True Hospitality
Ancillary 6
How do I want to display my community to the outside world? Technical? Or emotional? The way I visually see my community is that of how few see my community — that of a different lens.
My community, Woodlake, is seen as “ A City With True Western Hospitality, where the spirit of western culture coincides within the heart of the community. Where people go to Runway Cafe, to eat their early morning breakfast at the one and only local airport cafe in Tulare county. On the other entry way of the town, we are “welcome[d] to Woodlake” by the sign created by the Lions Rodeo — a group of predominantly wealthy white men. After being welcome by the signs and branding, you see the color of the town as the young brown children play around the yards near the liquor store. When you are greeted good morning by the early sounds of car doors opening to men preparing to work in the nearby fields. The same fields that feed the countless families in the community and the countless more outside our country. Because that is my community, “A town with True hospitality”.
Ancillary 7
- Be an ACTIVE Listener
- Work on systematic and community base work
Who am I to judge?
As I visit folks in skid row, one of the least demanding tasks is to be a listener. To be more specific, an ACTIVE listener — a person who takes several intentional steps to internalize the moments they experience with others. Volunteering for Waterdrop LA #113–11 helped me establish an ability I wish others to do for my community. While being a visitor of a different community, I find it important to develop skills within Active listening — Paying attention, Withholding judgment, reflecting, clarifying on misconceptions, and sharing the issues harming the community. In connection, I’ve been working on developing my understanding on community based research in order to better understand and work along with community members to create systemic progress. The two points of Active listening and Community based research are both things I hope to see done in my community in the future because I hope to see a future where visitors are able primarily focus on uplifting the community instead of refueling their self pride.
