Life Lessons: Internet, Poverty, Roanoke

Dearest Blog, how I have seemingly neglected you. Let me explain!

Last week, there were some crazy storms in these parts. When our internet began to get temperamental, I wasn't completely surprised. Phone lines were down throughout the valley, and we didn't even have internet at the office last Friday. Then the internet started just... not existing in the apartment. OfficeMate being cursed with being tech savvy was plagued with my unending questions: "Can you make the internet work??" "Why is the internet down?" "THE FOURTH LIGHT ON THE MODEM STILL ISN'T BLINKING. YOU SAID THAT MEANT NO INTERNET STILL. WHAT'S GOING ON?" I generally was told the internet was down, to be patient, and "You have internet on your phone."

Internet on my phone is all well and good, but I can't blog on my phone. I can't apply for jobs on my phone. Google reader on the iPhone is far from fantastic. First world problems are hard.

At the moment, our internet is still down (kind of). The cable in our living room just doesn't want to work, and the one in OfficeMate's room is connected to it. The one in my room, however, just mysteriously appears out of the wall and is seemingly connected to the outdoors (or the guy-below-me-who-I-can-hear-snore). So at the moment the modem is plugged in my room, stretched across my bed to the lone plug in here, with an ethernet cable to get this 2004 piece of machinery on these crazy intertubes.

I digress. It is now June. I have slightly over two months left in my AmeriCorps tenure. I'm legitimately qualified for these jobs I've been applying to. I've begun wondering if I need to start thinking about moving out things I'm not using anymore (winter sweaters, coats, boots, etc). While on one hand, I wonder where the time went and I become all nostalgic for the valley, I am very much ready to continue on to the next phase of my life. Roanoke has been amazing to me (other than having my money stolen, moving three times, losing my computer to a ghetto apartment building, having my car get hit, just to name a few), and Lord knows I'll miss these mountains, but it's time.

I've learned so much this year. I've learned how to stretch a dollar. I've learned how to get by on next to nothing without the assistance of food stamps or handouts (One can absolutely get by on minimum wage in this valley without food stamps. Anyone who tells you otherwise is buying things they do not need). I've learned how to cook so many more things. I've learned how to fill my tires with air (don't mock, I never had a car with tires to fill with air before). I've learned how to write a grant proposal, do development work, look for foundations. I've learned to appreciate the silence and slow nature of my life rather than get antsy about having nothing to do. Well, actually, that one I'm still in the learning process. Just today I learned that a cable splitter can go bad!

But I've also learned that, while I can get by on less than minimum wage, I'd rather not anymore. I miss simple things like a new pair of shoes. I've worn out my clothing since I've moved, since I've bought almost nothing new since I moved and laundromats are eating my unmentionables. I want to be able to buy a new computer when one gets leaked on, without having to worry about financial repercussions. I want to be able to afford rent somewhere other than where the shirtless, seemingly unemployed guy sits outside on his folding chair with his dog and cigarette in the midst of racial slurs and shotgun-toting neighbors. I want to be able to get groceries and an oil change in the same day and not cringe at the thought of my checking account suffering as a result.

My life is not glamorous. I'm not saying it's tough, because honestly, it comes down to creative budgeting and nothing more. I'm not a math whiz, I'm just smart enough to know how much I need to get by. But it gets old, and it gets old FAST. And I didn't go to college to have to be creative with my budgeting, I went to college to get myself a job that allows me to be creative in the office so I don't have to be with my checkbook. I'd rather spend my time at exhibits, concerts or productions than at home crunching numbers or, brace yourself, on the sofa doing sudokus because that's free. I'm just ready to live the life that the rest of my peers have been living for a year. And if you guys haven't been living that life, then stop making it look like you did on facebook! (Facebook creeping is also free) I'm just ready to take what I've learned, and continue on with the rest of my life.Roanoke is a chapter, not the end.

The thing about 990s...

I'm a sucker for altruism - it's true. I love the thought that humans are genuinely good and that there are people out there willing to help others for no reason other than they need help. These are your Mother Theresa's of the world, your Ghandi's.

