This could be ugly.

Okay, well to start off this morning for my social work practice class we went to a women's correctional facility (prison) for a learning tour. We went into medium and maximum security buildings and saw and heard the women there. I guess in the medium security area where the women were free to move around and we walked through their bathroom and sleeping quarters, some women told me classmates I was hot. I am glad I did not really hear this. It was not as bad as I thought, we got to listen to a three women prison panel at the end in a group called STOP Violence. One woman I was very suprised who was 41 had an interesting story. She was a milk carton child from like six years old to 11 years old her dad took her and changed her identity and everything. She felt loved and accepted by him and then she was found and moved back in with the mother. From day one she abused her emotionally and physically. Then she married a man who abused her too and she has three kids. She divorced him after 11 years and moved away and worked her through a college education. She has two sons both in the marines one was in Iraq and one is currently in Iraq and a 16 year old daughter waiting for her at home. But she is in prison for forgery. . . she signed a check for house payments with her boyfriend or fiancia's name and got caught. Well it would have only been a 12 month probation sentence, but since she has never been in trouble with the law at all she freaked out and went to Canada for four months. She got caught and is now finishing a 9 month sentence I believe and will get out in June. She talked about how lonely prison has been, how she never gets mail because her kids are busy. . . all for making one mistake and freaking out. She has no idea what she is going to do when she gets out without a job and with bills. I felt bad for her, but it was good that she was on the panel because it shows that it isn't only violent women there, she was white collar. Not like the woman besides her that pretty much shook a 9 month old girl to death. I know the prison is mainly for criminals drug users, murderors, etc, but the woman I just talked about it really made the experience that much more real to me. Maybe it is more real to me because that is more the type of thing I might end up in prison for because maybe I made a bad mistake or bad decision!

Tonight after classes and a meeting I went running at about 7 or 7:30 and I was coming back and my roomates were BBQing in the front yard for our dinner tonight. Well, I finished and for my cool down before I stretch I try to do like a 50 to 100meter sprint. Well I am walking up to my house and my one roomate (the computer guy) was like I didn't know that was you. You truly looked like or I thought you were a 12 year old Mexican kid running. What the hell! I guess no one really looks at me or at least from a distance and thinks that I could possibly be from the United States if its Mexico, Europe, or whatever. I don't care. . . I personally would rather be a foreigner. But the thing is later we are talking about other issues. Like my major is social work and I am graduating with a bachelors in that and will be licensed so I will be able to put I am an LBSW. I think this is an accomplishment that I am proud of this! Well, I was telling my roomates about how much it cost to get the license which is ridiculous and my one roomate (the nurse) goes pretty much it means no job and no money. I said something about how the test isn't that hard though and I could probably pass the MSW (masters) one and the other roomate (the computer guy) went so what. I don't think a lot of people brag about having a masters in social work, well how do you think I felt? I am only getting a bachelors and he was like people with masters don't even act proud of that or brag. What the hell! Then I tried to explain that Social work is a profession. He finally expressed the idea that social work is like teachers K-12 grades that work hard but don't get a lot of money or respect. This was his point, and that he does not have the patience for it. I mean I know my roomates were not being totally serious and trying to knock it, but their sarcasm and jokes sometimes do not really make me feel respected either. They talk about how its one of those professions that doesn't get much respect, well buddies it starts at home if you want to acknowledge it and change that idea. Don't disrespect me at the same time you are saying how you understand it all. . .

Then back to the comment earlier about calling me a Mexican. . . well we started to talk about the immigration issue in the United States. I started talking about how I want to work with immigrants closer to the border and I am very passionate about this issue. I started talking about how as a social worker if some new law passes I could be arrested for knowingly helping an illegal immigrant (which I would happily go to jail for this and I put this in a letter to my senators). I started talking about the issue and all the implications that these new laws would have if passed that would cause more problems. My one roomate was like just face it "we don't like Mexicans here!" Just jokingly sarcastic. . . but after everything I just said and then saying I looked like a Mexican earlier this is not the most well thought out statements.

We went on to discuss a lot of US politics and my one roomate not thinking the US has a culture compared to a lot of countries. Well, we do but it might have a lot of different parts of other cultures and also our country is young. . . this has some stuff to do with it. He talked about how he doesn't understand why people would want to come to the US just to see or visit becuase we have no real culture. He doesn't really like culture outside of the US in big cities like NY or San Francisco. Well, this is his take, but if he was born somewhere else this would be different I think or if he was raised a little bit different or something. Like I don't understand the thinking sometimes.

So these are the guys that talk about how the US doesn't really have culture but agree in a lot of ways that are country is messed up. With my whole heart agree. . . for example while there is a genocide happening in Sudan right now we do nothing even though we could because its a poor country. Plus Bush I am sure is probably spending all of his time trying to figure out how to invade Iran next with all his power crazed cabinet and everything! But in all irony my roomates are now watching "South Park" on TV and think it is hilarious. This show is nothing but garbage. . . it is all about intolerance and bigotry. This is what our society watches and get a lot of our jokes and ideas. . . is this good even for kids? Probably not. I know there are people out there that would argue with me about the value of South Park. Saying that it talks about real issues and actually brings truth out of all of it, but still it is not the best example of American tolerance and diversity.

One more note. . . I like to watch the Today show in the morning and like Katie Couric. But doesn't she already make like $7 million dollars and today announced that she is going to anchor the CBS National News next. The newspaper reported she'll make anywhere from $10-15 million dollars over five years or something. What the hell is wrong with our country? We are obsessed with money and class. In my opinion, that is one of the underlying main reasons for this huge debate about immigration reform. . . we don't want more poor lower class people in this country, which most of the Mexicans are.

Okay, well bless you if you read all of this!