Last shift

The morning started out too early but peaceful. Downstairs at 6 to take over from Aaron on the night shift. All was quiet. 

Check the bathrooms- make sure there is tp, shampoo, soap, toothpaste. Restock in two but the rest are fine. Well, I suppose, someone is showering in one.

Upstairs a little before 7 to make sure the person assigned to making breakfast is up and hopefully on the way downstairs to the kitchen. Eggs, arepas (corn donuts that are sometimes stuffed and sometimes not), fruit, hot water, powdered milk in a pitcher and cereal. We have choices. One morning we had leftover mashed potatoes in folded tortillas with eggs on the side (almost a breakfast burrito). Then it is clean up…dishes and clearing the eating room—putting the tables and chairs away and sweeping/mopping. Handing out laundry soap for the machines. Checking that anyone leaving is ready and has a snack bag prepared for the journey. Grabbing diapers and wipes for a parent whose kid is going to need it soon. Receiving the text that lets us know if we are expecting anyone to be dropped off by border patrol and when. Checking and clearing/ cleaning the rooms that guests have left. Being used sheets and towels down and putting them in the ‘laundry trash can’ to be toted by dolly two blocks away to be washed and hung out to dry. 

Answering the phone. Calls from people looking for answers to where their loved ones are, how to work the ankle monitors, can we come to get help from you or shelter. We don’t have the answers to the fort last two and the third is no. We can give you the name of another shelter but we can only accept those who the director sends us…99.99 from ICE. And many of ours come from the hospital. Broken ankle, dehydration, broken neck, car accident, just had a baby. So they might stay a bit longer than the 2 to 3 days of most of our guests. 

Then intake. We can get all of our arrivals at once or they can trickle in a few at a time. Not sure which I prefer though probably the trickle. I feel rushed when there are too many waiting on me. We fill out the paper, talk to family and discuss leaving, give them a toothbrush,  assign them to a room with clean sheets and towels (if they are staying), get them a ride to the airport or directions to the bus station if they aren’t. Then a trip to the roperia for a change of clothes. 

In the midst of this you are still answering the phone and the doorbell. As the doors stay locked but guests can leave and only a volunteer should be opening the door, that can take some time. Also keeping an eye on the clock to get the lunch chefs started with a meal plan and all ingredients needed….and if there is time—have a romp with the kids, coloring, kicking a ball/stuffed animal around, playing hide and seek in an open room…

It’s hectic at times and quiet at times. And similar to weather patterns you always kind of wish for the opposite thing to be happening when you’ve got either one…

Then write down anything you think the next shift needs to know before turning over responsibility and taking a walk or a nap or just a break out of sight. 

Borders/Boundaries

Madison (another short term volunteer at a different Annunciation House site) and I crossed into Juarez one afternoon. The way into Mexico is through a turn stile and cost $.50. No id necessary. Up and over a bridge. At the top is a small marker that delineates the US from Mexico. And then down the other side of the bridge and we were in Mexico. 

We wandered down to the cathedral, looking at street vendors and small shops along the way. I bought a bag of guavas about 15 of them for $.60. Ate as many as I could before giving the rest away as I knew I couldn’t bring them back with me. 

We each bought a cup of sliced mangoes and I also got some coconut. They add some sweet and spicy spices to them that is wonderful. And then we headed back. 

It is $.40 to get on the bridge to go to the US and at the top there are US agents who want to see id before you get to go further. At the bottom of the bridge you have to go inside and show your id to customs agents, get your picture taken, and your bags scanned. Madison got grilled as to what she was doing in Juarez, in El Paso, how long she was staying. My agent didn’t speak to me at all. And then we were back in the US. 

We talked of our time with Annunciation House. It’s her first time down here and she feels really thrown into it. With the lower number of volunteers she and I are the only ones staying in our houses overnight. (I have some community vols who do some of those shifts). We talked of the ease that we as Americans with our passport privilege can easily stroll into and out of other countries but that our neighbors can’t. That when we are at our houses even if we aren’t on shift we are asked for help and questions and we feel ‘on’. That some of our guests feel pushy but that is how they advocate for themselves in this place where otherwise they can be easily overlooked. 

We talked about trying to set boundaries for ourselves in our off time but that for me looks like getting out of the house and away or hiding in my room. That even that is a privilege that I am able to do because my life is not in turmoil and I hold keys to the house. 

Borders, boundaries: both are arbitrary. The Rio Grande has even been rerouted to move the border. Our boundaries change as we get to know people, become more comfortable with where we are, learn what we can handle. 

It was a pleasant afternoon but gave me lots to think about. As have many of the exhibits I’ve found in the museums around El Paso. 

Easter weekend

On Thursday I checked out the Art Museum. There is an installation of high school art with info on their inspiration.  There is an installation of photos and costumes of Selena, a Texan and singer who was murdered in 1995. There is also an installation with art about the border. I quite enjoyed it. 

