Global Solidarity

This summer, SI Students and Faculty went into communities across the globe to learn, volunteer and be in solidarity with others.

Spirituality means a lot of different things, depending on the person you talk to. To me, it is connecting with those around you on a more sacred level. Regardless of your faith or beliefs, being a spiritual person is reflecting, sharing, and believing your ideas.

How does this connect with Immersion? Well, on my Immersion, Salinas CA, every night, we had a shared reflection. We had a daily routine of Rose, Thorn, Bud, where we discussed our best moment, hardest time, and one thing we needed to work on that day. It connected us in our struggles and our accomplishments. It also enabled us to assist each other in our goals for the next day. We then prayed together prayers that we wrote, to give it a more personal touch. A strong feeling of security and a sense of belonging in the community that was my Immersion group came through these times of prayer, reflection, and sharing.

The reflection times on Immersion reminded me a lot of retreats I had been on at SI. The bonds that were formed due to personal triumphs and tribulations experienced during the day strengthened with each sharing. A trust and understanding of each member of our group emerged and a feeling of true spirituality encompassed all of us. Because of these new bonds, we were able to achieve the goals of Immersion as a group, and be that team that we had set out to become. We were not only people with a common goal, but a common bond that is spirituality. We were able to focus on the aspects of our work that might not have been seen had it not for spirituality.

Regardless of what the definition of spirituality might be in words, to experience it is truly a different understanding. It’s extremely hard to explain it, but on Immersion, I, along with the rest of my team, felt it in a way we never had before.

My name is Ian Randolph and I went on the Salinas Immersion, and I’m here to speak about one of the central tenets of Immersion, social justice. Now, before my experience I had learned all about social justice from religion class, and sure, we all memorized the definition and types, etc., but honestly, a PowerPoint presentation only goes so far. Immersion brings it to whole new level. After my experience, I realized that social justice was not just an intellectual concept, but something that connects us as humans. Without justice we are truly alone.

My experience with social justice on immersion was twofold: the theoretical aspect and the experiential aspect. By theoretical I mean I learned about social justice like I did in religion class; we studied cause and effect, what was happening, and why people deserve more. For example, the central social justice issue of my immersion was the treatment of migrant laborers, specifically in Salinas’ farming communities. On my trip we visited the central coast citizenship project, a non-profit group in Salinas that aids immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in understanding the American system and participating more fully in government. They help undocumented workers get their citizenship for around $300 where a normal American firm would charge somewhere round $5000. At the CCC we learned about this issue in our state, which most was recently brought to light with proposition 187, a ballot measure passed here a few years ago, which denied many social services like emergency medical care to undocumented immigrants. This was based on the perception that illegal aliens were flooding into California and taking all of our resources and jobs like parasites and not paying taxes. However, the truth is that migrant workers do pay taxes on their meager income. In fact, of the $100,000,000 that migrants contributed to the government, they only got about 1% of that back in social services. Most of their wages are stolen from them, leaving them among the poorest in the nation. I learned about the terrible conditions they lived in, which were unthinkable. I learned the theory of the economic and social situation of migrant workers while I was on immersion; it was cerebral, in the mind.

The second aspect of my immersion experience went deeper than that. I integrated social justice into my heart as well as my mind through direct experience. For instance, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:45 in the morning to see the migrant workers depart for a day of labor on the outlying farms. Watching them board their buses in a bleak supermarket parking lot, I felt a tangible atmosphere of despair in the twilight. We heard that some buses leave as early as one o’clock in the morning to maximize picking time. Seeing those haggard, hopeless, faces transcended any sort of statistic I have ever read about poverty. We later visited a migrant labor camp, a small tenement area away from public view where the workers and their families live between shifts. The whole area was completely dilapidated. The most universal element of the place, to put it bluntly, was dirt. The former community center was all boarded up, and with no where to go all the children were either crammed into two to three room apartments with their five to ten other family members or they played outside in the unsanitary “streets.” I especially got the “point” of their poverty driven home. While casually ambling through the camp inspecting the peeling walls and dead gardens, I suddenly felt a piercing pain. I looked down and discovered that I had stepped on an upturned rusted nail just sitting in the middle of the kid’s play area. The tip went straight though my thick soled shoes and stabbed upward into the ball of my foot. I consider myself lucky because I have had my tetnis shot and so I’m still here to speak to you today. However, I think of those who might not have been so lucky. I think of Pelón, a four year old boy we met at the camp. He was the cutest kid I’d ever met, and he always yelled random phrases from his limited Spanish vocabulary like “caballito” and “levántame.” A child with the smile of an angel, he didn’t choose to be born into poverty. I think of that nail being driven clear through his little bare foot. And he, without any sort of medical coverage or vaccinations, becoming sick with an infection and dying in a high pitched fit of hoarse coughing. Now I forever know in my heart how our negligence leads to the suffering and death of others. That’s not of course to discourage one from the immersion experience on the grounds of one’s mortality; I know that I’m much stronger for my experience in the camp. I just kind of walked funny for the rest of the trip.

Immersion gave me a holistic grasp of social justice. I now have a full intellectual understanding, a deep spiritual knowledge of it, certainly an emotional association, and yes, a physical scar so that I never forget. I can think of few experiences I’ve had that have made more lasting and valuable memories. It has certainly changed my perspective if not my life entirely.

Salinas

Immersion

2005

India 2004

(Ms Girard's trip with

Catholic Relief Services)

Journal

Article for Momentum Magazine, CRS

I spent two weeks with the marginalized: homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, and those who are mentally ill. Despite what you may think, the people who make up this awesome community offered a unique perspective to a young city boy. It is the community that myself and seven other seniors lived in this summer.

