Cure your cabin fever

March is looking to be a fun month!  All work and no play makes for dull minds, so you'll find us celebrating at two great events to raise money for two keystones of the Portland immigrant & refugee community. 

The first is Portland Public Schools' Rock Around the World event.  Proceeds go to support an intensive summer school of English  Language Learning students.  A great cause, but the party itself is worth the ticket price.  Great foods from many nations, and dance music from the U.S. and beyond.  Impromptu dance lessons abound, and there's no shame if you can't do the steps because it's guaranteed that everyone will be learning at least one new dance that night!  Date: Friday, March 11, 7-11 pm, Italian Heritage Center in Portland. 

The second is Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project's CeleSoirée, a night of art, music and food.  Few art shows are as fun as ILAP's.  There is live music (this year drumming by Jordan Benissan and flamenco by Olas--both will make you want to move your feet and clap your hands) and more delicious food than you can imagine.  And the silent art auction--so much, such talent!  ILAP's work has touched the lives of countless immigrant and refugee families in Maine.  Supporting an amazing organization and possibly winning some breathtaking art.  How can you go wrong?   Date: March 25th, 5pm-9pm at the Portland Company, 58 Fore Street in Portland.

See you there!

Trying to fade into the background

Interpreter of the Month: Hamideh Elhaei

This isn't Hamideh's ID photo. 

It is one of the many failed attempts at capturing Hamideh in an ID photo.  This is how Hamideh is most days--shy and quick to laugh.  Hamideh never, ever wants to be in the spotlight (in fact, she's probably going to kill me for posting this).   And like many good interpreters, she's happiest when she can do her job and people never notice that she's there.

Hamideh works the night shift, and more than once she has juggled two and three jobs come interpret for someone who needed her assistance.  No assignment is too large or too small for Hamideh.  "If they need me, I can go," she always says.

Most importantly, her compassionate heart is tempered with a fiery love of what is right.  While shy and reluctant to face confrontation, she also is brave and more than once has overcome her shyness to stand her ground ensure that someone got the care they needed. 

This month was a tough one for Hamideh, and she had many hard appointments that asked her to balance the interpreter Code of Ethics with pressures from the community.  She did well, but we know it wasn't easy.  We nominated her our Interpreter of the Month because we wanted to say "thank you" for all that she does and the heart that she puts into her work.  Thank you Hamideh; we see you!