"Does anyone know how to speak Spanish?" pleaded the lady in charge. I look around the circle of other volunteers who came from different high schools, hoping for someone to raise their hand, but no one did. My friend, Isaiah, nudges my arm softly whispering to me, "Don't you know?" I responded with a raised eyebrow as I did not want to translate. I never had the opportunity to translate because I always stumble on words, but this was my moment to shine. As I slowly loosened my grip from my tightly clenched hands, I started raising my sweaty right hand. The lady in charge spotted my hand her face lit up. She quickly gave me instruction of what I was I suppose to do. As I waited with my knees quivering, she gave positions to each volunteer to either serve food or seat people. I was led to the back and I was speculating what type of people would be bursting through those doors. Soon, did I realize that this position that i was given was more help to people than serving them food at Saint Vincent's de Paul at Phoenix.

I was introduced to one of the volunteers that was in need of my assistance, we got straight to work. Brad explained to me the various kinds of packages they offer, and I was to translate to people who did not quite understand English. The first person came and sat down on the other side of the desk. My heart started to beat like a drum in a marching band. I knew that it was time to start translating. When I imagined the people that would emerge back here, I pictured them as the people that you see on the streets asking for money. However, that was not the case. The lady before me appeared to look well. As we started going through the process of clarifying the packages for her, questions such as " Cuanta gente esta viviendo en su hogar?" meaning how many people live in your home?. I soon grasped the idea that it was to support a numerous amount of people living in one home. I took into the account that others had more living with them because they had arrived from several countries such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Throughout the afternoon the numerous of people in need of assistance were pleased to have someone to help throughout the process instead of having complications trying to communicate with their broken English.

People that come barely come to this country for a better life usually come to live in relatives home while the start looking for jobs. This is how my family started, my dad came to this country looking for a better life for us. He started looking for jobs while living in one of our relative’s house. Once my dad saved up enough money my mom, sister, and I came to this country. We started from scratch and soon we were able to move to an apartment. We now live a better life but some of us are not as fortunate. This experience has opened my eyes to a newer light. Everyone deserves a helping hand. Even those that seek help on the streets, homeless shelters, or from other relatives. We all are trying to look for a better life, we discover different strategies to do so. Some of us have what we need, but we must help others as well. What if you were in their situation? Would you want someone to help you?