Feed

The adage "give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for his life" is only true for the men in our world who live near water and have the capacity to fish. For the rest of the world's children, women, and men (well, at least those in Pontiac, Michigan), there's the Baldwin Center. Since 1981, Baldwin has been serving meals in its family kitchen to the homeless, the poor, the near-poor, and the people in-between who need a safe place with the lights on. We serve over 300 meals a day, at breakfast during the week, at lunch everyday but Tuesday and Thursday, and dinner on those two nights, and that doesn't include the meals served to our summer and after-school youth programs. People come to us on foot, by car, and on bike. Some are between jobs and are just trying to stretch their budget. Most come sober, and most walk through our doors on their own two feet. But a wide range of addictions and disabilities harangue many of the people we serve, and for them, lunch or dinner at Baldwin is critical to meeting their needs. The nice thing about having been around for 30 years is the depth and breadth of volunteer relationships we've cultivated. Some of our volunteer groups have been coming monthly every year since we opened. And that's a significant indicator of why we've been successful for all these years. Because without volunteers to cook, dish, and serve the meals, nobody would be fed. Today, we want to continue building relationships like the ones that have sustained our mission to feed, by incorporating new individuals and groups into our volunteer mix. Come join us fill bellies and provide people with a constant source of nourishment in this world of uncertainty. 248.332.6101.

Back in the USA

As I transition back to living here in America, I hope to use this blog as a way to reflect publicly on my three year experience living and teaching abroad, and make connections to what's happening here. As people have been asking about my transition home, there's one word I've used a lot: overwhelming. The pace of life, attitudes about competition, the engrained sentiment that we have to 'succeed' at all costs, unending work weeks, communication styles I'm not used to - I should probably keep going and get it all out. At any rate, I'm in the thick of my transition back to life here in America, and it's been a tough adjustment in some ways. In other ways, my iPhone has made connecting to friends and family very easy, driving on US interstates is indescribably better than on Weno roads, and dressing comfortably is a far cry from the same pair of tattered yellow & grey shorts that I kept from the beginning. And when I freak out because the wireless at my house blinks off, I have to remind myself - first world problems. I kept a journal while I was in Micronesia, and it's my hope that I'll be disciplined enough to beginning posting some of those posts here, in lieu of having done it over the course of my time on .25 square mile islands. I'm also going to integrate my work at Baldwin Center into this blog, because this new adventure working for a faith-inspired, human services non-profit is a continuation of a professional journey in relationships. When asked what the best part of the Peace Corps was, my answer has never changed: the relationships I formed with my Mochese family, friends, church, and coworkers at the school. Now I'll be making relationships with people in Pontiac, Michigan, with the goal of feeding, clothing, educating, and empowering folks who are in need. So, stay tuned as I tie together the old and new, the Micronesian and American, the island-life with the city-life, and the sand with the snow.

Pre-Thanksgiving Update

Even with internet out here, as you can see, there's just no guarantees for regular updates. Sorry, I've been busy. The 37 12th graders here at Moch High School have just finished their first quarter at school. Our total enrollment is at 180 HSers, which is HUGE by island-standards. (The other HS, on Satowan, is down to around 110 or so, but it looked even smaller when I visited recently).

Still, the Chuuk Dept of Eeducation (DOE) hasn't pulled through and delivered on the school's priority needs. We're 9 weeks down, and we have no regular meal service for the boarding students - save riceless lunch 5 days/week. Because the DOE's money comes from the US government's Compact Funds, there are countless restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles designed to ensure accountability and honest acquittal of the money. Because of Chuuk's less than honest past, today's result is a system stymied by red-tape and inefficiency. With a brand new Director of the DOE, and some staff rearrangements having taken place, it would appear that some things just got overlooked this summer.

Cruelly, it at first seemed, the school here took the brunt of that "overlooking." No rice for meals, unfulfilled additional teachers (red-tape office shuffling resulted in the amended DOE budget being lost, which included new staff positions for several schools and salary/staff actions - raises, etc), lack of construction and renovation supplies for student dorms and showers, and still no computers or router. These last electronics were supposed to come to us under the unspent portion of the DOE's budget; since those funds don't roll over into the next year, we were going to spend $30,000 on a computer lab and equipment. Regrettably, the staff at the DOE bungled that up, too, and with more red-tape to hamper the process, by the time everything was straightened out, it was already past October 1 - the new fiscal year. Still no action.

It is hard to remain optimistic at times, but the students are doing a HECK of a job overcoming the obstacles that this developing nation keeps throwing at them. We are practicing for the College of Micronesia Entrance Test (COMET), and so far, I've got a handful of students who are showing real promise. More than anything, by exposing them to the format early, we can cut down on their frustration and confusion when day-of-test comes. Unfortunately for us, there's no way to prepare in 12 more weeks what 12 years of education failed to impart - a fuller vocabulary, more refined grammar and usage, and critical thinking/reading comprehension skills.

That said, they are going to do their best. One thing that has stood out recently for the 12th graders specifically, is the "Senior Seminar" class they have 7th period. Instead of construction for the boys and vocational education for the girls, we are doing a combined one section model. Quarter 1 was devoted to setting up their 12th grade fundraisers and school store, brainstorm how we will spend our money (and budget it), and then, for the past 4 weeks, work on a public awareness campaign to deal with mental health and suicide prevention. Styled on American PSAs, we've made a skit, video taped it, prepared posters, and they even wrote a song in Chuukese to draw attention to suicide and how our youth can prevent it. It's truly remarkable.

So, as we get close to Thanksgiving, I am saying Thanks to my students who remind me daily, that even in the midst of some really trying and inefficient upper-level processes, at the ground level, our relationships and our attitudes, and our work continue to speak for themselves. And that's what's most important.