Showing posts with label Gabe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gabe. Show all posts
Sunday, April 24
Saturday, April 23
Staying Sane
When we originally brainstormed the topics for the retreat, the volunteers were asked what they wanted to learn about homelessness, and the youth were asked what they thought we needed to know. I was not surprised that the topic of basic needs emerged from often mentioned topics like food, showers, clothing, etc. I hadn't expected all the youth to suggest that we talk about staying sane. Gabe volunteered to be our presenter.
Gabe has been through a lot of crap. Despite it all, he is quite well adjusted.
Gabe's key points:
Gabe has been through a lot of crap. Despite it all, he is quite well adjusted.
Gabe's key points:
- Stay out of the sun, lest ye become sunbaked crazy.
- Entertain yourself. Even if it means talking to yourself.
- Stay engaged in what you are doing and aware of your surroundings.
- Get friends, and stay in touch with them.
- Stay off drugs.
Meeting Basic Needs
Between the two of them, Sam and Gabe have been homeless for more than a decade. As such, they have a lot of experience trying to meet their basic needs.
A few tips if you find yourself homeless:
1.) Always bring water - two bottle minimum.
2.) Ask people who walk by about places to eat. Eventually someone will know.
3.) You can usually find clothing and hygiene in the same place. Don't stock up too much. Focus on season appropriate pants/shorts. Two to three extra shirts is nice, but extra socks and underwear are key.
Getting money is hard. Service organizations give out many resources, but sometimes you just need cash. There are very few ways to make money without breaking the law if you don't have a job. Donating plasma is a solid option. Some people also sell hand-rolled cigarettes, two for 25 cents, 10 for $1.00.
Past that, we get into grayer areas. There is day labor, such as sign spinning. Usually $50 for 10 hours under the table. One can also sell foodstamps. $200 worth of food stamps can get $100 in cash. One might get a better rate making deals in the grocery store. But this is often awkward, and you can get caught. Selling foodstamps is against the law.
The youth differentiate between begging, panhandling, and "spanging." Begging involves pleading for money. Panhandling involves some kind of deception or con (like having a story about needing to go someplace and collecting money for a bus ticket). Finally, spanging is asking for spare change (hence the name SPare chANGE).
Finally, one can acquire money through stealing and selling what was stolen to a fence, selling drugs, or selling one's body. These activities are highly illegal.
Hearing these stories being told illuminates the cultural aspect of homeless life. The youth usually agree on things like the cost of cigarettes, have similar accounts of prostitution, and have specialized vocabulary. Perhaps it is a point for Ernest Bormann and his idea of converging themes. According to Bormann, there are many ways of understanding the world, and those understandings that resonate with people the best have a way of spreading throughout a community. As I sit and listen to the accounts of struggles and successes, I hear common sense making laced throughout.
It is, of course, possible that it isn't the stories that move but the storytellers. Maybe Sam and Gabe are drawn together by their common stories, and other youth with other stories have clustered elsewhere.
Whatever the reason, the effect is somewhat surreal. Listening to them nonchalantly, objectively discussing the realities of street life is disorienting. They have localized knowledge, and traffic with ease in a common set of tales, symbols, and analogies with which I have little or no familiarity.
Before you scoff because someone doesn't know the basics about something, consider the fact that they may have mastery of a domain you don't even know exists.
A few tips if you find yourself homeless:
1.) Always bring water - two bottle minimum.
2.) Ask people who walk by about places to eat. Eventually someone will know.
3.) You can usually find clothing and hygiene in the same place. Don't stock up too much. Focus on season appropriate pants/shorts. Two to three extra shirts is nice, but extra socks and underwear are key.
Getting money is hard. Service organizations give out many resources, but sometimes you just need cash. There are very few ways to make money without breaking the law if you don't have a job. Donating plasma is a solid option. Some people also sell hand-rolled cigarettes, two for 25 cents, 10 for $1.00.
Past that, we get into grayer areas. There is day labor, such as sign spinning. Usually $50 for 10 hours under the table. One can also sell foodstamps. $200 worth of food stamps can get $100 in cash. One might get a better rate making deals in the grocery store. But this is often awkward, and you can get caught. Selling foodstamps is against the law.
The youth differentiate between begging, panhandling, and "spanging." Begging involves pleading for money. Panhandling involves some kind of deception or con (like having a story about needing to go someplace and collecting money for a bus ticket). Finally, spanging is asking for spare change (hence the name SPare chANGE).
Finally, one can acquire money through stealing and selling what was stolen to a fence, selling drugs, or selling one's body. These activities are highly illegal.