On Friday I went for a walk and encountered a slow procession with police escort. So I turned toward them and found a church procession with Jesus and the cross, singing forgive us, forgive us. 

Saturday was my day off and I got coffee with anither volunteer and then went to a fundraiser for Las Americas, a legal aid organization that works with refugees. Fun music and poetry readings in an outdoor setting. Grabbed dinner with another volunteer and my former house coordinator who has returned to run another of the Annunciation House buildings. Then I jumped in the free street car and rode and listened to a band for a bit. 

Easter morning I went for a walk with Deb on scenic drive which closes to motorized vehicles on Sunday mornings and opens to pedestrians and bikers. It overlooks El Paso for some great views. Deb picks up trash as she walks and it was a lovely slow pace. Made it back to the house in time to fill and hide Easter eggs and boxes for the guests. Then we had a grill out in the parking lot. It was a great time!

Our days

Pics are art work from around El Paso 

There are 4 assignments for volunteers at Annunciation House: AM shift, PM shift, lava, and overnight. Throughout the day we get lots of help from our guests in cooking and cleaning. Mostly we use Spanish to communicate though google translate has been helpful with Russian and Portuguese. We had a Haitian family here but they used Spanish as they’d been traveling for so long (and my creole is not up to usable standards). 

AM shift starts at 6am getting ready for the day. Stocking the bathrooms with shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, and paper towels. Helping prepare breakfast with guests—deciding what to have with what we have…often eggs and tortillas this week. Then clean up the kitchen and comedor (dining room). Get supplies for bathroom cleanings. Then checking in other things that need to get done and asking for help, checking in with guests as to their plans for moving on, getting to go bags (snacks and water for the journey) ready for guests who are leaving, preparing for new arrivals, etc. then getting lunch ready. 

PM shift starts at 2 pm and goes through anything that didn’t get done in the morning as well as preparing dinner and assigning or finding volunteers for the next days chores. 

It’s a busy day. We find out about new arrivals around 10 am through a text, though sometimes they arrive earlier than the text message! With new arrivals we take down some demographic info: age, home country, name, where they want to go. We give them a room (unless they are planning to leave the same day), tooth brush, towel, sheets, clean change of clothes—not a lot of choice in fashion but they are clean. Let them know when meals are and try to answer questions. 

Lava is Spanish for wash. So this is laundry duty. For the towels, sheets, and blankets if guests who have moved on. We collect them in a big trash can that is strapped to a dolly and drag it 2 blocks away to another house to use the washers and laundry lines there. Once it is all hung up in the lines, you bring back what had been hung the day before and put it away. The next days person will collect what you took and hung up. My first day was 5 loads of laundry! And that’s the norm from what I’ve been told!

The overnight shift is just being in call for middle of the night emergencies. We unfold a cot in the office and sleep there. So far (knock on wood) I haven’t been needed in the night. 

(I like to be at the border because the people are happier and always hoping to live better, to be better, and to rise above and achieve everything because here the people are good and everything is different

Everything everything is different

At the border

At the border

At the border 

El Paso again!

I have returned to El Paso and am volunteering with Annunciation House providing hospitality to refugees, migrants, and immigrants. This is my third year and my third shelter. Each year is different and yet has many of the same characteristics.

 

I’ve been assigned to the flagship house. The people who come to stay have mostly been brought to us by ICE. Many don’t stay long-one to three days. We provide beds, food, and some help in getting to family or friends in other places. 

 

Other people have injuries from crossing over, often falling off the wall. This usually presents as broken ankles and legs  and these people stay longer due to ongoing medical cases, surgical consults, etc. 

 

everyone helps out while they are here. Cleaning, cooking, watching kids. As volunteers we spend time answering questions, gathering supplies, overseeing and planning meals and cleaning, doing laundry. This is shared with out of town volunteers and community volunteers, depending on the day and the shift and what is needed. There is also someone who sleeps in the office overnight on a fold out cot in case of emergency for our guests. Usually we get to sleep right through, but sometimes there are people who need meds. 

 

At the beginning of a stay, out of town volunteers have an orientation with Ruben who is the director and has been with Annunciation House from the beginning. He said that 40 years ago, asking people why they have come the answer was “I am afraid” or “I couldn’t eat”. He says now the answers are the same. No one really wants to leave their own country, their own home. They feel that they don’t have a choice. For themselves or their families. 

South Africa

More time to visit my people!

With all the animals (5 dogs, 4 cats)

We went to Oliwenhaus, an art museum in Bloemfontein. Wandered the grounds and looked at the statues. 

This is titled ‘Fish out of water’. the sign is under water as they are watering the grass now. 

Love the sign (zoom in if you can)