01.25.09
Posted in AV 2008-09 Domestic at 6:18 pm by Allie
My work in a community health clinic is similar to the wounds in which we dress… Having seen a specific patient for wound dressing changes three times a week for a month, you really get to know the patient, and the wound, and the healthcare system in general. As we looked to dress this specific wound from deep to superficial, I began to get to know our patient on a relationship that was just the opposite; superficial to deep. At first our patient was simply a name with a diagnosis of a wound related to left leg cellulitis dressed with packing strips, sterile gauze, and tape, until he became a man who lost his job due to medical disability, with a deep faith in Buddhism, and a beautiful love for the outdoors who left the clinic one month later with simply a “band-aid” over his healing tissue. Using pacing material and measuring the depth of the wound every other day, you can track the measurement of a wound with descriptions of its anatomical position, and assessment of the surrounding tissue. However with these deeper wounds that I am exposed to each day at the clinic, you find that there is not a tape measure, or a scale, or term of measurement to track the healing process of the wounds in the homeless population; wounds of long term disability from work related injuries, wounds from a life time of learning disabilities, wounds from citizenship issues of finding proper documentation to prove you “belong”, wounds from long term drug addiction, or wounds from long term domestic violence. Each day we see the beauties to the care we are able to provide at the clinic. There are days when we can put smiles on the faces of those we care for as they receive their blood pressure medications they have been out of for one year, receive immunizations they have been desperately needing, or have a stethoscope put to their heart and lungs as the patient feels hope with the presence of this stethoscope proving that there are people who are there to not only auscultate these sounds, but people who are there to listen… There are also days when working at the triage window you have to deliver continued bad news to patients as I tell them they are not going to be able to be seen that day for their medical treatment, for there are not enough doctors on staff that day; knowing that I may be just another person telling them no, giving them continued agony, and another person to our patients who by my appearance of a well-groomed young white girl, doesn’t understand, and will never understand what it is like; what it is like to be homeless, what it is like to be in pain, what it is like to be rejected, to be denied or to be misunderstood. To some patients they see the waiting room of the clinic as a waiting room of hope, for behind the glass doors of our clinic might lie an answer, an answer to a cure of long term pain and agony, or a cure of a medication that can take away the voices of long term psychiatric illness, and when we deny them access at a public health clinic they ask us, “what do I do now, where do I go?” There are days when we see the many cracks of systemic injustices, the cracks that occur when we are trying to find services for a patient beyond that of which we are able to provide at our clinic, and beyond that of other social services in the San Diego area. As a Village Health Nurse and a member of a medical clinic team, we can look to fill these cracks, to look to deliver options for healthcare treatment, to look to deliver hope; hope through a wound dressing change, a holistic health teaching session, or hope through a mere presence alone. And I have learned that beyond this year of service, beyond just the role of a nurse it is the work we all do in advocating for our patients, and working together to empower our patients to work through these cracks, and look to delve deeper into the depths of our voices; our voices which can deliver hope, our voices which can deliver change, our voices which can deliver a renewed sense of taking ownership in health.
The term wound in general implies that we are all wounded and we can all find some sort of solidarity between inherent, and situational wounds… Wounds can prove that we all need healing. Community life with my fellow volunteers has provided me with a place to continue to discover my journey, and to dress my wounds, while tending to those in our community, through conversation, through prayer, and through deep discussion of faith, service, and Catholic social teaching. Perhaps even our wounds need a simple intervention of a movie, a good laugh around the dinner table, or a camping trip to enjoy the beauties of the California outdoors. Community members can help you to find the strength from the deepest of sources to allow your passion and energy to get you through… whether it is finding that strength from watching a fellow community member stretch themselves to a new limit at their service site, or awaking to feel the love and encouragement from the community member who has the coffee pot running with a mug, and the number of “sweet and lows” you prefer all ready for you, looking at that packet of “sweet and low” and realizing that the day may be similar to that packet, sometimes low, whether it is seeing the look of a patient when they cannot be seen that day for medical care, or low because you are missing the comforts of home and family 3,000 miles away, but always sweet for the many lessons of faith we witness each and every day… Similar to a wound at the end of these ten months we will find that we are not all completely healed, nor will this experience fully quench the thirst of our restless faith, however we will have known that our wounds will have been exposed, and that we have worked together to explore the inner contents of the human heart and mind under the many layers of skin that surround us.
