Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Final thoughts
As the semester is already nearly over, and my service at St. Pat’s is done, it’s time to take a look at how the service met my expectations, as well as what I could have done differently.
Overall, the service met my expectations that I put in my learning plan (listed below). The one thing that really caught me off guard was the number of people in Dubuque who attend the suppers each week. Every week, the hall was filled with the roughly 100-140 people that needed the supper. I guess I didn’t expect to have a full hall each week with people who truly needed the help, as I could tell that some of them were homeless. This surprised me, as I usually just hear about all the good things that Dubuque has to offer all the time, and never thought about how the bad economy could be affecting the lower-income people. After this semester, I realized that even though Dubuque has a lot of good things going for it right now, there are still some areas of the city that need our help if possible.
Other than that, my expectations were met. I was able to learn more about the neighborhood, although I thought I would learn more about the neighborhood by talking with people than I did. During my conversations throughout my service, the Washington neighborhood didn’t really come up, which was fine, as I was able to get their opinions on other topics, such as the election and economy. I was able to learn about the neighborhood by helping with the cleanup, since we walked through every street and alley in the neighborhood, so I got a good image of the neighborhood and the people in it. Additionally, I was able to help the residents as much as possible through the suppers, cleanup, and winterization, and it was a good feeling to be able to help them out because I could see how grateful they were for the help.
There’s not much that I would do differently with my service at St. Pat’s. The only thing I could think of was to talk more with the people who attended the supper. I talked with them when I could, but I was not ever really able to sit down and talk with them for more than a couple minutes at a time. If I had the opportunity, by talking with them more, I could have learned more about the neighborhood than I did. Otherwise, I am pleased with how the service went this semester, and I am contemplating continuing to help with the suppers occasionally as I genuinely enjoyed the people we worked with.
Learning Plan:
Goals
1. To learn more about the Washington neighborhood, both past and present
2. To help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood that are in need
3. To broaden my horizon on what exists in the real world by helping out in a neighborhood that is not like any I have lived in during my life
Means
1. By talking with various members of the Washington neighborhood during my suppers at St. Pat’s and in the winterization and neighborhood cleanup. Also, by walking through the neighborhood during the initial tour required and in the neighborhood cleanup
2. Serving food each week to those that are not able to afford weekly meals, and helping them winterize their homes if they need the help
3. By spending over 30 hours of service in the neighborhood, either talking with members of it or walking through it, I should get an idea of what else is out there since I come from a small town, and thus prepare myself for the real world after college
Assessments
1. I did learn more about the Washington neighborhood, but it was mostly through the walking through the neighborhood during the cleanup and winterization. I was not able to learn as much about the neighborhood through communication as I thought I would, but that was mostly because I would talk to them about things other than their neighborhood during the conversations.
2. I definitely feel I was able to help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood. By helping with the suppers each week, as well as the winterization and cleanup, I could really tell that they needed and appreciated the help I was able to give them. They don’t have the resources that we do, so by just spending a few hours with them, it made a difference.
3. I felt I was able to increase my awareness of what exists in the real world. As I said, I have never lived in a neighborhood like the Washington neighborhood, where whites are the minority and it is very low income, so it was an eye-opener to spend 30 hours of time there this semester. Nothing about the neighborhood really surprised me, and the residents were very nice, but it was just a different feeling being the minority there, unlike being at Loras.
Overall, the service met my expectations that I put in my learning plan (listed below). The one thing that really caught me off guard was the number of people in Dubuque who attend the suppers each week. Every week, the hall was filled with the roughly 100-140 people that needed the supper. I guess I didn’t expect to have a full hall each week with people who truly needed the help, as I could tell that some of them were homeless. This surprised me, as I usually just hear about all the good things that Dubuque has to offer all the time, and never thought about how the bad economy could be affecting the lower-income people. After this semester, I realized that even though Dubuque has a lot of good things going for it right now, there are still some areas of the city that need our help if possible.
Other than that, my expectations were met. I was able to learn more about the neighborhood, although I thought I would learn more about the neighborhood by talking with people than I did. During my conversations throughout my service, the Washington neighborhood didn’t really come up, which was fine, as I was able to get their opinions on other topics, such as the election and economy. I was able to learn about the neighborhood by helping with the cleanup, since we walked through every street and alley in the neighborhood, so I got a good image of the neighborhood and the people in it. Additionally, I was able to help the residents as much as possible through the suppers, cleanup, and winterization, and it was a good feeling to be able to help them out because I could see how grateful they were for the help.
