Rachael in Miami

March-April Reflection

2009-04-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

This one is less reflectiony so hopefully more upbeat. :)

Dear Loved Ones, March/April 2009
Tax season is over and I am getting back into the old swing of things. Though the stress of taxes is over I am a little sad. I knew for sure what my purpose was during these past couple of months. Now during the week I will go back to working with the children in the afternoon but the day time is wide open to random stuff. It is work that needs to be done but there is something to be said about routine. :) I am adjusting back to my old bus schedule. I have forgotten which exact bus to take to get to work on time. So far this week I am batting 0/3. I either arrive thirty minutes early or 20 minutes late. :)

I have started co-teaching an adult computer class with the CBF intern (mentioned him last letter). It is very rewarding. On the first day of class many of our students did not know what a mouse was or how to use it. Lessons were quickly simplified to teach about the two clickers on the mouse, how to minimize/maximize windows, and what a shortcut was. Adults are so much more enjoyable to teach. They are coming to us wanting to learn. They also don’t squirm around in their seat, say I don’t know how while pouting, and try to throw themselves around on the ground like the children I teach here do.

My work on Sunday mornings is going well. Many of the regulars know my name (refer to an old reflection where I was being called “Miss Texas” and other names). They love to talk to me about their weeks or their life stories. Some even write my work email to tell me about their day. Many of our Sunday Morning clients have lots of time on their hands during the day. :) They go to the library in downtown to use the computers which passes the time.

I went snorkeling last weekend for the first time here in Florida. Next weekend I have a Mid Year Retreat and I get to go again. My sunburned back from last weekend should be healed enough before this weekend. I am a little tanner I think since I moved here. :) Again, I ask that you pray for the people of Overtown. Last Saturday a gang shooting happened less than a block away from my work at the corner I have mentioned before. There is no need to worry for me because I am not involved in any gangs myself. I also no longer walk the children home. That is the male intern’s job now. :)

Long time no write

2009-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Tax appointment cancelled, had a minute between things. No air conditioning at TML right now. Really Really Really hot. It is 75 outside but it is cooler out there than inside. No air movement. Just stuffy office.

Last two months reflections below.

Dear Loved Ones, January/February 2009

I have finally reached the lull in Tax Season. We had a mad rush in the beginning of everybody who wanted their money yesterday and now I am waiting for all the people who then realize that April 15 is sooner than they think. Touching Miami with Love has done 176 tax returns as of right now (3/2 at 12:30 my lunch break). That means that I have personally done over half of that and quality reviewed another good portion of the rest.

I have talked a lot about taking classes in the last letters but not explained how or why we do the taxes. The Prosperity Campaign provides a variety of help from affordable cell phones to prescription assistance to foreclosure to immigration services just to name a few. J TML has a contract through Human Services Coalition who has a grant through PC to do 200 tax returns. So we will definitely make our numbers which makes my bosses really happy.

Although some days have been super stressful (crazy clients and IRS secret shopping), so far this part of the year has also been my favorite. There have been some people that I have wanted to scream at of course but overall everybody is nice. Everybody has a story to tell you while you do their taxes. I feel like I know very intimate details to peoples lives here in the community. People tell you stories of children dying, their health problems, losing a job after 28 years with Macy’s, adoptions of Deaf foster children,

There have been some bumps. One woman was angry with me that she was only receiving $300 for EIC with two kids on her return. She did not understand that the government doesn’t give you thousands of dollars EIC if you only made $900. She started screaming at me that she should get $6,000 like her neighbors. I should preface this with the fact that she was also claiming to pay all bills (including $420 rent a month) when she only made $900 for the entire year. So I pretty sure she was lying to me anyways and I can refuse service at any point. I have been thinking a lot about government policies. There are many people that try to cheat the system so I see why the government tries to cover all the bases it can (why the retired lady can’t qualify). One person admitted to me about how they know people who tell their children to act a certain way in school so that the child will be labeled disabled to receive SSI benefits. Also, on a side note, I am tired of explaining Obama’s $700 billion dollar plan is not giving them direct money like Bush’s stimulus payment to people over and over and over in the year 2009. For an all black (yes black because this includes the Haitian and Jamaican population here) community who was so excited to have Obama elected they can get pissed that they aren’t getting another ESP. I am sorry I am generalizing now. Just most people get angry not all.

