So today is our last day in Wheeling :(
The rain was coming down hard all day, and there were flood warnings throughout the area. Luckily, the soup kitchen was far enough from the river that we didn't have to worry about getting wet. However, many people closer to the river (and especially on Wheeling Island) needed help preparing for the flood.
Of course, I have never seen a river flood before, so I didn't really know what to expect. And when I saw the river for the first time today, I was shocked! Some of the trees and walkways on the shore were completely submerged! There was also a shack that was underwater!
I remember when we first got to Wheeling on Saturday we saw a restaurant with no windows. It looked really creepy! Now I realize that it's quite common for buildings to have no windows on the lower floors to prevent water from entering during the floods.
After crossing the bridge and getting to Wheeling Island, we started looking for people who needed help moving their washers/dryers from their basement (usually that's the only things they keep down there). We also handed out sandwiches to the people we helped. They were all really thankful, and although it was tough work, we appreciated their gratuity!
When we got back to the soup kitchen, lunch was almost halfway over, but I was still able to talk to some interesting people. I met Rosemary, who was probably about 70 years old; she had lived in the Hawaiian jungle for some time and was very cheery! I also met Burt; he was deaf and had to write down what he wanted to say in order for us to communicate, but he was also very friendly! Some volunteers actually knew sign language, so they were able to use that too.
Art stayed late again today; he played Uno with us until 4:30! By that time, I had exchanged contact information with him, and I hope to keep in touch. I also got Dal's email address.
After taking a much-needed nap, we went out for our final dinner to the Golden Chopstick. It was excellent!
What a fantastic trip this was! I will never forget the people I talked to, the friends I made, and the work that we performed. What a great way to spend my Spring Break!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Day 6: Wheeling, WV
Today was another great day in Appalachia!
We did some interesting things today, to put it lightly. After serving the patrons and having our talks (I spoke with Gary, a man from Binghampton, NY...he had been to Rochester several times!), we ventured out into the West Virginian countryside.
First, we visited the former West Virginia State Penitentiary. Boy, this place was creepy. In fact, the I believe the Travel Channel filmed one episode of the series "Ghost Hunters" here. It opened in 1876 and closed in 1995. Over that time span, 94 men were executed by either hanging or electricution, with dozens others murdered by their inmates. As a inmate, this was not a place you wanted to be.
However, the tour got us thinking: how effective was this prison? And what was its purpose? Was it supposed to rehabilitate people and get them back into society or punish them eternally? With the prison system overcrowded and very expensive, many of us thought that more focus should have been given to rehabilitation. After all, don't we want to help the prisoners rebuild their lives?
After visiting the spooky prison, we traveled to the Harre Krishna Temple. What we saw there was both magnificent and questionable. All of the floors, walls and even the bathrooms were decorated with gold leaf, marble, and stain glass! But we had never previously been exposed to the beliefs and ideology of the Krishna faith, and much of what our tour guide (who himself was a priest of Krishna) said came across as incredibly odd.
Later that night, we invited a group of Church volunteers over to the soup kitchen for a pizza dinner. Many of these kids were similar to us; they were interested in volunteering and had raised money for the soup kitchen. We talked with them about baseball, video games, and other regular topics.
However, there was one kid who was different there. At first he actually seemed pretty normal, but out of the blue he mentioned that he had been at "juvy" before under false charges. He said that his mother (who was on crack) made up fake stories about him so that he would go to prison. The story seemed very odd and we didn't know how much of it to believe, but the story was shocking nevertheless.
I guess life can come at you in unexpected ways sometimes. This idea has been repeated over and over during my week here at the soup kitchen.
We did some interesting things today, to put it lightly. After serving the patrons and having our talks (I spoke with Gary, a man from Binghampton, NY...he had been to Rochester several times!), we ventured out into the West Virginian countryside.
First, we visited the former West Virginia State Penitentiary. Boy, this place was creepy. In fact, the I believe the Travel Channel filmed one episode of the series "Ghost Hunters" here. It opened in 1876 and closed in 1995. Over that time span, 94 men were executed by either hanging or electricution, with dozens others murdered by their inmates. As a inmate, this was not a place you wanted to be.
