Birthday and Bashes

In two days, I will have been in Asheville for a month. Orientation feels like forever ago. Being home feels like a lifetime ago. But here I am, making a new home in Asheville.

It's been busy at my placement. Last Thursday we had our fall fundraiser. All I worked on at work the first two weeks I was there was preparation for the big event. Spreadsheets were made, flyers were printed, cut, and handed out; lists were made and checked. The day came and went with few bumps in the road.

The theme was NIGHT CIRCUS. We had student performers doing drag and acrobats on the Lyra (the loop for people to get up on, swing around, and climb all over). There was raffle, silent auction, games, a Photo Booth, and of course food. I enjoyed myself. I met some of Youth OUTright's supporters and board members. I felt it was a success and was rightfully drained afterward.

 

Earlier that week it was my birthday. My roommates were wonderful and made a sign for my door and a funny card. I got the day off work (both directors needed to work out of the office that day) and I treated myself. I got donuts in the morning, Moe's birthday burrito for lunch, and ended the day with dinner and a movie at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. My housemates and I watched Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom while consuming wonderful food. All for under $15! My present that I asked from my mother was ingredients to make key lime pie, so that was my "cake" for the night. I felt it was the best birthday yet.

                                   

One month down, ten more to go. This beginning has been tough, as all new beginnings are. I have hope though that my community and I will keep building closer and stronger relationships with each other throughout the rest of the year. We all care about each other, and we only met five weeks ago! I can't wait to care for these people for the rest of my life.

The Invisible Box

So it's been almost two weeks since we've been here in Asheville and it's been a rollercoaster of a time. We've moved in and settled into our apartments and have gone on two grocery trips. We started our jobs. We've cried. We've laughed. And we're becoming a family.

Last week we had our second week of orientation, this one getting acquainted with Asheville. We learned where to get our food, we visited our sites, and we got lost on the bus. I will be working with Youth OUTright, a teen LGBTQ+ community center. This month is Pride month here in Asheville, so I hit the ground running. Other roommates are working at the YWCA, AHOPE, Green Opportunities, and The Welcome Home Project.

The most important event that has happened so far was this morning. We went on what is called a Poverty Walk held by Asheville Poverty Initiative. In this space we discussed what the word "poverty" brought to mind. We had a poverty scholar with us: a man who has lived many years without a home, without knowing where his next meal is coming from, without what we would consider a "normal" life. He told us stories from his life, from before he lived in Asheville and stories from now.

We walked the "Invisible Box", the pathways that homeless people take daily to access the things we take for granted. We started at a public park, where they have the right to be, but the businesses surrounding the park consider them "undesirable." The only public bathrooms are in a police station, that closes early in the winter and sometimes Sundays. The library can be a safe space, depending on who is working. People still judge. People still stereotype.

A few minutes walk from there, we made it to the Salvation Army, AHOPE and the Western Carolina Rescue Ministries. Salvation Army lets people stay there for a week and then starts charging them per night. AHOPE is a day center for people who need it; they can get coffee, hot food, shower, and store their items off the streets. The Western Carolina Rescue Ministries is another place where there is a bed, but they decide who comes in. No LGBT people are welcome. No people of different religions. If you curse, even just a slip-up, you are banned for life.

We finished back where we started. I asked our poverty scholar where he eats dinner. He says, if he's lucky, he eats once a day. He then listed the places in town where he can go and eat. Thankfully, there are places here that he can get food everyday. Sadly, that only applies to lunch and then breakfast one day.

Today was one of many hard days. But it gives me hope for me to learn more and listen to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all beloved children of God.