Livet på vestkysten / Life on the West Coast

(for english, scroll down)
Der er nu gået knap 3 uger siden jeg ankom til SF og 2 uger siden jeg startede i praktikken, og jeg er så småt begyndt at vænne mig til tanken om, at jeg ikke blot er på besøg her og snart skal videre eller hjem igen. Den største nyhed fra DK på danske nyhedssider siden jeg rejste er, at DK er begyndt at spise hestekød - så bl.a. derfor begynder jeg at overveje at blive boende her permanent. haha.. sammen med det faktum at jeg lå topløs i Golden Gate Park i går.
Jeg har brugt en masse tid sammen med de andre i huset jeg bor i, og har fået nye venner her. Jeg har også mødtes nogle gange med Kelley som jeg mødte her i SF i 2009. Vi mødtes bl.a. i sidste weekend og cyklede gennem GG Park og var på stranden, super lækkert. I onsdags var vi nogle stykker fra huset ude og drikke en farvel-øl da en af fyrene skulle rejse tilbage til Paris. Vi var først på karaoke bar, og bagefter på bøssebar i Castro (bøssekvarteret - SF er homoby nummer 1). Mens jeg stod og betragtede nogle 'eksotiske' dansere med olieindsmurte numser blev jeg omfavnet bagfra af et par stærke mandearme, blev bidt i skulderen og fik hvisket nogle romantiske ord i øret. Fyren ville have mig med ud og danse, men for at spare ham besværet besluttede jeg at lyve og sige, at jeg var i forhold, men dette var ikke nok, da han så svarede 'han er her åbenbart ikke, for jeg har kigget efter dig et stykke tid' , og jeg måtte så være ærlig og sige, at jeg 'spiller bold på den anden side af banen'. Dette lykkedes heller ikke helt, så måtte finde de andre house mates der havde travlt på dansegulvet.
I dag var vi 9 mennesker fra huset som tog på tur til Bolinas som ligger en time nord for SF. Vi ankom til et sted hvor vi så vandrede 4 miles gennem rigtig dejlig skov til et vandfald som lander direkte på stranden. Det var rigtig smukt, og vi havde picnic og nød det gode vejr og udsigt.
I praktikken går det stadig rigtig godt, og jeg er begyndt at overveje hvilke læringsmål jeg vil have, og få et overblik over stedet. I onsdags var der årlig personalefest som var midt i arbejdstiden, og som varede 1½ time - ikke helt som man ville have fejret i DK, men fair nok. Der var mad, taler, introduktion af nye medarbejdere/praktikanter og underholdning. Omkring 50 medarbejdere fra forskellige afdelinger, så jeg fik et indtryk af hvor mange der i virkeligheden arbejder der. Cecil Williams holdt en lille tale - manden som grundlagde den måde som Glide fungerer på i praksis, og hvis bog jeg er igang med at læse. Senere så jeg hans kontor, hvor der hang billeder af ham sammen med nuværende og tidligere præsidenter, og andre vigtige folk, så man kunne se, at han også er en vigtig mand. Han er i hvert fald inspirerende.
I onsdags var jeg også med til Recovery Circle program som (jeg fandt ud af undervejs) er et program der svarer til Anonyme Alkoholikere / Stofmisbrugere. Jeg var blevet sat på programmet uden at blive informeret om hvad det handlede om, så jeg følte mig totalt uforberedt - bortset fra det var det rigtig fint, og interessant at se hvordan de arbejder med misbrugsafvænning.
Jeg deltager fortsat i Men in Progress i to forskellige klasser hver tirsdag og torsdag aften, og fra næste uge bliver jeg oprettet i computersystemet, så jeg også kan yde hjælp til brugerne indenfor nogle områder i Walk in Centret, og endelig få lidt mere kontakt/relation med brugerne der. Jeg begynder at beskæftige mig med hvordan Cecil Williams' værdier fra hans bog bliver udført i praksis, og mit mål er at deltage i speakouts om onsdagen som er frivilligt, og i celebration ceremonier i kirken om søndagen - det skulle være ret specielt. De næste dage skal jeg vist bare slappe af medmindre der sker noget jeg ikke må gå glip af.
Se billeder nedenfor.