However, the tour got us thinking: how effective was this prison? And what was its purpose? Was it supposed to rehabilitate people and get them back into society or punish them eternally? With the prison system overcrowded and very expensive, many of us thought that more focus should have been given to rehabilitation. After all, don't we want to help the prisoners rebuild their lives?
After visiting the spooky prison, we traveled to the Harre Krishna Temple. What we saw there was both magnificent and questionable. All of the floors, walls and even the bathrooms were decorated with gold leaf, marble, and stain glass! But we had never previously been exposed to the beliefs and ideology of the Krishna faith, and much of what our tour guide (who himself was a priest of Krishna) said came across as incredibly odd.
Later that night, we invited a group of Church volunteers over to the soup kitchen for a pizza dinner. Many of these kids were similar to us; they were interested in volunteering and had raised money for the soup kitchen. We talked with them about baseball, video games, and other regular topics.
However, there was one kid who was different there. At first he actually seemed pretty normal, but out of the blue he mentioned that he had been at "juvy" before under false charges. He said that his mother (who was on crack) made up fake stories about him so that he would go to prison. The story seemed very odd and we didn't know how much of it to believe, but the story was shocking nevertheless.
I guess life can come at you in unexpected ways sometimes. This idea has been repeated over and over during my week here at the soup kitchen.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 5: Wheeling, WV
It's Wednesday, and we've reached the last half of our trip here in Appalachia.
Of course, it's also Ash Wednesday today, and we started off on the right foot by going to Mass at Central Catholic, a high school a few blocks down the road. The mass was beautiful (I believe the church is the seat of a bishop) and afterwards we were invited to have lunch with the upperclassmen in the cafeteria. The principal and teachers we talked to were so friendly, and we talked for a while about our service at the soup kitchen. It felt weird to be back in high school though! Sure brings back some memories...
When we got back to the soup kitchen, it was lunchtime, and I had a long conversation with Art, a regular patron. Art had some interesting stories to share with me, although I can't remember exactly what he told me; everyone I've talked to had so much to say, and many patrons came from similar backgrounds and were stuck in similar situations. Suffice to say, Art was yet another man down on his luck; he even told me that he gave away a total of $10,000 to some friends he met on the internet who promised to come and visit him. They never did. Not exactly a smart financial decision.
Our decisions define us, don't they?
I had pity for Art. He seemed like such a compassionate person, and all he wanted was some companionship. Out of all the patrons, he stayed the longest; even though the kitchen closed at 1 pm, he stayed there until 3, drinking tea and just talking and talking.
Later in the afternoon, a group of students (thankfully not me) went to do some real dirty work. I mean dirty. A woman's plumbing had stopped working, and since she didn't know how to fix it, she starting dumping her feces in her backyard. The neighbors complained and the bank was threatening to foreclose on her house. Luckily, some volunteers went to go clean up the situation, and the bank was relieved to hear that the house was back in stable condition.
Again, weird situations. Miserable, tragic situations.
Tonight during our reflections we pondered why we were in Wheeling in the first place. Why had we come to spend our spring break talking to strangers, stacking cans, and putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations when we could be resting and relaxing at home? Was it just to make ourselves look better and feel better? Some people sincerely have fun doing the service work.
But I can't say that's true. Who really thinks it's fun to be scrubbing pots and pans, cleaning up feces, and eating old, expired food? I think the reason we are really here is because the sacrifice is worth it in the end. When you get a chance to talk to people like Art, Terry, and Dal, the work becomes incredibly rewarding. It feels good when you have that face-to-face interaction with the people you are serving.
It feels really good. These people deserve it.
Of course, it's also Ash Wednesday today, and we started off on the right foot by going to Mass at Central Catholic, a high school a few blocks down the road. The mass was beautiful (I believe the church is the seat of a bishop) and afterwards we were invited to have lunch with the upperclassmen in the cafeteria. The principal and teachers we talked to were so friendly, and we talked for a while about our service at the soup kitchen. It felt weird to be back in high school though! Sure brings back some memories...
