Lydia Likes It

The volunteering life {when you close one door...}

Every few months, I cast a critical eye over how I'm spending my volunteer hours. Does this class feel like a good fit? Am I putting enough time into the postcard group? Should I be making more welcome blankets for refugees? Rather than immersing myself in one project or commitment, I've always done best with three or four different types of activities in the mix. Like Marie Kondo, I review each activity to make sure it sparks joy. I believe that we do best at volunteering when we have fun. It's also important that the mix be right -- that all of my volunteer energy comes together in one giant joy spark. 

In 1605, the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote: "When one door is shut, another is opened." Surely he was looking ahead to a particular day in April 2022, when, to my total surprise, I closed one door and another door popped open that very same morning.

On this particular April day, I sensed it was time to step back from organizing a women's book group in my building. I sent the book group members a note, and got ready to meet up with Jacqueline Church, a friend who runs Boston's creme de la creme of Chinatown walking tours and teaches cooking classes. Throughout the pandemic, she has advocated for Chinatown businesses and the AAPI community, on TV, podcasts, and in magazine articles. We settled in for coffee at the cafe next door.

Ever since Ted and I moved to Chinatown four years ago, I've been wanting to connect with the community in a meaningful way. As a white, middle-aged (okay, slightly older than that), middle class woman -- a gentrifier, by any definition -- connecting isn't easy. Last year I met with the folks at Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center about working with Chinese-speaking English language learners, but their model of one-to-one tutoring for six months at a time didn't feel like a good fit for me. I've talked to the Asian American Civic Association about working with them, but nothing clicked.

After lots of catching up, Jackie filled me in on a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization she created during the pandemic. FAN Chinatown's mission is to support those in need in Chinatown, especially its seniors, restaurants and the arts community. She's just getting started, and building a small board of directors. Would I be interested in joining the board? No, I told her; it's a lot of work, and I don't have the time or desire to be involved at that level at this stage in my life.

Would I join an advisory group? Yes, yes, yes! I'm honored to be asked, and look forward to contributing good ideas and energy. I'm also excited to meet the other people involved in FAN Chinatown and make some connection with the community; I know Jackie will pull together an interesting and engaged group to help get this organization off the ground. 

The idea of FAN Chinatown, and giving back to the community where I live, sparks joy. Lots and lots of joy. I'll introduce you to the organization in a future post.

When one door shuts, another door opens. I wasn't making space consciously for a new project, but my subconscious knew the time was right. 

Image above: FAN Chinatown's logo.

Pocky Sticks

The Glico Man, resplendent in neon (now LED) running shorts, towers above the Ebisu Bridge that leads to the Dotombori entertainment and dining district in central Osaka, Japan. Since 1935, both locals and tourists have met for a night out at the Glico Man and, more recently, taken their requisite selfies with him. Glico, based in Osaka, is one of Asia's most famous confectionery companies, and their most famous product, Pocky Sticks, have been a favorite of ours since we first discovered them in our local Chinese market many years ago. Pocky Sticks are a kind of thin pretzel dipped in chocolate, and they come in several flavors: cookies and cream, matcha, strawberry, banana, and plain milk chocolate. They're great for picnics and parties, and because they come in small packages, they're perfect for school lunch boxes. You'll find Pocky Sticks in most Asian grocery stores.

Dim sum pocket guide

When I walk out the front door of my apartment building, the first thing I see is the red-and-gold marquee of Empire Garden, a dim sum palace on the second floor of a former kung-fu movie theater. (Actually, one side reads Empire Garden, and the other side Emperor's Garden; I'll bet there's a good story in that.) Dim sum is a traditional Chinese meal made up of small plates of sweet and savory dumplings, sticky rice, chicken feet, buns, vegetables, pastries and other snack dishes, often served from carts that come around to each table. For tens of years, I would point to food on the carts that I thought I might like because I didn't know how to ask for them. Then, on a Boston Chinatown tour, our guide Jackie showed us a tiny pocket book that had pictures of the most popular items, along with how to pronounce the names in English. I bought a copy of Dim Sum right away. Now, although I've learned the names of some of my favorite dim sum treats, I always stash the little book in my bag, in case I need an assist.