Thursday, June 28, 2012

Day Twenty-Five

    ****NAMES CHANGED TO PROTECT PORTLAND'S STREET KIDS***** 

In the morning I help Kitten Lady sneak Tailia, the kitten, out. I put her in my cleavage and then wrap my new blue blanket around us. I go up to the desk to get my phone and the kitten starts squirming. I pray to the Spaghetti Monster she doesn't meow. Bald Staff Guy doesn't notice and we slip outside undetected.

Once I get to day services I see Mother Goose and say, "Guess who woke up to a very empty building last night?"
"You?"
I nod.
"That's funny because I totally thought about that last night."

I eat breakfast then Crochet Buddy and I go to the library. When we come back for lunch Beard Man is there and greets me with, "Morning sleepy head."

I'm happy that staff finds this funny. Staff I don't even know are teasing me about it. I'm thankful I'm in an organization that has a sense of humor. I regret ratting myself out and going to shelter. I should have slept in the building. Even Mother Goose says, "You would have probably gotten more sleep here."

"Yeah, now that everyone is laughing I regret going to shelter but I wasn't sure you'd find it funny."
"Well it was our fault." Mother Goose says, "not yours."
"You never know though." I say.

They ask me to sit on a panel interview for a case manager. They say they try to have youth sit on the interviews since it affects the youth more than anybody who they hire. I admire this so much I'm willing to give up recreation group to sit on the panel. There's a group of us and they have me ask questions as well as the rest of the group. When the interviewee leaves all eyes turn on me and I'm asked what I think of her.

"Do I have to go first?" I ask.
"Yes, you're the most important opinion here."
I think, "She could do the job but she doesn't have the same vibe as everyone else here. There's not one staff member I don't like here because everyone has a certain vibe and attitude. She doesn't have that. She looks too much like a therapist."
They laugh and ask me to explain how she looks like a therapist.
"Well she's wearing work pants with clogs, only a therapist would do that. Plus, the felt purse."
They start laughing and someone says, "Looks like she has a lot to teach us about fashion."
"I was taught how to dress by a gay man; I can't help it. I even have the Itunes of a gay man."
The gay man on the panel cheers.

I am happy that this place exists. I am happy for how they treat the street kids. I am happy they actually listen and care so much about the youth's opinion on who they hire. I feel honored that they asked me and happy that I could be the voice for everyone. This confirms the fact that staff and youth both trust me. Most of them agree with my analysis and she becomes choice #2 should the first one not take the job. I'm surprised by this. They actually listen. Imagine if they listened to youth point of views when it came to staff at shelter! It would be a completely different world!

At dinner Crochet Buddy finds a pound of abandoned yarn in the donation box so we grab it and put it in his locker. If I would have seen it the day before we wouldn't have needed that trip to Walmart. Still, it's a major score and nice soft yarn too.

With it starting to rain and there being nothing better to do we go to Whole Foods. He steals some of my Disney movies off of my computer and I get some of his. I catch up with some friends I haven't talked to in awhile and receive and email that really touches me.

People amaze me. Of all the things that surprise me the most about street life it is not the cruelty of people that we see day to day but the compassion of those who know we can never pay them back.

--mm

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