Lydia Likes It

The volunteering life {when it rains...}

After a month of not working in any ESOL classes, with no Spring classes on my calendar, I had a mild case of antsy-pants. I figured it was time to gently knock on some doors and see who might want some of my volunteer time. My criteria? Must be working with adults. Must be working with a teacher who is a good communicator and has clear goals. Must be walking distance from my apartment, if the class meets in person. 

I sent notes to two Chinatown agencies, the Boston Public Library, and two agencies with workforce-focused programs where I've volunteered before. And within a couple of days, I'd heard from both of the workforce agencies. Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), where I've been working for five years, offered two different classes serving international research fellows at Mass General Hospital. A new volunteer manager at the International Institute of New England invited me to meet and talk about ESOL opportunities in the more elementary classes there.

JVS offered me a place in an accent reduction class I've done before, with a teacher who's new to me and new to teaching this class. There are two cohorts, both meeting in the afternoon, and I signed on to do both. And then, just a few hours after I agreed to that, the teacher I've been working with for the past year and a half invited me to join her in a higher level class than the one we've been doing previously. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with her, and to learn what the higher level class is all about.

So bingo bongo, just like that, I'm doing three classes this Spring! Two afternoons and one early evening, each week. The accent reduction classes meet on Zoom, and for the higher level class, three of twelve sessions will be in person. I've told the International Institute that I'll be available in June or July, which gives us plenty of time to sort out what I might want to do in their refugee and immigrant program.

The volunteering life {in-between times}

For the first time in six years, except for the months when I had to take some time off in early 2020, I found myself between ESOL classes in February and March. I've been volunteering as a teaching assistant in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes at several levels, in-person and on Zoom, with the very beginners in programs for refugees -- learning the alphabet, how to write their names, how to tell time -- up to MD/PhD international research fellows at local hospitals, who need more practice with spoken English in professional and social settings.

The only thing these classes have had in common -- other than highly motivated students -- is that, for the past few years, they've both met on Tuesday, one in the morning, the other in the evening. 

The class for the hospital researchers ended in January, and the next session hadn't been scheduled yet. And I'd decided at the end of last year to leave the beginner class, and focus on finding an opportunity to lead a conversation group for beginner or advanced beginner English learners. (If you've read my book, The Galactic Frying Pan, you'll understand my decision.)

So, after a month of waiting, earlier this month I spent a few days putting out feelers with several agencies -- including one I worked with for a few years pre-pandemic -- and as a result, several opportunities have come through. Spring looks to be very busy! The moral of this story is Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.

In the meantime, I'm working with the postcard group and the new Chinatown advocacy project, and another book idea is percolating. Stay tuned for updates.

The volunteering life {something old and new}

For the first few years after retirement, my husband Ted spent most of his time volunteering in the bicycling community with a nonprofit organization called Bikes Not Bombs. BnB concentrated on two areas: bike programs for Boston youth; and international donation of used bikes and bike parts to countries in Central America and Africa.

With a change in leadership, BnB began to prioritize local activities over international projects, and Ted's interest waned. A serious bicycle accident forced him to take time off, and to think about what might come next for him.

For many years, Ted had been a member of The Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest libraries in the United States, founded in 1807. Currently located on Beacon Hill, a short walk from our apartment, the Athenaeum houses a collection of more than half a million books (from the 1800s to contemporary publications), plus art, photography, rare books and special collections (Audubon prints, artist books and more). There's a children's library, reading rooms, and a full program of gallery talks by artists and authors.

And there are tours, open to the public. Art and architecture tours, and special-interest tours, attract visitors from all around the world. The tours are led by docents, well-trained guides who introduce visitors to the history and resources of this 200-year-old library. Last year Ted, a frequent library user and long-time member, was invited to become a docent.

After more than 30 hours of classes and training, Ted had to pass two tests in order to earn his docent name tag. One was a general art and architecture tour for some of the library staff, and the other was a short, in-depth talk about any one piece of art or sculpture of his choosing. Now he gives a couple of tours each month. The Athenaeum recently expanded into an adjacent building, so there has been additional training and exploration to adapt the art and architecture tour to the new space. 

Now that he's a docent, Ted has become interested in visiting other libraries and museums, and taking docent tours whenever available. Some docents are great storytellers. Some are terrible at sticking to a narrative. Some read notes from a tablet. Every docent is different, and Ted learns something from each of them.

Old library, new opportunity. It all happened at just the right time, and Ted -- a history major and trivia buff -- has settled into a great new volunteering life.

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.

The volunteering life {looking close to home}

When my husband Ted and I moved from our 19th-century rowhouse in Boston's South End, we traded a life of endless repairs, crooked staircases and dusty brick walls for the convenience of a modern high-rise apartment building. We also traded nearly 40 years of community involvement for a different kind of community, one of renters rather than homeowners, and because of the transience, people are less involved with the world outside our doors, and less connected to each other.

All of that lack of connection leaves the door wide open for those of us who are natural community builders. The more I looked for opportunities to bring people together, the easier it was to find things I could do myself, or propose to my building's "cruise director" (i.e., manager of resident satisfaction). SCUBA anyone? One of my neighbors is a veterinarian and a certified SCUBA instructor, and he's offering a class in our pool. Another is a scientist and traditional Indian dancer; I connected him with the cruise director, and I hope he'll be doing a class or demo in Indian dance.

For my part, I'm starting with voter registration. A few weeks ago I manned (womaned? peopled?) a table in the lobby offering voter registration information, forms, and applications for mail-in ballots. I did it again this week, while there's still time for people to register for the November election. I had information sheets telling new residents where to vote in person, when to vote early, how to sign up for a mail-in ballot, and how to change their registrations online. Easy to do, and it felt great to be able to answer questions and help my neighbors.