Trenches

There is something cool about working at a social service agency like the SEAC. It has a feel of utter chaos and disorganization, and at times this isn't wholly inaccurate. However, it also feels real in a way that resonates with my soul. These people are slinging it out in the trenches everyday, doing important things for people who need a voice.

Housed in three different locations, the SEAC does not exactly have a professional front in any one location. The Ainslie site is basically a block long series of brownstones in a classic Chicago style, with filing cabinets and desks and makeshift classrooms everywhere. The Broadway site is a converted restaurant complete with an Asian-style front, and the social services office lives upstairs, as well as the adult daycare and a few classrooms. The Foster site is the only one that actually feels like the building was built for the purpose it is currently fulfilling, and it contains two school-age classrooms.

People here are warm and friendly and overwhelmingly Asian, which is a culture I am slowly getting used to. Our clients are mostly Asian as well (many from Vietnam, some from China, Thailand, and other parts of south-east Asia) but also Russian, Bosnian, African, Pakistani, Indian, and Latino. There are some beautiful colors in each group of students.

Things change and chaos sometimes reigns supreme, and I am balancing the need to be flexible with the desire to be rooted.