nevermind

It's almost dancing, the way,
you walk real slow down that street,
Like every other day it's the last day of,
October wrecking all those shadows hanging 'round the sidewalk,
You walk away past faded summer flowers and dried up elderberries,
and old fallen leaves,
Then you turn around and look over your shoulder,
as the blackbirds land on the street, What is it,
that old guy at the bus stop used to say, "That is the part you throw away."
I want to panhandle that beggar's eye view of the alley way,
Into the back door of your heart,
And a winning horse kind of Monday,
That's all dead, buried and forgot,
All of St. Mary's prayers won't help you anyway,
It takes Houdini's Hands to keep this magic show together,
And someone who always knows when to stay,
Who but the lonely moon,
still understands the only thing keeping me sane,
Is riding with the windows down on cold days,
Will you let loose of the flowers on my grave,
Will you hold on to the vase after everything fades,
Will you wipe all these teardrops off my windowpanes,
I can't help thinking about the times,
we laughed as I close the screen door to the past,
I have done all of this at least once or,
twice if not a thousand times,
before like the call of the trains,
it still goes deep,
buried into my bones,
and only the wishes can stay,
when you go, all the kisses in the world,
can't know the lips will say last time,
I saw you felt like only yesterday,
forget to remember to nevermind,
instead I pasted all your letters on telephone poles all over town,
Time is just the memory of something better run aground,
it's not the road,
it is only the map,
You'll soon forget what I had to say,
for that is the part, you throw away

Halloween

Cuando se habla de Halloween o Día de las Brujas se piensa en disfraces, maquillaje, fiesta, dulces y niños; pero la tradición indica que su celebración no siempre fue festiva y alegre, y que los ritos que se practicaban durante la noche tenían un carácter purificador y religioso.

Happy Halloween everybody. Hope you're having fun trick-or-treating, partying or whatever it is you crazy kids get to do when you don't have to do lesson plans and work samples.

Right on schedule, I walked outside to the first frost of the year. Yep, October's over and winter is upon us now. There was the most fantastic fog blanketing the Willamette this morning. Riding the bus over the Ross Island Bridge was strictly an act of faith, believing that anything could be waiting there on the other side of the river. Indeed the first thing to emerge out of the grey mist was a tree. How fitting that it would outshine the tall buildings of downtown Portland just this once.

I walked down to the bakery to get some more bread and saw everyone's Halloween decorations. Some people really put a lot of effort and time into it. Effort and time are things I'm decidedly lacking at the moment, so I greatly admire these traits in others.

Now I will get myself off to bed. After all, tomorrow's just another day, much like any other. But perhaps not. Once Halloween passes and October's dead, winter is truly inevitable. And that changes everything.

10:05 October 30

What is the worst thing you have done today?
I could have slacked less. Unfortunately I've been sick so slacking has been more attractive than ever.

If you could change one thing what would it be?
I would create about 6 more hours in each day. I feel like I never catch up. It feels so hopeless every time I look at the pile that constitutes my work sample. Homework is depressing. I dread the piles of unwashed, uncleaned things. It's all too much.

What do you want to remember?
That today it was sunny. That the leaves outside look like stained glass. The intense red of the burning bush. The heavenly way that honey wheat bread smells when it's in the toaster.

What is the worst thing that’s happened to you?
Lately I've been sick and wallowing in self pity. I snapped out of it somewhat and that felt good.

Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?
Right now I'm pessimistic as all get out but I'm actually starting to gravitate back to a more optimistic frame of mind. Or maybe I'm resigning myself to not worry about things so much.

How honest are you?
I spilled my guts earlier...and that felt relieving.

Who is the most important person in your life?
So many people...I feel so isolated right now that I'm acutely aware of how much people mean. I'm just not in a position to do anything about it.

