator returned for me.  Other waited eagerly at the door.  All readily expressed their gratitude.

In addition to interacting with clients, I gained a new view of New York.  Having previously mainly stuck to the tourist-centric areas of Central Park, Soho, 5^th Avenue, etc., seeing Harlem – and the less glamorous West Side of Manhattan in general – was a welcome reminder that New York is not all shopping and glamour, business suits and iPhones.  I imagine that is the case in all cities.  New York is interesting because it has such a wonderful reputation as a culturally iconic city, yet its darker side is no secret either.  Seeing both sides of the city is the only way to understand it, and the only way progress can be made.

Us in front of the God's Love We Deliver Building!

 Similarly, though we NASST volunteers were prepared to learn about the logistics of chronic illnesses, we instead learned much about socioeconomic and racial divides in the city.  I delivered meals to clients who live in the widely impoverished area of Harlem.  I also ventured uptown to a predominately Spanish-speaking neighborhood where my driver, Amare, grew up; after pointing out his elementary school, he told me about how he couldn’t wait to get out of that neighborhood when he was younger (he now lives in the Bronx).  He proceeded to tell me how discouraging it is to see so many of the people he grew up with never make their way out of that area, and instead deal drugs on street corners.  Jennifer delivered meals in Coney Island, which is stratified amongst a very wealthy and a very poor population.  In fact, this juxtaposition is evident in the elegant buildings located directly above the poorly constructued apartments to which she delivered meals.  She also delivered meals in a mainly Russian neighborhood.   I can’t pretend to have answers as to how to solve this problem, yet I can’t help but think this stark segregation – both racial and economic – is part of the reason why organizations like God’s Love are necessary.

We have two more days with God’s Love, one of which will consist of making deliveries on-foot, the other will be spent back in the kitchens.  Stay tuned for more!

NASST AYS -- Day 4

It's our fourth day volunteering at the Chicago Asian Youth Center.  There were less kids after school on Wednesday and Thursday because a lot of kids had track, so it was a little less chaotic.  This meant more attention to the kids we were tutoring and less noise and distractions.  Our craft and snack projects on Wednesday were s'mores and pony bead keychains!  Thursday we made puppy chow (which took a very long time - try shaking up 40 bags of it) and wax paper suncatchers using crayon shavings.  We even painted another mural -- this time a space theme.

 

The weather has been kind to us the past couple days, even hitting the 80's.  It surprised us when we walked out of Chipotle for dinner this evening to encounter storm and hail.  We had a very scary and wet run back to the van.  Good thing the hail didn't dent the van!

Finally, tonight in our E&T session, we described and visually depicted the perfect volunteer based on our experience so far.  Here's a picture of what he ended up looking like:

Preeeetty nifty, right?  Tomorrow we're excited because we're going to get to sign T-shirts with the kids!  I'm going to make sure that I draw the first letter in my name -"M" - like the Michigan "M" so they won't forget us, ha!

NASST AYS --- Day 2!

Oh, Chicago! You spoil us with your lovely windy and rainy weather... Well, aside from the crappy weather, we were so happy to finally get to meet the kids at the Asian Youth Center! Shari (the director) was right - they are absolutely adorable and chaotic all at the same time. There's not a lot of space in the center, and we pack about 30ish kids plus tutors in there. Nevertheless, it's a lot fun!

We spend the morning and beginnings of the afternoon cleaning, organizing, and setting up the center for the kids. The first day we helped organize the bookshelves, and the second day we did inventory and painted a mural!  The kids themselves are a blast. They range from little 8 year olds to high schoolers. On Monday, they had drum lessons and we made hemp bracelets, and on Tuesday they had ballet class and we made spray-painted macaroni pictures frames.

We are totally worn out at the end of the day! Between organizing at the center and tutoring/having fun with the kids, there's little time for rest. After our E&T sessions at the YMCA, our hotel, we fall right asleep. It's a good kind of tired feeling, though, knowing that we are doing our part to help out AYS and the kids as much as we can. Shari told us a lot about the center's history and the families and kids that come, and not all of them have the best households. We're glad that Shari has done so much to give the kids a welcoming place for both tutoring and having fun, as well as providing meals and money to send some of the kids to private schools. The public school system in the area isn't the best environment for a thorough education, and Shari is doing the best she can to help these kids.

We're looking forward to the rest of the week. See you all later!

CRYP 2012: Half-way Eagle Butte

Sup NASSTies!

We left for our trip at 8 AM this morning, and have arrived at our pit-stop for the night in Burnsville, MN.
Of the sights we've seen are the Chicago skyline, a car chase, plenty of Wisconsin cows and nomadic eyebrows. After spending half a day in our van, we're relaxing for the night. Thanks to Paige, we're making it a girls' night with chocolate, nail polish and Julia Roberts (à la Pretty Woman). We're so excited to continue our journey tomorrow to the Lakota Reservation! 

Peace!
Meagan, Pranavi, Jordan, Sukhee, Paige (and Laura, our trusty Dodge Caravan)

NASST AYS 2012 --- Hello from Chicago!

What up from Chicago?! The Asian Youth Services team arrived in the windy city yesterday afternoon excited and ready to go, although a little tired. We stopped by the AYS center and had a one-on-group meeting with Shari, the director, and planned out our agenda for the week. All of us are super excited to be working with the kids next week.  Tomorrow will be our first official day with them!


Today was our day off, so we took a train down to the city to walk the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) and visit the Millennium Park. To the right is the Chicago Bean!

Before we left the city, we stopped by at the Cheesecake Factory and bought the most amazingly delicious cheesecake in the world! (For a hefty price of course.) We would all definitely recommend it to anyone who ventures to the city!

Back at the hotel, avoiding the incoming rain, we're having our very first Education & Training session with our E&T person, Christina! Afterwards, we're going to enjoy a movie night --- Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows is on the queue.

Also... HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNIE!

In our E&T session, since we weren't all able to make it to the NASST picnic, we talked about what we hoped to gain from the trip, what we were nervous about, and what we were excited about.  Here's some of our thoughts:

• I hope to gain an understanding of the people in the area and being able to see myself make a difference in the community. I'm excited to work with the kids and being able to make them happy! :) I'm nervous about being awkward or doing something wrong.
• During the trip, I hope to gain an experience of more responsibility and independence in helping others through this trip, and hopefully pursue more trips like this in the future. I'm really excited to work with the kids because they seem adorable. :) I'm nervous for potentially running into issues and not wanting to disappoint anyone.
• I hope to gain more experience with working with children from different backgrounds. I'm nervous about interacting with the children and the amount of space we are given to interact with them. I'm excited to get to know my NASST members and share this experience with them. I love volunteering!!!
• I hope to gain a better understanding of a different type of Asians than the stereotypical smart, wealthy Asians I am familiar with. I am looking forward to all the joy the children can bring me and I am nervous that I am not very good with kids.
• From this volunteering trip, I hope to gain experience with service learning and volunteering in an entirely different community.  I am nervous that I might say the wrong thing. I am really excited to finally to see all the work that we put in in action!