Listening Post Profile

My Humbling Experience

The Opa-Locka Flea Market is a place where people come to shop at a cheaper cost. It smells like wet vegetables and old clothing, but it is also a place where you can meet some good people.

I have to admit I dreaded the idea of having to do my listening post at a flea market, especially in Opa-Locka. The area is not one I frequent often.

 The first time I set foot there, I felt a little emotional and frustrated. I could not believe I had to do this for school.

 I recall making my way through little shops and a diverse crowd of people. Eventually, I found myself in a corner like a puppy with its tail between its legs, telling myself to relax and pull it together.  It really was not all that bad. People mind their own business; they come to shop. Some men come to stare at women, but most people were really shopping.

That first time, I only toured the place making my way into the food court.

The food court is a small section with about seven food vendors. There was also a live band on a small stage and two provocatively dressed dancers entertained the crowd.

I took a seat on a deteriorated little bar and ordered a $3.00 Presidente.

Carmen is the name of the bartender. I managed to introduce myself and had a brief conversation about the market and the people that hang out at the food court.

I began to build the courage to engage in a conversation with someone else, but each direction I turned to, men were just sitting there and staring.

I was excited to have found one person at least, but then I realized that Carmen was preoccupied with her customers and did not have much time to converse, and besides, the music was way too loud making it difficult to have a conversation with anyone.  She asked me to visit the following weekend and I agreed.

I finished my beer and left.

My second attempt, I dreaded as well. I felt intimidated by a place. I forced myself to get up and made it to the parking lot.

This time I walked in feeling a little bit tough with a carefree attitude.

Throughout my second visit, I found myself smiling at vendors and inquiring about some of the products. I still had not built enough courage to converse with anyone.

I made my way to the food court again hoping I would find Carmen, the bartender. She was not there. The live band was present again and I figured it would be too loud for me to carry a conversation with anyone. I finished a beer and walked through the shops. That is when I met Dania and Ana. The conversation evolved so naturally with Dania. Dania is a woman in her mid-thirties from Cuba. She has been working at the flea market for six years.

She told me that when she first started, people were able to make a living with what they earned here. Her and her husband began to see the decrease in sales three years ago. “Sales have dropped like 60% and the rent keeps going up,” she said.

Ana is Dominican. She is Dania’s ex-sister-in-law. Their shops are right across from each other. Ana lives in an apartment in Miami and inquired if I knew anyone who had a room for rent in Hialeah because she needed to move.

Both women were extremely nice and humble. Ana even invited me to meet her at her second job, Pio-Pio, a Dominican restaurant in Hialeah.

I happen to live in Hialeah, which was great.

I went to visit Ana one week later, on a Friday. I ordered breakfast and looked around casually. Ana spotted me first, but I don’t think she remembered who I was. I refreshed her memory and reminded her we had met at the flea market. I felt a little awkward and nervous.  She was nice though. We began talking about the flea market and then she inquired about my life and unfortunately, because she was busy, I was not able to ask her much.

After finishing my breakfast, I said good-bye and told her I would be dropping by again some other day.

I have not been back to the Dominican restaurant, but I went back to the flea market again.

Still smells.

My visit would be a short one this time since I had to work.

This time, my approach was more open-minded. I was not looking for anyone to interview, but I happened to run into George.

George is a 26 year-old male from Cuba. He was nice and friendly. He is part-owner of a furniture shop located at the entrance of the market.

“Sales have decreased too much, but I have another job working for a body shop,” he said.

We were interrupted by a customer who wanted to purchase a couch. George must have given him a really good deal because the customer’s face lit up after he asked for the price.

I will continue to visit the flea market periodically. Throughout the time I have been there, I have met really good people.

The market is organized in its own special way. Most of the shop owners know each other. It’s like a small village. My perspective on the market has changed. I do not judge the place or the people that work there. I have been humbled by my listening post experience and feel grateful to have met such good hard-working people.

