Birthdays, Boogers, and Beavers

Here I am again in this well-decorated, but less-than-panera-quality coffee shop to share with you today's adventures, lessons, and "musings." Today,as other New Orleans days have been, was a quality, fun, entertaining, and confusing adventure..if you didn't figure by the title.

First, a view from the upstairs front porch where I got to spend lots of reading, relaxing, and reflecting time last night...



Before I get into that, however, I have a few multi-media recommendations to make that I think will really enhance your understanding of what I am experiencing, feeling, and working through while I am here, and I want to put them in at the top because today's post is going to be mad long and probably make you uncomfortable (but hey - if I am riled up by all of this, why shouldn't you join me?) So, here they are.
1 - A song: "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. People, be careful what you might be wishing/praying for when you sing too loudly along with those Jesus songs in your car. Now, even if you are not a Jesus-loving person, I still recommend you YouTube this song, listen to the words and think about it. It is about a man asking God to have God's eyes for just one second in order to see the people of the world the way that God does - to see the need and pain that people live with, but also to have a heart so full of love that something bigger is able to overwhelm and overcome all that need and pain. Though I wouldn't ever go so far as to say I see the world the way God does, I think the words "give me your eyes so I can see everything that I've been missing" are really ringing true for me this week. In looking at some of the kids in the program where I am working, in a split second I can see so much of what they have grown up with, who they are, and the possibilities for all that they might become. It's really difficult to describe, and sometimes difficult to see when they are driving me a little nuts, but it is definitely a new way to see people. And, in reading "Savage Inequalities" (A book on race&class-based segregation and disparities in America's urban schools), I have seen how much of the world has written of kids like this, assuming that after they are behind a few reading levels in 3rd grade, they won't ever amount to anything. And yet, with kids who still don't know their alphabet by that age, I can still see them for what God might have created them to be, instead of what they cannot be. Again, difficult to explain, and still blowing my mind, but gosh, they are beautiful children. So, even if you aren't hoping to see the world this way, or don't have opportunity for it, find "Give Me Your Eyes" on YouTube and it might help bridge the gap between my experience and yours.

2- A Book: "Old Turtle and the Broken Truth" by Douglas Wood. First, a shoutout to Cheryl Galan and people I love at Camp Whitman who have introduced me to this book and helped me to see the beauty and truth that we can learn from children's books. Second, if you missed that - IT's A PICTURE BOOK, which means there's no reason not to read it. But, in short, it is a story about the love that abounds for all people, no matter who they are, where they came from, what they have or what they look like, or anything else. The most priceless, tear-jerking line in the whole book happens when a young girl returns from a long journey to see Old Turtle, and it says this: "But it had been a very long journey, and those who take great journeys of the heart are changed." And, especially within the context of the story, that's how I feel - changed, already. While this is one big piece of the puzzle and the change that I have noticed since beginning the MSW journey last year, I know that what I am learning and struggling with here are not lessons soon to be forgotten. I was talking with Ericka [thanks again for the pillow ;-)] last night and told her that, as overwhelming as this has sometimes been, I know that God is teaching me through it, and that He is changing me, and I am grateful for that.

Those are the recommendations for now..only 2, so I hope if you aren't familiar with either the song or the book, you will take some time to seek them out in the next few days. And now, on to the day's excitement! woo!

So, as the title implies - another adventure-filled day! I spent most of the day with the 4&5 year old class again. We had a much more effective academic time this morning, working on some letters and short words with the kids. It is sad to see already that some of the kids have such a hard time identifying letters and sounds, and even understanding the concept of what a letter is. But, it is early in their education still, and if you didn't gather from the info above, I am hopeful that there is still time for them to figure things out. After academic fun, we went outside, had a little chalk drawing fun, followed by my valiant, but pretty ineffective attempts to teach the kids how to throw a frisbee. Haha..where is Bill Furnas when I need him? But, it was a good time, and it is just good for them to get some fun and exercise in. After that was lunchtime, also smoother than yesterday. I was able to keep the kids a little calmer working on some letter flashcards for a bit until lunch was ready then..QUIET TIME! woo! We sort of managed to get most of the kids to chill out for a few minutes after lunch and relax, which was good because, as if you couldn't figure: Louisiana in July is HOT! And, a lot of the kids have been passing around this mad-nasty cold/booger virus like it is candy, and a little rest should do them good. Next highlight of the day - a Birthday! One of the kids in my class turned 3 today, and he is pretty much the cutest thing EVER.

