I spent the Fourth of July weekend at my friend Tom’s house out in Manassas, VA. Our goal was to gut his bathroom and put in a brand new one and surprise his wife when she returned from visiting her parents on Tuesday. Well, let’s just say that she was surprised alright when she got back. Yeah, we didn’t exactly finish the project, but we did manage to strip it all the way down to the 2×4 boards, water pipes and electrical wiring. Everything, and I mean everything else was ripped out of there. I was back out there this last weekend and we now have the new tub in, the cement board down, the ceiling and walls up and all the pipes and electrical work done.
photo: Reed
Well, while I was out there the first weekend we made many trips to Lowes and Home Depot. On one occasion I let Tom go hunt for some bronze coupling part we needed as part of moving all the pipes and I went hunting for a recipient. I found George scoping out some of the flowers and plants over in the gardening area.
When I looked at George I couldn’t help but see a resemblance between him and one hard working gentleman from the North Pole. As it turns out others have seen this similarity too and he has been a working Santa Claus for more than 40 years. He has some great stories too. Check some of them out here:
I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the Santa Claus industry. For example, where is the best place to work? I would have said the mall. But the most fun that George ever had was at a Chik-fil-A believe it or not. But you’re probably wondering what the heck George does for the other 11 months of the year.
Well after a short career in radio he went to work for the US Postal Service for 34 years until retiring recently after suffering a stress-induced coma that lasted one month! “I guess the work was causing more stress than I thought,” he said before jokingly saying, “At least I didn’t go postal!” After coming out of the coma George had to go to speech therapy. He even started volunteering at the clinic which resulted in them hiring him on a part-time basis working one day a week. After four years there this sadly came to an end last week when they let George go due to a cost cutting effort. I felt really bad for him as he seemed to enjoy it so much.
“I would really like to find a part time job around Manassas where I can work about one day a week.” If anyone knows of something, please let me know and I will connect you with George. He seemed very interested in trying to get back into radio and possibly working at a Christian radio station.
photo: Reed
In the spirit of giving George told me that he was going to donate the $10 to his church: Manassas Assembly of God. “I am going to donate it toward the missions.” I went on their website and they have extensive missionary work in all parts of the world.
Before I let him go (he had to go pick up his wife) I invited him to the year-end celebration for the Year of Giving that will take place on or about December 14th here in DC. “Could I come as Santa Claus?” he asked.
So, don’t forget Thursday is the 15th and if you want another shot at giving your $10 away, give it a try and leave a comment here to let us know how it went.
Maria and Karel (photo: Reed)
Day 200 was a Friday and Brazil was playing the Netherlands in the World Cup. I slipped on my jersey that my friends Keila and Gilson got for me and headed downtown with a neighbor to cheer on Brazil.
We found a table at the James Hoban pub on the circle. In our section, I think we were in the minority. There were several Dutch fans passionately cheering on their country. Two of them were Maria and Karel. My neighbor used to live in Holland so she seemed to change who she was rooting for as the Dutch pulled ahead. She ended up chatting with Maria and Karel about something and then I ended up helping Karel with some directions to Dulles airport.
As it turns out the couple the city of Bergen was here for some business meetings and they were leaving for the airport in a couple of hours. I drew a little map for him on the back of a print-out of the food and drink specials the bar was promoting during the world cup games.
From L-R, Maria, Karel, Kees and Farren watch nervously before the Netherlands took the lead (photo: Reed)
After 90 minutes of play Brazil’s dreams of becoming the first team to ever win six World Cup championships were quashed; at least for another four years. Our new Dutch friends were ecstatic. I went over congratulated them and asked if they would share their joy and participate in a milestone day the Year of Giving: Day 200. They accepted.
Karel is the managing director of a Dutch industrial company. Maria works for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. I have flown KLM before. I remember it well. I was in business class from Sao Paulo to Amsterdam. The service was excellent, much better than Lufthansa or BA which is what I usually flew to Europe when I was living in Brazil. The captain came on the intercom alerting us that we were landing in about 45 minutes and I brought my seat to the dreaded “upright position” and noticed that in my lap was a small ceramic house that was painted the colors of Dutch flag and inside it seemed to be some liquid. I asked the person sitting next to me if it was theirs and they informed me that all KLM business class passengers received this token of appreciation and that it was filled with rum. I tucked it away in my carry-on bag, exited the plane and headed for my connecting flight only to get stopped by security and told that I would have to surrender my new found gift because it had liquid in it, even though it was just two or three ounces at most. For some reason I felt a little indignant about the situation and just to spite the security officer I opened it and drank it on the spot!
photo: Reed
Anyway Maria and Karel were such a nice couple. They seemed rather impressed with Washington…well then again they were really in a good mood after watching their team pass on to the next round. “There’s more green than we expected,” said Karel. “It’s quite relaxed and comfortable here. Safer than I expected too!” I asked them where I should visit if I go to their country and Karel and Maria thought about it for a second and said that Rotterdam would be a good choice.
I found out that they were newlyweds having just gotten married on 09.09.09 after a whirlwind courtship of just about a month (well to be exact they had corresponded for much longer but had only met in person for about a month.) You know what they say. When you know, you just know. I guess this year there will be some people tying the knot on 10.10.10.
Maria said that she was going to give the $10 to someone else. She enjoys helping others. Just recently she volunteered for a program that KLM did for the homeless; part of their Wings of Support program. Later Karel asked if he could give me $10…a different $10 as they wanted to hold on to the one I gave them so they could pass it on to someone else. I tried to remember that I too need to be gracious when people offer me gifts and accepted their $10 which I will save and use to start a fundraising effort that I will begin in a few weeks to help a small bilingual performing arts school in Manizales, Colombia. More to come on how you can help in some upcoming posts!
Kees, Farren, Maria and Karel (photo: Reed)
Right before they left, they introduced me to their Dutch friends Farren(?) and Kees. Kees said that I had inspired him to give five different people 10 euros each when he got back to Holland. Yes! Way to go Kees!
Despite Brazil losing the game, I felt like a winner. In fact as I walked home wearing my Brazil shirt, four different people stopped me to tell me how sorry they were that Brazil lost. One Brazilian woman hung her head out of a stopped car and just shook her head in a mixture of disbelief and sorrow. I tilted my head to one side and shrugged my shoulders. “De aqui a quatro anos,” I told her.
Oh, by the way, I got a text message later that day that Maria and Karel made it to the airport! Stay in touch.
So I went out to Safeway last night and bought a copy (actually two) of the bright pink Woman’s World Magazine. It was the only thing I bought and I got a couple strange looks from the cashier. Anyway, on the back inside cover there is really good article on the Year of Giving and a picture of me in a shirt that looks really green in the photo!
On Day 199 I ventured out looking for a recipient. It was one of those sweltering hot days and I didn’t a bit more get three blocks away and my forehead looked like I had just finished a spicy plate of lamb vindaloo. Speaking of Indian food, which I love, have you heard of the Karma Kitchen? There is one in Berkeley, Chicago and here in DC. The website says, “Imagine a restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads $0.00 with only this footnote: Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those dine after you.” Now they don’t do this every day, but I think here in DC it is every Sunday at the Polo India Club (1736 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC). I haven’t been there on a Sunday yet to check it out, but I have exchanged a few emails with one of people behind the idea. Apparently the Year of Giving inspired them to share the stories of their guests and also give $10 away to a stranger every Sunday! Read what Stephanie did with her $10! Very cool. I hope to check it out very soon! Thanks to the folks at Karma Kitchen for believing in kindness of others!
Ok, sorry, I got sidetracked…so as I walked around the corner of a Starbucks I saw a man with what looked to be hundreds of envelopes that he was furiously licking shut. I thought I would go in and meet him and see if he would accept my $10 or even just some help finishing off those envelopes. You can do them pretty fast with a wet napkin or paper towel.
He was a bald pudgy man probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He peered at me through his heavy framed glasses and in a thick accent said he didn’t have time. I started to offer to help him with the envelopes and he barked something else at me that I didn’t understand but in fact I did understand that he didn’t want to continue the conversation. So I left.
I walked around some more. Up to Dupont Circle down Connecticut Avenue. Maybe the guy smoking the pipe on the bench or the man who appeared to be homeless shouting at people walking by or why not mom holding her daughter’s tiny hand waiting for an ice cream? For some reason, none seemed right that night. I ended up strolling through some more residential streets and found Valerie (whose name I have changed her on her request) and Katie sitting on their front patio enjoying the subtle breeze that attempted to counter the thick omnipresent heat and humidity of the first day of July.
After graduating from the University of Arizona, they decided to move to DC and get some work experience. Now they were relaxing on the eve of their last day in the apartment. Katie is moving back to Arizona to attend law school in the fall and Valerie is staying in DC but moving to a new apartment in Georgetown.
When I approached them Valerie was talking about a young guy that works at the Subway near her office. He is from Nepal and “exudes kindness” she says. Every time she goes in she learns a little more about him. Apparently he moved here and wants to go to college but doesn’t have the funds to do so. “I just feel so bad that here is a guy who works so hard and is so nice to people and he can’t afford to get an education.” Oh, and on a totally different note, Valerie highly recommends the new Subway special: an egg-white sandwich with veggies and cheese on whole wheat with a coffee for $2.50.
So at some point Valerie asked if I wanted something to drink. “We’re having watermelon juice and vodka.” That seemed like a strange combination. “We have moved literally everything out of our place. The only thing we have left in there is half a bottle of wine, watermelon juice and a handle of vodka.” A handle? Hadn’t ever heard it called that. Anyway, let’s try this watermelon and vodka, I hope they still have ice! You know what, the drink wasn’t bad either.
They told me a pretty funny story too. Apparently they needed newspaper to pack some of their items so they swiped their landlord’s New York Times off the porch – he lives upstairs from them. “We didn’t think he would miss one day’s paper.” Well, he did. He came down and asked them if they had “borrowed” it. Caught off guard they denied it. As we were talking about this, he and his wife arrived home. He seemed like such a nice man. I think they felt a little bad about it. Maybe they will use the $10 to buy a back issue copy of that day’s paper and send it to him!
Speaking of the $10, I asked them what they were going to do with it. They decided to split the $10 evenly. Valerie said she was going to take her $5 and add her own $10 to it and give it to the young man at Subway to help him with his savings. Katie said that she was going to take the $5 and add her own money to sign Valerie up to take the GRE exam. By the way, I checked and the exam costs $140 so that is really nice gift! That’s ok she said though, “If I had to invest in any person in the world it would be her.”
Pretty cool.
It was dark and I needed to get home. I thanked them for the hospitality and wished them luck. I actually think I might have seen Katie the next day sitting out on the terrace at the Front Page in Dupont. Still proudly wearing my Brazil shirt on the day that they lost to The Netherlands, I passed a table full of football fans and one of them waived to me. I walked over to the table only to be unsure of who it was. I came up with some awkward things to say I guess and then went on my way. Well, I guess we’ll find out if it was her when she reads this!
Update July 11, 2012: I received a request from the woman I have called Valerie here requesting to change her name and remove photos of them.
So my first two days at work are in the history books. I am still in orientation mode, but I can tell you that this organization is full of talent. The WWF is doing really meaningful work around the world. Please visit their website to learn more about their 19 priority areas.
I am still trying to catch up on my blog entries! Today was actually day 211, so I am 13 days behind in my writing. Oh, by the way, if you are at the supermarket this week and see a magazine called Woman’s World, there should be a story in this week’s edition about the Year of Giving. I haven’t gotten to the store yet to check it out but am going tonight, so I will let you know.
Alexander on his pedicab (photo: Reed)
Day 198 was interesting. I spent the entire day over at my brother and his wife’s house dealing with my sick computer. At 11:00pm we were still running into dead-ends. I hadn’t given my $10 away so I grabbed my things and headed back to DC in hopes to find someone along the way to give the $10 to.
Right off of Pennsylvania Avenue near James Monroe Park I spotted a pedicab waiting to pick up a late night fare in front of Kinkead’s restaurant. I parked the car and walked over and introduced myself to Alexander.
After a career as a military air traffic controller, he tells me that he has been pedaling for the past three years for a company called DC Pedicab. “We’re the original pedicab company in DC, we started four years ago,” he tells me. It’s a nice alternative to a traditional cab. You slow down your travel and actually can take in some of the rich history of our nation’s capital. While Alexander is pedaling away he likes to share some of that rich history with his customers. After an hour and a half of chatting with him I can assure you that he is very knowledgeable about the city.
photo: Reed
Fares typically run about $15-$30, but this all depends on how far and how many people he is pulling. “I actually charge a little more if the customer is considerably overweight too. It’s a lot more work!” And he is a good judge of weight. He said he could guess my weight and what do you know, he guessed mine within five pounds!
