WOW - Long Time!

So, I basically just say that this blog is a blog about my first year of service with the TechMission Corps program (since I didn't write over the last year). Who knows - maybe I'll pick it up again, but it's no longer my TechMission Corps year. Nor is it my second year.

Just wanted to say that I started this week as staff at TechMission! Yay! I actually was given the job offer way back in January, but, not starting until June (because I had to fulfill my commitment with AmeriCorps), I didn't want to broadcast to too many people so early.

I will continue as a Web Developer at TechMission, but with less restrictions (with the AmeriCorps position, there were faith restrictions, as well as some others) and I now am finally salaried. Anyway, just wanted to say, I really enjoy where I'm working and being such an integral part of our websites.

God bless!

a couple year's journey

Wow! I've been in Boston for 2 full years now! God has taught me a lot and is continuing to open my eyes to the world around me.

Park Street Cafe (the 20-somethings group at church) is currently focusing on partnering with CityWorks, Park Street's Urban Outreach program. The other day, my small group read through some of these statistics. (ex: Of these [75(2005) & 76(2006)] homicides almost 30 percent have been teenagers and 50 percent of the victims of gun violence have been between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one).

For those of you who are unaware, much of the violence that does happen here in Boston occurs in Dorchester, the very neighborhood where I live and work. Many people ask what I do (as is common when you first meet people in this stage of your life), and I say I am an AmeriCorps member (well, up until last week I was; now I work at my site - a Faith-based NonProfit). Then they ask where I live, and I say Dorchester.

Often, their first reaction is to gasp. "How can you live there?" Wow! Didn't I just get finished telling them that I serve with an AmeriCorps program that deals with after-school programs largely in the Dorchester and Roxbury communities? It's intentional that I live right in/near the community we're serving. (though i confess, i do still separate myself out a bit from my community) Yes - it is a struggle. Sure I'm sometimes afraid. But from what? I'm pretty sure my fear grows more out of what society tells me I should fear than what I would naturally fear myself.

I don't even know where I'm going with this entry, but I want to note that my eyes have become much more open to Social Injustices in our own American cities. (Now if they would begin to open to those injustices that affect the rural impovrished)

This is something I am still growing in, and hopefully it will remain that way...

nearing the end

Well, I don't know if I will continue this blog much longer or not - I'm done here at PREP June 8, and start over at TechMission on June 12. I guess we'll have to see if I continue this for my second year.

I can't believe I only have a few more classes left with the kids. I meet with them only 4 more times, including tomorrow. I hope to stay in touch with a couple, since I'll still be in the area.

This morning I had to substitute teach the Intro to PC class for my supervisor - this morning was the only time she was able to get an appointment she needed this week. I was pretty nervous, but it went well.

We had issues with the Internet for a while here, but it's finally up now (hence, my first entry in a long time). In fact, I teach Intro to the Internet on Saturdays, and only one laptop was able to receive a wireless signal from the church (they have separate Internet from the ministry), so I've been teaching from that one computer, which isn't ideal, especially with beginners.

Well, I jammed my finger on Friday, so I'm finding it a bit difficult to type, so to close out, I'm heading to PA in a couple of days - my brother's getting married Saturday :)

funders

Regardless of whatever my own politics may be (Democrat vs Republican), it's still pretty cool to shake the hand of someone who will probably be a future Presidential candidate...

We had funders come this morning for Bruce Wall Ministries (a group called the Filene Foundation). Then, after that, TechMission had a visit today at our site. Because they don't have a big conference room or anything, they had their site visit here, and used PREP as one of their model Christian Community Computer Centers (AC4). Anyway, it was the governor's wife and some man that works with the Faith-Based Initiative (which was what the presentation was for - TechMission gets significant funding from the Faith-Based Initiative). But it just so happened that Romney was visiting a school in Codman Square today, so he also stopped by here; his wife and the other man stayed for the presentation, but he stopped by and got the shpeel (how would you even spell that word) from Andrew (Executive Director of TechMission) and went around and shook all of our hands.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time with stuff like that (I was on photo duty for that whole time, so I included a photo here at the bottom of Andrew Sears and Gov. Romney).

Computer Club went well today - one of the students caught up with the other two, and then we went from there. They seemed to enjoy it - they're using Macromedia Flash. They created a fancy background and then are using a picture of a car and fading it in and out in different angles. We'll finish it on Monday and then probably play around with it a bit more and see what else we can do.

That's all for now...

first Internet class

Well, I guess I had my first day of Internet class today. I wish the director had specifically listed it as "Introduction to the Internet & Email" on the flyer - that's the actual name. But, instead, she listed it as "Internet," which is a bit too broad. I mean, it's in my curriculum to set up a Yahoo! email account, but some of them already have email. We'll see how it goes. I hope it's not too basic for them.

So, I have 4 students signed up. One showed up today. And we're supposed to meet from 12-2, and she just left at 1. Therefore, I didn't get everything finished I wanted to today. I also waited a bit to see if anyone would show up, so we started late. I called 2 of the other students (the 3rd, I couldn't find a number), and got a hold of one of them - I guess she was confused on the start date, since our semester starts on a Saturday rather than a Monday.

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I'm really worried now that my handouts and info will be too basic for my students (last semester, it needed to be) - each group of students is different.

On a happier note, my mom is visiting me tomorrow, so I look forward to that.

new position

Well, the meeting this morning over at TechMission was an interview. At the end of the interview, I asked Andrew when I could expect to hear back from him (though he had already asked when I would be able to start and such, and it seemed positive), and he said he was prepared to give me an offer.

So, it's another AmeriCorps position, so it's a really low living stipend again. But, I'll get that, plus health insurance, and another education award that can go towards student loans or future education. Plus, my rent is included, and utilities - that can be a lot in an Old Victorian home in New England with gas prices going up.

All in all, it's not much, but it's a very good work environment and the position is a lot more applicable on my resume (the position is as a Web Developer, programming using primarily JSP).

I guess I made this long enough, so I shall sign off...

PREP spring semester

Well, it's been quite a while since I wrote last. We were supposed to start classes today, but are extending registration one week. Due to trouble with finances coming in (the joys of nonprofit), we were not able to mail the flyers until the end of last week, so people just received them in the mail this week to respond. Since we don't have many signed up total, we are hoping this extra week will give them time.

