Big Mistake.

Americans are divided in to distinct classes. It is very difficult to move between classes because once you're in a class, people have a tough time accepting outsiders. People are most comfortable with people who are most like them. For example, in the movie "Pretty Woman," Vivian (a hooker) was given money by the man she is living with to buy a fancy dress. Since she didn't own "nicer" clothes prior to the shopping trip, she wore a trashy dress to shop on Rodeo Drive. The ladies mentally counted Vivian's money before she could even find out which size the dress was. Vivian was asked to leave the store because the saleswomen didn't want to waste their time with someone who may not end up buying an outfit. People are intimidated by people who are not like them, so they avoid them when possible.

Onward House

Last night, I went to the Onward House to tutor children who live in the city. It was a rewarding experience because I was able to help a kid with his homework. Although the trip to the city was long, I was still happy to be able to help out at the facility. I expected the place to look like it did. I feel fortunate to go to school in a facility like Stevenson. It was a great experience tutoring the kids, and I would do the event again.

Humanitarian of the Year Part 2

The other day, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at a P.A.D.S. shelter. I have been involved with so many different community service projects, but helping the homeless was an experience that left the biggest impact on me. There is a mandatory training session so people know what to expect at the shelters, but nothing can prepare you for what goes on in these shelters. I got to the shelter at 6, an hour before the guests arrived for dinner. We heated up the food and set the tables. When the guests started to come at 7, the men claimed their sleeping areas in the gym while we set up the dinner buffet. There were about 20 men and there was only one woman who stayed at the shelter that night. The men stayed in the gym while the woman slept by herself in a separate room. Obviously, my original thoughts on this issue were that I felt terrible for this poor woman who had to sleep in a room all by herself in a church. Then I analyzed the situation in greater depth. This shelter was not a one stop shot at lifting these people out of poverty. Moving from shelter to shelter every day is the routine for most of these people. However, these people were not stereotypical homeless people you'd find in front of shopping malls with coin cans and cardboard signs with spiritual messages on them to persuade people to give them money. These guests were either coming from work or coming from the streets. The gym was almost full, and the bizarre thing is I have been living in my community for over 10 years, and I have not seen a single homeless person on the streets. After volunteering and helping these people, I was left with embarrassment and remorse because I've been so oblivious all these years. My parents work hard to make a nice living for our family, and I never realized how hard you need to work in today's struggling economy to support yourself. It didn't even cross my mind that people in my community would struggle as much as these homeless people do because I have been fortunate enough to have a dad who has never been out of work. By volunteering for P.A.D.S., I definitely became more grateful for basically everything I have. From little items like a new tube of toothpaste to pocket burners like camp and college tuition, my perception of materialism has most definitely been put in to perspective. I would without a doubt recommend this volunteering opportunity to anybody.

Nursing Home

Today, I went to the Brentwood nursing home for G.I.V.E. and had a totally different experience than my previous trips to this place. I expected to do arts and crafts with your average elder, but today I was in the Alzheimer's ward with severely effected people. Each person was affected by the disease differently. Some people were really excited to see "new" faces in the home, and others didn't even realize that we were there. The lady I was working with had anxiety and wheeled herself away from the table while I was making her project! It was really awkward because there was nothing I could do to get her back to the table. I thought my camp counselor skills would work when I tried to convince her that it was fine that everyone was here, but I was wrong. Oh well! There was another lady in the ward who didn't even remember her name. I was talking to one lady who didn't remember if she had any children or siblings. It was so sad! Some of it was entertaining. This whole experience was really bizarre because the only time I've witnessed people struggling with Alzheimer's is when I've seen it on T.V. I could tell that the elders were grateful that we did crafts with them because they were all really happy while we were there. Even though it was hard to connect and make small talk with people who couldn't remember what they did 3 hours before our conversation, it was a really cool experience because it was completely different from anything I'd ever done before. I'd totally do this G.I.V.E. trip again. It was extremely rewarding!