How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria

“How do solve a problem like Maria?” was once asked by dedicated nuns who just didn’t know what to do with the free-spirited Maria, in the Sound of Music. So, what do you do with a nun who would rather forge her own path than follow one that was laid out for another? A woman who sings way too much about hills and does, speaks her mind without regard to the hierarchy before her and is falling in love with the father of the children she is supposed to be carrying for? What do you do with a woman like her? Well, as we saw, you do nothing. You let her journey through life singing in the hills, loving some and annoying others. You let her live.

So, you may be scratching your head, scrolling back up to remind yourself who this e-mail is from. No, it’s not from the Sound of Music fan club giving you your daily dose of “wisdom”. It’s me… Amanda Nicole, speaking on behalf of Awareness, Connection, Action.

Since I last wrote, I have felt like Maria… a woman seemingly destined for one path, yet yearning for another. A woman who thought she had it all figured out, until life knocked her upside the head and reminded her that life is never all figured out.

Awareness, Connection, Action was brought to Los Angeles in a pretty package. The mission and vision were clearly stated along with goals and how to achieve them. Color photos and journal entries were included in the packet to finish off the professional presentation. ACA was going to LA to revolutionize the city and how the individuals connected with one another and those around the globe. Yes, a bit dramatic, but one has to dream, right?!

Well, the dreamer has awoken, a bit groggy, a bit sore and trying to find her bearings.
But, finally, the sleep has been wiped from the eyes and vision restored to see (as clearly as one can see in the smog of Los Angeles!) the dusty journey that awaits.

They (the ever elusive “they”) say that before one walks, they must crawl. I never crawled as a kid (a bit too simplistic for the young queen of the house!). I was pulled around by my brother and sister everywhere I wanted to go, until one day my mom had enough and gave me the choice to either sit and cry or crawl on my own. Neither choice seemed sufficient, so I got up and ran! That has been my journey to LA… a full-on sprint. It is now time to slow down and perhaps take some time to walk before running again. With that in mind, next Wednesday I will be meeting with two heads of research from SCOPE, a grass-roots and holistic social action non-profit working here in Los Angeles, to discuss the vision of Awareness, Connection, Action and how I can learn from them in this forming process and then how we can partner together in the future.

Thank you for journeying with me as Awareness, Connection, Action continues to unfold. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, needs for elaborations or thoughts you have. They are always appreciated! As always, more to come in the weeks ahead!
Much love and peace to you,

I'm Sorry

"I'm not leaving until I get an apology!" These words were said seconds before a physical fight ensued... with me caught literally in the middle trying to break it up.

Today, 2006, in Los Angeles, California, there are still racial divides that cause conflict, hurt and yes, physical violence. With all my world travels, readings about Africa, reconciliation, slavery, etc... I must admit the shock I had at hearing a young white woman call a young African American woman the degrading "N" word. How could this be?! Even with the harmful words and physical response, what struck me most was the pain each woman expressed and their intense need for an apology. A simple, "I'm sorry" could have diffused the situation. A simple acknowledgment of painful words expressed could have stopped the fight to come.

Both women were hurt by what the other said and both women were not about to back down until the other admitted their wrong-doing. What started as a battle of words has now ended in attorneys being called to sue the other for hate and racial crimes. Just think, "I'm sorry" could have ended it all. Two simple words could have bridged the gap that separated them. Just two meaningful words!

The days following this incident have been weighing heavily upon me. I have been pondering our role as human beings as connectors with others. Is it our role to connect with those we disagree with and perhaps have anger toward because of their beliefs? What is our role as human beings to bring awareness of respect and dignity? Is it my place to apologize on behalf of the other and to love the two women with the same respect they are refusing to give each other? These may seem like simple questions with simple answers, but I find the answers to be more complex and time consuming than I necessarily want. Am I, are you, are we willing to enter into the messiness of life?

Awareness, Connection, Action strives to bring holistic education and grass-roots movement to the lives of those interested. What once seemed almost easy, has become a complex web of relationship building, reality of human nature and lack of understanding for man-kind. I do not say these things as a discouragement, but rather as an encouragement to see the beauty in others and hopefully as a gut-check in the reality of the true cost of relationship. It is said that it's easy to love those who are easily loveable, but of what worth is that? ACA desires to create the free space to allow people from all walks of life to connect on the simplest of human levels in the hopes of reconciliation. How this is accomplished will be unraveled in the days, months and years to come.

