Before Capstone/Senior Project inspection...

This is just a quick post before an inspection this weekend from the teacher. Obviously life happened and things got busy and I lost track of time and I got off track with the blogs. But honestly, not much has been missed. Every Friday it has been the same formulaic day. I arrive rushing from school, which means a brisk walk up hill, grab a snack, grab my folder which I received on my training day, hop into the car, join the city traffic, get to the center, check in with my mentor, find out what work is cut out for me for that evening, and hit the floor running. For the last few Fridays that I was volunteering I was in charge of watching a group of children ranging in age from about one to seven. The number of these children ranged too every Friday, from three to five. The children were in my care while their mothers were in a class provided there at the center. At first, this task was dreaded. For one, the younger children only spoke a Chinese dialect and being still young, did not want to be out of their mothers' presence. Secondly, since there was a wide range in ages, one activity is not going to be enough to keep all of them engaged and happy. But as the Friday’s progressed the children got more used to me and did not cry as much and thus became easier to entertain them. on the my last Friday at work my heart strings were definitely tugged at when one of the younger children called me "sister" which was translated to me by the girl's mother as they were leaving the center after the class had finished. I have four older siblings, and have friends who refer to me as "sister" but being called sister by this little girl who I had been watching for the past few Fridays and had been the cause of much stress in my head was something special. One of the jobs I can see me doing in the future is working at a daycare. For the past seven summers I have been working at a pre-k where I have met numerous amount of children and knew all of their names at one point, but this one girl who called me sister, she will be etched into my memory for a while. You choose and select which faces and names you remember once you've been with as many children as I have been, and this girl will definitely be one of the faces and names I keep. Once the class was over and the children were taken home, there was clean up. Putting the toys back which had been moved all about the center and cleaning up of food crumbs which were also all over the place. Then it was back to the mindless entering of data, which was enjoyed thoroughly after a hectic day. One of the Fridays I stuffed envelopes in preparation for an upcoming gala celebrating an anniversary of the center at which my mentor would be speaking. I went on other days besides Fridays, a couple of Wednesdays, which was also spent entering client data and organizing donated clothes. I thought it was funny that one of the baby shirts I ran across was a white onesie with the Bolivian flag ironed onto it, which made me smile because I am half Bolivian but the only time I had ever been among other Bolivians was in Bolivia or in my family's house. Knowing that there were other Bolivians here in the bay area was also a special moment experienced there at the center. The last Friday I was there, the office was supposed to be closed to clients, but it felt busier than ever. When you are a center that offers free help to needy people, it is impossible to be closed and to turn people away empty-handed.

second day of work...well the day after

yesterday was me second day of gaining hours. Another three hours of entering client data into the center's database and seeing two clients. i started off with packaging diapers, but that only lasted for a few minutes, when another volunteer came in and took over the job and i was booted back to the desk for more data entry. Don't get me wrong, data entry is not so bad, i like the quiet of the office and the simplicity of the task after a hectic day at school which is beyond loud especially on a Friday, the Friday of the school's talent show. i did enjoy the calm and peace, but i feel like its as hands on as i could be, packaging diapers i know will be taken and worn and used is a much more satisfying task. hopefully i will be able to do more tasks like packaging diapers on other days.

Second day at the center, second blog

Yesterday after school i went into the center for my first shift. Three hours of entering data into the center's database, but i was also able to observe a client intake which will allow me to help clients who enter the center directly. A client intake consists of speaking one to one with the client to get some basic information to make a file for them in order to get them into the center's database, telling them about the center and the services it provides, and providing them with diapers, clothing, or any small supplies we can give them immediately without being wait-listed or needing a release form. I was also able to meet the director of the center, Chastidy. I had met her before a few years ago at my church, when she had come to tell us about the center and the ways we could help the center. She was just as bubbly and enthusiastic over the center and its cause as ever. Chastidy was preparing cards and brochures to be passed out at a "pep rally" today. Getting to know a client ans help them where they are is very impacting, inputting client data is definitely a way to help out, but being able to talk to a client and put a face and story to every file is what really gets me excited about working with at the center. Being able to bond with a client and relate with them is great, as a policy we are not supposed to share their information or acknowledge them in public unless they approach us first, but in the center, being able to just give them whatever they need and -- as this is a gospel-centered organization -- share the love of God which is in everyone who works there is an amazing feeling which i look forward to experiencing again next Friday after school.

