Got a long distance call from Dr A in Geneva to discuss some work that needs to be done. Felt more settled after about a month of bumbling around and got down to work. Skyped with my mum (who said I looked sick) and then headed off for the usual volunteering at the soup kitchen. Today's food was spaghetti and meatballs! Plus a bunch of scones and dessert orange, best menu I've seen so far. For the first time today, I encountered one of those guests whom Ed had previously told me about. He was upset that we could not provide foil for him to bring his plate home and started shouting in the dining hall. I was kind of worried for Ed that he might become violent and lay hands on people, but Ed knew better and was very firm and handled the situation well.
Mental health awareness is a big thing here in NYC. I recently had a chat with D and E, and the big question of how do homeless people become homeless? came up. To be honest, the simple answer of "drugs, mental illness, breakdown of support" was an insufficient answer. But I guess with 46 years of doing social work behind his name, I've gotta take E's word for it. It hadn't occurred to me how big a part mental illness played in the grand scheme of poverty. I had put most of the blame on drugs (federal law states that you are only prosecuted if you import more than 1 ton of marijuana). It amazes me how Americans are well educated and highly concerned about mental health, with many people taking up a second degree or diploma in order to go into the field of helping others. A friend from church whom I've grown close to has a big heart for this group of people and I have utmost respect for that.
I attended my first pilates class today as well. When the instructor entered the room, and I saw this middle aged lady with less-than-toned arms and a little tummy to boot, my immediate judgmental self went oh man, gonna be some fat wobbling class! But gosh was I completely wrong. The instructor was waaaayyy more flexible and has really strong abdominal muscles. Not much achieved for a first class, but for sure I need to do more crunches :x
Here's a random bunch of photos. :)