The kids were all on April vacation this week, so we did not meet, or have open lab. When we get back to Computer Club, we will be starting a very simple project to introduce us to Macromedia Flash - this software allows users to create moving images.

On Monday, I have a meeting about another possible TechMission Corps position. They seem really eager to have me (the executive director himself is pursuing me for this position), but I find it hard to believe in myself. I don't want them to discover how stupid I really am (though I know I'm not; I just feel that way). This AmeriCorps position is actually over at TechMission HQ, and would be working as a Web Developer.

On a more personal note, my aunt passed the Tuesday night before Easter. It's amazing to see how much she brought people together. Once she was diagnosed, she got in touch with her nursing school friends from the 60s - I heard one of them tell my grandma that Kathy brought them back together again. In fact, one lady drove to Hershey, PA all the way from Rochester, NY that day just for her funeral. And family was brought together, too. She was a wonderful aunt, and believed in me. I was blessed to have known her.

FrontPage finally done

Who'd have thought it would take so long to complete a project - I see that my first posting on FrontPage (the program for making a website) was February 16. And kids' attention span is pretty poor. We had so long without classes, due to February vacation and the dead rat smell (which, may I mention, has STILL not been resolved - we just meet in a section of the front lab now). On top of that, without getting into details on a public site, finances are also an issue here (but not for me - don't worry about me - like I said, I can't tell you about it here).

Well, the kids (with open lab and computer club) are doing well. This week many of them had MCAS, which is standardized testing that's required by the state of Massachusetts in order to earn your high school diploma. So, they didn't have much homework for Johnny and I to check, and I think they enjoyed being away from the testing - yesterday was beautiful, and for the first time this year, Johnny took them out to the little court they have here at the church to shoot some hoops.

Yesterday I got a call from my mom that my aunt was starting her hospice care. Please keep her in your prayers. One of her daughter's is due with her first baby soon, and the other daughter, who lives closer to my aunt, started family medical leave to help take care of her even more (and one of her sons lives with her; she also has another son in Wisconsin). Despite her present condition, on Wednesday I still received a birthday present from her. One of my co-workers told me I will cherish that bottle of perfume... and I agree.

weekend workshop

I'm excited for Saturday - there is a UYWI Reload Conference that I am going to at Cambridge Vineyard for training (so, I have off tomorrow). UYWI stands for Urban Youth Workers Institute - it's based out of LA, but they're travelling with these workshops.

I was thinking of going back to PA to surprise my grandma for her birthday, which is on Saturday. But I guess this conference will be a good opportunity. I have no idea what I'd like to do post-AmeriCorps, but maybe this will get some of the passion going again that has faded a bit recently.

When I first came, we were getting ready for TechMission's National Conference, and, since my site wasn't ready for me yet, I did a lot of work over at HQ helping to prepare for the conference. But that was back in July. It's amazing how some passion fades. In other manners of life, as well.

Here's hoping Saturday goes well :0)

rats

Wow, it's been even longer! So, because of February vacation and the dead rat smell in the back lab, the computer club hadn't met (until yesterday, when I met with one student) since Feb 15th. Yesterday it still smelled, but I met with the one girl (we just sat one-on-one and did a project she had still to do). I offered to work in the front lab and just set aside some computers in open lab. On Wednesday, I may have to teach there, in open lab. I don't know why they don't do anything to take care of the back lab.

Anyway, so for those 2 weeks we didn't meet, I did a lot of homework checking (which also provides free tutoring, if they need it). The kids now are not allowed to use the lab without showing us their homework, a note (with signature and phone number) from a parent saying they already did it, or a note from a teacher saying they don't have homework. And we enforce it. I enjoy working with the kids. The one first grader I work with on his reading/spelling, and there's a 7th grader or so that I help with his math.

So, the one day this student came in with a note written in pencil on lined paper. I said he needs his parent to put a phone number, too, so he said it was a note from a teacher. Well, first of all, computer was spelled compiter. Also, they used the wrong aloud (instead of allowed). The teacher may have made those mistakes, but I would hope not. I did not accept it. But then I was working with the 1st grader on Thursday and saw that the homework required the Parent's Signiture. It's pretty bad when the teachers of our kids can't even spell (Signature). Maybe that's a perfect example to show the poor quality of education the public school system provides to the urban kids.

long time

Wow, I haven't written in a couple of weeks. Well, not much has happened here. Last week the kids were off from school for the whole week (we had Monday as a holiday, and the rest of the time was earlier and shorter days, with no open lab).

So, I went to PA for President's Day weekend. The weekend prior, my cousins had a surprise birthday party for my aunt - quite a lot of people showed up. It meant a lot to her, and I think she really enjoyed it, but it also was tiring, I'm sure. Because of the longer weekend and such, I chose to go the following weekend when they were having a much smaller get together. It was a good time to be home. I visited with my aunt and cousins, a bit with both grandma's, my mom, my dad, my brother and sister-in-law in Philadelphia, and a friend from church back home. It was busy... in fact, I had to stay a day later (luckily my boss said I could take Tuesday as vacation), b/c I had to get my photo license done before the end of March, and they were closed on Monday.

Well, we would have had computer club yesterday (and tomorrow), but I went into the back lab just before 3 to turn on the computers and it smelled like something died back there. So, I asked my boss to verify (make sure it's not just in my head), and she agreed. And I checked again this morning and it's much worse. I informed the people upstairs (one of them came down this afternoon then to check it out) - hopefully it's something they can take care of soon (like tomorrow), before we get infested with flies... oh, well.

That's all for now. God bless!

FrontPage

Friends and family,

The kids finished up with their "out of my environment" project. I may have listed this in a previous post, but one is underwater, in the jungle, at the Statue of Liberty, at Notre Dame, at the Taj Mahal, at Yosemite,... So, I got those printed out at CVS over the weekend. Monday was a snow day for Boston Public Schools, so we didn't meet then. But they were excited to get the photos yesterday.

I started a project with them yesterday using Microsoft FrontPage - so, they'll be making their own websites (though we will not post them, b/c of personal information). And we don't meet next week, b/c kids around here get a full week of vacation in February.

Our new roommate moved in on Saturday (before all the snow, which, by the way, is melted a lot by now). So, I am no longer the baby of the house anymore. We all went out to the Cheesecake Factory Saturday night. And she joined me for large group with the Park Street Church Cafe group on Tuesday.

