November 2009 Archives

So, Another week has gone by.  Another couple hours added, another two headaches have come.  As much as I do enjoy the work I do, sometimes it does seem just very mundane, and very...paper-worky. Yet, I mean, that's what we learned about, right? That God sometimes calls us to paperworky and mundane things. Because like Seong was saying (the other intern) that this needs to get done, and it's such a blessing to these immigrants.  So I suppose.

Yet, something else to add, I think I can figure out a few things to recommend to LSS as far as effciency goes and making sure people don't fall in the cracks.  These people are paying 40 dollars to get help from LSS, and then we tell them what they need to bring us/need, and some people spend years never turning in their things, but have paid us.  I feel that we should call these people after a certain time just to remind them and try and see what's going on.  That's just one way I think would really show Christ's love.  Even though it IS their responsibility, I feel like we can help them.  Or, that it WOULD be best if we do it the way VSS does it, where it's just one full process, and that way they come in and it gets sent out.  That I feel would be the best way.  But, what can you do. 

I was asked to stay over the whole year, so that way they don't need to worry about training all new people or anything.  I agreed, because they had been so kind to have trained me and everything, and I knew it would put them in a bind just to leave halfway through a semester.  So. that's that.  I'm hoping that it'll get better as I get more and more confident and given more and more responsibilities!

Don't get me wrong though, all these headaches and these papers are a blessing in disguise.  It really is helping me appreciate the people that go through all this pain of immigration, and also gives me a better look at what I would like to do when I "grow up" and what I'm probably going to stay away from (cubicle..) So, I thank God for this blessing, and already I'm making awesome connections with Sharon, my supervisor, and even Robinson Cook and Kim, two pretty "powerful" people in the company and very friendly.   I even put some bed-posts up today for Robinson... we got pictures... ahhahah

Anyway.  That's all for now.  more headach--I mean experiences to come!

This week was a fairly short week for me in terms of my volunteering.  At least it seemed so, There has been a huge decrease in the number of applicants this past month or so, and we're not sure where.  I know LSS is concerned because there is a lack of income from them, and they are asking Sharon to document her walk-ins, to show why there hasn't been much income.  Most people just arn't ready, but even more many have questions. Such as, why they havn't heard back from Immigration yet, or don't understand the processes.  And so, this effects many of our processes, with not that many new people coming in, and we have a long list of names that we're waiting for them to bring in their information. 

Lately, I have done many double checkings the tracking, and there are many inconsistencies. That's been, well, annoying, and it's been a headache.  There are just so many and it can get overwhelming.  I'm glad I'm doing this now, to realize that, as great as it is, I am not cut out for paperwork.  Occassionaly, yes, but I would love to spend time with people and help them that way.  So, we'll see!

 

Tuesday was walk ins day, and we didn't have very many GC applications, but more so questions and problems, which is always pretty hard to deal with.  There were people who immigration has lost their papers, so they have to pay to get it done again and send it back in, or GC applications that never get heard from again after two years, and it being a winding system of people saying "just wait".  Also, 730 sponsorship papers not adding on babies to the process, forcing a family to either leave the baby behind or wait years later for a new form to be filled out.  Travel documents have to be placed in 3-4 months before traveling, and just that document alone is 385 dollars.  Almost all the fee waivers have been denied simply because they haven't been looked at closely enough to see that the clients classify.

 

On Thursday,  I worked on organizing all the missing info documents, making sure it was consistent--it was hard to see how many people have had the process going for years, but haven't turned in their paper work, and so we don't have time to try and call people, but we just have to wait until they enter it all in--hard! Also, Sharon had an experience with Immigration today where the people actually HUNG UP on one of the clients... not sure why, no good reason, and so they are the ones where their application process hasn't been heard of for 2 years now.  Over all, Immigration is so frustrating!

 

I usually leave LSS with a headache of some sort, whether its from all the paper work, or just simply all the problems that are constantly pouring into the system.  It's so frustrating how immigration wants all these refugees to jump through so many hoops to legally stay in the country, and yet they have to pay for any resources to make that happen!

 

I'm finding that SALT is helping this program really make a difference to how I'm viewing this.  If I didn't have one on one time with the refugees like I do at SALT, I would probably easily loose my passion....

 

Anyway, that's how things are going at LSS and beyond! Not my perfect, ideal, location, but it's really helping me realize and shape what I DO want to do in the future!