On Tuesday, we served lunch at St. Anthony's Foundation and Dinner at Glide. Both organizations provide many services in the Tenderloin, including food resources and access to drug recovery. The experiences we took from both places made lasting memories for us all.
At St. Anthony's, we were encouraged to take our lunch break with the diners and engage in conversation with the guests. We were informed that the conversations that we made with the guests might be the only human contact they get all day. As uncomfortable as this may have been, we all did it with willingness and vulnerability.
I sat with Reggie. He seemed to be in his mid thirties, hispanic, and soft spoken. I asked if I could sit across from him, and as he looked up from his hot meal, he kindly replied, "Yes, of course you may." Our conversation started out slow, partially due to my awkward nervousness and lack of experience striking conversation with unfamiliar men in San Francisco. But this was the point.
As soon as I asked Reggie simply how his day was going, he became instantly comfortable with me and I with him. Reggie had just moved from Louisiana to live with his sister. He is a chef at a local African Restaurant and was grabbing a quick lunch on his way to work. After an hour had gone by, Reggie had shared with me about his family, faith, and his experiences with the new city. My lunch with Reggie was the highlight of my day and a true reminder of why I am spending my Spring break here in San Francisco.
Makaya Pratt
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Palm Sunday
Sunday - 03/24/13
After sleeping in and recuperating from a 12+ hour long drive to San Francisco, we headed out of our hostel to walk to our first community partner - Grace Cathedral. Walking around San Fran is so much more than just walking, it's what I like to call "urban hiking". We hiked from the Tenderloin to the top of Nob Hill where the Cathedral is located. Grace Cathedral is a beautiful European-styled cathedral that is not super old (60-100 years). Although Episcopalian, the Cathedral is incredibly open to interdenominational peoples and even has an AIDs Interfaith Chapel. After meeting with Rev. Andy Lobban, we found out that the service project originally planned had fallen through but our team met this with tons of flexibility and positivity. Some participants stayed and observed the Palm Sunday service while others took the time before lunch to explore around the Nob Hill neighborhood.
We then travelled down to the UN Plaza to take part in another Palm Sunday service, however this one was on the streets and not in a Cathedral. Meeting with the San Francisco Night Ministry gave us our first exposure to the reality that people who are in poverty or are homeless deal with. The service was much less formal and I would argue a little more real to an individual's aspect. We heard a sermon on betrayal and hurt, about how we all could identify with both. For me, the thing that stood out the most was when we joined hands in prayer. As we did that, we stood in solidarity with one another with our paper sack hats, harmonics, ragged clothing, flip-flops, blankets, and all. We broke down the societal categories of homeless, prostitute, college student, reverend, beggar, and became human. After the service, Rev. Nancy came up to us with so much excitement, "Can you pass out palms to everyone out in the plaza?" Some of us were taken aback, but we all seized the opportunity. With hands full of palm leaves, we walked into the plaza and asked anyone and everyone if they would like a palm. It was amazing to see responses. One instance that stood out for me was a woman sitting by one of the fountains. She seemed transfixed on something when I first asked her if she would like a palm. The second time, something broke, and she looked up smiling. This reaction happened to many people. Giving a palm to someone, may have been the first time that week they were recognized as a human being. It may have been the first gift, brand new and fresh, they had been given in a very long time. We got to pass out little palms of love to everyone in the UN plaza, whether they were homeless or not. Something was quite unifying in the experience looking out and around in the plaza. Rich, poor, vendor, beggar, everyone had a palm and everyone was smiling a little more because of it.
After sleeping in and recuperating from a 12+ hour long drive to San Francisco, we headed out of our hostel to walk to our first community partner - Grace Cathedral. Walking around San Fran is so much more than just walking, it's what I like to call "urban hiking". We hiked from the Tenderloin to the top of Nob Hill where the Cathedral is located. Grace Cathedral is a beautiful European-styled cathedral that is not super old (60-100 years). Although Episcopalian, the Cathedral is incredibly open to interdenominational peoples and even has an AIDs Interfaith Chapel. After meeting with Rev. Andy Lobban, we found out that the service project originally planned had fallen through but our team met this with tons of flexibility and positivity. Some participants stayed and observed the Palm Sunday service while others took the time before lunch to explore around the Nob Hill neighborhood.
