The BEST Team Wins in My Town

(Unofficial results: Bumpus, Smith and Zaccone clinch seats By Lia Eustachewich) April 27, 2011

This morning I managed to get a ride to Berkeley School in order to cast my vote in crutches. I was the first person voting in my district. Though I could not walk around distributing fliers to neighbors and friends in the Third Ward, I did the next best thing. I emailed all my contacts and urged them to go out and vote to support Bloomfield schools by electing intelligent and highly qualified women candidates that know something about the value of public school education.

The well-oiled "Machine" had put up three unknowns so that they could hijack the BOE once again and play dirty politics as all "machines" do. This time, though, a coalition of people from different political parties and wards rallied on behalf of our children. Our children deserve the best type of public education we can offer them, free of interference from damn politicians or charter school ideologues. I feel so encouraged by the results.

If only all students who are studying to become future teachers could understand the importance of registering to vote and being ACTIVELY involved in politics, we would not have to go to Trenton begging for school funds or making cuts in vital programs. Cut administrative costs and RAISE TAXES ON NJ MILLIONAIRES! Let us remember John F. Kennedy's famous biblical quote (Luke12:48) in a speech to the Massachusetts State Legislature, January 9, 1961: "For of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state, our success or failure, in whatever office we hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions: First, were we truly men of courage… Second, were we truly men of judgment… Third, were we truly men of integrity… Finally were we truly men of dedication?" (Sexist language used at that time.)

How about it greedy politicians of all stripes!

Environmental Awareness - Volunteerism

It seems to me that everyone appears to be interested in environmental preservation and green spaces. Unfortunately, people talk about these wonderful concepts and our need to reduce fuel emissions, but when it comes to practicing what many preach, there seems to be problem.

In my own neighborhood, Norma, our Beautification Coordinator, has been in charge of environmental issues. We rarely see her now because her husband was unemployed for a long time and she had to work at two different jobs until 9:00 p.m. every day. Instead of relaxing at home after a very long day, Norma now has to take care of her mother, whose husband died three years ago. She is afraid of being alone and often asks Norma to stay with her. Since Norma is not around, no one bothers to pick up the litter around the pond or the bottles and McDonald's containers that inconsiderate children and adults discard. I used to go around picking up trash, but I am unable to walk until the second week in May. It is very frustrating trying to get around with crutches or a walker. I wish the children would help us maintain the park grounds.

The only way we are going to change people's habits concerning the environment is by making this part of the school curriculum. It is wonderful when one hears young children (below the age of 12) reminding adults and older children not to dispose of trash in the park. This is something new and we need to encourage these young people to organize activities that raise awareness for our environment. Without green space and eco-friendly ways of being, we are not going to reduce destructive forms of energy consumption or environmental contamination.

Future Neighbors

My next door neighbor, Mike, is moving to New Brunswick to be with the one he loves. I am very sad to see that a wonderful neighbor is moving away from my neighborhood. He has decided to rent his house and not sell it until he is ready to make that move. He was tired of commuting back and forth from Manhattan to his girlfriend's house in New Brunswick and then back to Bloomfield several times a week. It became very stressful for him. Fortunately, after interviewing several prospective tenants, he decided to rent to three young students from Montclair.

I am very pleased because my dream was to populate most of my neighborhood with Montclair people. We can car pool and in times of emergencies, such as snowstorms or floods, we can help each other. It is also fun visiting colleagues and chatting about different things. There are now seven MSU professors who live in Halcyon Park. I am really thrilled about this. Although we are all extremely busy, we do get together for holidays or to celebrate someone's birthday. We also take turns picking up newspapers and mail when one of us is away during the summer months. It is really important to look after everyone's welfare.

I am looking forward to meeting these young women in May.

Tax Preparation Deadlines

April is a very stressful time of the year for me because I have to go through all my receipts and gather the paperwork I need in order to prepare my income taxes. I always keep receipts for education-related expenses and all the contributions to charity. Tax preparation is relatively easy with Turbo Tax.

Saturday was unbelievably stressful because I had to slowly lower myself downstairs to look for documents I was missing and then go upstairs the same way at least five times. I could not believe it, but I had forgotten to set aside bank statements and copies of credit card expenditures before deciding to work on my income taxes!

My Foot Operation

It has been exactly eight days since I had an operation to fix a dislocated toe and straighten my big toe at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). The leg cast is horribly heavy that I can hardly get around my house. I have been confined to my family room and the kitchen. When I have enough strength to use the walker, I go to the kitchen to make coffee and prepare a light breakfast. I was instructed to follow the 80/20 routine. My leg has to be at the level of the heart 80% of the time.

I tried using the crutches to go downstairs but I fell and was not going to risk breaking my neck. In order to go upstairs I have to use my butt like little children, dragging this huge leg all the way up. By the time I reach the second floor, I am so exhausted that I have to struggle to get up and use the crutches to go to the bathroom, wash up and get ready for bed. Had I known it would be this horrible, I would not have gone through this. I just hope this is worth it! It was not such a minor procedure. The surgeon had to file away part of a huge bunion causing this problem, put a pin through the second toe, graft some bone from my heel, and make some incisions on the leg muscle. My left foot looks like a Halloween prop. I just hope it comes off next week and that they fit me with something I can actually carry around. I miss not being to walk outside. Now I have a much better understanding of what it means to feel trapped and helpless.

My Stay at HSS

My faithful companion drove me to HSS at 5:30 a.m.yesterday, Friday, April 1st. Needless to say, I was exhausted. We both had to wait until noon for the scheduled surgery. While at HSS, I had to register with the person in charge of the intake process. As this young woman was entering my information on their database, she was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. We switched to Spanish and she told me she had come to the states at the age of eight. Unfortunately, she was placed in bilingual classes in Paterson, NJ. To make a long story short, this young woman was studying to become a nurse but has had to reconsider her choice because of her limited English language skills. She had a very difficult time writing research reports. She told me that all her schooling had been in Spanish with one or two hours a day devoted to English. She also told me that when she graduated from H.S., she applied to one of the local community colleges (Passaic?) but was again placed in bilingual education classes, which in her opinion, were a waste of time. She said she had to undertake learning academic and colloquial English on her own because the education she received as a child, all the way through high school, was inferior. All of her classmates in the bilingual programs in Paterson have had the same experience. She also told me that she was looking forward to being promoted at HSS because the hospital will pay part of the tuition of employees pursuing careers in health care (physician's assistant, nursing, etc.) Learning about her predicament made me sad. She was indeed trapped in the bilingual-education bureaucracy of the public school system. I am against any forced use of the primary language in education beyond the initial stages of culture/language shock. Once a young student understands English and is able to read at nearly grade level, he/she must be placed in regular elementary, middle, or high school classes. My brother faced this problem years ago when my nieces were young, but he absolutely refused to allow the principal to put his daughters in any bilingual program in the California school system.