You might be wondering how life is outside of taxes. I got to go back to Austin for 48 hours (literally). I surprised Amanda for her wedding, attended her birthday breakfast, attended Sarah’s birthday party, attended a Battlestar Galactica dinner watching get together, and had lunch with my sister. A very busy weekend but I am glad I was able to see as many people as I could (especially others that came from out of town for the wedding as well). My second plane to come back to Miami had a “precautionary stop” in Tampa because of the fuel light. This made my trip home a little stressful since it took 11 hours from Austin to Miami (well 10 if you don’t count the hour that disappears mysteriously when you head too far East). Everything is fine. We got a new intern at TML just in time for tax season so he can take all the odd jobs that I did so I can focus solely on taxes.

Love,

Rachael Bauman

Christmas fun

2009-01-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

I had a great Christmas getting to see family and some old friends. I am back in Miami now. I went walking with a roommate this morning. You know you are out of shape when your legs get that lactic acid itchiness just from an hour of walking. Her family is doing a bet (yes involving money though miniscule amounts) about loosing weight.

Being at home was tough. It made me want to stay (or go back to Austin). I love the work I am doing here though. I think once I start back to work then I will remember that better.

Basic Certified

2008-12-17T08:55:00.001-08:00

YAY! I have completed my Basic Volunteer Certification with the IRS. I just have Intermediate certification to go. I am half way through the practice exam for it. I should get it completed soon.

I am getting excited for coming home for Christmas. I was trying to get a card out to people but our house card fell through. We took a whole bunch of pictures.

Jeffrey will be here in a couple of hours. :)

More Taxes, Shopping, and Lines

2008-12-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

This week I began my second string of tax classes. At the end of this one I will be certified to be a Volunteer Income Tax Agent (VITA). One more one-day training on the 22nd then I should be ready. In theory anyways. :)

Sadly, the play has been canceled. I memorized 26 pages for naught but it is okay. One of the parts was cast and recast. It was just cursed or something. People kept dropping out of that part.

The Christmas Store opened today. It is where people in Overtown can come buy toys for 20% the store cost. So they can pay $10 and get presents that would have cost them $50 at the store. It empowers people in the community to buy presents for their own children. We just make it more affordable and claim no credit. All profits go to buying toys for the next year (or current year if other donations from two local churches and a few others aren't enough). Anyways, I have been doing a lot of stuff to get it ready.

Last Sunday I got to see the renovations that are going on for the Downtown Mission that I do Sunday mornings. The church is moving their homeless ministry to another building. There will not be as much room and so people are going to have to wait outside in line. However, the new people running the church also don't want them doing that where their members will be able to see them in the parking lot. I am not quite sure how all of that is going to work out.

I got a package from UPC this week. It was so wonderful to receive that love. I showed all my roommates. Whether they really wanted to see them or not. :)

I received a letter today from the Bone Marrow people. I was not a match (it was only a 1 in 12 chance). Please pray for the little boy in the hopes that someone else was a match.

Cars and Angels

2008-12-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

So here is the story of a car. It was a was a Lexus SUV. Now it was a very very nice car. Through its travels it found a home in front of some short term missionaries. They hoped/joked that it was a gift from God because their one community car is dying. God just wanted them to work to find the keys. God only provides so much, the rest you have to do for yourself.

Now this car was a Miami car through and through because it had a toll pass for the local toll roads. Sadly, some unthoughtful person had left Take Out in the back seat. The Lexus became lonely. Nobody ever came to drive it anymore. The interns could not find the keys to make it happy.

Three weeks pass...

A timid intern named Rachael calls the cops. The dispatcher checks the license plate number and tells her it is stolen. Then she gets a lecture for waiting three weeks before calling. Hey, the pretty Lexus was on public property and all the neighbors only speak Spanish (it parked itself in Little Havana). So the Lexus was taken away by the policewoman never to be seen again. And there was no reward money. :(

I am an Angel in the Christmas play. We hadn't rehearsed for over a week. I forgot most of my lines. That is it. Oh yeah they are doing this 24 hour prayer thing at the Lighthouse. I signed up for a couple of hours. Pray that I am able to pray that long. :)

Good luck on finals to everyone and eat a Chicago style hot dog for me!

Rachael

One actually from today :)

2008-11-12T18:20:00.001-08:00

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. I am not very good at this blog thing. I just posted last month reflection. Though there was a week where we didn't have any internet at all. I wrote a blog that week but by the end of the week it seemed out of date and never posted.

Update since then.

Tomorrow is my last tax class! Yay! Except that does mean that I have a final tomorrow. :(

I was contacted to be a possible bone marrow donor. I have a 1 in 12 chance of being a "perfect match" for a three year old with leukemia. I got the blood work portion done on Monday. Ever since then I can't stop thinking this child I never met and his family. I hope they find a match with me or someone else.