In the neighborhood

In the Neighborhood (a tom waits clone poem for the Declerye Co-op)

Well the pot’s full of soup,
and the coffee’s already been made,
and the cat’s are out climbing
up on the roof again,
and the dogs howled all night,
while I was talking to Sue,
and there's always gunshots bothering you,
In the neighborhood

Fridays smell like nagchampa,
and Saturday's like tea,
Denny’s got Talullah,
but she’s humping your knees,
and the goddamn radios,
they make too much noise,
and we can’t find the phone,
‘cause it’s out on the porch,
In the neighborhood,

Well someone’s playing their heartbreak,
on an old beat-up guitar,
and you can get your beers at the gas station,
without needin’ a car,
crackheads drift down Highland,
and walk in your front door,
and a goddamn thief’s,
broken into a car once again,
In the neighborhood,

There's a couple of hoboes,
out sleepin’ on the porch,
and a hole in the screen door,
that mosquitoes come in,
and people drift away,
and they come back again,
and someone’s out digging,
in the garden again,
In the neighborhood

82nd street poem

I always like 82nd Street best,
You can eat steamy bowls of Phở at Pho Hung,
Buy sweet poppyseed-encrusted loaves of Challah at the Good Neighbor Russian store, and smell the hickory smoke coming from Campbell's Barbeque,
wafting across the street from the DMV when the wind's right.

From the corner of Powell,
You can see throngs of people,
waiting impatiently in front of 7-Eleven for the bus,
lots of Mexican laborers, Vietnamese teens, and Russian grandmothers,
and listen to conversations in a dozen languages,
and watch men selling flowers on Mother's day,
and see someone holding a cardboard sign by the intersection,
watch the prostitutes walk by,
and hear mothers scolding children and teens giggling on cellphones.

Classroom Management Confessional Time

Here I am, about a month and a half into Student Teaching I, and I will readily admit that classroom management is not my forte. This is the first time in my whole entire life that I’ve ever had to control the behavioral expressions of a large group of teenagers (with essentially no safe non-judgmental place to practice beforehand).

Amazing as it may seem, there is nothing in any of my previous experience that would have given me a chance to develop this particular skill set. Of course I need all the help I can get. For me, classroom management is a far from an intuitive process, and not something I find inherently enjoyable (probably due to the lack of results, or maybe just because as an INTP the actions and motives of other people are as mysterious as vector calculus).

It can be rather frustrating sometimes, being in a situation that’s only slightly more advantageous than being a substitute teacher (I know the names of the kids and exactly what they’re supposed to be doing, however the sub at least has the consolation of getting paid regardless of how badly the day goes), whereas I have to pick up the pieces and try it all over again the next day.

I know my cooperating teacher is probably bewildered and must be surprised that I’m not exactly proficient at classroom management. Anyone could be forgiven for assuming that being an instructional assistant and working in schools would mean that one would automatically be pretty good at classroom management, but it really doesn’t help AT ALL. Not a bit. As an instructional assistant, you are NEVER the one in charge of discipline, and rarely if ever find yourself in situations where you have to elicit the cooperation of more than 5 kids at a time. I’m so used to working one-on-one with kids and small groups, and for me that’s easy. Changing the ratio to 1 on 25 and I might as well be on Mars. I’m guessing that it's not going to come overnight, and will in fact take as long as a year to feel comfortable and normal…which is time I really don’t have in one semester of Student Teaching.

The only advice I ever get are things not to do (usually obvious stuff that I already know), or that it takes time and gets easier. I’m sure it’s good advice but it’s not helpful in the moment.

I saw a quote yesterday that said, “None of us has all the pieces to the puzzle,” and that’s about how I’m feeling right now.

At this point, the only things I feel sure about are that in spite of it all, I still enjoy teens (even if I can't always get them to be quiet or to behave themselves), I can almost always get good results with individuals, am pretty good at thinking on my feet, am detached enough to not take things kids say and do personally, can usually make the best of a bad situation, and in spite of it all, still feel that teaching kids is a worthwhile pursuit.

life in haiku

Night, and the moon!
My neighbor, playing on his flute -
out of tune!

Friday night: the streetlight was shining in the window and Beefcake the oversized goldfish roots around in the gravel of his fishtank keeping me awake.
Saturday morning: the sound of a truck lumbering up the street, the sound of a diesel engine idling for half an hour, the familiar sounds of someone moving. Much to my surprise, my neighbor with the cute dogs is moving out at 7:30 AM on a Saturday morning. As tired and sick as I am, I roll over and go back to sleep. I'm that tired.

Fallen sick on a journey,
In dreams I run wildly
Over a withered moor

I've been sick since last Wednesday so life's been pretty low-key around here. I haven't been doing anything beyond what's absolutely necessary. Occasionally there's a break in the clouds; I should be out in the street watching the leaves turn red and yellow and orange. Yet, all I feel like doing is laying around and sleeping as much as possible. My dreams are wild and feverish, no doubt enhanced by all the cold medications I'm on. Cough syrup is yummy. I haven't had caffeine in forever.

