23 days in Tanzania and the weather has been absolutely perfect...
Every. Single. Day.
Wow...I can get used to this!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Day in Paradise!
What a perfect family and fun filled day! My aunt owns property on a small island off the Tanzanian coast called Kimbinjii. The property is on a beautiful piece of land, right off the Indian Ocean, and looks like Paradise. The trip to the property took approximately four hours, but it definitely didn’t feel like 4 hours. As our car travelled to our destination, we were all captivated by the sights, and sounds that surrounded us. The experiences of today will truly last a life time, and I feel so blessed to have been able be part of it. The trip consisted of my self, siblings, parents, paternal grandparents, and my cousin. We embarked on our journey at 7 am in the morning, to avoid rush hour traffic. We weaved our way across the city to the Indian Ocean coast. There, we took a ferry to the island of Kimbinjii.
The ferry trip itself was an experience! The ferry transported both people and vehicles. It pulls up to the coast, attaches itself with ramp, and when the horn blows, travelers prepare to board the ferry. The middle of the ferry was literally like a two lane road, and cars would just drive up the ramp into the ferry and park in two rows. To ensure a comfortable trip, my family decided to take two vehicles. The first vehicle consisted of Me, my mom, grandma, and cousin. The second consisted of my grand pa, father, brother and sister. On our way to the island, we caught the ferry just as it was preparing to leave. We quickly boarded leaving a small space just big enough to fit the vehicle behind us. As the second half of my family boarded, we realized they were parked dangerously close to the ramp, but I wasn’t fearful because I had assumed that when the ferry began its journey, the ramp would rise up and close all of us in. But it didn’t! The ferry just pulled away leaving about 3 feet between my family’s SUV and the ramp that lead to nothing but the ocean! Need less to say it was quite a scare! But with God’s grace and protection we were all able to make it to the island. Once the ferry arrived, the ramp on the other side connected onto the dock and the cars and people slowly crept off the ferry onto land.
After the ferry ride, we settled in for the drive ahead of us. As mentioned before, the sights and sounds of the trip gave us such a thrill, we almost didn’t want it to end. We stopped in various villages and market places to buy some food, beverages, and just mingle with the villagers. I will never be able to explain the village feel, but it is such an awesome experience to be welcomed into the homes of complete strangers and just be embraced with warmth and happiness. Nothing like sharing the road with chickens, and other life stock. Nothing like smelling the smell of food cooking on open fires, seeing women balancing humongous buckets of water on their heads, and men heading towards the fields with their machetes to complete their day of work. Nothing like it at all.
As we passed through the last of the villages, we passed through what I would describe as a sparse rainforest. Rain forest because, the trees and plants we passed were tropical plants, with tropical fruits hanging off them. Sparce because of the new development that has been occurring on the island, a lot of the trees and plants have been cut. During this portion of the trip we passed monkeys and deer (they looked like deer, probably wasn’t), and it was just captivating.
After driving through that, we finally arrived onto the property of my Aunt, and it was paradise; tropical plants and flowers, trees with coconuts, and the view and sounds of the beach just over the horizon. My aunt had built pathways that led to her little “cottage”, beach, and guest house. The pathways were lined with tropical plants, which housed many various tropical looking insects. We walked to the cottage, and it was a great structure. It was resembled the look of a hut. Made of brick and cement, it was round in shape, with a thatched grass roof. It consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. While we didn’t even have cell phone reception where we were, we had running water and electricity (thanks to the solar panels on the roof), so it still consisted of the necesseties we were used to. There we had a quick breakfast, before heading to the beach. The trip to the beach was a bit challenging. After following the pathway for a while, there was a flight of stairs made of stone. The stairs were very steep, and were crumbling in some areas, so it required some hiking skills to maneuver safely around them. And of course my family had only flimsy flip flops on...something to remember NOT to do when we go back. Haha… To me it was quite unnerving as not only did I have to be careful and watch my balance, and footing, I also had to watch for snakes and scorpions, but thankfully while we saw both of the above, they were at a safe distance from us. Once we arrived at the bottom, we saw just how beautiful the beach was! Completely secluded, it contained no trace of civilization. Looking up at the staircase, and the pathways we left behind, we saw they were barely visible as they were on the other side of the cliff like surroundings. The white sands scattered with seaweeds, and seashells was captivating. There was even blowfish and other types of sea life that had washed ashore. My siblings and I literally spent hours swimming in the water, rushing to meet the rising high and pounding waves and gleefully laughing as the salt water tickled our skin. It was a great.
