Black Friday

Hi All!

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, I am going to put my stories of immigrant stories on hold. I have been working at assembling a list of online stores which promote just-shopping, as shopping does need to occur to maintain a capitalistic economy, though the shops we patronize could be ones that promote a decent life. Sooo in this blog are my reflections on consumerism as well as a list of websites that promote just-shopping.

Through my life, and especially this year, I have been able to reflect on consumerism and in my opinion the United States American Dream which seems to equate buying more and more to satisfy a loneliness and longing within us that can only be satisfied with a deeper human connection not more stuff. In a book, Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin which came out over 15 years ago it was talking about how material stuff tends to complicate our lives. Keeping up with the Jones leads to unneeded stress. And worries of cash to buy the next new gadget will plague us with anxiety. It proposed four questions for examining whether purchases are life giving or life draining. (I would love to hear any of your reflections on these) The questions are:

"1. Does what I own or buy promote activity, self-reliance, and involvement, or does it induce passivity and dependence?
2. Are my consumption patterns basically satisfying, or do I buy much that serves no real need?
3. How tied are my present job and lifestyle to installment payments, maintenance and repair costs, and the expectations of others?
4. Do I consider the impact of my consumption patterns on other people and on the earth?"

With Christmas less than a month away there is always a push to spend and buy. Plus we do enjoy showing we care to one another and gift giving is the culturally encouraged way to do that. But my challenge for myself, that I invite you to join me in this holiday season is to one, show we care in more meaningful ways, as this Christian Movement Advent Conspiracy encourages. Such as spending time with the people we love, instead of the spending that time in a shopping mall. Making gifts, which are more meaningful and simply. And generally living more simply in our consumption. Buying just to buy doesn't really serve a life-giving purpose and is not really the true meaning of Christmas in my mind. And two, make those gifts I do buy something that promotes a greater life for the maker as well as the receiver. What if everytime your loved one carried the purse you got them they thought of you and a woman in Uganda who is providing for her family? Many argue that 'fair trade' products are not things you normally buy or are two expensive. In regards to the first, below are links to dozens of options with everything from clothing to food to footballs. And to the second, is cheap really better then supporting another human being to have a decent quality of life?

I hope some of you find this list of links helpful. All of the names are links to the websites if you click on them. I am not being paid to endorse any of these places I just think they are a good option and I encourage you to share the list with others who may be interested. Thanks for reading and humoring my shopping challenge. Please feel free to post as comments other stores or reflections. Peace and Love!

Global Exchange
Sells:
Men/Women/Kid Clothing, Accessories, Jewelry Holiday items, Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Chocolates, Household items, Stationary, Journals, Dolls, Toys, Games, Books, Movies, Music, Gift Packs
-All items are fair trade. In the descriptions you can learn more about the people who made your product.

Trade as One
Clothing, Food, Drink, Jewelry, Stationary, Journals, Bags, House and home goods, Sports, Toys, Health and Beauty
-This group has many practical everyday items that are made in a just manner. I especially took note of the soccer balls which are notoriously made in bad work environments because the sewing of stitches is best done by small child hands.

Fair Indigo
Sells:
Men/Women/Kid Clothing, Accessories, Jewelry, Stuffed animals, Holiday items, Home items, Coffee, Tea, and Made in the USA products
- I have shoes from this place and they are amazing. All their clothing is of very high quality.

Better World Books
Sells:
Books
-Part of the profits here go world literacy efforts

El Castillo del Cacao
Sells:
CHOCOLATE
- This place is in Nicaragua. The chocolate is good and the factory supports sustainable development (I was supposed to visit it while there but it fell through, still should support)

Cafe Justo
Sells:
COFFEE
-Supports US/Mexico Border Towns

Cafe Campesino
Sells:
COFFEE, Tea, Mate
-These folks sell Nicaraguan Coffee from some of the places I went to :) One of my roommates also markets this here in El Paso

Esperanza en Accion (Hope in Action)
Sells:
Artisan Crafts and home goods
-I visited this place in Nicaragua. They are doing a lot to empower individuals to provide for themselves and creating jobs in a country that has EXTREME unemployment.