The winds that blows -
ask them, which leaf on the tree
will be next to go

While I've been too busy to notice, all the trees in town have quietly gone about their business behind my back turning a variety of beautiful fiery shades. I regret deeply that I've been too busy to notice them. By the time I get a free moment and pull my head up out of the books for air, no doubt they'll be long gone, wherever it is that leaves go to die quietly.

Clouds appear
and bring to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon

It's been raining. Raining alot. Lots of rain. Yep. I'm kind of okay with it, since I'm laying low anyway, it gives me a chance to rest, without feeling guilty in any way. The only thing I'm probably missing is the opportunity to be cold and wet. I'll have plenty more chances for that--this is Portland, after all.

Night; and once again,
the while I wait for you, cold wind
turns into rain

Going to school, darkness. Coming home, darkness. It's that time again, we're well on the way to winter and the familiar routine of waiting for rides or the bus out in the elements. Waiting for the bus in the cold and rain is even less fun than it sounds, trust me.

Poems from Haiku for People

I have seen too many

I have seen too many runny noses, papers that need grading, lesson plan formats, unfinished assignments, unwashed dishes, unfolded piles of clothes, half empty bottles of cough syrup, and scribbled hall passes, and unread books

I have been witness to too many off-task behaviors, furtive cell phone users dialing under desks, gross bathrooms with no paper towels, kids smoking at the bus stop, nit-picky fights between edgy boys, ringing phones on crowded stuffy buses, overheard too many lame conversations and too much self-inflating talk

I have seen too many leaves on the sidewalk, piles of papers, sullen faces in public places, too many tired teens, with their quizzical looks, too many powerlines, cloudy days and rainy nights

The Fashion Survey

The Fashion Survey

About how much money do you spend on clothes a year?

Not much, that's for sure!

Do you like shopping for new clothes?

No! I probably would if I were 5'5" and wore a size 8, however I have a hard time finding things that will fit my tall skinny self, so it's usually an exercise in frustration. And I can never quite find what I'm looking for either-clothes are generally reflect tastes that are worlds apart from my own. As a female who isn't "girly", I struggle mightily with this, and often resort to looking in the men's ware section.

Do you often buy new clothes?

No, I generally only buy clothes when I absolutely need to.

Do you prefer to go shopping or just browse? Why?

I don't mind browsing online, but if I'm going to go to the trouble to go somewhere, I'm there to do some buying (or so I hope).

Do you think men should be allowed to wear skirts?

Sure, if they want to. If you're called to, go for it. It doesn't affect my life any.

What piece of clothing do you spend your money on the most? Why?

Usually heavy duty coats or job-related apparel that can't be found second hand.

Do you read fashion magazines?

No. The racist/sexist/stereotypical advertising is offensive to me, and the perfume inserts bother me, so I don't touch them, much less read them.

Do you sometimes wear a hat?

I tend to wear straw hats in the summer a lot. I wear a headscarf year-round.

Do you think it is important to wear fashionable clothes?

Nope, I couldn't care less. I make an effort to dress professionally at work, but I don't go any further with it than that.

Do you wear jewelry?

Not very often. I did much more in the past, but a lot of it was stolen and now it's not so practical.

Do you wear the same color clothes now that you wore ten years ago?

Almost the same size-I've gone up 1 size.

Do you think people feel different when they wear different clothes?

Sure. I know I do. I feel very differently when I'm wearing my teacher clothes than I do when I'm wearing coveralls and boots.

Have you ever made your own clothes?

Sporadically. I don't have time to now, but it's fun when you can. I like the idea of wearing something that's uniquely my own.

What are some of the strangest fashions you have seen?

To me, almost all "fashion" is strange and impractical.

What colors do you think look good on you?

I prefer dark colors and earth tones, I kinda go with a seasonal rotation so wear brighter things in the warmer months. Since we're in January it's strictly blue, gray and black.

What did you wear yesterday?

A t-shirt, jeans, flannel shirt...the usual winter uniform.


What do you think of body piercing?

It's not for me, but other people are welcome to go there with my blessing.

What do you think of people who dye their hair green?

They keep life from being dull.

What do you think of women who wear high heel shoes?

It looks uncomfortable to me, but some people seem to like it. As a tall person, I don't need to, so I don't.

Do you think high heel shoes are bad for a person's health?

Probably, but I'm not going to tell someone they can't ruin their feet if that's the way they want to go.

