Charades

Sometimes my work is just a game of charades. I don't know the Spanish word for razor (everyone says something different), but when someone starts stroking their face I can figure out what they need. When a kid points at his flattened ball I know that he is asking for the pump. And when a child looks longingly from the cookies that are out of reach, to my face and back again, I can't help but give them extra cookies.

There is so much that can be communicated without words. If I rush around I am communicating that I don't have time for someone. When I take the time to understand someone even through google translate, the guests are noticeably more relaxed. I am constantly reminding myself to slow down.

Stories:

Luis - Luis speaks English pretty well so on the way to the airport, he told me a bit of his story. He left his mother and brother in Peru in search of a better job in the US. He is still finishing up his masters in business administration, so he is taking classes in the evenings when he is able. He said it felt like a dream to be here in the US. When he was in grade school and determined to learn English, people asked him what was the point of learning English if he was going to live in Peru his whole life. He said he never thought this day would come. We connected over the experience of trying to learn a new language (his English is much better than my Spanish haha), we both agreed the best way is to just be thrown in (what we both are doing!).

Niamy - I picked up Naimy from an adolescent shelter across town on her birthday. She turned 18 on Monday, so no longer qualified to be at this location. I did not pick up all of her story, so I don't know if she got separated from family at the border or came across alone. What she did tell me though was that she was there waiting in Tucson for 15 days (and likely left home many weeks before that). We helped her buy tickets and was on her way to reunite with her family in Miami the next day.

Daniel - He greeted me with "buenas tardes" when he sat in front of me for the intake process. Of course I responded likewise, but then he laughed and in perfect English said "No, I speak English." Daniel is from Jamaica where the official language is English, he said he is learning Spanish but only knows a little bit (same Daniel :). I was so thrown off by this interaction though that I had to just pause and laugh for a minute. He asked my name and then kept returning to me throughout the day "Jessie, can you help me with..."

Unrelated to work:

We have been adding new things to our house little by little to make it more our own, here are some of the new additions...

1. Houseplants from Char, a friend from church.

2. Couch found on the side of the road for our back porch.

3. A giant white board from Goodwill for organizing our life.

4. A cross from Alvaro Enciso (mentioned last week).

5. A map of where we are from.

And from the walls of my room...

1. Images from Palestine, and a request for no more walls.

2. Some anatomy sketches.

3. Cards from people, ferns from Vermont, and a table runner from Mexico.

4. A biology inspired map of Tucson, framed by desert flowers.