After swimming, we were called back up as lunch was ready, so we carefully climbed up and back to the hut where we were met with the mouthwatering smells of fried fish, roasted lamb, stew and ugali. It was delicious. When our meal was finished, my sister and I helped in the clean up while the men (minus my brother) enjoyed a glass of beer on the porch of the hut. When it came time to leave, I looked longingly at the hut and wished it was mine, and that I could have stayed longer. But I was thankful to have been granted this day, and hope to be back soon. It truly is such an amazing place, and possibly even my future honey moon spot. Seriously! Haha…
The trip back held sights and sounds just as thrilling, but this time rather than captivating, it seemed to be more mesmerizing, and the blurring sights slowly lulled me to sleep.
Wow… let me end this post here. This is getting too long. That was my attempt to explain the days experiences in a nutshell.. I am very exhausted right now, so Ill end it here and call it a day.
The ferry trip itself was an experience! The ferry transported both people and vehicles. It pulls up to the coast, attaches itself with ramp, and when the horn blows, travelers prepare to board the ferry. The middle of the ferry was literally like a two lane road, and cars would just drive up the ramp into the ferry and park in two rows. To ensure a comfortable trip, my family decided to take two vehicles. The first vehicle consisted of Me, my mom, grandma, and cousin. The second consisted of my grand pa, father, brother and sister. On our way to the island, we caught the ferry just as it was preparing to leave. We quickly boarded leaving a small space just big enough to fit the vehicle behind us. As the second half of my family boarded, we realized they were parked dangerously close to the ramp, but I wasn’t fearful because I had assumed that when the ferry began its journey, the ramp would rise up and close all of us in. But it didn’t! The ferry just pulled away leaving about 3 feet between my family’s SUV and the ramp that lead to nothing but the ocean! Need less to say it was quite a scare! But with God’s grace and protection we were all able to make it to the island. Once the ferry arrived, the ramp on the other side connected onto the dock and the cars and people slowly crept off the ferry onto land.
After the ferry ride, we settled in for the drive ahead of us. As mentioned before, the sights and sounds of the trip gave us such a thrill, we almost didn’t want it to end. We stopped in various villages and market places to buy some food, beverages, and just mingle with the villagers. I will never be able to explain the village feel, but it is such an awesome experience to be welcomed into the homes of complete strangers and just be embraced with warmth and happiness. Nothing like sharing the road with chickens, and other life stock. Nothing like smelling the smell of food cooking on open fires, seeing women balancing humongous buckets of water on their heads, and men heading towards the fields with their machetes to complete their day of work. Nothing like it at all.
As we passed through the last of the villages, we passed through what I would describe as a sparse rainforest. Rain forest because, the trees and plants we passed were tropical plants, with tropical fruits hanging off them. Sparce because of the new development that has been occurring on the island, a lot of the trees and plants have been cut. During this portion of the trip we passed monkeys and deer (they looked like deer, probably wasn’t), and it was just captivating.
After driving through that, we finally arrived onto the property of my Aunt, and it was paradise; tropical plants and flowers, trees with coconuts, and the view and sounds of the beach just over the horizon. My aunt had built pathways that led to her little “cottage”, beach, and guest house. The pathways were lined with tropical plants, which housed many various tropical looking insects. We walked to the cottage, and it was a great structure. It was resembled the look of a hut. Made of brick and cement, it was round in shape, with a thatched grass roof. It consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. While we didn’t even have cell phone reception where we were, we had running water and electricity (thanks to the solar panels on the roof), so it still consisted of the necesseties we were used to. There we had a quick breakfast, before heading to the beach. The trip to the beach was a bit challenging. After following the pathway for a while, there was a flight of stairs made of stone. The stairs were very steep, and were crumbling in some areas, so it required some hiking skills to maneuver safely around them. And of course my family had only flimsy flip flops on...something to remember NOT to do when we go back. Haha… To me it was quite unnerving as not only did I have to be careful and watch my balance, and footing, I also had to watch for snakes and scorpions, but thankfully while we saw both of the above, they were at a safe distance from us. Once we arrived at the bottom, we saw just how beautiful the beach was! Completely secluded, it contained no trace of civilization. Looking up at the staircase, and the pathways we left behind, we saw they were barely visible as they were on the other side of the cliff like surroundings. The white sands scattered with seaweeds, and seashells was captivating. There was even blowfish and other types of sea life that had washed ashore. My siblings and I literally spent hours swimming in the water, rushing to meet the rising high and pounding waves and gleefully laughing as the salt water tickled our skin. It was a great.
