Helping myself to help English language learners become caregivers

Tomorrow, I’ll be helping English language learners prepare for their Personal Care Assistant (PCA) certification test. So, I decided to take the online course and test today to earn my own PCA certificate. I’m grateful for the people willing to do this work. It can be challenging, and the pay isn’t ideal.

By the dawn’s early light, self-evident truths

Looked up at these simple truths as I waited this morning for the bus to a school where immigrants, regardless of their legal status, are highly motivated to learn. In my first class, I worked with learners preparing to become certified nursing assistants, addressing a critical need in Minnesota.

Tonight: The Heart Sellers at the Guthrie

Walked over to the Guthrie to see The Heart Sellers, a play that plays on the title of the 1965 Hart-Celler Act. This landmark legislation opened up immigration to non-Europeans and gave priority to immigrants with STEM skills. In the bittersweet play, set on Thanksgiving 1973, two immigrant women, one Filipino and the other Korean, yearn for a sense of belonging.

Pacing the Halls

I’ve paced the halls of Methodist Hospital daily for two months. Nothing would function without recent immigrants, constantly cleaning.

A Narrow Mind

Cycled to Lake Minnetonka. A man reinforced my preconceptions of white suburbs by telling me about “those Muslims.”

American Dream/Fine Beer

American dream. “Behold a beer truck appeared unto us.”A fine local brew from the son of immigrants from Pakistan.