Our Final Day in NYC

Ah, Friday morning in Manhattan. What a lovely way to begin my last day in New York City. This afternoon, we’ll be heading off to Ohio where we’ll spend our last night on the road. We have about an 8 hour car ride ahead of us, so this morning, most people woke up bright and early and headed to Time Square to stand outside for Good Morning America and The Today Show. A few people stayed behind to sleep, but we’re all out and about now.

As I write from this Soho coffee shop in Lower Manhattan, I’m reminded of the lessons we’ve learned this week and the experiences we can learn from. All in all, New York isn’t so different from Cedar Rapids. I mean, sure, it’s a lot larger, generally speaking has more to offer, and is more diverse, but in the end, I see a city that offers learning experiences. And while for most of us we see opportunities around every corner because everything is so new to us, to a New Yorker, life might seem mundane as we see life in Cedar Rapids.

I think it’s important for us to take the lessons we’ve learned here and apply them to life in Cedar Rapids. Most of us enjoyed volunteering at the Help One, a daycare in Brooklyn. A lot of us loved working at food banks, knowing that we were feeding people who really need to be fed. Some prefer working at food pantries and soup kitchens. We often overlook the opportunities we have in Cedar Rapids. Yes, we have time now and are dedicating our week to serving in another part of the country, but when we go home, those opportunities are still available.

Food banks, food pantries, working with children, and soup kitchens (among countless other volunteer experiences) are available right in Cedar Rapids, and many of those organizations desperately need volunteers. So remember, readers, that just because we’ve had this incredible experience in New York City does not mean that we can’t have equally meaningful experiences at home in Cedar Rapids, or anywhere else for that matter.

Our Final Day of Service in NYC!

Thursday’s Update:

Tomorrow is behind us, and we’re pressing on! Like all of our days in NYC, today has been interesting and full of adventures. Here’s a bit about our service sites today:

One group went to Trinity Lutheran Church in East Village in Manhattan, which operates as a food pantry and soup kitchen. The neighborhood used to be considered more of a poor area, but it has slowly become more of a “hipster”/”bohemian” area. The group served 220 people in a space for about 45. At this pantry, clients could have what they wanted and however much they wanted. Of the places that group has been, this group of people they served was the most diverse. There were very few black and white people. They were almost all Asian and Hispanic. The soup kitchen closed at noon so that they could set up wire shelves full of food for the food pantry. At 12:30, they were open for business. The group helped families choose food. They could “purchase” food with points, which is dependent on the number of people in the family. Challengingly, none of the clients spoke English. Overall, it was a fast-paced environment, and the people running the shelter were, as one person said, “the most tired of all the places we’ve served.”

Another group headed to Help One, a daycare/school in Brooklyn. Three people were in the 2 year old room, and two were in the 4 year old room. (The 3 year olds were not in the building Thursday.) This group loved this site. The children were a lot of fun, and they were able to forget about the previous day’s experience as they immersed themselves in service with children who could light up a room.

The other Coe group went to a synagogue in Manhattan where they served in a food pantry. It wasn’t much different from the other pantries or soup kitchens they served at earlier this week.

Overall, it was another great day of service in New York. Tomorrow is our last day in New York and we’ll head off to Ohio!

A Challenging Day in NYC

Wednesday’s Update:

Today has been such a learning experience for so many of us. One Coe group was at Baby Buggy, a place for toys, essentials, and accessories for families that need things for their babies. Another group went to a soup kitchen, and the other group worked with kids and packed bags of food.

I’m going to talk about my experience specifically, as Katie did yesterday, because today’s service really made a difference in how I see service and people.

The soup kitchen we worked in today tested my patience more than I’ve been tested in a long time, and I found myself struggling to care about these people, struggling to remember why what I was doing mattered. As I served today, I was faced with some of the rudest, most disrespectful, and ungrateful people I’ve met in my life, and as someone performing a volunteer service for them, it was certainly a challenge to appreciate why I was there.

Our first task of the day was to stack small pallets of canned food along the walls of the soup kitchen, which is located in East Harlem. There were quite a few cans, and it took us about 20 minutes. For that 20 minutes, 3-4 men were standing outside the door talking amongst each other--about us. They made comments like, “They’ve never had to work a day in their lives. They don’t know what hard work is. Their parents do everything for them.”

We felt degraded, like we were the ones in need. From the moment we began working, we were immediately turned off by the entire situation. Serving such rude people who immediately judged us based on our position at the soup kitchen was challenging. To top it off, as we served, many of the clients complained about how much we gave them. “That’s too much!” or “Come on! What’s wrong with you? A bird would eat that! Give me more!” or “What’s that? Gross! Serve better food!”