There’s not much that I would do differently with my service at St. Pat’s. The only thing I could think of was to talk more with the people who attended the supper. I talked with them when I could, but I was not ever really able to sit down and talk with them for more than a couple minutes at a time. If I had the opportunity, by talking with them more, I could have learned more about the neighborhood than I did. Otherwise, I am pleased with how the service went this semester, and I am contemplating continuing to help with the suppers occasionally as I genuinely enjoyed the people we worked with.
Learning Plan:
Goals
1. To learn more about the Washington neighborhood, both past and present
2. To help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood that are in need
3. To broaden my horizon on what exists in the real world by helping out in a neighborhood that is not like any I have lived in during my life
Means
1. By talking with various members of the Washington neighborhood during my suppers at St. Pat’s and in the winterization and neighborhood cleanup. Also, by walking through the neighborhood during the initial tour required and in the neighborhood cleanup
2. Serving food each week to those that are not able to afford weekly meals, and helping them winterize their homes if they need the help
3. By spending over 30 hours of service in the neighborhood, either talking with members of it or walking through it, I should get an idea of what else is out there since I come from a small town, and thus prepare myself for the real world after college
Assessments
1. I did learn more about the Washington neighborhood, but it was mostly through the walking through the neighborhood during the cleanup and winterization. I was not able to learn as much about the neighborhood through communication as I thought I would, but that was mostly because I would talk to them about things other than their neighborhood during the conversations.
2. I definitely feel I was able to help out the residents of the Washington neighborhood. By helping with the suppers each week, as well as the winterization and cleanup, I could really tell that they needed and appreciated the help I was able to give them. They don’t have the resources that we do, so by just spending a few hours with them, it made a difference.
3. I felt I was able to increase my awareness of what exists in the real world. As I said, I have never lived in a neighborhood like the Washington neighborhood, where whites are the minority and it is very low income, so it was an eye-opener to spend 30 hours of time there this semester. Nothing about the neighborhood really surprised me, and the residents were very nice, but it was just a different feeling being the minority there, unlike being at Loras.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Change
Change is tough for anybody, whether it is as an individual or as a community. Generally, people don’t like to change from what they are accustomed to, as it is much easier to just stay in the routine that you are used to. If something is working well, and you are used to doing it that way, usually you see no reason to change that. As a result, when something comes along and forces you to change, it is tough to accept the change. That is going to happen very soon in my life, as I will be moving into the real world after being in school for the last 17 years. Just like anyone else about to experience a big change, I don’t know how I feel about it. Instead of only having a few hours of class each day, I will be at work for at least 8 hours a day, and it will require a big adjustment in my daily routine. I’m tentative towards the change, but in the end, it could turn out that I really liked the change in my lifestyle. That is the way it is with communities as well. Very few people look forward to change in their communities, but when it occurs, it may turn out to be much better than their previous situation. The initial shock of having to adjust from the norm is what makes change in communities so difficult.
In order for a community to change, it takes everyone to buy into the idea. Some people can promote change, but until everyone takes part in it, nothing will be accomplished. It usually takes someone who can act as a rallying point that everyone can relate to who can promote and bring about change. This exact thing happened a few weeks ago when Barack Obama was elected President. He is a great public speaker, and he used his speaking skills as a way to get everyone to relate to his stories he told about various Americans he had talked to. That, combined with the struggling economy, brought about “change.” Not everyone is sure what Obama supporters mean when they say they want change, but because of his ability to relate to everyone and rally them together, he has his chance to change the direction of our country. Relating this to the Washington neighborhood, it takes a group effort to change the community. The neighborhood used to have a bad reputation as a ghetto where Chicagoans would come for cheap living. The City of Dubuque and the community realized they needed to change the image of the Washington neighborhood, and they have done that by rallying the neighborhood together and promoting change. By creating a name for their neighborhood, they were able to create an identity and unite their residents. Since then, they have substantially upgraded many of the homes in the neighborhood as another way to improve their image. Some residents haven’t bought into the change, though, and it is noticeable when walking through the neighborhood, as some houses are run-down and have garbage all over the yard, while others are nicely renovated and well-kept. This change of their image is a work in progress, and until everyone buys into the idea and does their part, the change won’t be completely effective.