My 2nd Visit to The Flea Market

I went to the Flea Market for the second time this past Sunday. The experience was better I must say. After sitting at home contemplating my visit, I found myself in line to park at the Opa Locka Flea Market once again. This time I was charged for parking... a whole dollar! I made my way through the tent shops and tried my hardest to dispaly a friendly-not-uncomfortable smile. I found myself heading toward the food court like I had done my first visit there. This time, Carmen, the lady at the beer stand, was not there. I started getting a little nervous, wondering who I would speak to this time. Once again, I chugged my three-dollar Presidente, and just started walking. The live band was present again and I figured it would be too loud for me to carry a conversation with anyone at the food court. As I walked, I made eye contact with a semi-friendly face, Dania's face. I introduced myself to her and before I knew it, I was engaged in a casual and comfortable conversation with her. Dania has been at the flea market for six years now. She explained to me that she works seven days of the week and is there from morning to night. She seemed so comfortable speaking to me as well. Many times, I didn't even have to ask her questions, she just talked. Dania told me she is from Cuba and has a family to support. She said that rent goes up every month by three-dollars and that because of the economic crisis, her sales have dropped like 60%. I felt horrible. I could not believe that this nice woman had to work so hard. While I mingled with Dania, she introduced me to her friend, Ana, who is Dominican. Ana was extremely friendly and told me where she works during the week so that I could go visit her there. I agreed to see her Friday at the restaurant where she is employed. It is in Hialeah and not far from my house at all. Can't wait to learn more about her. I said good-bye to both and promised to return soon. My second experience was so much better. I left feeling very satisfied and I feel that next time I visit the flea market, I will feel more comfortable.

Flea Market

My visit to the Opa-Locka Flea Market was rather interesting. I chose to do my assignment at this location because I thought that I would find myself in an uncomfortable situation simply because flea markets are so diverse and crowded and the location is not somewhere I frequent often. I felt brave enough to get up and go Sunday afternoon. I dorve over and to my suprise was not charged for parking which was rather nice of the guy sitting at the front. I walked through little shops set up in rows and occassionally smiled at strangers who looked my way. I felt a little out of place but found myself enetrtained by the merchandise around me. I eventually made my way to the food court and found a live band consisting of one hispanic man and two hispanic women set up on a small stage. The music was energizing and they sang some of my favorite songs. I sat down at what appeared to be a small little bar and asked the bartender for a beer. I could still feel people's eyes piercing at me but I tried to make myself as comfotable as I possible could. I chugged my beer pretty fast, hoping it would relax me a bit, and it it. I began to engage in a conversation with Carmen, the bartender. She expalined that the atmosphere was pretty consistent and asked me to come back next weekend. I must admit that I am not fully comfortable but I do feel that my next visit will go a little more smooth.

SUDS

It's pretty amazing that people can turn a place like a laundromat into a hangout spot. I guess when you live in a community and are constantly seeing the same people, it is only natural that you adapt to certain places, become comfortable and carry conversations about your life. That's life.

The Mosque

There is so much controversy surrounding the proposal to build a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood. I personally feel that if the community center would be of  different religion, Catholic for example, maybe we would not be having these arguments. It has become more of a political argument than religious.

Test Scores

Preference?

Too many errors.
That was my score for the first part of the test. I was not able to get an accurate result that would determine if I have a preference for black or white people due to the fact that I made too many errors in the exam.
I do not quite understand how this test is supposed to work.
I do not believe I made any errors during the test. I simply chose what I wanted to choose and the computer would mark it as an error for me.
For my second test score, the results were different.
Little to no automatic preference between other people and Arab Muslims.
Again, the computer would mark many of my choices as incorrect, but this time I managed to get a result.
I feel that this may not be the most accurate test, but it was certainly pretty close to figuring out how we really feel about other ethnic groups.
I am curious to find out what some of my classmates scored and if they think the test was fair as well.
To me, it's pretty fair.

Jewish People-A Dying Nation?

On August 30th, we went a little in-depth about the Jewish people. We discussed that Jewish holidays are not only about food but of important historical events.
A curious comment was brought up while discussing  the decline of the Jewish people.
Many Jewish people believe that in order to keep the ethnic and religious group from extinction, it is important that Jews continue to marry other Jews and procreate for the sake of the people.
According to statistics, there are only about 13-15 million Jews left in the entire world and a great part of them are in Israel.
It definitely made me curious as to how most Jews would feel about interracial marriages at this point in time.
Are most Jewish children being brought up with the custom of marrying another Jewish person?
How serious and to what extent are the Jewish people concerned about the decline of their people?