Fair Mail
Sells:
Greeting Cards
-These cards are fair trade and designed by underprivileged children in Peru and India

Koinonia Store
Sells:
Pecans, Chocolate, Coffee, Other Food items, Crafts, Books
- This is a communal living farm that I stayed at for a few days a couple of years ago. The founder of Habitat for Humanity lived there. They are in GA and all about working for peace and justice. The chocolate pecan stuff is AMAZING :)

TASSATAG
Sells:
Luggage Tags
-This organization works to stop human trafficking. I did research with them my sophomore year.

Amnesty International
Sells:
Clothing, Accessories, Books, Toys, Games, Calendars, Planners, Movies, Music
-Profit benefits Amnesty Internationals human rights campaigns

Invisible Children
Sells: Men/Women's Clothing, Bracelets, Bags, Films
-Invisible Children are young adults and children whose lives have been ravaged by war in Uganda. The bags, under the label of Mend and you can actually read about the exact person who made your bag.

Conscious Consumer Marketplace
Has links by the categories of:
Groceries, Clothing, Green Office, For your home, Back to School, Transportation and Travel, Energy, Electronics, Baby Products, Pet Products, Socially Responsible Products, Charitable Donations-these are alternative type gifts.
-Through these links you can find almost anything your heart desires.

Econcious Market
Clothing, Furniture, Home Decor, Face and Body Care, Babies, Kids, Yoga, Sports, Kids, Bags, Books, Music, Toothbrushes
-Some are organic and fair trade items, all are eco-friendly

Alternative Gifts:

Oxfam
You can help individuals in developing countries finance a business or get medical care or whatever your gift receiver is interested in, you can find a gift that will be meaningful to them. Buy a chocolate lover "helping someone else start a chocolate growing business" or the sports lover "sports equipment for kids in a developing country."

Heifer International
You can buy animals for individuals living in third world countries to help them feed their families or communities as well as establish subsistance farming methods.

Advent Conspiracy
You can give money to build wells in developing nations and provide clean drinking water.

What story is my life telling?

Ok, Before we get to the blog I know you all love pictures. These are of: A benefit dinner for my non-profit. We have a very diverse staff. I will let you guess who each of these folks are: a)Kirk from El Paso b)Ileana from Cancun, Mexico c) Ashley from Otis, OR and d)Susan from Nigeria/London :-P You can figure out which picture is a, which b, and so on. :)

















Then we have all my roommates in character for a murder mystery dinner.




Followed by the Border Mass it was a mass co celebrated across the fence with the bishops of El Paso, TX, Las Cruces, NM, and Juarez Mexico. It was very touching to say the least.





Next is of a march in honor of all who have died crossing the Border held on all saints day.



Part of my Border Servant Corps group the night before Halloween when we camped out in a parking lot to protect stuff set up for a fundraiser the next day at one of our groupie's work.



Our Dia de los muertos alter, remembering our lost loved ones.







After two of my roommates tried to make chiles rellenos and terribly burnt their hands with chile juice I was comforting Ally by feeding her chocolate chips. That is true roomate love.






And then Sarah and Ally roasting the green chiles over our gas burners.





Now to the blog :)





Dear Friends and Family,

Everytime I think I am getting better at updating this thing I realize it has been even longer since the last update. I feel like the part of my life that I have not been documenting as much is my many ponderings. I have been thinking a lot on something Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz) said at the Mobilization to End Poverty I attended in the spring. He said, [more or less] "Think of your as life a story, you are the main character in this story. What is the story you want to tell with your life?" Through many of the books I have found myself reading since this summer I find this same theme echoed throughout Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Native American faith teachings as well as much of eastern and western philosophy. It has further deepened my feelings that accompaniment and experience are the best way to learn. We can hear one another's stories and see the stories others are choosing to write with their lives. Soo before I jump into some recent 'stories' I have encountered, I will update you on my story.