I wanted you to see the picture first to be excited about it, but here is the sort of sad thing. When I asked the teacher, beacause he is a big kid, if he was really just 3, she said "yep, he made 3." He MADE it to age three. Tell me the last time you were surrounded by a group of kids where there was a question about whether or not they would make it to age three? Where their safety and state of being was so much in question that they may not make it to 3? Might be a bit of a culture thing, but based on some reading about other cities, this idea of "making it" to the next age, even when you're a child, is pretty common, especially in high-poverty, high-crime areas, and in a city like New Orleans where problems like gang violence and HIV/AIDS run rampant. Sad, but again - let's own and work on it instead of pretending it isn't happening...

So, we all had cake and ice cream to celebrate. Then, lots of people piled into a very hot van on a very hot day and went back to City Park to feed the ducks and play on the playgound. This is where the "beaver" part comes in. While feeding the ducks this VERY strange looking, giant-rat sort of thing swam over and was all up on the kids' bread. We stared at it for a few minutes, the kids insisting it was a beaver, even though it didn't have a beaver tale. Another guy over near the ducks told us it was called a "neutra." All I have to say is that I think my pet cat is just fine and the neutra can just stay in Louisiana. Fun to look at but sort of not a warm-fuzzy woodland creature.


After that, we piled back into the van, and sent home a lot of tired and sweaty little kids :). When the kids had left, I got to spend some time talking with Pastor Bruce about the HIV/AIDS outreach programs that he and a few others coordinate in the community. I think I am going to do outreach with them tomorrow, so I will save that info for the next post.

Now, the part you've all been waiting for--reflections!

In the "recommendations" part, I already included a lot of what has been on my mind, but here's the last set of thoughts for today. Please let yourself read it and be made uncomfortable by it, to see these thoughts and observations for what they are, and give yourself room to ask some difficult questions..

Today's topic: Race.

Now, the thing I haven't talked about at all yet, but has definitely been part of the experience is that my white self is spending a week living and working in an area of New Orleans that, at least before Katrina and probably still, was 98% black. And the odd thing about race is that it is so assumed that we must be politically correct in talking about it, that we sort of don't talk about it at all, and really, that doesn't help anyone. So, because it's my blog and I do what I want, I'm going to talk about it. There are a lot of ideas people hold when it comes to race, and none of them are things I am currently able to be at peace with. First, we like to feel good and pretend that "race doesn't matter," that we don't make judgements, assumptions, or decisions about people based on what color they are, and pretending that the color of our skin has no bearing on our character, our culture, or our experiences. Now, let's be honest, probably all of us assume and judge people sometimes based on "appearance" factors - whether it is skin color, size, age, ability, clothing, or whatever else. It isn't right, and often the assumptions we make are incorrect, but we do it. Social construction, if you will. So, though I am definitely realizing how much I do that and working towards doing it less here, it happens, so let's own it so that we can change it instead of ignore it. Doesn't that feel good? So this idea then would lead us to trying to understand the idea that you can't judge a book by it's cover and that, at our core, we are really all just people - equal in status and importance, who laugh at the same jokes, cry the same tears, etc. And that sounds nice too right? Wrong. The problem with this sort of approach is that it forgets cultural differences about each other that should be appreciated and celebrated. I mean, if we were all supposed to live, act, sing, worship, and enjoy life the same way, we wouldn't be different. Now, skin color is not the only thing that carries weight in who we are, and perhaps doesn't carry very much weight at all, but it's a part of it. So, then, if we don't want to jump to negative conclusions about people based on race, but we also don't want to patronize or neglect culture with cliche, lame sayings like "oh, we're all just people" then where is the balance that appreciates difference without making assumptions, judgments or decisions based on those differences? And, how can we live in a world of "differences" without them becoming "inequalities"? I think we can..but I don't know how...

That is mostly it for today. Tomorrow will be day 3 at the camp - SWIMMING DAY! in the afternoon, and then I should be doing some HIV outreach with that program. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey of difficult questions, rambling reflections, and very long blogs.