When we got back to the soup kitchen, it was lunchtime, and I had a long conversation with Art, a regular patron. Art had some interesting stories to share with me, although I can't remember exactly what he told me; everyone I've talked to had so much to say, and many patrons came from similar backgrounds and were stuck in similar situations. Suffice to say, Art was yet another man down on his luck; he even told me that he gave away a total of $10,000 to some friends he met on the internet who promised to come and visit him. They never did. Not exactly a smart financial decision.
Our decisions define us, don't they?
I had pity for Art. He seemed like such a compassionate person, and all he wanted was some companionship. Out of all the patrons, he stayed the longest; even though the kitchen closed at 1 pm, he stayed there until 3, drinking tea and just talking and talking.
Later in the afternoon, a group of students (thankfully not me) went to do some real dirty work. I mean dirty. A woman's plumbing had stopped working, and since she didn't know how to fix it, she starting dumping her feces in her backyard. The neighbors complained and the bank was threatening to foreclose on her house. Luckily, some volunteers went to go clean up the situation, and the bank was relieved to hear that the house was back in stable condition.
Again, weird situations. Miserable, tragic situations.
Tonight during our reflections we pondered why we were in Wheeling in the first place. Why had we come to spend our spring break talking to strangers, stacking cans, and putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations when we could be resting and relaxing at home? Was it just to make ourselves look better and feel better? Some people sincerely have fun doing the service work.
But I can't say that's true. Who really thinks it's fun to be scrubbing pots and pans, cleaning up feces, and eating old, expired food? I think the reason we are really here is because the sacrifice is worth it in the end. When you get a chance to talk to people like Art, Terry, and Dal, the work becomes incredibly rewarding. It feels good when you have that face-to-face interaction with the people you are serving.
It feels really good. These people deserve it.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Day 4: Wheeling, WV
Today was another fantastic day at Wheeling! We did some more organizing and can-stacking in the morning. It really struck me how we kept any food that was less than a 1.5 years past the expiration date, so if any can said August 2009 on the bottom or later, we kept it! Quite different than home. I'm pretty careful about making sure I don't eat expired food, and if something is even just a few weeks past the date, I consider it stale and usually throw it out. It's funny how pressing circumstances can make you look at a stamped date in a completely different way.
Just like yesterday, the conversations I had during lunch had the greatest impact on me. Today I met Adam; I guess he was around 20 years old, and he was sitting in the far corner of the eating area. When I started talking to him, I realized we had some things in common - like we were both sports fans. But what struck me was that we were both young, and I found it easier to relate to him than some of the older patrons.
But talking with Adam was like hitting a brick wall. Here we are, sitting together, sharing a meal, yet look how different our lives have turned out so far! We're both around 20, but while I'm studying at Georgetown he's going to a soup kitchen just to get a meal! I realized just how lucky I really was. I could be in his shoes if I grew up with abusive parents or made some wrong choices in my life. Adam was also on medication that was supposed to cure his heroine addiction. What if that was me? What if I was Adam? It could have happened, our places could have been reversed, but instead I was the one sitting up high, climbing the ladder, enjoying the infinite opportunities that surround me. Why?
I was overwhelmed by these questions.
I also talked to Terry today. He seemed a little more successful than most of the people at the kitchen. He was a Wheeling native who became involved in construction after high school because it was such a lucrative field. We talked for a while about his job, but the thing he stressed the most was the importance of family. He had moved back to Wheeling after he found out his brother was sick, and had stayed in Wheeling to be closer to his family. He's now eligible for retirement, but he works on little odds-and-ends just to stay busy.
As the days go on, I slowly begin to realize that the soup kitchen is not just a place where people come to eat. It's more than that - it's a place where people come to socialize. It seems that the soup kitchen provides a base for a large community of poor patrons; the people who go to eat also go to talk and hang out at the same time. Just from the few conversations I've had so far, I can alredy tell that talking is even more important than eating! For example, Terry didn't even eat his food while I talked with him; when it was time to go, most of his food was still on his plate, so he just wrapped a few biscuits in a napkin!