I, as an ignorant teenager living in San Francisco had seen homeless people before. Walking downtown, it is very difficult to not run into a drug addict or an alcoholic. Because of my familiarity of seeing people begging for money, I had grown accustomed to paying no attention to and ignoring the bums (as I used to call them) on the streets.

Well, my outlook was soon to be changed. One of the first things that the Tacoma Crew did was go to a barbecue in a local park. This barbecue was put on by Guadalupe House, the Jesuit House we were staying in and it was for anyone in Tacoma who wanted to enjoy company and leisure. Needless to say, the vast majority of the people at this picnic were homeless. It was our first chance to get to know the people who we would be harvesting food for, working for, and helping. Strangely enough, these people didn't come across as dirty rotten folks. They were like carefree children playing games and enjoying each other's company. There was a community in this place called Tacoma.

As the day finished, I became worried. There is such a tight knit society in this place; Would we all be accepted?

Well, One of the things we did up north was work in a soup kitchen: preparing and serving food and bussing tables. We also sat down and ate with them everyday. I was surprised to see the kitchen filled with the same people we had been playing with the day before. What was even more surprising was that many of them remembered our names and where we were from.

I guess my question was answered. We had been openly accepted into this community. These “bums” (as I used to see them) were normal people with unique, real lives. There were so many gifts that they had to offer; They were just waiting for someone to notice them.

Another job in which we all did was working as gardeners in the many fields that Guadalupe House owned. The vegetables we were growing were either to be donated to the soup kitchen, or sold at the flea market held every week. Nonetheless, the proceeds were going to the people we had been sharing meals with. This sense of community was a new-found incentive to work even harder to harvest as much food as possible. The fact that we were literally working to feed others in our newly acquired community is really what immersion is all about. Experiencing this community gave us huge insight into what poor people live with every day. There are many days in which they have unaided; We tried to brighten their days and be a part of their family while we were there. The experience made me appreciate what I have. I value every moment I spent with my seven classmates and with the hundreds of people we met in Tacoma.

I certainly have a different aspect on life. I no longer ignore the people who are on the streets begging. If nothing else, I try to give them a response and a smile. All people are part of the greater community and all people deserve to be respected.

One of the four tenants of immersion is simplicity. This means living simply without the comforts of your own home and without life's little "extras" we're so used to having. Many of you might be hesitant to apply for immersion thinking, "how can I spend two weeks without my designer clothes, make-up, TV, cell phone, or friends?" I lived in simplicity for three weeks in Northern Ireland. I showered three times a week, had only 3 pairs of pants and 4 shirts, didn’t wear make-up, and was happiest and most content I’ve ever been in my life. On immersion, outside appearances don’t mean anything. You’re given a chance to look past what you see on the outside and really get to know people for who they are. I was completely out of my element being in the town of Derry with a group and leaders I didn't know so well and without the comforts of my home. During my three weeks on immersion, I learned that all the "stuff" I had at home was just stuff. The important things in life are family and friends. I was given the chance to go on immersion and find out the things that are truly important when I didn't have the distractions in my life at home.

When I was away from all these distractions, I discovered myself, the nine other wonderful people I lived with for three weeks, and the people of Derry. I was able to get very close to the people living in my community - those living in Ireland and those in my group. I became particularly close with one of my group members who I didn’t know at all. The first time she and I ever spoke to each other was on our first immersion overnight to help us prepare for our upcoming experience. We did a lot of talking and got to know one another and were really excited that we were going to be spending so much time together. Our friendship has come such a long away since last May, and I’m so thankful that she was in my group.

I spent a lot of time doing things I had not done in years - playing soccer, running around with kids, playing cards, and a lot of other fun, simple things. If kids got bored at home, they would run over to the place we were staying, drag us outside and beg us to play with them. It didn’t really matter if you weren’t in the mood to run around and play games - you did it no matter what because you wanted to make an impact in the children’s lives. You wanted to be someone they could look up to and wanted to be around. I also spent a lot quality time with the people living in my community. Nights were spent sitting together, talking to each other, and really getting to know one another. If we had been living with a TV or had access to a phone, I don’t know if I would have been able to become as close as I did to the people in my community or that we would have gotten the chance to really know and understand each other. This is one of the reasons why you don’t call home, write, or have any contact to those in your life back home. The point of immersion is to fully engaged in your experience and discover life from another perspective by helping out a community. If you talked to someone at home, your mind would still be partially at home.

You need to be completely focused on immersion and not worry about what’s going on with your friends at home and what they’re doing.

On immersion, I was able to get away from my busy life. I felt so relaxed not having to deal with drama with friends, SAT prep, college applications, school, or anything else. Spirituality and prayer played a very big role in this. At the end of our night, we reflected on the events of the day and had a chance to focus on God and on the prayer and journal reflection of the night. This time showed me that all I had to worry about was being present for my immersion experience; the only thoughts on my mind were my community and how I could contribute to it. The people in my community were absolutely amazing. We worked with kids from ages three to fourteen and met many unforgettable people. The people we met changed my life forever. In Derry, family and friends were a very big part in their lives. Everybody looked out for one another and always welcomed each other with open arms. I made friendships that will last a lifetime and experiences I will never forget.

Immersion teaches you about the important things in life. Living simply is the best way to discover what you value most. On immersion, I learned that it doesn’t matter about the material items you have - you don’t need all the "extras" to live life to its fullest. I learned the importance of family, friends, and community.