car repair

Our beloved mechanic told us the cheapest way to fix the hole in the flex pipe of Wakanomori's cute little car would be to get a patch welded to it, and he recommended a place to do it. "I've sent lots of people there," he said.

So today, early, we were set to drive there. "I forget exactly where it is," said Waka. "But you lead the way."

"It's right near where we used to live," I said.

"Oh ... that place? I thought it was the other place [a stone's throw from this place], where you got that pot lid welded, and where we had that other car work done."

"Nope--we've never been to this place."

Uneasy sounds from Wakanomori.

"But beloved mechanic is recommending it," I said. "So I'm sure it's fine."

( but was it fine? WAS IT? )

And many businesses try to present neutrally. I have thoughts about all this, but they're incoherent and don't have an and in conclusion. so I'll just stop abruptly here.

Palate cleanser

I don't remember whether I've talked about Beautiful Day here before--it's a Rhode Island nonprofit that helps refugees gain job skills through working making granola. Granola, you may ask? Yes, granola. But now they have a youth refugee program:

"Trainees attend weekly classes where they learn the ins and outs of succeeding on a job. This is not as easy as it may seem. The American work world is complicated, even for those who were born here. It's not always easy to know how to respond to a demanding boss or a troublesome colleague. What do you do if you have to miss a day? What is the appropriate way to dress? Is it ok to ask questions or to admit you don't understand? How do you make friends, respond politely, ask for a raise? These are challenging questions and if you have spent most of your life in a refugee camp and are not familiar with American work culture, they are even harder."

Here's their first graduating class


The young people come from Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, and Malawi.

And here's their instructor, Maliss Men-Coletta, a former refugee herself:

"Maliss is a former refugee herself, coming to America as a child from a refugee camp in Thailand after her family fled Cambodia to escape the genocide that resulted in the deaths of 25% of the population. Maliss can relate to what these young people have been through. This is one thing that makes her such an extraordinary teacher. The other is her extensive teaching background. Before coming to Beautiful Day, Maliss worked at the International Institute of Rhode Island as a case manager and teacher where she assisted immigrants and refugees to become self sufficient."

You can donate to Beautiful Day here, or just bop around the website and find out more about the organization. (Quotations are from a newsletter I receive from the organization.)