The power that a conversation can have is astounding.
We ended the day with a tradition called the "steak-fry" - basically the entire neighborhood brings their own meat and cooks it together on the grill. We grilled tonight with the Board of Directors, and boy were those steaks delicious! A tasty way to cap-off a great Tuesday!
Just like yesterday, the conversations I had during lunch had the greatest impact on me. Today I met Adam; I guess he was around 20 years old, and he was sitting in the far corner of the eating area. When I started talking to him, I realized we had some things in common - like we were both sports fans. But what struck me was that we were both young, and I found it easier to relate to him than some of the older patrons.
But talking with Adam was like hitting a brick wall. Here we are, sitting together, sharing a meal, yet look how different our lives have turned out so far! We're both around 20, but while I'm studying at Georgetown he's going to a soup kitchen just to get a meal! I realized just how lucky I really was. I could be in his shoes if I grew up with abusive parents or made some wrong choices in my life. Adam was also on medication that was supposed to cure his heroine addiction. What if that was me? What if I was Adam? It could have happened, our places could have been reversed, but instead I was the one sitting up high, climbing the ladder, enjoying the infinite opportunities that surround me. Why?
I was overwhelmed by these questions.
I also talked to Terry today. He seemed a little more successful than most of the people at the kitchen. He was a Wheeling native who became involved in construction after high school because it was such a lucrative field. We talked for a while about his job, but the thing he stressed the most was the importance of family. He had moved back to Wheeling after he found out his brother was sick, and had stayed in Wheeling to be closer to his family. He's now eligible for retirement, but he works on little odds-and-ends just to stay busy.
As the days go on, I slowly begin to realize that the soup kitchen is not just a place where people come to eat. It's more than that - it's a place where people come to socialize. It seems that the soup kitchen provides a base for a large community of poor patrons; the people who go to eat also go to talk and hang out at the same time. Just from the few conversations I've had so far, I can alredy tell that talking is even more important than eating! For example, Terry didn't even eat his food while I talked with him; when it was time to go, most of his food was still on his plate, so he just wrapped a few biscuits in a napkin!
The power that a conversation can have is astounding.
We ended the day with a tradition called the "steak-fry" - basically the entire neighborhood brings their own meat and cooks it together on the grill. We grilled tonight with the Board of Directors, and boy were those steaks delicious! A tasty way to cap-off a great Tuesday!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Day 3: Wheeling, WV
Our third day in Appalachia started off bright in early...we had to get up at 7:15! (I haven't waken up that early since high school haha) After eating breakfast, we got to work in the basement. The soup kitchen is funded mostly by donations, but the government also provides food; the donated food and the government food had to be separated and counted, which we started in the morning. Boy there are a lot of cans in this soup kitchen!
At about noon I went upstairs. The patrons were sitting and eating at the tables in the main room, and I wanted to grab my own lunch and join them. However, I was a little nervous. I've worked at a soup kitchen before, but I've never actually sat down with the patrons I was serving, much less have a conversation with them! These were strangers and some stereotypes came to mind: they were probably homeless, they smelled bad, had unkempt beards and baggy clothes.
But I knew these preconceived notions were wrong. These were just regular people who had fallen on hard times. Heck, we have all fallen on hard times during this recession, just to different degrees.
So I grabbed some leftover pasta, green beans, soggy shrimp, and canned soup (that was probably expired) and joined some patrons at a table.
I'm not used to eating food that's a few days old, but that was certainly not my concern at the table. Instead, I focused on the people that were sitting next to me. Surprinsingly, they were very eager to talk and were willing to share they life stories with me. One man named Dal used to live in Alaska, then moved to Florida, and then finally came up to West Virginia after a hurricane battered the coast.
