LEP over GEN

santa monica, california holds throngs of kids that look they came directly out of laguna beach. it's bizarre. everyone here is just so... just so beautiful.

still in southern california. i reread my blog entry from yesterday and couldn't make sense of it. it came out that way partially due to the total of 4 hours of sleep i had received the previous 3 evenings. this one will be longer, and more explanatory (i.e. duuuuuuull uuuuuuaaaaaaaaghhggheeerrrgh).

triple highlight.
A. meeting other americorps members in the bay area, finally. learning how they're making it on the measly stipend. one woman lives in a boat. another is a single mom of 3 kids. all seems super freaking cool.

B. meeting up with my friend from tinyhood, greg gomez. geez. ok this kid was one of the laziest, brightest sobs when we were in mid/high school. NOW. wakes up at 5:45 to teach science and religion (separately) to 6-8th graders in compton (inner city l.a.) my word. poverty in the u.s. exists, my friends. bold, in your face, dont have running water, how are we going to eat, gang violence poverty. i felt like i stepped into guatemala when i entered the neighborhood, and his school is no different. check this crap out:

1. can't afford substitute teachers (split grades up - 1/2 of 2nd goes to first, other half to third)
2. not enough chairs for students
3. no computers
4. books from 1991
5. no playground, just an old parking lot
6. the cafeteria looks and feels like a barn (barn swallows were living inside of it).
7. teachers instruct 2 subjects at 3 different grade levels. that's far too many lesson plans.

and greg's teaching BLEW ME AWAY. these kids listen to him, dont act up, participate - he's always actively engaging them. he utilized me in class - taught the acronym derived from 'Lose Electrons: Positive, Gain Electons: Negative' by having me crouch down in the front of the room and leaping over me twice in front of the students. man. i'm super impressed with him. he was a punk kid, so perhaps he knows a bit more about what to say and do to get people to listen to him.

martha, i thought about you a lot and love you.

C. staying with sara (friend from sa/ny trip), her boyfriend and classmate for the next few days. so glad to see this punk-face, talk about texas and all its amenities and throw wit and banter back and forth. this woman is wonderful and freaking talented. and i get to learn about pasadena, california.

the 'conference' i went to was worthless - but i feel like my attendance was validated due to topics A-C. also, i recognized how extreme, dire and over the top my position in the non-profit in sf is. perhaps i was there to allow the other americorps members to realize they have very little to complain about. 'it could be worse.'

really happy and content. have been for a few weeks now - and it's lovely. moving out of my old apartment has helped me tremendously.

don't you wish this was wittier? yes, yes we all do. ahhh well. that's just too bad, my friends.

hope all is well out there -
jen.