A Taste of Tucson

Tucson

Neighborhood mural of the mountains 

 Tucson is a multicultural city that rests in a valley surrounded by mountains. You can determine the cardinal directions by what mountain range you are facing.  Rated one of the best biking cities in the U.S., I am able to walk or bike most places I go.  I have really enjoyed biking around the city, even in 105 degree weather and wild monsoons. Tucson is often described a city that feels like a small town as it is not uncommon to run into someone you know on the street or at the grocery store.  In addition, the pace of life seems to be more relaxed and the general disposition seems friendly and welcoming.

I live in a wonderful location which is accessible to the lively downtown area, the University of Arizona, and the mainly Latin American city of South Tucson.  This allows for a rich mixture of cultures and experiences.  I can easily bike to a grocery store in South Tucson where most people speak only Spanish or bike to the local college hang-outs.

My housemate Emily taking the groceries home.

My favorites places in Tucson have been when I am not sure if I am in North or South America.  The desert landscape along with the border culture make for places that are infused with Native American, Latin American, and European-American culture.  Last week, the other Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) and I climbed onto of our roof to see the sunset.  As I looked out at my neighborhood and saw cacti, abode houses, and intricate iron gates, I was reminded that there are many representations of the United States.  Everything from the dry heat to the desert terrain to the multicultural history makes Tucson a rich, captivating place to live in.

A multicultural moment at the grocery store

House Life

My Casita

Note: This is what a front yard looks like in the desert.

I live with four women who enrich my life every single day.  I am so glad that I get to come home to such a supportive and fun community every evening.  My roommates and I are from diverse parts of the US and the world including Baltimore, Connecticut, Alabama, and South Korea. Together, we try to live as an intentional Christian community by living simply, discussing our work sites, and exploring our faith and vocation together.  After meeting to determine house guidelines, we decided that we want to have three community meals together a week, where we cook and eat as a group.  In an effort to be more present, we have established "Without Tech Wednesdays,' where we refrain from using technology during and after dinner.  Without the constant distractions of texting and checking Facebook, we hope to have more time and space to interact with our community.

My housemates right to left: April, Me, Emily, Allie, Hanbyeol
Photo taken by April

We have a YAV site coordinator named Brandon who meets with us once a week, and organizes workshops, and retreats.  Last week, he invited us to have dinner at his home, which is a intentional community where several families share communal space, meals, and responsibilities.  It was a great reminder that there are many ways to live, to raise a family, and to share resources.

At home we are trying to have a lower environmental impact by composting our food waste, growing vegetables, conserving water, air-drying our clothes, and biking to work.  Although these are our intentions, we often fall short, especially when time and money are limiting factors.  In the future, I hope to talk more with my house mates about what local or sustainable food we can purchase on our small budget ($20 per person per week).

Also, we have four chickens in our backyard!  They recently stopped laying eggs so we are trying to figure out what we should do.  We may remake their coop to make them more comfortable or we may kill them (my preferred option, haha) and eat them.  As a meat eater, I think it is important to fully understand the process of taking an animal's life.  My new friends James and Uk have said they are interested in this too so we'll see what happens!

We had a big dinner with guests on Friday.
I cooked pasta with a bolognese sauce and Uk (in front) made Korean beef pancakes.
Photo taken by Uk with a selfie stick (look it up)

Immigration and Envelopes

Envelopes and Immigration

            After two weeks of orientation, I have now started work at BorderLinks, an educational non-profit in Tucson.  I’d like to tell you about something that happened this week.

I had been on the clock for 30 minutes when one of my co-workers told me that BorderLinks was working on a larg mailing for their summer donation drive.  I was to help prepare the letters along with some other volunteers.  The doorbell rang and in walked two petite Latin American women and an European-American woman.  We introduced ourselves in Spanish.  Juanita,* was slightly older than Graciela, who was holding a newborn baby.  We doted on the 19-day-old baby as we settled into folding letters, sealing envelopes, and organizing addresses.  Between piles of mail, we slowly warmed up to each other.  I attempted to start conversations with my rusty Spanish and they gradually told me about themselves.