Our house Dog and Cat Sat for a week. It made me miss my cat. My mom says that Emma has been trying desperately to go outside. Can't wait to see her this Christmas.

I am in a Christmas play. Or at least I will be until the first rehearsal tomorrow when they realize I can't act. Anyways, it is a play with only four people. King, Shepard, Angel, and Bag Lady. That means I have a lot of lines. It is about nativity statues who come to life when nobody is watching. The Bag Lady comes by drunk and talks to them. She passes out and starts to freeze to death but not before you find out her story and the story of the birth. Each character has their own quirk. The King is obsessed with his present and is afraid that someone will steal it. The Shepard is verbally combative with the stuck up Angel. The Angel thinks her name is "Harold" (Hark the Harold Angel sings) and that she is the most important part of the nativity. (Nobody had better be thinking this character was made for me)

My Dad still has a job! Yay! He is now under a different branch of USA because the NASA contract was won by Lockheed Martin. So new building, new boss, new benefits (which are worse) but the same salary.

I am going to go back to watching How I Met Your Mother because I never have much time to watch TV (even when its on the internet) and I know some want me to keep up. :)

Another late Reflection letter

2008-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have started tax classes. I actually find the subject fascinating and enjoy being back in “school.” I am doing really well in class and I think I will be comfortable doing over a hundred returns this next tax season. Though much of what I am learning will not apply to my clients who will not be making over a 100,000 dollars or have to worry about fringe benefits totaling too much. In addition, Sunday mornings I have taken over the chiropractor paperwork. Twice a month two different chiropractors come and provide free services for our patrons.

In addition, one of my many jobs is to print/copy job listings every week to hand out. People who come in looking for work can get a job listing with the available positions and contact information. This last Sunday, I was walking through an outside mall and someone called my name. It was a lady who I had talked to and given a job listing. She was working in the shop that she had just been hired in. Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline talks about celebrating with others in community how God is working in their lives. It was great to celebrate with someone who had been praying for a long time for this second job. Also, it is a good feeling to know that God is working through you to do good things.

I voted here in Florida. You actually bubble in the person which is a bit different than our computer system. Then you go and scan the papers through the optical scanner machine. I admit that the first time I heard that name I pictured something from Sci-Fi that would scan your eye. I am a nerd. Everybody who was anybody in the campaigns was coming to Florida. I tried to attend one of the many Obama rallies here but was unsuccessful. I waited three hours to see Hillary Clinton but it ended up getting cancelled due to a plane delay. I was 12 in line.

The CCDA conference just finished up. It is the Christian Community Development Association. It is basically a conference for Non-profit people. It was awesome (and I mean this word in the way it was originally intended) to be surrounded by all the people “doing good” in the world. I attended a workshop on helping Sexual Abuse (specifically incest) victims. It was depressing and hopeful at the same time. Almost all of the people that attended told their personal stories. Eye-opening would be the least I could say.

In Overtown this month, there was another murder of a high school student. This time the boy was continually receiving anonymous threats. When he went outside to the dumpster at his job he was shot and then burned. Please pray for the family and community.

Quick one today that is actually from today

2008-10-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ghost Ranch - I loved. Great people, great scenery, and great things to think about.

I am no longer a Texas resident. :( I will always be one at heart though. The upside to getting a driver's license here is that I will be a Florida voter. Go Obama! I am not sure how many ads you are getting in Texas but there are a bizillion here. Radio, billboards, tv, and anywhere else you can think of.

My work at TML is going good. Many of the homeless call me "Miss Texas." It makes me laugh every time. I am still looking for a church home in this city. I really miss UPC a lot. At church this morning there was 3 choir members (and only two could sing). There was also a Coffee Fellowship that I was excited to go to meet people. Nobody (okay one person) showed up. Everybody else left. I didn't even meet the pastor for the second time in a row. I will try again next week.

I have a staff party today that I need to get ready for. I do like the people that I am working with. They are very dedicated and love what they are doing. My supervisor is also a cool guy though a little funny at times. I rarely see him for he is always running somewhere to do something. I am told he has really grown this non-profit from a small business to what it is now. They just hired three people the week I was at orientation in New Mexico.

Kathleen- I am getting my housemates interested in How I met your Mother. We don't have CBS by the way. We only get a couple of channels in on our rabbit ears and they aren't very good.

Got to go! Love and Peace.

