Week One: As Eminem would say, “Welcome to Detroit City”

Dear McKenzie,

As it always seems to go, nothing goes as planned. No matter how many different ways I predicted how my first (and second and third) day would go, nothing went the way I expected it to. I’m sure I’ll look back at this post after I return to Ann Arbor and think of how many other things didn’t go as planned over the rest of the ten weeks. Now, this isn’t a bad thing by any means. Although some strange things have already happened,* my expectations and hopes of what I’ll gain from this experience haven’t changed so far.

I hadn’t really pointed out my expectations until now. Of course I’d realized that I wanted to gain more work experience and some new skills in the workplace, but I hadn’t truly pointed out to myself the other things that I hoped to gain. I hope to gain a new sense of understanding of not just Detroit but the Detroit community and the people that make it up. Before coming here, I didn’t have a very good understanding of just how much Detroiters fight for their city. I’ve already met so many passionate people who dedicate every day of their lives to the improvement and well-being of their special community. Before this program, I had visited several parts of Detroit many times but they were always the same parts. I’d go to Comerica Park, Greek Town, the DIA… but that isn’t all of Detroit. While I don’t expect to see all of Detroit during my ten weeks, I hope (and already have begun) to see parts that I hadn’t considered before. I look forward to experiencing more of the Detroit community not just by visiting different neighborhoods, but also by speaking to different people and hearing different stories of their city. I only hope that in return I can try to assist those who are working tirelessly to bring back the city they love.

Focus: HOPE was formed during the 1967 Detroit riots in opposition to the violence and racism. From the beginning, the non-profit was motivated to transforming their area back into a safe and united community. Focus: HOPE continues to provide amazing services to the community and I believe that my fresh view can provide new ideas for my project and possibly for the work space. I will save another post for more details on my research project and the amazing people that I get to work with. I’ve already learned so much during my first few days at Focus: HOPE and I know I will continue to learn more each week.

Looking forward to another Focused week of HOPE. (See what I did there?)
-Mac

*First day of work: Got sent to the wrong supervisor named Judith (there are several) and hung out in the wrong building for the first hour and a half of my new job.
Second day of work: Was the sole witness to a hit-and-run of a parked car and filed a report followed by a lovely chat with my new friend Mr. France, the security guy.