Project Kengikat

CARING counts

// February 28th, 2010 // Uncategorized

WOW, this week was very busy for me and I could not have asked for a better way to end it then the way I have. The week was long and filled with lots of running around and paperwork that I needed to get done for my apartment, DPSS, and the application for the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV. In addition to all my personal things I needed to get done, I also had a very full week of outreaches as well.

Last week I learned that I was being recommended for a seat on the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV, I had spoken to the board last year when the HIV funding cuts were looming over the State. My Dr’s office has asked if I would speak and I was more then happy to do my part. So it is both an honor and very humbling to be considered for a seat on the commission. I said yes, I would fill out the application, but I had no idea of just how involved it was. The application was about 20 pages most of it was essay questions. Since I am always writing on my blog or other places where I have an online journal this task wasn’t too hard, however the time in which I had to do it was where the challenge came. I also had to get letter of recommendation, both personal and professional, this also proved to be a challenge for me and because I wasn’t able to get any personal letters and the fact that my printer ran out of ink just as I was printing my bio, combined with people not coming through with letter they said they would write, I almost gave up on finishing the application.

After speaking to my great aunt, she reminded me that I have never had a task before me that I was not able to finish, nor a situation that I could not resolve or get through. She reminded me in no uncertain term that my parents did not raise me to be a quitter and I wasn’t about to start acting like one just because things were not going as smooth as I thought they should. “Stay the course little boy and get this done or deal with me.” is what she told me. I said “yes ma’am” and went back to work on the application. Just when I had hit another wall I got a call from her asking me how things were and after speaking with her I figured out what I needed to do and I got the application finished and turned in. I will know in a month or two what the outcome will be.

Tuesday was a very busy day for me. I had my Unpluggin HIV outreach down on Skid Row and then I also had an interview for Conversations with Kengi on my YOUTUBE channel. I also needed to be back home by 3:30PM to turn in my service logs for the month. In addition to all of this I also had Do Something Kits that I needed to get out to some homeless people in my area. Since I was able to secure a donation from a new supporter I was able to make the kits and give them to homeless people.

Wednesday I met with my former case manager at AIDS Project Los Angeles to get a letter from her and to talk about how things have been going for me. As many of you know she was such a huge support for me when I was homeless and a massive help through some of the darkest points of being homeless. She is also someone who has been there for me when others have simply said they would be and then not come through when I needed them to……this is after they have also given me their word that I can depend on them. It was awesome to be able to see her and I was also able to take 3 of the 7 cell phones to her as well. The cell phones are apart of my “Stay-n-Touch” program that gives free gently used prepaid cell phones for people who are either homeless or battling HIV and AIDS or both.

From there I met with someone who I now work with one on one who has AIDS and needed some help with being able to get clear information on their METRO pass, how to ride the train to the destination they needed to get to and some peer support in general. Although I should have been using this time to work on my application, I felt I really needed to also be there for this person because I know all to well what it is like not to have some support from someone when you need it most. I am glad I took the time to do this because this gave me a chance to get out of my space and be outside. It also allowed me so down time to clear my head and think about some of the questions on the application. More importantly it gave me the chance to once again stand in the gap for someone who is battling AIDS and was reaching out for help. Help that I knew would never come from traditional places. Sometimes we all just need to take a step back to “suit up and show up” for someone else. It also gave me the chance to work one on one with someone with a history of mental illness, homelessness and also battling AIDS. In the end it was great because I had a really great time helping and they had the chance to learn how to take care of things for them wit the support of someone who cares and was not about to make them feel silly or guilty for asking. I ended by day with a brisk walk with Dodger and then the rest of the evening I worked on the application.

Friday was yet another big day for me. Not only would I be turning in my application, but I would also be doing my first interview with someone who is a health care professional and would be speaking about HIV and AIDS. Since being diagnosed I have asked many people to sit down and speak with me, but each time the answer was “no” or “I have to think about it” but this wasn’t the case with the director of my HIV clinic. I asked back in December and he said “yes” and Friday after turning in the application I had the huge opportunity of interviewing him for my Conversations with Kengi segment on my YOUTUBE channel. This was the second Conversations with Kengi interview for the week and once again this one was awesome.

The interview went well and Nick was so awesome and clear with his answers and the information he gave was honest, true and came from a place of caring and a desire to provide information to those who will see the videos. Already the videos are getting awesome comments and people are thanking me for taking the time to do such an interview to empower and educate them on HIV and AIDS.

After the interview I was walking Dodger when I got a call that I was expecting to get from a professor at USC asking me if I would once again be interested in speaking to her class in the Department of Social Work. Naturally I said yes but I was also invited to speak to another class as well, so in March I will be speaking at USC and the Skirball  Cultural Center. I spoke last year to her class at USC and was so excited when I got the email asking me if I would speak again.