After swimming, we were called back up as lunch was ready, so we carefully climbed up and back to the hut where we were met with the mouthwatering smells of fried fish, roasted lamb, stew and ugali. It was delicious. When our meal was finished, my sister and I helped in the clean up while the men (minus my brother) enjoyed a glass of beer on the porch of the hut. When it came time to leave, I looked longingly at the hut and wished it was mine, and that I could have stayed longer. But I was thankful to have been granted this day, and hope to be back soon. It truly is such an amazing place, and possibly even my future honey moon spot. Seriously! Haha…
The trip back held sights and sounds just as thrilling, but this time rather than captivating, it seemed to be more mesmerizing, and the blurring sights slowly lulled me to sleep.
Wow… let me end this post here. This is getting too long. That was my attempt to explain the days experiences in a nutshell.. I am very exhausted right now, so Ill end it here and call it a day.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Two Different Worlds
Being in Tanzania is like living in two different worlds… seriously! When we visited Tanzania 8 years go, there were still indications of the struggles and tribulations a lot of the country’s citizens faced. Now a days, I have to look for such indications. It’s like these people are living in a dream world. The part I’m staying in is the “developed” part of the city, and I have been taking tons of pictures to show people that Africa is not all that you see on TV… we do have developments, and skyscrapers, and electricity… and its something I am very proud of. I remember in the past, especially when I was living in the Sates, that I was very ashamed of being from Africa. Seeing the world vision commercials, and the documentaries about Africa’s poverty led many of my friends to assume that that was where I originated from as well, and seeing such pictures made me feel ashamed of where I came from. So when given the opportunity to take pictures of how Tanzania actually looks like gave me a sense of pride to see how far my nation has come in terms of development.
With that said however, I fear that Tanzanians are living in a dream world. Its as if they are in denial about the true conditions of the country’s poorest, and because of this, I feel the nation has a sense of segregation. We are living in two different world’s. The first world, the world I’m living in right now, is one of comfortable accommodations, paved roads, restaurants, bars, and entertainment. Like for example, today, we visited family’s house, and they lived in mansion. Literally. 4 bedroom house, each bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. Marble floors, marble stair cases, guest house with 2 bedrooms and 8 parking stalls all filled with nice vehicles. I know when I tell some people that we have family back home living in homes more luxurious than ours, they find it hard to believe, but its true. I’ve been taking pictures, and will post them when I get back, and you will see what I am talking about… however, with all the above said there is a whole other world in that very same nation.
In the outskirts, or villages, our people are struggling. Poverty and disease are robbing our children of parents, opportunity, education. In fact some of these children are being robbed of their very childhood. So when I see the way people are living, and how different the lifestyles of these worlds are its saddening, because the city is completely segregated, and it is segregated by class. Its as if the people think that by separating themselves from the reality of many of the citizens of Tanzania, they can continue living their lives as if pain and suffering doesn’t exist. Now I can’t say I necessarily blame them for living as such. I can empathize with how hard it must be to live in a nation with a government so corrupt, they don’t play an active role in moving the country’s poorest forward. If the government can’t do enough to help the struggling, what can an individual do? And if the individual feels as if they are useless in helping those still struggling, why not block out the reality, and build a different world where they can enjoy the luxuries of life, without being reminded of the painful reality of others.
It’s a sad truth, buts its truth nonetheless, and hence, it is my fear that people will continue to live in two different world’s until we are able to instate a government who will look after its people first and foremost.