Well, I'm trying to keep these entries short, so I'll bring this to a close. I am going to PA this weekend. I have a vacation day tomorrow and then on Monday we have a holiday.

I pray all is well with you all.

God bless,
Ali

out of my environment

Yesterday we were supposed to wrap up with our "out of my environment" activity, but we still have a little bit of work to do with it. Our next project is making a Web page (though we cannot post them b/c of putting out personal information of children on a public site). We will hopefully still start that on Monday. Sometimes I wish I had more kids, but since I don't have any assistants, I sometimes am thankful to God that I don't have more. It's hard to keep kids focused. Especially after school. I sometimes catch myself getting frustrated and have to step back a moment before getting back to them.

I went to the Cafe group (20-somethings at Park Street Church) on Tuesday. I've gone before, but usually just to large group. Or, if I've gone to small groups before, I went to the other Connect-A-Group. The one I went to the last two weeks I feel more comfortable with, though. They don't know it, because I'm new to them, but it takes so much courage for me to talk in groups like that, and I challenge myself to talk a lot. The difficulty with a Bible study is different interpretations and such (also I'm not an English major - I can understand things for face value, but my comprehension, especially with poetry, is poor). I look forward to next Tuesday night.

That's all for now.

example photo

Here's an example I showed the kids - this is me at Ithala (I was there, but I wasn't in this photo).

ali babba has no thieves

Well, the kids seem pretty excited about the project of taking themselves out of their environment. We haven't finished yet (there was low attendence yesterday, so those 2 wanted to wait; I helped them with some other computer things and showed them some examples of taking myself out of my environment), but they have chosen their places. Some places are a beach, next to a monkey, and in underwater world. So, we posed for those pictures and tomorrow we'll put the pictures together. I also have some other locations for them if we need a time filler - at Ithala in South Africa, at Yosemite, at the Taj Mahal and more. If you're reading this in email, visit this link: http://alimc29.blogspot.com to see an example of one of the photos I did with myself (it won't go through in the email).

Next week (Monday), I think we're going to start making our own web pages, just using Microsoft FrontPage.

Tonight I have my 20-somethings group at church (it's called Park Street Cafe), and it's a small group week, so I'll join in with the same Connect-a-Group as last week. (Connect-a-Groups are designed for people who are new to town and can't necessarily commit to coming every week.)

ali-babba and the 40 thieves

I couldn't think of a good title, so I just went for one of my nicknames.

I posted last week on Wednesday, but I don't think it went through in the emails - to read it, follow this link: http://alimc29.blogspot.com

Anyway, we met yesterday (for the second time this year) and finished up our project of taking a picture of an elephant and putting it into a picture of traffic. Tomorrow we will take pictures of ourselves and then place ourselves outside of our environment.

I was worried I would have to cancel class again yesterday, b/c my one co-worker had not shown up, but apparently he called while I was on my lunch break to say he was coming in, so I did not have to monitor the lab.

Well, I'm trying to keep these short, so that's all for now. I have a meeting with Khary over at TechMission HQ tomorrow - I haven't been over there since September.

God bless,
Ali

Elephant in Traffic

Currently, I have the students working on a project through PhotoShop where they take a picture of an elephant (a picture I took in Swaziland), resize it, and place the elephant into a picture of traffic. This project is something I did months ago and put on their PREParations flyer, so they're finally learning how to do it. (Notice that I also have the lightpost over the elephant - this is done with 3 different layers, so I think it's a good teaching project for the students. - I don't know if the picture will come through on the emails, by the way, so ignore this comment if it doesn't)

We were supposed to finish up with it today, but my co-workers called off sick, so I have to monitor the lab today. So, we'll finish Monday. The next project we do, which will follow this, is to take a picture of ourselves and place ourselves in a different environment (such as at the Taj Mahal or in Tokyo or Africa or something). I think they'll enjoy that. They enjoyed using the cameras last semester to take their photos, and they'll like thinking of a place to put themselves.

I guess that's all for now. I went to the doctor's again yesterday as a follow-up and felt pretty good afterwards, since she actually gave me a possible diagnosis. I rested a lot over the long weekend, so that helped.

first day back w/ computer club

So, yesterday one of my students asked about computer club and I said we would probably not be able to have it the next day (today) b/c we're short-staffed and my co-worker had an appointment the next day (so, I would have to be the lab monitor for open lab). Well, my co-worker ended up having the wrong day, so he did show up, but that student didn't. Hopefully I'll see him tomorrow and he can get caught up.

I did have a new student today, though. I think he's either a cousin or step-brother to the one girl in my class. But it's good to get another official student. I sometimes wonder as I guide them through the steps of the project if they're really learning it, or just doing what I tell them to do. But, with kids, the best way to go is project-oriented, so I'll just have to do similar projects and hope they learn through repetition.

Have a blessed day... the January thaw is nice...

Back in Business

Friends and Family,

I'm trying to keep these shorter now. I hope everyone's Christmas/holiday season treated you well. I enjoyed being back visiting with family and all in PA.

I was supposed to start back up with the kids yesterday, and was planning on doing so, but was having some health problems. I called and spoke to the nurse at the doctor's office and she wanted me to come in yesterday, so I had to tell my kids that we would have to wait until Wednesday. They seemed excited to have Computer Club again yesterday, so I felt bad, but they understood health concerns (the doctor did tests and everything was fine).

So, I'm looking forward to having them tomorrow. Like I said, I'm trying to keep it shorter, so I'm going to close out now. Hope all is doing well with you.

God bless,
Ali

Merry Christmas 2

Well, I'm exhausted. I'm the only one left in PREP (Miss D. is in her office, though, in the basement as well). Everyone else was eager to get out, but with just having the kids and all, I needed some wind down time to get things squared away and handled for the break. You know, getting my desk in order and all.

As I suspected, only 2 of my kids showed up, but I also presented. And we did get some kids to attend, so I think they enjoyed it. My kids didn't want to do a dry run through, so some of the general things I did. But I had them give their PowerPoint presentations (one was on B5 - apparently a young group these days, and the other was on Harry Potter... well, the actor who plays him - Daniel Radcliffe). I also gave my presentation that I had done for the students as an example - mine was on Louis Armstrong. When I showed it to my students, and then again today when I showed it, I worried it wouldn't interest the kids b/c he's old-school. (I love jazz, but how many kids listen to jazz, you know?) But they seemed to really enjoy it. I guess I just don't have much confidence with kids, though I should, b/c they always love me. I also had them play clips of some of their own music they had made.