Two or three years ago, I read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. This book blew me away. It tells the story of Mortenson, his failed hiking endeavor, how the people of a rural mountain town in Pakistan nursed him to health, how he vowed to build a school for their children, his struggle for funding and eventually, his amazing success in creating the Central Asia Institute (CAI) which builds schools, mainly for girls, in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was incredibly inspiring to me - that one man with so little could make so much of a difference. All you needed was the motivation and the belief in your cause, and change was possible.

Fit hit the shan on the CAI when 60 minutes aired a substantial segment on Mortenson. You can watch it here. I actually first came across the BBC article this morning, and later the story in the NYTimes. They're accusing Mortenson of spending more money on travel costs associated with promoting his book (and pocketing the payment from speaking engagements) than on funds to go overseas to the schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

I didn't want to believe it, until I watched the 60 Minutes segment. They zoomed in on the CAI's 990, and I knew it had to be true.

For those of you who don't know, the I990 is the IRS form you fill out when your organization is tax exempt. All your financial information ought to be transparent, and your budget best be breaking even come the end of your fiscal year.

The thing about 990s is....
All 990s are public. There's a handy little site known as GuideStar where, after making a free account, you can access the 990 of any registered 501(c)3. So, naturally, I went to GuideStar to verify the numbers 60 Minutes threw out there. They all checked out. The CAI is spending more money on domestic costs for promotional materials than they are on building materials, teachers salaries, project manager costs, etc abroad. Now, technically, Mortenson could argue that by promoting his books, he's furthering the mission of the CAI, which is stated as: to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But it's still sketchy. Mortenson had made himself a role model for so many of us in nonprofits. But perhaps people aren't genuinely good. Perhaps too much of a good thing, altruism, deters from the initial purpose.

The times, they are a-changing

You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’

Things at work have taken an interesting turn. After my training in Charlottesville, I began to think about all the things I had done wrong in regards to my grant proposals. This got me thinking about how we needed to brainstorm programs, which derailed my train of thought towards funding opportunities. For a solid grant proposal, one needs a good program. A good program will have some form of matching funds. For dependable matching funds, we needed to raise the bar on our fundraising.It all happened rather suddenly. The next thing I knew, I was bringing this up to my supervisor and now I'm hoping we've developed a plan that will force us to look at our own fund development program and how we can improve upon it. Proposal writing, while pivotal, is only part of the larger system. It may be a little late, but I'm glad the a-ha moment occurred.

In other good news, the government didn't shut down! AmeriCorps wanted us to come in even if they did shut down, and said they'd back pay us. To me, it sounded a lot like slavery. "Do this work! We'll pay you later.... promise..." -shifty eyes- But, hooray for dependable paychecks. Things would've gotten ugly had that gone down. Both for my bank account and, yknow, the country.

After spending last weekend at my alma mater, I am now done traveling for the month. With gas going up the way it is, I can't afford to see anyone anymore. That being said, I do welcome visitors! I know Roanoke may just be too intimidatingly happening for some of you - it's not for the faint of heart.

As my time here is drawing to a close, I need to start thinking about how I'm going to pass on all I've done to the VISTA that takes over my position. It's time to start thinking about finishing up.

Sign the Petition for AmeriCorps!

A dear friend of mine who also happens to also be a VISTA, emailed me this article the other day.

Without going into excessive detail, it describes how the GOP is trying to eliminate AmeriCorps in order to cut spending. I don't want to get political, I don't, but this infuriates me. Of all the programs to do away with, AmeriCorps shouldn't even be a contender. We volunteers dedicate our time, dedicate a year of our lives, at a minimum, to help with capital projects, with direct service, to improve educational facilities or achieve sustainable development for nonprofits across the country. To deem us unworthy of the pittance we're paid is insulting. Pray tell, GOP, what do you deem a more worthy cause of my living stipend? I'm sorry to be inconveniencing you in my efforts to raise money for nonprofits in Roanoke. You're right, incredibly cheap labor for a righteous cause... it's worthless.

One of our clients, a nonprofit after-school program, has an 80% high school graduation rate, whereas the rate for Roanoke City public schools is a mere 67%. They've had one pregnant girl in their thirty years in this city. One. You dare tell me that's not an institution worth building capacity for? You have the gall to say let them fundraise on their own in these trying economic times? You honestly believe they don't deserve a VISTA to assist in their sustainability efforts?

