June 11, 2009
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The Letter
From time to time I get on the computer at work and I will find a letter from one of the boys to their girl or home or whatever. Since I have some new subs and have not talked about work in awhile, here is the scoop. I work as a teachers aide at a residential treatment center for adolescent boys. I call them the bad boys. Anyway, to give you a window into my job, here is a recent letter from one homie to another. So I don't violate any confidentiality the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.
Dear Carlos
Wattup nigga it's Juan ( Juice), I heard you've been on the block bustin out. That's wassup, but be careful and remember to try not to snooze. You know a lot of people wana kill TS niggas. I'm a be getting out in July, I'm getting a pass 8-12 on June 7th my b-day, write me backk, let me know what's goin on with you, what's been goin on in little village, your block, whatever, and let me know if you want to kick it on my pass, Jose and Beth are coming on Saturday to bring our families to the back 40. Hall at me, I've been on level 3, I'm on dish crew, challenge 7 pt. 2, etc, so I'm doin good, a couple of new kkings have came, but got terminated in less than 3 days for boxin it out wit some gay donuts. INSANE CULLERTON DUCE LOVE NIGGA AMOR FROM 21.JB A.K.A. Juice
From me to you,
INSANE TO INSANE
Juan.
I speak a little gangsta ( not much) so I'll try and interpret.
Dear Carlos,
How are you? Juan here, aka. Juice. I have heard you are participating in gang activities in the neighborhood. I really approve of that, but please be careful, there are a lot of enemies who dislike your gang and want to kill you. I am completing my treatment in July and I have earned a pass for 8 - 12 hours for my birthday on June 7th : ) Please write me back and let me know what's been going on at home or anything else you want to share. Also, let me know if you would like to get together on my pass. Jose and Beth are coming to visit me on Saturday. We will be having all of our families go to the field in the far back of the facility for visits. Talk to me. I have been doing well in treatment, I have a job washing dishes and or/serving and have been on high behavioral levels. I am working in the Challenge seven series for my drug addiction and am currently on challenge 7 part 2 : ). Some of our fellow gang members were in treatment with me at Safeway. Unfortunately, they were kicked out within three days, because they fought with some boys, that are not members of our gang.
Crazy, amazing, goodbye, with love,
JuanIt's actually quite touching don't you think?
Comments (29)
Thank goodness you speak gangsta. Mine is a little rusty. Clearly the story has great warmth. I think however your "crazy, amazing, goodbye with love" is off a little. The Insane to Insane ending meant they were in the same nation. Right? I know I am rusty.
@villainwasright - You may be right about the insane to insane, however I looked up ( I know cheating) some of the other words at the end and got amazing and goodbye, this was from urban dictionary so...
@villainwasright - oh and amor means love right?
you are too funny! I didn't know you were bilingual.
@comet555 - yes, well I don't like to brag
Thanks for the translation. I thought I understood some of the gangsta talk but I got lost somewhere in the middle.
So the lad just didn't spell that well, The french spell love something like, amor'e, or amore'?@momofjenmatt -
no time to be shy. She is also expert in the origin and enunciation of cultural ghetto names@momofjenmatt -
@PrincessFiveandDime - not to worry, I am here with your gangsta needs.
@villainwasright - your damn straight I am!
We have a Scrabble player on our email list who speaks only in Ebonics. The list moderator used to publish a link that you could use to get a translation. Not sure what happened to that link.
You're good.
@twoberry - Thanks, darn, I would love a link like that for when I get stuck. I really should be more proficient in both Ebonics and gangsta by now.
Great interpretation, my nizzle!
ah man, yo be crackin deys code now dey be havin da make dem new
Explain the significance of these names. Watermelondrea, Koolandra, Te Te, and Sha Nay Nay@momofjenmatt -
there is no depth in which here abilities cease.@comet555 -
@gottobereal64 - ha ha my nizzle
@Owain_Gwynedd - ba ha ha ha ha
@villainwasright - they are just important names, with much meaning, thart is all.
