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I'm so proud of my peers.
Mar. 22nd, 2007 12:43 pmI know I alluded to this only slightly before in livejournal, but I just had to bring this up again because the people I go to school with, work with, and consider my friends have blown me away with how great they are.
Our department coordinator, a truly wonderful woman, is usually the first person students in our department talk to when we're going through the process of applying for graduate school. Not only will she get us safely from one end of the process to the other, she's a wellspring of knowledge about the city, about things to do, about public transportation, about everything we need. I'm away from friends and immediate family here and she's been so helpful and nurturing that this big city has been not only bearable, but I've thrived here. I tend to refer to her as my second mother.
Sadly, almost two weeks ago, her nephew was murdered by his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. She's been devastated. This nephew used to live with her and her family as he was getting his feet under him in the city. But as horrible as that is, she has to deal with so much more than just her grief.
Her nephew was not a US citizen. Therefore, because of the red tape of the bureaucracy, the police investigation, and the whole immigration debacle, the funeral home that had her nephew's body would not release the body to Mexico so that his family could bury him until the bill was paid in full. My friend, my second mother, has just been wrenched with sadness and frustration these past couple of weeks.
Therefore, the students in my department, who tend to live hand-to-mouth even in good months, had a collection for her. We raised over $1000. I'm awed by how generous the people I spend my days with really are. I just wanted to use this space on the Internet to recognize that there are some wonderful people in this world and, as bad and mean-spirited as so many people are, humankind still has the power to humble me with its capacity for real beauty.
Our department coordinator, a truly wonderful woman, is usually the first person students in our department talk to when we're going through the process of applying for graduate school. Not only will she get us safely from one end of the process to the other, she's a wellspring of knowledge about the city, about things to do, about public transportation, about everything we need. I'm away from friends and immediate family here and she's been so helpful and nurturing that this big city has been not only bearable, but I've thrived here. I tend to refer to her as my second mother.
Sadly, almost two weeks ago, her nephew was murdered by his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. She's been devastated. This nephew used to live with her and her family as he was getting his feet under him in the city. But as horrible as that is, she has to deal with so much more than just her grief.
Her nephew was not a US citizen. Therefore, because of the red tape of the bureaucracy, the police investigation, and the whole immigration debacle, the funeral home that had her nephew's body would not release the body to Mexico so that his family could bury him until the bill was paid in full. My friend, my second mother, has just been wrenched with sadness and frustration these past couple of weeks.
Therefore, the students in my department, who tend to live hand-to-mouth even in good months, had a collection for her. We raised over $1000. I'm awed by how generous the people I spend my days with really are. I just wanted to use this space on the Internet to recognize that there are some wonderful people in this world and, as bad and mean-spirited as so many people are, humankind still has the power to humble me with its capacity for real beauty.