Shame on you. My work means more than that.

Please sign the petition to keep AmeriCorps up and running. Remind the rest of this country of the importance of community service.

Edit: Here is a great piece on the importance of AmeriCorps in Florida, and throughout the country.

January is Mentoring Month!

For those of you who are unaware, January is in fact Mentoring Month

Big Brothers Big Sisters of SWVA spent yesterday and today hosting a wonderful event known as "Big for a Day" to raise awareness about mentoring in the valley. Fourteen prominent leaders in the community were selected to have a "little" spend the day with them, shadowing life in the corporate world. Some of these kids got to do things I'm frankly jealous of, like the kid who got to see all the trucks before the Monster Truck Rally this weekend. Each participant was challenged to raise $1,000 - or how much it costs to provide one child with a mentor for one year.

For more information, check it out at the BBBS of SWVA website.

We've been planning this event for a few months now, and I'm giddy with anticipation to hear about how it went come Monday. Mentoring is such a simple way to make such a big difference in the life of an unlucky kid. It's something I hope to do when I've stabilized my life.

And while we're on it.... The office has a bowling team for the BBBS of SWVA March event... Bowl for Kids' Sake. If you're feeling generous, throw a donation my way here! All proceeds go directly to BBBS of SWVA, which in turns helps match at-risk kids with mentors.

OfficeMate mocks me and says my blog is morphing into shameless nonprofit advertisements. He may be right. For now, enjoy this awesome video for BBBS' new campaign: Start Something.

Hunger

I got sick this past weekend. Nothing big, just a 24 hour deal where I, yet again, worshiped the porcelain god. I know these all sound like hangovers every time I write about them, but I swear, that's not the case.

As a result of being sick, I was very weary of eating. I picked at some soup, had a grapefruit, and generally just complained about my stomach hurting. Because I'm apparently three, not twenty-three.

Yesterday being Martin Luther King Day, there was no work to be had. I, for one, was grateful for the extra day to recuperate from my stomach being upset with me. I had told a friend and fellow AmeriCorps volunteer that I would attend her Hunger Banquet she organized today. So I convinced OfficeMate to join, and the two of us headed over.

The Hunger Banquet was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Each person draws a card that either reads "Low" "Middle" or "High," and you are given your meal accordingly. The cards are made so that the correct percentage of the room is in each category, according to worldwide poverty levels. Being that the majority of the world is in poverty, it wasn't super surprising when OfficeMate and I both drew "low." We feasted on a spoonful of rice out of a napkin on burlap sacks on the floor with the majority of the others in attendance, while a select four or five were allowed large meals at a table, and a few others were served beans and rice in a bowl with a fork, like fancy folks do.

It really helped put poverty into focus. For me, I have the occasional complaint about my current tight budget, but realistically, I'm hoping to search for a salaried job after this. I'm hoping to be able to pay off student loans in a realistic amount of time, and I'm hoping to learn from this experience of living in poverty for a year, but not stay in it for an undetermined period of time.

It gets me thinking, how can I help? Other than volunteering for one year, how can I help? How can I make equality a lifestyle, not just an idea?

Volunteer. Not just as an AmeriCorps volunteer, but hands-on, direct service. I want to get back into the habit of going every Wednesday to the food pantry. I've had weeks where things legitimately come up, but other weeks I just say I'm too tired. Laziness is no way to combat poverty.

Stay educated. Education is the single largest weapon against poverty. However, those that need education are not just the impoverished. A pet peeve of mine are people who don't follow the news - like current events don't apply or affect them in any way. Just because you don't feel the need to inform yourself, doesn't mean things don't go on happening. Things like Hunger Banquets, the One Campaign, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Heifer International, hell, even AmeriCorps.... while these things all exist to combat poverty, they also offer a wealth of information regarding poverty statistics and the reality of it. To combat poverty, we must educate ourselves before we can even fathom educating others.

Patience. I am an impatient person. When a commercial comes on tv, I have a back up channel to watch instead of sitting through ads. I switch the radio station to avoid listening to commercials. I'd rather take a right turn on red and go an alternate route than wait through a red light. When my five-year old macbook, Maccy, takes his sweet time loading a website, I go do something else like make tea.

