லிவின்' இன் கென்டுக்கி

Hah, that was fun. I forgot that was possible. The title is a Tamil transliteration of the English "Livin' in Kentucky"

I applied for food stamps this afternoon, and it was quite easy. I did have to sit in the waiting room for about an hour, but there were whining children with strange parents and adorable silent children to entertain me, not to mention the VISTA notebook full of information on poverty in Kentucky that I got to read up on.

Since I only had $5 in cash and less than $700 in my bank account I got the expedited version of service, pretty sweet!! I'll get a pro-rated allotment of stamps for this month and the full amount for next month, all before turning in my paperwork. I can't complain.

The actual work starts tomorrow, but I went and checked it out yesterday.

I drove in through Gate 5 of Churchill Downs. As I passed the shed-rows with hay nets hanging next to the stalls and Thoroughbred heads peering over their stall-guards I suddenly realized that the dream I used to have of being at Churchill Downs amidst all these race horses, where fame and disappointment, riches and poverty accrue in just seconds, had come to pass. I never thought it would be like this; I wasn't there for the horses. I probably won't even come close to the horses although my office has a great view of the track, right at the main gap.

The only time I'm likely to be around the horses, at least while I'm working, is to recruit students for the Backside Learning Center, to tell them about events, or to talk with their bosses - the trainers. But hey! If I worked there I'd be having a terrible time dealing with the anal trainers and worrying about keeping my job and staying fit to survive, so really I couldn't be in a better place.

I've already identified some challenges. Employees may or may not be documented. We don't know, that's not our business and it wouldn't help them out if we knew, but that means the programs they want to see at the Center are not focused around employee rights, or even human rights. Most of them don't have the time for those concerns, even if they're not being treated well, or their living conditions are out of wack... and if laws are being broken or people are in danger, they probably won't report it. That's why I can't stand to work on the other side of things there anymore, and that's what inspired me to apply for this job - but that's not what I'm going to be able to address through my position this year. That's that, I've gotta move on to other things.

But you! Whoever you are, maybe you can help publicize the rights entitled to humans in the US, the ones that aren't documented but still have flesh, blood, need oxygen and food, love and care. Maybe you can help them find an outlet to assert those rights without risking deportation and/or job loss. The lack of such a device in our legal system allows for exploitation and the persistence of slave-labor conditions in the relative wealth and flaunted democracy claimed by the same country that we are often proud and grateful to live in.