In conclusion, it went well. I feel like I was stressing over nothing (though, had I not stressed, I probably would not have been prepared). And the staff party did, too. We did a Yankee Swap and the number one guy (one of 2 guys there) got pink slippers and something else that was feminine. He was going to exchange for my scented candles I got in the swap (to give to his fiancee), but decided on another swap.

I pray everyone has a safe and joyful Christmas season. I'm looking forward to seeing family back in PA. I'm on break until January 3rd, when we're back in the office... It's a godsend to have such a long break that allows me to go to PA and actually spend some time with my family (though my brothers are going to be gone all of next week - stupid ice climbing in Lake Placid!!) :0)

That's all for now. Merry Christmas and God bless!

Love,
Ali

Merry Christmas!!

Friends and Family,

I hope to post once more this week, but in reality, might not get to it. On Thursday I plan to head back to PA, where I have to rely on dial-up, so I most likely won't be online much to post then about everything.

So, just to bring it up to date... Our (the computer club's) last couple of projects were making holiday cards (one of the girls just made regular greeting cards) and making our CD's of the music we made with the academic program. We had to complete everything yesterday, because tomorrow is the last day we meet. Our staff party has been rescheduled to earlier in the day now, so I will be able to attend it. But right after that, I need to get stuff ready for the PREParations party. We'll be having free time (open lab) from 3-3:30, and then around 3:30 or 4 the kids will show off the work they did this semester. Hopefully I'll get an OK attendance - due to it being so close to the break, I'm not expecting a lot, though. Just as long as I have a couple kids to present, it'll be OK. And we'll have snacks and such as well. But, it's not really a Christmas party b/c it's not church-related; it's more an end-of-the-term party. Maybe I'll do a grocery run tomorrow morning to see if I can find some quick holiday sugar cookies or something easy.

One of my students showed up yesterday after not being here since before Thanksgiving, so it was good to see her again (her mother did call the first few times she missed, and I did call a few times since then to check up on her - she is the only student of mine who needs a ride to and from here and I guess her normal ride was out of town - to inform her of the party and everything and make sure she's OK).

Tonight my roommates and I are meeting up downtown and going to see Menopause, the Musical. Coffie works at Pine Street Inn (probably the biggest homeless shelter in Boston), and someone had given them the tickets, so she asked Angie and myself if we wanted to go, so we picked this show to go to. Then once we're home (and exhausted), we're planning to exchange gifts, since I'm leaving Thursday and Angie has Bible study tomorrow night.

Like I said, I hope to post again to update you on how the party went, but I cannot promise anything... I need to do a quick run to CVS after open lab to buy a swap gift for the staff party as well as find some little trinket I kind find a few of to give the students for the holidays (and a card - it would probably be BEST to design one the way I had them design theirs). I don't know how I'll have enough time for everything (the show starts at 8, so I have to head out at 7; I work until 6 and also need to eat sometime, so I'll try and see if I can get out early to go to CVS, since it's PREP-related)

Glad I'm not in NYC today and that the MBTA is functioning as normal so that I can get downtown to go meet up with my roommates and go to the theater.

If I don't write again, Merry Christmas!

Love,
Ali

Holiday Season

First off, my roommates and I had our Holiday party on Saturday. How about that snow Friday? Most of you know that I threw my back out in May. Well Friday I didn't work (due to graduation we worked 6 days the week prior and had Friday off), but both my roommates did. So, I didn't want to leave all the snow for the day of the party, so I went out and shoveled. Our next door neighbor walked by and we chatted for a bit. Then, as I was blinking, I saw a flash of light - I assumed I imagined it. But then she said "did you just see that?" and as soon as she said it, we heard a loud crash of thunder. Anyway, apparently a flight landing at Logan from Baltimore did get its wing hit by lightning, but everyone on board was safe. I don't remember ever hearing a thunderstorm in the midst of a snowstorm. Once I was done shoveling, I came in, made some soup, washed the bathroom and came back out - there was 4 or 5 inches! I did notice the blizzard conditions as I was eating my soup. Crazy weather!

So, Saturday was very busy, since we still had to go to Costco's, the grocery store and the Home Depot to get a new, better shovel and some more salt for the ice. And to get back in time to cook (Angie's mom did the cooking - what a godsend) and clean up and all by 4. We only had 13 people, and assumed we wouldn't get much due to the weather, but wanted to be safe. So we have plenty of leftovers for this week (plus, it was a potluck). But it was a good time - I think (and hope) everyone enjoyed it. A fellow TechMission Corps member who lives nearby (she works at TM HQ) whom I went to school with came, as well as another friend who lives on the North Shore (and she brought a friend, too).

As far as work, I had the kids 3 times since I last wrote. On Monday last week, they finished up their ACIDmusic tunes (I am planning to have them make their CD's on Wednesday - I just need to get some stuff from Jamal - the TechMission Corps member, also who works over at HQ, who is helping out with the tunes). Then on Wednesday those present worked together to design an invitation to a party. (The last day we meet before break is next Wednesday - Dec 21st, and I got approval to have a party for them, so we'll have snacks and they can show off their work.) We did that with Microsoft Publisher, and used Publisher again today to make greeting cards (some holiday; one of the students' cousins just had a baby girl yesterday, so she made a congratulations card for him).

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I just found out that both of my roommates are having their families over for Christmas dinner - I'm missing out. I knew Coffie's whole family was flying in, b/c she asked us about that back in August or so. And Angie just told me last night that their hosting both families (Angie's is local). I know it might be a headache for them to host (just with so many people and so busy), but it'll be an awesome time.

Happy Holidays! Oh, and it looks like my friend and her husband just got a house!!! That's exciting - I know they've been wanting to move (they lent us their Christmas decorations - I drove up to the North Shore Thursday night to pick them up; we were supposed to meet up on Friday, but with the storm predictions, I chose not to).

post-Graduation

(this is from 12/7, but I'm posting it again to see if it will send through the email account)

Friends and Family,

First, I just wanted to say I set up a Google Group account so that I can send future postings out in email (so far, only two people are signed up, so when I post this message, they will receive a copy as well in their email). If you have not gotten an invite already and are interested in joining, please email me (if you don't already have my main email, here's another one I have - alimc29@hotmail.com). Please note that this group is not intended for members' input, rather just so that I have one common email address that can forward to other email addresses (Blogger only allows you to send posts to one email address).