~ Allie Sherwood, San Diego Community~
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01.18.09
Posted in AV 2008-09 Domestic at 8:20 am by agustin
On Broadway, it has been the year of the musical, In the Heights. I had the fortune of seeing it this past summer in the Richard Rogers Theater just off of Broadway, and it was beyond entertaining. It’s an emotional and universal story about those in a neighborhood where “to move down” actually means “to move up.” It takes place in Washington Heights, a predominantly Latino neighborhood, in the upper reaches of Manhattan, north of Harlem. The majority of its population is of Dominican birth. This year, I am living with Rebekah, Hannah, and JH in Lawrence, MA, and like Washington Heights, most of its residents (60% to be exact) are Dominican. Other Latinos like Puerto Ricans (Boricuas), Guatemalans (Chapines), and Ecuadorians make up another 15% of the population. As a Latino myself, I was immediately excited about the opportunity to live and work in Lawrence.
I work fulltime at Bellesini Academy, and you should know that it’s also just off of Broadway… but Lawrence’s version of Broadway. Instead of being lined with the sky scrapers of the New York Times, Reuters, and Viacom, our Broadway is home to Fernandez Barber Shop, La Tambora Caribbean Take-out, and El Mercado de los Zapatos. Lawrence is the poorest city of Massachusetts, and it has the lowest high school graduation rate of any town or city in the state. Bellesini Academy was established for middle school boys who live in Lawrence and whose families fall below federal poverty guidelines. As part of my duties at Bellesini, I’m an aid to the Language Arts teacher, a 5th grade math teacher, and a soccer, basketball, and baseball coach. I even run the science club Thursdays after school. I know… It’s a variety of roles. I’ll get to that challenge later.
After a time to settle down and adjust, I was ready to take on all those responsibilities at work. But WOW did those new responsibilities come with challenges! Thankfully I have plenty of support from those at Bellesini, my AV community, and my more extended community to help me manage what I can. At home with Rebekah, Hannah, and JH, we share our daily experiences. Sometimes it’s under formatted situations like meetings and group reflection, but most often we share while eating dinner, doing chores, during road trips, or just lounging around. Once a week, we each lead a short reflection or prayer that either pertains to work, community, or an issue that is relevant to this year’s overall experience. Sometimes we discuss our understanding and interpretations of doctrine, teachings, or faith. However, frequently they are less related to doctrine. I recently learned that Robert Frost was from Lawrence. So, being a fan of his and his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” I used it during one reflection I led because I found it extremely relevant to the decision we each made to commit ourselves to Lawrence, our jobs, and each other. Although we chose a road “less travelled” by and still cannot see the end, I know we chose a just one.
My path of course took me to Bellesini Academy. Bellesini gives its students opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable. In November I began teaching 5th grade math… I definitely didn’t expect to have that job this past August. I was expecting to coach soccer everyday after school, help with some one-on-one tutoring, and teach a lesson or two a week in science and social studies (two things I studied in college… I plan to pursue a career in healthcare). Ultimately, the school needed me to take on other roles instead. The science and social studies teachers were pretty well established, and the after school program is much more than just sports. It involves study hall, community service, music, and club days.
I eventually accepted that often times we are not asked or needed to do what we are best at, but rather, we are asked to simply do our best with what is asked of us. Hence… teach 5th grade math and 7th grade Language Arts. For math, I plan my own lessons and teach my own class. For the Language Arts teacher, I teach 7th grade vocab and grammar lessons twice a week so the teacher can run the school library. Seeing as I had especially little experience with Language Arts and teaching in general, I originally had the urge to shy away from those subjects that I’m not completely comfortable with. However, with the support and confidence of the school’s executive director, I took on the new, challenging roles.
Although I do not plan to work as a teacher after this year (because I want to go into healthcare), working at the Bellesini Academy and living in the poorest city of Massachusetts has made clearer to me the full impact of factors such as lifestyle and social justice on health outcomes. I am beginning to understand more completely how other factors that are outside of the clinical setting come into play. Domestic violence, bullying, a lack of physical activity or academic opportunities are just a few of the issues that I recognize my students must overcome every day. I have also gained a greater appreciation for the challenges and responsibilities which teachers face in our culture.
