So It's Been Awhile...

Things have been pretty busy around here, even the weekends and I admit I have been a bit delinquent at updating this blog over the past few weeks. I have even been having a hard time keeping up with my journal, because since we are so busy and I am so tired, I usually just go right to sleep. But I have been getting used to it and things have shaped up a bit this week.

So here are some of the highlights of the last few weeks:

Work

• Doing a serious overhaul of our resource books, since some were woefully out-of-date. I am now an expert at the excel sheets we use to make our resource book. I have also developed a close bond with our fickle color printer, which I have named “George”.
• Sr Betty picking up some blankets from St Pius for some clients…and me recognizing the blankets I had dropped off two days earlier.
• Me going to St Pius with some clients and seeing some of the shirts I had dropped off earlier.
• Sr Betty finding me a potential husband in criminal court (don’t worry, she’s pretty sure he’s a law student, he was working there) but so far, she has not given him my card as she hasn’t seen him since.
• Explaining how a fee waiver works to several people at the Daley Center who were surprised when I told them I don’t actually work there.
• Lurking in a corner at the LaSalle/Van Buren “L” stop waiting for a client to call me back and let me know if he actually had a court date that day, since there had not been anyone in the courtroom when I got there, so I left. Turns out he did.
• Getting in a fight with a client at a public library in Pilsen.
• I’m going to be spending more time at our St Agnes location, so I helped out at Fussy Babies again this week and Kerry showed me around the office again. I also saw a client during Fussy Babies and then Kerry took me out to lunch at the Green House Steaks—which is not actually a steakhouse and as far as I know does not have steak on its menu, but it was delicious.

Amate/Other (aka not work)

• My roommates patiently listening to me freaking out on election night…were they actually paying attention to the elections? Not so much.
• Amate Mass planned by North House, in the North House chapel, which I estimated is half the size of our entire house.
• Taking the Illinois Basic Skills Test (terribly named because if you fail it, it means you fail at basic skills, how mean is that?) so I can eventually become a school social worker. Whether or not I actually want to be a school social worker remains to be seen.
• Going to a party thrown by a couple of people that lived in my house last year, and seeing two of my co-workers there. And having them play the Glee version of “Teenage Dream” twice, awesome because that is my new favorite song.
• Amate Thanksgiving! We started with the “Turkey Bowl” which was a flag football game traditionally played Volunteers vs. Alumni but there were not enough alumni at the beginning to field a team so we mixed them up. I was forced to play but kept my sunglasses on (relinquishing my snuggie to a roommate who remained on the sidelines). I was sore for a few days afterward because I did so many squats trying to intimidate my opponents. I also body-checked several large men, which was a bad idea in retrospect. After the game I scooted home to change and came back for Mass (I was a gift bearer). After Mass we went to the church basement and had a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner, which was delicious. And then, the volunteers had to clean up.
• Celebrating Michelle’s birthday on Monday with a ‘hike’ through the house taking her to ‘Barnes and Noble’, the ‘Chicago Ballet’ (aka Jessie) and a showing of her favorite youtube clips, all followed by a dance party. She says it was her best birthday yet.
• Arriving at 9:15 am for our 9:45 am showing of Harry Potter 7 Part 1 (Fandango said to arrive 30 minutes early for the best seats…we were merely following instructions) and finding the theatre closed.
• Watching  Harry Potter 7 Part 1…so good!

Halloween Week

My week did not get much more exciting than my epic elevator day. I did get to go out to lunch with my boss and the coordinator at the other end of the furniture drive. We are doing another one in March and we wanted to know what we could do better next time. Even though Mi Tierra is super close to my house, I haven’t been there yet due to my decreased budget, so it was really fun to go there for lunch. On Wednesday we had a training at our staff meeting with an immigration lawyer. It was really interesting and she make us detailed packets with lots of information to use with our clients. One of the best parts of our meeting? The snack (as usual) Janiene brought us a treat of ice cream and waffles. Ice cream because it is awesome, waffles because it was 8:00 am and they go well with ice cream. Sr Betty, who always has two yogurts and an apple (that she insists on sharing with me because it’s “good for my ears or something”) for lunch almost didn’t eat it but we talked her into it.