...

Well, on Saturday we had our PREP graduation (this was for the classes that were offered October 3rd - November 19th (including my Internet class); separate from the computer club). In fact, they didn't have one last semester, so we had the graduation for the spring semester, summer day courses, and the fall semester all in one. We got a good number of attendees (still a lot of certificates not picked up, though - we had quite a few students through 2.5 semesters), though some appeared late. I felt bad for the ones who were on time, b/c we didn't want to start until more people were there.

We had a potluck - again, not everyone brought food, but everyone got something to eat. We had one of the co-founders of PREP (who is actually the Executive Director of TechMission - I interviewed with him back at the end of January for something else and he recommended me for their TechMission Corps program) speak about PREP's history, Bruce Wall Ministries' E.D. spoke about our today, and PREP's Director spoke about our future. I liked that layout. Also, our PREP Director surprised us with little gift boxes (just chocolates/cookies in them, but they were pretty and a nice surprise). She presented them to each of us. And said that they thanked my parents for supporting me to come up here (so, that's for Mom and Dad, if you're reading this).

On Sunday night (at home), Coffie and I put the tree in its stand (she picked it up earlier in the week and the stand we had for it was too small). I only remember having a real tree once before, because my brother is allergic. So I'm used to a fake tree which I can bend and mold to hold the ornaments and such. But this one was sitting wrapped for a while, so when we unwrapped it, it's branches are still curving up a bit. Coffie and I put the lights on the tree, so it looks nice right now. But it still needs ornaments. We're hoping that all of that ways the branches down a bit.

All I can say is that Friday and Saturday will be very busy setting up for our Christmas party that starts at 4 (cleaning, cooking, decorating, finishing up plans for activities). Angie and I are doing a lot of errands on Friday (we both took the day off), including a run to Costco's. Also on Friday, I'm meeting up with my friend Jess from school - she and her husband are hoping to move soon, so they are not decorating their house. So, she asked if I wanted to use any of their decorations - what a Godsend. So, we're meeting up in Redding (about halfway) to have lunch and I'll pick up the decorations from her then.

I guess that's all for now - plenty for you to read. :)

God bless,
Ali

updates

A friend of mine recently launched his Computer Advice Site, so if you'd like, follow the link on the left panel (if you're viewing my entire blog - alimc29.blogspot.com; if you are just viewing this posting, the links will not show up on the left panel) to view his site, or from here, go to computeradvice.mikebinns.net.

Another thing I've added to this site is the ability for you to email this blog entry to someone (however, this will just email the link to this post). You can do this by clicking the envelope at the bottom of this posting and proceeding from there.

Anyway, it's hard to get kids to come in bad weather (even to regular open lab). Yesterday, a computer club day, no one showed up until around 4:30 or after, and then it was only 2 kids (right now, b/c of the dark, we close at 5). At least I had a couple on Monday - they wanted to play more with the music mixing program. I think next Monday we will be wrapping that up for this semester. One of the kids even brought in some music from home and incorporated some of that into his mix. Another had fun recording some clips to add into his mix.

I have a 6-day work week, because we're back on the Monday - Friday schedule, but we have graduation on Saturday and have to work that. So, I got some flyers made up for the computer club to have out for graduation - and it's probably best to get some parents interested (sometimes they're more reliable than the kids). Then they'll sign their kids up. I can't have too big a group, because I don't have any assistant to help me handle them, especially if they're acting up. But we still have a lot of projects we haven't gotten to. And we're meeting for a longer time then (the current semester with the kids - not the same as a PREP sememster - is October 5 - December 21, and next semester is January 9 - June 7; my year of service is up on June 8th).

I also will be meeting with the after-school program (Project 21) coordinator soon to try and organize some tech time for those students once a week (most likely Friday). I'm going to request that with the Project 21 kids, I at least have one of her youth staff there to help me out (she has a bigger group, and most of them are on I.E.P.'s, so they might need more one-on-one attention). The only complaint with having them on Friday would be that I would have to work every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during the next PREP semester; I enjoyed having my day off on Friday, if I couldn't have Saturday off. Then at least I could visit with some friends sometimes.

My house is gearing up for the holidays - we're hosting a Christmas party next week on Saturday (October 10th); I have next Friday off due to the 6-day work week this week, and another of my roommates (remember, there are only 3 of us right now) has Friday off, so we may go around to get some last minute things.

pre-Thanksgiving

Well, classes have wrapped up here now (I still meet with the kids, though). We ended up having an extra day off on Saturday b/c we had to cancel one class that was going to meet.

Last week with the kids, we worked with the ACIDmusic program a little more, and then on Wednesday we did an activity to reacquaint them with Adobe PhotoShop (which we used at the beginning, and will be doing a project with again soon).

Because of the short week (BPS has a half day on Wednesday, so we're just open for open lab on Monday and Tuesday), and due to the fact I was short-staffed (I was the only one), we gave the kids free time yesterday and just had open lab. On Monday, we'll finish up with ACIDmusic, and then on Wednesday we'll start the PhotoShop project I'll have them do (taking a picture of an elephant and placing it into traffic - I'll show the example in a later post).

I'm adjusting well here. Yesterday we finally got our windows taped for the winter and noticed that two of our three windows in the living room were open at the top... We feel like fools. I guess we weren't very meticulous with that. I think when we went to close and lock them at the end of the summer, it actually ended up pushing the top part of the window down. Maybe it'll actually be a little warm now.

That's all for now. Happy Thanksgiving (I got off early b/c of the need to travel - I'll be leaving tonight and spending the night at my mother's college roommate's in CT, about halfway back to A-town).

God bless,
Ali

ACIDmusic started

First things first, I just changed the settings so that anyone can post a comment here - you do not have to have a Blogger account (sorry about that - I didn't even realize that was something I could change). Of course, just like my blog is public and can be seen by anyone, the same is true with your comments...

Well, on Monday, my helper from TechMission was able to come (well, 2 of the guys - they're both TechMission Corps as well, but are based at TM HQ and go around to the different sites). Though we did get off to a late start (ACIDmusic has loops - I'll get back to that in a minute - and we were planning on pulling them off the server; incidentally, our server went down earlier in the day), the kids really enjoyed it. I tried to get some kids who weren't signed up to join in for the day as well. Because some of our regulars haven't been to the lab since before Halloween, we were down to 3, but got 2 more to join in for the activity.

