2nd Week Reflection

In comparison to the first week, week two was significantly more smooth and organized. Walking into the detention center with a plan that we knew we would stick to made things much less stressful. I also enjoyed the fact that we were all in the same room for this week. For week one, it was a weird sense that the kids were extremely comfortable in the space since they live here but we had just visited for the first time and were uncomfortable. It made it that much worse when we split up and not only were in this place for the first time but also on our own. For week two, being together in a familiar room where we had been the previous week while also all being together made things much more relaxed.

One interesting thing I noticed was the kids’ relationships with the staff at the detention center. In conversation, they are typically friendly and lighthearted, joking with each other and being loose. However, this week while I was sharing stories with my partner he was laughing and he lightly backhanded the staff member on the arm as he was laughing. The staff member, who previously was also laughing, immediately became very serious and said, “What did I tell you about putting your hands on me.” It was weird to see that immediately flip of a switch and go from joking around to being dead serious.