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It has been almost 3 weeks since I arrived to SF and 2 weeks since i started in the internship, and I'm am slowly getting used to the fact that I'm not just visiting and moving on to another place or going home soon. The biggest news event from danish news sites since I moved here is that Denmark started eating horse meat (they discovered a huge amount in frozen supermarket lasagne) - along with other reason this makes me considering living here permanently, haha. along with the fact that I was lying topless in Golden Gate Park yesterday.
I've been spending a lot of time with my housemates and made new friends that way. I've also met up with Kelley a couple of times who I met here in SF in 2009. We met up last weekend and went on a bike ride through GG park and to the beach, so nice. On Wednesday I went out with a couple of the house mates as one of the guys was moving back to Paris. First we went to a karaoke bar and then on to a gay bar in Castro. While I was watching exotic dancers with oily butts I was hugged from behind by some stong male arms, got bitten in my shoulder and got whispered some romantic words in my ear. The guy wanted to dance with me but to spare him the struggle I decided to lie by saying that I was in a relationship - this was not enough as he then answered 'but your boyfriend is obviously not here cause I've been watching you for a while' so I had to be honest with him by saying that 'I play ball on the other side of the field'. This didn't quite work as well so I went back to my housemates who were all busy on the dance floor.

Today nine of me and the housemates went on a trip to Bolinas which is a one hour drive north of SF. We arrived to a place where we went on a 4 miles hike through a wonderful forest until we ended by a waterfall that landed directly on the beach. It was really pretty and we had picnic and enjoyed the magnificent weather and view.
In the internship it is still going very good and I've started considering my learning goals and getting an overview of the place. On Wednesday there was an annual staff party which was in the middle of the work hours and lasted for 1½ hours - not quite like they would've done it in Denmark, but fair enough. There was food, speaches, introduction to new staff/interns, and intertainment. Cecil Williams had a speech - the guy who defined the theories that Glide practices now and whose book I'm reading at the moment. Later on I saw his office that had pictures of him together with present and former presidents and other important people, so you can see that he's also an important man. He is definitely inspiring.
On Wednesday I also joined the Recovery Circle program which (I later found out) is a program similar to Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous. I was scheduled to join the program without notice and not knowing what it was about so I felt badly prepared - despite that it was really good and interesting to see how they practise addiction treatment.

I still participate in Men in Progress in two different classes every Tuesday and Thursday nights, and from next week I will be set up in the computer system so that I can also process clients in some fields in the Walk in Center and finally get a little more contact with the clients there. I begin focusing on how Cecil Williams' values are held in practise and my goal is also to join their speakouts on Wednesdays which is voluntary and the celebration ceremonies in the church on Sundays - this should be quite unique. The next few days I'll just chill unless something happens that I can't miss.
See pictures below.

Disse billeder er fra den stejleste gade på den vestlige halvkugle - Filbert Street, 31 % stigning

These pictures are from the steepest street on the western hemisphere - Filbert Street, 31% increase