With that said however, I fear that Tanzanians are living in a dream world. Its as if they are in denial about the true conditions of the country’s poorest, and because of this, I feel the nation has a sense of segregation. We are living in two different world’s. The first world, the world I’m living in right now, is one of comfortable accommodations, paved roads, restaurants, bars, and entertainment. Like for example, today, we visited family’s house, and they lived in mansion. Literally. 4 bedroom house, each bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. Marble floors, marble stair cases, guest house with 2 bedrooms and 8 parking stalls all filled with nice vehicles. I know when I tell some people that we have family back home living in homes more luxurious than ours, they find it hard to believe, but its true. I’ve been taking pictures, and will post them when I get back, and you will see what I am talking about… however, with all the above said there is a whole other world in that very same nation.
In the outskirts, or villages, our people are struggling. Poverty and disease are robbing our children of parents, opportunity, education. In fact some of these children are being robbed of their very childhood. So when I see the way people are living, and how different the lifestyles of these worlds are its saddening, because the city is completely segregated, and it is segregated by class. Its as if the people think that by separating themselves from the reality of many of the citizens of Tanzania, they can continue living their lives as if pain and suffering doesn’t exist. Now I can’t say I necessarily blame them for living as such. I can empathize with how hard it must be to live in a nation with a government so corrupt, they don’t play an active role in moving the country’s poorest forward. If the government can’t do enough to help the struggling, what can an individual do? And if the individual feels as if they are useless in helping those still struggling, why not block out the reality, and build a different world where they can enjoy the luxuries of life, without being reminded of the painful reality of others.
It’s a sad truth, buts its truth nonetheless, and hence, it is my fear that people will continue to live in two different world’s until we are able to instate a government who will look after its people first and foremost.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Landed in TZ!!!
We’re here! After a long and somewhat stressful trip, we arrived in Tanzania yesterday afternoon. It feels great to be “home”, and I thank God that he answered our prayers, and we all arrived here safe and sound. At the commencement of our trip, I quickly became weary when our plane began to have mechanical issues DURING take off. Not before, not after (thank God!), but during. It was our first flight, and I remember sitting in the plane in Calgary, vaguely listening to the announcements, and everything seemed fine! As we prepared for takeoff, the plane gained momentum as it sped down the runway, but then… the whole thing just shuddered, all the lights flickered on and off, and we stopped. Everyone was like… um? What was that?!?! Since I am by no means a frequent flyer, I had no idea if that was normal, or not… everyone around us seemed calm, which somewhat helped my own demeanor. After this happened, an announcement came on, (all of a sudden the announcements had my FULL attention of course, lol ) and they explained to us that they were experiencing “minor mechanical difficulties”, and that they would get it fixed shortly. Until then, we were to remain on the plane and keep ourselves occupied. We had updates like this every 20 min, and with each update I remember growing uneasy, and thinking, “I don’t care how minor this problem is, I don’t even think I would feel comfortable taking off in this plane!” Sure enough after 2 hours of waiting, there was an announcement which informed us that there was a serious engine problem, and the plane would not have made the trip, so we were to disembark and further arrangements would be made for us. So we got off the plane at about 9pm, and waited around for further information. About 20 minutes after, an announcement came on to tell us that they had arranged another flight for us at 2:30am. So our initial thought was great, we’re still in Calgary, we can go home and nap 4 a bit before coming back, BUT… they wouldn’t let us leave the terminal, so even to go to Tim Horton’s down the hall wasn’t allowed. Needless to say, it was a bit frustrating, especially since a lot of us hadn’t eaten because we were expecting to eat right away on the plane. However, I would have rather been hungry than flying on a plane with serious engine problems, so I was quite content to sleep, and wait until the replacement plane was ready to go.
