A New York Thanksgiving

This was my first Thanksgiving away from home. It was a good one, even if I didn’t get to hang out with my family.

I got off work early on Tuesday afternoon, and was VERY excited to start my break. I spent the first day of my break volunteering, which you can read more about in my post NAME OF POST.

Thursday was a lazy turkey day :) I think I stayed in my PJs until 1:00. Hurray! Leah made Pringle casserole (green bean casserole with Pringles instead of Frenchies because all the stores were out...), and around 2:00 she and I left for Brooklyn.

We met up with HaQuyen, a former VSer who still lives in the city. She had invited us, some friends from church, some friends from a different church, and her parents. Her family is Vietnamese, so there was a blend of Vietnamese and English buzzing throughout the apartment. Not to mention delicious Vietnamese spring rolls paired with an All-American Thanksgiving turkey. I love the diversity of this city!

In typical Thanksgiving fashion, Leah and I showed up an hour late. We didn’t eat for another 90 minutes because the turkey always takes longer than you expect. Post dinner, we fought off inevitable food induced coma by walking around HaQuyen’s neighborhood. It is so quaint! There are lots of brownstone buildings, a park where children were burning off energy while parents watched, and trees. It was lovely.

We had to make a pitstop at a Chinese bodega (bodega is Spanish for store, and New Yorkers use it to refer to corner stores...sort of like gas stations.) for ice. I suppose the Chinese are some of the few not observing the American holiday!

Through some rousing rounds of Mafia, Leah and I got to know her friends there. They all attend Trinity Grace Community Church which is a non-denominational church. It sounds like they’ve been friends for a couple years. I was excited to meet some new cool people who don’t live at Menno House! I love my housemates, but I also love knowing I have the potential for other friend groups.

This girl did not spend Black Friday shopping. I heard rumors folks were lined up outside of Bestbuy on Monday already gearing up for Black Friday. That was one scene I did not want any part of. Instead, Leah and I went to the Russian and Turkish baths (http://www.russianturkishbaths.com/enter.html). We had a Groupon to save $20 on entrance.

It was an experience. There were five saunas, an ice-cold pool, and a bunch of really hairy men covered in tattoos. Interesting. Despite the bowling alley smell and lack of eye-candy, Leah and I had quite a relaxing time. It was wonderful to just sit and relax. I definitely was not as intense as some men who would sit for hours in the 120 degree room, and when they got too hot, would dump buckets of ice water on themselves. After a few hours, they would go into the ice pool, literally like 40 degrees, and submerge themselves. They would stay there for five minutes. Repeat. No thank you.

Sunday was spent at Riverdale Presbyterian Church to see my housemate Jovon preach. He is studying theology at Union Theological Seminary, and is Director of Youth Ministries at RPC. It was a great time. The church was very welcoming, and warm.

Now I’m getting back into the swing of things. We have five schools we are serving this weekend. It’ll be busy!

Volunteering post Sandy

I had Wednesday off from work, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, and volunteer in the Rockaways through New York Cares. The Rockaways is a beach in Queens that was hit very hard by superstorm Sandy. New York Cares is an organization that matches volunteer opportunities with fellow New Yorkers.

I was very excited to volunteer. I had never been to the Rockaways before, so I had no way to compare the damage, but I wanted to see if it was really as bad as the media coverage.

Little did I know what was in store.

According to my e-mail, I had to be on site at 8:00 am. It's a 90-1 hr 45 minute train ride, so I left at 6:30 am, and in typically Allie fashion, I got lost. It turns out the A train splits off into two branches, and I was on the wrong branch. I went back, and eventually found my way.

Because of flood damage to the subway from Sandy, the A train can't go to the Rockaways. Instead, shuttle buses run from JFK airport to the Rockaways. It's about a 45 minute bus ride. On the train it would be 15 minutes.

This was my first indication of how isolated this community really is. There is only one subway that goes that far, the A, and it's closed. The bus ride was really long and tedious. No wonder it took so long for first responders to reach the Rockaways; it's so isolated and hard to get to. While riding the bus, I didn't notice storm damage.

