first christmas in the u.s.

today i was overwhelmed.

and overjoyed.

and uber grateful.

a few months ago i managed to "win" - i got one of my clients chosen for the ultimate christmas. a family contacted catholic charities and said they wanted to "adopt" a refugee family for christmas. one of my families, a refugee family from Chin State in Burma, was chosen to be their lucky adopted family. i helped them to create their "need" and "want" lists, all the while encouraging them not to expect to receive everything they were asking for! i had no idea what i had gotten them into....

this afternoon i went over to my clients' apartment, where i met the donor family, and their MOVING TRUCK. a huge garbage bag FULL of presents was dropped off - one bag for each person in the family. a box full of steaks was placed in the refrigerator for their holiday meal. my clients, a family of 5, had been sleeping on the floor until the donor family brought them bunkbeds. i was in awe.

this is my clients' first christmas in the united states. they told me that last saturday was the first time they had ever seen snow in their lives. the donor family's children and i then brainstormed all the fun things to do with snow and tried to explain to my clients what fun can be had with this weird white substance falling from the sky!

the mother of the family knows next to zero english. through giggles and holding back tears, she managed to say "i am very very thank you" along with several "merry christmas"es. it was PRECIOUS. she asked for each person in the donor family's name so that she could pray for each of them, because that was the only way she was able to thank them.

the family said they would wait until christmas day to open their presents.

when i went back to discuss their phone bill with them later in the afternoon, everything was already open :) ha! air mattresses, laptop, vacuum, clothes upon clothes, winter coats, mp3 players, playstation 3, and MORE. wow.

i am in awe of this donor family's generosity. they seriously just changed this refugee family's lives around. it was obvious that they were extremely wealthy, and perhaps buying all these presents to them was like dropping a few pennies on the ground for me and not picking them up. but regardless of this, that family really embraced what christmas should be about. i felt, and feel, truly blessed to have been a part of such generosity, and the sharing of such hope and joy.

merry christmas!

(...and now each of you should go adopt a refugee family! ha!)

cascanueces!!!

i just spent probably too long looking at my pictures from the christmas season of last year. at the time, i was really struggling to be away from home during the holidays, and strove to recreate every tradition possibly recreated whilst in mexico (including cinnamon rolls and red cake). i remember feeling very distanced from everyone at home, and feeling like it wasn't really christmas. but looking back, i think christmas time was some of my favorite times last year. i made new memories, did new things, and embraced christmas in a new way. i am grateful for my experience of christmas 2009!

one thing i remember that i did that TRULY got me in the christmas spirit last year was going to see Cascanueces (the nutcracker!). And again, as my mother and grandmother taught me to, i went to see the nutcracker this year.

my housemates, john and tina, and i got all dressed up, went out for indian food (yum!) and then headed to Music Hall downtown to see The Nutcracker. No version of the nutcracker will be as perfect as the one from my childhood at stranahan theatre, but i always enjoy it no matter what the differences are. it was QUITE the delight to see!

and the best part - as we were walking out of the show, we were greeted by a huge winter swirling snowy storm! this created a tense (at least for me) drive home, but it was seriously beautiful. so far it's been the one and only sighting of snow out in this hot land of kansas (it was 50 today!) i am very much looking forward to going home on thursday to a REAL winter wonderland.

in the meantime, enjoy a few photos of me and my housemates pumped for the nutcracker

arabic coffee

This morning i picked up new clients of mine to take them to apply for public housing. After having been in the United States for 3 months, these clients are now being passed to me - their new caseworker; clients in their first three months receive much more intense assistance, a sort of hand-holding-we'll-guide-you're-way-and-make-sure-everything-is-okay assistance. After three months, however, they are passed to my department, where we are able to offer them assistance (with a little less hand-holding) for up to five years after their arrival.

