Saturday, February 27, 2010

Just call me Scout

Happy February 27th! What a beautiful day here in Galveston. After an unseasonably cold winter - or so we are told - Galveston seems to be warming up. Andy is at a conference all day today presenting some work. I'm kind of bummed he is missing this beautiful sunny day, but Nellie and I are making the best of it - we took a nice walk to the beach and Nell had a blast. She LOVES the sand. Its really hilarious to watch. She starts digging a hole and then jumps up to run in big track like circles. Shes certainly got greyhound in her.

Well, this week was an interesting turning point for me in Galveston. I haven't really talked much about the political scene here in this island community. As most people know, Galveston was hit by an incredible hurricane in September of 2008. Hurricanes are not foreign to Gulf Coast dwellers and very much a part of life. Evacuations are semi regular - many folk have told me about their treks out of town in the past for different storms as they make their way into the Gulf. We are incredible greatful to Sam Houston State University for giving our good friend Rob Cramer a job next year, just two hours north of where we are now. Rob is now officially our "evacuation buddy" should the need arise. Better get a nice big apartment buddy!

Storms with incredible "hurricane Ike-like" damage only seem to happen every 100 years. While hurricane Ike was only a class 2 or 3 hurricane in size and wind force, the storm surge or resulting flooding onto the island produced the damage equivalent to a class 5 storm. Many families and business owners lost their homes and stores. It is not uncommon to learn that friends spent 7, 8, 9 months in a hotel before their houses were restored enough to move back home. Many businesses and residents have not moved back yet and this has a terrible effect on the economy as it moves in fits and starts back to life again.

This is the background for my work at the Galveston housing authority. Prior to the storm, the housing authority provided affordable housing solutions for the island poor. A predominantly tourist economy, many island workers make their livelihood in the restaurants and hotels that dot the island. A waiter or waitress may only bring in $25 - 35,000 a year if she's lucky. For one person, this salary can be tolerable. But if a single mom has children to feed, she is in trouble if she can't find an affordable apartment.

When the storm came, the island's public housing had to be torn down as did many rentals that families lived in. Now the question turns to how the island might rebuild so that the lower, middle and upper class can live together to make this island flourish again.

I'll refrain from getting into the details of the arguments. Its surely been interesting to be a part of, to say the least. In many ways, I can understand the drama the island finds itself in. Government (tax payer) funds are at stake. Hurricane Ike spared no one. Rich and poor felt the pain and sadness of losing all they owned and also losing the community they had built. With so many choosing not to return or struggling to get back home, the community has suffered greatly and therefore tensions are high as the city determines how funds are dispersed and who gets what.

Thus, I found myself in cramped city hall quarters on Thursday night listening to 4 hours of public comment from folk on both sides of the debate regarding the island's public housing. My colleagues are feeling beat up. For over a year now, they have fought hard to represent those who are so often without a voice - the poor. In many ways, I felt like an outsider as I am new to the fight and so often do not know the history of what was and what has occurred since the storm.

I felt in the position of 10 year old Scout in Harper Lee's incredible book To Kill a Mockingbird which I just recently read. Scout is the young daughter of a southern white lawyer who defends a black man in the Alabama south. Its an incredible book that displays the intensity and rawness of emotion that erupts in a town over controversy.

There was a woman on Thursday night that really struck a chord in me. Apparently an advocate for affordable housing for some time now, this elderly woman of 96 years old walked up the podium with the help of a cane and noted her decades of struggle for equality. She likened the current arguments to the early days at UTMB when she and her friends fought for a nursing program for black women who wanted a chance at furthering their careers. She pointed at the 6 council persons and the mayor and stated emphatically that "the poor are our conscience" and shame on us if we do not allow for their prosperity in our society also. It was wonderful for me to see so many people walk to the podium and explain how public housing was a stepping stone for their families. Many had children who went on to college and had attained a measure of success for themselves as well.

GHA won a key vote Thursday night. We are to contract with an architect to draw up plans for council approval. The fight still looms large and while I my heart for the poor continues to beat loudly I do also hear the voices of those who don't want to return to the woes of the past. Because the poor live at the margins they are so often impacted and pulled in by detrimental societal forces. We may rebuild structures but we will fail miserably if we do not implement systems to build people too.

Personally, I want to continue to be shaped by those who are frustrated with what was so that we might not be content with doing what is easy. It is easy to build houses. it is much more difficult to change mindsets and to take on new skills - no one is exempt from the process of rebuilding oneself.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Home on the Range?

Good evening bloggers and blog readers. settling down here tonight amid a mountain of delicious delicacies sent by our Beck side of the family. If you are reading this Becks, the mint chocolate cookies are amazing! Great pick and thanks for sending the box o fun. Twas a lovely reminder of home and the people we love :-)

well, its high time I update my blog here though you cannot fault me for want to post rich and informative tales. I often think its time to post but realize there's more to the story that must be lived before I do so. and we've done a lot of living and learning "Texas style" since Christmas. where to begin...

January was more settling in at the new job and in our new neighborhood. We have a wonderful neighborhood here on Winnie Street and are so glad to be right in the middle of it.
We are surrounded by wonderful and very diverse folk! I love this aspect of Winnie Street and am so thankful that we are in such a great spot. It makes for great "porch sittin' banter" and neighborly friendship too. David and Dale are neighbors across the street who have been so kind to us. We had Christmas lunch with them and their family. I have never seen so much food in one sitting - and all of it was delicious!! Dale and I are going to have to have a "cook off" one of these days...I am sure of it. ;-) He is threatening gumbo - shall I come back at him with a maryland crab soup!?! we shall see what my culinary war chest can muster up.

Having more time in the evenings lately I have been cooking up a storm. I just this evening learned how to cook with "fennel bulb" and leeks. We made a tasty Shrimp pot pie. It was amazing! Lots of shrimp and seafood on our plates lately. Theres a seafood market on 22nd and Harborside just a few blocks from our house. Fresh shrimp from the gulf at just 5 bucks a pound daily. AWESOME. I'll post some pics of Katie's market - the pelicans gather around the shop and the fisherman feed them fish scraps after they filet fish for you. So hilarious!




We hosted our first party which was a success in late January. We've had great fun bringing the art of sushi making to friends back home. I cannot start this without thanking my west coast cousin/sushi chef Silas Toms. A few years back he came east for a visit and taught us the whole shebang. Nori, Wasabi, ginger...and ever so crucial...how to buy fish that will not kill your friends. So far so good in that department. Not a single death so far on our watch!! :-)

We had about 15 folk over. Bring a drink to share and 10 bucks to cut the cost (party on a grad student budget = everyone chipping in!). I think everyone had a great time. Some chose to just eat while others took charge at the table rolling crazy concoctions. By the end of the night I was full and tired from a day of prep. It was great to host a party again too. I think those are genetics passed down from Mom's side of the family. Shes always a very gracious host and I am glad to have some of that spirit in me too. (emphasis on "some" - I have not yet cut out themed name cards nor have I set festive tables 2 days prior to a meal. That is a level I have not yet risen too! )

All this said, I feel like these last two weeks I have started to feel more at home. Work is picking up in a good way and I am starting to learn new things in the world of affordable housing - a passion of mine to be sure. More to come soon. Andy's birthday is coming up and we have taken the plunge into Texas style bbq. Found a great bargain on a grill this weekend and plan to christen it over the next few weeks. Any thoughts on a first recipe for the grill master?! Lots of love from the island tonight. -Court