We then travelled down to the UN Plaza to take part in another Palm Sunday service, however this one was on the streets and not in a Cathedral. Meeting with the San Francisco Night Ministry gave us our first exposure to the reality that people who are in poverty or are homeless deal with. The service was much less formal and I would argue a little more real to an individual's aspect. We heard a sermon on betrayal and hurt, about how we all could identify with both. For me, the thing that stood out the most was when we joined hands in prayer. As we did that, we stood in solidarity with one another with our paper sack hats, harmonics, ragged clothing, flip-flops, blankets, and all. We broke down the societal categories of homeless, prostitute, college student, reverend, beggar, and became human. After the service, Rev. Nancy came up to us with so much excitement, "Can you pass out palms to everyone out in the plaza?" Some of us were taken aback, but we all seized the opportunity. With hands full of palm leaves, we walked into the plaza and asked anyone and everyone if they would like a palm. It was amazing to see responses. One instance that stood out for me was a woman sitting by one of the fountains. She seemed transfixed on something when I first asked her if she would like a palm. The second time, something broke, and she looked up smiling. This reaction happened to many people. Giving a palm to someone, may have been the first time that week they were recognized as a human being. It may have been the first gift, brand new and fresh, they had been given in a very long time. We got to pass out little palms of love to everyone in the UN plaza, whether they were homeless or not. Something was quite unifying in the experience looking out and around in the plaza. Rich, poor, vendor, beggar, everyone had a palm and everyone was smiling a little more because of it.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Tender Love in the Tenderloin
We left the UO campus at 7am toward San Francisco. In two enormous vans, the nine of us, all sleep deprived shared our excitement, stories of our past week, and a collective impatience for the always delicious In-N-Out Burger. We were California bound.
Once arrived in Redding, we took the much needed break and treated ourself to the famous fast food destination's animal styles and neopolitan milkshakes. Once we were back on the road, we quickly arrived, or rather merged into the indescribable Saturday night, five o'clock rush hour San Francisco traffic. With our "Sorry we're not sorry" mentality, along with the confidence that came from being 10 times bigger than all the other cars, we successfully arrived downtown and on our way to our hostel.
After navigating a few streets within the city, we were in the Tenderloin; we were exposed to the realities of the district for the first time, something that you can only see with your own eyes, in person, to fully understand and feel. The helpless blank stares, the mother trying her best to comfort her cold baby in her arms, and the sidewalks turned into a bed for the night (or for as long as possible) were enough to make anyone uncomfortable, even guilty. This is why we are here: to do whatever we can to bring light to these people's day. We are showing tender love in the Tenderloin.
We soon arrived at the hostel and were very surprised by how wonderful and inviting it was. I personally excited to see, that there are places like this that support and promote inexpensive travel and wanderlust!
There are a majority of people here from other countries studying english at a local language school. During our stay, we hope to have the opportunity to interact with them during meals and activities provided by the hostel.
After some exploring, meeting fellow guests, making pizza in the communal kitchen, we got ready for bed in anticipation for the morning at Grace Cathedral.
Once arrived in Redding, we took the much needed break and treated ourself to the famous fast food destination's animal styles and neopolitan milkshakes. Once we were back on the road, we quickly arrived, or rather merged into the indescribable Saturday night, five o'clock rush hour San Francisco traffic. With our "Sorry we're not sorry" mentality, along with the confidence that came from being 10 times bigger than all the other cars, we successfully arrived downtown and on our way to our hostel.
After navigating a few streets within the city, we were in the Tenderloin; we were exposed to the realities of the district for the first time, something that you can only see with your own eyes, in person, to fully understand and feel. The helpless blank stares, the mother trying her best to comfort her cold baby in her arms, and the sidewalks turned into a bed for the night (or for as long as possible) were enough to make anyone uncomfortable, even guilty. This is why we are here: to do whatever we can to bring light to these people's day. We are showing tender love in the Tenderloin.
We soon arrived at the hostel and were very surprised by how wonderful and inviting it was. I personally excited to see, that there are places like this that support and promote inexpensive travel and wanderlust!
There are a majority of people here from other countries studying english at a local language school. During our stay, we hope to have the opportunity to interact with them during meals and activities provided by the hostel.
After some exploring, meeting fellow guests, making pizza in the communal kitchen, we got ready for bed in anticipation for the morning at Grace Cathedral.
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