What fashions that you see today do you think will be out of fashion within two years?

Probably most of them, since clothing designers need to justify their existence.

What kind of clothes are in fashion now?

I'm not sure since I don't pay much attention, but the kids seem to wear a lot of skater type clothes, and things like Hollister shirts, etc. I'm kinda glad the stripper/playboy thing is dying down, as I'm seeing a lot less of it on the bus, I thought that was kinda gross, personally.

What kind of clothes do you usually wear?

Jeans and t-shirts normally. I wear suits to work.

What's the most expensive piece of clothing you have ever bought?

I have a salwar kameez that I wear to formal events that was $75.

What's your favorite color for shoes?

Black, because it goes with everything and doesn't look dirty.

When was the last time you got dressed up?

I dress real formally at school so as not to be mistaken for a student since I look almost 10 years younger than I am. Other than work settings and the occasional party, I rarely dress up unless I'm in just the right mood. I prefer the low-key mode.

Where are some good stores to buy clothes in this area?

You're definitely asking the wrong person. I rarely buy stuff retail.

Where do you usually buy clothes?

I tend to either get stuff for free (or nearly free), or buy almost everything at the Goodwill on 86th!

Would you like to be a fashion model?

No, it's been suggested many times in the past, but I think the whole thing is too degrading and invasive to seriously consider it. I don't need the money that badly.

Questions on Styles, Clothing and Fashion-based Stereotypes

What would you think of a women who cut off all her hair and went around bald as a fashion statement?

I'd say that's her choice. Some people actually look good that way.

What do you think of a man who is bald for fashion's sake?

Same as above.

What do you think of women who wear short mini-skirts?

For me personally, that's too much information.

Do you think that the clothes we wear reflect what is inside us ?

Somewhat, but it really depends on the context...after all, you can wear clothes like costumes, create personas, etc.

What do you think of people who always and only wear black?

I think that's fine. Better black than pink!

What do you think of people with tattoos?

It's not for me, but go for it if you want to.

What would you think of a high school student who always wore very conservative clothes?

I think it would be very unusual, since most kids strive very hard to fit in with their peers. I only know a few kids who do.

What type of clothing do you wear when you are angry and you want to express yourself?

My black shirt with the skull on it comes out on Mondays...

What colors do you choose to wear when you are happy?

I don't usually express my moods through color.

Would you dress the same as you do in your country if you went overseas?

Probably not, climates tend to vary.

Do you dress the same when you are depressed as you do when you are very happy?

Not much difference here.

In what ways does your Grandmother dress differently then you?

She wears colors I would never wear! (like pink)

When you get old do you think you will dress like your grandmother or grandfather?

Probably not, but I'm sure I'll be just as unfashionable!

Would you ever wear dreadlocks?

My hair would just loooove to revert to its natural state of dreads...I fight like hell to keep it looking respectable enough to work in a school setting.

What do you think of the people who wear them?

I think they are lucky to be in a situation where they can!

Have you ever worn your hair braided in small braids.

Yeah, sometimes. I like the low maintenance aspect of it-you can ignore them for a couple of weeks.

Would you ever wear contacts to change your eye color?

No, contacts irritate my eyes too much.

What is the difference in the people who choose to wear contacts and the people who choose to were glasses?

I think people who wear contacts are people whose eyes will tolerate them, and people who wear glasses are probably in my boat, or squeamish. Can't blame them. Contacts are so much cheaper than glasses.

What do you think about women who don't wear earrings?

Umm, I don't really care.

What do you think about men who wear earrings?

Again, I don't really care.

Is it possible for women to wear too much make-up?

Sure, I think most women do. Of course, I'm biased in that I think it's basically unnecessary and a complete waste of money. I should also admit at this point, I'm allergic to most make-up so it kinda makes the issue a moot point for me.

When is a person wearing to much make-up?

Whenever you are seeing make-up and not the person underneath.

What do you think of men who wear make-up?

I think it's a bit mysterious (since I think make-up is a chemical nightmare), but it doesn't bother me. If you are biologically male and trying to portray yourself as female, obviously this will be a necessity.

Is it possible to be beautiful without wearing any make-up, earrings or other accessories?

If it weren't I wouldn't have to beat them off with a stick, now would I?

Do fashionable clothes really change the way a person looks?

To some extent, yes.

What do you think of men who where tights?

I lump this in with women who wear revealing clothes--too much information.