Hearing these stories being told illuminates the cultural aspect of homeless life. The youth usually agree on things like the cost of cigarettes, have similar accounts of prostitution, and have specialized vocabulary. Perhaps it is a point for Ernest Bormann and his idea of converging themes. According to Bormann, there are many ways of understanding the world, and those understandings that resonate with people the best have a way of spreading throughout a community. As I sit and listen to the accounts of struggles and successes, I hear common sense making laced throughout.
It is, of course, possible that it isn't the stories that move but the storytellers. Maybe Sam and Gabe are drawn together by their common stories, and other youth with other stories have clustered elsewhere.
Whatever the reason, the effect is somewhat surreal. Listening to them nonchalantly, objectively discussing the realities of street life is disorienting. They have localized knowledge, and traffic with ease in a common set of tales, symbols, and analogies with which I have little or no familiarity.
Before you scoff because someone doesn't know the basics about something, consider the fact that they may have mastery of a domain you don't even know exists.
The Joys of Sleeping in Junkyards
As a few people start waking, we congregate on one side of the parking lot. Gabe points to a junkyard he once lived in. Apparently, this place was more representational of homeless life than I thought.
When sleeping among building supplies, consider the large pipes. They channel the breeze.
I notices as Gabe tells his story that it is rooted in innovation. Giant junk copper tubes become homes complete with air conditioning and the periodic bells that sound at a nearby scrap yard become his alarm clock. What may be material or noise pollution retains enough predictability even in its excess to structure both the time and space of the cunning.
When sleeping among building supplies, consider the large pipes. They channel the breeze.
I notices as Gabe tells his story that it is rooted in innovation. Giant junk copper tubes become homes complete with air conditioning and the periodic bells that sound at a nearby scrap yard become his alarm clock. What may be material or noise pollution retains enough predictability even in its excess to structure both the time and space of the cunning.
Friday, April 22
Beginning Interviews
Let's a few of the characters introduced.
Michael
Dear friend. Michael and I know each other well from the "outside" world. He has only a handful of experiences with Stand Up, mostly within the last few weeks. I, however, am quite happy to have him along. He is funny, kind, and pretty much always a good sport. Also un-humiliatable, which is a priceless resource to a retreat leader.
Gabe
Think John Muir, but instead of camping in Yosemite; homeless in Phoenix. While Muir wrote wilderness journals, Gabe writes fantasy novels. Ok, he really isn't that much like John Muir, except Gabe once walked the 40 miles from Apache Junction to Phoenix in the middle of the summer in a day and a half. Gabe is one of our guides this weekend.
Dustin (DK)
DK is one of our two caretakers. He watches over the Youth House and keeps it clean, and in return he gets to stay there. Perhaps more importantly, he watches over the volunteers and the youth alike. Fortunately for us, his weekend college class got over last week, which allowed him to come and share his insight with us.
Matt
The youngest member of our retreat. Matt got very excited about the weekend back in August when we first started brainstorming. He is finishing up his senior year in high school and is uncertain about his future as his family plans to move this summer. Matt (and Michael) are the two members of the Pepperspray Guard.
Melissa
Undergraduate critical ethnographer. Melissa is taking a qualitative research class in the Communication department at ASU, and had everything all lined up until her research site turned her away. A few weeks ago, I get a well written email explaining her need to get 20 hours of observation before the end of the semester. I tell her that a 45-hour retreat is a lovely way to rack up the research hours.
Michael
Dear friend. Michael and I know each other well from the "outside" world. He has only a handful of experiences with Stand Up, mostly within the last few weeks. I, however, am quite happy to have him along. He is funny, kind, and pretty much always a good sport. Also un-humiliatable, which is a priceless resource to a retreat leader.
Gabe
Think John Muir, but instead of camping in Yosemite; homeless in Phoenix. While Muir wrote wilderness journals, Gabe writes fantasy novels. Ok, he really isn't that much like John Muir, except Gabe once walked the 40 miles from Apache Junction to Phoenix in the middle of the summer in a day and a half. Gabe is one of our guides this weekend.
Dustin (DK)
DK is one of our two caretakers. He watches over the Youth House and keeps it clean, and in return he gets to stay there. Perhaps more importantly, he watches over the volunteers and the youth alike. Fortunately for us, his weekend college class got over last week, which allowed him to come and share his insight with us.
Matt
The youngest member of our retreat. Matt got very excited about the weekend back in August when we first started brainstorming. He is finishing up his senior year in high school and is uncertain about his future as his family plans to move this summer. Matt (and Michael) are the two members of the Pepperspray Guard.
Melissa
Undergraduate critical ethnographer. Melissa is taking a qualitative research class in the Communication department at ASU, and had everything all lined up until her research site turned her away. A few weeks ago, I get a well written email explaining her need to get 20 hours of observation before the end of the semester. I tell her that a 45-hour retreat is a lovely way to rack up the research hours.
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