Scattered Notes of a Social Work Student

In a Gallatin class I am currently taking that centers around the legacies of colonialism, my professor brought up the contradiction of neoliberal economic policies alongside the concept of national borders. The topic confounded me and I stayed quiet for the initial discussion, but the idea soon opened as one specific example targeted an interesting point in my mind.

She proposed that the fair-trade policies of coffee companies, whether from the national megachain Starbucks or the smaller, more independent shops, actually oppose the projected aim of their cause. For as much as it might be of some benefit to the communities where the coffee is grown, our coffee's price would be much higher if the overseas workers were being paid a decent amount. We all want our fair-trade, save-the-world, grown-by-Ethiopian-farmer caffeine fix, yet still need the cocoa bean pickers to make nearly pennies a day so that we can afford our coffee jolt.

Many mornings, on my walk to the nonprofit where I intern, I swing in the local Starbucks on 3rd Ave to grab a tall Americano before I begin my day. Lunchtime also sees my lurching into the line and evenings spent at the Washington Square coffee shop couple (Think or Starbucks). But after last night's class, as I strolled to the office, I forwent my usual coffee slurp and grabbed a water bottle at a deli (although I am uncertain if that is any more ethical).

It is not that I will forever ban my coffee drinking (I would suffer severe withdrawals), but thanks to a professor who was probably just making an economic point, my usual morning drink transformed into some serious food for thought.

Perhaps it is not an uncommon fact for NYU students to pass celebrities en route to class, but this morning, Washington Square East teemedwith more than the average spotting of James Franco in the Starbucks line or the Gossip Girl cast filming a catfight scene on the street.

Emma Thompson, a personal favorite actress, and Mayor Bloomberg have occupied the corner of WSE and Wavery Place to promote an incredibly interesting art installment, the Journey, which uses various creative forms to highlight the 7 stages of a woman's experience of sexual abuse in human trafficking. Thompson and Bloomberg are on hand today to officiate the opening of this work, which will run through the 15th.

The provocative yet purposeful objectives of the installation mimic the interesting photography exhibit that recently unveiled in the windows of the Grey Art Gallery between Goddard and Steinhardt buildings on Washington Square East, which focuses on transgendered youth. The coinciding nature of these events, along with the sheer physical size of both, have turned the common walkway of the park into a creative and eye-opening corner of activism.

Oftentimes, the massive amount of materials, causes, and campaigns that filter through the NYU area to promote various issues can become slightly irksome when I am blundering through the 8 AM rush, coffee in hand and cell phone on ear, to frantically arrive at Biology class on time and actually prepared to learn. One loses sight of horrible, earth-injuring oil spills when the Green Peace guy keeps thrusting his clipboard in your direct path and children's rights are not seen as the blue-vested charity representative continues to make eye contact that you cannot avoid.

So while there is no direct can for donations or email list sign-ups involved in The Journey event, my own personal interest and passion is significantly sparked when I cannot walk across the street without visually seeing the very-horrific sights of human trafficking. As I sloughed into Silver Building this morning, flustered that I missed my first bus and full of nerves for a class discussion, I realized just how much shorter my morning voyage was compared to the eternal roads of hardship faced by human trafficking victims.

And hopefully, with their stories filling our streets as we travel to class and home, their journey will reach a destination of healing.

In the midst of pre-holiday midterms and last-minute paper deadlines, I find my mind constantly wandering to where it will be in less than a week: cozy, comfortable, and completely calmed within the relaxation of my parents' home in Tennessee. Thoughts of pajamas-till-noon and plenty of food made from scratch (my microwaveable dinners and constant late-night delivery orders to Curry & Curry Indian just do not cut it) fill my head as well as dreams of watching uninterrupted Made-for-TV movie, and the sheer image of viewing the Macy's Day Parade on News Channel Five rather than freezing with two thousand tourists on 34th Street brings me great delight.

Yet as I dwell in the exciting possibilities of sleeping in late and not having any reason to read endless chapters on Meiosis and Mitosis, I cannot help but realize the slight bit of negativism that navigates around the utter laziness I envisioned. While it will be nice to spend Thanksgiving without too much worry, it would be even lovelier to combine some of those "if I only had the time" utterances in with my ample amount of hours that my trip home will bring. Thanksgiving is a time of family, comfort, and gratitude, so I am hoping that the right ingredients will produce a healthy, harmonious half-week vacation holiday. Below, I've included a recipe of ways to involve yourself in the giving spirit of the occasion (as well as leave room for those endless movie marathon indulgences).