My new family is from Iraq, and they spoke a surprisingly good amount of English. Perhaps their daily half hour bus ride to DonBosco, where they receive ESL classes, has been benefiting them indeed. As they, and many other refugees, struggle to understand life in a whole new language, I too find myself pushed to learn new languages. On my van ride home for Thanksgiving I used an app on an iphone to learn several phrases in Burmese. For example "minglaba" is an often heard phrase around our office, meaning "good day" or "hello." I also chuckled as i learned the phrase "yay cho ba" which means "take a bath." we'll see if i ever learn that newly acquired phrase...

But today i got to learn some new words directly from clients. as i drove to work this morning i saw my first snow flurries since 2 winters ago. it was a delight. and i quickly learned the arabic word for snow, pronounced "filage" (like village, but with an "f"). When i ran into another Iraqi client living in the same building and i tossed around my newly learned term i got some strange looks and laughs.

after running here and there and everywhere in the "filage" with my new Iraqi clients, I was invited in to their home for some "Arabic Coffee" to warm up. Now, I do not like coffee. It is like eating liquid bitter dirt. gross. But of course I had to accept. i was served coffee in a tiny TINY mug, more comparable to the size of a shot glass, but all cute and with a handle. it was served on a little silver platter. an adorable little scene all around. but WOW. talk about the STRONGEST, most BITTER, miniature cup of coffee ever! i told them that there was no way i was going to be able to sleep tonight, even after a sip! (which might actually be true, since i'm awake at this hour still!) i struggled to get a few sips down before claiming i had another appointment i was late for...

Tomorrow morning I am giving another Iraqi client a ride to an appointment, perhaps I will surprise and astound her with my newfound Arabic words :-) Cynthia, I might need your help soon so i don't sound like a goober trying to talk with them!

familiarity

this past weekend i was reminded of beauty and safety in familiarity. things are starting to feel more like "home" here in kansas city (well, not home, just more familiar i suppose), but a visit from a friend took me back to a place of joy and comfort.

my dear friend elena, who is currently a youth pastor in "nearby" newton, kansas (about 2.5 hours), drove over to kansas city to pass the weekend with me. what did we do? nothing much. just the usual - played tennis, tried to decipher life, and embraced fall in every way possible.

after she left saturday night to go back to newton i found myself to be extremely content and happy. not that she had left, of course. but that i had been reminded of how good it feels to be around someone who knows you, who you can be yourself around, and who is just familiar. i'm sure that my new housemates, coworkers, and friends, will one day become more of that for me, but for now, it was such a delight to have such a dear friend to simply pass a few hours with talking and contemplating life with.

here are a few photos from our weekend:

city tour

today i got an official tour of kansas city.
kansas city, missouri, that is.
a woman from rainbow mennonite is an official city tour guide, and she offered to take us newbies out for a spin to see the sights of kansas city missouri.

kansas city is known for 3 things...
1. fountains (on the list of cities in the world with the most fountains, kc is #2...rome is #1)
2. BBQ - i did try some official KC BBQ, pretty good stuff
3. Jazz - i have yet to head to 18th and vine to check out the famous jazz, but i hope to soon!

CLICK HERE to see the pictures i took on our tour!

"i'm sorry ma'am"