Disse billeder er fra vores vandretur i Bolinas

These pictures are from our hike in Bolinas

Sammen med mine fantastiske samboer

With my awesome house mates

Praktikstart / Beginning of Internship

(for english, scroll down)
Jeg har nu været på Glide praktikstedet tre dage - fredag, tirsdag og onsdag. Jeg har fri hver mandag og arbejder ellers 9.30-17.30 ons og fre, og 12-20 tirs og tors (ind til videre). Da jeg mødte ind fredag blev jeg budt velkommen af min supervisor som også er manager af Walk-In Centret. Vi snakkede om lidt praktiske ting på hans kontor, hvordan den første tid kommer til at forløbe, arbejdstider, og fik udleveret en bog "No Hiding Place" af Cecil Williams (som grundlagde den måde Glide fungerer på i dag) samt lidt andet læsestof om Glide. Derefter blev jeg introduceret for kommende kolleger i WiC (walk-in center) og en anden praktikant som startede et par uger tidligere. Hun og jeg fik så en rundtur på hele Glide og de andre bygninger som er en del af Glide. Jeg blev overrasket over hvor stort det er og hvor mange programmer de har - kvindecenter, familiecenter, mænd på voldsafvænning, sygeplejeklinik, børnehave, speakout, gratis måltider og andet - foruden kirken som vi ikke kunne se da den ikke var åben.
Planen er så at jeg starter i WiC hvor jeg følger kolleger ind til jeg selv kan fungere som "case manager" - WiC tager sig hovedsageligt af herberg reservationer, udlevering af fx. hygiejnekit, tøj og tæpper, hjælp til opskrivning i boligforeninger/job, hjælp til ansøgning af støtte fra fonde hvis man er bagud med husleje. Derudover følger jeg et program tirs og tors aften der hedder MiP (Men in Progress) som er voldsafvænning. Programmet er for mænd der er blevet anholdt for "domestic violence" og så skal deltage i det. MiP er meget teoretisk, og man følger et bestemt program som er tilrettelagt af en af arrangørerne. Mændene sidder i en rundkreds opdelt efter hvor mange uger de har deltaget i MiP , så de "ældre" medlemmer underviser de "nye" medlemmer, og folks voldsepisoder gennemgås meget detaljeret mens der bliver skrevet på en tavle hvilke psykologiske processer der har fundet sted undervejs. Grundbegreberne er hitman- victim roller, og male role belief system (fx. at en kvinde ikke siger en mand imod) - de fleste af mændende er dømt for vold mod kvinder, og mange mod deres kone/kæreste. Nogle af dem har børn som er blevet fjernet af CPS (child protective services) pga vold, og mændene deltager så i programmet for at kunne se/få deres børn igen. En del af formålet med MiP er at mændende skal afvænnes i at have dette syn på sig selv som mand - unlearn and relearn what it is to be a man. Alle er meget lyttende, og man bliver trænet i at udtrykke hvilke følelser der er på spil i hvilke situationer. Programmet er det eneste i byen som er gratis og som ikke varetages i fængsler eller af retssystemet. Med MiP blev jeg klar over at Glide ikke kun er støtte til fattige og hjemløse, men også har andre samfundshjælpende programmer.
Det var lidt om praktikken - det er meget spændende og en smule forvirrende, men jeg lærer meget, så jeg er træt hver dag når jeg kommer hjem. Glide ligger et interessant sted, i Tenderloin district som er ret fattigt og usselt, men som ligger meget tæt på rige hoteller og fancy turist steder, så hver gang jeg går på arbejde skal jeg forbi folk i dyre jakkesæt som kører i limousine.
Jeg har dog fået tid til at tage lidt ud i denne fantastiske by og hygget med de nye house mates som er rigtig rare mennesker. Onsdag Noir City film festival i Castro Theatre, hvor de viser gamle 50'er krimi film i en gammel biograf med fin udsmykning, og hvor en mand spiller på orgel foran lærredet i stedet for reklamer i starten, og som sænkes når filmen starter. Folk klapper og hujer under filmen, klæder sig ud i 50'er tøj, og ankommer i store fine 50'er biler. Efter filmen viste de klip hvor filmene var optaget i SF og hvordan det så ud dengang og nu, det var ret interessant.
Søndag Superbowl gadefest på 24th & Harrison (mission district som er lidt hipster/mexicaner præget) (hvor 49ers desværre tabte), hvor folk havde stillet fjernsyn op på gaden og sad og grillede og festede, og pludselig kom der en masse low rider gangsta biler forbi (dem som hopper med hjulene). haha.. feeedt - men knap så fedt da jeg senere skulle hjem fordi politiet havde spærret en masse gader så busserne ikke kunne køre (de forventede at 49ers ville vinde, så folk ville feste over det hele).