the beginnings of my capstone project blogs

today was my first day of training at the Alpha Pregnancy Center. I was taught by my mentor, Ranelle Calub, how to file in new clients and how to package diapers for clients. while these were pretty light and easy tasks, i was also told some very frightening statistics and information. Alpha Pregnancy Center is gospel centered, so they are a pro life organization, which means they lead their clients away from abortion. the main reason women will have abortions is because they cannot financially provide for the baby. Diapers on average cost at least $100 a month. Children are very expensive, and it is nearly every parents dream to give their child everything possible for the best future. Not being able to even provide diapers is a tough reality and making a free abortion seem so much easier. Well at the Alpha Pregnancy Center they provide diapers for free, clothes for free, food for free, as well as high chairs, baby bath tubs, strollers, and cribs all for free! but still in just San Francisco alone there are 50 abortions a day. that is 50 lives that could be contributing to society. 50 children to fill more classrooms. And i had no idea just how terrible an abortion is. there are two main ways to a abort a baby, surgically or medically. An example of a surgical abortion is a hysterotomy which is a premature c-section where the baby is removed from the mothers womb and then left to die on a table. an example of a medical abortion is salt poisoning, where a needle containing salt is inserted into the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby, forcing the baby to die of salt poisoning which ends with the baby's skin burning off of its body, then the baby is delivered dead. it is the makings of a nightmare. but for the most part women who receive abortions do not know what is happening at all. an abortion isn't like any other medical procedure where a doctor sits down with you and explains everything in its entirety. if a mother knew what was going to happen, i doubt she would go through with the abortion. i never knew abortions were so gruesome, and after learning about what happens to the baby it is just really disturbing and feel really strongly to help this center prevent more abortions from happening.

A Wonderful Life

The film It’s a Wonderful Life is playing on television; it is on that list of top fifty films that we could have chosen to write our essay on. I chose not to watch it, because it is a very sad movie, and I know that I would have ended up crying. Watching it now is reminding me of just how depressing it is. Jimmy Stewart is an amazing actor; I feel bad for him though, because of he always seems to be casted as the guy that gets pushed around. In It’s a Wonderful Life, he gets pushed around by Mr. Potter, and just right now he got punched in the face by the schoolteacher’s husband. Just now his angel found him on the bridge and jumped into the water to save Mr. George Bailey. Is it any mistake that the angel had to change out of his wet, dark clothes to a white gown?

the Motif

The motif that I must research is that of colors. Specifically, I am supposed to research the colors shown in nature. And even more specifically, I am supposed to research the colors of the trees. For example, the blossoming flowers that Paul D follows on his way to the 124 Bluestone Road. I am not that excited to be doing this project, mainly because I am not that comfortable with the people in my group. I do not talk to any of them. Just do my work and I’ll get through it. A lot of these motifs connect; the color white connects with stairs. The color red connects with blood from the bodily fluids group. I suppose the color yellow could also connect with pee from the bodily fluids, but that’s a bit of a stretch.

Notice what you Noticed

The twenty motifs that made my list are necks, colors, hands, birds, rivers, flowers, stairs, trees, clothing, sewing, modes of transportation, rapes, the wrong side of business, reading, fires, beds, eyes, names, aquatic animals, and faces. I’m not really sure if this blog is just supposed to be a list, or if I am supposed to explain each of my choices. Seems kind of lame just leaving it here so I’ll explain some of my choices. Necks, which was the motif that came to my mind first, was chosen because of the incident in the Clearing between Sethe and Beloved, and because that is where Beloved was cut to be killed. Colors came next because of how often it is acknowledged. The color of the steps is known. The colors in Beloved’s tombstone are also repeated several times. I like doing things in odds, so hands was chosen because the reader is constantly told how there are no life lines on Beloved’s hands. Any coincidence?