I get on site, and find out I didn't have to be there until 9. Great. I'm so glad I woke up an extra hour early. That was only the beginning of the miscommunications to come.

Finally a woman named Maureen shows up and directs us to a shed out back. It's about the size of a barn back home. She hands up XXL sized bright orange t-shirts with an X duct taped on the front. This way they can distinguish between volunteers and staff. Why do volunteers always have to wear the most hideous of attire?

The shed is a wreck. Outside of it, a 3' tall by 10' wide pile of boxes are haphazardly stacked. There are broken pieces of glass? fiber glass? Unknown substances? Inside are stacks and stacks of boxes crammed together with barely any walkway. All the boxes are donations of food, toiletries, animal food, diapers, etc. There are also stacks of Walmart bags filled with a few canned goods other volunteers packed the other day.

Our first job is to bring all the bags of food out and line it up on three 5' long tables. Maureen told us to check the bags of food. If we thought the bags were too heavy, she said to take out a can. Each bag had three or four cans. I was not about to take out 25% of the bag! Especially if this was to feed a family for the next 24 hours! While we are pulling food out of the shed, I take a moment to check out the line waiting to receive the food. When I got there at 8:30, there were about five people. The gates weren't scheduled to open until 11. While we worked, the line steadily grew longer. It was wrapping around the block when I left at 2.

Once we finished, we stood around bored for about half an hour. Then we bagged some more food for the next few days. Each bag did not contain much: a can of soup, a pack of crackers, a can of fruit, and a can of vegetables. Supposedly this would tide the families over until the next day when they could stand in line again, and receive another bag of food. 

Around 10:45, we stopped bagging and went to the distribution to get ready. We then found out Governor Cuomo was donating frozen turkeys with the fixing for a Thanksgiving feast. They were scheduled to be delivered at 11 am. It was 10:45 and there no frozen turkeys. 11 came and went, and still no turkeys. We weren't letting people in, because we wanted to give them a turkey, then a bag of food. Finally half an hour later the turkeys show up. The people are ancy by this point. I see women holding their crying babies. One lady shouts out, "Go to the other church! They have better stuff there!"

The truck carrying all the turkeys parks, the National Guard get out to distribute the turkeys, and then stand around. My volunteer group takes some pictures. I'm sure that's exactly what the people in line want to see. People standing around taking pictures while their food is half an hour late and counting.

After asking around, I find out the reason we are all waiting is because the governor wants to come and do a photo shoot handing out the turkeys. Excuse me? The reason these families who don't have electricity or heat  and haven't showered in weeks are standing in the cold waiting is because the governor wants to take a damn picture with them?!?!?! Unacceptable. He doesn't show up until 1 or 1:30. A full two hours late.

He's all smiley. Pompous. Showing off what a generous governor he is, and how he is taking care of his people. Ensuring everyone has a true American Thanksgiving. Never mind some people receiving the turkeys don't have electricity to cook their food. 

In the meantime, all the volunteers are standing around watching the mayor hand out turkeys. We are told not to give any bags of food. If they want canned food as well, they have to get back in line. I have no idea why. 

I was disgusted with the organization of the church. One of the Red Cross nurses on site was singing the church's praises with how organized they were. I would hate to see a disorganized place. Granted, it's not the church's fault for the governor showing up late. However, I don't see why we had to show all the food we had, and not give it away.

We also had feminine hygiene supplies, and were told not to distribute it. Apparently Wednesday is not pad day. What am I supposed to do? Tell a woman, "I'm sorry you are on your period. The fact that you still don't have hot water to shower in is terrible. Starting your period makes it that much worse. Unfortunately, you can't have a pad, because it's Wednesday, and we don't give out pads on Wednesday." Yeah right! I'd punch you in the face if you told me that.