I asked him what his longest fare was and he said he once took a wounded veteran from the centerfield entrance at the new Nationals Stadium all the way to Walter Reid Medical Center. How much? $150!
Alexander found this job on Craigslist. “I like it. I pay a monthly fee for the pedicab and then I can work the hours that I want.” He says that he earns good money and stays in shape. He also likes that he gets to meet all different kinds of people. “You never know who you are going to meet. I even drove Sir Richard Branson around at the Virgin concert at Pimlico.” Here Alexander talks about another very memorable fare that he had.
We sat and talked for a long time about a myriad of topics. From what he was doing the day MLK was assassinated and racial tensions in America to what it was like growing up in a Polish-American household in Bridgeport, Connecticut (his mother was first generation and his father second generation.) Not to mention all the DC history he shared with me.
If you live here or will be in the DC area, I encourage you to give Alexander a call. You could do a romantic night out on the town or maybe an hour-long guided tour of Washington. He offered a special rate of $45/hour (please tip him on top of this!) for the readers of the Year of Giving. Trust me it will be worth it! He can be reached at 202-531-7432.
Almost forgot, his $10 went on his metro card. Sometimes Alexander wants to sit back and relax when he travels!
Today is the first day of my new job at the World Wildlife Fund. It’s ironic that I am starting on the same day that I write the blog for Day 197. Read more and you’ll see why.
The progression of these signs show how people's moods have changed toward BP and the oil spill (Photo: Dr. Darron Collins)
So you know that I am raising money for those who have lost their jobs due to the oil crisis in the Gulf. I have received very few donations so if you are able to spare just $10 I encourage you to click here and make a donation to help someone out. When I make the donations I will post photos and videos of the people that you have helped!
I have been following a blog that is written by Dr. Darron Collins, a scientist for the WWF and former resident of the Gulf region. Dr. Collins has been in the Gulf region after the oil spill supporting the work of some of the WWF’s local partners who have actively involved in front-line efforts to protect and restore the wildlife and wildlife habitats in affected areas. Through his writing you meet some of the people directly affected by this catastrophe. His blog is part of what inspired me to try to help some of the individuals who are out of work there due to the spill. To be clear, my efforts to help the Gulf are in no way related to the work that I am doing at WWF. I wrote Dr. Collins a note one day to congratulate him on his work and find out a little more about the situation of the residents of the Gulf shore.
To my surprise, Dr. Collins responded to my email a few minutes after I sent it to him and said he would be delighted to talk to me. We tried to connect on Thursday and Friday of that week but weren’t able to. He then wrote to me saying he was going to be here in DC the following week and offered to meet me for breakfast one morning.
Dr. Collins in Georgetown after our breakfast meeting (photo: Reed)
I met him on Tuesday, the same day I let the WWF know that I was accepting their offer (Again, I hadn’t mentioned to Dr. Collins that I was also applying for a position with the WWF because they were completely separate issues). I walked in Le Pain Quotidien in Georgetown and found Dr. Collins already there enjoying some coffee. We shook hands and I sat down at the long wooden communal table where he was sitting. Before we began talking, I said, “Hey, I got to tell you something.” I explained how I was accepting a position with the WWF and he looked at me and said, “I know.” Apparently he was so impressed with my project that he shared it with colleagues at the WWF. As it turns out someone he shared it with reported back and informed him that I was joining the organization. What a coincidence that I end up posting this day’s blog on the very day that I finally start my job there!
So you have got to check out Dr. Collins’ blog. It is amazing. He is a great writer and includes stunning photographs with each post. Some of the images of this oil disaster will blow you away.
Dr. Collins gave his $10 to Joey T, an out of work shrimper due to the oil spill (photo: Dr. Darron Collins)
I asked Dr. Collins if he would be my 197th recipient and he gladly accepted. He tells me immediately what he plans to do with the $10. “I am going to give it to a guy named Joey down in Grand Island, Louisiana who is an ex-shrimper who lost his job due to the oil spill,” he recounts. “He took me out on his boat while I was there.” I remember reading about “Joey T” in Dr. Collins’ fifth blog entry. Joey has faced some unbelievable challenges. He lost his left leg due to a staff infection that spread as a result of mackerel attack. Then a year later he lost his right leg in a car accident. On the blog Dr. Collins writes, “Joey T was one of the best guides I ever had. He had fished every corner of those waters for flounder, redfish and speckled trout and named and loved every tiny inlet and every bend in the land.”
Dr. Collins received a BA in Human Ecology from the College of the Atlantic and a PhD in anthropology from Tulane University. His studies and his professional work with the WWF all have focused on the relationship between people and the environment; helping society answer the question: “How can we meet the needs of human communities while improving the ecological integrity of the surrounding ecosystem?”
The ten-year veteran of the WWF tells me that he started out his career with the organization in Latin America. He shares an absolutely amazing and hilarious story with me here:
Among his many projects right now, Dr. Collins is working on a special 50th anniversary film for the WWF which celebrates this landmark occasion on December 1, 2011.
Oil-covered marsh grass (photo: Dr. Darron Collins)
I want to share with you one of the stories that Dr. Collins shared with me. Back in February he was working with a gentleman from Namibia named John Kasaona. Mr. Kasaona is the deputy director for Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation in his country. It’s a group that turned poachers into the very people who now protect the environment. He gives a great speech at TEDx and it almost didn’t happen as they came very close to being stranded here because of the snowpocalypse. He said Mr. Kasaona had never seen snow before and his first experience was a three-foot blanket of the stuff that brought DC to a standstill!
When he is not working, Dr. Collins enjoys fly fishing, mountain biking, adventure racing and of course spending time with his wife of nearly 12 years and two daughters; one nine and the other seven.
Well, I am off to work now! It’s been 285 days since I last spoke those words and it feels awesome!
Piola, 1550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA (Photo: Reed)
I met Ryan and Mandy, my brother and sister-in-law, to watch the Brazil – Chile match at a restaurant called Piola in Arlington. Despite it’s origins in Treviso, Italy, I always think about Piola as a Brazilian Pizzeria. When I lived in Brazil there were several Piolas. I used to go to one in Jardins neighborhood quite often. Brazil has great pizza and although Piola is good, it’s not the best there. For me the best pizzerias in Sao Paulo are Speranza, 1900 and Braz.
Anyway, for the options we have here in the DC area, Piola makes a good pie. When they opened up a few years ago in Arlington, I noticed a lot of Brazilians working and dining there. So, that is how we ended up watching the Brazil game there.
A pizza maker prepares the dough before placing it in the wood-fired oven (Photo: Reed)
There were not that many people at the restaurant watching the game. Granted it was being played at 2:30pm on a Monday, so perhaps people were at work. Of the handful of fans there cheering on the game, most were clad in Brazilian shirts like myself. When the satellite connection failed for nearly a half hour due to a thunder-storm, the table next to us pulled out their laptops, connected to a WiFi network and continued watching the game. I migrated over to their table to watch the game and discovered that three of the four of them were from Brazil. I decided to give them my $10 for the day!
Daniela, Reed, Antonella, Amina and Steve at Piola (Photo: Ryan Sandridge)
The game ended with Brazil eliminating Chile’s participation in the World Cup by a score of 3-0. Although everyone in the bar was celebrating, part of me felt a little sad for Cecilia from Day 151. As the game came to a close and people started to rush back to work, I tried to quickly take some notes about my new friends. Unfortunately Steve had to leave immediately and the others only had a few minutes before they too had to leave too, so I had to work fast.
When the satellite connection failed for 30 minutes, Piola's manager sent everyone in the bar a caipirinha on the house! (Photo: Reed)
I asked them what they thought of Washington. “I love DC,” says Daniela, “Rio is not as safe as Washington. This is a very safe, cultured, cosmopolitan city.” Antonella agrees and adds that “Sao Paulo’s traffic is crazy!” She’s right about that. I don’t miss the traffic in Sao Paulo at all. As I was furiously writing down notes in my Moleskine notebook, I heard somebody else say, “We’re in the most important place in the US.” It’s positive to hear them say such nice things about DC. I loved my three years in their country too!
The conversation shifts to what they plan to do with the $10. I was very impressed by how they approached this opportunity. After a good five or ten minutes of back and forth discussion amongst themselves in Portuguese they told me that they had decided. “We’re going to pick a random address in the phone book and send the $10 to them with a note explaining about your project.” That was pretty cool. Nobody has done that before! “And if they don’t want to keep it we’re going to tell them to give it to somebody else.” “Parabens” to them for a creative and thoughtful idea.
It’s only fitting that I post this blog entry today as the world watches the final chapter of the 2010 World Cup. Brazil didn’t make it unfortunately. Will it be Spain? Or will it be The Netherlands. Whoever wins, history will be made as neither team has ever won the World Cup. I have to root for Spain having lived there and developed a strong friendship with many Spaniards. I can’t forget Carlos from Day 118 who hails from Spain or the Dutch recipients of the Year of Giving: Pieter from Day 140 and Karel and Maria from Day 200 – look out for their blog posting this week!
Note: I am sitting here at home watching the game as I write up this blog entry. It’s 0-0 in the first over-time period. Viva España!
Charlie (foreground) plays harmonica while Kevin handles the guitar (Photo: Reed)
On Day 195 I thought about heading over to the Adams Morgan neighborhood to find someone interesting to give my $10 to.
I walked north along 18th Street, dodging the bar-goers coming in and out of the various bars and clubs that hug the road until I reached Columbia Road. As I stood on the corner, I noticed two musicians starting to play on the corner across the street. I decided to head over and listen to them for a while.
As it turns out I decide to give them my $10. Kevin plays guitar and Charlie plays harmonica, percussion and sings. I approached them and told them what I was doing. They agreed to participate. Charlie didn’t say much to me but gave me a business card that says, “The Legendary Charlie Sayles” and has his contact information. “You can read all about me on the website,” Charlie says.
Photo: Reed
Kevin tells me that they often play there at the corner of 18th and Columbia Road in front of the Sun Trust Bank and also at Dupont Circle Metro near the Krispy Kreme. “Charlie’s in the Who’s Who in Harmonica Players and has something like three blues albums.”
As for the $10, Kevin says they will use the money to get some food.
As they got ready to start up playing again, Kevin shared that he was looking for a job. I didn’t get any more details on what exactly he was looking for, but once I do I will post it on the Lend a Hand section…maybe someone out there can help him out!
Charlie starts to make his harmonica sing and they continue playing. They play mostly blues numbers. The melody seems to naturally dance back and forth between Charlie’s harmonica, Kevin’s guitar licks and Charlies vocals. Here is a short taste of their performance.
When I got home, I did take a look at Charlie’s website. The 62-year-old has an extensive musical career that followed an upbringing in various foster homes and a three-year tour of duty in Vietnam. You can find out more about Charlie here or take a listen to his music on his MySpace page.
Jay, me and Lumumba
While I was photographing these two talented musicians, a man named Jay from Atlanta came over to me and inquired about what kind of camera I was shooting with. We began talking and I found out that they were here putting on a large trade show and conference. When he and his colleague, Lumumba, heard about what I was doing, they got excited. “We’re going to give you $10 each man!” said Jay. They insisted. Thank you guys so much!
Pretty cool that they felt so inspired to do that. I used $5 to buy a sandwich for Carl, a homeless guy that I met the next day in Dupont Circle. I donated $5 of it to the family of Javier Lopez-Cruz, a 26-year-old from Oaxaca, Mexico who was killed in an auto accident. They are trying to raise enough money to send his remains back to Mexico. The last $10 I donated toward those who are out of work in the Gulf region. If you would like to help me in these efforts, you can send $10 of your own by clicking here!
Anthony sits on the frozen ground in front of the Metro
Remember Anthony from Day 6? Well, would you believe I ran into him a few weeks ago? I like Anthony a lot. He unfortunately has a pretty nasty drinking habit which has left him homeless for years. But if you haven’t read his story or would like to see a video of how he is doing now, check out his updated blog post here.
Day 194 takes us to a local watering hole. The Brickskeller has been a fixture in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle neighborhood for the last 53 years. It’s a unique locale and arguably a bit “touristy.” However say what you will, I enjoy a visit to this institution now and then.