What do you think about secondhand clothes?

I think I'd be lost without them!

When and where did you buy an article of clothing you're wearing right now? Why did you choose it?

The pair of pants I'm wearing right now came into my life when I was walking around the neighborhood and saw someone's move-out pile out by the curb. I looked down and saw this fine looking pair of jeans, picked it up, checked it for holes/tears/stains, marveled that they were in great shape and my size, and promptly took them home to wash and wear. I have no idea why the person moving out got rid of them, but it's mine now and that's all that matters.

What would you think if the mother of the groom wore black at a wedding?

Depends on how traditional the wedding was.

What would you think if a bride wore red?

Considering that millions of people do in Asian countries, I wouldn't be alarmed in the least.

Should a bride's dress be long or do you think it could be the length of a regular skirt?

Depends on the season/temperature.

What items of clothing do you consider provocative?

Anytime I'm seeing something I shouldn't be. I really don't want to know THAT MUCH about complete strangers and their anatomy.

What do you think of men wearing high heels?

I think my first reaction would be amazement that they were successful in finding something in their size (since I barely can), and secondly I'd be impressed by their ability to walk skillfully (as I can't). Beyond that, it would be of little interest.

Why is it acceptable for women to wear men's clothing, but not for men to dress in women's clothing?

Because we live in a weird inconsistent world.

Is there a stigma attached to people who buy no-name (no brand) clothing?

Beyond the teenage years, probably not so much. Obviously not enough to prevent people like me from doing it.

Are some people more fashion conscious than others?

Sure. Often age has something to do with it. And generally people who have lots of time on their hands and money to burn tend to care more about the frivolities of life than those who don't. Also people who have more materialistic concerns tend to be more fashion conscious than those who don't.

you can't be serious

I don't believe it, but I'm sick again. I think I've got whatever Maria has, because I sound just like her, sniffling and hacking around. This is pretty pathetic...I was pretty sick last week too with the stomach/headache/eye thing. Now I have the coughing/sniffing thing. I'm not staying home though, I'll just try to limp through the last couple of days this week and do some recovering at home.

PSU is a regular lil' ol' germ factory right now. I should stay away for my own health, because I always come home feeling pretty icky and dead tired. But then again, it's probably largely based on the fact that I'm there from 9am until 6:30 pm. I really don't like spending that much time at school under florescent lights. It's not kind to the eyes. But I digress, student teaching is hard enough when you're healthy, much less when you're sick. I think I'm going to try to get the kids to do as much of the "talking" as possible. They might be able to handle it now.

I'm glad that it's a fairly short day. I really need it. Combining 4 graduate level classes with student teaching sure takes a lot out of you.

the field supervisor drops in

Today was my first observation by my university supervisor. I'll admit I was fairly nervous, but things went much better than I thought they would. It wasn't a perfect day, but it vastly exceeded my expectations, and I had my first small successes. All in all things went about as well as they could have and I had some small breakthroughs. I hope things keep moving in this direction, I could use more days like this.

reach out and touch someone

It was awesome hearing from so many people today. Thanks for distracting me. Y'all warm the very cockles of my heart. Life is good.

questions of the day

 Are you colorblind? Do you try to be colorblind?

Not exactly. I probably was when I was younger, but not know. I tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the ramifications of race and ethnicity so I'm more aware of it than not.

 When did you become aware of your race or ethnicity? Can you name a time, either in a social setting or academic setting, when someone made you aware of your race or ethnicity?

I'm not really sure. Maybe when I was in kindergarten because I had a good friend who was African-American and was around foreign students quite a bit, so the spectrum of human difference became wider then. I think before that, the odds that I was around people of different races and ethnicities were pretty low. After that I lived in Japan and it was a pretty constant thing that I was always aware of. Then I lived in the south and was aware of it all the time.

 Do you think reverse racism exists? If so, is it justified?

I think some people definitely fall into that group. I've even had good talks with some of them. Although I can understand where they got their attitude from (bad experiences) and why they might feel that way, I don't agree with it. I realize though that that's the only way some people know how to deal with the world and protect themselves from being hurt and misunderstood all the time, but I think they end up hurting themselves just as much as anyone else. I think Malcolm X is a good example here of overcoming that kind of mindset. Unfortunately he was assassinated for it. I think a lot of the time, it's about being the bigger person...or maybe just learning to see people as individuals, not as a group. Come to think of it, the stereotyping of a whole group is what causes the problem in the first place...