Me: "Hi, this is Natalie from Catholic Charities. I'm calling about a client of mine who has some medical bills that are quite large and we thought should be covered by you (Blue Cross Blue Shield)."
BCBS: "Yes, ma'am, what is your name?"
Me: "Natalie."
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't see your name here on the list of people authorized to discuss this account."
Me: "Yes, I know, but I am the policy holder's case manager and am trying to help them figure this whole situation out."
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, but I am not able to discuss this account with you. is the policy holder there with you?"
Me: "No, he is not. But I was wondering if there is a form you could fax me for him to fill out giving me permission, or if you would have a Karenni interpreter available so he could verbally give his consent."
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, but he would have to call himself to request that paper to be sent to his address."
Me: "Well how is he supposed to do that when he doesn't speak any English? Can't you just send it to the address listed on the account so it would go to him anyways?"
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, we can't do that. he's going to have to call himself."
Me: "But he doesn't speak English."
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, but he's going to have to call in and give me permission to speak with you about the account."
Me: "Well how is he supposed to do that when he doesn't speak English?"
BCBS: "Well we offer translators."
Me: "Great! Do you have a Karenni interpreter?"
BCBS: "I'm sorry, Korean?"
Me: "No, Karenni. K-a-r-e-n-n-i"
BCBS: "I'm sorry ma'am, but we do not"
Me: "Well then I don't understand. You won't speak to me unless the policy holder calls to request a release of information form or if he calls and verbally gives consent. But you do not offer services of interpretation for him to do that. So HOW is he supposed to do that?"
....silence.....
Me: "I just don't get it."
.....silence....
BCBS: "Well he could have a friend or someone call in on his behalf and request those things."
Me: "That's exactly what I'm doing right now."
BCBS: "i'm sorry ma'am but he is going to have to do that."
Me: "But you just said he could have someone with him call for him!"
BCBS: "Um....."
Me: "Couldn't I just call and pretend to be an interpreter or friend of his to request these things?"
BCBS: "No ma'am, it has to be him."
Me: "But how are you going to know?!"
BCBS: "He needs to call in himself."
Me: "Well then you need to provide a Karenni interpreter"
BCBS: "Um, let me ask my supervisor...."
....doodly dinging music plays as I'm on hold.....
BCBS: "I'm sorry for your wait ma'am thank you for holding. My supervisor says that we can provide a Karenni interpreter."

. . . FINALLY!

antioch park

Friday i happened across a beautiful thing ... Antioch Park. Situated in a little nook about 5 miles from my house, this park is full of lakes, paths, trees, and big open spaces. It is lovely. I spent a large portion of my afternoons both Saturday and Sunday at Antioch Park, trying to embrace fall, relaxing, enjoying nature, and reading. It was a delight!

Here a few pictures i took of the two (yes, only 2) trees i found that were not green i the park. autumn is struggling out here in kansas....but these two trees were at least beautiful!






x

tough day on the job

today was rough...

this morning i picked up a client and drove her to her doctor's appointment. as i walked in the door i was pleasantly surprised by a table in the waiting room covered in puzzle pieces....puzzle pieces with shades of burnt oranges, browns, yellows, and bright reds....oh the colors of autumn. after the client went back for her appointment i read magazines for a little while. half an hour later, and still waiting, i was bored. so i sat down at the puzzle table and started to work on piecing together a scene of a barn set amongst fall beauty. i believe the puzzle was entitled "autumn splendor". half an hour later of this endeavor and i thought to myself: "wow. i have such a rough job. i get to sit and do puzzles all morning!" what a delight.


p.s. happy anniversary to my lovely parents! i thought of the colors of your bridesmaids' dresses, mom, as i put together the puzzle of reds, oranges, and yellows ;)

"thats what it's all about"

9 days on the job, and i still have no idea what's going on.

today i tried to help someone pay a bill. but when we walked in the accounting office there was a big sign that said "NO CASH ACCEPTED." oops. that's all we had! i asked the woman behind the desk where i could get a money order, and she told me to go to the bank, or some other fancy place to get it.

as we turned around to leave, two ladies said to us "go to the grocery store right around the corner, they only charge 39cents and the banks charge four bucks or more!" so we did.

when we came back to pay the bill the ladies were still there. i thanked them profusely for their assistance, and they said "that's what it's all about. people helping people."

isn't that the truth.

stories

today i had the honor of listening to a man tell his story. . .

i had attempted to research the history of bhutan and nepal online, but nothing i read compared to what i heard from the bhutanese man who welcomed me into his home. as i sipped on traditional Bhutanese tea that his wife prepared, i listened as this gentleman embarked on his story of life in Bhutan, the history of Bhutan, life in refugee camps, and resettling in the United States.