As you walk up the stairs of the entrance and pass through the outermost door you find two doors to your right and a reception of sorts far in the back. The reception is for the Brickskeller Inn, which I know little about. I seem to always get distracted by what’s behind the two doors on the right before I can make it back to the inn. Both doors remind me of something out of a medieval castle. The first one leads downstairs where there is a labyrinth of rooms separated by hand-fired brick walls. I chose the second door which reveals a dimly lit windowless space with a bar surrounded by 12 stools. Further to your left are dozens of tables, dart boards, a juke box and lots of beer memorabilia.
Partial beer list (Photo: Reed)
I take a seat at the bar and study the ten pages of beers that boast close to a 1,000 beers. They are always out of a lot of beers, so you have to get two or three choices ready.
I sat there writing up some of my blog entries – sometimes I write them out by hand first. I eventually got a little hungry. Much of the food is mediocre at best in my opinion; you don’t come here for the food. Having said that, the Garden Burger is outstanding. It’s a vegan burger made with mushrooms, black beans, brown rice, onions, chipotle seasonings, etc. I almost exclusively get that when I order there. I order one and a Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA to wash it down. The Snake Dog IPA I found to be quite delicious and went very well with my burger! Hats off to the Frederick, MD brewer!
Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA on the left, Megan in the background (Photo: Reed)
Right before my burger comes, I notice two guys to my left who appear to be brothers. I thought I would invite them to be my 194th recipient. Brian and Shawn in fact are brothers. Brian is a civics teacher from Charlotte, NC and his younger brother Shawn lives just over the state line in Hardy County, West Virginia. They refuse to accept the $10 saying that someone else in the bar would surely do something much more amazing with the money than they would since they were “already like 15 beers in” as Brian put it. They were looking to continue their evening and I sent them to Adams Morgan where they were sure to find a lively crowd.
Megan serving a beer (Photo: Reed)
I then thought I would give it to my server/bartender. As she delivered my delicious Garden Burger, I asked her if she would accept my $10 and she readily agreed. Megan, a 23-year-old self-proclaimed army brat, lives in the Colombia Heights neighborhood of DC and has been working at the Brickskeller for nearly four years.
A group of three people take Brian and Shawn’s spot at the bar and I overhear the one member of their group comment that “Megan has been here for ever. She’s good.” This guy seems to be a regular as he asks Megan, “Do you have a couple of my usuals on ice back there?” The Brickskeller is also known for having slightly warmer beers than what many are accustomed to drinking.
Megan stops by as she brings the gentleman his beers and I ask her what her favorite beer is. “That’s hard. Right now I would have to say it is the Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA.”
Bartending for four years means two things. First you probably know a lot about beer. Second, you probably have seen some crazy stuff. Megan knows her beers pretty well and has seen her share of crazy stuff too. “I once saw a five-foot waitress knock a guy out.” Wow…note to self: tip five-foot waitresses at the Brickskeller well!
Speaking of tipping, I also asked Megan for some thoughts on the age-old tradition. “Tipping says something about the service but it also sends a message about the person who is leaving the tip,” she says. “Sure there are times I haven’t been a good server, but I still tip pretty good when the service is bad.” I don’t know if I agree with that. As a former waiter and bartender, I am a firm believer in tipping commensurate with the level of service. If I get lousy service I don’t have a problem with leaving a lousy tip.
Photo: Reed
Megan excuses herself again to wait on some thirsty patrons who sat down on the other end of the bar. Social Distortion’s Story of My Life fades off the juke box and gives way to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing.
When Megan comes back she says she will probably buy a beer or two with the money at the end of her shift. “We are allowed one beer under $5.00 for free after our shift.” Well, my ten spot will come in handy if she wants to order up her favorite from California brewer Lagunitas which sells for $6.95 for a 12 ounce bottle. Cheers!
The Brickskeller is located at 1523 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20037.
Rigatoni with “Sunday gravy” at Potenza. (Photo: Scott Suchman)
I recently had the chance to meet with some friends that were visiting from Toronto. We decided to meet for dinner with another friend of ours who lives in DC at a relatively new Italian restaurant called Potenza that is just a block or two from the White House. The food was good. They are known for their oval pizzas, but none of us ordered pizza.
After dinner, I decided to walk around the neighborhood downtown and see if I could find a recipient for my $10. I walked for about 20 minutes, not really seeing anyone that I felt was right, until I spotted Valerie. And boy was I ever right. This one is amazing, wait until you see the video!
It was about 10:30pm and Valerie was carrying three bags and walking with a pronounced limp north on 11th Street. When she got to H Street I gathered the courage to stop her and ask her to accept my $10. The 55-year-old mother of four, grandmother of 12, told me she liked what I was doing but preferred not to participate. She put her bags down and we started to talk. I wasn’t going to let her get away!
Washington, DC, April 5, 1968 (photo: unknown)
She told me that she was born here in the nation’s capital. Valerie remembers the riots that erupted in Washington after the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “They burnt down this jewelry store over on H and 8th Streets in Northeast. There was a black man walking around where the jewelry store used to be throwing diamonds up in the air!” Things are better now though she says.
She talks to me about her 89-year-old mother. “She moved here from Ohio and she’s still here. Sharp and in good health.” I bet she is a good woman because she certainly raised a good woman.
Valerie was on her way home from work where she cleans offices. “Where were you when I needed you…when I was broke!” she says. Her laughter quickly subsides and she goes back to telling me that I should just give it to somebody else. We go back and forth on this and she says, I could use it to take a cab home instead of a bus, but I can’t do that. I asked her why not and she said, “I need [the ten dollars], but I don’t need that bad.”
There was a point when I thought that I had convinced her to take the money. Then she really started getting anxious, almost panicking a little bit. Her eyes darted back and forth behind her large frame glasses sweeping the streets for someone to give it to. She just wanted to get rid of it as fast as possible so she wasn’t tempted to use it on herself.
Well, take a look at what happens when she finds who she is going to give it to and then gives it to them right before my eyes! Her face lights up so much when she decides what to do with it, it’s great. Check it out!
I waited with Valerie until her bus came. The S2 pulled up and she got on and headed toward her home in Southeast.
Wow…what a great night. I only wish she would have given me her contact information so that I could keep in touch with her and make sure she comes to the year-end celebration in December! If anyone knows her, let me know.
First of all thank you so much for all the kind notes, emails and comments about my new job here and on Facebook. I am very excited about this opportunity!
Photo: Reed
Summer time is a great time to get outside and visit a farmer’s market. I was walking downtown on Day 192 when I came across a small farmer’s market near Penn Quarter in DC. Near the corner of 8th & H Streets was stand with a yellow tent with the name Endless Summer Harvest on it. I decided to wander over and find out what exactly the folks at Endless Summer Harvest were all about.
Photo: Reed
The water stays in the system and can be reused- thus, lower water costs
It is possible to control the nutrition levels in their entirety- thus, lower nutrition costs
No nutrition pollution is released into the environment because of the controlled system
Stable and high yields
Pests and diseases are easier to get rid of than in soil because of the container’s mobility
Cassandra and Zack (photo: Reed)
The main disadvantage of hydroponic systems is that great caution must be taken to control the growth of salmonella due to the high humidity environment coupled with the presence of fertilizers.
Anyway, I got to meet two great people who were working at the stand: Cassandra and Zack. Day 192’s recipients met while studying biology at James Madison University. Cassandra works full-time at the Alliance to Save Energy and helps Endless Summer Harvest out on Thursdays at the farmer’s market. Zack, a 21-year-old JMU student, has worked at Endless Summer Harvest since high school.
Photo: Reed
I asked the two of them what they were going to do with the $10 and they said that they were going to donate it to a group that works to stop mountaintop removal for coal mining purposes. I am trying to find the exact organization and when I do I will post it here. There are lots of negative environmental effects of this practice. My new employer, the World Wildlife Fund, has this to say about it on their website:
In West Virginia and other Appalachian states – in one of the most biologically diverse temperate regions of the world – mountaintops are torn apart to gain access to low-sulfur coal lying underneath. The leftover rock and earth is dumped into nearby valleys and streams. These practices threaten songbirds and other wildlife dependent on large tracts of interior forest, and the mussels, fish, crayfish, and invertebrates found in the streams. Hundreds of miles of streams have been buried by the dumping of such wastes in the past, in an ecoregion that WWF has identified as being globally outstanding.
Photo: Reed
I enjoyed meeting Cassandra and Zack. They opened the door to a new world to me, the vendor community at farmers markets. They seem more like partners than competitors. “The fruit people do really well,” Zack says with a little bit of envy, “but we all help one another out.” While I was talking to them several other stands stopped by to see if they could use some left over product that they had.
7pm came around and they started to pack up. I was impressed at how quickly they tore down and got everything packed up. Cassandra wasn’t scared to get her hands dirty either. She didn’t hesitate to pick up the huge coolers they use and load the van.
Photo: Reed
Note: The Penn Quarter Farmers Market is administered by Freshfarm Markets and is located at the north end of 8th St. NW, between D and E Streets. According to a representative of the organization, it is open every Thursday (except Thanksgiving) from April 1 – Dec. 23rd from 3pm – 7pm.
Before I introduce you to Andrew, I have two updates. The first one is a big one. After 285 days of unemployment I have accepted a position with the World Wildlife Fund and will begin next week! Don’t worry though, the Year of Giving will continue! Perhaps this will give me a new perspective on giving. Thanks to so many of you who have given me encouragement throughout the past 9 months.
The other update is that I delivered some items for Phillip from Day 75. Click here to see him receiving some of the items that you have sent!
Day 191 was one of the days that I was struggling with my dying laptop. I had been over at my brother and his wife’s house all day trying to rescue it. It was nearing the midnight hour and I rushed out of the house in pursuit of a recipient.
Andrew (Photo: Reed)
I saw a man walking along North Lynn Street in Arlington and stopped to see if he would accept my $10. I tried hard to convince him to participate, but he stuck to his guns and said he didn’t want to “get involved.” Strike one. Back in my car and across the Key Bridge into DC. I headed over to the “Social Safeway” on Wisconsin Avenue where I found Andrew studying the contact lense solution at 11:40pm. The 22-year-old is in DC for the summer doing an internship for his master’s degree program in international affairs at Georgia Tech. I asked him if he always does his shopping around midnight. “No, I just happened to have time now,” he responded.
When Andrew is not studying and working he is training for his first marathon. I have never had a desire to run a marathon. I could see trying to do a 10-miler, but I have no interest whatsoever in running 26 miles!
The grandson of Eastern European immigrants, he has lived abroad in Bulgaria for four months. He talks about his grandmother fondly. “She is 86 and still going strong!” Maybe his grandmother and his time in Bulgaria
Photo: Reed
have fueled his interest to get grant money to go to the Black Sea region and study the relationship between highly bureaucratic governments and the degree of development that has occurred within the country. If you can offer any suggestions on how Andrew can secure grant funding for this specific project, please leave a comment here.
“So what are you going to do with the $10,” I ask. He says that he will put it toward an outing with his “Little.” That’s right. Somehow Andrew finds time to be a Big Brother to a six-year-old in Atlanta. “I feel that the best way to help those who are disadvantaged is to volunteer my time and be a positive role model for them.” I couldn’t agree more. “Somehow you got to break the cycle,” he concludes.
Andrew (Photo: Reed)
At the end of our conversation, I learn that Andrew will be joining the Air Force upon his graduation from grad school. “I just got my bars pinned on,” he tells me. With his international interest I am not surprised when he tells me that he plans to serve in the Intelligence Division. I am sure he will go far. Thanks in advance for your service to our country.
Two quick updates! I have finally got some video together from my first delivery of items for Tommy from Day 155. You can see the video here. He was so thankful! Thanks to all who continue to send items for those on the Lend a Hand list. Also, I recovered some video for Alex on Day 180 and posted it.
On Day 190, I went out to Dulles to meet up with my friend Alex for coffee. He did his MBA at Vanderbilt with some friends of mine a few years ago and had a long layover at the airport on his way back from the west coast to Europe. It was a short visit, but always good to catch up with old friends. He keeps telling me that I should come to see him in Riga, Latvia…it would be fun and interesting to see how Latvians respond to the Year of Giving!
Later I found myself sitting in Tina’s chair at the Hair Cuttery at Connecticut and R in NW. I have had this idea before to give my $10 to the person that cuts my hair. Since you sit there and talk to them for a good while, I have always thought that they make for a perfect person to meet and give $10 to. I have tried a few times, Day 60 for example, but have not been successful yet.
Today I would change that streak. I asked Tina if she would be a part of the Year of Giving. “I think I have heard of this. Are you that guy?” This is always a weird moment. Part of me is excited when people have heard of the Year of Giving but another part of me is somehow shy to affirm their suspicion. A bit sheepishly I told her, “Yeah, I’m the guy.”