Saturday was really supposed to be a quiet relaxing day for Dodger and I, but late Friday I got a call asking if I was free for lunch on Saturday to help celebrate with my former nurse from the Rand Shrader Clinic at USC….the HIV clinic or 5p21 as it is more commonly called. Since the nurse is someone who like my former case manager was such a huge and vital part to my survival through being newly diagnosed with HIV and in many cases was the only person I could turn to for clear medical answers and advice with many of the things taking place with me health wise and since he is someone who I consider as a friend, I was more then happy to spend time with him and another patient of his helping him celebrate his victory.

This was so cool because it was cold and raining on Saturday and although I had planned to just spend the day with Dodger, I was so happy I had the chance to spend in the company of friends over a great lunch and very engaging conversations as well as many laughs. Both men are people I am hoping to profile on Conversations with Kengi very soon because they both can shed some awesome light to the HIV and AIDS conversation that really needs to take place from both a patient and care giver stand points. Something I feel and know would be so beneficial to all who watch.

Later Saturday afternoon and all night until bed on Saturday it was me and Dodger sitting on the sofa looking at TV and just chilling. I love how Dodger just likes to kick it and relax. It wasn’t long before both of us were having a snore contest and right as I would start to win Dodger would lick my face as if to tell me I am being too loud.

Sunday was the end to what was a great week for me…….long week of plenty of work for both me and doing work for others. I ended it in the park volunteering for Animal Advocates Alliance pet adoption in the Pan Pacific Park. This was the first time I was able to do this and I have been looking forward to doing it for such a long time. I was set to do a not long ago, but my car died on my the weekend I was supposed to do it. This weekend was a huge treat for me. I had the chance to take a friend from my building who has been asking me to help him get out of the house. So it was so cool to be able to take him with me.

We had a great time. I was teamed up with this awesome dog that was a pit-bull mix, but was such a little baby. Great dogwith a great attitude, but in need of a great forever home with someone or a family that will give him the love and attention he needs. As I got there and saw all the little dogs I so wanted and wished I could have another dog, but that just isn’t possible. So after seeing these cute little puppies I gave me niece a call because I know her and her husband are looking to add dogs to their happy home.

Once they got to the adoption she fell in love with a dog named “Snoopy” and after some talking with her husband they decided to take “Snoopy” home with them. However he had his named changed to “Chuck” since “Snoopy” was a name given to him this morning by the pound.

In all it was a great day volunteering for the adoption. Although my dog that I was teamed up with didn’t get adopted I was so happy that my family found a dog they just loved. I had the cool chance to introduce him to Dodger  and they got to hang out and get to know each other while his new family had lunch at IHOP. I was able to take them both out for a long walk after they got to know each other and they both did so well on the walk. Now Dodger has a new little play buddy that he will see almost ever Monday since my niece and her husband are off from work on Mondays.

I also had the chance to hang out with Phillip and Lee as well as the rest of the crew from Animal Advocates Alliance. It is so cool to be able to find a place and a group of people who truly care about the work they do and this awesome love that they all share for the animals they care for, In many way what Phillip and Lee do for animals I do in m daily life for homeless people and those battling HIV and AIDS, I simply try to extend love, care and understanding where it is either greatly lacking or completely absent. Many times at the end of my days I am completely drained and there are those times I feel I should have done more even though I know that I had done all I could. Those days use to be spent here in my new place alone, left with the thoughts of me not doing enough to help, but now thanks to Dodger when I come home feeling like I have not done enough he quickly reminds me that I have done all I can and there are times when even people like me can’t do it all or reach out to all.

Having Dodger has been so awesome, he cheers me up and makes me smile even when I dont feel like it, he gets me out ofmy house when I have sat working on a project for far too long and he will not let me be down about anything. In many ways he reminds me that I can only do so much and that what I do is far more then most will ever do in a complete life time.

So I ended my weekend with a group of people who really do pretty much the same things I do, but they do it for animals who have far less. I got to spend the day with people who care about the work they do and know that at the end of the day no matter what happens they have done all they can to protect something that is so special, so vital and so important in the grand scheme of things. It’s always funny to me how some people spend ever part of their days making excuses as to what they cant do, but then I get so inspired by being around people who simply do what needs to be done against all odds and no matter how many times they here “no” Nana (my great grandma) use to tell me that “no” is like a vitamin and that I should learn to enjoy taking my “no” vitamins because they will only serve to make me stronger and a much better person.

So how was your week and weekend?