bus rides...

If you spend more than about 5 minutes talking to me about my experiences so far in San Antonio, you will realize that I love riding the bus to work. I like not being completely in control of when I arrive, it makes me slow down & remember that waiting is OK. There is nothing that I hate more than traffic, paying for gas, the reality that one car for every person is excessive &, at times, driving in general.

I have been working at the photo booth that our office has out at the Department of Homeland Security offices. Basically, the photo booth allows clients at DHS to have their required passport-sized photos taken even after they are already through security & it's a little cheaper than the nearest photo booth. I was filling in for the man who usually works out there because he was ill. It was an interesting experience and not always uplifting. Some of the clients that come in are happy because they have recently passed their naturalization test & for the first time in a while, do not have to worry about the possibility of deportation, but for the most part, clients are nervous. Although many people may believe that the possibility of deportation goes away when you get a visa or receive resident status, that's not true. Until you are a U.S. citizen, the possibility of deportation is always real. On a more selfish note, I had a lot of down time to get bored & I missed my bus rides, I had to drive to work. The fact is, it was a rough week or so for me.

Today I returned to our office on the west side & things were busy enough to make up for the time I was gone. Between getting information out about our upcoming legal clinics & naturalization workshop & the usual Wednesday consultations & the mail run, I kept busy. I also went back to riding the bus.

This afternoon, not long after I got on the bus a man got on, sat down behind me & started playing the harmonica. I closed my eyes for a few seconds before I heard, "Mija, do you have change for a dime? Nickles, pennies?". I opened my eyes to see an older man with his palm open, a dime in it. I smiled, mostly because he had addressed me as mija (kinda of a contraction of mi & hija, "my child/daughter", it's common for anyone to refer to someone younger than them as mija or mijo), but also because of what he had asked. Change for a dime may seem silly in our world where a dime buys almost nothing anymore. I started digging in my bag, happy to get rid of change because I hate it. I found a few nickles & pennies & gave them to him. The man with the harmonica had stopped playing & said, "You have a good heart. Most people would have ignored him". Now, the goodness of my heart really could be hotly debated. Those 11 cents don't mean that I have a good heart. What struck me is that most people wouldn't have ignored just that man, most people ignore people, me included. The important part of my bus rides, my job (whatever building it's in & whatever it entails), & my life is to slow down, wait, & pay attention to the people who come in & out of my life. It does not really matter whether I am organizing clinics, taking pictures, saving the world, or washing dishes for work, but the relationships in my life. And for that I'm thankful...

I hope everyone can pause & take the time to slow down & enjoy the people in your life, even if they are just passing through to ask change for a dime.

en paz,
jenna

all you need is love...

The past few weeks have been what Kate and I have started referring to as "Family-palooza" around La Casa. I have had visits from my brother, mom, sister, & uncle & lunch with a pledge sister, & Kate's sister is visiting this weekend during her fall break. At the same time, we have both started to make plans to visit our families for the holidays. I know we have both be grateful for the visits & it has caused me to start thinking a lot lately about family. I heard a saying once that went, "Be kind to your siblings. They're the best link to your past, and the ones most likely to stick with you in the future." It always made me smile because of its truth for me, siblings, and family in general provide a constant link to your past & the promise of constant presence in your future.

My job also centers around family. At our office we assist people with family visas. As far as visas go, you have two options, basically, family or employment visas. Family visas aim to keep families together. Basically, a family member that is either a resident or citizen can petition for another close relative to receive a visa. It sounds pretty easy, but the reality is that the wait can be long (Right now, under one category, the government reviewing petitions from 1992...that's 15 years if you need a little help) & the fees high (The first form to simply begin the process requires a $355 fee) until families are together again. There are clients who go years and years without seeing their families or, on the other hand, risk their lives to see their families because of a man-made line along a dried up river in South Texas.

So why is it that I am lucky or blessed enough that this is not an issue in my family? Why is it that just because the Rio Grande doesn't cut through the over 1000 miles that separate myself from the rest of my family in Pennsylvania & Florida that we can all be together for holidays, graduations, weddings and other important events? Why is it that just because the Rio Grande does cut through the 150 miles between San Antonio & Coahuila, Mexico are families forced to go years without seeing one another or risk their lives to do so? It doesn't make sense to me.

I hope that as the holidays approach & you make plans to be with your family & friends, that you think of those families separated by war, hunger, poverty and little man-made lines in the earth...

One of my favorite Beatles' songs has kept reminding me that when it comes to physical locations, there is...

"No where you can be that isn't where you're meant to be,

It's easy,

All you need is love".

Peace,

jenna

Oh the places you'll go...

"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."
-Dr. Seuss

I was reminded of a book that my mom often read to the Carl kids when we were little while I was at Ghost Ranch last week. She used to read Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess a lot & went through a phase where it was her favorite gift to give for graduations, job promotions, etc. I can remember getting a little tired of it, but now I see the important message she was trying to teach us.

It was refreshing to spend the better part of a week at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico, and not just because we got to escape the Texas heat. All of the YAVs from around the country got together so we could prepare for our year of service. I think the most refreshing thing was creating another community of young adults who are all focused on the same thing no matter where they stand politically or spiritually. It was great to have conversations about the work we were doing, the things we were experiencing, the places we had been & the places we were going.

One of the discussions that really hit me was about vocations & how this is not just a year off between college & grad school or jobs, but truly is our life. The things that I am learning & experiencing this year have already begun to change me & the life I live. This is part of the journey to the places I am going, to the places that we are all going.

While out on a hike on our last afternoon at Ghost Ranch, we stopped for a time of reflection & while I was looking around, I noticed stickers with parts of Oh, The Places You'll Go on the water bottle of the girl sitting next to me & it made me remember the book that had been read to me so many times before. For me it was encouraging because of the questions that have been on my mind lately about what I am doing & where I am going & how this year fits into my life & is my life. It's all a part of a journey, one that doesn't end. A journey that includes ups, downs, waiting, doing, the brains in my head & the gifts God gave me.

Last Saturday, the book was still fresh on my mind as I took the LSAT, whether I did well or not. If law school is supposed to be the next step in my life, it will be, if not, there another path my life is supposed to take. My prayer for everyone with whom I cross paths for now is...

"You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!"

Peace,
jenna

Name one of the authors of The Federalist Papers

The USCIS has released a new Naturalization Test for Legal Permanent Residents wishing to become Citizens...do you think you could pass?

Check out the test at www.uscis.gov & under "What's New" click on "See the questions and answers for the New Naturalization Test".