October 2009 Archives

So far, my work at Casa de Esperanza has been going really well. I'm not sure how it could not go well, however, since it involves a lot of sitting.  I work the 4-7 pm shift on Thursdays and Fridays, and needless to say, there aren't a whole lot of clients. My last shift I got a few people who came into the resource center because they were eating dinner at La Loma (BEST TAMALES EVER!).  Since they just came to eat dinner, they just asked questions about what they could hypothetically bring in for help. 

I checked in with my project supervisor and he asked me how things were going, and he said that the lack of clients have been a problem for a little while. I think one of my projects is going to be to collaborate with him (or someone else maybe?) in a project to see what kind of outreach would bring more people to the center at Plaza Latina, because apparently the one at Mercado Central is really busy all the time.

I feel like this blog is going to be really short, but not a whole lot is happening right now.  Hopefully once I start my research, then I can collaborate on the outreach project more and it might get a little more exciting.

For those of you that don't speak Spanish, Casa de Esperanza means "House of Hope." What's really ironic about that is that I'm kind of needing that hope right now.  I really like my project when I actually get to do things, but a lot of time seems wasted while I'm there.  To be honest, I expected to have a lot of clients, judging from how busy we are at Western Avenue all the time and from a few friends who have worked there. 

I guess I do some good stuff while I'm there.  Each time I have gone, I have helped at least one person in a legitimate way (this means more than letting them use a computer).  Last night I got a person directions to a car place, and answered questions to a few drop-in would-be clients.  It's kind of frustrating because the resource center is LITERALLY in a restaurant. Like a closet. It's quaint. Anyway, so people come in to the restaurant to eat, and they see our little center.  They remember they need help with stuff, so they come ask if we can help with ______ (filling out a passport application, for instance) here. They usually don't have the information on them, so they come back later.  Well, since I have the Thursday and Friday evening shifts, I get a lot of the people who are just there eating dinner and  don't have the stuff they need with them. It was kind of frustrating, but at the same time, it was kind of fun to talk to the people without having the pressure of messing up there document or making their problem worse or something like that.

The biggest use of our centers are the computers, which are free. It's really nice for members of the community, especially because they can print a few pages as well. However, I'm starting to feel that the kids who hang out there are kind of abusing the system by coming every day (that I am there at least). Their parents work at the plaza, so they have to be there all the time. I feel bad for them, but at the same time, I don't think it's necessary for them to get 10 prints every day they come in, especially since their prints are Hannah Montana lyrics, not immigration papers.

Overall, I'm loving the experience.  I wish that more people would come during my shift, but I guess that's something I can work on changing.  I know the coordinator said that they are working on outreach at this center, so perhaps that's something that I can be involved in. It's just really surprising how slow it is during the times that it is SO busy at Western Avenue.  I also feel like from the people who have come in, the problems or things they need help with are a lot more minor than some of the ones I have seen at Western Avenue. I guess that's good, because I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle some of those things.

Just a tip: When talking in Spanish to someone, make sure that you know the difference between "American" and "Mary Kay..." I almost accidently offered to buy makeup yesterday because I thought she asked if I was American. :)

Today I had my first shift at Casa de Esperanza in St. Paul.  I am working at a resource center for Hispanics in a little Hispanic mall in East St. Paul.  I got orientation and helped a client.  It was a pretty slow night, but hopefully my other shifts will be a little more excited. 

What I will be doing at Casa is really similar to what I do at Western Avenue, I can tell.  People can come in with whatever kind of problems--needing a job, needing to use a computer, fax machine, translation, etc.  Basically, it's my job to help them, or refer them to someone who can.  I think it should be really interesting and fun.  Tonight I didn't get to speak any Spanish, because I think the client was wanting to practice his English, but sometimes I will be able to, I'm guessing.

I noticed one thing at Casa that they have been working on at Western Avenue--keeping track of clients.  With these types of places, it's really important to keep track of how many people the agency serves so that they can get grants for more funding or staffmembers.  I know that they have been working at Western Avenue to figure out a logical system to do that, so hopefully I can see how Casa's system works and how successful it is and share my knowledge.

I also noticed that Western Avenue and Casa's St. Paul location are both trying to figure out how to attract more clients.  I have heard people in both locations say that the Hispanic population is a little more spread out around the centers, so it's a little different than the Lake St. location of Casa, where it's essentially right in the middle of the action.  I'm hoping that with the help of the workers at both places, we can figure out a solution. :)