The Mrs. Chens
My new job is so much like my Peace Corps job. There are not very many opportunities for me to say, yeah...it's okay. Complacency is not going to be a problem here. A gardener whom I'll call Richard, called to complain to me several times about Mrs Chen's bean trellis and how it was shadowing his garden, how she said last year she wouldn't plant beans there again, and how his whole garden was ruined by this woman who was probably old and confused and how she was lucky he didn't rip out all the plants and, and, and...
So, I decided to help mediate. I had tried avoidance, but that didn't work. He kept calling. And calling.
We have a new assistant in the office, less new than me, but new. She is a lovely woman, from China. Has lived here for 4 years. I asked her if she spoke Cantonese. Nope, only Mandarin. I needed an interpreter for Mrs. Chen. Mrs Chen arranged for another Mrs Chen to come. She speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin. So, I trooped up to the garden, 5 minutes late. Met Richard, the Mrs Chens and a Chinese man whom I don't know but he was helpful. Mrs Chen the 1st told her side of the story to the 2nd Mrs Chen in Cantonese, who told it to my co-worker, in Mandarin, who told it to me in English. They would speak passionately for several minutes, all 4 of them at once, and then my co-worker would turn to me and say, "She will move the Trellis in Oct. after she collects the seeds." One has to wonder what else was said.
After the resolution, the first Mrs Chen, hugged me. She is about 4 foot 8 or 9, has no front teeth, but an eager smile never-the-less, wore a little white hat, green polyester pants, and white tennis shoes. She is probably around 80 or 85 years old.
She thanked me profusely and began to cry. She had lost two nights sleep over this conflict. I wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home.
Two hours later I was hauling fortified beer bottles, crack pipes, razor blades and other detritus out of the garden when there was a woman who was so far out of it that when I told her to leave, she looked at me as though I was a dream. I called Seattle's finest, who, to there credit, was there 5 minutes later for a "Removal of Persons" I have learned this handy catch all phrase as well as more about drug paraphernalia than I ever really wanted. Yesterday this young guy was starting to light a crack pipe when I turned the corner and told him to leave. He nodded and moseyed on, slowly. Another guy who I've seen around but doesn't do anything disturbing was walking by, I asked him to tell the previous man to get the hell out. He did and came back to report that he had. I have a new strategy, developed at that moment, enlisting the help of one homeless set of folks whom I like to help move the ones that I need out of the garden, out. James was the hero for that moment.
As I said, this is a job that I love and I hate. All at the same time.
So, I decided to help mediate. I had tried avoidance, but that didn't work. He kept calling. And calling.
We have a new assistant in the office, less new than me, but new. She is a lovely woman, from China. Has lived here for 4 years. I asked her if she spoke Cantonese. Nope, only Mandarin. I needed an interpreter for Mrs. Chen. Mrs Chen arranged for another Mrs Chen to come. She speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin. So, I trooped up to the garden, 5 minutes late. Met Richard, the Mrs Chens and a Chinese man whom I don't know but he was helpful. Mrs Chen the 1st told her side of the story to the 2nd Mrs Chen in Cantonese, who told it to my co-worker, in Mandarin, who told it to me in English. They would speak passionately for several minutes, all 4 of them at once, and then my co-worker would turn to me and say, "She will move the Trellis in Oct. after she collects the seeds." One has to wonder what else was said.
After the resolution, the first Mrs Chen, hugged me. She is about 4 foot 8 or 9, has no front teeth, but an eager smile never-the-less, wore a little white hat, green polyester pants, and white tennis shoes. She is probably around 80 or 85 years old.
She thanked me profusely and began to cry. She had lost two nights sleep over this conflict. I wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home.
Two hours later I was hauling fortified beer bottles, crack pipes, razor blades and other detritus out of the garden when there was a woman who was so far out of it that when I told her to leave, she looked at me as though I was a dream. I called Seattle's finest, who, to there credit, was there 5 minutes later for a "Removal of Persons" I have learned this handy catch all phrase as well as more about drug paraphernalia than I ever really wanted. Yesterday this young guy was starting to light a crack pipe when I turned the corner and told him to leave. He nodded and moseyed on, slowly. Another guy who I've seen around but doesn't do anything disturbing was walking by, I asked him to tell the previous man to get the hell out. He did and came back to report that he had. I have a new strategy, developed at that moment, enlisting the help of one homeless set of folks whom I like to help move the ones that I need out of the garden, out. James was the hero for that moment.
As I said, this is a job that I love and I hate. All at the same time.
posted by SA at 7:51 AM
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