But patience is a necessity in overcoming poverty. Poverty is a mindset, a roadblock, a commercial, a red light, a slowly loading webpage with too many images. It won't change with the click of a button or one grant. It won't be solved in my lifetime.

What I hope is that it can be alleviated in my lifetime, and I hope to be the cause of some alleviation. So for now, I"ll do what I can to assist in the process of battling poverty. I'll continue to volunteer, I'll educate myself, and I'll force myself to be patient. Maybe I'll even sit through a red light.


Here are some links to some GREAT nonprofits out there. Feel free to comment with other organizations you know doing fantastic work!
OxFam
One
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Heifer International

Estrogen

There is so much estrogen in my office. Some days, I don't realize just how many women are there, and other days, days like today, it's painfully obvious. We generally have our estrogen-filled moments, but they're brief. For instance, when we all agree that our accountant is extremely attractive. We take that moment, discuss his attractiveness, and move on. (May our accountant never find this blog)

We were in a staff meeting. OfficeMate had left for a dentist appointment, which, it turns out, was probably a good thing. One moment we're discussing consignment shops to sell crafts for earned income, and the next thing I know we've gone from birthing chairs in thrift stores all the way to personal accounts of labor. I felt like I was in the middle of an Oprah special.

Working with women has its perks. Having worked in male-heavy environments in the past, it is nice to get the female perspective in at every meeting. There are no assumptions that you're incompetent based on your gender and sports talk is replaced by discussions of reality TV and cooking. In the nonprofit world, I've accepted that I will most likely be working among more women than men.

But still, there's something to be said for testosterone. Men are less likely to over analyze situations. To a man, an email is just an email, and whatever is not said is not there because it's not relevant. I'm guilty of over analyzing, of getting caught up in the grapevine, and all those other fun perks that come with being a female. I suppose this just exemplifies the importance of the dichotomy of the sexes.

In other news, I recently have been assigned to another local nonprofit, so I'll be working with more than just the childcare facility. I'm excited - it's an excellent opportunity for growth and experience. We'll see how things go!

Also, thank you to everyone who has given decorating suggestions. Thus far, I have just stolen artwork from my parents' house and hung it up haphazardly around the apartment, with OfficeMate lending his suggestions for what is straight and what is crooked. Next up, who knows?? I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

Roanoke Hazing

I would like to begin this post by exclaiming my love for Roanoke prices. I dry cleaned five pairs of pants for $20. It's like Disney World for people with too many pairs of business casual pants. ...I'm just saying. Onto more important things...

Tailgating and Football
My family is not athletic. Hopefully Brother & Sister will not take offense to this statement but I think it's safe to say that I was definitely the most athletic of my parent's offspring (which is not saying much). While my siblings gave up on soccer by about 4th grade, I stuck it out until 8th and even tried my hand (legs?) at cross country for a hot season. That didn't work out so well, because I have a bum knee, and my genetics were like, "Psh? Athleticism? You're deranged." Thus, I gave up.

Athletics here are like a way of life. I'm on team for a high school retreat here (religious retreat. I do not mean "team" in any way that could imply sports), and every single high schooler on the team was like "I go to this school and play these three sports." I would have died had I spent my childhood here - they would have eaten my non-athletically-compatible self alive. Even the people who you don't think would play a sport still did. The local news covers high school football. I kid you not. Their slogan is "News 10 - On Your Sidelines." (Correction: OfficeMate has complained about my improper statement here. The News 10 slogan is "On Your Side." But they do use "On Your Sidelines" when covering high school football.)

So when OfficeMate invited me to go with him to a Virginia Tech game, I wasn't quite sure what to do. People are serious about their football here, and my family only gets serious about football when we're playing croquet at 3am in the summer with a glass of wine and you're trying to cheat by kicking your ball through the hoops you can't see. (I really hope someone followed that sentence.)

I get football - no really, I do. I understand the concept behind the game and more or less what the various positions do. I can even watch football and enjoy it. It's just not something I do on a regular basis.