I have never experienced such a challenging service opportunity at a soup kitchen before, but it was certainly a learning experience. A few moments required us to get a little snippy--”No. You’ll take what’s here or you won’t eat here.” kind of comments. They usually complied, though one man started crying and a few others tried to argue with us. In the end, they always accepted what we had to offer.

Though it was challenging, it was also one of my favorite experiences because I learned so much. I was given the opportunity to consider so many perspectives I never had before. I thought about privilege and choice and second chances and over-/underestimating others. We all think about stereotypes, even when we see someone for the first time--how they look, what race they are, how they are dressed. All these factors play into first impressions, and we all do it to some extent, but we don’t always consider it from someone else’s eyes--how others see us.

Similarly, we don’t always put ourselves in our friends’ shoes either. As we reflected on our service and experience in New York City, our advisor asked who felt like a minority in New York, and a few people raised their hands--all of them white. As a white person, it is interesting being in New York where racial diversity (especially) is plentiful. In Iowa and at Coe, diversity is certainly not nearly as prevalent.

When we discussed the difference, I mentioned that I had been near Central Park on 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue, and I was almost relieved to finally be around white people. Most of the neighborhoods we’ve been in contain many people who are not white. When I said this, a Hispanic student in our group said that now I knew how they felt, and I am grateful to have this incredibly small glimpse into what life might be like for minorities at places like Coe. It’s not so much that I felt that I was ever in danger or that people were afraid of me or anything, but I definitely knew I stuck out. I know that when I get on the train in Sunset Park (where we’re staying), the chances of running into another white person are very slim.

Overall, today certainly made me think a lot about diversity and first impressions. I considered that others, no matter their situations, have a basic human right to feel safe and respected. It seems that for some people (like those at the soup kitchen in Harlem), it’s important to them to almost force people to be respectful. I think it might give them a perceived notion that because someone doesn’t try to argue with them or tell them what to do, they are respected. Respect is important because without it, many of the people we have served this week would have almost nothing else.

Guest Blogger Katie Shares Her Thoughts

Happy Tuesday readers!

Gogert (Katie Gogerty) here for a (late) Tuesday update!

First of all, I want to thank you all for reading about our little adventures in New York. Secondly, I would like to thank Megan for a) staying up late to perfect each blog post and b) letting me write a little “guest blog” for today.

Today, every group went to indirect service sites. Group A went to a clothing bank where they folded a copious number of “cow-patterned dresses”. Group B went to Yorkville Community Pantry where they stocked potato and vegetable bags, and group C went to the Food Bank of New York to sort and repackage food. This post is specifically about the site I served at, the Food Bank of New York. 

The Food Bank of New York is not only about food; they also provide educational opportunities to teach people about money management, budgeting, etc. What I saw and what we were able to be a part of was a delicious but small taste of what this organization has to offer for volunteers and clients. In our few hours of sorting through palates of assorted donated food items, we packed 2.5 tons of food. Kenny (the site director) told us that the average person eats approximately 1.5 pounds of food at dinner, so we essentially packed enough food to feed a meal to 33,000 families. 

To me, the best thing was not the number results of our few hours of frantic packing, but the idea that the Food Bank is running because people out there believe that it is important to help each other. It made me realize that we are not in New York to work just to do the work itself, but we are here to learn more about the world in which we live, to learn about specific problems facing homeless and hungry people to eventually find a solution.

Through working at food pantries and soup kitchens in different cities, I’ve learned that service can be uncomfortable, but our discomfort is key to helping us understand not only the larger issues of homelessness and hunger, but about others’ specific situations. We need to be uncomfortable with the injustice in hunger and in homelessness so that we can see why service matters and how we can make a long-term difference.

Our service didn’t stop at our work sites today because we headed back to YSOP to begin preparing for a dinner party with 10 guests from a nearby homeless shelter. Everyone was very involved in the preparation: some made mashed potatoes, salad, vegetarian stir fry, baked chicken, garlic bread, and ice cream and brownies.

The ladies from the shelter were quick-witted and very personable. They were all very easy to talk to, and some of them seemed like very close friends. Most of them met each other in the shelters and have gotten to the point of caring for each other and trusting each other in a deep capacity.

Before the guests arrived, we were told not to ask the ladies why they are homeless, but it came up anyway (not because any of us asked, but because that is how they know each other and that is a lot of what they have to talk about). They talked about certain shelters closing and new ones working on opening.

