by Miyuki Sese
The day at Street Roots starts soon after sunrise, sometimes even before then. The scent of coffee fills the office and the chatting among vendors makes for a lively atmosphere.
The phone rings as if it is an alarm clock to wake us up.
Street Roots is here to welcome anyone who needs support. Our crew consists of familiar vendors who have been working for a long time, new travelers who have just arrived in Portland and anyone who needs our help. New faces come and go at every moment.
Street Roots supplies essential human needs such as food, clothes and a bathroom, but also computer access, phone service, a mailing address and the place to visit with friends. In a society where everyone cannot always find those services, this place is a valuable resource.
In the Street Roots drop-in office the vendors prepare to start their day selling the newspaper. They have breakfast, catch-up with each other, and get ready for work.
My favorite thing is to talk with vendors. I can be happy just to see their smile and talk with them. They sometimes ask me about Japanese and how it is spoken. "Kon-niti-wa" (hello), "arigato" (thank you) and "sayonara" (goodbye), seems familiar in the U.S. I am glad to have a small conversation with them in Japanese. On the other hand, they tell me about other states in the United States and other countries where I haven't been yet, and their stories inspire me to go to the unfamiliar places. Ted Palmer tells me about how his pretty baby is with his happy smile. Mike DeBee talks about politics (I'm not good at it). Cassidy sings the punch line to "Brown chicken, brown cow," - over and over again. I like to listen to their chatting on random topics; their job, daily life and trouble. The office comes alive in their cheerful good mood.
Some of our vendors, Richard Falcomer and Jamie McDermott, clean up our messy office in the morning as one of their jobs. They sweep and mop the entire office, and take care of all the dirty dishes after breakfast. I realized that Street Roots does not only helps vendors but is also helped by vendors. Our organization exists in this supportive circle. They also teach me what I do not know through my internship.
They each have a different strategy on how to sell the paper. One of vendors, Ted Jack, always puts a friendly sticker on each paper as his little entertainment for customers.
Another vendor, Vicky Sittinghawk, comes to the office to buy papers with her cute dog Max. She always gives me a "happy card," small cards with a Bible verse written on them that she gives to her customers - that, and a big smile, which is always encouraging. The vendors care about the newspaper.
Some of the vendors show me their impressive art works. They are all different and everyone has different skills to express their personalities, opinions and feelings. Frank Cobb draws delicate lines with his pencil. He gave me one of his drawings. That's my big souvenir to Japan! I am not good at artistic activity, so I am impressed at what they do. I wish I could have a talent like them!
I send our vendors off with a "have a nice day," every day, wondering how they live, where they go and how they spend their life. I know only part of their lives while they visit the office, but our vendors' lives are filled friends, family, hobbies, goals, sadness and happiness. They have their own lives. I am glad to see them when they are out selling the paper. They recognize me and give me a big smile. I feel they are my precious friends.
I also like to talk with them, because I feel as if I can be close to them at heart. However, even if I try to understand their situation, I never can feel the same pain as them because I am not them, just me. But I still wish we could share our pain and happiness to help find the way to solve our problems. I also hope Street Roots can be the place to share our happiness and pain.
For me, Street Roots has been the most comfortable place to stay since I came to Portland in May. Why? Because it's the place where I spent most of my time in Portland. As I knew them, I came to open up to them. I can be as I am here. My world in Portland has expanded based on Street Roots. I could meet a lot of beautiful people that I would never have met in Japan. Street Roots is my root. Street Roots is my family. With a lot of precious experience, Street Roots gave me the opportunity to see a new world in my life.
I would like to say thank you to our director, Israel Bayer, who teaches me about what is important for our society, our managing editor, Joanne Zuhl, who inspires my journalism; Eddy Barbosa, our resource specialist, who makes me relax with his cute personality; Art Garcia, our vendor coordinator, who has a big warm heart; our grant writer, Kate Cox, who always encouraged me with a big smile; Kreeg Peeples and all of our volunteers; and our vendors, who show me their life with a lot of humanity and let me become a member of their team. I'll take every memory I had at Street Roots to Japan with me. Those experiences will be a guiding part of my future from now on.
I am looking forward to visiting to see my friends who welcome me with the same smile at the same office in days to come. Though it is a cliché, I won't say good-bye to you but rather, "see you again."
Posted by Israel Bayer