I can't believe how quickly the time is flying, but I have already finished two full work weeks at my service site! It has been a great experience so far, but definitely a challenging one as well. Here are some of the highlights:
My Duties:
Most days, I spend A LOT of time on the phone. It's my job to answer all phone calls that come to the main line of the office. These can be potential clients, current clients, people looking to volunteer, and social service agencies looking to learn about our organization. I even recorded the new voicemail/automated menu today...eeek! When I'm not on the phone, I spend time speaking with clients face-to-face when they come in for scheduled appointments or wander in hoping to find help. I also do some data entry, mailing, and photocopying when I have down-time.
The Challenges:
SPANISH. Only one other person in the office speaks Spanish, so my minimal skills are put to ever-increasing use. I swear that word is getting out in the Latino community because every day I have more and more phone calls and voicemails in Spanish. I am hardcore riding the struggle-bus on this front, but am working to improve my skills every day.
RESOURCES. So many things to learn about the services available in Chicago - it's unreal. While we do our best to accommodate people at our office, sometimes we're unable to offer the help people need and I have to refer them out to other places. I have a long list of organizations in Chicago that offer legal aid and it's broken down by categories (domestic violence, bankruptcy, etc.), but I still have so much to learn about what each of these places do so I can truly direct people to the best place for their case.
SAYING NO. Quite possibly the thing I have the hardest time with at work - saying no. Sometimes it happens when a person calls for services we don't offer, or for a department that is already overloaded with cases. "Unfortunately that's not something we would be able to take on right now," I say in my most polite voice, followed by, "I do have the numbers for a few other places that might be able to assist you." Sometimes it's fine - people are happy to take other referrals or are willing to wait and call back when we might have more availability. Other times, it just plain sucks. "I've already called everywhere else!" they'll say. Or, "Please, miss, can't you do something?!" Or, my least favorite, "Are you really qualified to make that decision?" (mostly because I really want to say no, probably not). Even worse than this sometimes is answering calls on Tuesdays from potential clients who are inquiring about whether or not their cases have been accepted. There's no nice way to go about it. Sure, I avoid the word rejected and almost always have a referral handy, but it's painful. I've had people cry, scream, swear - and I'm just so, so sorry that there's not a thing I can do to make it better.
The Perks:
BLESSINGS. If I had a nickle for every time I am blessed by a client on the phone, soon enough I'd be rich. Sometimes it's casual as we're hanging up - "You have a blessed day now." Other times it's more dramatic, "God bless you, darlin'. You done made my day. You're just wonderful. God bless." Maybe it really is true - people in the midwest are just plain friendlier :)
SMILES. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like. It's understandable - generally if you have to have an attorney and are going through a court case, it's not the most joyous of times. But those rare occasions when I get to see people happy because they have finally won custody of their children, or they found out they won't be evicted, or they learn that their incarcerated child or spouse or parent is going to get the legal assistance he or she needs, it's beautiful.
CO-WORKERS. They're fabulous. Although they are all different ages, we seem to find a way to mesh nicely. By and large everyone in the office has been very welcoming to me and very eager to help me learn. I can't wait to start spending some more one-on-one time with each of them to learn more about what they do to serve their clients.
That's the long and the short of it for now. Stay tuned for more stories and experiences from work as they come!
*If you are curious about the title of this post, read the "Americorps Pledge" found here: http://www.americorps.gov/about/pledge/index.asp. All Americorps members are required to recite it at the beginning of their term of service. Yes, apparently this year I will "get things done for America." (I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean or who writes these things....)*
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