Once the plane arrived, it was an uneventful flight, food was good, movie selections were also good (from what I hear, I slept the whole way through), and we arrived safely in London to find out that due to the delay we had missed our connection flight, but were assured that everything had been taken care of, and our flight had been rescheduled. We ended up only having a 2 hr wait in London, before we were on our way again to Doha, Qutar. Let me just take this time to say, that Qatar airlines is wonderful compared to Air Canada. Seriously, Air Canada is an embarrassment compared to Qatar airlines. Anyways, so when we got to Doha, we literally only had 20 min to make our next connection to Tanzania. It felt like amazing race (for those who watch the show) running around the airport, trying to get through security in time to make the flight. We embarked and disembarked our plane in Doha outside, and man was it humid! The air was so thick, it was almost suffocating, and the heat was crazy… 35 Celsius and it was only 6am in the morning! Lol… definitely a big change compared to Canada weather. Once we were in the air, we ate, and I quickly fell asleep again… it was weird because I slept on every single flight, without the use of sleeping aids. From the advice of Sara, I had stocked up on melatonin to aid me in sleeping on the fights because I usually have difficulty falling asleep anywhere that’s not a bed, but this time around, I fell asleep quite easily. So when we arrived in Tanzania, while I still felt exhausted from the travels, I felt very well rested. We arrived here at around 1pm, and quickly dropped off our belongings at the condo before visiting our grandparents. Our arrival in Tanzania was a complete surprise, only my mom’s sister knew. We went to my paternal grandparents’ house first. When my grandma saw my dad, she just stood there, and burst into tears and loud exclamations. My aunt, who was at the house at the time heard this, and she also burst into tears as we all reunited. My grandpa who was taking a nap at the time woke up and honestly believed he was dreaming. Ha-ha.. I literally still giggle out loud when I picture the look on his face when he saw us all.
After, we headed over to my maternal grandparent’s house, and after we were let in the gate we saw my Grandpa sitting on the porch in his rocking chair, listening to his portable radio. I was the first one out, and he glanced over at me, and didn’t even bother to get up. Lol, he didn’t recognize me or my family who was behind me until he heard my mom’s voice. Lol, then my grandma who had heard the commotion from inside came out and joined in the reunions. It was great to see the grandparents again. Growing up, I often envied the relationships my friends had with their grandparents, and promised myself I would try to avoid the same separation with my kids. Seeing them again after so long was great, because it allowed the opportunity to build on the few memories I have with my grandparents. After we made the rounds to see our grandparent’s it had already grown late and we were so exhausted, so we headed home for the night, with plans to see everyone else the next day, and we’ve been here ever since. Its currently 4pm right now, and everyone is still sleeping. They are so jet lagged! Meanwhile I have been up since 6am, trying to keep myself busy with TV, internet, and finishing up my last online assignment. Sleeping through all those flights really helped, because I don’t feel jet lagged at all… maybe the time change and everything will eventually catch up with me… We shall see I guess!
Anyways, that’s my trip summary…! I tried to keep it as short as I could… I’ll continue to update my blog as my trip progresses. I’ve already taken tons of pics, and hope to upload them soon!
Once the plane arrived, it was an uneventful flight, food was good, movie selections were also good (from what I hear, I slept the whole way through), and we arrived safely in London to find out that due to the delay we had missed our connection flight, but were assured that everything had been taken care of, and our flight had been rescheduled. We ended up only having a 2 hr wait in London, before we were on our way again to Doha, Qutar. Let me just take this time to say, that Qatar airlines is wonderful compared to Air Canada. Seriously, Air Canada is an embarrassment compared to Qatar airlines. Anyways, so when we got to Doha, we literally only had 20 min to make our next connection to Tanzania. It felt like amazing race (for those who watch the show) running around the airport, trying to get through security in time to make the flight. We embarked and disembarked our plane in Doha outside, and man was it humid! The air was so thick, it was almost suffocating, and the heat was crazy… 35 Celsius and it was only 6am in the morning! Lol… definitely a big change compared to Canada weather. Once we were in the air, we ate, and I quickly fell asleep again… it was weird because I slept on every single flight, without the use of sleeping aids. From the advice of Sara, I had stocked up on melatonin to aid me in sleeping on the fights because I usually have difficulty falling asleep anywhere that’s not a bed, but this time around, I fell asleep quite easily. So when we arrived in Tanzania, while I still felt exhausted from the travels, I felt very well rested. We arrived here at around 1pm, and quickly dropped off our belongings at the condo before visiting our grandparents. Our arrival in Tanzania was a complete surprise, only my mom’s sister knew. We went to my paternal grandparents’ house first. When my grandma saw my dad, she just stood there, and burst into tears and loud exclamations. My aunt, who was at the house at the time heard this, and she also burst into tears as we all reunited. My grandpa who was taking a nap at the time woke up and honestly believed he was dreaming. Ha-ha.. I literally still giggle out loud when I picture the look on his face when he saw us all.