The narrator of the Invisible Man was able to promote and bring about change, even though he considered himself to be “invisible.” He was successful in promoting change because he was a leader-type figure who could rally everyone together. By possessing exceptional speaking skills, he was able to relate to everyone in his crowds and fire them up. The change that he brought about turned out to be horrible, but he was effective in promoting change. The characteristics of the narrator sound a lot like Obama, and he, as well, was also effective in his promotion for change. Thus, I think that an invisible man like the narrator could be successful in bringing change. Maybe a person with those characteristics is needed in the Washington neighborhood in order to get everyone to buy into the idea and complete the change in the Washington neighborhood.
In order for a community to change, it takes everyone to buy into the idea. Some people can promote change, but until everyone takes part in it, nothing will be accomplished. It usually takes someone who can act as a rallying point that everyone can relate to who can promote and bring about change. This exact thing happened a few weeks ago when Barack Obama was elected President. He is a great public speaker, and he used his speaking skills as a way to get everyone to relate to his stories he told about various Americans he had talked to. That, combined with the struggling economy, brought about “change.” Not everyone is sure what Obama supporters mean when they say they want change, but because of his ability to relate to everyone and rally them together, he has his chance to change the direction of our country. Relating this to the Washington neighborhood, it takes a group effort to change the community. The neighborhood used to have a bad reputation as a ghetto where Chicagoans would come for cheap living. The City of Dubuque and the community realized they needed to change the image of the Washington neighborhood, and they have done that by rallying the neighborhood together and promoting change. By creating a name for their neighborhood, they were able to create an identity and unite their residents. Since then, they have substantially upgraded many of the homes in the neighborhood as another way to improve their image. Some residents haven’t bought into the change, though, and it is noticeable when walking through the neighborhood, as some houses are run-down and have garbage all over the yard, while others are nicely renovated and well-kept. This change of their image is a work in progress, and until everyone buys into the idea and does their part, the change won’t be completely effective.
The narrator of the Invisible Man was able to promote and bring about change, even though he considered himself to be “invisible.” He was successful in promoting change because he was a leader-type figure who could rally everyone together. By possessing exceptional speaking skills, he was able to relate to everyone in his crowds and fire them up. The change that he brought about turned out to be horrible, but he was effective in promoting change. The characteristics of the narrator sound a lot like Obama, and he, as well, was also effective in his promotion for change. Thus, I think that an invisible man like the narrator could be successful in bringing change. Maybe a person with those characteristics is needed in the Washington neighborhood in order to get everyone to buy into the idea and complete the change in the Washington neighborhood.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Importance of telling stories
At my individual service site, St. Patrick’s Parish, there is a story that needs to be told about the people who attend the weekly suppers. The story would refer to the fact that the economic crisis has affected many Dubuque citizens, more than people realize. The weekly suppers at St. Pat’s are full with the same attendees every week, and additionally, there are free suppers offered every night of the week in Dubuque; I am guessing that the majority of the people at St. Pat’s also attend the suppers on the other nights in Dubuque. Even though Dubuque has had a prosperous year, including new business growth and being named an “All-American City”, the increasing unemployment rates are definitely affecting Dubuque as well. Before starting the service at St. Pat’s, I did not realize how many people need financial help in Dubuque, but after two months helping with the suppers, I now know many people who are struggling financially in Dubuque. As a result, I think that the story about the people at St. Patrick’s should just be about the struggles that some people are experiencing in Dubuque, and that they need our help if we can help them out in any way.
The value of this story about the attendees of St. Pat’s would be to increase the awareness of fellow Dubuque citizens. I’m guessing there are a lot of Dubuque citizens who do not realize that there are many people living in Dubuque who need our help and generosity. If they were made more aware of the situation, they would be more likely to donate their time or money to help out with charities and functions like the suppers at St. Pat’s. This is probably the situation around the whole country. Many U.S. citizens are unaffected by the current economic crisis, and they do not realize how badly some people need our help. If we could increase their awareness by telling this story, it would result in our country being more likely to help out those in need.
Nussbaum agrees with me on the value of telling these stories about people we don’t understand. In her book, Cultivating Humanity, she relates the stories that need to be told to many social groups who are misunderstood, including the lower class and unemployed that I referred to. Her underlying message is to increase the awareness of people not in their situation. Nussbaum stresses the value of compassion in the stories because if the readers are compassionate and realize that they could very easily be in that same situation as that person, they would not be as ignorant towards them. Obviously, it is difficult to involve compassion when reading a story about a person of a different gender or race because we cannot imagine ourselves in that situation, and that is the problem involving ignorance of other classes of people. But, I still believe that if you can increase the awareness of the people not in the situation, they will still be more likely to help them out if they can. Even if we cannot imagine ourselves in the situation, we can still emotionally feel for them, and that compassion would result in better understanding of the people in need.