I thought we had learned our lesson after Katrina. I thought we knew how to better respond to people in need after a natural disaster struck. I thought wrong. Not only does our country need to take a serious look at our contribution to global warming and the consequences of climate change both on our nation and the world, we also need to accept this is our new reality. We need to find a more effective, efficient system for managing these crises which will become more and more a normal part of our lives.  

November Reflections

Hello friends!

I am sorry I have not been doing a great job of updating this blog. They don't joke when they say this city never sleeps! (let along blogs...)

One of my requirements for MVS is to send in bi-monthly reflections. I thought I'd post them here too. Happy reading!

The phrase echoing throughout the house ever since I've moved in is, “Trust me, this is not how the house is normally.” I have yet to experience a week of “normal” is at the Menno House.

Here’s a taste of what the house has been like since I moved in:

In mid-September, Linda Hood, head of the Menno House board, beloved spouse of an MVS committee member, and cherished member of the Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship community passed away very unexpectedly. The house was host to a wake and gathering of remembrance throughout the rest of the month.

Throughout the month of October, the roof was being re-done. Construction workers come in and out during work hours, upsetting my typical lazy Monday morning routine; I have the day off as I work most Saturdays. The roof remains unfinished, and winter is fast approaching.

On October 29, Hurricane Sandy struck most of the North East coast. Needless to say, it was poor timing for a roofing project. We were without power from Monday night through Friday night. The city was completely shut down on Tuesday, and mostly down on Wednesday. Lower Manhattan resembled a black hole.

Menno House is back up and running, however one of my housemates has a hole in his ceiling, and another housemate’s room is inhabitable. She’s not sure where she’ll be staying for the next six weeks until the roof and her ceiling are fixed.

According to the news, there’s a snowstorm heading our way expected to hit on Wednesday. We’ll see how much it slows the city’s recovery.

 What have I taken away from this series of strange, unexpected events?

We as humans are not actually in control. As much as we try, in 24 hours, everything we planned for can be wiped away. Sandy was sobering and humbling for the city, and for me. My mom was visiting me at the time, and she was supposed to fly out on Tuesday. The airport didn't open until Thursday. It was so strange to work with her as she checked her flight updates, and realize her flight was pushed back yet again. No one can predict what the weather will do, and as much as we try to gain control of the situation, it is out of our hands. Why is it that we as humans struggle to learn this lesson? Why are we surprised when something like Sandy comes through and wipes out our man-made structures? These things happen often in our world, but we always think it’ll never happen to us. Until it does.

It was sobering to see lower Manhattan pitch black. There were no traffic lights or street lights, so walking after dark was a feat in agility. You would pray the cars would see you and stop. I heard stories of friends volunteering in Chinatown, and the gratitude the residents showed upon receiving a bottle of water. How is it that this city, once so admired, looked to as a place of fashion and business, be so crippled by a 24 hour event, that its residents are joyful for a simple bottle of water?

Five days after the hurricane, I took a walk to the river. The water was calm. I couldn't believe it surged high enough to explode the power-plant, and cause massive destruction across the city. It’s sobering to realize that something so calm and peaceful, when in the right circumstances, can turn so deadly.

While on the river walk-way, I saw a man out for a run with his dog. The dog found a huge stick, and was wagging her tail and flaunting her stick, as if it was the best thing in the world. It was strange to hold these two things: the city is badly crippled, yet some things remain the same, such as a dog’s love of a stick. I thought, “I only wish I could be that happy over a stick.” Then I started to wonder, what is my stick? What simple thing in life makes me so happy I would wag my tail and flaunt it around so everyone else would be jealous? I haven’t been able to answer this question yet. All of my answers rely on technology, such as watching my favorite TV show, or texting/calling friends and family back home. You can’t do any of that when you don’t have electricity. How can I live more simply, and remain joyful?

The city and my house are putting the pieces back together. Some people are still residing in emergency shelters. Others are living in their homes without heat or running water. Menno House is trying to figure out how to move forward without Linda’s guidance and support. Your prayers for the victims of the storm, and for the grieving community of MMF are appreciated.

It's like a hurricane came through or something!