After, we headed over to my maternal grandparent’s house, and after we were let in the gate we saw my Grandpa sitting on the porch in his rocking chair, listening to his portable radio. I was the first one out, and he glanced over at me, and didn’t even bother to get up. Lol, he didn’t recognize me or my family who was behind me until he heard my mom’s voice. Lol, then my grandma who had heard the commotion from inside came out and joined in the reunions. It was great to see the grandparents again. Growing up, I often envied the relationships my friends had with their grandparents, and promised myself I would try to avoid the same separation with my kids. Seeing them again after so long was great, because it allowed the opportunity to build on the few memories I have with my grandparents. After we made the rounds to see our grandparent’s it had already grown late and we were so exhausted, so we headed home for the night, with plans to see everyone else the next day, and we’ve been here ever since. Its currently 4pm right now, and everyone is still sleeping. They are so jet lagged! Meanwhile I have been up since 6am, trying to keep myself busy with TV, internet, and finishing up my last online assignment. Sleeping through all those flights really helped, because I don’t feel jet lagged at all… maybe the time change and everything will eventually catch up with me… We shall see I guess!
Anyways, that’s my trip summary…! I tried to keep it as short as I could… I’ll continue to update my blog as my trip progresses. I’ve already taken tons of pics, and hope to upload them soon!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Miss Who??
So the students at St. Marys High are supposed to call me Miss Lukindo...woah...haha..I need toget used to this!
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Sent from my LG Android device on the Rogers Wireless Network
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Sent from my LG Android device on the Rogers Wireless Network
Envoye de mon LG Android par le biais du reseau de Rogers Sans-fil
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A First for everything
Today was my first day working at the Learning Center of St. Mary's High School. So far, I have a very good impression of the school, and of the job, and already can't wait to get back to learn all that I can about it! (YES I realize how keener-ish that sounds.. but its true).
Usually, when I start a new position my first day is often filled with nervousness and anxiety, but today was pleasantly different. I was more eager, and excited to start, then I was nervous. I'm sure the long waiting process before my actual start date had something to do with it, combined with my experience working with teenage youth... but it got me thinking about all my jobs in the past, and how I felt during the first day of my first job ever...
Dairy Queen-- My first real job! I remember the whole thing so vividly. My mom was adamant about not letting m start working until I was 16 years old, and insisted that I apply for jobs in the summer, so that the work would not interfere with school. So I remember at the age of 16, walking into stores, fast food chains, malls, convenient shops, EVERYTHING, equipped with a pen and a smile ready to fill out application forms. All spring and summer I did this.. and all spring and summer I recieved no calls. Not a single one. Needless to say, by September I had given up on that dream very quickly, but then in February I received a phone call from DQ. They had received my resume from the summer, and wanted to know if I was still interested in working there. Of course I was, and after convincing my mom to let me start working during the school year, I set up an interview and prepared my self. I literally studied for this interview, probably harder then I had studied for any test in my life. I remember feeling SO nervous as I waited in the sitting area for the DQ manager to come interview me. My mom had just finished doing my hair, and my braids were so tight against my forehead that my eyes watered every time I laughed or grinned.. I remember swinging my legs under the table out of nervousness and accidentally kicking the manager.. whoops. Basically, I'm sure I walked out of there thinking it was either a disaster, or a success. Well, I thought to myself, "She either really liked me because I answered the questions well, I expressed my interest in both front and back positions, told her my schedule would be very flexible during the summer, and complimented her shirt, earings, and watch (yes I was a kissup).. OR she thought I was an eye watering, shin kicking freak who had no sense of humor because I was afraid to laugh or smile to hard)...thank goodness the interview ended up being a "sucess".. either that or the restaurant was very desperate.
After I was hired, I had to complete a series of tests, to ensure that I knew the required weight of all the soft serve products so that I wouldn't make them to big or to small, we would practice making them the perfect weight, and could eat them after.. that was my favorite part. :) By my first official start date, I remember not feeling nervous, but confident in my ability, as the training provided ensured I was equipped with the necessary skills to succeed.