The value of this story about the attendees of St. Pat’s would be to increase the awareness of fellow Dubuque citizens. I’m guessing there are a lot of Dubuque citizens who do not realize that there are many people living in Dubuque who need our help and generosity. If they were made more aware of the situation, they would be more likely to donate their time or money to help out with charities and functions like the suppers at St. Pat’s. This is probably the situation around the whole country. Many U.S. citizens are unaffected by the current economic crisis, and they do not realize how badly some people need our help. If we could increase their awareness by telling this story, it would result in our country being more likely to help out those in need.
Nussbaum agrees with me on the value of telling these stories about people we don’t understand. In her book, Cultivating Humanity, she relates the stories that need to be told to many social groups who are misunderstood, including the lower class and unemployed that I referred to. Her underlying message is to increase the awareness of people not in their situation. Nussbaum stresses the value of compassion in the stories because if the readers are compassionate and realize that they could very easily be in that same situation as that person, they would not be as ignorant towards them. Obviously, it is difficult to involve compassion when reading a story about a person of a different gender or race because we cannot imagine ourselves in that situation, and that is the problem involving ignorance of other classes of people. But, I still believe that if you can increase the awareness of the people not in the situation, they will still be more likely to help them out if they can. Even if we cannot imagine ourselves in the situation, we can still emotionally feel for them, and that compassion would result in better understanding of the people in need.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Reflections on the Service
As I’ve previously mentioned, my primary service site has been the weekly suppers at Saint Patrick’s parish in the Washington neighborhood. My duties have varied each week, depending on which parish organizes the supper, but mainly it’s consisted of helping prepare the food, serving food, and cleaning up afterwards. Now that I’ve done it for the last five weeks, I have begun to recognize the regular attendees of the supper, as well as some of their tendencies.
One thing that I have noticed and surprised me the last couple weeks is the attitudes of some of the people there. I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago how some of the people were kind of rude, but the greediness of a few of them surprises me as well. I understand that the majority probably do not get to eat a full meal very often (even with the meals offered in Dubuque every night), but the attitudes and methods some of the guys use in order to get more food still surprise me. Last week, I was serving milk, and sometimes we serve everyone two milks if we have plenty of milk, but it was very crowded last week, so we didn’t think we could serve everyone two. Some people just ask politely for a 2nd one, and I’d give another one to them, but then others demand another milk, and even come back afterwards saying they didn’t get any milk, even though I knew I had just given them two. We noticed later on that some of those people bring bags or containers and put all the extra milk and food in there and then sneak it out.
Additionally, those were the same people that try to get 2nd portions of the meal before everyone has been served. Tyler said two weeks ago that the same guys were coming back asking for more chicken nuggets “for the little guy,” even though we know they do not have children with them. Most of the people there have trouble affording meals regularly, but the lying that some of them do in order to get more food surprised me.
I don’t want to make it sound like the service hasn’t been enjoyable, though. Most of them are very polite and make it a good place to do service. I enjoy talking with the people there, and we were able to meet a very interesting man last week. He told us all about his collection, which happened to be fluorescent light bulbs. He has collected them since he was in college, and still takes them home with him every week after the supper. Being able to meet interesting people like that has made it a fun experience.
Outside of Saint Pat’s, I also have participated in the cleanups the last two Saturday mornings. The one thing that really stuck out to me was how lucky and privileged we are. One of the sites that I helped winterize was a trailer in the middle of Dubuque. When we first walked in and saw that a man and his two kids all lived in the trailer, it put things in perspective for me. I could not imagine growing up in a trailer where all of my family lives and sleeps within 10 feet of me. Seeing things like that make me want to help them out.
I only have a few weeks left at Saint Pat’s, which is really hard to believe. The time has definitely flown, but it has been worth it, and I think we might continue to help out with the suppers occasionally next semester.
One thing that I have noticed and surprised me the last couple weeks is the attitudes of some of the people there. I mentioned in my blog a few weeks ago how some of the people were kind of rude, but the greediness of a few of them surprises me as well. I understand that the majority probably do not get to eat a full meal very often (even with the meals offered in Dubuque every night), but the attitudes and methods some of the guys use in order to get more food still surprise me. Last week, I was serving milk, and sometimes we serve everyone two milks if we have plenty of milk, but it was very crowded last week, so we didn’t think we could serve everyone two. Some people just ask politely for a 2nd one, and I’d give another one to them, but then others demand another milk, and even come back afterwards saying they didn’t get any milk, even though I knew I had just given them two. We noticed later on that some of those people bring bags or containers and put all the extra milk and food in there and then sneak it out.