- 1 Serving, Canned Vegetables, mixed variety: Donating to your local food bank seems a little rote and basic, but the simple drop of a few canned goods can significantly brighten someone's otherwise-empty meal. Food banks report some of the lowest donations due to the economy, so that powdered condensed milk mix or creamed corn can significantly add warmth to a holiday table.

-1 part, International Spices, flavor to taste: For those of us who like to abide by the "I have no class, therefore I will wear nothing but my plaid flannel pajamas" rule over the holidays, the United Nations new online venture brings the wide world of global non-profit to your very own couch. Grab your laptop and log onto www.onlinevolunteering.org, which is a host of approved international NGOs that need people like you (smart college students with a little bit of time) to do small tasks such as grant research, translation, brochure writing, copy editing, and tutoring sessions for special projects they're running. I guarantee that assisting an all-girls' school in Guinea develop a new math curriculum will be more fulfilling than watching another Gossip Girl rerun.

-3 hours of Turkey prep: Okay, so flannel pajamas don't fly at all hours of Thanksgiving break. Throw on a sweatshirt and head out to a local food bank or homeless shelter to spread a bit of cheer through your service. But note: most food banks or soup kitchens are inundated with helpful hands on the actual Thanksgiving holiday but see a significant drop in post-Thursday volunteers. Show up on Friday or Saturday to see what sort of help you can serve up.

-2 cups, cream cheese, 1 stick, butter: Recently, in a state of Biology-test induced panic, I carved out nearly half of my roommate's birthday cake with a sheer fork and did not realize the epic damage I had done until the next morning when I discovered the concave I dug into the red-velvet cheesecake. So not only did I declare World War III on my healthy-eating plan, I felt sicker than any sugar-induced stomach aches about my eating someone else's sweets. So this holiday, don't shy away from the extra caloric intake and don't deny yourself candies, but try a new tactic and bake a treat for a friend or neighbor in need. With so many people struggling with cut jobs, lay-offs, and foreclosures, a simple cake is an "I-Care" way of connecting with someone who might not need a food bank, but still could use some extra smiles.

-Four pounds, potatoes: Pretty treats and dainty epicurean delights are lovely additions to a holiday table, but one should never forget the staples and starches from the dinner. As my best friend and I planned a holiday feast for our close companions, we became so spun in the thought of beautiful placecards and adorable invitations that we nearly lost sight of why we were throwing the get-together in general: gratitude for what we have and those we love. So while we still have our favorite Amy's Bread muffins and Balthazar pastries, we equally have four massive bags of potatoes on our kitchen counter ready to be mashed into a classic favorite that's enough to serve the army of our friends that keeps us going every day. A small four person table with Kate's Paperie tablecloths are precious, but a twelve-souled dinner crowded in a common room with our pseudo-family is probably much more beautiful.

-1 Can, Libby's Pumpkin: Hurry! Run to your local Morton WIlliams and stock up on everybody's favorite pumpkin ingredients as heavy rains have caused this holiday-classic to run short on supplies this season. But remember, even if your pies might not have the full orange fall fruit (is pumpkin a fruit? There goes my intelligence cred...), your table already has more than how-much of the world.

3 cups, Cranberries: Finally, a sweet indulgence that isn't too cavity or calorie heavy to top off the holiday happiness. I was never a cranberry fan, probably because I was eyeing the Pecan Pie on the cake plate or wondering when it would be proper time to ask for banana pudding, so the bland fruit-mush that was the boring cranberry sauce seemed slightly displeasing amidst the pretty desserts that surrounded. However, sometimes its the least-attractive images that bear the most success. Through my internship, it is one of my duties to spin Afghanistan news into something "happy, positive, and reader-friendly" for the organization's blog. Sounds easy, yet the online happenings on the Kabul newsline are more killings and the recent UNICEF report entitled "Afghanistan is the worst country to be born in". But I've learned that amidst the awfulness, there's a sweetness in changing angles. So now, the UN might say that Afghanistan is the worst place to be born, but I decided it's the "best place to create change for children". For some reason, it reminds me of the cranberries: a wonderful tradition that tastes just fine if you let it stand on its own.

1 teaspoon, pure sugar: Okay, so it's a holiday for goodness sakes. Turn on the television, sleep till noon, and wear pajamas all day. Just don't repeat!