I believe each of you have stories of hope and transformation to offer, so please share them with me. If you are comfortable, please share them on the ACA blog, found at http://www.acaorg.blogspot.com/ for others to read and be encouraged.

Much love from Los Angeles,
- amanda

No One Gets Hurt at Disneyland

Yesterday I had the joy of experiencing Disneyland through the eyes of children. Throughout the day I heard excited screams of "MICKEY!" "MINNIE!" "DONALD DUCK!" and proud exclamations when the 2 year old little girl told her mom how she flew a rocket ship with me! At one point, I waited with the 5 year old for his mom and 2 year old brother and sister near the first aid area. He asked why we were waiting and what "First Aid" meant. His dad and I explained that when people get hurt, they can come to the first aid room to get help. He paused for a moment then, with complete sincerity, exclaimed, "No one gets hurt at Disneyland ". For a child, Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth with rides, endless treats and toys to overwhelm the senses and life size characters strolling around giving out hugs and high fives. To a 5 year old, the idea of someone getting hurt at Disneyland is just beyond comprehension.

If only life really did exist without anyone getting hurt. Like Disneyland , our culture over stimulates us with the idea that everything is good... perfect in fact. Our TV sets, magazines and movies are filled with beautiful people in large homes with their two-car garages and 2.1 kids. Or it takes the other extreme and depicts “real-life” people scamming and conning everyone is sight, only to be rewarded at the end with fame and most likely more money.

Los Angeles is painted as a place of never-ending celebrities, beautiful beaches, hot night spots, trendy shopping and the opulence of Beverly Hills and Malibu . As a 26 year old woman new to the area, I can honestly agree with everything stated. However, there is more than meets the eye…

Behind the fame, there exists Skid Row, Watts , Crenshaw... filled with drugs, gangs, homelessness. If we choose to scratch the surface of Los Angeles , we will see how easily it crumbles beneath our fingers. Though I and many others would like to believe in the progressiveness of LA and in it's wealth, I can not help but notice the poverty, greed and hopelessness that pervades society here.

As you read this, you may think this is just a "LA" issue or perhaps just a big city problem. It is, in fact, a world-wide concern. But there is hope! If each of us chooses to scratch the surface a bit, we will see the hidden in plain sight needs and can be better informed on what's truly taking place in our community, nation and world today to best help.

ACA is in a continual process of scratching surfaces and revealing the "other sides" of the story. There is much hope my friends and you can join with Awareness, Connection, Action bring an end to global poverty.

Each week, ACA will focus on various areas where you can get involved. This week will be Fair Trade purchases.

For all my coffee loving friends... you have the great opportunity of supporting farmers around the world. Wow, how great that just from purchasing fair trade coffee, you are helping to end poverty! Or, for all you chocolate lovers out there, fair trade chocolate is available at Trader Joes. And it's organic!

For more information regarding fair trade and why it is key in the process of ending global poverty, check out www.oxfam.org

Don't forget to visit www.acaorg.blogspot.com to leave comments, questions and to be updated on future events.

Love and peace,

Are You My Neighbor?

The question asked throughout the ages still remains, "Who is my neighbor?" Are you in Santa Barbara my neighbors? How about you in South Africa, Los Angeles, and Petaluma? Who really is my neighbor? Well, I have it easy here, so thought I'd pass on my sage wisdome to you. You ready? Wednesday I had a chance to learn who my immediate neighbors were. For those of you who don't know, I am currently the resident manager at the apartment building where I live. Me being, well, me, I just couldn't go any longer with the quick nods of the heads as we crossed paths or the uncomfortable chit-chat in the elevator. So, I decided to have a Community Gathering for the whole complex. My plan was to have no plan. Just provide a time and food and let the night happen as it may. What I thought would be an hour long light night turned into 4 quickly passed and fun hours! 6pm on Wednesday came and the ambiance was set. Candles in the courtyard, veggie platter with the hummus quartet from TJ's (the BEST), fruit in bowls, funky drinks and, of course, brownies. I just sat and waited... and waited... and waited... Finally, around 6:30, two of the more lived ladies in our community joined me and then out came my new friend Shannon. I was bracing for uncomfortable chit-chat as two completely different generations tried to converse. Instead, we had so much laughter and learned more about one another. Teresita (she is next to me in picture on the blog) is from Cuba, her husband from Germany. They met in Cuba while his father was stationed as the German ambassador to Cuba. She experienced the harshness of the Castro regime as everything was taken from her and her family. She has travelled the world, speaks boldy against Fidel and is quite witty! What a joy to get to know her. As the night progressed more community neighbors came, the circle widened, laughter became louder and stories were shared. Two of the guys who have both lived in this community for over a year just realized they played football against each other in high school. Great connection! Another couple is transitioning this weekend to another apartment in our community and everyone offered to help make the transition smoother. Again, connection! In just one night, many of us went from nodding heads with meaningless chit-chat to friends who now desire to make time to slow down and connect. Who could ask for more?! As Awareness, Connection, Action moves forward, I am very excited about the various areas it will flow with. Like water, it forges a path through sometimes un-travelled terrain and leaves a mark wherever it flows. It is the hope of ACA to help forge paths of Awareness, Connection, Action and to leave a lasting and meaningful impact upon the people it encounters. Whether it be a gathering in the courtyard of an apartment complex, a night of cards and conneciton on Skid Row, a conference to raise awareness... whatever it is, ACA desires to be in relationship in whatever form possible. Phew! Thank you for making it through this much longer update. If you would like to converse more about what is taking form, please visit http://www.acaorg.blogspot.com/ Love and peace,

