Food And More Food
When the Opp Center is busy, as it usually is on weekday mornings, there is almost non-stop action. All kinds of stuff is going on... the kitchen is buzzing as people saunter to the counter for food and plates are being warmed up in the oven and microwaves, the lounge and computer lab are full of web surfers, the courtyard is littered with groups of homeless people chatting, sitting around in the sun, etc. As I make rounds around the center, I say hello to the people, chat here and there with those who are up for it. Many of the clients know recognize me; though they don't know my name I got a lot of "hey there you are! Haven't seen you in a while around here!" comments, which feels nice. I like feeling a part of this place, and the people knowing me has a lot to do with that.
That also is true with the staff. Besides Gina, I'm now also pretty comfortable with George and Jesse. Although sometimes I have to swallow my pride and do menial undesirable tasks at the request of George and/or Jesse, overall we get along fine and I believe I have their respect.
A elderly lady, Ellen, was at the center today as a morning volunteer (on her way out as we got there). Ellen is sort of a fish out of water, a suburbanite Jewish elderly lady serving food and fraternizing with rough-edged homeless people. You can sense athe gulf when she interacts with people. Anyway, Ellen gets to talking to me about her story: she's a Holocaust "survivor" and her family escaped Nazi Germany when she was 4 years old. In reality, she never really saw much because her family "ran early" and avoided the struggles of many other Jews in Germany during that time. She framed her experience as a Holocaust survivor as a a bridge by which she relates to the people who come to the Opp Center. I thought it was a little naive, especially since she had basically avoided real trauma and instead had an immigrant experience. She brought up her experience frequently, saying how she understands discrimination, etc.
I worked in the kitchen for a while, making laundry soap bags, and handing out food. We had some hot food: fish fillet, pasta, and chicken wontons. Good stuff. Then some Stanford students came out with a bunch of sandwiches, chips, veggies, and a big tub of orange juice. So right after a lot of the clients (mostly the males) had just feasted on fish, then got right back in line for ham and turkey sandwiches. When I mentioned this to Jesse, he just looked at me and shook his head...
I had a run-in with one of the clients, Anthony. I was behind the kitchen counter and he had some food on a plate. He picked off the food and slid the plate to me a sort of rude way, and told me to throw it away. I told him he should do it himself, but he just walked away. Later on, I asked him why he walked away and he said, "Do you know who I am? I'm Anthony. Don't talk to me like I'm a child." I just told him I meant no offense. I am happy to serve him; in fact, that's why I come to the Opp Center, to help him and others out. But I will not accept disrespect silently. That's the message I hope to somehow get to Anthony in the future.
Another female client, who I call "diva" saw me and said "Hello Prince!" Diva is homeless but tries to dress stylish and walks around with a phone headset in her ear. She calls me Prince for some reason, and took me to meet another volunteer lady, who seemed sort of confused about why we were being introduced. I was confused to, but I think Diva just wanted me to meet this volunteer because she was brown, like me. A Opp Center love connection.
Diamond, another client with a perfectly shaped afro and who wears a bunch of jewelery around his neck and hands, was chatting it up with me. He and Jesse often talk about this or that sermon that they heard in Church. It's fun watching them, they get really animated about the sermons. Whenever I ask Diamond how he's doing, he says "I'm blessed".
That also is true with the staff. Besides Gina, I'm now also pretty comfortable with George and Jesse. Although sometimes I have to swallow my pride and do menial undesirable tasks at the request of George and/or Jesse, overall we get along fine and I believe I have their respect.
A elderly lady, Ellen, was at the center today as a morning volunteer (on her way out as we got there). Ellen is sort of a fish out of water, a suburbanite Jewish elderly lady serving food and fraternizing with rough-edged homeless people. You can sense athe gulf when she interacts with people. Anyway, Ellen gets to talking to me about her story: she's a Holocaust "survivor" and her family escaped Nazi Germany when she was 4 years old. In reality, she never really saw much because her family "ran early" and avoided the struggles of many other Jews in Germany during that time. She framed her experience as a Holocaust survivor as a a bridge by which she relates to the people who come to the Opp Center. I thought it was a little naive, especially since she had basically avoided real trauma and instead had an immigrant experience. She brought up her experience frequently, saying how she understands discrimination, etc.
I worked in the kitchen for a while, making laundry soap bags, and handing out food. We had some hot food: fish fillet, pasta, and chicken wontons. Good stuff. Then some Stanford students came out with a bunch of sandwiches, chips, veggies, and a big tub of orange juice. So right after a lot of the clients (mostly the males) had just feasted on fish, then got right back in line for ham and turkey sandwiches. When I mentioned this to Jesse, he just looked at me and shook his head...
I had a run-in with one of the clients, Anthony. I was behind the kitchen counter and he had some food on a plate. He picked off the food and slid the plate to me a sort of rude way, and told me to throw it away. I told him he should do it himself, but he just walked away. Later on, I asked him why he walked away and he said, "Do you know who I am? I'm Anthony. Don't talk to me like I'm a child." I just told him I meant no offense. I am happy to serve him; in fact, that's why I come to the Opp Center, to help him and others out. But I will not accept disrespect silently. That's the message I hope to somehow get to Anthony in the future.
Another female client, who I call "diva" saw me and said "Hello Prince!" Diva is homeless but tries to dress stylish and walks around with a phone headset in her ear. She calls me Prince for some reason, and took me to meet another volunteer lady, who seemed sort of confused about why we were being introduced. I was confused to, but I think Diva just wanted me to meet this volunteer because she was brown, like me. A Opp Center love connection.
Diamond, another client with a perfectly shaped afro and who wears a bunch of jewelery around his neck and hands, was chatting it up with me. He and Jesse often talk about this or that sermon that they heard in Church. It's fun watching them, they get really animated about the sermons. Whenever I ask Diamond how he's doing, he says "I'm blessed".
posted by Neil Patel at 12:08 PM
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