I wasn’t sure until the end of my hair cut when she actually took my $10 if she would participate or not. She seemed a bit hesitant the entire time, but I did learn a little bit about her…but not much. She seems to be a pretty private person.
Photo: Reed
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she moved here some 30+ years ago after meeting an American man. She has been working at the Dupont Hair Cuttery for about 15 years. By the way, if you live downtown this is one of the most economical places to get your hair cut. For men, cuts are $18. Depending on where you live, this might not sound like a good deal, but almost everywhere else here charges more than $30. I have always had good experiences there and I always get a different person.
I asked her what was the craziest hair cut she has ever given. Wouldn’t you know it, she said the “M” word….yeah, I won’t write the word, I already get hundreds of people every day coming to my website looking for this type of hairstyle. See this post/comments to learn more about this odd relationship the website has with people surfing for these kinds of haircuts.
Tina didn’t tell me much more (and I definitely wasn’t allowed to take her picture!) We talked about the weather and trivial things like that. I did learn that she likes Sci-Fi movies and has always wondered if there was intelligent life in another universe. I believe that there is.
She finished up, I gave her the $10 which she plans to pass along, paid the bill, tipped her and went on my way.
A question for you readers. I am writing an article about giving and whether intentions matter. What do you think? Does it matter what someone’s intentions are when they practice giving? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
The Hair Cuttery in Dupont is located at 1645 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009-1054 – (202) 232-9685. Open Weekdays 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-7pm; Sun 11am-5pm. Walk-ins welcome.
He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts on June 29, 1941. The son of a construction worker and an electronics factory worker, he comes from a modest family with a strong affinity for the arts. His mother and older brothers sang and his father played guitar. Darrold was no exception. He started performing with his family at an early age. His dedication paid off too, getting him accepted to study music at the prestigious Juilliard School for Music in New York City.
Darrold (Photo: Reed)
In 1970 he founded the Urban Philharmonic, a nonprofit symphony orchestra that performs high quality music in diverse urban settings without all the formality often associated with symphonies. Maestro Darrold moved the Urban Philharmonic to Baltimore and then to DC in 1978. He and the Urban Philharmonic have been here ever since. Darrold says he likes DC. “I like that I can see the moon rise and set,” something he says he wasn’t able to do in NYC. “I miss Manhattan though; the quantity and quality of the arts and performing arts.”
“The Washington community is just beginning to harness its own political power,” he states. This sounded a bit strange to me because I usually think of Washingtonians as being politically savvy so I asked him to expand upon this. “The institutions here are powerful, however, until recently the people themselves have not had any power.” He talks about how former Mayor Marion Barry used his power to leverage the power of the people. I can see that, but he also used his power to benefit himself tremendously. Not to mention that he was a convicted on various counts of drug use and tax evasion.
The conversation naturally moved to music and Maestro Darrold told me how excited he was to conduct Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, Eroica. “It’s an interesting piece,” he says as he paints me a mental picture of Beethoven running off to follow Napoleon to try to understand war, pain, death and dying. “Beethoven succeeds in sharing his inner most feelings with the listener; this is what makes him so great!”
I asked him what great musicians influenced him when he was young to pursue a career in music. He grinned widely and told me that Billy Holiday and his mother. “She was soprano and had a beautiful voice,” he told me still smiling
I loved feeling the excitement in Darrold’s voice when he spoke about the Urban Philharmonic. Due to a lack of donations, the Urban Philharmonic came critically close to fading away for good. But Maestro Darrold dug deep and found the strength to push on. He is fighting now to keep the organization alive. At almost 70-years-old, he is committed to bringing back the Urban Philharmonic with an aggressive schedule of six concerts this next season. To do that, it will depend on donations from people like you. If you would like to learn more about the Urban Philharmonic or make a donation, please click here.
Darrold is going to use the $10 to help buy food this week.
Below is a brief video of part of my conversation with Darrold. Hear first-hand what it feels like to conduct a symphony!
Note: I was so impressed with the potential of this organization that I have agreed to volunteer some of my time to help with strategic planning and overall management of the organization.
UPDATE: Nov. 14, 2013
I’m sad to share that I learned yesterday that Maestro Hunt passed away last Wednesday Nov. 6th at his home. I don’t have much more details at this time, except that there is a memorial service being held on Friday Nov. 15th at the Church of the Holy City (Emanual Swedenborgian Church) located at 1611 16th Street NW (16th & Corcoran). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. followed by service at 7pm.
Darrold exuded love and kindness. His enthusiasm and passion could hardly be contained within his body. It was impossible not to be moved by his ardent smile which he shared unselfishly. DC, and the world of music, has lost one of the greats.
Day 188 was Father’s Day. My dad came down from Pennsylvania for the day. My brother and his wife met us at Guapo’s in Shirlington, VA for lunch. After getting our Mexican fill, we went over to watch City Island. I had never heard of this movie, but it is quite good. Then we went over to my brother and his wife’s house and played bridge. I really enjoy playing bridge, however, I don’t know hardly anyone who plays and I am not that good. It is probably the most dynamic card game that I know.
For dinner we decided to take our father to Ray’s the Steaks (2300 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlington, VA. I had not been there before and was very impressed….well I shouldn’t be surprised, their sister restaurant, Ray’s Hell Burger (1725 Wilson Blvd, Arlingtong, VA), serves up the best burger I have ever sunk my teeth into. I asked our server, a young lady who was working her last shift before taking a leave of absence from Ray’s, if there were any staff members who were fathers. She went to check.
Meanwhile we enjoyed a delicious dinner. They have a special that runs Sun-Tues that consists of a salad, two 5-oz filet mignons, two family style side orders and dessert for $24.99. For the quality you get, it is a pretty good deal. We didn’t have anything to drink, but their wines and beers seemed reasonably priced.
Our server returned with Daren. He’s a proud father of two girls, 5 and 8 years old. A product of growing up in both Ocala, FL and the Bronx, NY, he considers himself more of a Bronx guy. “I’m definitely more Bronx when I’m angry,” he says laughing.
He’s been working at Ray’s for about a year and a half. “It’s a great place to work. Management is very respectful to the employees.” He goes on to say that, “Michael, the owner, comes in almost every day.”
I asked Daren what his favorite item from the menu was. Check out this video for his answer as well as a little bit about one of Michael Landrum’s newest ventures, Ray’s Hell Burger II (1713 Wilson Blvd, Alrington, VA). Caution, you may be mouth-watering hungry after watching:
I learned that Ray’s has no website and does no marketing. Anyone who has eaten there understands why. The food is so good that you don’t need to do marketing. Another interesting thing they do there is on Sundays they donate 10% of their sales to the Boys and Girls Clubs of NE Washington, DC and Arlington, VA. “I’m going to donate your $10 to the Boys & Girls Club,” Daren shares with me with great excitement.
Although polite, Daren’s supervisor seemed a little bothered that I was potentially keeping Daren from his tables, so I wished him a happy Father’s Day and said goodbye.
Happy Fourth of July to you! If you are reading this from outside the United States, it is just another day. Here it is a day that we stop to celebrate our sovereignty that was established in 1776. Enjoy!
Day 187 was a beautiful day in Washington, but it was hot. As I walked through Dupont Circle I found Alana sitting on a bench close to the fountain listening to her iPod and reading a book while enjoying the sunshine.
A bartender for the last three years somewhere here in the DC-MD-VA area, Alana was a little reluctant to tell me too much about herself at first. But I get her to open up some. At one point she even said, “I have no secrets.”
Originally from Toa Payoh in central Singapore, in 1993 Alana left Singapore to study marketing at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. She shared a little about her initial impressions of the United States and how it was similar and different than Singapore. “Singapore is modern but people still hold on to traditions.”
Alana didn't want to be photographed, but she did allow me to take a picture of her colorful toenails (Photo: Reed)
She tells me that she likes reading, watching TV and playing video games. “I really like the fighting games,” she says with great enthusiasm. “Do you mean like Mortal Kombat?” I asked. “Well, that is pretty old school. Nobody plays that now,” I learn. Apparently a more hip game system is the Play Station 3. “Once in a blue moon I play a role playing game when I’m bored killing people,” she says with quiet gentle tone. I was amused by how calm she spoke about how much she enjoyed playing “killing games.”
I start to feel the sun burning my skin. Alana offers me some of her sunscreen which I readily accept.
I used to tend bar as well and always thought I got an interesting view of the nation’s economic situation through my customers. I found that people would tend to share their troubles with me, especially financial ones. She thought about it and said, “I haven’t seen that much change, maybe a little.”
“So what are you going to do with the $10,” I asked her. She took a drink of her Starbucks iced tea and seemed to think about the question some before looking over at me and saying that she would probably give it back to me. I tried to encourage her to do something else with it. She said that she would try to give it to someone else. We agreed that I would check back with her in a few days to see what happened to it. With my computer out of commission, I got behind on following up and only reached out to her yesterday. I will ask her to post what happened to it here.
I said goodbye and retreated to my air-conditioned living room a few blocks away.
Today I put on my Brazil jersey on and went to watch the match versus The Netherlands. Although Brazil didn’t win, I am not sure that the Netherlands won it. Neither team played a great game, but The Netherlands missed a few opportunities to make the game 3-1 or even 4-1. I remember being in Sao Paulo, Brazil four years and a day ago when France beat Brazil 1-0. The pub where I watched the match was completely silent after the game…the streets where empty. The country went to sleep to wash away a nasty hangover. I imagine that today is a somewhat similar day.
I will wash my sorrows away with a blog post about an inspiring man named Charles who I met as he washed windows along Connecticut Avenue.
Photo: Reed
Charles is 52 years old and was born and raised here in Washington, DC. “I was born just over there in Georgetown,” he says as he points west toward the popular historic neighborhood. “I used to play drums over here at Dupont Circle when I was young.”
He attended Francis Junior High School just a few blocks from where we were standing. He grins as he tells me that he still gets together every July 17th with his friends from Junior High.
Now he lives down near the Waterfront with his mother who he helps take care of. His father, who died some years ago, worked at the Navy Yard making weapons. “His picture is on the wall there,” he says proudly. He tells me that he and his father were almost identical looking.
Charles' cart (photo: Reed)
After 12 years delivering the Congressional Record, the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, Charles’ boss retired and he decided to start a new chapter in his life as well. His boss let him keep some small carts that he used to use to deliver the report and he thought he could put a milk crate on it and make a good cart to carry supplies. He had often seen people cleaning windows in DC but they were always carrying all the supplies and it was cumbersome to have to gather everything up every time they moved on to the next location. He put two and two together and launched his own window washing business.
So seven years and 400 customers later, Charles is doing pretty well. He is a very simple man, but he understands business very well. You build your business one customer at a time. And if you take care of them, they will take care of you. As an example, one of his clients even lets him keep his supplies in their back room so that he doesn’t have to haul it back and forth from his home.
“I take care of most of these businesses,” he tells me as he points up and down Connecticut as far as I can see. Each place is different. Different size windows, different service (inside, outside, or both). He chuckles as he tells me that one of his clients is a sex toy shop with lots of erotic toys, etc. in the window. It definitely helps break up any potential monotony in his work!
His favorite place though is an old school with lots of windows. Although the building is special, what he likes most about it is how friendly everyone there is. Even the kids say hello to him when he is there. “They say hi Mr. Charles when they see me.”
In general his services cost between $5 and $25, depending on the customer’s specific needs. Residential service can be quite a bit more if you have to deal with screens for example.
Charles finished the storefront he was working on and it looked great. I asked him if he had any trade secrets he would share with me. He gave me three:
Use newspaper instead of cloth or paper towels
Add a small amount of rubbing alcohol in the winter to avoid freezing
Use dishwashing detergent instead of window cleaner, it’s a lot cheaper (he buys a bottle at the Dollar Store)
It’s not all work and no play though. When Charles is not working, he enjoys visiting the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum.
Charles at work (Photo: Reed)
Note: If anyone would like to contact Charles about window washing services, let me know.
I am still struggling with my computer issues, but trying to push forward. Thanks for all the kind emails.
Elijah Alfred Nature Boy Alexander (Photo: Reed)
The man that I am going to introduce you to today is someone that I had seen on Day 124 when I went for a run. I was jogging through Lafayette Park which is just in front of the White House when I ran by a shirtless black man with matted cotton white hair sitting on a bench holding a wooden staff. I thought to myself…when I get home I’m going to get my $10 and go down there and give it to this guy! Well, as it turned out when I got back there I couldn’t find him. Fast forward 61 days and I was walking through Lafayette Park with a reporter and a photo-journalist (Jon from Day 184!) from Street Sense when I saw the same man. Unfortunately he was talking to someone so we sat down and waited to see if the other gentleman would leave so I could go and speak with the man I soon found out goes by the name Elijah Alfred Nature Boy Alexander Junior.