A basic history (as i know it...) - in about the mid 1800s there was a large migration of people from Nepal to Bhutan (Bhutan was looking for workers, much like migrant farmworkers here in the U.S.). In 1989 (i think?) the ruling government of Bhutan decided that they were going to make everyone living in Bhutan like them (in terms of speech, dress, etc.). In essence, what followed was an ethnic cleansing. And needless to say, thousands of people who were (dating back to the 1800s) Nepali (but who had lived their whole lives in Bhutan) were forced out of the country. If they did not leave, they risked imprisonment, torture, and often death. These people fled to Nepal, and after much hardship refugee camps were set up in Nepal. It would be 17 years until other nations would offer the option of resettlement.

I urge you to read this brief article from CNN that discusses the history of the Nepali people in Bhutan, and the resettlement of the refugees. A small glimpse of this article from March 25, 2008:

Bhutanese refugees began arriving in the United States on Tuesday,
the first wave of what the United Nations describes
as one of the world's largest resettlement efforts.

The U.S. has offered to resettle 60,000 of the estimated
107,000 Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese origin now
living in seven U.N. camps in southeastern Nepal --
their home for the past 17 years. Six other nations --
Australia, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand and Denmark --
have offered to resettle 10,000 each.

At the end of his story (that included much more personal stories than what i can share online), I sat, amazed. Somewhat speechless for a little while. I was amazed at what he and his family had gone through. I was amazed at where he had ended up. I was amazed by his willingness to open his home to me and share his story with me. And I was, and am, grateful for the context that he offered me, someone who (i must admit) didn't even know Bhutan existed, as I now work daily with refugees from Bhutan who share much of his same story.

the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor

so my blog somehow jumped from mexico to kansas. but there was some time between those two large changes (thank goodness). for about 2 months after i returned home from mexico, before i headed out here to kck, i was blessed by time spent at home. there is just something about home...words just can't describe it. (though i'll try:) comfort. joy. familiarity. family.

my time was filled with all sorts of adventures... including a schmucker family of 5 trip to cancun, friends' wedding in goshen, a trip to indy to visit friends, time at the lake with the yoder family, working a bit at schmucker's, watching the food network :), cleaning out mom's pantry, and just plain relaxing and enjoying home. and i was reminded very much in those two months how blessed i am to have such a wonderful family. why i keep moving so far away from them i cannot answer....

one of my favorite things i did whilst home was learn to CAN with my mama! oh, it was supposed to be this small event where we just canned a little bit so i'd learn the general idea. but no, it got way out of hand. we canned, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato juice, strawberry jam, applesauce, and maybe that was all? the fruits and vegetables of our labor are now proudly displayed in my new kitchen and mom's "new" pantry. love it!

tomatoes, tomatoes, everywhere!

three generations of schmucker women getting their apple on

yum yum in my tum tum!

the empty pantry and the full living room! oh the joy of the process...

and the FINISHED PRODUCT!!!! so beautiful:

a new twist on communion

Today was world communion Sunday.
I went to church a block down the street, at Rainbow Mennonite Church.

The pastor preached about the idea that all across the world today thousands, or millions, or who-knows-how-many people are participating in communion. They may call it by different names, they may use different types of breads or cups, they may have different beliefs about the event, but in the end, are we not all celebrating the same thing? My thoughts took this sermon a step further: Christianity, and religion for that matter, has so many different faces to it, different ideas, different beliefs, different practices, but are we not all getting at the same thing?

As a group from this church is preparing to embark on a Service and Learning Trip to Guatemala next week, the church decided to do something new (at least to me) for communion. For our "bread" in communion, we partook of corn tortillas. We were encouraged to remember that corn is such an essential staple, the "grain of life" for so many people across the globe, particularly in Latin America. I appreciated this subtle twist that encouraged me to think about those partaking in communion, and practicing religion, in different ways around our world.

cambia, todo cambia....

my soul is saddened.
it has taken awhile to get to this point, but it still is hard to do.
i suppose it is time though, that i change my blog.

despite the mexican flag hanging over my head, the mexican scarves i tie around my neck, the zapatista posters on my walls, and the pictures of friends and family in mexico watching me as i type this, sometimes it feels that the past year never even happened.

perhaps i am dramatic (some would argue this is a certainty, not a "perhaps"), but it almost makes it feel even more like my year in mexico never happened by changing my blog from "learning adventures in mexico" to its new title. but i am in a new place. doing new things. making new memories. and i suppose it's time to let you all know about it.