Community life with Rebekah, Hannah, and JH has been exciting, and during the last months, I’ve been fascinated by it. Sure, I miss living with my friends Jonathan, Peter, Matt, Daniel, Liane, Allie, and Aleja. However, living with others who I might not have otherwise lived with is teaching me more about myself than I would have ever expected. The contrast makes apparent the best and worst qualities in each of us. Without going into details, it was a humbling yet exciting time when I began to make these realizations. It’s humbling because of the flaws I see in myself and exciting because of the admiral qualities. Since I’ve been more aware of both, I’ve been trying to of course work on those qualities that need adjusting.
Yes… I had lots to share about the first five months of my volunteer year, especially considering that I wasn’t expecting the entire year to even have such an impact. Sure, my time in Lawrence presents us with plenty of challenges at home, work, and around town. My roommates and I don’t always agree. Sometimes I lose control of my classroom. We’ve even faced some danger in town. However, with every challenge, I remember the simple words of Abuela Claudia from In the Heights…“Paciencia y Fé!” [Patience and Faith] I look forward to the struggles and successes that lie ahead and how my year as an Augustinian Volunteer will continue to shape me in the years that follow.
Agustín Abdallah
Lawrence 2008-09
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01.11.09
Posted in AV 2008-09 Domestic at 8:41 pm by toomeyje
Welcome to 2009. Its a snowy one so far in Chicago. Since arriving last Tuesday, I think it has snowed four or five days of the days we have been back. Being from Colorado, I love the snow, partly because it is so beautiful. When you are outside and its snowing, you can almost hear the whisper of each flake as it hits the ground. In my mind, there is nothing more peaceful than being outside when its snowing. They say that no two snowflakes are ever alike. Like us, each flake that touches the ground has qualities that set it apart from all the others. I find comfort in that. But once the storm has past…I have to get up earlier than usual and shovel! Awesome…
In some ways, this is very comparable to my life at St. Rita. Working with high school boys is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I attended an all boys high school, and going back to a similar setting has been a blessing this year. Each boy is unique, just like a snowflake. But sometimes as a whole group, they can be like a storm, leaving behind broken branches, chaos in the streets, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working at St. Rita more and more everyday. It was difficult at first, just as any job is difficult at the beginning. My official job title is Assistant TO the Activities Director (for all you “Office” fans). Because of the way the school is set up, my office is in a location that attracts the minimum amount of drop-in visits. So I have to be more proactive regarding “hanging out” with the kids. I substitute for my boss, Brother Gary Hresil, about once a day. The title “substitute teacher” at St. Rita can be interchanged with the title “babysitter for 18 year old boys.” Great…I’m shoveling.
However, every year, the Augustinian volunteer is put in charge of the prestigious flag football team. Coaching these boys was fantastic. As head flag football coach, I was able to hang out a group of seniors outside of the classroom. There was Jack Delaney and Jack Goldrick, both of whom argued so much that, if they weren’t so lazy, they would make fantastic attorneys. There was Kevin Austin who had no regard for his body, a fantastic defensive lineman. There was Brian Boyd, the intelligent one. Everyone brought their own talents, athletic abilities, and decision making skills onto the field. Although our finish wasn’t exactly up to standard of success this program is used to, we all had fun. I enjoyed the snowfall…
On the Kairos retreats, each student opens up in their own way, they find different ways to find themselves. I have been fortunate enough to attend two Kairos retreats so far this year, one as a candidate and one as a leader. I also attended two in high school. Just like the snowflakes, each Kairos has been different, and each Kairos has been nothing short of amazing. Sometimes, I find myself asking why I decided to give a year of service. Many of the boys ask me that same question, and most of the time I don’t have a good answer. But when I’m on Kairos, and I see the transformation, I have my answer. I’m sorry that I can’t articulate it further than that. I enjoyed the snowfall…
Looking back on the first half of the year at St. Rita, the positive memories completely outweigh the negative ones. As I am sitting here, I noticed that the forecast is calling for snow tomorrow night. Am I going to dread shoveling the long driveway, knowing that my back will hurt the next day? Or am I going to enjoy the beauty of nature, the serenity of the snowfall? I think I’ll choose the latter.
Joe Toomey
Chicago ‘08-’09
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