Elijah was very friendly when I approached him and graciously accepted my invitation to sit and talk for a while. The only item of clothing he was wearing was a pair of jeans that had been cut all the way up the sides like a loincloth. It’s been years since he stopped wearing shirts and shoes.
Originally from a place called Grambling in northern Louisiana, Elijah gave up his job at Southwestern Bell in Dallas, TX at the age of 31 and began wandering North America as an objective observer. He has been married twice and has fathered six children with five women. He shares a lot of information about himself on his website. I spent hours reading through different parts of his site and his Facebook Page. I thought I would share one of his many poems he has written and posted online.
About the Author, The Poem
By a midwife in a Mount Olive Community in 1945 was born
Elijah Alfred Alexander, Jr., as he has always been known,
to Elijah, Senior, daddy, and Annie Brooks (Gaulden) mother,
with two sisters older and sandwiched by an older and younger brother.
December ’63 he finished his high schooling, a year and a half late,
while working also, and by the next year’s end had a military date.
He was married the next spring to one Camala Louise Taylor, by name, who mothered Karn Marshell, a girl, and a boy the third of the same.
Vietnam was in full swing and took him twice to the east
where he, by one, helped the population to increase.
As an aircraft mechanic he finally got orders for Japan
only to have a medical discharge return him stateside again
where he, by another boy’s wife, increased the population,
totaling six (two in sixty five before the marriage relation).
In ’72 he divorced, and in ’74 married again,
Dellie Mae Bolton, and before three months was a preacher man.
In August of ’76 he gave up being a telephone maintenance man,
to obey the messianic call to “judge not, go into all the land,
observe all things though you’ll have no place for your head.”
Traveling by foot his comforts got heavy so the extras he shed.
Living like animals and not judging he used the art of reason,
saw all things relative and put all things of man into a season
and became mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially free.
He believes its how all christs, titled Christians, are called to be.
– Elijah Alfred Nature Boy Alexander Junior
Photo: Reed
He now divides his time between two residences in DC where he does some house sitting. This past winter he was the “fire guard” for the wood burning stove at one of the homes he stays at so he was not at the park as often. Given his choice to not use a lot of clothes, I asked him how he gets by in the winter. “I shovel snow,” he said with a smirk.
Elijah has traveled extensively through North America, all by foot unless offered a ride. He tells me stories about the 5 Canadian provinces, 44 continental US states, 11 Mexican states that he has visited. He then remembers that he even made it to Belize. “How could I forget Belize! I spent nine months there! Three and a half months of which I was in a mental institution there because they thought I was crazy and then four and a half months locked up in jail.” That is not the only place he has had accommodations behind bars. He has made visits to several jails around North America for indecent exposure; 32 visits in Louisiana alone, a place where he says the jails are usually quite nice and the people treat you pretty well. Elijah tells me about being arrested for taking an avocado from a fruit stand. “I was told by a higher power to get a piece of fruit, so I got it.” According to Elijah there is an old law on the books that allows the poor to enter grocery stores and take fruit without paying for it. I haven’t been able to find that law yet.
I could go on and on talking about how interesting I found my chat with Elijah, but I want to encourage you to visit his website and get to know him for yourself. Elijah is someone who reminds us not to judge others by the clothes that they wear (or don’t wear).
As for my $10, he said he would use it to get some fruit, this time he said he will pay cash for it. He learned his lesson about taking fruit and not paying for it a long time ago!
Notes: Elijah holds office hours in Lafayette Park from roughly 10-5:00 every day. I bet he would love to meet you. You can see other photos of my visit with Elijah in this week’s Street Sense! Go buy a copy and help a vendor out!
The Year of Giving does not focus on any one “type” of person. People often ask me how I select the recipients. Sure, some days I go out with a type of person in mind, however many times it is just a feeling I get when I am sitting next to somebody on the bus or watching a mother play with her child in a park. Having said this, I have given my $10 to a considerable amount of people who are currently or who have in the past experienced homelessness.
The term “homeless” or “homeless individual or homeless person” includes-
an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is –
a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
Photo: Jon Howell
Although I don’t think that the government has came up with the best definition here, it is certainly better than the definition that usually comes to people’s mind when they hear that someone is homeless. The image of someone sleeping on the streets.
The area that I have found particularly interesting to study here is the one that deals with those who lack “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” So many people today fall into this category and they are often not counted in statistics on homeless populations. The Year of Giving has taught me an immense amount about the people who struggle with this every day. I often forget how fortunate I am to have such a comfortable environment to keep my belongings, prepare my meals and sleep at night.
As a result of the writings, photographs and videos that I have done about the homeless I was nominated for the David Pike Excellence in Journalism Award. Although Maria Glod from the Washington Post ended up winning the award, I was extremely honored to have even been nominated for my work.
Photo: Jon Howell
I went to the award ceremony with my father and brother. It was a very nice evening. I took pictures which I can try to post here once I get my computer fixed. I thought I would look for a recipient for my $10 at the event, so I had my small black Moleskine journal with me to take notes. As it turns out, the notebook slid out of my bag and remained underneath my seat when we left the auditorium. I noticed that I was missing it immediately and had an idea that it was probably under the seat so I went back and checked but didn’t find anything. Now I was concerned, because I knew I had it with me. Maybe somebody turned it in, right?
Well, just as I was looking around to ask someone if anyone had turned it in, a young man who I recognized from being the photographer at the event, walked over to me and gave me the book. Well, on my Moleskine notebook it is clearly marked that there is a reward for returning it to me. You guessed it, that reward is $10!
I thanked Jon and happily handed him the $10. He explained that he was an intern working at Street Sense for the summer as a photographer. A photo journalism major at the University of North Texas, Jon is here in DC through a partnership with the George Washington University. Still holding his Canon Rebel XTi in his hands, he mentioned he was on his way to the reception to take more photographs. I didn’t want to hold him up so I tried to be quick.
Baylor rugby player (Photo: Jon Howell)
I found out that Jon recently transferred to the University of North Texas from Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX. He played rugby for two years there and hopes to continue playing at North Texas. “It’s different than football,” he says, “you have to learn how to hit the other guy differently.” He talks about the importance that strategy plays in the game as well. But even strategy doesn’t protect you from getting a little banged up. Jon has broken his nose three times (weird, so have I!) and had his AC separated off the clavicle.
Off the field Jon’s artistic interest is not limited to photography. He also loves music. “I own a record store in Abilene, Texas” he says. “You mean old school vinyl records?” I asked. He nodded his head and confirmed my suspicion. This struck me as odd. CDs were already starting to dominate as the preferred physical medium for music by the time he was born! But this has nothing to do with that. This is more about the relationship someone has with music. There is something almost romantic about vinyl records.
Record player (Photo: Jon Howell)
I was just surprised to discover that someone his age who grew up in an era full of hi-tech gizmos would feel so strongly about this format of music that he would own a record store. Let’s not forget how cool it is that at 19 he owns his own record store!
Jon said he was going to use the $10 to get some food that week. As an unpaid intern he has to be careful with his spending.
We talked about Washington, DC some. “The first time I came here was when I was in the eighth grade. I remember seeing the homeless and it made an impression on me.” He also took lots of photos while he was here. Jon was very excited to to return to Washington and work with an organization like Street Sense which does so much for the city’s homeless citizens.
Narrow DC street (Photo: Jon Howell, Street Sense)
His internship will be up in August and he will return to Texas. With him he will take much more than the thousands of photos he has shot and the college credits that he has earned. He will take with him an experience that I believe will change the course of his life as it has changed mine. The opportunity to learn about and work with this city’s homeless population has opened my eyes and my heart in so many ways.
I said goodbye to Jon and let him get to work. The Award Ceremony reception had left over food and coffee which I took with me a few blocks away to the park at 20th and Pennsylvania. There I found several people who were happy to receive some of the leftovers. As I was walking around the park I found one man laying in the grass with nothing but the clothes on his back. I was worried that he might not be ok, so I walked over and asked. The man awoke from his sleep and turned out to beAnthony from Day 6! He and I chatted for a while and he seemed well, although sufficiently inebriated. It was good to see him. I chatted with another man for nearly an hour and a half. It was now midnight and my brother and father were waiting for me across the street (they had went to dinner when I went to deliver the food and coffee). It was a great night!
Jon (Photo: Reed)
A special thanks to Jon for allowing me to post some of his photographs in this blog. Click here to check out more of Jon’s photography.
UPDATE: 10/27/2010
I got an update from Jon. Here it is…
Hey man its been awhile. Hope all is well in DC and with your giving. Sorry I never got to give you a photo lesson, it was just so crazy the whole time I was there. I’m working for the newspaper at UNT doing photography and multi-media news videos and playing for the UNT rugby team. I also just got a job working as a field representative for home improvement place in Lewisville. I go door to door to offer a free estimate on any projects they may have on their homes. My brother also graduated from film school and got signed to an agency here in Dallas. He just got cast in stage production and is about to audition for another. The record store is still in business and doing pretty good. I still haven’t found a location for here in Denton but the one in Abilene is doing well. Hope to hear back from you.
It’s day 69 of the oil spill and day 6 of me sans computer. No solution has worked for either the spill or my computer, not that they are anywhere close to being on equal levels of importance. By the way, I have put this Donate option up on the right side of the screen here last week to add donations to what we raised at the DC Get-Together and not a single person has donated to help those out of work in the Gulf. I am surprised given that so many people offer to directly help me or help the recipients whose stories are here. Please help, I want to send the money down there asap. Imagine if half of the readers of the blog would give $10…that would be amazing!
As for my computer issues…I mentioned a guy who volunteered his time to help me, however, he went MIA on Saturday and he has not answered my emails or voice mails. I hope he is OK. My brother Ryan was nice enough to help me run hours of tests and try different solutions, but still no luck. So no pictures or video for a while. Sorry. For now I am using an old Acer computer that my sister-in-law let me borrow. It is a very basic machine that can’t handle large files and doesn’t have Windows or Microsoft Office, etc. It runs on Linux. On a positive note, it is good to get some experience using a different operating system. I bought a new hard drive today thinking that that was the problem. I installed it and still no change, so I am back to square one. Anyway…back to meeting the amazing people from my journey!
Day 183 was the Worldwide Day of Giving. I did some media interviews that day. In the morning I was on News Channel 8’s Let’s Talk Live and then in the afternoon I was on CNN with Ali Velshi. Both went well. My dad went with me to CNN’s studios. I think he enjoyed that. On our way home he gave away his $10 for the day to a nice guy named Tony. His story is on Facebook here.
Later I went to the DC Get-Together for the Worldwide Day of Giving. A lot of people were able to come and we had a great time. Several TV stations came to cover the event. A nice surprise was seeing Jay Korff and Mark Bautista from ABC and Kate Michael from KstreetKate.net. They have shared my story with their viewers over the last couple months. Some past recipients who attended were: Anthony, Tommy, Sammy, Danny, Molly, Ashley, Mark to name a few.
So, as the celebration began to wind down, I headed over to the bar area and found Mark chatting with a friend at the bar. About the same time I realized that with all the excitement of the day, I had not given away my $10 yet! I didn’t recognize the guy Mark was talking to so I thought, let’s see if he is willing to accept my $10!
It turns out that Alan is actually staying on Mark’s couch this week. They met through www.couchsurfing.org, a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit. Originally from Reading, England, Alan came over here for his brother’s wedding in Denver and plans to stay for a bit and open a subsidiary office for the geothermal energy company he works for back in England. Then he plans to go to Ushuaia, Argentina and bike 11,000 miles to the US. If such a journey sounds familiar, you might recall that an earlier recipient was planning to make almost the exact trip only in reverse from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. Here is the wild part of this story. That previous recipient was Mark! That’s right, without knowing it, Alan ended up staying on Mark’s couch, neither of them previously knowing that the other one was planning to make a very similar journey. Not only do they share this same dream, Alan has already made a similar trip that is absolutely incredible. He bicycled 13,000 miles from London, England to Cape Town, South Africa. It took him only 348 days to complete the journey. That is a hell of a trip! Check out the details here.
I place a beat-up $10 bill in Alan’s hand and he readily tells me what he will use it for. “I need a new chain for my bike and ten bucks will buy a decent chain.”