Anyway, before this post turns into a novel, the point I'm trying to make, what I've learned is that there is no need to focus on feelings of anxiety or nervousness when it comes to starting a new position, or school program, or anything else.. the fact of the matter is, you were chosen for a reason. You were hired, because the employer trusted your capabilities and saw that potential in you, and often times I think we forget to realize our own potential, we forget to really trust and utilize our skills, and therefore miss out on a lot of opportunities in life because we don't truly believe in ourselves. The focus of this epiphany moment I had today was that we should always go for what interests us, whether or not we believe we can actually do it, because the worst thing your going to get out of it is a NO, and the best thing you can get is a YES.
If that makes sense. Enough for now.. look at this.. a little bit of free time on my hands, and I'm writing chapter books.. whoops.
Usually, when I start a new position my first day is often filled with nervousness and anxiety, but today was pleasantly different. I was more eager, and excited to start, then I was nervous. I'm sure the long waiting process before my actual start date had something to do with it, combined with my experience working with teenage youth... but it got me thinking about all my jobs in the past, and how I felt during the first day of my first job ever...
Dairy Queen-- My first real job! I remember the whole thing so vividly. My mom was adamant about not letting m start working until I was 16 years old, and insisted that I apply for jobs in the summer, so that the work would not interfere with school. So I remember at the age of 16, walking into stores, fast food chains, malls, convenient shops, EVERYTHING, equipped with a pen and a smile ready to fill out application forms. All spring and summer I did this.. and all spring and summer I recieved no calls. Not a single one. Needless to say, by September I had given up on that dream very quickly, but then in February I received a phone call from DQ. They had received my resume from the summer, and wanted to know if I was still interested in working there. Of course I was, and after convincing my mom to let me start working during the school year, I set up an interview and prepared my self. I literally studied for this interview, probably harder then I had studied for any test in my life. I remember feeling SO nervous as I waited in the sitting area for the DQ manager to come interview me. My mom had just finished doing my hair, and my braids were so tight against my forehead that my eyes watered every time I laughed or grinned.. I remember swinging my legs under the table out of nervousness and accidentally kicking the manager.. whoops. Basically, I'm sure I walked out of there thinking it was either a disaster, or a success. Well, I thought to myself, "She either really liked me because I answered the questions well, I expressed my interest in both front and back positions, told her my schedule would be very flexible during the summer, and complimented her shirt, earings, and watch (yes I was a kissup).. OR she thought I was an eye watering, shin kicking freak who had no sense of humor because I was afraid to laugh or smile to hard)...thank goodness the interview ended up being a "sucess".. either that or the restaurant was very desperate.
After I was hired, I had to complete a series of tests, to ensure that I knew the required weight of all the soft serve products so that I wouldn't make them to big or to small, we would practice making them the perfect weight, and could eat them after.. that was my favorite part. :) By my first official start date, I remember not feeling nervous, but confident in my ability, as the training provided ensured I was equipped with the necessary skills to succeed.
Anyway, before this post turns into a novel, the point I'm trying to make, what I've learned is that there is no need to focus on feelings of anxiety or nervousness when it comes to starting a new position, or school program, or anything else.. the fact of the matter is, you were chosen for a reason. You were hired, because the employer trusted your capabilities and saw that potential in you, and often times I think we forget to realize our own potential, we forget to really trust and utilize our skills, and therefore miss out on a lot of opportunities in life because we don't truly believe in ourselves. The focus of this epiphany moment I had today was that we should always go for what interests us, whether or not we believe we can actually do it, because the worst thing your going to get out of it is a NO, and the best thing you can get is a YES.
If that makes sense. Enough for now.. look at this.. a little bit of free time on my hands, and I'm writing chapter books.. whoops.
Monday, May 24, 2010
1 month later...
So pretty much one full month after my last "1 week till i'm resigned post!" I'm still neglecting my blog. Well, the fact of the matter is, up until about a week ago I was still working full time hours at Aspen. Reason? The hiring process with the Calgary School District took forever! They required so many documents that took weeks to process and receive so while I was waiting for the documents to come in, I was working full time hours at Aspen, even though I was technically already resigned.
However, even though it took longer then one week, I am officially done at Aspen, and start my new position tomorrow.. Eeek! Kinda nervous, but am also super excited to start as well.