Billederne nedenfor er fra Superbowl gadefesten, og jeg vil godt have lov at undskylde på forhånd den ringe billedkvalitet da jeg af praktiske grunde ikke medbragte mit spejlrefleks den dag, og da smartphones absolut ikke er skabt til at tage billeder med.
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I've been in my internship at Glide for three days now - friday, tuesday and thursday. I got mondays off and work from 9.30-5.30 wed and fri, and 12-8 tues and thurs so far. When I met in Friday I was welcomed by my supervisor who is also the manager of the Walk-In Center. We discussed some practical topics in his office, like how the beginning will take place, work schedule, and I got a book "No Hiding Place" by Cecil Williams (the guy who invented the way Glide works today) and some other stuff for reading about Glide. Then I was introduced to my new colleagues in WiC (Walk-In Center) and another intern who started a couple of weeks earlier than me. Her and I got a tour in all of Glide including other buildings under Glide. I was surprised about how big it is and how many programs they have - women's center, family center, Men In Progress (unlearning violence), health clinic, kindergarden, speakout, free meals and other - beside the church that we couldn't see as it was closed.
The plan is that I start in the WiC shadowing colleagues until I will be set up as a "case manager" - WiC mainly takes care of shelter reservations, distribution of hygiene kits, clothes and blankets, helping for housing/job applications, help for apply support from funds if they're behind in rent. Beside this I will follow a program called MiP (Men in Progress) on tues and thurs nights. The program is for men that have been arrested for domestic violence and then have to participate in this. MiP is very theoretical, and they follow a specific program that is created by one of the supervisors. The men sit in a circle divided into how many weeks they've been in MiP, so the "older" members teach the "new" members, and people's incidents of violence are reviewed very detailed while psychological processes that have taken place are written on a board. The main concepts are hitman- victim roles and male role belief system (fx. a woman doesn't talk back to a man) - most of the men are arrested for violence against women and many of them against their wife/girlfriend. Some of them have children who's been taken away by CPS (child protective services) because of violence, and the men participate in the program then in order to see/have their children back. A part of the goal with MiP is to unlearn the men having the male role belief - unlearn and relearn what it is to be a man. Everybody is listening carefully and will be trained in expressing which emotions have been involved in which situations. The program is the only one in town that is free and not handled inside prison or by the justice system. After attending MiP I learned that Glide is not only to support the poor and homeless but also takes care of other programs of community issues.
That was something from the internship - it is very interesting and a little confusing, but I learn a lot so I'm tired everyday when I come home. Glide is located in an interesting place, the Tenderloin District which is poor and a little nasty, but is right next to expensive hotels and fancy tourist places, so everytime I go to work I walk pass people in expensive suits driving their limos.

Finally I've had time to explore this fantastic city and hung out with my new house mates who are very friendly people. Wednesday I went to Noir City film festival in the Castro Theatre where they show old school 50ies crime films in an old beautiful theatre, and a guy playing organ in front of the screen instead of commercials in the beginning and that sink into the floor as the film begins. People clap and cheer during the film, dress up like 50ies style and arrive in big fancy 50ies cars. After the film they show a clip of the locations in SF where the film was shot how it looks then and now - quite interesting.
Sunday Superbowl street party on 24th and Harrison (unfortunately 49ers lost) where people put tv's on the street, barbequed and partied, and suddenly some low rider gangsta cars coming by, coool, but not so cool when I wanted to go home later as the police blocked the streets so the buses couldn't go (they expected the 49ers to win and then people to party everywhere).
The pictures below are from the Superbowl street party and I'm sorry about the poor quality of the pictures as I didn't bring my DSLR for practical reasons and smartphones absolutely not created for photography.