Juanita and Graciela are from Honduras and immigrated to the U.S. a year and a half ago.  They are part of the large wave of single mothers and unaccompanied minors who have fled gang-ridden Central American countries for a safer life.  Juanita told me that, as she a single mother of four children, she could not sustain herself in Honduras.  She could not get a job in a factory and there were no social services to support her.  In contrast, people have been very generous to her in the U.S..

The two women laughed as they reminisced about their chicken coops in Honduras and advised me on how to best care for my hens.  After the envelopes were completed, we chatted for a while.  As they left, I waved goodbye, feeling pleased that we had had such a fruitful conversation that they had opened up to me about their home country.

Wondering about the poverty that often shadows single parenthood, I asked my coworker if Graciela, the younger woman, had a partner.  A pained expression clouded her face as she asked, “Did you hear about the day laborer who got arrested on his way to the hospital?”

Suddenly, I made the connection.  My heart sank.  No. 

“You mean the undocumented immigrant who was pulled over on his way to see his newborn daughter?” 

“Yes.”

This man was Graciela’s partner, the baby’s father.  He was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and is now being held in a detention facility, most likely awaiting deportation.  My coworker did not have the heart to ask Graciela if her husband had gotten the chance to see his daughter yet.  This beautiful child has been born into such a complicated and tragic situation.  She is an American citizen, but her father is not.  Borders and laws will divide her family.

I pray for this family and admire their giving spirit.  Even with a 19-day-old baby, even with a husband in jail, Graciela still made time to volunteer and help BorderLinks.

On my first day of work, during my first hours on the job, I already got a taste of the incredible people and stories that abide within Tucson.

*All names have been changed for confidentiality.

......

Oct. 3rd, 2014 Update:

The partner and father in this story is named Norlan Geronimo Prado.  He is currently being processed to be deported back to Honduras.  If you believe he should stay in the US with his family, please sign this petition or send this sample letter to ICE.

"On Sunday afternoon August 10th, 2014, Norlan Geronimo Prado, A#089-813-015, was driving home from the hospital where his partner had just given birth to their daughter, Genesis, when he was stopped for a supposed minor traffic violation. He was detained by Tucson Police Department when he was not able to produce a driver’s license, who turned him over to Border Patrol custody.  A loving new father, he was planning to spend every second he could with his beloved child, in the first days and weeks of Genesis’s life.  Instead, Norlan has spent the first month of his baby’s life detained.

Norlan is a long-time member of the Southside Worker Center, active member of the Protection Network Coalition, a loving friend, and caring partner. He is a vital part of the community and committed to the movement to stop deportations and to end police-ICE collaboration in Tucson.

Norlan’s stay of deportation was recently denied and the Nicaraguan embassy is currently preparing his travel documents, meaning he may be deported at any time, likely in the next two weeks.  Norlan qualifies for a U-visa based off a crime he suffered in the United States and has submitted an application signed by the Pima County Sheriff’s office.   ICE has released a policy memo against deporting U Visa applicants, so why is Norlan still being deported? His friends, coworkers, family, and his newborn baby need him back in Tucson."

Beautiful and Painful

The Talent Show

Many of you know that I love to dance.  So, when I learned that there was going to be a YAV talent show at orientation, I immediately wanted to perform a dance.  A few friends and I bonded together to create a casual dance with some African and contortionist moves.  

If you want to laugh a little, watch our dance here.

I’d like to tell you about the three men I worked with, as each one of them made me feel loved and taught me something new this week.

Vinnie, a tall lanky man with long dreadlocks and a bushy beard, stole the show.  Raised by a Pentecostal pastor and naturally outgoing, he has no qualms about expressing himself.  Although he is over six feet tall he can easily wrap both of his legs around this head, twisting into a tightly woven pretzel.  Vinnie is not only a contortionist, but is also a farmer, a traveller, and peacemaker.  Passionate about growing local food, he will be serving in New Orleans managing a community garden in an underserved neighborhood.  I pray for his safety.

Martin was raised in Cameroon and moved to the United States eight years ago as a refuge fleeing political and religious violence.  He has lived in Maryland, near DC, for the last few years.  While rehearsing, he showed us some Cameroonian dance moves, which he executed beautifully. 