Another man named Jeff had a fascinating story. He had lived in WV all his life, but it was not an easy one. After being abused by his parents at an early age, Jeff took off on his own when he was in his early 20s. He married and had two daughters, but then discovered that his wife had an adulterious affair (with her father!). Jeff decided to leave. He became depressed and turned to alcohol, which ruined his ambition and spirit.
How exactly Jeff got things turned around is unbelievable to me. He told me that he has become more spiritual, and has gotten on better terms with his separated daughters. I think he is working part-time somewhere which gets him enough money to buy an apartment, and he is starting to mend his life back together. What a turn around story! Jeff's perseverance through tough times is incredible. Although his journey is not over yet, the things he told me are having a lasting impression on how I view the working poor.
After all the patrons left, we got back to work cleaning out the two massive freezers! They were filled with meats and fish and food of all kinds! There were soooo many hams and turkeys too! I never knew a soup kitchen could have so much food. This task took up most of the rest of the day, and when we were done, we were all exhausted.
Time to go to sleep!
At about noon I went upstairs. The patrons were sitting and eating at the tables in the main room, and I wanted to grab my own lunch and join them. However, I was a little nervous. I've worked at a soup kitchen before, but I've never actually sat down with the patrons I was serving, much less have a conversation with them! These were strangers and some stereotypes came to mind: they were probably homeless, they smelled bad, had unkempt beards and baggy clothes.
But I knew these preconceived notions were wrong. These were just regular people who had fallen on hard times. Heck, we have all fallen on hard times during this recession, just to different degrees.
So I grabbed some leftover pasta, green beans, soggy shrimp, and canned soup (that was probably expired) and joined some patrons at a table.
I'm not used to eating food that's a few days old, but that was certainly not my concern at the table. Instead, I focused on the people that were sitting next to me. Surprinsingly, they were very eager to talk and were willing to share they life stories with me. One man named Dal used to live in Alaska, then moved to Florida, and then finally came up to West Virginia after a hurricane battered the coast.
Another man named Jeff had a fascinating story. He had lived in WV all his life, but it was not an easy one. After being abused by his parents at an early age, Jeff took off on his own when he was in his early 20s. He married and had two daughters, but then discovered that his wife had an adulterious affair (with her father!). Jeff decided to leave. He became depressed and turned to alcohol, which ruined his ambition and spirit.
How exactly Jeff got things turned around is unbelievable to me. He told me that he has become more spiritual, and has gotten on better terms with his separated daughters. I think he is working part-time somewhere which gets him enough money to buy an apartment, and he is starting to mend his life back together. What a turn around story! Jeff's perseverance through tough times is incredible. Although his journey is not over yet, the things he told me are having a lasting impression on how I view the working poor.
After all the patrons left, we got back to work cleaning out the two massive freezers! They were filled with meats and fish and food of all kinds! There were soooo many hams and turkeys too! I never knew a soup kitchen could have so much food. This task took up most of the rest of the day, and when we were done, we were all exhausted.
Time to go to sleep!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Day 1 and 2: Wheeling, WV
Greetings from Appalachia! Yesterday we arrived in Wheeling, WV on the first day of our "Alternative Spring Break" trip to Appalachia. So instead of Cancun, I'm working hard here in this former mining-town that's been devastated by the exploitation of the coal mines and the economic recession. And I'm loving it!
With 10 other Georgetown (DC) students and 12 Holy Cross (MA) students, I'll be living and working at the Wheeling Soup Kitchen all week. Today we got a lot accomplished; even though the soup kitchen doesn't feed people on Sundays, we were able to clean out/reorganize the entire pantry! You should have seen how dirty and messy it was before we went to work! It took most of the afternoon, but it felt great to be able to contribute in a concrete way.
Tomorrow the week officially begins, and we'll be feeding the poor from 11am-1pm every weekday. I can't wait to serve and talk with all the people that come to the kitchen! Hopefully I'll also be learning a lot more about the history of Wheeling, the story of the coal-mining industry, and the various types of people that live in the area known as Appalchia. I wouldn't want to be spending my break any other way!
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