My last day with Aspen, was bitter sweet. sweet because I felt the job was taking so much away from other aspects in my life.. bitter because I will definently miss the kids! On my last day, the kids arranged a "surprise goodbye party" for me.. literally got me teary eyed! I was not expecting it at all, and it really meant a lot to me to see that, as hard or tough the kids may be on the exterior, they have a heart, and my work and effort was enough to touch their lives to move them to do something like this, unaided by any of the group home staff. Attatched are the pictures... it was a great cupcake and zoo filled day. haha
While the group home is behind me, I am still available to work relief shifts, so I'm not gone for good, which is good as I will still have an opportunity to work with the youth. At least now, it will be based on my schedule, and will thus enable me to balance out my life better.
Quickly scanning through my blog, the number one tell tale sign of my lack of balance or control I felt I had in my life, was the times of my posts. The majority of them were in the wee hours in the morning.. the only times when I usually found myself free to do homework, reading, blogging..and that's about it..! I would have loved to do more during that free time... but not to many people.. friends or family would probably be willing and /or able to spend time with me at 3am in the morning just cause I was free. haha
Needless to say I am so glad that I made this change in my life. The opportunity came at just the right time in my life, and that is no accident. I know that it is the work of God, that has brought me to this point. When I decided to start looking for related work elsewhere, I knew I didn't want to work in similar situations as where I was currently. Not only was my schedule invasive of the time I needed for what was important to me, the content of the work often times challenged my faith and morals, and I felt that I really had difficulty staying true to my self in that field. Moving forward with my job search I decided to be very selective, looking for jobs with Christian based organizations, where I would feel more comfortable with the decisions and options I could offer my clients. It wasn't easy, and I heard even from my mom, how difficult it would be finding a job with decent hours, especially one working with youth, especially one in a school system so close to the end of the year, especially in a Christian setting. I took her advice and warnings with a grain of salt, prepared and perfected my resume, prayed to God, asking Him for His assistance, and put it in His hands, and before long... He came through for me. He always has, and I will be always greatful.
I feel like this new position will open many different doors for me, and I cannot wait...
more later.. off to bed <3 br="">
However, even though it took longer then one week, I am officially done at Aspen, and start my new position tomorrow.. Eeek! Kinda nervous, but am also super excited to start as well.
My last day with Aspen, was bitter sweet. sweet because I felt the job was taking so much away from other aspects in my life.. bitter because I will definently miss the kids! On my last day, the kids arranged a "surprise goodbye party" for me.. literally got me teary eyed! I was not expecting it at all, and it really meant a lot to me to see that, as hard or tough the kids may be on the exterior, they have a heart, and my work and effort was enough to touch their lives to move them to do something like this, unaided by any of the group home staff. Attatched are the pictures... it was a great cupcake and zoo filled day. haha
While the group home is behind me, I am still available to work relief shifts, so I'm not gone for good, which is good as I will still have an opportunity to work with the youth. At least now, it will be based on my schedule, and will thus enable me to balance out my life better.
Quickly scanning through my blog, the number one tell tale sign of my lack of balance or control I felt I had in my life, was the times of my posts. The majority of them were in the wee hours in the morning.. the only times when I usually found myself free to do homework, reading, blogging..and that's about it..! I would have loved to do more during that free time... but not to many people.. friends or family would probably be willing and /or able to spend time with me at 3am in the morning just cause I was free. haha
Needless to say I am so glad that I made this change in my life. The opportunity came at just the right time in my life, and that is no accident. I know that it is the work of God, that has brought me to this point. When I decided to start looking for related work elsewhere, I knew I didn't want to work in similar situations as where I was currently. Not only was my schedule invasive of the time I needed for what was important to me, the content of the work often times challenged my faith and morals, and I felt that I really had difficulty staying true to my self in that field. Moving forward with my job search I decided to be very selective, looking for jobs with Christian based organizations, where I would feel more comfortable with the decisions and options I could offer my clients. It wasn't easy, and I heard even from my mom, how difficult it would be finding a job with decent hours, especially one working with youth, especially one in a school system so close to the end of the year, especially in a Christian setting. I took her advice and warnings with a grain of salt, prepared and perfected my resume, prayed to God, asking Him for His assistance, and put it in His hands, and before long... He came through for me. He always has, and I will be always greatful.
I feel like this new position will open many different doors for me, and I cannot wait...
more later.. off to bed <3 br="">
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