Reflecting on our first week of class, I’m struck by our move from more abstract theories (say of the public sphere or rhetoric or even the nature of civic engagement) to more concrete issues (like the stories Paul Loeb includes in the chapter from Soul of a Citizen), and I’m growing curious to hear more from each of you about your thoughts and feelings about the work we are embarking on together this quarter. More specifically, I’m curious to hear more about your initial impressions and response to the prospect of working with Project Angel Heart.
Let me share one of my experiences as an undergraduate student as a way to open up this conversation:
In my first year at college, I volunteered for an AIDS hospice in Tacoma, Washington. Initially, I did so mostly because a friend of mine also volunteered there. She and I lived in the same house and had become close friends in the first few months of school. When she started sharing her stories about her experiences there with me, her passion for the work convinced me to volunteer as well.
The hospice was an old Victorian home that had been remodeled for four or five men with late-stage AIDS to live in and have a place to die with dignity. With its wrap-around porch and sturdy architecture, it projected a feeling of warmth and a quiet kind of respect for the men living there. The staff intentionally cultivated this atmosphere, and despite the very real and material presence of illness and death's approach (this was before the more successful HIV/AIDS drug treatments were available), the space was comfortable, strangely reassuring, even.
Despite this welcoming atmosphere, I remember completing my first few shifts feeling anxious, my stomach churning, full of worry. Nervous I would do something wrong or say something inappropriate, I felt uncertain, awkward, tentative. In my mind, it seemed like such a daunting task, helping care for these men who were so close to death. What should I say to them? How would we interact? How should I talk to the one man who seemed intolerably grumpy? And what about the man who never seemed to leave his bedroom? For the more experienced, these fears might have seemed naive or immature, but for me, they were real.
As I spent more time there, I grew more comfortable and adjusted to the social conventions of this place. I began to see our work there like any other. Despite our closeness to death, life went on. We cooked meals for the men, played card games, and had the most typical of conversations. Death didn't pervade every interaction, endowing our work with meaning at every turn. It just was.
I reflect on this experience as a way to ask you all about how you're feeling right now about working for Project Angel Heart. Do you have any questions, reservations, or anxieties? If so, what are they? What past experiences prepares you for our volunteer shifts or our writing in action project? What's your impression thus far of service-learning? How do you think this work will enhance your skills as a writer?
Please take a moment and use the comment feature to reply to this post. And be as candid as you're able. Thanks.
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Any new situation is bound to bring about feelings of anxiety. However, it is overcoming those anxious feelings that inevitably give us the accomplishment and confidence to push our own limits further. Without putting oneself out there, it is impossible to grow as an individual. Evidently, I am slightly apprehensive about the upcoming work for Project Angel Heart but am also excited to have a new experience and see what another volunteer experience is like. Professor Bateman's account of his volunteer work reminded me of my time volunteering at an elderly persons home a few years ago. I was often nervous to go in and strike up conversation with people that sometimes seemed very uninterested in my presence. However, as with every new situation this nervousness was eased as I began to form relationships with the people there and became a part of their lives. I look forward to the new experience of Project Angel Heart.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I am one of those people who start off being very quiet and learn to adjust to things and begin to open up. I believe almost everyone is like this when put in a new situation such as college or in fact a service learning project. It is very normal for new experiences to cause anxiety and nevervousness, but with time we all become comfortable and start to show our personalities. This topic brings to mind a community service project I did at the nursing home in my hometown. I felt so awkward to be around older people, some with serious illnesses, and to be expected to act normal and sociable. Would I say something wrong? I was not comfortable in the sanitized, white, structure. Although as time went on, I formed relationships with the elders and thought of them as friendships. I began looking forward to my visits and thoroughly enjoying them. In alikeness, I am feeling a sense of nervousness about my coming experience at Project Angel Heart, but I am positive I will form relationships and feel at ease. I am very much looking forward to this class and my time at Project Angel heart.