Presbyterian churches look different all over the world.  As a general statement, church services in African are much more lively.  Martin said that offering is one of the best parts of a service, as people get up and dance their way up the aisle, showing offer their best moves to honor God and give thanks for the talents God has given them.  People dance, clap, drum, and yell out during service.  In contrast, offering at my church is a quiet introspective time when people pass around baskets for donations, while they sit and listen to music.

For several years now I have been yearning for a worship service that combines an intellectually challenging, progressive, figurative interpretation of theology and also encourages people to express themselves in a charismatic way.  Sometimes it seems like American Presbyterians are trying to forget they have bodies.  We tend to intellectualize and analyze our theology so much that we feel scared or ashamed to express our faith in any non-cerebral way. 

You have a body.  God made it.  Use it.  Shake it.

Martin will be working with refuges in Denver.  I wish him the best and know that his calm, compassionate nature will be much appreciated at his site.

Kyle.  If Jesus were a ginger, he’d look like Kyle.  His long, curly, red hair glides along his mid-back, covering his scruffy, torn-up blue poncho.  Kyle, who played percussion for our dance, is a quiet thinker.  When he speaks, he speaks with conviction, often igniting philosophical debates or spreading compassion.  His gently, unassuming presence was a comfort for me this week.  Thank you.

Kyle will be serving in Peru and will not be returning to the United States for a year.

These posts are a reflection of Grace Dover’s current thoughts on simple living, spirituality, and service.  They do not represent the Presbyterian Church (USA), Young Adult Volunteers, BorderLinks, or any other organization or individual other than Grace Dover.

YAV Orientation

When I first arrived at Young Adult Volunteer orientation, I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into.  Surrounded by “cradle Presbyterians” (Presbyterians since birth) who all seemed to have gone to Montreat conference center every year, wear Chacos (outdoorsy sandals), and be comfortable speaking openly about their faith, I felt out of place. 

I have always been private about my Christian faith, as I do not want to alienate others who may be of others faiths, not follow any religious traditions, or have negative impressions of Christianity.  Personally, I have avoided fully committing myself to a religious community because of the connotations and shameful history of ethnocentrism, prejudice, and violence.  Still, I have consistently come back to the church, asked questions about the Divine, and been surprised by my welcoming church community.  This summer, my beloved grandmother passed away.  As I sat by her side during her last days, the only things that woke her up from her pain and drug induced delirium were words of faith.  Although she was too dehydrated to speak, her eyes would enlarge when I read her favorite Bible verses out loud.  During her final months battling cancer, I believe she was not afraid because of her unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.

Although, my grandmother and I differ on many theological interpretations, I deeply admire her commitment to a spiritual practice, loving others, and doing good works.  Her faith inspired me to develop my personal connection with the Divine.

Sometimes when I admit to people, especially in San Francisco, that I am Christian or that I go to church or that I’ve chosen to work for a Christian organization for a year, I clench my teeth and think, “Please don’t hate me.  Please don’t judge me.  I don’t hate you. I don’t judge you.  It’s not think what you think it is.”  Maybe I am too sensitive to other people’s opinions.  Maybe I am imagining more judgment than is actually present. 

Even so, I was overjoyed when I actually got to know the other Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs).  Although we come from all over the country and world, we seem to share a desire to create change, advocate for the voiceless, and partner with marginalized communities.  YAVs come from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences.  Some have just graduated college, like me.  Some have just graduated high school and some are working on their masters.  This makes for a beautiful collage of perspectives.

The tenants that bring us together are a desire to:

    1.  Be keenly aware of our privilege, power, and backgrounds so that we may be more self-aware, respectful, and responsible at our work sites.

          2. Work with the people we meet, acknowledging that the locals are experts on what needs to be done in their community, whether or not they have had any formal education or are perceived to have societal status.

          3. Live simply and in solidarity with the individuals we serve.

          4.  Explore the live Jesus has called us to live, especially pertaining to social justice issues.

We had our orientation at Stony Point, a Presbyterian conference center which is also home to an interfaith community.

My favorite sunflowers!

View from one of Stony Point's gardens

Evening candlelit worship

These posts are a reflection of Grace Dover’s current thoughts on simple living, spirituality, and service.  They do not represent the Presbyterian Church (USA), Young Adult Volunteers, BorderLinks, or any other organization or individual other than Grace Dover.