7th week here we come!

Two weeks left! Time has been going by so fast. I swear, we were just in our retreat! Those were fun times.

Currently working on editing the PPI chapters and the works cited page. There were definitely a lot of things I missed since I only read through it once. So I have to go through it a second time. That has been keeping me busy. Going to Roland Heights for LDP on Tuesday. And our other intern is coming today, yayyy! ☺ [edit: Yayy Kiyoung is here!]

Hmmm, I think lately I’ve been thinking about the ‘next steps.’ I feel like I’m always going back to this. I figure, though, now is the time where I can do whatever I want to. Later on, I’ll definitely have more responsibilities, so I figure, why not take advantage of this time? But with that said, I still don’t have any solid plans, grrr!

what i learned about gentrification

yesterday we learned about the gentrification issues that's happening around 5 different API enclaves - Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Chinatown, Thai Town and Historic Pilipinotown. the Little Tokyo tour was very informative - I learned a lot. many times, when i drive or walk through communities, i don't realize the history or even people that had built and continue to build that particular space. yesterday, i was reminded of the importance of paying tribute and honoring our predecessors. these enclaves were home to recent immigrants dating back to the 1900s - it was not simply a pit stop, but much more than that. because of segregation and racial covenants, these women and men built their own community, not necessarily safe-guarded from nationwide racism, but these spaces grew to give our people a greater meaning of home.

today, these API enclaves represent the growing diversity of California. immigrants from all over Latin America, Asia, Southeast Asia reside in these enclaves. this immigrant community, mostly of lower-income, working class backgrounds, is similar to past (and note, current) residents of the API enclaves, in that they come for affordable housing, centralized locations, and a sense of community. the very inspiring leaders of these communities reminded us that in the process of talking about gentrification, it is important to not lose sight of the everyday consequences that determine a person's life. gentrification affects the people's housing, their children, how many jobs they take on, etc.

i'm thankful i learned about the issues, and now i have to ask myself, what can i do?

Hmmmm...

Boo it's blurry! Last week was an amazingly busy, busy week. Thursdays are my ultimate favorite days, and this past Thursday morning just completely solidified that fact!

<-- Look at the picture to the left, need I say more?!? Pure happiness.

I learned a couple things about myself from this past week...ellipses 'cause I'm still processing :)

(Re)connected with some awesome people from the board lunch and gala. Particularly, the women. They reminded me of things that I suddenly missed: self love, comfort, sisterhood, courage and strength :)

Chinatown

Today, Amy and I went to Chinatown and got an interview with Dragon Seafood and Fong’s. Both men we interviewed were the sons of the owners. What I found most interesting was when they talked about how the Chinese American communities were dispersed in LA suburbs. I never realized that something as “natural” as this movement could affect whole communities. Business has been rough for both places, but both seem to be hanging on. The future, both say, really depends on who will continue the legacy after parents and grandparents leave.

I wish there was some way to restore this.

P-Town

The weeks are just zooming by. Last Thursday, Megan, Nessa, Hann-li and myself went to P-Town! I hadn’t been to P-Town in a long time. A couple of years ago, I went there to watch ‘Dogeaters’ and the other times I was there were for the Justice for Filipino Veterans marches/rallies. I think since I was there for special purposes and events I always figured that P-Town was a vibrant community full of history and community events. After interviewing the son of the owner of Bahay Kubo, I realized that there were many things I did not know about P-Town. The interview was enlightening, educational but it also made me sad to think about P-Town’s present situation. The man talked about how he wished there were more community events geared towards serving the Filipino & Filipino-American community, especially the elders who have been in P-Town for a long time. What struck me the most about what he said was that Bahay Kubo serves as the meeting place for the community – there folks talk to each other or simply share the common pastime of watching TFC – the Filipino Channel. It is inspiring to see organizations like SIPA, and others take a great interest in designating, serving and promoting P-Town. Highlight of the night was seeing the P-Town mural in its true beauty! A little over a year ago, we took my student organization to P-Town for a little field trip to see the mural. When we got there, the mural was half covered by bars and it was gated all around. The most convenient way for us to see it was to stand across the street. I am so happy to see the mural up close. It is restored and there is a wonderful new park in front of it! I can’t wait to tell my student org what I witnessed! I made Hann-li take a picture of me standing in front of it ☺.

In other news, the LEAP office is busy preparing for the big fundraiser dinner next week. For my part, I called different businesses to ask for donations for our silent auction. My friend Jessica helped me a lot by connecting me to MOCA, so I got a donation from them. I told Sedora my success rate – “1 donation out of 20 businesses!” She said a funny comment about Reimar, but I will not repeat it here! ☺ Maybe Scott or Yulree will reveal it…

Until next time!

Looking forward to more weeks of learning, bonding and self-reflection!

End of first week

Amazing week so far.

Some highlights: LIA interns bonding at Tuesday Night Cafe, progress in the venues for CLC LA & (just today!) Vanna Novak presented us with very useful presentation skills

At LEAP, I've been working on looking up groups who we could potentially collaborate with for our upcoming Public Policy Institute roundtables. At first, I was a bit unsure on how to start and a little bit intimidated at the project ahead. However, once I talked to Linda about it, my fears subsided. She gave me very good direction, and once that happened, I was able to tackle the project a lot better.

I'm very excited for our upcoming Youth Leadership Conference, I'm happy to be part of the brainstorming/initial planning process!

First day

Yayyy! My first day at LEAP is today! :)

Just from first impressions, I am deeply appreciative of all the welcoming staff here! Everything is a little overwhelming right now (as it should be!) But I know that, in due time, things will settle and I will get into the swing of things.

After orientation, I read up on LEAP's programs and did some research on Chinatown and the effects of gentrification on the community. After a yummy lunch, I am back in my chair ready to organize my To Do lists. There's a lot of things to do!

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