Large Day

Midnight Walk:

I tip toe on shards of glass,
Letting the world absorb
me in its grasp.
Where is fate?
Can it say what's next?
No.
Only I can make a choice.
Only I can speak my future.
Fate is just a dagger
beneath the soles of my feet.

What I'm Doing:Watching Philadelphia play Chicago in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup

Music Suggestion: Conductor by We Were Promised Jetpacks (Lyrics)

*Thanks to my man Joey Bellus, greatest fitness trainer in the universe*

212:

Countdown: 8 days. 192 hours. 11,520 minutes. 691,200 seconds.

It's down to the last eight days of City Year Greater Philadelphia. I had the urge to make up a remodeled version of 12 Days of Christmas for this post, but I held back. It isn’t right. This is going to be a sentimental week of goodbyes, congratulations, and celebrations

In City Year we consistently end our meetings on a break, kind of like a sports team. The last person to put their hand on top of the center has to pick an inspirational word and everyone else says it on “P.”

Many have been stumped by the “final hand” in the pile. Once someone places their hand down and notices they're the last one, their mouth hangs open. It’s funny to watch, rough to experience. Eventually a word comes to mind and the meeting comes to a close. This post has the title, “Large Day” because that was one of the stranger breaks I’ve had. Props to Andy B. for that.

Ex: “The word is… Large Day. C, Y, G, P, Large Day!”

Observational Note: Salad drenched in dressing is the healthy man’s cereal.

This picture is from the interior of the Harrisburg capital building. Yesterday I was able to travel and experience politics in true form by talking with senators and house representatives. I was lucky enough to go- recommended by my program manager; Jess (thanks again Jess!) at the last second.

Harrisburg was awesome. It was nice seeing a location in Pennsylvania besides Philadelphia and it was wonderful to observe the state government. About 50 people from City Year made the journey. A comedic bus driver named Alex drove us up bright and early in the morning, and took us back home after our concluding meetings. In order to be effective and efficient, the 50 of us split up into teams.

Besides me, my team consisted of Ijeoma, Joe, and Ian. We were scheduled for four 30-minute meetings with Representative Ronald Waters, Senator Vincent Hughes, Representative John Perzel, and Representative Gregory Vitali.

Rep. Waters:

My first meeting was with Representative Waters. After passing security clearance and wandering around the halls of the capital, we arrived at the doorstep of his office. Nervous and jittery with anticipation, we waited to speak to representative of the 191st district. But when we stepped inside, we quickly learned that Rep. Waters was absent (he was currently attending a meeting). 

Everybody was in session, after all. 

Being the tenacious people that we were, though, we didn’t retreat and relax until our next meeting. Instead we talked with the secretary, which felt like a warm-up game. She was a bouncing board for our stories of our accomplishments in City Year. It also felt like an initial success, and after talking with the secretary we felt warmed up. We were ready for the big shots.

Senator Hughes:

Hughes was next. When his secretary said he was in a meeting it felt like a repeat of round one. This time we waited it out in a series of plush chairs in the corner of the room.

Surely he wouldn’t be too long.

And he wasn’t. Hughes opened the door to his office with a flurry and a booming voice, shouting, “City Year is in the building!” He motioned us to follow, and with fat grins on our faces, we knew this was going to be a fun meeting.

Slightly out of breath, Hughes reclined in his leather chair- gulping down a bottle of water as he listened to our stories. When I mentioned my school (which happened to be in his district) he sat upright and excitedly said, “My man!”

Overall, Hughes left a great impression in my mind. He was ecstatic about City Year and didn’t seem to know how to stop asking how he could help. As we were about to leave his office, another group was going in. Hughes couldn’t hold himself back from saying, “You see them? They’re City Year and they do amazing things. Be proud for those people!” 

Intermission:

The end of our meeting with Senator Hughes signified lunch time. But we had almost two hours of freedom, and since the capital was in session we decided to stop and see the state representatives in action. We passed a metal detector and onto a balcony with steep, carpeted bleachers. From the front row, we could see the men and women underneath. They were currently arguing over a bill and its purpose with illegal immigrants. One man was standing at a podium in the center, shutting down another who was questioning him. It was heated and exciting.

It was like watching C-Span in person. For the half-hour we watched I couldn’t have been more entertained. 

