apart from a really kick ass trip to an amazing city, my visit to new york was actually for another reason entirely and i just appended my own fun to the end of a 5 day training session. as these things often do, it certainly had its ups and its downs, but my overall impression was a positive one and i felt that i walked away with practical skills and a pocket full of contacts that could potentially be helpful for future professional gigs.
i prepared myself before going that i would likely be the odd one out, the one who is not currently based 'in the field' and who doesn't have scathes of emergency experience, but has been selected just like everyone else to attend. surprisingly, this didn't feel like an impediment throughout the time and i am not sure if that was because i was ready for it, i am more confident now than when i was last in one of these situations, or the other participants and facilitators weren't dickheads. i think it was a little from columns a, b and c.
the best part of it all was that at a few different points, i thought to myself, i can do this. and not only can i do this, i think i could do it well. as someone who regularly battles with self doubt, internal criticisms, obsessive thinking, and anxiety, this was good, very good.
the best part of the entire experience was a few days after it finished and i was wandering my way around new york city (rather than long island, where we had been holed up for the training), when i got an email telling me that i was an asset to the training and asking if i was interested in potential positions that could come up. with a resounding yes, i politely responded and there was a little back and forth. i suspect it all comes down to waiting on funding, but i was happy to be considered after what felt like a 5 day job interview. i guess i passed.
but. of course there is a but! but, now i haven't head for a few weeks and i am terrified that all this momentum is going to come to a screeching halt and i will be Stuck. with a capital S. and that is the terrifying part. i have spent the better part of the past 2 years rebuilding, settling and repairing. and now i am ready to head back out into the big, bad world.
last year i thought that i wasn't strong enough or interested enough or something enough to start again in a new city or a new country alone. for a long time, i had in my head that i would only ever being doing that with someone. well, that someone isn't around and hasn't been for a few years now, but it took me awhile to feel strong enough and excited enough to uproot again and start a new job and build a new life in a new place. and now that i feel that i am there, i am scared that an opportunity is not going to come my way. i will keep applying for things that interest me, but the anxiety is creeping in.
and this after i had some serious conversations with myself about what i would be giving up if i left calgary now. the stability, the money, the closeness with my family, the familiarity, the nest... and although i am still not sure how i would manage all that change, i feel like i would figure it out. but now i just need the opportunity to allow me the chance to figure it out.
eesh.
and there you have it, interwebs, that is what has been on my mind for the past few weeks since returning from new york. i needed a shake up, but i am also feeling impatient and just want to get on with things now that i have made a decision. so, universe, are you listening?
Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Monday, March 07, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
ted on a tuesday
you know it is a rather monotonous day of work when i come up with more ted talk recommendations.
as my go to website that i am allowed to stream video from at work (there are not many), ted has a few gems up on its main page at the moment. take a look if you too need some stimulating background noise to desk work that you are not particularly thrilled about. or if you just want to watch some inspiring talks by two humble individuals.
i love a lady who isn't afraid to drop an eff bomb if it makes her point clear (although she refrains in this talk). peace activists don't always get a lot of credit from the 'establishment,' but i think that Jody Williams can speak their language and to boot, she is not an avowed pacifist. which means she gets my vote. for what, i don't know, but a vote nonetheless.
a canadian kid whose life didn't go quite as he planned (ever heard that one before?) turned it into an internet sensation and then a best selling book. Neil Parischa talks about the As of awesome and how no one is immune to hardship or negative experiences, but that being authentic is one of the ways to get through it. this should be required viewing. for everyone.
as my go to website that i am allowed to stream video from at work (there are not many), ted has a few gems up on its main page at the moment. take a look if you too need some stimulating background noise to desk work that you are not particularly thrilled about. or if you just want to watch some inspiring talks by two humble individuals.
i love a lady who isn't afraid to drop an eff bomb if it makes her point clear (although she refrains in this talk). peace activists don't always get a lot of credit from the 'establishment,' but i think that Jody Williams can speak their language and to boot, she is not an avowed pacifist. which means she gets my vote. for what, i don't know, but a vote nonetheless.
a canadian kid whose life didn't go quite as he planned (ever heard that one before?) turned it into an internet sensation and then a best selling book. Neil Parischa talks about the As of awesome and how no one is immune to hardship or negative experiences, but that being authentic is one of the ways to get through it. this should be required viewing. for everyone.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
the year of technology embrace
i have decided that 2011 will be the year of technology embrace for me. i am getting my twitter account in order (although have yet to tweet a damn thing) and am going to make an effort to use it to learn, share information, and connect with others. so look me up: thingsiknow.
next up is linked in. i had an account years ago and shut it down because i didn't like it showing up when i googled myself (funny how things change...), but am feeling as though it might be a good resource for me for professional opportunities. and considering i am struggling to figure out what i want to be when i grow up, maybe it can help.
so follow me on twitter and let me know what you think of linked in. are you on it? is it useful? does it take a lot time to maintain?
next up is linked in. i had an account years ago and shut it down because i didn't like it showing up when i googled myself (funny how things change...), but am feeling as though it might be a good resource for me for professional opportunities. and considering i am struggling to figure out what i want to be when i grow up, maybe it can help.
so follow me on twitter and let me know what you think of linked in. are you on it? is it useful? does it take a lot time to maintain?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
a trio of ted talks
i have been battling a head cold/self-diagnosed chest infection (that my mom is worried might be pneumonia or bronchitis) since friday, but i did manage to rally and go to a girls' christmas potluck, a 3rd annual 29th birthday party, a bridal shower, a hen night, and a family christmas dinner.