ReplyDeleteStarting something new can be challenging for everyone, whether it is a new job or making new friends at college, but no matter how hard it may get you can always overcome that fear. I remember when I got my first real job as an assistant secretary for a company called Weston Oil. They sat me down at a computer and told me to punch in a few numbers for their bankers and they managed to tell me how important it was for me to get things right (no pressure right?). I was so afraid I was going to ruin something important to their company so I asked the head secretary a million questions and I am pretty sure she wanted to kill me, but after a while I felt confident enough to do it on my own. It was very hard at first but having someone there to help was a plus. I am glad we will be working with each other for Project Angel Heart because it will help me a lot to get ready for other service activities we will be doing this quarter. I am really looking forward to the service-learning aspect of this class. At the end of this experience, I feel as though we will all be better and stronger people because of what we will be doing for people less fortunate than us. I am looking forward to this quarter.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is common to have feelings of nervousness when approaching a new vounteer experience, Professor Bateman's story of his work in the HIV/AIDS hospice really illustrates just how anticlimatic volunteer work can tend to be, I think. I know when I first began volunteering, I was constantly anticipating moments of great reward or, more likely, in my mind, moments of great confusion and humiliation. One of my earliest involvements in community service was in a food bank run from an organization my father worked for. Each week,I, along with many other volunteers, organized and packagaed countless bags of groceries, and then distributed the bags to community members. In the beginning, I expected stories of how much we had helped the previous week to be duly reported by the reciepents, or perhaps to actually see a starving child gain weight or something, and I dreaded the moments when a jar of spaghetti sauce i dropped blinded someone. Of course, I didn't hear those stories or see any radical transformations,and when I did break something,it was cleaned up, and the work went on. My first experience volunteering was characterized by routine and small talk, as have most of my experiences since then. Though I formed relationships with a handful of the regulars, I never really saw the impact my volunteering had. In the same way, though, I also didn't see the impact of those community members not having groceries every week. Thus, I am not expecting a lot of emotional reward from volunteering five hours at Project Angel Heart. I am, however, very excited to see how the organization works, because I know, despite my limited perception, the amount of good it is doing. Writing for PHA is what excites me the most, if only because, perhaps, writing for them will contribute more than me clumsily volunteering once in the kitchen ever could.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone else, I was a little nervous to volunteer. On Saturday, Professor Bateman, Jennifer, Mary-Kate, and I went to deliver food to five houses. I was nervous to knock on the first door. But as Mary Kate was saying, it was a bit anticlimactic. I was surprised that the guidelines told us not to talk too much. The process was very quick, without a lot of words, but there was still something special about it. The small acts of kindness between both groups – the sick and the well – made me feel productive on a Saturday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we might all be a little nervous for this first experience, we have all experienced these feeling before and succeeded. It is much like walking into a cafeteria and not seeing anyone you know well. At first, I become nervous and feel like if I trip or something everyone will laugh at me, then I see a smiling face that I recognize. The anxiety goes away and I realize that everyone is too absorbed in their food and conversations to notice me. I feel like this community service will expand my lunch table and smiling faces that I recognize. Everyone has a story to tell and I fell like we can help in telling these peoples’ stories. I have written a few essays about community service, and noticed that they seemed the most personal and passionate. I am excited to expand my portfolio of writing and become a more effective and interesting writer.
When I walked into the class and was told that it was service learning, and that I would need to volunteer to earn my credits, I panicked and nearly dropped the class. But when I got back to my dorm and thought about it some more, I began to accept my choice. I would have something more concrete and more personal to write about. My next group of anxieties came when we were supposed to sign up for volunteer hours. The stories of unenthusiastic convicts and disgruntled recipients seemed a little daunting. So I when I signed up for this Saturday I was slightly more nervous than excited. But when we got to the first house and rang the doorbell, it was a pleasant surprise. The lady opened the door, told us where to put the food, and told us to have a nice day. Simple, and almost fun. By the time the delivery route was over I was even happier that I chose this class and had a place to volunteer and get involved.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoy volunteering, I often find it hard to motivate myself to actually go out and do it. It seems that the things you have to really motivate yourself to do are often the most rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI started volunteering when I was a sophomore in high school at a food bank. At first it felt like a chore because I felt like I had to be there so that I could write down that I did volunteer work, and colleges would like me more. However, when I had worked all the hours I had intended to, I found that I wanted to go back. It felt like an important part of my week was missing when I stopped helping at the food bank. I realized that working there was in extremely rewarding in a way that is difficult to find doing anything else. I worked there throughout my high school career and I continue to work there over breaks. I choose this class because it is a service learning class and good
way to go out and experience other volunteering jobs.
I am very excited to volunteer at Project Angel Heart. I don't mind working in a kitchen but I think the most rewarding part will be dropping food off at the different houses.