We spoke very casually for some time. I enjoyed learning more about Alan and his cycling. He was also interested in my project and I learned that he is no stranger to giving and charitable ventures. During his London-Capetown trip he raised 10,000 British pounds for an organization called Child Reach International. He also says that biking has served as a catalyst for giving as well. “Cycling people are really friendly and people are always giving. You get so much from others while you are cycling that you save up and then help someone else out in the future.”
Alan told me about a website that I had never heard of too: www.warmshowers.org. “It’s a website that shows you where you can get free warm showers.” He takes a sip of his beer and fires laughs as he says, “That’s rather important when you are cycling for months!”
The English are known for their beer so I thought I would ask him if he had a favorite English beer. He didn’t show any strong favoritism to any one in particular but offered up Newcastle Brown.
Other tidbits about Alan that I found interesting are that he has met the Queen of England, thinks Philadelphia is the best city in the US that he has visited and thinks that newly elected Prime Minister, David Cameron, looks like the twin of the new Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
I took some video of Alan which I hope to post when I get my computer problems resolved. We said goodbye and parted ways. He was leaving in two days to go to New York. I just found out on his blog that he has had to return to England to get the proper visa to stay here and work to help set up the subsidiary office for his employer.
Note: Here is a blog entry that Alan posted which includes our encounter where he received the $10.
It was a Monday as I walked along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Anacostia, part of DC’s Southeast quadrant. My neck turning red as the sun’s heavy rays beat down on me. The bricks of many of the houses and buildings along my path no longer hold the rich red color they once did.
Isaac walked by me as he headed toward the Metro which was about five blocks away. Something about him struck me and I doubled back and caught up with him and asked him to accept my $10. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me as if I had just spoken to him in a foreign language. I sometimes forget how unusual this year-long commitment is. Sharing that he has heard of my project either in the Washington Post or on the local news, he agrees to be my 182nd recipient.
The 32-year-old was on his way home from a trade school where he is learning the fundamentals of carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. With less than a month left of schooling he still is unsure of what he will do when he finishes.
Our conversation takes us back in time to when Isaac was a high school student at Chamberlain High School in Southeast. As a young adult Isaac got involved in some things he shouldn’t have which culminated with him receiving a three-year sentence at the McKean Federal Correctional Institution for cocaine distribution related charges. Released in February of this year, Isaac is trying to pull his life together. “Things happen in prison you know, but you just mind your own business and try not to get in the middle of nothing,” Isaac says of his time in the Pennsylvania penitentiary. While an inmate, he tried to improve himself by completing his GED and taking computer courses. “I would like to get a job working with medical records or something like that.” He goes on to say that he has been thinking about enrolling in the University of Phoenix to further his education.
My conversation with Isaac covers the whole spectrum of life. He shares with me that he might be a father. There is a DNA test in progress to determine whether he is the father of a soon to be three-year-old girl. I did the math and determined that if he did father the child then it must have been right before he was incarcerated. “I don’t know. The test will tell,” he says.
As the weight of the world settles on his shoulders, Isaac is also faced with finding a job. Areas which he says that he would be interested in working are: food service, home or office cleaning, building maintenance, handyman and inventory restocking.
My heart literally hurt when he told me that he was going to buy cigarettes with my money. I try not to judge people on their decisions of what to do with my $10, but to buy cigarettes is a painful reminder of the heart disease that took my mother’s life. I felt the same way when Matt from Day 10 told me he was going to get some Marlboros. I have been against smoking ever since I can remember, but I have to accept his choice. I hope some day you are able to quit Isaac.
I finished asking questions and took a few photos. I walked with Isaac all the way to the Metro station. I really enjoyed talking with him. He is smart and easy to relate to. As we entered the Metro station I asked him where he was heading. “I’m gonna stop by my mother’s house.” The thundering sound of the Metro train coming into the station erased all other sounds. He shook my hand and disappeared into the crowded Green Line train headed for Branch Avenue.
OK, I am really behind now on my blog posts. My computer is dead. My brother and I spent all day trying to fix it yesterday. I think the hard drive is shot. It might take me a couple of days to confirm that and then get the problem completely fixed or get another computer. Thanks to all who offered to lend me laptops. Maybe some company out there will be inspired to give and help me out with a new one! Feel free to send letters to your favorite laptop manufacturer!
Before I share with you Day 181’s recipient, I would like to update you on Kenneth B (Day 30). Kenneth has been selling the Street Sense newspaper at the north entrance to the Dupont Circle Metro for two years. Unfortunately I recently learned that Kenneth will have to miss about a month or two due to some medical problems. I see him all the time and he loves serving his customers. I went to visit him the last day before he took time off and he shared with me some financial concerns that he had due to the month or two that he will be out of work. If you would like to help Kenneth out (or any Street Sense vendor out for that matter) you can send a donation to him via Street Sense’s website. In the special instructions field, please indicate what percentage of your donation you would like to go directly to Kenneth and the great team over at Street Sense will make sure he receives it. Thanks for keeping Kenneth in your thoughts.
Ashley at Starbucks at the corner of Connecticut Ave. and R Street (photo: Reed)
So Day 181 was the Sunday before the Worldwide Day of Giving. As I passed the Starbucks near my house I saw a young lady sitting on their patio studying flash cards. I haven’t seen somebody using flash cards for years. Full of intrigue I stopped and introduced myself.
Ashley is a 22-year-old recent graduate of the George Washington University and is studying to take the GRE exam. Tonight she is focusing on her vocabulary by studying words like “dirge,” disabuse” and “dissemble.” I took a shot at about a half-dozen words and was embarrassed at how dreadful my vocabulary knowledge was.
Ashley is quite smart. Although she plans to leave for a Peace Corps assignment this fall, she wants to take the test now while her education from GWU is still fresh in her mind and then use that score to apply for graduate study upon her return from her stint overseas. I think the test results are valid for five years.
I asked her what interested her about the Peace Corps. “I love exploring. I want to serve my country and be a good diplomat of the United States.” Ashley was actually supposed to have already left for her tour however her plans got delayed several months after a less than perfect Lasik eye surgery. She explained that she very well may have to have additional procedures to correct the situation. “I think I am going to opt for “PRK” which is much more painful.” Sorry to hear that Ashley!
In the mean time she picked up a second job at a restaurant. I asked which one and would you believe it was the same place I had chose to hold the Worldwide Day of Giving celebration two days later! Small world.
When she is not working, this native of Rapid City, South Dakota likes reading, good food, good wine, coffee, dancing and exploring other places. She has traveled extensively and tells me a little about her trips to Syria, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Thailand. With all the travel it’s no surprise that she has picked up some Arabic and even some Spanish.
I asked her what she was going to do with the $10 and she said that she was going to give it to somebody on the Worldwide Day of Giving. And she did! Not only did she give her $10 to a young man named Aziz on June 15th, but she invited him to join her at the Get-Together we had in DC that evening. Aziz came and I got to meet him as well!
Update July 30, 2010: I finally was able to upload the video that I shot when I met Ashley.
Tommy sells Street Sense and Alex panhandles in the background (Photo: Reed)
I have some bad news. My laptop may have completely died. I am going to make some last ditch efforts, but it doesn’t look good.
I am using a public computer right now and will try to continue posting when possible. I will not have any pictures or videos until I get some things figured out.
I came across Alex on a Saturday while I was delivering some donated items to Tommy from Day 155 (he was so thankful for all the love that has poured out for him). Alex was sitting on a crate just a few feet away trying to find some relief from the sun’s sweltering rays.
Alex (Photo: Reed)
Originally from Robertson County, North Carolina, Alex, or “Country” as some of his friends call him, moved to Washington, DC when he was 18. Now 56, he has lived here ever since, with the exception of some time spent in federal correctional facilities in Petersburg, VA and Lorton, VA. “It was crazy in there…I mean people would take lawn mower blades and use ‘ em as weapons.” Anytime a recipient tells me that they have served time I am naturally curious as to what they were convicted of. Country tells me that he broke into a Budweiser Warehouse and was caught…although he doesn’t specifically ever say that was the reason for his incarceration. He also shares that he had a crack cocaine addiction which came between him and his wife and five children. “My wife wouldn’t even talk to me on the phone no more.”
Alex's sign (Photo: Reed)
But this is all in the past. Country seems to be doing ok now. “I don’t got another run in me, not at this age,” he says pulling his lips tight together. “I don’t do no drugs no more. I ain’t gonna lie to you though, I have myself a beer or two in the evenings.” He tells me that he is being extremely honest with me. “People lose interest with ya when you lie to ‘em,” he says as he wipes the sweat beads that have formed above his brow. It’s warm and the air is thick.
Today he is back together with his wife living a very modest life in Southeast DC. “At least I got a roof over my head. It’s not ideal, but it’s something. We don’t got furniture, or things like that. The bed has bed bugs…I can’t seem to get rid of them. ”
He talks about his life now compared to before. “You get to a point where you need to find a higher power, whatever that is.” Despite his efforts he says that he cannot find work and comes out to ask for money in front of the CVS at the corner of M Street and 29th Street in the affluent Georgetown neighborhood. Country says that he would like to get a job doing construction, something he has done in the past. “I need some tools though, nobody gonna hire you if you show up with nothing.” He tells me that he needs a pair of size 10.5 wide steel toed work boot, carpenter’s tool belt, and a long steel claw hammer. I told him that I would put that on my Lend a Hand section and see what we could do.
Country was going to use the $10 for bus fare.
Update July 7, 2010: I recovered some of the files and added pictures and the following video. He has some great comments!
Some of you might have heard that at the Worldwide Day of Giving celebration here in DC I did an impromptu fundraising effort to start raising money for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the BP oil spill. We raised $150. That is money that came straight from the pockets of those attending. Given that it was last-minute and the venue chose not to offer any type of matching or incentives for donating, we fell short of what I would have liked to raise.
Although BP will pay lots of claims, there are lots of expenses and lost opportunities for Gulf residents that will never be repaid. Or won’t be repaid soon enough. I am empowering some amazing members of the Gulf community to distribute the money we raise to those who have been affected by the disaster. These amazing volunteers will then share the stories of people that they meet and help – very much in the same spirit as I have done my daily giving. Trust me I know, even $10 can make a difference. If you would like to help, click on the DONATE button to the right.
There is an interesting article in today’s Washington Post about grass-roots efforts to help those who have been affected by the oil spill.
Day 179 was interesting. I went to a little lunch place near my old office that I used to frequent, House of Kabob (1829 M Street, NW). This place gets mixed reviews. Yes it’s a bit dirty. Yes it looks a little sketchy. And Yes the food is always tasty and the staff are incredibly friendly. Anyway, I noticed a man who was just raving about how much he liked the food there. He made a few comments to me and I kind of shook my head in agreement. I took my spice rubbed chicken, chickpeas, and rice over to a table to enjoy while reading the paper. He took his order to go.
After my stomach was fully satisfied, I headed east on M Street and arrived at a tiny park where I saw the same gentleman that was raving about the food. He asked me how my lunch was. Not having anywhere to be, I stopped and spoke with him. Meet Chandler.
Chandler is taller than me…which is not too tough, I am only 5’9”. He was wearing a red polo shirt buttoned all the way to the top, greyish green slacks, and black wingtips. I am not sure how old Chandler is. I asked him and he told me 47 and then said 67 and smiled and said why don’t you just guess.
Photo: Reed
I am intrigued with this man and decide to offer him my $10 when he asks me what I do. We escaped the sun’s relentless rays and sat under a small tree. We ended up speaking about some really deep topics. “Some people question what I am here to do. What am I called to do?” he said. He went on to say, “It is pertinent for man to understand why we are here.”
At some point he flips the focus from him to me and the Year of Giving and asks what my purpose is. I gave him an answer, but he seemed unsatisfied with my answer. Then he got really serious and moved within inches of my face and said,
I am going to tell you something and I want you to listen really well. If you only listen to one thing that I tell you, listen to this. You need to sit down and write your personal vision statement. You need to be completely honest with yourself and write out who you are and who you want to be. What your values are. What are your motivations? And don’t lie, even if you never let anyone else see it you need to be honest with yourself with this.”
He asked me to ponder what my highest actions and/or characteristics are. Is it love, God, trust, success, honor? Whatever it is, I should write it all down. I think this is a very important exercise and I will do this. It reminds me of a conversation I had on Monday with a friend who I encouraged to write a business plan for his organization. It just helps to get it down on paper and commit to it.
Chandler needed to leave. I am not sure what he did, but it was something in the legal field. We exchanged telephone numbers and email addresses and agreed to continue talking when he had more time. As for the $10, he said he was going to invest in gold.
He left me with one other phrase that I really liked. “May the highest in you meet the highest in me.” He meant that we should be the very best and treat others the very best way we know how. I like that idea.
I took some photos of Chandler and then said good-bye. He turned back toward me as we walked away and said “to be continued.”
I have reached out a couple of times via email but have not heard back from him. I have his telephone number and will have to try to set up time for us to speak further.
Would you believe that I managed to find two consecutive recipients who were originally born in Ethiopia? Well I did! Today I am excited to introduce you to Bekele!
I met Bekele in downtown Washington, DC at a parking garage where he has worked for the past seven years. The first thing you notice about him is his radiant smile. He is happy and makes you feel happy when you speak to him. Although he is 47 and the father of four (including a 26-year-old son), he doesn’t look his age.
Born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Bekele moved to the United States nine years ago to avoid social and political unrest in his homeland. He has built a life here in the United States for him and his family. “I am so happy to be here in the US,” he told me with a huge smile.
“Being here has changed my life.” Now a US citizen, Bekele decided to go back to school a few years ago and recently received his associate’s degree in accounting. He hopes to find a job where he can apply the skills he has learned while at the same time work toward finishing his bachelor’s degree.
I am amazed at how well Bekele speaks English. I have lived overseas and know first hand how hard it can be to speak another language well. He grew up speaking Amharic, a Semitic language spoken predominantly in North Central Ethiopia. I congratulated him for the effort that he has placed on his own education. He shrugged it off. It’s just another way that Bekele continually learns and educates himself.
Check out this short video of my conversation with him.
I was cognizant that he was working and didn’t want to monopolize his time. I asked where my $10 would end up and he smiled and said that he had not eaten lunch and would go and buy him something to eat. We said good-bye and he left me with the same infectious smile that he greeted me with.
From time to time I look up some of the statistics of the blog. What would you guess is the number one word searched upon that leads people to the website? Giving? $10? Reed Sandridge? Nope, the number one word for weeks now is “Mohawk!” I have no idea why. I went to Google and typed in Mohawk and the Year of Giving doesn’t come up. I did mention mohawks on Day 13 when I was sharing that Davie from Day 5 offered to give me a haircut to thank me for helping him out…that was one style that he said he was good at.
Anyway, today’s story is slightly different from most. I grabbed a cab over to the Courthouse area of Arlington. I thought I might give the cab driver my $10. His name was Ismael. A 54-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia, he has lived in Virginia for the last 21 years.
He tells me that he likes driving a cab because “I get to meet nice people like you.” Despite his kindness, people are not always nice to him. “It can be risky and even dangerous.” Although nothing really bad has happened to Ismael, he says that some people have threatened him and occasionally customers quickly jump out of his cab without paying. “Ninety percent of the people are good decent people though.”
I asked Ismael if he would accept my $10, but he said that he couldn’t. I asked him to humor me though and tell me what he would do if he found $10 or somebody randomly gave him $10. “I would pass it along. If I don’t earn the money then I don’t think I should keep it,” he said.
I really wanted to give Ismael my $10 and figured that he couldn’t stop me from giving him the money. We arrived at my destination and the meter read $10. I would have normally given him $12, but decided to give him $22 and include my $10. I thanked him, wished him good luck, and handed over the money and my Year of Giving card. Then I quickly jumped out of the cab probably like those individuals he had told me about and entered the restaurant where I was meeting some friends for dinner.
If you frequent the corner of Connecticut Avenue and N Street or the Adams Morgan neighborhood you might have seen this man.
Photo: Reed
As I was walking north on Connecticut Avenue I heard Garrett before I saw him. Wearing a wrinkled t-shirt and standing behind a 1970s or 1980s Ross bicycle is a thin man with short cropped hair and stubble. The 65-year-old DC resident who makes his living singing, shaking his maraca, tapping his tambourine, and offering kind words to those on the streets of Washington smiles at me as I walk up to him.
After years of drug use and several stints in correctional facilities, he says that he has straightened his life out and found God. He says that he is passionate about Jesus and music. And his roots in music go deep. He was in a rock’n’roll band when he was younger.
Garrett moved to DC in 1969 from Poughkeepsie, NY after ending his first marriage to a preacher’s daughter. He seems to have his life together now. He says the worst thing he does now is smoke cigarettes. That may stop soon too as his doctor has advised him to stop smoking as a result of recent complaints of shortness of breath.
Garrett’s toothless smile is contagious. Hidden behind his dark sunglasses is a man who warmly greats those walking by him. “I love people,” he says. He offers a smile to everyone.
Garrett's bicycle (photo: Reed)
Garrett plans to use the $10 to pay some bills, however he says that he regularly helps others out. “If I see someone down, I stop and talk to them.” He goes on to say, “I’m blessed. I don’t ask for much.” When pressed he did offer some items that he says he could use that you can find listed on the Lend a Hand page.
Take a minute and listen to Garrett’s rendition of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s version of Woke Up This Morning With Jesus On My Mind. He also shared some of his views on life and what he plans to do with the $10. Enjoy!
On my first day back in the US after my trip to Colombia I wandered around my neighborhood looking for a recipient. I ran into Leonel from Day 56. He was at Books-A-Million. He said he was doing well and we agreed to try to meet up that Saturday to watch Team USA play in the World Cup.
I walked over to the Starbucks at Dupont Circle and found a few people sitting outside enjoying the nice weather. The first man I approached refused to participate and even refused to receive my card. I walked to another man outside and he shook his head and said no. He was from Cuba and spoke to me for a minute or two but said he wasn’t interested in participating. He kept my card.
Feeling a bit rejected, I headed inside to see if my luck would change. It was there that I found Michael sitting on a stool. He seemed interested in what I was doing. After a few minutes, a man came out of the restroom and Michael said, “Hey listen to what this guy is doing.” I explained the Year of Giving again and his friend said that this sounded interesting. They agreed that Michael would receive the $10.
“I have been crying all day today,” Michael shared with me. I imagined the worse and suggested that we not do the interview. “It’s ok, they were tears of joy!” It turns out that Michael was celebrating 80 days of sobriety after a two-year roller coaster addiction to crystal meth. On top of that his friend that was with him was celebrating one year free of the drug.
Michael is in active recovery and attends daily meetings and has a sponsor. “I am in a very good place today,” he says. It’s a day-to-day process though he admits. “I am focusing on how to stay clean.” As we begin to talk, Michael’s friend chooses to go outside as it becomes difficult to hear the painful story.
Crystal Meth user (photo: crystalmethaddiction.org)
His addiction started by trying it for the first time with a former lover. “Meth is a huge problem for the gay community,” he tells me. I can’t help but listen to Michael’s story without thinking back to Rob’s story from day 117 . “I lost my job, my partner, my house, my dignity, my self-respect, and my self-esteem.” A former 20 year alcoholic, Michael is familiar with addiction. “Addicts are liars. When I was using my immediate reaction was to lie about everything, even to myself.” The situation got so bad that I decided to kill myself. It took an intervention by an ex-partner and a family member that resulted in him going to a treatment center to save his life.
Given the sensitivity of his story, Michael preferred to stay anonymous and not have his picture taken. He also didn’t want to offer his email address telling me “I will send you an email.” Unfortunately I haven’t heard from him yet.
“I know exactly what I am going to do with this $10,” he says. “I am going to donate it to Crystal Meth Anonymous” According to the website, CMA is a free organization that brings together men and women who share their experience, strength and hope in order to help one another free themselves from their addictions to crystal meth. Michael spoke very highly or the organization.
The support he receives has helped him stay sober. He now has a job and is “starting to live again.” He told me he used to think that he was the only one in his situation. With the support of the group he now knows that his situation is not unique.
His friend came back and they shared a moment just smiling at one another. He turned and looked at me and said, “This is the happiest day of my life and I got to share it with someone I love.”
The day had finally come that I had to return to Washington after almost two weeks of incredible work in Manizales.
I am working on a collage of photos of my trip that I hope to post soon.
I left the coffee and banana finca for the last time and made the way up the mountain. Four-wheel drive is a must. I hopped out as we got to Adriana and Augusto’s store and switched the ten dollar bill and we continued on our way.
It’s a pretty drive, wrapping around the mountainous roads of Colombia’s coffee belt for two hours.
I arrived with plenty of time and started to make my way through the check-in process. Now I have been to Colombia before and am familiar with the multiple revisions that they do of your luggage, but this time it went a step further. I had purchased some coffee and other goods to bring back as gifts for some friends. They poked holes in almost every item I had and tasted it. They opened up the Colombian rum that I had purchased and poured some over their finger to make sure that it wasn’t liquid heroin! I know the man was just doing his job and that he is doing it for all the right reasons, however, it’s frustrating to watch someone open and damage all of your gifts for others.
While I was being searched I noticed another man that was being searched who looked familiar. I asked the customs officer who he was and he said that it was Tego Calderon
, a well-known Latin American Reggaetón artist. I had heard of his name but couldn’t say that I was familiar with his music. Anyway, I thought he might be an interesting person to give him my $10.
Tego Calderon
On board the flight from Pereira, Colombia to Panama’s Tocumen International Airport I saw Tego again. He was being moved up from coach to first class. We arrived in Panama and were met on the tarmac by a shuttle bus that took us to the terminal. As I squeezed into the crowded shuttle bus I found myself shoulder to shoulder with the Puerto Rican musician who appeared to be travelling with his wife and some friends or band members. I asked him how the concert went in Pereira and he politely replied that it went well. Then there was a little silence and he turned to chat with one of his friends.
So many of you have written to me talking about anxiety to approach someone and give them $10. Well, let me tell you…I was very nervous about Tego to accept my $10, but I did. He accepted my card and read both sides of it. “So what is it?” he asked in Spanish. I explained very quickly the concept and he replied, “Man, I don’t have time, we got to catch a flight to Santo Domingo.” I assured him it would be fast, but he just smiled and laughed and shook his head. As the doors opened and he exited the shuttle bus he said “I’ll check out your website.” He and his entourage quickly vanished.
While waiting for the flight to depart, I tried to give my $10 to Alfredo, a COPA Airlines pilot, but he just didn’t feel comfortable. He asked a lot of questions but didn’t seem to get the giving project.
I boarded my final flight, COPA 488 from Panama to Washington’s Dulles International Airport. I had seat 14A which is by the emergency exit and doesn’t have a seat in front of it. As I approached my seat I saw that someone was sitting there. After double checking tickets, it turns out that Roey was supposed to be in 14B: the middle seat.
The flight was just under five hours and was scheduled to land at 12:55AM. So I knew I was going to continue the streak of 174 days without missing a day of giving, I needed to find someone on this flight and give them the $10 before we land.
The plane took off and I pulled out a notebook to try to write some of the blogs from the previous days. I was so far behind (and still am) and needed to get caught up. I didn’t have my notebook out one minute before Roey, now in 14B, asked, “Do you journal? I have more than 2,000 journal entries.” Inside I was smiling as I realized that I just found my day’s recipient!
Roey (Photo: Reed)
Roey is 29 and lives in Bethesda. Originally from Israel, he moved here when he was five. He is passionate about his religion and his heritage and shared openly with me. When he is not out pursuing some adventure in Costa Rica, Roey works in information security for a firm that specializes in auditing government information systems for compliance with the Federal Information Security Management Act.
He was traveling with three friends on their way back from a trip to Costa Rica. They met on Gesher City DC, a social website that according to the site is the “one-stop connection to all things young and Jewish in DC!” They had been on an amazing eco-farm while they were there. Roey got his camera out and showed me the many photographs he took while visiting this beautiful natural paradise. Here Roey talks a little bit about his general impressions of the “Ticos” – that is the name given to the local people of Costa Rica.
We talked about coffee, as I had just been on a coffee plantation and some of the people that he met on his trip were in the coffee business. It sounded like the highlight of their trip was a day that they visited the Cacao Trails in Cahuita. Roey said they got to see the entire chocolate making process. And no tour apparently is complete without tasting the final product. “It was the best chocolate I have ever tasted,” Roey told me. He explained that the flavor is so much better because they do not extract the cocoa butter like many commercialized chocolate manufacturers do.
Roey wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the $10 but he said he planned to do something for someone else. I look forward to hearing how it was used.
We talked the length of the entire flight. I met his two friends Julia and David too (the fourth friend took a different flight). In fact, I even gave Julia and David a ride home. They didn’t live too far away from where I live so it was nice to be able to help them out. Roey stayed behind as his parents were on their way to pick him up.
Roey fresh off the plane (Photo: Reed)
Roey is a guy who likes to make connections. He loves to think of the people that he knows that might be able to help you out or simply be a good friend. I think I left with a half-dozen names of people or places that he thought might be of interest to me. I haven’t followed up on them yet, although I should. Roey loves to meet new people and if you are in the DC area and open to meeting new people, I know Roey would love to meet up!
An interesting tidbit. The following day the blog was accessed by somebody in Santo Domingo. I don’t have too many visitors from there, so who knows, maybe it was Tego!
My father, Manny (blog follower), and Sammy (Day 113) at the WWDoG DC Get-Together (Photo: Ryan Sandridge)
Thanks to all of you who participated in the Worldwide Day of Giving! It was amazing. So many great stories from all over…pictures and even video from some people! I received a lot of emails from people who said that they tried, but just couldn’t do it. It was too far out of their comfort zone. That’s ok. You tried. Keep trying.
I also received lots of emails from people who want to continue doing this every 15th of the month…what a great idea. Feel free to continue to post your stories here or on Facebook WHENEVER you pay it forward. I will remind everyone on July 15th for those who want to give it another try!
A lot of you have asked how the DC Meet-Up went. I was so happy to see so many former recipients, followers of the blog, people I only knew from their comments, and even people who had received $10 from someone on the Worldwide Day of Giving that then joined us at the happy hour. All the local news stations were also there. I will try to get links for all the media from that day, including the two earlier interviews I did that day on News Channel 8 and CNN.
I am excited to write about my recipients for today’s post. As my trip was winding down in Manizales, I started to get sad as the trip was coming to an end. The day before I left I was in the Guacas area where I was staying getting ready for a barbecue that Roberto Gonzalo was organizing. About 10 minutes up (literarily up the mountain) there is a small store that has some billiard tables and a TV for neighborhood people to come together. Roberto Gonzalo and I had stopped by there on a few occasions and bought items we needed or enjoyed a beer at the end of the day. This night I thought I would go and get to know them and see what they would do with my $10.
I left the gated area of the plantation and started to ascend up the mountain. I can’t convey to you how steep this hill is. The store is only about 200-250 yards away, but it is a workout to get there. Pinto the dog escaped and was at my side as I lift one leg in front of the other. My heart starts to pound and sweat is rolling off my forehead. I stop for about a minute to catch my breath. The altitude adds another level of complexity at 7,000 feet. Pinto knows the way and he runs on ahead of me as I crest the incline and see the store off to the left..
Adriana, Augusto, and Pamela
The store is owned by Adriana and Augusto who live upstairs with their seven-year-old daughter. I had seen them a few times while I was on my trip. Augusto was always out front working on something; cutting wood on the lathe, welding some metal, working on a car, etc. Adriana tends to the store and their daughter.
It is a holiday weekend and many people have traveled leaving the store void of the usually two or three locals chatting about the election or the upcoming World Cup. I find Augusto leaning over a table that has a large metal door laying flat on top of it. Clad with goggles he wields a welding torch with his right hand along one of the edges of the metal door. He gives me a wave and I walk toward Adriana who is sitting outside at a table with her daughter.
View from Augusto/Adriana's store (Photo: Reed)
By this time Augusto had retired the blow torch and had walked over to the table. We made some small talk and then I told them about my project. I sat down and shared with them the journey that has become my passion over the past six months.
Adriana, who is 28, tells me that the store has been there for as long as she can remember. It has been in the family for years. She manages the store and also makes homemade morcilla which she sells in the city. Morcilla is a type of sausage that is made by cooking blood from pigs, cows, goats, etc then adding a filler such as rice until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. I was introduced to morcilla when I lived in Valladolid, Spain. Although it is quite tasty, I usually try not to think about what goes into it.
Augusto is the Colombia version of MacGyver. Every time I would see him he was fixing something. He is an industrial mechanic by trade, but he is a skilled woodworker, metalworker, carpenter, plumber, auto mechanic, etc. He even likes to do car detailing. The 32-year-old builds more in a week than I have in my entire life. I asked him what the door was for and he said that the local prison had contracted him to make 12 doors for them. I would think they would contract those sort of things with large companies, but “MacGyver” has a good reputation and the work flows his way.
A former police officer, he made the career change after being sent to the tension stricken border area between neighboring Ecuador. “It was too dangerous for me,” he states “and I like to work with my hands.”
Adriana said something to her daughter and she disappeared into the store. Pamela had been sitting patiently at the table the entire time that we spoke. She reappeared minutes later and walked over to me and placed a cold bottle of the local beer, Poker, on the table next to me. That is just the kind of hospitality that people grow up with here. She smiled and went back to her chair.
I wanted to find out more about how Adriana and Auguto met. Adriana told me about how they had actually known each other almost all their lives. In fact, they even dated when they were teenagers, but later separated. They reconnected years later and married.
Augusto had several questions about the Year of Giving. We talked about how it got started, my family, and some of the other people I have met along the way. I explained that they could look up the blog online, but they didn’t have internet access. There is another small store about 100 yards away that has a computer where you can pay to surf the web. I mentioned that they could go and look it up there. Maybe they will do that.
I offered them either dollars or pesos. Augusto said he would prefer dollars. “For now I think I’ll keep it as a reminder of us meeting each other.” I only had one ten dollar bill with me and it was really beat up. I placed it in his hand and told him that I would stop by the next day on my way to the airport and give him one in a little better shape. He nodded as if to say that was ok, but not necessary.
We wrapped up our conversation. I paid for the beer and bought a few more to take to the barbecue. As I headed down the driveway and turned onto the dirt road to make the journey down the mountain, Pinto appeared out of nowhere. I had completely forgotten that he had accompanied me on the journey. It was now pitch dark out and the lack of street lighting makes the walk down the mountain slightly challenging, although I’ll take walking down the mountain in the dark over walking up the mountain any day. Especially with Pinto by my side, he knows the way.
The next day as we left for the airport, I hopped out of the jeep to make good on my word about exchanging the ten dollar bill. Augusto and his family were sitting at a table eating lunch. “I have been thinking a lot about your project today” he said. “It’s really amazing.” We switched the $10 and said “until the next time.”
Today is a day that you can do what I have been doing for 182 days (I am behind on posting my blogs). It’s so simple…find someone you don’t know, tell them you are participating in the Worldwide Day of Giving and give them $10, or whatever you can afford, no strings attached and find out what they will do with the $10. Hopefully you can learn a little bit about them as well. I always get their contact information and then try to stay in touch. Have fun with it! Then I hope you will share your stories here…if you take pictures or video, you can post your stories on the Facebook Page.
I have a couple of media interviews today. This morning I am heading over to News Channel 8’s Let’s Talk Livefor an interview with Natasha Barrett and Melanie Hastings. Then around 2:30 I will be on CNN with Ali Velshi. Finally this evening, I will be celebrating here in DC at Café Dupont (The Dupont Hotel) from 6-8pm. If you are around, please join us!
Interviewing Sandra in her classroom (Photo: Roberto Gonzalo Ceballos)
On day 172 I found myself at the Instituto Tecnico Marco Fidel Suarez (ITMFS), a grade school in Manizales. The kids here are similar to the those at the San Agustin school. They come from very simple backgrounds. Poverty is rampant and sometimes the brightest part of their day is the time they spend at school. “Sometimes the meal they get here might be the only meal they get all day,” says Sandra, and English teacher at the school.
The bilingual chorus that I was working with at this school was made up of Sandra’s students. After we were done rehearsing with the students, Sandra stayed to talk to me some and I found my recipient for my 20,000 pesos.
Photo: Reed
An educator for the past 13 years, Sandra never imagined she would be teaching at a school like ITMFS. “I was teaching at the University.” And before that she had some pretty impressive jobs translating and interpreting for the Ambassador from India. “I don’t know how it happened but somehow I ended up teaching here and I am so happy to be here.”
Colombia divides it’s neighborhoods into socio-economic categories called strata. The wealthiest is six and the poorest is zero. This school has children from the zero and one strata. To me the concept was unfamiliar to identify people so readily by a stratum based upon where they lived, but here it was quite common. In fact, many of the students that I met would ask me which stratum I belonged to. A question that I didn’t know how to answer but comparatively speaking, it was surely much higher.
Sandra is passionate about teaching. She speaks English all the time and expects her students to try their hardest. Most of the students were lucky to know a few words in English. The hope is that by learning the songs that we teach them that they will make a connection and learn more quickly. There was one girl who was quite advanced in the chorus. She had an amazing natural ability I think for languages. Sounding almost like a proud mother she nodded her head and said, “Yes, she is quite good isn’t she.”
I learned that English is not the only thing that Sandra is passionate about. Now the proud mother really came out and she flipped through her phone for a second and handed it to me. “I have the most special baby boy: Juan Felipe.” He is three and looked so happy in the photos she shared.
I shot a little video of the class singing as well as Sandra explaining what she was going to do with the $10 and why. This one is in English. Enjoy.
Versión en español
En el día 172 estuve en el Instituto Técnico Marco Fidel Suárez (ITMFS), una escuela del sector público en Manizales. Los niños de acá son parecidos a los del Colegio San Agustín. Tienen un historial muy simple en donde la pobreza es excesiva y algunas veces, la mejor parte del día es el tiempo que están en la escuela. “Algunas veces la única comida que tienen es la que comen aquí” dice Sandra, la docente de inglés.
El coro bilingüe lo integran los alumnos que asisten a clase con Sandra. Después de haber terminado el ensayo con los estudiantes, me quedo con Sandra para hablar un poco y encuentro a quien darle mis 20,000 pesos.
Sandra, siendo docente durante 13 años, nunca imaginó que estaría enseñando en una escuela como el ITMFS. “Fui docente a nivel universitario” y antes había trabajado como traductora e intérprete para el Embajador de la India. “No sé cómo sucedió pero de un momento a otro terminé enseñando aquí y estoy feliz de hacerlo.”
Students at ITMFS (Photo: Reed)
En Colombia los barrios se clasifican en categorías socio-económicas llamadas estratos. El estrato más rico es el seis y el más pobre es el cero. Los estudiantes de esta escuela provienen de estratos cero y uno. Para mí el concepto no era familiar, es decir, identificar a las personas rápidamente sólo con base en el lugar donde viven; pero aquí en Colombia es algo demasiado común. De hecho, muchos de los estudiantes que conocí, me preguntaron a qué estrato pertenecía. Una pregunta que no supe cómo responder, pero comparativamente hablando, de seguro mucho más alto.
Sandra es apasionada con respecto a su trabajo, habla en inglés todo el tiempo y espera que sus estudiantes hagan su mayor esfuerzo. Muchos de los estudiantes son afortunados al conocer algunas palabras en inglés. Se espera que aprendiendo las canciones que les enseñamos, los estudiantes hagan una conexión y aprendan más rápidamente. Había una estudiante en el ensayo del coro, quien estaba muy avanzada con respecto a los otros; creo que tiene una extraordinaria habilidad innata para los idiomas. Con el tono de voz de una madre orgullosa Sandra mueve su cabeza y dice: “Sí, es muy buena para el inglés”.
Aprendí que no sólo el inglés es lo que apasiona a Sandra. Aparece una madre orgullosa quien saca su teléfono celular, busca por un momento y me muestra una foto: ¨Tengo el bebé más especial: Juan Felipe.” Tiene tres años y se ve muy feliz en las fotos.
Grabé un corto video (encima) en donde aparece el ensayo del coro y Sandra explicando qué va a hacer con los $10 y por qué. Está en inglés. Disfrútenlo.
Este blog fue traducido generosamente por Sandra Toro en Manizales, Colombia.
I gave $10 every day for a year. Would you make a $10 donation (that's less than 3 cents a day!) today to help those in need that I have met through the Year of Giving. You will get updates on how your donation is used.
So I went out to Safeway last night and bought a copy (actually two) of the bright pink Woman’s World Magazine. It was the only thing I bought and I got a couple strange looks from the cashier. Anyway, on the back inside cover there is really good article on the Year of Giving and a picture of me in a shirt that looks really 
So at some point Valerie asked if I wanted something to drink. “We’re having watermelon juice and vodka.” That seemed like a strange combination. “We have moved literally everything out of our place. The only thing we have left in there is half a bottle of wine, watermelon juice and a handle of vodka.” A handle? Hadn’t ever heard it called that. Anyway, let’s try this watermelon and vodka, I hope they still have ice! You know what, the drink wasn’t bad either.
off the porch – he lives upstairs from them. “We didn’t think he would miss one day’s paper.” Well, he did. He came down and asked them if they had “borrowed” it. Caught off guard they denied it. As we were talking about this, he and his wife arrived home. He seemed like such a nice man. I think they felt a little bad about it. Maybe they will use the $10 to buy a back issue copy of that day’s paper and send it to him!
Year of Giving 