Anyway, with ACIDmusic, you are given loops (audio clips that loop over and over) that you can mix together. On Monday, we just did hip-hop loops. However, next Monday, we'll be looking into mixing up different kinds of loops (for instance, there's some good Rock Bass and Rock Drums loops to mix in with hip hop) and fading in and out.

Well, today I had a project set up for us to do with Adobe PhotoShop (I found this wonderful simple tutorial site at www.heathrowe.com), but only 1 student showed up!!! I don't know where the rest were. I realized, after I gave her the option of playing around with the project I had lined up that I should have just had her do the online Scavenger Hunt we did last Wednesday (she wasn't there) - I had them look up information like on their names and traveling and such. Knowing that we will do it again next Wednesday, most likely, she decided to continue with today's project. Incidentally, she accidentally pulled the plug on the computer and we hadn't saved, so it'll be good to give her time to do the project again and get practice with it.

We didn't get to it yet, but here's a photo I made into a line drawing with PhotoShop when I was playing with the tutorials. By the way, if you really want it, I would recommend PhotoShop Elements (PhotoShop runs around $600; PhotoShop Elements <$100) - it's got most of the capabilities an average user would want for photo touchups, along with some of the fun stuff, too.

I guess that's all for now. No Internet class to prepare for... :`(
But that also means I won't have to work on my day off (I always had to do some work from home on Fridays, just because I was teaching the next morning and needed some preparation).

At least I know I have plenty of projects for the kids to go into the spring semester.

Intro to Internet done

Well, I had my last Intro to the Internet & Email class on Saturday. The previous 2 weeks, I only had 2 students (the same 2), and I told them last week that there would be a test. So, the class is scheduled from 9:30-11. I stayed up until 12:45am the night before working on all these handouts for them because it was the last class, and I didn't even have a student until 10. Then that was a student who hadn't been there the previous 2 weeks (and she needed to be - she's at a very, very basic level; I have written instructions for them to 'Type in the following URL: "mail.yahoo.com"' - I even added the quotes for her around mail.yahoo.com, and she still starts typing in the address: "URL: ma...")

Anyway, one of my 2 regulars did show up, along with his wife (they both took the class, but she wasn't always able to come) around 10:30. And that's all, of the 6 who signed up and paid. Oh, well. I missed seeing my other regular, though - I like my regulars. I wonder if she skipped b/c I told them there was going to be an exam. She's taking Miss Barbara's Intro to PC class, though, so I'll probably see her to give her handouts.

I'll miss the class.

The other thing is that one of my roommates is moving out. She's had some difficulty lately, and also she's much older than the rest of us and has a very different background. I guess she just didn't feel comfortable. (Of course, that means utilities are split 3 ways now, with natural gas going up, so we may be getting a new roommate again.)

That's all for now.

God bless,
Ali

Happy Halloween!

First of all, remember I said it snowed on Saturday? And then on Sundays I go to church downtown to one of the afternoon services. So, yesterday I walked around for a while in downtown Boston and had to carry my jacket b/c it was too hot with it on. Like I said before, gotta love the New England autumns... (by the way, I walked through Qunicy Market area yesterday and they were doing trick-or-treating at all the stores there, so there were all these little kids dressed up and all)

Well, today was interesting. Because of working on Saturdays right now, we each have a day off during the week (mine is Friday). So, we don't have our lab monitor on Mondays, b/c that is his day off (well, he and I are lab monitors, but on Mondays and Wednesdays I have the kids, so I can't monitor open lab). So, we're short staffed on Mondays.

We didn't get many of the PREP kids today, but, b/c of Halloween, everything has been out of sorts. There is an afterschool program under Bruce Wall Ministries as well, so they usually meet upstairs. However, I guess the church is putting on this whole Halloween Alternative thing (for non trick-or-treaters). So, b/c of all the preparations for that upstairs, all the kids were down here in the basement today (and, most of them were in the lab, and noisy at that).

The other thing is, my fellow TechMission Corps member who's doing ACIDmusic with the kids was not able to make it here today - he got tied up at another site. And I didn't have any substitute lesson plans ready, so... Anyway, my kids just took free time. And 2 of them didn't finish their PowerPoint presentations, so I worked with the one on hers today, and the other will most likely work on his with me tomorrow (during open lab hours).

Still don't know what I'll do on Wednesday... ah, the beauties of procrastination. I know something will be prepared for us to do, but as of right now have no clue what that may be...

That's all for now.

God bless,
Ali

snow?!!

Well, out of my 6 students, I had just the same 2 who came last week for my Intro to the Internet class. I think I need to administer an exam as well - I'll need to check with my boss on that. If so, I need to make it fairly simple so that they can actually pass. But, after having people miss for so much, I'm not sure whether they'll "pass" or not (they receive a certificate of completion and we have a little graduation ceremony and all at the end of the semester).

Anyway, work went pretty well. We were a little short staffed, so, though I am attending a class in the afternoon, I also had to run around a bit and keep an eye on the office. However, the class is more a refresher course for me, and I'm there somewhat as a TA.

I came out of work today and it was snowing!! This morning when I left the house, I came back in to tell my roommate that you could say it was technically snowing (it was almost rain, but still snow). But when I got out of work at 3:30, it was definitely snowing. It didn't stick to the pavement, but it was definitely big flakes. (The picture is of my neighbors' house.) And then tomorrow it's supposed to be around 64 - Gotta love New England fall weather...

Notice that you now can subscribe to my RSS feed or add me to your My Yahoo! page to see when I have updated this site. I also now have a website set up with pictures - fell free to visit that link as well (as seen on the right panel).

I pray all is well. That's all for now.

God bless,
Ali

PREParations Club - PowerPoint

Well, today we finished up our PowerPoint presentations (this is with the kids; we meet Mondays and Wednesdays). I had them research their favorite star. So, I had 5 kids, but 2 were not there today (1 of those did stop by, but she had to leave very shortly afterwards). But the remaining three gave their presentations. One of them was on an R&B star who had some inappropriate lyrics in the song, but I approved the clip she played first - she was the only one with music on hers (though the other 2 did integrate sounds provided by PowerPoint into their presentations). Anyway, so one was on Akon, an R&B singer, another was on Allen Iverson, from the Philadelphia 76ers (basketball), and the 3rd was on Tom Brady of the New England Patriots (football).