The leaders from YSOP asked for a few people to escort the ladies back to the shelter, and I was one of the Coe escorts, and I had a great conversation with one woman. The walk felt very quick, and it made me realize what I have been reminding myself everyday: New York is much farther away than other places I’ve been to, and I may never see her again. So why is service in New York City so important? Why does it matter that I came here as opposed to staying in Cedar Rapids? Why should I put myself in that situation--to get to know someone and face the awful fact that I will never see her again?

I believe feeling this is not only okay, but is necessary. It forces me to remember that she is a person regardless of any stereotype set against her, just as the people from Coe are people. If distance won’t stop a friendship between college students, how should it stop a friendship between this woman and myself? Fear of any kind should never stop us from doing the “little things we do.”

Monday's Update!

Monday Update:

(Sorry it’s late, we have limited internet access.)

As always, today was an exciting day in the life of a Coe student staying in New York!

We began our day far too early as we left the church at 7:15 to be in lower Manhattan at YSOP, the organization we’re working with, by 8am. First we had a quick breakfast, a short history of YSOP, statistics about homelessness and hunger in NYC, and safety tips on the subway and at our service sites.

One group at a soup kitchen in the Bronx, Part of the Solution (POTS).

YSOP is an organization that focusses on homelessness and hunger outreach. They work to find groups sites to serve through while they stay in NYC. They explained the difference between homeless and hungry people, saying that homeless people are those without proper housing. In New York City, there are about 40,000 people who are homeless. Of that number, 16,000 are under age 18. This statistic only includes people who have stayed in city-run shelters, not anyone who stays on the streets or in private or religiously-affiliated shelters.

Hungry people are those who do not have access to adequate amounts of food sometimes or always. All homeless people are automatically considered hungry because if they don’t have housing, they probably don’t have food. Housing is considered the first thing anyone would choose in such their situation.

As a group, we discussed why people might be homeless or hungry, and responses ranged from disabilities prevent people from accurate housing to natural disasters to unemployed or underemployed to things like family issues and domestic violence. It was a helpful beginning to our service experience to know a little about the population and statistics of those we were serving.

Soon we were off to our respective NYC organizations. All of our groups were sent to a different soup kitchen or food pantry: 2 in the Bronx and 1 in Brooklyn. During reflection we talked about the food we served, the people we worked with, and a little about how we felt at each service site. We talked about choice and community and compared the soup kitchens we worked with to some that we’ve worked with in different cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and Cedar Rapids.

A common theme we found among the places we worked is that people at these shelters get a lot of choice and personalized discussions. At many soup kitchens, for example, you get what they serve you--no personalized menus, but here people get what they ask for if they make a special request. The people served at each soup kitchen seem to know each other and have personal connections with the staff who know almost everyone’s stories. It’s really interesting to compare that situation with those we’ve encountered in the past where people come in, each a little food that we would never eat, and leave without so much as a thank you.

Overall, there is general consensus among our group that homelessness and hunger are much more prevalent in NYC, which might be why it seems to be so much more accepted or perhaps less of a negative stereotype. The people we’ve talked to don’t seem to feel ashamed necessarily, but rather grateful that there are people in the world willing to help them fix a temporary issue such as hunger so that they can focus their attention on something more important than a basic human need and help themselves ultimately get out of a tough situation. In other places, people don’t seem as open to accepting their situations.

We ended our day at Times Square seeing many shops and so many lights. It was a bit cold, but we pressed on and made it back to the church safely to wake up bright and early for another day of service.

A Reverent, Humbling Day

We’ve survived our first day out in the city!

Our morning began with a delicious breakfast as church leaders began setting up for church. One person we met this morning, Robert, explained that he has lived in Brooklyn his entire life, and he loves it here. Neighborhood residents joke that he’s like the mayor because he’s such a friendly guy who knows everyone. After talking about his life in Brooklyn, we asked if he would ever visit a farm. He commented that he has been to a farm in South Carolina with a friend; “it was nice and peaceful to visit, but I could never live there,” a common comment similar to one many of our students have made about New York.

As we finished our breakfast, we headed out to the train station conveniently located just a few feet from the church. We bought metro passes and headed to Manhattan. For many students, riding the subway was a first. Although some students were nervous, we made it to Manhattan where we walked around Wall Street, saw the bull and famous Tiffany’s, and ate lunch. Per Robert’s recommendation, we went inside Trinity Cathedral, a beautiful church in lower Manhattan. Soon thereafter was what many students call an emotional journey through Ground Zero.

