Week One: A Letter to Myself

Kaia,

This week has been a lot jumping into things and running with them, and it looks like you’re starting to get the hang of your role as both an intern and a guest member of the little community that is Friends of Parkside. I know it’s always a little daunting to be given such broad, long term tasks with very little initial information, but it’s good for you to have to actively work to understand what’s expected of you, and it’s good to keep developing those skills of persistence and resourcefulness. Keep learning and asking questions, I think there’s a lot of potential to do really cool things, and meet really cool people. I hope you keep this excitement within you as you dig into your projects over the next 9 weeks.

Take advantage of your placement location! Midtown, Downtown, etc. will always be waiting for exploration after work, but your southeast location gives you a look at an entirely different part of Detroit, and will add so much to your perspective and understanding of the city as you get involved and interact with all of the people passing through. Learn from them, and listen to their experiences. These are the people that your research and involvement will be directly impacting, and the more connected you are with them, the better you can understand their needs. Give yourself time to talk with and build relationships with coworkers and residents, and participate in as many of the community events and programs as you can.

Learning about Detroit from roommates and other DCBRP students from the area has been really interesting, and helps give you a place to start when you’re wondering what to see first, or why something is the way it is. It’s inspiring to learn from people who love the city and are dedicated to giving back and helping it grow. Keep asking questions and building that mental map– geographically and conceptually– of Detroit. Go out into the city in your free time and make the most of it, no excuses. There are too many things out there waiting to be experienced, and too many cool people to experience them with to be too tired/busy/rainy/putting it off until tomorrow. This might mean reaching out to people you’re not as familiar with, people outside of DCBRP, or going it alone. You might end up stuck at the poker table with the Cricket Guys. But I can guarantee it will be worth the effort.