I didn't expect it to take 4 classes to go over, but they didn't seem too bored. Well, actually they'd say "I'm done!" and sound bored, but then I'd tell them about a new option they could do on their presentation and then they would want to go ahead and do that, too.

I spoke with another TechMission Corps member who serves over at TechMission HQ - he often goes around to different sites, though, with a mobile lab (they have the same grant we do that gives us 10 laptops). He works with this program called ACIDmusic (you can go to www.acidplanet.com to see more about it) which allows the kids to mix their own music. He has Monday afternoons free, so he's going to come on Monday and start the kids with the program. So, for about 4 Mondays in a row we'll work on that, but I will be leading class on something else on the Wednesdays of those weeks. Anyway, I know the kids are psyched for that, so I am as well. And, of course, I'm psyched b/c I don't need to do the lesson planning for those days :) (though I will be assisting him and working on lesson plans for the Wednesdays and such).

That's all for now. The only other thing is to share a prayer request for my roommate, though I don't want to say much more. She just hasn't been feeling very well lately and needs our prayers.

God bless,
Ali

I need an intriguing title...

Well, as I said before, I am able to extend my Intro to Internet - thankfully. Otherwise this past Saturday would have been the last class, and there's no way they got enough information for the course yet. I'm extending it to a total of 6 sessions, so we'll also meet 10/29 and 11/5.

I went to the doctor's on Friday for a general physical, but mainly for my back (b/c I'm a new patient, I had to have the full physical). She gave me a prescription painkiller for when I'm really in pain (I'm not right now, but last Saturday, a little over a week ago, I really could have used the painkillers). She also referred me to a Spine Center nearby. I forgot to call this morning to see if they take my insurance and, if so, to schedule an appt, but I'll try to call on my lunch break.

On Saturday, one of my roommates, Angie, had a baby shower for her sister. After work I ran to Target to pick something up for the baby and then headed home - I think it went really well. And it was good to get to meet some more of her family and such.

I'm doing PowerPoint presentations with the kids right now (well, it's going into at least 3 sessions, if not 4; I'm kind of praying for 4 sessions, b/c I don't know what to do on Wednesday...). They're researching their favorite star - a few examples are Tom Brady, Allen Iverson, and the actor that plays Harry Potter. I think it's actually going really well. I was afraid they wouldn't like it, but they really seem to like it. Probably b/c they get to research a favorite celebrity, as well. I was really not looking forward to it last Wednesday (the second class on it) b/c of one of my students, but I took some time to pray beforehand and God really did His work. That student even stayed after all the kids still wanting to work on some more of his slides.

Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry I'm a bit late with posting.

God bless,
Ali

update - 10/15

It's my brother's birthday! Happy birthday, Ken...

Some of you know I through out my back in May. This morning when I woke up it hurt SO much - I couldn't even do all my exercises. However, it is better now. (I took 2 aleves - above the dose of 1; and I'm wearing one of those heating pad things.) I have an appointment on Friday - hopefully the doctor will have some reccommendations.

Well, I just finished up my 3rd class session with the Intro to the Internet course. Last week it took the entire 1.5 hours to sign up for a yahoo email account. 3 of my 6 students stayed for 1.5 hours more to go over the mail program a bit. (One of my students is 13, so of course, I give her the handouts and she just teaches herself)

So, their homework was to check their email and reply to my message. I sent them 2 emails - one with directions on how to reply, and another with a question for them to respond to. One of the ladies who needs a lot of practice with using the email responded last night. Well, her daughter did... I talked with her this morning while we were waiting out in the rain to get in (another co-worker and I were there, but we don't have keys to get into the church building), and told her I received her email, but that next time I want her to be in the driver's seat and her daughter just to coach her.

Overall, it is taking a lot of patience to work with the seniors in my class, but they're so cute. They're always thanking me for being so patient, but I don't mind - I want them to understand a bit more what they're doing. I have given them handouts, and the one on email is pretty specific. Today, because of the rain, we got off to a late start and I just had us spend the hour that was left logging in and checking our email and sending email. Every time they had a question, I tried to coach them by referring to the handouts - I don't think they read through them, really. So, I told them this week their homework is to actually read through the handouts and become familiar with them - I want them to be able to help themselves with these handouts once the class is over.

Oh, and by the way, the question they had to respond to was about extending the course. I got it OKed by my director, so at this point I think I will have at least 6 classes if not more (our semester runs through 8 weeks). For the future I know I'll need more. Like my sister-in-law said, each class is different with their levels, and you have to guage accordingly. I know with this group of students we need a lot more time.

That's all for now - this posting is long enough. Just wanted to finish by saying I had a wonderful visit with my brother last weekend.

1st week done

On Saturday I had the first Intro to the Internet class. I remember talking with my parents prior to the class and sharing with them that the one thing I was worried about is running out of things to fill the time. However, I ended up not having enough time to cover everything I wanted for the first class. The reason is probably that there are no requirements to come in and take the class, so I had to do a few things to get them briefly acquainted with the desktop. I realize now that 4 sessions that run 1.5 hours each is not enough to really introduce the Internet to beginners. We hardly got online last week. However, this week we are setting up email - I am using Yahoo! email with them, because, if we have time, I also want to show them how they can personalize their My Yahoo! page. Last week I didn't have handouts ready, so this week I made one for last week, as well as one for this week's class. So, hopefully the handouts will help and make it easier to manage the time. My class is now 6 (5 attended on Saturday, but I think one may have signed up since then).

The other thing that started this week was the PREParations Computer Club. I only have 4 kids signed up for that, but for the first few sessions, I'm letting other kids that come to open lab participate with us if they'd like (and hopefully entice them). I had to think of something a little more interactive to start off, and I know digital cameras. I also have been playing around a lot with Adobe PhotoShop (we have an older version - 6.0 - but it still works well for our needs). So, I met with them on Monday and on Wednesday. We took pictures of ourselves and then played around with them on PhotoShop for the two days (on Monday I focused more on the camera; on Wednesday more on the image editing software). We did an exercise that actually makes the picture look a little like caricatures - I think they really enjoyed that.

God bless,
Ali

classes start soon!!