You are just to modest! Watermelondrea and Koolaidra were from the refresmentia period. And Tay Tay and Sha Nay Nay are left over names from the Sha Na Na heavey white influence period that was embraced by the ghetto black community from the late fifties to the late sixties@momofjenmatt -
Adolescent boys are actually rather touching. Clumsy rebels looking out for friendship, challenges, danger, whatever. They are a bundle of emotions. If you work with them you need a very important 'counter-balance' hobby. Gangsta sounds good, ha! I bet our teenage lingo was much betta 'coz them grown-up's ears have been a-dropping constantly and their mouth kept a-gape when they had to overhear our high-pitched screeeeams and careless free comments on everything.
I like to read your posts!
@earlybirdie_chewingworms - Thank you ( about reading my posts) unfortunately, this young boy is probably going to end up in prison, he is in a gang and clearly does not wish to get out.
That's the problem about young boys. Unfortunately they might feel more at home in prison and act out their solidarity in gangs. Friendship is important for them but they still don't know how to choose friends.
During my son's teenage 'decades' I could give as much sympathy and understanding to anyone who behaved in a way he could keep up with my son's standards (well, with mine too... and we had a few discussions about that one). Sometimes teenage boys are quite willing to take advice from grown-ups as long as they are not family or teacher or authorities. That's what makes your job interesting, I guess.
Haha... I love your interpretation of the letter
Thank you so much for the translation! Ha ha ha, what a crazy buncha kids. And they get let out into normal society again, huh... I'd be more scared, but luckily for me they are building a big new building a few blocks from me to house all of our city's chronically indigent and mentally ill. Hopefully, similar to eating "good" bacteria before going to Mexico or Argentina, this will keep all the "bad" bacteria out of my neighborhood, if you get my drift.
DAMN CITY.
My son is just being transitioned out of an adolescent treatment centre and unfortunately I am disappointed with the treatment that (did not) receive. I hope your boys do better. Cute translation.
It's kind of scary that I actually could grasp the meaning of most of Juan's letter before your translation.
@earlybirdie_chewingworms - my job is pretty interesting. So far, at least where I work, these boys join gangs because they really have no family life to speak of. They have horrible back round stories.
@radicalramblings - thanks : )
@miss_order - ha ha ha, I totally get what you're saying
@soul_survivor - well the best part of our treatment center is school, but other than that I am not too hopeful. Unfortunately, the disease is not an easy fix, coupled with the fact that most young people " party" and in our case ( my work ) they are also criminals with criminal parents. I have not heard of many treatment centers that do a great job, look at Lindsay Lohan etc.. they even go to the expensive ones and don't seem to be helped.
@fishster - No, you just pick up on other languages fast.
@momofjenmatt - Yeah, true. My son isn't in a rehab centre. It's a mental health care facility for adolescents, although some do have drug issues or have in the past. My son, who wasn't drinking or doing drugs beFORE he went into that centre, is now, so yeah.
Yes, love, that is what I understood from your entries. And I think it is very important HOW you write about it, I am so glad you do not sound embittered or angry with The Bad Boyz.
Back ground stories can sound pretty scary - the most important matter is how can fresh scars heal best? Some of them so-called professionals love to read back ground stories in order to feel better about themselves and 'know' how to handle the victims: with condemning superiority "How would you expect to be anything else than a jailbird?" ~
That's why I enjoy reading your entries. They lack of self-righteous, narrow-hearted, quick-condemning, busybody, noisy, harming and-so-on-ness!
<3!
@soul_survivor - nice
@earlybirdie_chewingworms - well thank you, what a nice comment. I am glad I don't come off that way because I can't stand those kind of people, major pet peeve.
@momofjenmatt - *silly giggles* pls tell me as soon as I seem to come over in a peculiar way! *no! error!, cancel! - How on earth could I come over in an unpeculiar way...*
I mean... if I sound major pet peevish, give me a gentle nudge, please!
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