I think service learning will enhance my skills as a writer because it will be a different kind of writing then I am used to. It is certainly more of a "hands on" kind of writing, which seems extremely useful in the world.
I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to work with PAH. Although I have done a lot of service work in the past, I am a little nervous to work with people with life-threatening illnesses. How can I relate to these people when I have lived such a fortunate life? But when I consider the anxieties of past service experiences, I realize that the simple act of helping another human can be enough to connect even the most diverse people.
ReplyDeleteWhen I initially began working as a mentor for the "Partners" program, I encountered similar worries. I was assigned to a young girl named Ana who was from Honduras and only spoke Spanish. When asked to go to her house and meet her for the first time, I was extremely timid about trying to communicate with Ana and her family. It took a while, but after we overcame the awkward language barrier I realized that Ana was just like any American girl; we quickly built a strong bond. I would gladly overcome any obstacle working with PAH to have the same gratifying experience as I did with Ana.
I am also excited to use these experiences to become a stronger writer. I believe that the more diverse my experiences are, the more universal my writing can become for the public sphere.
I am very excited about the work we will do with Project AngelHeart. I find that one of the most gratifying feelings in the world is knowing that you are making a difference, however small, in someone's life. While I do agree that it may be difficult, initially, to connect with people who have life-threatening illnesses, I believe that the feeling of helping someone will be well worth a little bit of anxiety. It is experiences like this one that help a person to grow and learn about the wide world in which we are immersed.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the writing aspect of the project goes, I truly believe that life experience is a huge aide in the development of one's writing ability. The more you have seen and felt, the more you will be able to write about and the more passion you will have. Even from the volunteer work I did throughout high school, most of which I participated in through my leadership class, I have gained more passion for writing and storytelling, as well as more motivation to help others. I think that the work with Project AngelHeart will motivate me to become involved in bigger and more powerful volunteer work than I have participated in thus far.
Ever since I was younger I have participated in service projects. At first, it wasn't always a personal choice, but as I've grown older the satisfaction that comes with helping others keeps me doing it. I am looking forward to working with Project Angel Heart because the service they do allows volunteers to interact with the people they serve. I prefer this kind of service because it makes you feel more involved.
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with writing for a service like PAH, I don't have much experiance. However, one of the most active and influential people I know, my mother, is very experienced in this type of writing. Therefore I have been exposed to it. She has not only worked with numerous causes in both West Chester and Philadelphia, but has even started and continues to participate in a homeless shelter for women in my hometown. She remains on the board of this agency and it now houses and feeds over 80 people a night. Some of the service projects I have participated in are Habitat for Humanity, Good Works, and the Salvation Army. I feel that this will benefit me as a writer because it teaches you how to address a large group of people in writing. Also, it will provide an experience that is rewarding, and one that will inspire me to share it with others.
After reading Professor Bateman's story I realized that I too have had hesitations when volunteering in the past. It's not easy to try new things in general and especially less so when you don't know the people you are working with or for even. I hardly knew those I worked closely with when I first began volunteering, but as with most scenarios, grew to befriend most of them and become comfortable with the surroundings. It is difficult at first and in retrospect seems quite ridiculous, but I was once there and do see the extreme discomfort it can cause at first. I have worked with PAH before actually, although the help they needed came in the form of cleaning up trash for them. I have also compiled countless service hours and love to go out of my way to help the misfortunate. Over this past summer I worked at a restaurant and befriended a homeless man named Steve that always worked a corner I had to drive past to get to work. I would give him a cigarette or two on the way to work, because I generally didn't have much else to give him, and on the way home I would bring him a few bottled drinks and all the food that was prepared but would have been thrown out. Steve would often tell me jokes while I waited at the stop light and we would talk constantly. I would tell the jokes but they are rather crude and I therefore will withhold. Over Christmas break I ran into Steve again, still working the same corner, and chatted with him for a little while. On Christmas I was given a new jacket even though the one I had was perfectly decent so I gifted the older one to Steve later that day and brought him a nice lunch and some hot chocolate as well. Though Christmas was warm here in Denver I know he appreciated the jacket both that night and later in the week as it grew colder. I've rambled a bit now but I am very excited for stumbling upon the Service Learning WRIT class and can't wait to help out those who need it.
