I haven't posted in a long time, and I feel a little ashamed. I'm not posting because nothing is going on; I am not posting because there is too much going on, and by the time that I finally have a moment to myself, I spend it sleeping.
I find that this internship is all consuming. I didn't know what day it was, and was really surprised to see that I haven't posted for a week. I don't know how it happened, but I'm already half-way through my five week internship. Only another two and a half weeks until I'm in Boston.
So, have I spent the past week to week and a half doing? Well, last weekend I went on down to Houma and Dulac, in southern LA. Houma is named after the Houma Nation, a tribe of Native Americans that made the marshes their home about 300 years ago. I went with a few of the other interns to test the ground and see if it were possible to form some sort of connection between the Houma and OSBG.
A Few Thoughts on Houma:
1) In some way, both places, the Lower 9th and Dulac have a lot in common. Both people were impacted by the hurricane, and now the Houma people are facing the oil spill. Both areas have suffered through history of oppression, and are now facing the issue of food security.
2) The marshes or wetlands are known as the bayou. This land is being lost at an alarming rate. Every day, the bayou loses approximately a football field of land. (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/24-3). These marsh lands were formerly used to buffer against the hurricanes that pass through Louisiana. However, because the wetlands are disappearing, their vicious destructive powers aren't checked to extent that they once were.
3) It takes a VERY special type person to live here. I would not function well. The people down here have a very interesting temperament. They realize that they are living in an area that floods frequently, and will get destroyed frequently. They build houses on stilts and have insane flood insurance bills. But, they don't get angry about things that they can't change. While I was down there, despite the news reports of complete devastation, I almost didn't sense anything was wrong. People were still laughing and gossiping, and trying to lead normal lives. They may have been angry, or sad when the oil spill happened, but they still have the strength and desire to keep living their lives down there. I would have packed up and left, but these people have some real strength.
4) Southern hospitality is a REAL thing. People down here are so NICE! Many strangers that were passing through the community center offered to feed us, or put us up in their homes.
So I visited Houma on Sunday and stayed until Tuesday. While I was there, I helped out at the community center, doing anything I could to help their day go smoother. In some ways it was actually kind of funny, because the men don't think that women my age enjoy or are willing to do a lot of physical labor. So, instead I mainly helped watch over the children, sorted donated clothing, and helped serve food. While Lauren, Kidan and I were down there, we had an opportunity to meet much of the community, and were actually invited back down for their annual celebration of Kateri Tekakwitha.
Fast Forward to this past Friday:
The celebration of Kateri Tekakwitha was actually the most interesting religious service I have ever been to. The service was held because they are hoping to secure the position of sainthood for the Blessed Kateri. The mass itself was also pretty cool. It was a blend of Catholic and Native American traditions. It was a very interesting experience. More about that later.
Things I am Learning About Myself:
1) I thought that I was a really open-minded person, devoid of prejudices. When I was little, I could never understand how people could ever judge one another based off skin color. And while I still can't understand how people can discriminate against people of different, I'm realizing that I have certain prejudices of my own. I caught myself judging the content of someone's thoughts based on how they were presented. In other words, I found myself impatient with people that speak with certain accents or inflections. When people end their sentences on a high note, as if they were asking a question, I find myself being dismissive. This is an undesirable trait in myself, and now that I am aware of its existence, I'll try to get rid of it.
2) I might not get along with everyone I work with, or their personalities may grate against my nerves. However, I have to just swallow my pride and continue to work with them. Things need to get done, and whether or not I like someone on a personal level I don't need to show it. I also don't need them to ever know I find them annoying. Attitude and carefully chosen words is the key to diplomacy.
3) It is important to have some division between labor and play. I've been down here, and I work every single day. Yesterday was my first day off in two weeks, because the concept of weekends don't exist at Blair Grocery. Things still need to be grown, and it's not like the sunflowers are going to pause their growth until Monday. Every conversation I've had with people has been centered around Blair Grocery. It's either about the school, my frustrations with the school, the people at the school, or the neighborhood the school is in. I have no life outside of this sphere, and while it's ok for a while, I don't understand how people can do this for life.
4) Authentic Diversity: Being a diverse organization isn't based off of some abstract checklist, making sure that every ethnicity is collected so that they can be considered represented. Diversity is DIFFERENT life experiences.
5) How am I going to take this experience away with me? How can I be sure to hold onto everything I've learned, and keep in mind all the experiences that have touched me?
6) The incongruity of the lives of the volunteers, and the people that they are trying to help. The other day, I saw a pile of at least 4 MacBooks stacked on top of one another. I found that picture to be obscene. Here on a beat up, old-ass couch in the Lower 9th Ward is a STACK of MacBooks....what the hell?
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