One Friday I went to the Fussy Baby group at St Agnes again, I was invited to their Halloween party. And by invited to their party, I mean that I was asked to help out. There were lots of cute costumes—a lion, a giraffe (who was afraid of the lion), a kangaroo (complete with a joey), a care bear, a hamburger and an assortment of princesses. It was really fun to get them together for a picture…a bunch of crying babies that couldn’t quite sit together long enough for a good picture. At the end, we had tamales and flautas and some sort of warm, delicious beverage. Friday night was movie night (except for the part where Michelle and I visited Elissa who was stuck at work for parent teacher conferences). Carlos invited us to go over to his co-worker’s house to watch scary movies but we respectfully declined the invitation because we are not the scary movie types.

Saturday I worked again—I went back to St Agnes for a Domestic Violence workshop at their parent meetings. We brought in a speaker from the Legal Aid Bureau who is a divorce lawyer who specializes in cases with domestic violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month so we wanted to get information out to the community.  A huge percentage of our clients are victims of domestic violence, whether or not that is why they come to us. I also stopped by a Health Fair for seniors and picked up information, which is good because we are seeing more and more seniors that need services.

Saturday night was the big Amate House Halloween Party. I wore a plaid suit and said I was a lawyer. My roommates went as Christmas, a sumo wrestler, a Mexican Harry Potter, a smartypants, a paintbrush and a black cat. We were going to do a group thing but then we just let our individual creativities run wild. My favorite costume of the night was a girl from North House who dressed as a lightning bug—she really lit up!

A day in the life...

Yesterday I went with a client to apply for guardianship of adults who happen to be twins. This involved going to the Daley Center (where a large number of Cook County's civil courthouses are housed) and riding 19 elevators.
the breakdown:
arrive, ride from floor 1 to floor 12 to Adult Guardianship Pro Se Help Desk. wait 45 minutes for law student to arrive
go to 18 to courtroom 1803 for fee waiver. wait 45-60 minutes while court is in session
return to 12 and finish paperwork, attempt to file but wait! you only have one fee waiver for the two people! it does not matter that hey are twins...
go back to floor 18 and ask the clerk in 1803 if the judge can sign a new order--now don't be silly, you must fill out two new applications for fee waivers, and they don't have them on this floor
return to floor 12
return to 1803 to submit forms. clerk is upset that they didn't take the forms downstairs and doesn't know if the judge will sign the form again
return to 12th floor with proper forms. file the forms. They send you to 1812 to get a court date
return to 1812. the clerk is frazzled but manages to give you the same date/time for both twins. she sends you to get a seal for the sheriff's summons
return to 12th floor. the cute, friendly male law student has been replaced by a middle aged lawyer who is switching from another type of law so she has less experience in this matter than the law student. You need to make copies but the copy machine behind her costs $0.25 per page while in the law library it costs $0.10 per page. Client says no thank you, I will pay. Go to the lady at the far end of the room for a seal of the court. she sends you to see the sheriff so you can give them the summons to serve.
go to the seventh floor. the cashier at the sheriff office is confused and you don't have enough copies, but it gets taken care of and you are free to go.
return to lobby and leave.

Now wait, you may be wondering how my math adds up to 19 elevator rides. Well, you see, the Daley Center has 30 floors and they are all very busy, so not every elevator goes to every floor. You can take an elevator from the 12th floor to the 17th floor, but to get from the 12th floor to the 18th floor, you must first go to the 7th floor (or the lobby but it is usually faster to switch on the 7th floor) and switch elevators. So each of the four times my client and I were sent to the 18th floor from the 12th, that took four elevator rides round trip.