SO, after a long cyber-silence, welcome to my NEW blog, about my life in MVS (Mennonite Voluntary Service) in Kansas City, Kansas. Who knows if I'll have anything exciting to share, but the space is here, so we shall see!

these are a few of my favorite things: CUERNAVACA

when the dog bites,
when the bee stings,
when i'm feeling sad,
i simply remember my favorite things,
and then i don't feel so bad!


So THESE are a few of my FAVORITE THINGS in Cuernavaca:

MY FAMILY, particularly the babies!

the park right by my house. a perfect place for a walk, a run, or some relaxation with the sound of the river trickling by

the juice lady...fresh squeezed orange juice about a 3 minute walk from my house....mmmm!

The panaderia "La Paloma," right across from the juice lady, completed my perfect breakfast of fresh bread and fresh oj

La Rana de La Casona: an awesome little bookstore down in the zocalo

the Italian Coffee Company, particularly their "Frappe de Cajeta." perfect refreshment on a hot day and a great place to chill and read a book or work on my project!

the Cathedral of Cuernavaca

the kids at La Buena Tierra, their runny noses and giggly laughs :)

a sigh of relief

Two blocks away from one of the principle avenues in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, is a small community that is called La Via. Less than ten years ago, the train passed through this community that is now made up of about one hundred families and has suffered from a lack of resources and education in its past. Ten years ago, a kindergarten called Centro Educativo “La Buena Tierra” (Educational Center “The Good Earth”) came to life in the community of La Via. This school year, 2009-2010, La Buena Tierra opened an elementary school with first and second grade, with the vision to increase in size every year. This same year, the kindergarten celebrates ten years serving the community. The school has achieved abundant accomplishments in its years in La Via, and it is time to look in depth, from a variety of perspectives, at what the school has offered to the community.


A weight as been lifted off my chest... Today I handed to Lizy, the director of La Buena Tierra, the finished product of the project I have been working on for the past six months. Named "The History of La Buena Tierra," this project has been on my mind, and my to-do list, for a very long time. It feels SO good to have it finally be done!

Although it was a lot of work, and perhaps a source of much stress at times, the opportunity to do this project has definitely been a blessing. One of the most interesting parts was going house to house in the community of La Via (where the school is located), knocking on every door, interviewing as many people as would let me for this project. I definitely learned a lot.


The final product included the following areas:

• The History of La Via (how the community came to be, along the railroad tracks)
• La Via Today (what the community is like now, demographics, etc.)
• The History of La Buena Tierra (how/why it got started)
• La Buena Tierra - how the school functions, its mission, what it offers, sponsors, scholarships, etc.
• Accomplishments and Changes - what the school has accomplished in its 10 years in La Via, and how La Via has changed as a community as a result of the school's impact
• A Model - using La Buena Tierra as an example, what can others who have interest in starting a similar school in a similar community learn?
• The Future of the school
• Recommendations - for the school, based on observations and various complaints/misunderstandings from community members
• Pictures - from before the school started, until today, creating a history of the school through photography

It's long (typical natalie style), but if anyone has interest in reading it, please just send me an email...i will gladly send it on. (spanish or english, take your pick!)

As I wrote in my MCC End of Term Report, I view this project as my biggest success of the year. I have learned a lot from it, had great learning experiences in the midst of writing it, and feel that I have truly offered something of value to La Buena Tierra. It feels good to have it done!

As La Buena Tierra continues to make positive impacts on the community of La Via, may it keep in mind the following Bible verse that inspired the name “La Buena Tierra.”

From Luke 8:4-8

⁴While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil (“buena tierra”). It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

May La Buena Tierra continue to be good soil for the children of La Via, nourishing and preparing them for a better future.

another era has come to an end....