I agreed to go, because it's an experience. Having gone to a small liberal arts school, I was seriously jipped when it comes to the legitimate football experience. Tailgating? School spirit? A stadium that seats 60,000+? It's a whole different world at Tech. I even called up my father about an hour before leaving, wandering Kroger, asking what on earth one brings to a tailgate. I also reprimanded him for raising children that can pair wines and cheese but cannot interact with people who tailgate.

Tech tailgating is like nothing I've ever seen (perhaps because I had never tailgated before...). People have flat screen tvs hooked up on their tailgating tents, connected to a dish so they can watch their Pre-Game Sports shows. There are grills of all shapes and sizes, and so. much. orange. Granted, it comes with the territory of Blacksburg. But it was definitely an experience.
The game was phenomenal; Tech ended up doing some serious damage to ECU. I saw cheerleaders actually engage a crowd in cheering and learned a few cheers myself. I also decided that the turkey noise they play at third downs sounds disturbingly similar to a cassette getting stuck in a tape deck. I high-fived a stranger after Tech scored a touchdown. Twice! All in all, a solid experience. Roanoke is getting me out of my comfort zones in more ways than one, and I'm learning a lot from it all.

Altruism
On Wednesday, I was feeling good. I was getting the hang of this town, making progress on various projects at work and was already signed up to donate blood and later volunteer at a food distribution center in the evening. I was an altruism machine, cranking out happiness and good deeds like a champ, and I was feeling good.

I was late to the blood drive... because I'm hispanic. No big deal, though, because no one seems to be in much of a rush in Roanoke anyways.
Then the woman who stuck me for donating missed my vein like three times. She kept looking around nervously and asking me if I was sure I'd donated before. No, no I must have dreamt those other times. My bad. Now my arm is looking rough - all bruised and what not.
I finished donating, enjoyed a free sandwich and that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you know you've actually been a productive and helpful human being, and left to meet a friend (right!! another friend!) for volunteering.

Let me explain to you, intertubes, how great it felt to be back out volunteering. We'll ignore the fact that this whole year is theoretical volunteer service. While I know my job is necessary and important, there is still something to be said for volunteer work with a quantitative aspect to it. Say, we fed X amount of people today. The people were so grateful to have something to hold them over and I was just thankful for the opportunity to help. The children were thrilled by the idea of a single donut and were always impeccably polite. I was blown away. I intend on returning as often as possible.

So I then went out with New Friend (who's not really new, but that's just too complicated to get into on the blog) for dinner. I enjoyed some good company and some delicious sushi, my first sushi since Lord only knows when. And that's when it happened.

Fraud
I went to pay my bill. And they told me my card was rejected. Twice.
Now. I don't overdraft. Ever. I knew how much money was in my account. I had enough for dinner and then some.
I went home and called my bank. Somehow, someone had gotten my card information and essentially spent all my money. How considerate. After a long discussion with my friendly neighborhood bank teller first thing this morning, I've filed all the necessary paperwork and had all the expected migraines. I should see my money again in a few weeks. For now, I'm just living even more cheaply than usual. It's not like I had a social life for this to affect anyways.

Rest In Peace, Debit Card. Seeing you get mercilessly cut up this morning was rough. We had a good run. I hope Debit Card heaven is nice and full of fun places to be swiped, like all those places I promised you we'd one day go and never made it to.

Disappointment
For those of you who are unaware, my housing situation is in a state of limbo at the moment.
I have very limited access to what small amount of funds I now have left.
My arm is all bruised and makes me look like a heroine addict (thanks, blood donation)
Two of my three friends in the area are leaving way to soon.

For those of you familiar with the play Avenue Q, I feel like I'm rocking out to the song, "It Sucks To Be Me." Today's been a little pity party, and now that I've moped sufficiently, I have every intention of bucking up tomorrow, realizing that, while things are bad, they could be a lot worse. I have a good support system in this town (thank GOD), and I'll get through it. And you know, I'll be all the better and stronger for it in the long run.

But, for real Roanoke, what is this? Your version of hazing? I'm not down with it.

And here's some silver lining just for fun! Today, I paid for gas with cash. ...for the first time in my life. I felt so legit being like, "Oh, I'll just take $15 on 7." I bet the guy at the register had NO idea I had never done it before. I'm a pro. There. optimism. Suck it, cynicism.