I googled elevator fatalities, and there are one in 12 million. think how close I came in one day...

Oh, I’m just saving the world

The week started with me going to Immigration Court early Monday morning to translate for a U-Visa interview. U-Visas are a way to a green card for people who have been victims of crimes, especially domestic violence. I was not involved with her application at all but it would have involved submitting evidence of her abuse – including an order of protection, a police report, and proof that she was working with the courts to prosecute her abuser. It turned out that her interviewer spoke Spanish (there is never a guarantee of this and Immigration Court tells you to bring someone to interpret for you) so I did not have to sit in on her interview. But, she came out in ten minutes and told me she was approved! I had no idea that a) the interview could be over that fast or b) that they could tell you in the interview that you were approved. But, it was a great way to start the week.

On Thursday, my coworker Kerry and I each presented grant proposals to separate committees (based on where our clients live) for clients to get money from the Department of Children and Family Services. DCFS sets aside a certain amount of money for children at risk for truancy or suspension or falling behind academically. My client had just moved with her four daughters from Cicero to Chicago and needed all new sets of uniforms and school supplies. I tried to get a computer but was unsuccessful. I am still getting them a bunch of money and it will even cover new winter coats. Kerry also got a grant for a client and they even offered her more money than she asked for, because she had not asked for a winter coat for her client and now they are giving her the money for one. Kerry’s client lives in our area so the meeting was actually in our building Thursday morning so I got to see her present her proposal before I went North to present mine. I told the person in charge of the money in our area where I was going and she  said “Oh, they’re really intimidating up there, their area is so much bigger…oh but you’ll do great!” And I did pretty well.

We had a couple of dinner guests this week. Beth, an Amate alum who lived with Jessie in South House last year came over on Monday and Becky, the Amate development coordinator and her fiancé came over on Tuesday. It was great to meet them and offer hospitality, although our house was a mess because we had just collected a bunch of things we want to donate and they were in bags and boxes in our living room. I’m actually taking them tomorrow to a second-hand clothing store where we send people with vouchers from Taller for free clothes. So, they’ve been there for a while but we’ve just been so busy! On Saturday I went with Michelle to the local branch of the library for five hours while we worked on grad school stuff. I mostly worked on personal statements and made a lot of progress. Now I need to work on the Illinois Basic Skills Test so I can concentrate in School Social Work. You have to pass the test before you can become certified to work in schools in Illinois, and the certification I would get works in a few more states. Oh, but I became an Illinois resident on Tuesday, so I guess I’ll stay here for a while.

LOVE

1 tupperware leftover white rice (let’s say six cups cooked)

3 bags mixed vegetables (Kroger brand fiesta mix, California mixed and vegetable gumbo—10 for $10!)

Half jar sweet and sour sauce

Sprinkle of hot chili sauce

Pour water on rice and microwave. Place vegetables on heat with some water. Set aside a few vegetables for Michelle who does not like sweet and sour sauce (or soy, or teriyaki…). Add sauce for everyone else. Cook until the water boils off. Serve with lemon juice and sweet and sour sauce for people to season at will.

Grocery List, Week of October 17

3 bags tortilla chips

1 bag raisins

2 boxes granola bars

12-pack toilet paper

32 oz container plain yogurt

28 oz can diced tomatoes

4 family size cans tomato soup

1 pack American cheese

2 boxes Corn Bitz cereal (like Chex)

1 honey bear

1 gallon orange juice

3 cans tuna

1 can corn

2  32-oz bags of Honey Toasted Os (like Honey Nut Cheerios)

4 boxes pasta ( a few varieties)

Package chicken tenderloins

Dozen eggs

2 cans enchilada sauce

Parmesan cheese

Package mini marshmallows

3 bags Nacho and Taco blend cheese

Cooking spray

Gallon of salsa

4 lbs dried black beans

3 packages flour tortillas

5 lbs white rice

2.64 lbs green beans

2 bunches cilantro

8 pounds bananas

3 pounds red delicious apples

5 pounds gala apples

4 pounds Valencia oranges

1.5 pounds tangerines

5 loaves wheat bread (on special)

5 pounds carrots

1.5 pounds roma tomatoes

Ranch dressing

2 loaves French bread

2 frozen pizzas

4 green bell peppers

1 mixed box oatmeal

And the grand total came to….take a guess!