It´s 4:30 in the morning and I am wide awake. This is odd...

I have just waved goodbye as my Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Bob rode off in a taxi headed towards the airport for their big trip back to the United States.

As I walked back in the house, I realized that in exactly two weeks from this very (deadly) hour, I myself will be getting in a taxi, bogged down by all my luggage, headed off to the airport, for my trip back to the land of the USofA. Wow.

But I try not to think about all that yet...

Saying goodbye to my aunt and uncle has brought an end to an era: a delightful, somewhat unexpected, fun-and-adventure-filled era of hanging out with my aunt and uncle in Mexico. Soon after moving to Mexico, I sent an email to my aunt saying ¨tell Bob to get his bum down here.¨ My uncle had spent about 6 years living in Mexico in the 1990s, has returned many a time with my aunt in the past 10 years, and I knew he was hoping to make it back this year! I wasn´t sure if I would ever have the luck of them coming down while I was here, but it turned out that the end of March, both Cynthia and Bob moved to San Miguel de Allende, a town about 3.5 hours north of Mexico City.

SO, over the past 3 months I have had the joy of sharing lots of adventures, great conversation, some good laughs, musical debuts, and great memories with the both of them. Since in a normal year of mine, if I´m lucky, I might see these two nomads ONCE (if that), I feel extremely blessed to have seen them so many times over the past three months.

The following pictures are a few snapshots of our times together in México...

It is sad to see them go without knowing when I will even see them next...

But it´s most definitely been fun!

the future ...

Pretty much from the day I arrived in Mexico, the following thought has been running through my head constantly: ¨What am I going to do next year???¨ To be honest, it has probably been way to much of a preoccupation of mine throughout the past year. but I can FINALLY say that i know the answer to that question. Not figuring it out until 3 weeks before leaving Mexico has created a bit of stress in my life, but I am happy to say that stress is now gone, and I can breathe a sigh of relief for that.

SO....starting September 27, I will be participating in Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS). I will live in (of all places...) Kansas. ha! The Kansas City MVS Unit will be my new home for the next year, and I will work under Catholic Charities in the Refugee and Migrant Services department. From my (limited) understanding, I will be working mostly with refugees from SouthEast Asia and Africa, assisting them to achieve self-sufficiency in the U.S.

I guess that´s enough said on that. Just thought I would let you all know what the next steps were for me. I´m excited to spend some time at home and visiting family and friends before this new adventure begins. I can´t believe my ¨learning adventures in mexico¨ are so quickly coming to an end....

La Buena Tierra: EL FIN

Friday, June 25, was my last day at La Buena Tierra. I spent most of it taking pictures of my life. It's funny how when it's the same old same old every day, you don't think to take pictures of it. But I realized that my life had passed me by, and I had one day to document the daily grind of life at La Buena Tierra.

It was a rough day. Goodbyes are not fun. Luckily I am going back to visit and say official goodbyes next week, so I didn't have to say goodbye to many coworkers. But I did have to say goodbye to the entire student body, and the families of the students. It was not fun.

Thursday after school my coworkers had a despedida for me, potluck style. Everyone brought a traditional Mexican dish, and we all hung out and ate together. It even included pay de arroz con leche (rice with milk pie). It was delISH...I'm going to have to get Dad to start making that at Schmucker's!

Friday at the end of the school day the entire kindergarten, elementary school, and all their families gathered to say goodbye to me. They had a prayer for me, then every last one of the 60-some kids came rushing at me to give me a hug. I felt like i was in a mob and was going to be pulled to the ground by those kiddos! I received lots of hugs, lots of cards, many gifts, and lots of love. It was a sad goodbye :(

Here are a few pictures from the last days of school:

The potluck style despedida with my coworkers

David, myself, and Eric Manuel, getting lots of work done :)

Marbella, my life saver, confidant, and nourisher.

David Castro Romero, myself, and Uriel

Fabiola and I - I spent the majority of my year in her classroom.

A few collages from the last days of school, and the reality of my life at Buena Tierra: