The above title
opens up a plethora of directions which could be pursued … If only I knew which
to follow!!!
This
morning my ESL class students were, as usual, late for the show. In a regular
school this would not be well received. However here, when each participant eventually
“drags” in, their tired early morning faces tell the story. For the most part
they work jobs which keep them up until late (or, better yet, early) hours and their coming in to the early a.m.
class is an effort. And it is an effort which makes me work a little bit harder
to give them the basic understanding they need in order to get by in their day
to day struggles.
After
class, a little bit of talk time was spent with the owner-teacher; we have become
good friends over time and, actually, at present it is just “she and I” facing
the ESL world, since the third teacher is on vacation. She is taking on an added
risk: moving the school to a different locale come January. Where we are now
there is little, if any, walk in traffic (second
floor in a corporate office structure) these walk-ins create a flow of potential
customers which is imperative for the long term growth and survival of the
school. We have discussed this over some time now, for a decision had to be
reached by mid December due to office contractual issues.
I
am sort of a “free lance-no charge” advisor and bouncing wall to her thoughts; she, a single mother to a 4 yr old girl and this is already a heavy
responsibility ... she also knows and accepts there are risks to be taken if her
lot is to be improved. So here comes the new school with the attending
investment, in a spanking new strip mall at street level and in a very heavily
trafficked area of town with a high Hispanic percentile, exactly the target
market the school needs to tap in order to grow. We worked on some ideas for
the opening week, including a press cocktail to be held, as well as some
promotions and class “giveaways”. After I assured her that my help could be
counted on, we said goodbye and each went his/her way. She to teach a class, I
to a meeting.
On
my way to that meeting, a call came in through Skype, on my phone.
It is amazing how these integrated services work to help in the daily
management of business. It wasn’t so long ago (well, to us older geese!!) that
if you were away from the house or office phone, you were out of touch. Anyway,
this call came from my associate overseas and we discussed several issues on
which we are currently working. After 25 minutes on the phone (no cost, thanks to Skype) we parted
ways not without before setting up a follow up schedule for the rest of the day
and for tomorrow, since we are still hoping to get at least one item completed before Christmas.
By
this time, my car had found itself parked by the door of my next destination. Not quite sure how it was it managed to get
there… no, not really… The office of a potential on-and-off associate. This lady
created and maintains a local foundation geared to the needs of a specific
group of foreign nationals. In this case, services are for and not limited
to, Ecuadorians. These folk are for the
most part from very humble origins, often lost in wanderings within the
bureaucracy found in most areas which have to be faced in most facets of our
daily undertakings. Add to this the lack language management and their problems
multiply.
Her primary business is (or was), I think, a ticket agency. Now, you can just as easily buy a ticket, send a package or have your eyes checked, your feet massaged or your computer upgraded. Of course, also insurance and other assorted sundries. This office is a true paean to survival in rough times. One of the very real and sad issues facing these less financially able communities is the lack of funds to pay for a funeral and/or for a repatriation of the body of the deceased.
We
had a one hour meeting, delineating a new service to be offered to her
“constituents” and all other members of the foundation: A complete burial or
“processing and shipping” service for a very inexpensive amount, to be covered
by a small, low cost life insurance policy. A simple idea, right? When a person
gets to know those who actually live within this needy segment of society, many
ugly truths related to the sub-worlds that do exist come to the surface. These
people are, for the most part, good and hard working folk who do not have the
formal education to aspire to the better jobs and often, when they do have the
education, cannot exercise their learned professions because their documents are not
in full order…
They
live in a mid grayish world, never really able to see the full daylight, only a
bit of the morning light of hope. Their goal is to try very hard to make a
better life for their children, perhaps so that generation and the following
ones have a chance to live in a lighter, more open world. Then, for those who
do not make it, there is the family pain of not being able to pay for a funeral
here, or to have the embalmed body sent back to their country of origin, so they can be put
at rest with their ancestors, a very personal and important issue within our culture. Often, the proverbial hat is passed around their
neighbors and members of their church, with the hope that there will be enough
money to do one or the other. When this insurance packet is put into effect, those who take
part in it will be able to rest in peace, at an abode of their choice. And so will their surviving family.
Now,
as I sit here, there are several documents which need to be completed for my
overseas associate, as well as for my local associate to be. Then on to the late night ESL class, for those
who work from early in the morning until late in the afternoon...
When
this post entry started to unravel from the title chosen, it seemed like a potential
waste of time, but for some reason it just kept coming. Now, as it stares back
at me the message it gives me is that we are all, as individuals, involved at
many levels and with more people than we could possibly imagine … in every
thing we do. What each one of us commits to or fails to do, will affect not
only our own lives, but the lives of many others … some of whom we do not even
know. So, I guess, if we are going to do
something, let’s do it right the first time, for it will impact someone else
down the road; you will help that someone and will also understand that the job
to be done, was well done.
This will bring to your heart and mind a true
feeling of accomplishment, even when no one else knows about it…
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
- Pray for those who are fighting an illness which
may take them away from their loved ones… Every request is heard, and
counts!!
- Follow us on Twitter … @RJAsPandora
- Any comments please send to otherboxp@yahoo.com
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