Is this real life?

This week I worked for 3 ½ days. On Monday, in honor of Columbus Day (but perhaps more because most Catholic Schools aren’t open on Columbus Day) Amate had its Fall In-Service. I talked about that in my last entry, though. On Tuesday, I had a really long day, though. I got to work at 8:00 to meet a client and go to the Daley Center to meet with her lawyer, whom I have nicknamed demon lawyer because she’s so terribly rude. She refused to even talk to me because I do not have a law degree. She even complained that I was in court to the judge, because she thought I was a school social worker. Maybe if she had given me the chance to even introduce myself and explain why I was in court that day, she would have been more understanding, nicer to the client and nicer to me. But then again, perhaps not. The client did really well and stood up for herself when her lawyer was walking all over her. The lawyer of course thought this meant I was giving the client legal advice but she and I both tried to make it clear that was not happening. When I got back I saw a few walk-ins, on Tuesdays we are in the office until 7:00.

On Wednesday I was planning on going to Zemsky’s, a local clothing store that specializes in uniforms, to price some uniforms for a grant I’m writing for a client. It was raining pretty hard and it was likely that I would have to walk to the store, so I put that off until Thursday, when we wouldn’t have clients anyway. I did and they were super nice there, they let me put the clothes on hold indefinitely until I get the grant, which I should hopefully be presenting on Thursday, if one of the school counselors ever gives me the information I need. But other than that, things are calmer at work this week because I didn’t have to worry about the furniture drive anymore. Next week, Sr Kathy and I are going to lunch with the woman that organized the drive on the other end to talk about what we should do differently. On Friday I was only supposed to work until noon. I spent the morning at St Agnes with the Fussy Baby group because Kerry had an accompaniment. Then I went back to the office (arriving around noon) and actually saw a couple of clients (people that are usually quick) and left around 1:15. We did some quick errands and then loaded up the cars and hit the road.

Our retreat was in Watervliet, MI, which is not far from I-94 and Paw Paw Lake, if that means anything to people. It was very pretty there and nice and sunny so we could be outside. We took a skills assessment test from Gallup before we went and so the retreat was about developing our skills and using them in our community. My five skills are Empathy, Input, Connectedness, Harmony and Responsibility. I’m the only one in the house with responsibility in their top five so it’s probably a good thing I handle the cash. We had a lot of free time on the retreat and ate a lot of junk food, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to eat again. Probably at dinner time, we’re having grilled cheese and tomato soup. I’m cooking tomorrow, making pesto out of cilantro (a recipe from  Ann K’s family, it’s so good) so I’ll probably post about it later in the week. Pay attention, Steph, you can use it in your entertaining.

As we were entering Chicago (Chicago is a very long city so it takes a while to do this) Ann K gave us some riddles. One was “A man pulls his car up to a hotel and realizes he’s bankrupt. How?” Want a hint? It’s not real life.  

Pasta Surprise

Tonight I cooked with Elissa. We only had to buy one can of vegetables!
1 large box twisty pasta noodles (provided by Little Brothers)
1 can stir-fry vegetables (provided by Little Brothers)
1 can pasta sauce (leftover)
1 can mixed vegetables
1 bag questionable mexican orange round noodles
2 small yellow onions
spices

We carmelized the onions with spices and added in the vegetables. once they were mixed and heated, we put them in a pot with the sauce. In a separate pot, we boiled the noodles. We were worried that it would not be enough food (even though it is simplicity week) so we added in noodles that came with our house. they were strange (orange wheels) and fell apart but they served our purposes well.