Outings, Meetings & Skid Row

Hello friends!

The last week since I wrote has been a great one. My roommate, Elizabeth, is finally in town and we have been able to reconnect and get the house put together. We had friends staying with us this week which made for a busy and fun time!

Thursday and Friday have been the most profound this week of my experiences. Thursday afternoon I met with a couple guys to discuss ACA. I was excited about the time to share the vision and to hear their feedback. Though, after about 2 minutes, there was no more talk about ACA as the focus switched to the method I'm choosing verses the method they think is best. It was a bit frustrating at times, but also a good learning experience in patience and listening.

Thursday evening, Elizabeth and I met up with our friend Amy who works for CARE (international humanitarian organization - http://www.care.org/) and two of her collegues. What was supposed to be a quick get together, turned into 3 hours of discussing the issues and politics of Africa (Amy is from Uganda and one of her collegues, Frederick, from Nigeria). The 3 of them from CARE reitterated their excitment about ACA and the need they see for Awareness, Connection, Action to exist. That was very encouraging, especially after the afternoon get together!!

Friday night I went into Skid Row with 11 other people. I was not prepared for the reaction I would have. I have seen poverty in Russia and Africa, so seeing it in Los Angeles was not much of a shock. Instead, I stood on the corner and wept at the love that instantly welled up inside for each person I saw and even for those who could not be seen. ACA has a great opportunity to unite the two worlds of Los Angeles - the glitz and glam and the dire poverty, gangs and drug dealing - through educational conferences and real-life experiences with the people of Skid Row.

ACA is excited to focus on the needs in developing countries, but can not in turn ignore the very real needs in it's own backyard. Because of this, ACA will transition into connecting with many local agencies as well as international organizations focused on global poverty. Conferences will focus on one issue and the paralells locally and globally.

Below is brief background information on Skid Row so you can become aware of it's history and current status.

The first skid row was Skid Road (Yesler Way) in Seattle, where logs were skidded into the water on a corduroy road for delivery to Henry Yesler's lumber mills. During the Great Depression, the area went into decline, and "skid row" became synonymous with "bad neighborhood."

Los Angeles's Skid Row, in an area of downtown Los Angeles also known as Central City East, is home to one of the largest stable populations of transient persons (homeless) in the United States. Informal population estimates range from 7,000 to 8,000. First-time visitors to this area are often shocked by the sight of the cardboard box and camping tents lining the sidewalks; the juxtaposition with the gleaming glass-sheathed skyscrapers on nearby Bunker Hill is quite striking. A common joke about the high prices of houses and taxes in Los Angeles city and county is that "you can't even buy a cardboard box for that price" (with "that price" being a budget that would pay for housing in many other parts of the country). L.A.'s Skid Row is sometimes called "the Nickel," because it is centered on Fifth Street. Most of the city's homeless and social service providers (such as Frontline Foundation, Midnight Mission, Union Rescue Mission and Downtown Women's Center) are based on Skid Row. While downtown Los Angeles has gone through a revitalization in recent years, development has mostly skipped over the Skid Row neighborhood. In 2005 and 2006, several local hospitals and suburban law enforcement agencies were accused by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other officials of transporting those homeless people in their care to Skid Row. [1] [2] According to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the official boundaries of skid row are Third and Seventh Streets to the north and south and Alameda and Main Streets to the east and west, respectively. [3]