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Nu er jeg snart halvvejs i praktikken, og det er meget underligt. På lørdag har jeg boet her i 3 måneder!! Men som man siger - når tiden flyver afsted må det være fordi der sker gode ting, og det kan jeg godt bekræfte. På Glide har vi haft rigtig travlt de sidste par uger, og jeg har brugt mere tid i Walk-in Centret for at hjælpe brugere og har på den måde fået skabt lidt relationer som har været meget positivt. Brugernes respons har været lidt blandet - nogle klager over at det ikke går hurtigt nok og spørger "arbejder du her overhovedet?" men andre er meget taknemmelig over den hjælp jeg har ydet, og husker mig for det næste gang de kommer ind. Jeg har bl.a. taget mig af udlevering af hygiejnekits, ansøgninger til udlevering af tøj og div. og til nye ID kort hvis de har mistet dem, og nye opskrivninger i systemet.
En dag da jeg sad og hjalp brugere var der en ældre sort herre som begyndte at snakke dansk til mig - han havde åbenbart overhørt mig sige tidligere til en anden hvor jeg var fra. Vi udvekslede et par sætninger før det gik op for mig at vi talte dansk, så jeg spurgte ham overrasket "hvorfor kan du tale dansk?" og han begyndte at grine ad mig fordi det først dér gik op for mig. De andre i WiC kiggede MEGET undrende på os. Det viste sig at manden havde boet i København i nogle år, men for længe siden, så han kunne kun sige mere simple sætninger. Det var en skøn oplevelse som også viste at brugerne har utrolig forskellige livshistorier med sig.
Derudover har jeg været med til forskellige møder andre steder i byen, ét for en gruppe af ledere af forskellige institutioner der skal se på hvorfor den forrige femårsplan ikke gik som forventet (i 2008 blev der lavet en plan som skulle fjerne al hjemløshed i byen, men det er ligesom ikke gået så godt) - så nu prøver man at finde ud af hvordan man kan lave lidt mere realistiske mål. Et andet møde handlede om hvilke nye tiltag der kommer i bydelen Tenderloin hvor Glide ligger, så man kan få folk væk fra gaden. Alle møder er offentlige, da det er en californisk lov, så nogle gange er der brugere med til møderne som bliver frustrerede over deres situation og råber op.
Forrige torsdag lavede jeg en præsentation om Pierre Bourdieu (fransk filosof) for arrangørerne af Men in Progress fordi jeg havde opdaget at hans teori om kapital, habitus og symbolsk vold kunne refereres til MiP - det var meget interessant fordi der var flere ting der gik op for mig undervejs i præsentationen, så jeg er lidt i tvivl om hvem der lærte mest af præsentationen. Vi talte en del om det efter, for at få det helt på plads. Jeg har talt med en af arrangørerne om muligvis at komme med ham en dag ind i et af fængslerne for at se hvordan de arbejder med voldsafvænning der, som jo er programmets oprindelige omgivelser. Han virkede meget åben for det, så jeg håber virkelig det kan lade sig gøre - også for at komme til at se et amerikansk fængsel indefra. Det kræver naturligvis at de skal have alle mine oplysninger for at få tilladelse.
Min vejleder spurgte mig i starten af praktikken om jeg var blevet accepteret i mit nabolag, eller om jeg havde snakket med nogle af de lokale, og det var først en dag i sidste uge det gik op for mig hvad han mente (mit nabolag er overvejende fattige sorte , lidt ghetto agtigt som folk i resten af byen har mange stereotypier om). Jeg var på vej hjem fra bussen, og da jeg var omkring en blok fra mit hus blev jeg stoppede af to unge fyre som lige ville vide mit navn og se mit ansigt, fordi de 'patruljerer' i området hvor min gade ligger. Jeg spurgte så hvad de patruljerede for, og de svarede røverier og den slags, og at hvis jeg fik problemer skulle jeg bare komme til dem (jeg har så selvfølgelig glemt deres navne i mellemtiden). De virkede meget høflige, men bestemt også som nogle man ikke skulle blive uenige med, og bagefter vidste jeg ikke rigtig om jeg skulle føle mig mere tryg eller mere utryg. Jeg spurgte de andre i huset om de havde haft lignende oplevelser men det er der tilsyneladende ikke nogle der har (vi er overvejende hvide mennesker der bor i huset). - Hvad hvis de to fyre forventer at jeg skylder dem en tjeneste nu de 'passer på mig', og hvad hvis jeg går på nogle gader hvor andre 'patruljerer' ? Indtil videre prøver jeg at være neutral som Schweiz, så håber det holder. Ellers har jeg slet ikke følt mig utryg i området - det eneste negative ved at bo her er at høre folks stereotypier om stedet. Det er også en ting jeg har lært om SF, at den trods forskelligheden er meget opdelt. Hippierne bor i Haight, mexicanerne bor i Mission, italienerne i North Beach osv.