The Wall Street sign.

The famous bull representing the tough stock market exchange.

Jessica having breakfast at Tiffany's.

Trinity church.

As we entered the site, we were in awe of what we saw. Where the north and south towers stood now house massive, seemingly never-ending waterfall fountains of sorts. Each fountain is probably at least an acre large, if not larger. Surrounding each fountain is a ledge in which the people who died have names engraved. To many, it is a truly touching and emotional experience. Some people hugged each other, some left roses for those who have fallen, and others stood in silence. In the middle of busy, bustling Manhattan, we found serenity and solitude at Ground Zero.

Part of the ledge of the south tower with engraved names of those who died.

The only surviving tree from the 9/11 attacks that was nursed to health for 9 years and introduced to the memorial a year ago.

When leaving the site, our group discussed the feelings the site brings up. We discussed where we were on September 11, 2001. Most of us were in elementary school and watched the attacks on the news all morning in patient silence while no one explained what was happening. We were so young that these planes crashing into buildings meant almost nothing to us. “What are the Twin Towers? What are terrorists? Why does this matter?” We had no clue, but we knew it meant something, and we knew it meant something bad so we sat--unable to speak, and still unable after more than 10 years to speak as we stood in reverence to such a monumental event in American history.

We discussed what the fountains represent. In the middle of each fountain is a large hole into which you cannot see from the edge. We discussed that this might represent the never-ending pain many feel because of the attacks, an accurate representation of so many things unknown during and after September 11, 2011. The emotional morning gave us a sense of unity, a sense of understanding that Ground Zero is a testament to our nation’s history, an accurate representation that we are Americans and despite everything that happens around us, we are still united. We have a common history that cannot be shaken. Some students felt incredibly appreciative for what they have after such a historic experience.

One of the fountains at Ground Zero.

We then headed off to the Smithsonian where, oddly enough, we ran into some Coe students. We learned much about American Indian history and their struggles through time. Quotes and pictures on the wall depicted different ideas of life in pueblos. From an outsider's perspective, the American Indians were generous and interesting entertainers, but to the American Indians, they were just themselves. They had customs and traditions; they believed in kindness. However, as settlers came, they stripped away those important traditions one by one. Dance became entertainment, not celebration, for example. One quote on the wall said that children were no longer allowed to speak Indian in school. Settlers even took away their language.

To finish up the day, we headed to Staten Island. Most of us experienced our first ferry ride, which was considerably colder than expected. We were excited to finally arrive at the island after seeing the Statue of Liberty up close, and we dispersed in small groups to eat dinner. Although many restaurants were closed, we made some interesting discoveries. Some ate Chinese food and others found a Mexican restaurant.

Part of the group waiting for the ferry.

The ferry dock in Staten Island.

A view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry.

Overall today was an exciting, information-packed adventure, and we’re excited to begin our service experience tomorrow. As always, stay tuned!

Peace.

Saturday Night Update (Posted on Sunday)

Hello again, Readers! This time from NYC! 

We’re excited, anxious, nervous, and (honestly) overwhelmed to be here! It’s almost surreal to finally feel the city and settle into this small church in a bustling, Hispanic neighborhood in Brooklyn. As we approached the city, mouths were agape as we took in the incredibly beautiful skyline. Buildings stood tall and lights shone brightly as we pulled into the city, ready to take on whatever came our way (especially traffic). Our courageous leaders navigated through the city, and we finally arrived at Sunset Park Community Church.

The sights, sounds, smells, and overall culture of the city are extremely different from what we know, but we’re adapting quickly. We’re learning the streets around the church, a million and one safety tips, and traffic laws in the city. (Did you know that honking your horn in traffic can result in a $350 fine?! Certainly not as depicted in the movies!)

Our biggest challenge so far was finding parking, but we quickly found a relatively simple solution for that at another church close by thanks to our New York City expert, Rick. We’ve eaten the most delicious food (Mexican-Chinese, New York style pizza, and Burger King) and seen some interesting stores and shops. We’ve encountered (from a distance mostly) the famous Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, and experienced the wonderful world of expensive tolls.

Katie G and Katie G devour a super delicious milkshake!

Kayla and Wendy enjoy pizza!

I know it seems like our trip is basically complete, but, indeed, it has hardly begun. When asked what they are most excited about, students said things like seeing more of the city, serving a new population, and riding on the subway for the first time. Tomorrow we’ll certainly be doing some of that as we head out by train to see some typical New York City sights, like Ground Zero and Staten Island.

Stay tuned for our exciting adventures!