Ooops... This was written three weeks ago :)

2008-10-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Miss y’all! This week went by pretty fast for me. On Wednesday and Thursday I spent all day looking over government regulations and writing procedures for them. This means I read through stupid legal speak then had to write what our office does/will do to ensure we comply with the law. They are applying for a DCF (Dept of Children’s and Families) license from the state. What is cool is that I have only been here two weeks and my procedures are going to have to be read by all future hires. What was not cool was giving up on the American Disabilities Act and calling their hotline to talk to a lawyer who just confused me more. Did you know that a court order does not require you to hand over confidential information? You have to actually get a subpoena before you are required to.

It was one of my housemate’s b-day. We went and walked around the miracle mile. We went to an Irish Pub that was doing a comedy night. All of the comics were pretty bad. Yesterday we went to a Cuban restaurant and the food was great. However, hours later I wasn’t feeling so great.

Brisingr comes out today. Sorry Jonathan, but I am buying it. Christopher Paoloni is actually coming to Miami!!! He is only going to half a dozen cities. He is doing some kind of a reading and singing? I got so excited until I looked at the date. It is when I am at Ghost Ranch next week.  I will be in New Mexico when he comes. Just my luck. Obama was here in town at UM. But by the time I heard about it, they had already run out of tickets for the general public. I did find the Obama campaign headquarters in town (it is on the miracle mile). I don’t know how I am going to vote this year. I am going to get a FL driver’s license for my job. I don’t know when though. So I will have this akward time near the election where I am not sure where I can vote.

Rapture and Puff the Magic Dragon

2008-09-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

First off, just to let everyone know my parents are safe and fine. The house and roof are still intact. Ike knocked down a couple of our trees but they managed to land between houses and onto our back patio. The part of La Porte which is on the water (where Anderson Cooper had his people) is still off limits until Wednesday. My parent’s part of the city got back electricity this afternoon.

This weekend was interesting. I worked for a homeless ministry held at this Baptist church in Downtown. There program is really good. They give free breakfast, showers, clothing exchange, this week was chiropractic medical care, and a really nice lunch. They also do a worship service. It was all about the rapture. About what it will look like and how to be a part of it. It was all done on a DVD. Also, there was a section that was a demonstration using screws of different metals and a magnet. Oh yeah. I am serious. Furthermore (I just want to use that word), the magnetic screws all contained “Christ’s DNA.” Oh yeah. They went there. They totally screwed up biology (slight pun intended). They also showed a clip from the ending of I am Legend which I haven’t seen. Will Smith is Christ if you haven’t guessed.

A 17 year old was shot and killed this past weekend in Overtown. He was a boyfriend of one the girls that goes to TML. She came in all upset. Violence is horrible. That is all I can say about it right now.
To end on a funnier note. Another thing, was I read a curriculum called “Don’t laugh at me” which uses the song Puff the Magic Dragon. Really? How could I play that to the high schoolers.

First Post - Very creative title I know

2008-09-12T15:02:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

It’s Rachael here in rainy Miami. Don’t get me wrong. I am extremely grateful that it was only rain and not a hurricane. I am writing just to let y’all know what is going on with me. I miss you very much.

I started my job on Monday and although I get to work with youth and children there is also a ton of paperwork. Grants require a lot of information and paperwork to show that you are accomplishing and documenting everything you do. I like working with the elementary kids because I can put them in time out. I tried that once with my 6th graders it didn’t really work.  The High School youth definitely have issues and need to be taught manners and boundaries.

The area where I work is not the safest place. I had to sign all of these things about safety. I am also required to carry around pepper spray since I will be standing at bus stops and walking a distance. I got some tonight to start carrying with me. My first impression of Overtown (the area I work) was that of a lot of black men calling out to me and a fire dept ambulance pulling over to ask me if I knew where I was. They kept saying “are you sure?” It turns out white people get asked that a lot by police and fire officials. Interesting twist on the classic pullover.

I live near Little Havana. Everybody in my subdivision speaks Spanish. I have yet to meet someone who speaks English. They all assume because of where I am living that I speak Spanish. In Miami, people actually talk to strangers on the bus. In Austin, I only had conversations with homeless people. Here I have had so many conversations. I have been given 3 phone numbers by random guys on the bus as well though. The first time I said I had a boyfriend. The next couple of times I said I am married to the church (well that was really all the Italian guy could understand in English). It is sort of true because I am not allowed to date until after December and then my house has to approve the guy.

The people I live with are all different. I am staying in a room with Julie. She is real cool. Our schedules are off though. I don’t start work until 11 and she has to leave here at 6. That means I end up getting up really early as well.