I huset her har vi et par weekender i træk haft bål/grill fester, hvor jeg har lært de andre at lave go gammel dansk snobrød. Én af aftenenerne kom brandvæsnet forbi fordi der åbenbart var anmeldt brand, men vi kunne så vise dem at der kun var ild i vores bål og vores snobrød. Jeg troede i starten de klagede over at vi var fulde, så jeg prøvede at overbevise dem om hvor ædru vi var. Øh.. hov!
I forrige weekend var jeg frivillig på en ølfestival i SF. Jeg havde set et opslag på craigslist (som svarer til den blå avis) og meldte mig til, og det var super hyggeligt. Det foregik på 6 forskellige barer i barområdet, og gæsterne fik så billetter så de kunne smage 2 forskellige øl på hver bar. Som frivillig skulle man blot sørge for at folk havde en fest, og at gæsterne ikke tog øl med ud på gaden, og man fik så selv ølbilletter. Det var rigtig godt arrangement og hyggelig stemning - god måde at opdage nye øl og barer og mennesker.
I fredags var jeg til punk koncert i Mission og kom på en eller anden måde i snak med en kvinde som var bedemand (eller hedder det så bedekvinde?). Hun fik mit nummer og senere på aftenen sendte hun mig et billede af hende selv foran hendes rustvogn, fordi hun åbenbart var bange for jeg ikke troede på hende. Det er netop en af tingene der får mig til at elske SF, at man konstant møder skøre mennesker.
I lørdags var jeg på Hippie Hill i Golden Gate Park sammen med Bruno, en af mine house mates - der blev fejret 420 og der var enormt mange mennesker og god stemning som en kæmpe festival. Bagefter tog vi ud i Japantown for at spise thaimad og så til koncert med Infected Mushroom. Koncerten var virkelig på top3 over de bedste koncerter jeg har oplevet - de havde 3D visuelt show som gjorde det til en ret vild oplevelse med musikken (dubstep / psy trance).
Så ja, der sker en masse herovre - jeg prøver at nå med til det hele, selvom det er svært. I næste måned får jeg besøg af Julie og Natasja (medstuderende som er i praktik i San Diego) og af Stefan ugen efter (min kammerat fra Kbh) - glæder mig rigtig meget til at kunne vise dem rundt i byen.
Jeg håber alle har det helt fantastisk!
Kh. Niels
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Now I'm almost halfway into the internship, and it's very weird. On Saturday I have lived here for 3 months! But as the saying goes - when time flies, it must be because good things happen and that I can confirm. At Glide we have been very busy the last few weeks and I have spent more time in the Walk-in Centre to see clients and has thus managed to develop some relationships which has been very positive. Client response has been somewhat mixed - some complain that it doesn't go fast enough and ask "do you work here at all?" but others are very grateful for the help I have provided, and remember me for it the next time they enter. I have particular been providing hygiene kits, applications for clothing and food vouchers and for new ID cards if they have lost them, and new intakes in the system.
One day as I was seeing clients there was an older black gentleman who started talking Danish to me - he had obviously overheard me say earlier to another where I was from. We exchanged a few sentences before I realized that we spoke Danish, so I asked him surprised "why can you speak Danish?" and he began to laugh at me because it took me a while to realize. The others in the WIC looked VERY wondering at us. It turned out that the man had lived in Copenhagen for a few years, but a long time ago, so he could only say more simple sentences. It was a wonderful experience which also showed that clients have incredibly different life stories.
