Arts And Games At San Jose Obrero Mission

Location: San Jose Obrero Mission

Date: Monday, February 18, 2013; 5:20-6:30 pm

Although the name of the facility was the same, this San Jose Obrero Mission was at a different location than where I usually go for Mock Interviews.  This place is a safe haven for mothers and their children who are either homeless, or victims of an abusive household situation.  For that reason, this is a confidential location and once again I will refrain from using names, even made up. 

The guardian of San Jose Obrero Mission

It was a rainy evening as I arrived here and was directed to the dining area to where I found another volunteer, Courtney.  We chatted and after a while were wondering if we were in the right place since there were no children and more importantly, no sign of our Volunteer leader, Bari.  I got a call from a strange number and at the other end was none other than Wilson.  He told me that Bari was sick and he was going to fill in.  He was rushing to get there and asked me to hold fort till then.  Well, now I knew what would happen if the leader of a project was unable to make it.  Wilson to the rescue!

I told Courtney that Wilson was coming to save the day and the joke was on me when he showed up wearing a Red Cross vest and gear.  Apparently, he had been a responder at a fire site earlier in the afternoon and did not have time to change before coming for this project.  He had the bag of items which Bari was going to use for our project that evening, making musical instruments from household materials.  One of the things we had was cardboard cylinder around which kitchen towels are usually wrapped.  He asked me to do a web search on the phone for ideas, though he did have something in mind.  We were to cut slits, 1 inches apart on the cylinder and tape one end off.  We were to then fill it with some rice grains and tape the other end as well.  Finally, we were to insert some solid object through the slits so that as we turned the cylinder end-to-end, the rice would slowly fall down through the maze of objects in the slit and make a sound like flowing water.  It was a great idea, but all Wilson had for execution was Courtney and myself.

Our supplies

Our first challenge was taping the ends.  We did not have a wide packing tape and a network of scotch tapes would not work since the rice would just stick to it on the inside.  We managed to get one end sealed off using some craft paper and tape and then filled the rice.  After sealing the other end, our next task was to find something that would go inside the slit.  Wilson had a solution for that as well.  He picked up some of the disposable plastic knives in the dining area and inserted the tips inside.  The first try was an abject failure as one of the ends came off and all of the rice spilled out.  As we tried to salvage and make another one, two kids arrived.

There was a little girl of six and her three year old brother. While she spoke some English, he did not, and so communicating with him was going to be challenging.  Fortunately, Wilson was on the case and worked with the two of them on constructing various noise making instruments using empty cans and balloons stretched on top as drum skins.  While the boy was banging on those cans, the girl had filled some grains between two paper plates and taped them together.  She had decorated them in color and was now shaking them.  Courtney and I had managed to get one of the rolls to work and while it would never make the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, it contributed to the general cacophony.  Despite that, it was a beautifully controlled racket and the kids had a great time, which was the point of the whole exercise. 

What we made

The women had lined up outside, waiting to come and eat and so we all cleaned up.  As we went out, I saw that the little girl was now playing with a baby, who I learned was her little brother.  When I signed off, I saw the boy who was with us watching me.  I waved to him and then a most curious thing happened.  As mentioned, he could not speak English, had spent most of the evening yelling and making noise and now as I said goodbye, instead of reciprocating with a wave, he came and gave me a hug.  Later that night Wilson sent us all an email, thanking us for attending and in it he wrote a bit more about the Mission and its objectives.  It is a place of transition for women in crisis and most of the kids coming in have anger, fear and trust issues at the beginning.  He explained how important our work was since that gave the kids mom’s an opportunity to get a break and have some personal time.  He promised us that the kindness shown to these kids will reassure them that there are good and loving people in the world and there is hope for a better future. 

You see, he was spot on till that last line.  The simple and selfless gesture of that boy meant that the line need not have been written to educate me; but could have well been about me… for I am still that kid.

Epilogue

Little was I to know that my evening was not over with the project.  Wilson offered to give me ride home, but had to stop by the Red Cross offices to drop off some paperwork.  We went to the campus next to UIC and he told me about the importance of that strategic location.  Far enough from the downtown, in order to be out of potential harm, but near enough for fast response.  He took me inside and showed me the dispatch room, which resembled one of those Mission control centers one see’s at NASA.  It was indeed an impressive facility and extremely well planned and organized.  He has been volunteering with them for over six months as a dispatcher and a responder.  He has to be on call all the time, and good thing about being a dispatcher is that he can even do it from home, though it is easier to monitor from the control room.  He told me that Red Cross provides immediate short-term assistance and also long-term guidance.  But as a responder, he is a member of the team who arrives on site of the disaster and helps victims with emergency supplies.  Today for instance, a woman had lost her home due to a gas explosion and Wilson was there to help with clean-up.  I asked him what had been the most difficult assignment and he said being on a disaster site with a woman who had lost her child in an accident.  He had to comfort her till counselors arrived and I could imagine that being a gut-wrenching experience.  I asked if, with all his volunteering, he had ever hit the wall and he said once – after a 27 hour shift with Chicago Cares and Red Cross!  “How long will you do this”, I asked and knew the answer even before the single word had left his mouth. “Forever”, he said.

I told him about the fire scare in my building a few months ago and he asked me to have an evacuation kit ready, with important papers, clothes for a couple of days and flashlights – for myself and for other people I may encounter on the stairway.  I felt a sense of pride that Wilson perhaps expected me to be a leader in that situation and guide people to safety.  It had been a great experience visiting Red Cross and learning more about them and Wilson.  As he dropped me, I said my thank you and started walking away, knowing that I was going to see him at another project the next evening.  Suddenly I heard him calling after me and turned back and looked inside the car.  “Make sure you have the evacuation bag ready”, he said.  “Yes Sir”, I said with a smile.  Aah Wilson – and to think I  met him just 6 weeks ago!