ReplyDeleteThe First Day
ReplyDeleteWe started by delivering food last Saturday throughout the East Denver area. My fellow group members Zach, Charlie, and I were not really sure what to expect walking in. After a brief run through of our tasks and signing a few waivers we were presented with a map, directions, and several bags of food. From there, we set out to make the deliveries. Most of the houses we visited were in areas of Denver that I’ve never seen before, and didn’t even know existed. They were run down, needed fresh paint, had poorly kept lawns and in the driveways sat old, beat up cars. It was clear a lot of the people were well below the middle class. To my surprise the types of people who answered the doors were from a bunch of different backgrounds. At some houses, once the doorbell was rung we heard something quickly racing to the door, and we’re greeted by young kids all happy and cheerful to see us. Some houses almost seemed abandoned and after waiting for a few minutes at the door, no one knew if anyone would come. Then, the door handle slowly turned and a man appeared beyond the screen. It was very obvious that maneuvering around his house was not easy for him and you could almost see proud in the way he greeted. When arriving at one of our last stops, the man who lived there was already on the porch waiting for us. He was very cheerful, asking us a few things about ourselves, and even asked that we take his old bags back to PAH to be used. The common trait all these people possessed was their cheerfulness. This came as a surprise to me given their current living conditions. Knowing that people who face life threatening illnesses everyday and who don’t receive much help from their community or government can still be cheerful and grateful towards us was inspiring. After seeing that, it will be hard to look at my life and find anything that I feel has been unjust and complain about it. Not only do these people battle disease every day, but they do it with a sense of pride and dignity that is truly moving.
After this past week working with Project Angel I feel greatly rewarded. The experiences we’ve had were not only fun, but they created a real sense of community within the organization. It might sound a little conceded, being that all we had to do was deliver bags and prepare food. However, while volunteering it was quite obvious of how important Project Angel Heart really is. The people it serves truly are in pain and need assistance anyway they can get it. It was also, interesting to participate in two different aspects of the organization.
The Second Day
After Saturday’s work, Charlie, Zach, and I met for a Tuesday night of preparing food at PAH. We then were told that our job would be preparing the turkey. At first, the idea didn’t seem too bad. However, I didn’t realize the job mainly involved ripping turkey’s completely apart and removing the meet from all its bones. It was one of the most interesting experiences with food I’ve ever had and doing it for three hours was a little rough. However, what I liked about preparing the food was seeing the different types of volunteers that were also working. We interacted with several people including an older man, older woman, and mid aged man. There was also a young mother who brought her two young children in to help, which was pretty entertaining. Even so, one person stood out more than the others. He seemed to be mid twenty’s, had tattoos and piercings, and wore his head phones the whole time. I don’t think he even said one word the three hours we were there. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there at all, and before leaving I noticed his ankle bracelet, implying he was on house arrest and had to complete community service. This was both amusing and a reality check. Before going to Project Angel Heart, I assumed everyone would be there on their own accord. And while he may have been there under orders from a higher authority, he didn’t complain, but rather chose to work contently in silence. Altogether the group was pretty diverse and interesting to work with. Right before leaving one woman we conversed with became pleasantly surprised to hear that Zach, Charlie, and I were not convicted criminals sent there to do community service, but rather students, to which I got a good laugh. Hearing that made me question my own participation, did all these people just think that we were there to complete court ordered community service? Or is there even a negative stigma associated with the younger people who serve at Project Angel Heart? It seems like while the organization as a whole creates the sense of a community, some of the members may be looked down upon, regardless for their previous actions, but simply because the way they look. Although the fact that a sense of community is even generated through volunteering to serve others is something that makes me more inclined to do it again.
After my two experiences with PAH, I really appreciate the service it provides. Not only does it provide people with food, but also a sense of appreciation to those it serves. It was clear that many of the people we delivered to were anticipating our arrival and were clearly happy to see three young men delivering their food on a Saturday. Many of the residents were alone, and probably don’t get too many visitors, making our quick delivery to their house something they look forward to weekly. Also, the work place, where the food is prepared, feels more like a social event or a gathering of friends, with almost all of them doing it because they really enjoy it. This community that PAH developed is very diverse, but almost everyone is there for the same reason: to serve others in need while working with a group of fun, dedicated people. All in all I think PAH is a terrific service and the work we did was more enjoyable than I expected it to be. I hope that now after having a little experience we will be able to produce an effective and useful writing piece that they can actually use to inspire new volunteers.