Greetings fellow kindred spirits!

I apologize I have not been updating as often as I would like...turns out when you don't have power, you can't really update.

Here's what my life has been like the past week:

My mom came to visit me!!!! It was great having her here, although I'm sorry mom that the circumstances were less than ideal. She arrived on Friday afternoon. I took off work early, and met her at Menno House. We feasted on kale chips, sushi and tea. I showed her around Union Square, we had our one and only encounter with a homeless person, and then we caught a train uptown to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Mom hadn't been on a subway since the 70s. Getting off at Times Square probably wasn't the best plan for her first subway ride in 40 years, but we did it. It was hilarious. I was walking briskly as usual (in heels I would add!) and mom was overwhelmed by all the lights, people, everything. It made me step back, and see Times Square again with fresh eyes. Yep, it's pretty overwhelming.

After constant negotiations on when to take photos, and of what would be appropriate, we found ourselves standing in line for the Majestic Theater's performance of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! It was my first Broadway show on Broadway, and I was stoked! Obviously the show was phenomenal, and I would recommend it to anyone :)

The next morning we got up around six to get to the school where I would be working, and mom would be volunteering. Yes, my mother volunteered with me and CFY-NYC! It was a great day, even though we were exhausted afterwards. Mom did a great job volunteering. The staff thought she was training to be a Customer Service Representative instead of being a volunteer! She has some great stories from volunteering. If you have a chance, ask her about it sometime.

Ditmas, the school where we were working, is located in Southern Brooklyn. The neighborhood is predominately Hasidic Jewish, but there are many immigrant families living in the neighborhood too. On this Saturday we had families who spoke Haitian Creole, Russian, Bengali, French and Spanish. Mom did will despite all the diversity! My favorite moment she tells is seeing the pride and admiration in the eyes of mothers wearing hijabs as the watch their daughters do really well playing games involving science and math. I love being reminded of the good work CFY-NYC is doing, and how lucky I am to be a part of it.  

Sunday we took it easy. Little did we know how much we would need our strength in the coming days.

Sandy came in all her glory on Monday. NYC wasn't even hit, yet the city is in bad shape. Menno House lost power Monday night, and power wasn't restored until Friday night. All the flooding images and horror stories you all are hearing in the outside world is not reflective of my experience, Hallelujah! Our house didn't flood. We had water and gas the whole time. We were very lucky. In our neighborhood, some apartments were without water, because they needed electricity to pump water up to the higher floors of the building.

The subways continue to be down. Buses are running, but they are a mess. Walking anywhere is risky, because without electricity, there are no traffic lights. With traffic lights, it can be scary to cross streets here. It is anarchy without the lights! I have never seen nor heard Manhattan so dark and silent. It was like I was back home! We could see the stars for once!

Fortunately, one of my friends lives uptown, and she never lost power. She invited all of Menno House and guests to use her internet and electricity. I don't know how mom would have got home without her kind offer!

Despite all the adventures and bonding time I was fortunate to share with my roommates and mother, I think we are all VERY HAPPY to have electricity back. Mom is ECSTATIC to be back home in Kansas. Thank you for all your prayers and warm thoughts for us during this stressful time.

The city continues to recover, and it will be awhile before it is completely back to normal. I hope in the aftermath of Sandy, NYC begins to think of how the city will look in the future. Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy are our future. These once in a century storms are coming every other year. It's not sustainable for the city to completely shut down like this every other year. It's not sustainable to rebuild on Rockaway Beach or the Jersey Shore if the waters will tear it down in a couple years. The irony is it is our very addiction to the power we lost that fuels these life altering storms. Global warming is alive and well in our world, and until we find alternative solutions to feed our addiction, or wean our addiction altogether, we will continue to suffer. Humans are not invincible nor indestructible. We cannot control our surroundings no matter how hard we try. In one day, everything we worked hard to create can be wiped away, and we are left to pick up the pieces. Continued prayers for the victims of Sandy, the volunteers helping restore the city, and for our policy makers are appreciated.