Additionally, those were the same people that try to get 2nd portions of the meal before everyone has been served. Tyler said two weeks ago that the same guys were coming back asking for more chicken nuggets “for the little guy,” even though we know they do not have children with them. Most of the people there have trouble affording meals regularly, but the lying that some of them do in order to get more food surprised me.
I don’t want to make it sound like the service hasn’t been enjoyable, though. Most of them are very polite and make it a good place to do service. I enjoy talking with the people there, and we were able to meet a very interesting man last week. He told us all about his collection, which happened to be fluorescent light bulbs. He has collected them since he was in college, and still takes them home with him every week after the supper. Being able to meet interesting people like that has made it a fun experience.
Outside of Saint Pat’s, I also have participated in the cleanups the last two Saturday mornings. The one thing that really stuck out to me was how lucky and privileged we are. One of the sites that I helped winterize was a trailer in the middle of Dubuque. When we first walked in and saw that a man and his two kids all lived in the trailer, it put things in perspective for me. I could not imagine growing up in a trailer where all of my family lives and sleeps within 10 feet of me. Seeing things like that make me want to help them out.
I only have a few weeks left at Saint Pat’s, which is really hard to believe. The time has definitely flown, but it has been worth it, and I think we might continue to help out with the suppers occasionally next semester.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Catholicism at Loras and the Catholic Worker
I’ve already mentioned previously that I have attended Catholic schools since 1st grade, so the “Catholic” environment at Loras has just been a continuation of what started in grade school for me. As such, I feel like I haven’t learned much more about Catholicism since coming here. If anything, I’ve actually learned more about other religions and how Catholicism differs from them. For example, sophomore year I was required to take a Priest, Minister, Rabbi course to fill the “Catholic Identity” general education course required at Loras. I already had a pretty good understanding of Catholicism entering that class, but I did broaden my horizons by learning a lot more about Judaism and Protestantism than I previously knew. In addition, now I am able to compare the three religions to each other and see the strengths and weaknesses of each religion. This perspective allowed me to have a better understanding what makes Catholicism a good, sustaining religion, as well as why it is criticized. Before attending Loras, I did not have that same understanding of other religions, so that will be the biggest thing I learned about Catholicism in the past four years.
Previously, I’ve blogged about what makes a Catholic college distinct, but I will explore that idea a little further here. Catholic colleges really emphasize being active in the community because the Catholic Church stresses it, and this is a viewpoint that a public university could not spread campus-wide. The Catholic organizations at the public universities could encourage involvement in the community, but Loras is able to take it a step further and spread the message to the whole campus. We regularly receive emails about various Catholic services occurring throughout the campus, ranging from the weekly masses to Catholic speakers that are on campus. Regarding the Catholic speakers, we are rather limited in what we are taught, though. The speakers can usually only speak on issues that the Church agrees with, and this stretches to the classrooms too. Issues such as abortion and birth control are only supposed to be taught from the stance that the Catholic Church takes on it. The students are obviously allowed their own opinions, but a professor cannot teach his/her class that abortion should be legal or encourage birth control, or even give the other side of the argument and its strengths. That issue came up a few years ago when the market was not allowed to sell condoms, and that is the limited stance that we have here. While the public universities can teach whatever side of the issue they prefer, the Catholic colleges are limited to teaching the Church’s stance. This should help to strengthen our Catholic values and practices, but at the same time, we are not always getting both sides of every issue, thus separating Catholic colleges and public universities.
I have to admit that I was not aware of the Catholic Worker movement at all before this semester. I had heard of the Catholic Worker and Dorothy Day, but I had no idea what it was or what she did. Growing up in Dyersville, Iowa, a town of over 90% Catholics, and then attending a Catholic college, I haven’t had as much exposure to non-Catholics as others; as a result, I have not had many arguments about the faith. While I have not really engaged in many religious arguments in my life that I can recall, knowledge of the Catholic Worker would be beneficial if an argument like that was to occur. The knowledge that there are services like the Catholic Worker available to anyone in need would be a good example to a non-Catholic of what members of the Catholic Church do in order to help each other out. The Church praises helping one another and being active in the community, and the Catholic Worker would be a great example of that. Knowing about the Catholic Worker will be beneficial to me in the near future, as I am graduating from Loras soon and will be entering the workplace where it certainly will not be as predominantly Catholic as I am used to. I hope Loras has prepared me well for those confrontations, but only time will tell.
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