I am still learning a lot from my El Paso experience. So far this chapter would probably be written about a girl reconnecting with what makes her happy. Being out of school and surrounded by no one who has known you is nice. People no longer have you in a box. And as many of you know last semester was a bit of a roller coaster so it is nice to just be able to read, research on social justice issues that interest me, email old friends, bake, walk, play games and share meals with new friends, and rest. I can also choose not to be a work-a-holic and leave the office after I have put in my 35hours required for the week.

I have learned that I will probably sooner or later need to return to graduate school because I find there are so many self-righteous, self-motivated individuals in non-profit work that ultimately many non-profits/service organizations are not fulfilling their missions, to help the most vulnerable populations. As I think I would enjoy attempting to run a service business that actually strives for meeting the needs of vulnerable populations I unfortunately will probably need a bigger degree. That being said, I am not writing more schooling into my life plan at this point. I still am young and uncommitted and thus would like to take advantage of that to continue to connect with humanity. Likewise, I have discovered that I love cooking for/baking for/feeding others and generally playing the 'parent'/caregiver role. Ok, so my roommates have pointed that one out to me. Though, at this point that does not mean I am going to write the settling down and having a family chapter into my life book either. [And no that is not only because CNN voted El Paso the city with the ugliest men in the US]. Soooo what does the next chapter look like? At this point international service seems to be what most calls, but we shall see.

Now for some other stories I have recently been privileged enough to experience. As I am working with the immigrant community I tend to follow immigrant news a fair amount. A common theme seems to be lack of understanding about why immigrants, especially Mexican immigrants journey to the US, I mean other than to steal jobs, bring down property values and rob our system. To keep this from running too long, I am going to tell you one 'person's' journey to the US and will try, very hard, to provide you with other examples in the next few days.

First story, this is the common one I hear while I am at work. About immigrants coming through marriage.
"We were in love, I thought he would take good care of me. He [normally a US Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident] made me leave everything in Mexico and told me he would take care of all my needs. I thought he would be a good father to my other kids. We got here and it was ok for a while but he drinks a lot. He at first would never hit me but he would refuse to let me go out of the house without him. He would never let me have any money for anything. If I needed clothing or something for the house I would have to ask him to buy it or tell him exactly how much it was so he could give me just that much money. He won't let me use the phone. He won't let me spend time with friends. He won't let me talk to my family. He gave me a curfew. He would always cuss me out. When he was drinking it would get worse. He would slap me. He would kick me. He would punch me. He tried to strangle me. He tried to suffocate me with a plastic bag. He stabbed me. He tried to run me over with the car. He kidnapped my child. I never reported it because I was here without papers. He wouldn't arrange my papers because: he said I wasn't worth it; I didn't deserve it; why should he. I didn't report it to the police because I thought they would find out I was 'illegal' and deport me. He said he would have me deported if I told anyone. I thought I would lose my children and be deported. I didn't think the police would listen because it was my word against his and he is legal.

These women, and occasionally men, have every legal right to be here, as residents and USCs can petition for their spouses. However, their spouses used this as a way to control, manipulate and abuse them. Before starting my job I never would have imagined how many people this happens to. Sometimes nearly being killed brings them from the shadows. Sometime they have endured for years because they know their United States Citizen children would have a better life and better schooling here in the US. Sometimes they can't return home because they have become so US-ized here they would be returning to a 'foreign country.' Whatever their reason for wanting to stay in the United States by law that is their right. This is one part of the immigration population. Doesn't sound to me like they are out to get the United States Citizens. That is a peek into my daily life here or many of the immigrants who I work directly with.

Ok, now to keep from ranting at you too long, I will post more stories of other immigrant journeys soon.

Peace be with you,
Karen