Besides that I have been involved in a few meetings elsewhere in the city, one of a board of supervisors of different institutions to look at why the previous five-year plan did not go as expected (in 2008, made a plan that would eliminate all homelessness in the city, but clearly didn't succeed very well) - so now they try to figure out how to make a little more realistic goals. Another meeting was about new housing initiatives coming into the district Tenderloin where Glide is so you can get people off the street. All meetings are public, as it is a California law, so sometimes there are users to meetings that are frustrated with their situation and speak up about it.
On Thursday a week ago, I made a presentation on Pierre Bourdieu (French philosopher) for Men in Progress facilitators because I had discovered that his theory of capital, habitus and symbolic violence could refer to MiP - it was very interesting because there were several things I realized during the presentation, so I'm a little unsure about who taught most of the presentation. We talked a lot about it after, to get it into place. I talked to one of the organizers of possibly come up with him one day into one of the prisons to see how they deal with violence rehab, as well and the program in its original setting. He seemed very open to it, so I really hope I can go - even to get to see an American prison from the inside. Of course this requires that they get all my information to give me permission.
My supervisor asked me at the beginning of the internship if I had been accepted in my neighborhood, or whether I had talked with some of the locals, and it was only on a day last week I realized what he meant (my neighborhood is predominantly poor blacks, a little ghetto-like that people in the rest of the city have many stereotypes about). I was on my way home from the bus, and when I was about a block from my house, I was stopped by two guys who just wanted to know my name and see my face, because they 'patrol' in the area where my street is. I then asked what they patrolled, and they responded robberies and stuff, and that if I got in trouble I could just go to them (I have of course forgotten their names in the meantime). They seemed very polite, but certainly also as some you shouldn't argue with, and afterwards I couldn't figure out if I should feel more secure or more insecure. I asked the others in the house if they had had similar experiences but apparently not (we are predominantly white people living in the house). - What if the two guys expect that I owe them a favor now they watch my back and what if I walk some streets where others are patrolling? So far I try to be neutral as Switzerland, so hope it lasts. Otherwise, I have not felt unsafe in the area - the only bad thing about living here is to hear people's stereotypes about the place. It is also one thing I've learned about SF that despite the variety it's very divided. The hippies live in the Haight, Mexicans live in Mission, Italians in North Beach, etc.
In the house we've had a couple of bonfire / barbecue parties a few weekends in a row, where I taught the others to make good old Danish twist bread. One of the nights the fire department came because apparently there was reported a fire, but then we could verify that there was only fire in our fireplace and our twistbread. First I thought they complained that we were drunk, so I tried to convince them how sober we were. Uh .. oops!
Two weekends ago I volunteered at a beer festival in SF. I saw an ad on craigslist and signed up, and it was super nice. It took place on 6 different bars in the bar area (Polk Gulch), and guests got tickets so they could taste two different beers on each bar. As a volunteer you would just make sure that people had a party and the guests did not bring beer out on the street, and then volunteers had free beer tickets. It was a really good event and great atmosphere - good way to discover new beers and bars and people.
Last Friday I was at a punk show in the Mission and somehow ended up talking with a woman who was a funeral director. She had my number, and later that night she sent me a picture of herself in front of her hearse because apparently she was afraid I did not believe her. It is just one of the things that makes me love SF - you constantly meet crazy people.
On Saturday I was at Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park with Bruno, one of my house mates - they celebrated 420 and there were so many people and a great atmosphere like a huge festival. Afterwards we went to Japantown to eat Thai food and then to a concert with Infected Mushroom. The concert was definitely on the top3 of the best concerts I've experienced - they had 3D visual art show which made it a pretty wild experience with the music (dubstep / psy trance).
So yea, there is a lot happening over here - I'm trying to experience it all, though it's hard. Next month Julie and Natasja will visit me (co-students from Denmark doing internships in San Diego) and then Stefan the week after (my friend from Copenhagen) - I'm really looking forward to showing them around town.
I hope everyone is having a fantastic time!
Cheers, Niels
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