09.30.06
Dental Hygiene
“Get your butts out of bed!” It’s 7am on a Saturday morning and I’m exhausted. Cracking open my eyes I see Deke, our site supervisor, standing in the middle of my room. “It’s time for surfing” he says and walks out.
Surprising is the only way to describe my first month in San Diego. Never before have I lived with five others in a spiritual community. Never before have I crossed the border 3 times a week. Never before have I been woken up by a Deacon wanting to surf. Although I had to politely decline Deke’s invite, (I work at the orphanage on Saturdays) life here is always exciting. Working three jobs allows me to do something different every single day.
Two days a week I work as a PE teacher with Anthony my roommate at St. Patrick’s, a small Catholic grade school with a big heart. We were both welcomed with open arms and large smiles. Since starting there I have learned the importance of a whistle and how it can make the difference in having a voice at the end of the day. St. Pat’s has also answered some very important questions in my life; like what really happens behind closed doors in a teachers lounge. Working with kindergarten through 8th graders makes each hour different and exciting. At any point I could be the referee in a heated game of soccer or capture the flag while 45 minutes later be the goose chasing the duck around the circle.
El Hogar Infantile Orphanage inspires me everyday. Although from our front door I only travel 17 miles to cross the border, you would think I was in a different part of the world. Tijuana, like many Mexican cities, is spread out and disorganized. The houses are slightly nicer than shacks and trash is littered everywhere. And yet I see beauty. The kid’s affection is captivating and instantly brightens any bad day. My roommate Keeley and I help in any task assigned to us. She often changes diapers or plays with the babies while I do maintenance or gardening until the older kids come back from school. The kids exhaust me but I leave feeling fulfilled, like we accomplished something.
Things also move slower here, including the line at the border to get back into the US. I wait in this line at least 3 times a week coming back from the orphanage and it’s never a dull experience. While driving up you can buy anything from a picture of Mary holding Pope JP2, painted children’s desks, or my new favorite food, churros. The border is just like going through customs in an airport except there are many more questions. Most Americans just go to Mexico to party and drink so it’s a little hard for the border patrol to understand what I do down there. “You volunteer at an Orphanage? For no money? Are you crazy?” These are the questions I get almost every time. My personal favorite was from a guard last week who was very concerned about my teeth. “So let me get this straight, you make absolutely no money.” None I said. “But how will you buy your toothpaste?”
Zack Zweber - San Diego