Well, today is Thursday and classes start Saturday. I have maybe 4 or so people signed up for my Intro to the Internet class right now, which isn't much, but I have to teach on the laptops we have, and we only have 10. So, I guess it's good it's not too many people (though it will be weird teaching such a small amount).

And the computer club is supposed to start on Monday. So far, I only have 3 kids. The problem is, to really get the kids, you need to tell their parents (kids won't remember), but we don't see the parents. I think on Monday we will include all the kids that come to the lab that want to be a part of it. But, it does cost $5/month, plus we need a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian, so if they are to continue attending, they will have to fill that out.

I guess the real response we're getting is to the Intro to the PC class and to the Earn-A-Computer class (with that class, they refurbish one of the many donated PC's we have and then take it home at the end of class).

Well, this week I am working a lot. I started regularly attending Park Street Church, right down on the Commons in Boston (it also is a stop on the Freedom Trail). They have 4 Sunday services to choose from - 2 morning traditional services and 2 evening contemporary services. Another thing they offer that I really like is a group for people in their 20s. It is called Park Street Cafe and meets Tuesday evenings. I wasn't able to make it this week, because I just had too much work to do. And during our semester, I'm supposed to be working until 8 on Tuesdays, so I wouldn't be able to make it. However, as of right now, we do not have anyone signed up for the Tuesday evening class, so I probably will get to go. It's good to get outside of my work and house and meet new people. And I absolutely love having my Sundays downtown.

Oh, and one more thing... Ken's coming to visit me in about a week :) I'm looking forward to having my brother visit, and we'll also try to meet up with some of his friends from school (he went to MIT and lived in Boston/Cambridge before he moved out to CA in 2001).

That's all for now. Have a blessed day!

Gearing Up

I spoke with my supervisor today, and she said she wants the computer club to start October 3rd, once our fall semester starts. This is a relief, because it gives me more time to get ready, less lessons to plan for the entire year, and some time to get adjusted to kids coming by and all first (open lab hours start this week, after school; we haven't had open lab all summer long).

Follow-up Introduction (2nd email)

Friends and family,

I don't remember who all I sent an email earlier in the summer, so just to update those that haven't heard (if you have, skip this paragraph), I am serving a year with an AmeriCorps program in Boston, MA, which started in June. This is with a program called TechMission, and I am on site at PREP Community Computer Centers. We offer computer classes in an at-risk community (our term starts October 1st), basic as well as some discounted classes like preparation for the A+ exam, Java, and more, as well as open lab hours for the community during certain hours. (see http://www.preptraining.org/ or http://www.techmission.org/ ) My job is to get the after school computer club going again for the youth.

Well, the school year is coming near. We go by the Boston Public School System, which starts classes on September 8th. I will have the computer club shortly after that (I'm not sure yet whether it is starting the first or second Monday once school is in session - I would think the first, but we may need to give it an extra week in order to get a response). I will have the youth 2 days a week, for 2 hours after school (I may end up having 2 sessions, depending on the response, meaning 4 days of computer club for me). The projects will be mostly multimedia, including some very basic video editing, music mixing, PowerPoint, FrontPage, Macromedia Flash for animation, and Adobe PhotoShop for image editing. Most of that software - in fact, all of it other than PowerPoint - I've never used before, so I've spent the summer teaching myself the software as well as exploring different project ideas.

In addition to the computer club, which will be in session when school is in session (meaning September-December; January-May), I will be an assistant in some of the classes offered here for the community (especially with beginners, people are at different levels of computer aptitude, so it's helpful to have someone to help go around to the students). I also will be teaching an Intro to the Internet course myself on Saturday mornings. The fall semester, as I stated before, will start October 1st, and will be finished by Thanksgiving.

This is proving to be quite an experience - I have never really been the minority before. I don't think I have ever been so aware of the color of my skin. Not even in South Africa, because there I was never the only white person - here I am the only one at work and at home. But I am really enjoying it.

I'm living at the parsonage - with three other ladies (ages 29, 30, and 45; I'm 23, and obviously the baby). My church from PA went to a workcamp on the South Shore here in Massachusetts in July, so they actually came to my house to pick me up (the adults came in to see the house a little bit). With Workcamp, we fix up houses, often with painting jobs. I felt embarrassed because our house looks like a workcamp house - it is badly in need of a paint job. But, they say that should be done this fall (of course, just because they say it, doesn't mean it will happen; but they have started on the yard work, which is nice). It's a pretty nice house in a nice area (though, b/c it's a city, 2 or 3 blocks away is not necessarily safe).

Well, I wrote a lot, and I know you might be tired of reading, so I'm going to leave it at that. I'll try to write later, once the computer club is on its way and all.

God bless,
Ali

Introduction and Such (1st email)

Friends and family,

As some of you know, I have been interviewing with a group in MA (south Boston) called TechMission, which is a Christian-based organization with the mission of helping at-risk communities develop spiritually, as well as to provide education, primarily through computers, to these communities, since so many jobs today use basic computer skills. TechMission has two main parts: TechMissionCorps and the Association of Christian Community Computer Centers (AC4).

My whole interview process started back in January when a friend forwarded along a job posting that was sent to the Gordon IT community. I initially interviewed for one of those positions, but was not the best choice for that. However, in late February, I received an e-mail from the executive director of TechMission about looking into their TechMissionCorps program (which falls under AmeriCorps and is a one year commitment). So, after various interviews, a lot of patience (keep in mind I got this initial email from the director in late February), and much prayer, I arrived here in Boston on Wednesday (after being home in PA for a year).

I will be working on site for Bruce Wall Ministries in the PREP Computer Center. I had some informal training at TechMission today and will have further on Monday and Tuesday, and then (if all goes as planned) start on site on Wednesday. Then, my understanding is that they want to do a computer club and I will basically be the facilitator. The summer is pretty lax. I may start teaching classes once the fall semester starts. But, I really don't know. That's been true most of this process of getting here (the uncertainty, that is. I was supposed to start May 18th, but there was a miscommunication and the site didn't have the housing stipend - I got the call 2 weeks before my moving date. That's just one example. Also, I don't even have a key yet to where I'm living for the summer - at the end of the summer I will most likely be moving into a mission house in the area where some other TechMission people live).

It will be a challenging, but very exciting opportunity. I will be working cross-culturally right here in the Boston community - the mission field at home.

I'll write more once I've actually started and all, but for now I just wanted to let everyone know where I am.