 Do you believe that as long as someone works really hard, he/she is able to achieve anything in our society?

No, because to me life is like a race (pardon the pun) where some of the contestants get to use a motor cycle, others ride a bike, most run, but some have no legs, or have to carry a 60lb backpack, or are chained to the starting gate and can only run so far before they get pulled back. Having certain advantages makes it easier to do what you want. Having certain disadvantages makes it a whole lot harder. Does that mean you should lie down and give up? Probably not, but don't beat yourself up if you don't come in first. At the same time, don't look down on the guy with no legs while you're riding that motorcycle to the finish line.

 Does discrimination still exist today? Have you experienced it? Have you made someone a victim of it?

It definitely does--whether its blatant or subtle. As a woman, I have experienced some myself. I would like to think I don't discriminate against people intentionally. Accidentally? Who knows. It's not something I try to do because I know it's hurtful and ugly.

 What is the purpose of education? To go to college? To hold students until they are adults? To prepare people for the real world?

To me, the purpose of education is not really any of those things. Education as I see it is merely the work of personal empowerment. What that means to different people is bound to vary. I think most people view education in a very narrow way and think it's about going to college or preparing for a job. It can do those things but it's ultimately about a lot more than either of them. It's about preparing yourself to deal with life and learning how to make informed choices.

 What kinds of privileges exist in our society? How many of those do you experience?

I couldn't begin to catalog the privileges that I take advantage of on a daily basis.
And of course all of them are totally unfair and I definitely don't deserve them.

 How have your privileges shaped who you are today?

It's kind of a mixed bag with me because I've lived on both sides of the fence and see a lot of things differently than most people. I think the main effect is that I'm more aware of inequality now.

 Are you proud of the type of person you are right now?

Most of the time. Then I'll hear about someone's heroic struggle and thing, damn I'm slacking...or I shouldn't even have the nerve to complain about this thing and that one.

she said it better than i ever could have

Some days feel a lot like this:
I didn't write this...but I could have.

"On Wednesday, I had a hard day. Actually it was just one class. And it wasn’t even my students. It was me. I stood in front of my class and felt completely lost, completely helpless. I had no idea what I was doing and I had NO control whatsoever. It was my class and I didn’t know what to do. I kept looking at the students who were being disruptive and not knowing how to get them to pay attention. Then I looked at the students were honestly there to try and learn and feeling so sorry for all of them. I could not get over my feeling of failure in my classroom." from a TFA blog

This is what some days feel like.
And no matter how many times people tell you not to take it personally, you do. You really can't help it. This is why Peterson says it takes six years before you feel like you know what you're doing. I'm starting to believe it.

a hard road

days like this make me wish i was getting paid to do this...inshallah
most of the time the kids are wonderful, amusing, and enjoyable, but they're teens and they can't keep it up forever. some days they snarl and roar like lions, or just act stubborn like a mule that's on a high horse. all i got to say is when they're actin' like this, i'm glad they're not coming home to my house. whew. and can i just say for the record, i hate cellphones. this one invention has probably contributed the most to the decline of civilization as we know it. uggh.

dark and mysterious

This morning I walked out into the pervasive gloom of darkness, the likes of which I haven't seen in years. A low gray fog clung to the streets, and the street lamps were all sleeping in an orange mist. The sidewalk was too dark to see, and the air was moist as a sponge dripping with water. My glasses fogged up and I stumbled along the street as headlights swept past 10 blocks to meet up with my ride to school. 6am is getting a bit hard to cope with now that it's October.

5th Annual TIRRC Convention

Shameless plug alert:
I don't normally post ads on my blog but I went to this conference the first year (in 2003), it was amazing, and I figured more people should know about it.

If you are an immigrant or refugee living in Tennessee (or nearby state), (or a friend/ally living in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Northern Alabama, Northern Georgia, or Arkansas, and work as a community organizer, educator, or in any organization that works with immigrants and refugees), this conference is for you.


5th Annual Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Convention and Cultural Celebration
Saturday, November 3, 2007

This Year the TIRRC Convention is Going to be Better than Ever! Join us for skill-building trainings that will cover communications and media, organizing, and other useful tools. Help determine the most important issues and campaigns of your community for the upcoming year. Get to know your colleagues in the immigrant, refugee, and ally community. Have a great time! Registration Details will be coming soon! Meanwhile, call 615.833.0384 with any questions.