Rep. Perzel:

Representative Perzel had soft caring eyes and a gentle handshake. His face was worn by years of experience and his lips quivered with a sense of honesty. With lunch in the past, my group was sitting in the lime green expanse of Rep. Perzel’s office. He was an adept listener and worried about the learning crisis in Philadelphia. We had a brief conversation with him about the merits of the education system, and shared stories about troubled students. 

Rep. Vitali:

Alas, the circle needed to complete itself. Vitali was a mirror situation to Waters- he was absent. We attempted to talk to his secretary, but she wasn’t too keen to listen. She made for awkward conversation, but before she could push us away, Joe rolled into his testimonial. As soon as it was done, however, she had decided it was all she wanted to hear. Without listening to Ijeoma or I, the secretary brushed us aside and closed the door on our little talk. Maybe she just wanted some peace a quiet for once.

AP Government Note: It took all that I had in me not to scream the word “caucus” every one of the thirteen times I heard it.

Before heading back to Philly I made a pit stop at a souvenir shop in Harrisburg. I scanned everything looking for an odd gem or unique artifact. What I came across stunned me- outrageously priced poor quality pens, valued at a hefty $2.12 each. I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity.
 

But why were these pens awkwardly priced at $2.12? Why not $1.99? I was as confused by their cost as the cashier was by my pen-jar photography. The significance of this number was pretty neat in relation to my blog. I've never seen something priced so specifically, and I doubt I will again.

On the bus ride to and from Harrisburg I was supplied with ample nap and reading time. During the combined three hours I was able to complete the last pages of Ender’s Game. The book was given to me by the University of Arizona Honor’s College and although I knew it was regarded as a great book, I had never read it. Let me just say that it is fantastic. I didn’t expect dark and deep themes, beautiful character development, or a page-hurricane of a plot. It was easily a five-star read. High-fives to Orson Scott Card.

What if public transport was a waterway? Instead of dirty tracks we would have clean cut, clear tubes with water rushing through at high speeds. Infinite amounts of chlorine/cleaner would solidify sanitation expectations. People would ride in inner-tubes, swim in a speedo, or other improvised vehicles. There would be a normal consistent route, and an express route (rapids). In the rapids, people could carpool at excessive speeds like white-water rafters (watch out speedo swimmers..).

I also propose National Kart Day. On NKD, everyone in the city that owns a Go-Kart competes in a circuit of races. This will promote culture, diversity, and unity- not to mention a massive augmentation in the spending of beverages and lawn chairs. *Brainstorming with Tyler B.*

Countdown: 1 day. 24 hours. 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds.

Tomorrow is my final day working inside of a high school and today marked the end of our after-school program. It was outstanding- 65, maybe more students packed the library the second the last bell rang. They were excited, rambunctious, and full of energy. We used funds from earlier school projects to buy pizza, chips, soda, water, and fruit- which made the gathering into a full on celebration. It was a celebration of our service and our work with the students.

Throughout today I created 25 appreciation cards for my kids. I drew crazy, wild pictures on the covers, and long, loving paragraphs on the inside. I poured my heart into them and then gave them out. It felt amazing to give these letters to my kids- to let them know, as the fireworks begin to light the sky, that they meant the world to me, that they could achieve whatever they set their minds to. Why? Because I had their backs, I would support them. I could tell that these notes meant a good deal to kids like Devon, Jonoy, and Wayne. I don’t know any way to measure their value besides smiles and nice words, but I could feel it. My kids needed a solid friend and they knew I would be there- even if I was in Arizona.

What will my students become in the future? I’m not sure. But I do know that they will be great people. They all have that ability in their hearts, and even though they may be mental at times- they are always brilliant and always present with a warm heart.

“Ender Wiggin must believe that no matter what happens, no adult will ever, ever step in to help him in any way. He must believe, to the core of his soul, that he can only do what he and the other children work out for themselves.” ~ Colonel Graff, Ender’s Game

In Ender’s Game, the militaristic society that Ender was raised in forced him into isolation. The society pushed him into a stage of self-reliance that was past the point of insanity, causing him to become sick and struggle with his grip on reality. Yes, it is good to be isolated at times, good to learn from within and from one’s self. But no man can stand alone forever. We exist through each other in an “I am because you are” kind of philosophy. Today I recognize the value of support and its true power.

Next week is City Year's graduation. It's almost time to move to another chapter in my life.

Look out for SCA comic #8 (Devon) in the tab above!

-TWO-12