i am pretty sure that all that activity over the weekend has meant that i didn't have enough in the tank to fend off whatever is ailing me and i stayed at home and took a sick day today. that meant i had a lot of internet time and came up with a few beauties that i thought i would share.
let's talk parenting taboos: rufus griscom & alisa volkman
although i am not a parent, i can only imagine the anxiety that having to take of a baby and then a child to raise would invoke in me. and part of that is because there are so many messages, and i would argue most of them directed at women specifically, about what parenting should look and feel like. and i think these two do a good job of blowing that myth out of the water while speaking frankly about their experiences as encouragement for others to do the same. it is all about being real and it sounds like parenting is no different.
an independent diplomat: carne ross
once you get past his introduction, which sounds a little self indulgent, this former british foreign service officer has a great message and i liked what he had to say about how the best things that happen to him were 'random.'
his ngo independent diplomat is innovative and responding to the ever evolving world order, which are not words you would ever use to describe the traditional diplomatic corps. his message lends itself well to my own experience of having exposure to the private sector to improve my performance and analysis within the non-profit sector. and i wish more people saw the value of that cross pollination of ideas and principles and it seems that ross does.
and i agree with him entirely on his statement: 'the government of south sudan, you heard it here first, is going to be a new country in the next few years' and that he can make the connection between you and i and el shabaab, the somali militia organisation. the world is shrinking and as it changes, the tool, agencies, and systems that we have used to make sense of it all also need to evolve at the same speed. and the un is sadly lagging behind the innovators and great thinkers.
and to think, i went through many years of international relations and international development organisation asking who western sahara belongs to and here, the answer is on ted.
now... where is my cliff to fall off??
and this one takes the ted cake today - michael spector: the danger of science denial
one of my passions is learning and this paired with my commitment to social justice and socioeconomic development lends itself nicely to questioning what we know (or think we know) and then applying the scientific method to learn more about it to improve. in a practical sense, this means that how we think we are helping can and should be examined, but rarely is. doing good seems to be acceptable because it is accepted that charity or development or donations are good in and of themselves. spector has the guts to say that attitude is wrong.
pseudo science and anecdotal information has taken over our collective knowledge retention and transfer. and it is scary what can happen when we dismiss scientific evidence and confuse correlation and causation (and all those social science kids out there are likely nodding their heads along with spector throughout his talk). we have more access to information than ever before and on one hand, i think that this radical democratic style of information sharing makes for a more dynamic and diverse conversation, but on the other hand, more crappy ideas, bad science, and misinformation is also shared in equal measure, if not more.
here's are some truths that spektor highlights that science has demonstrated to us time and time again:
this was a breath of fresh air for someone who often feels as though they are fighting against more people within the non-profit/development/charitable giving sector than outside of it to demonstrate not all international development projects are good, not all non-profit agencies deserve people's donations of time and money, and giving is not always better than receiving.
i am pretty sure that all that activity over the weekend has meant that i didn't have enough in the tank to fend off whatever is ailing me and i stayed at home and took a sick day today. that meant i had a lot of internet time and came up with a few beauties that i thought i would share.
let's talk parenting taboos: rufus griscom & alisa volkman
although i am not a parent, i can only imagine the anxiety that having to take of a baby and then a child to raise would invoke in me. and part of that is because there are so many messages, and i would argue most of them directed at women specifically, about what parenting should look and feel like. and i think these two do a good job of blowing that myth out of the water while speaking frankly about their experiences as encouragement for others to do the same. it is all about being real and it sounds like parenting is no different.
an independent diplomat: carne ross
once you get past his introduction, which sounds a little self indulgent, this former british foreign service officer has a great message and i liked what he had to say about how the best things that happen to him were 'random.'
his ngo independent diplomat is innovative and responding to the ever evolving world order, which are not words you would ever use to describe the traditional diplomatic corps. his message lends itself well to my own experience of having exposure to the private sector to improve my performance and analysis within the non-profit sector. and i wish more people saw the value of that cross pollination of ideas and principles and it seems that ross does.
and i agree with him entirely on his statement: 'the government of south sudan, you heard it here first, is going to be a new country in the next few years' and that he can make the connection between you and i and el shabaab, the somali militia organisation. the world is shrinking and as it changes, the tool, agencies, and systems that we have used to make sense of it all also need to evolve at the same speed. and the un is sadly lagging behind the innovators and great thinkers.
and to think, i went through many years of international relations and international development organisation asking who western sahara belongs to and here, the answer is on ted.
now... where is my cliff to fall off??
and this one takes the ted cake today - michael spector: the danger of science denial
one of my passions is learning and this paired with my commitment to social justice and socioeconomic development lends itself nicely to questioning what we know (or think we know) and then applying the scientific method to learn more about it to improve. in a practical sense, this means that how we think we are helping can and should be examined, but rarely is. doing good seems to be acceptable because it is accepted that charity or development or donations are good in and of themselves. spector has the guts to say that attitude is wrong.
pseudo science and anecdotal information has taken over our collective knowledge retention and transfer. and it is scary what can happen when we dismiss scientific evidence and confuse correlation and causation (and all those social science kids out there are likely nodding their heads along with spector throughout his talk). we have more access to information than ever before and on one hand, i think that this radical democratic style of information sharing makes for a more dynamic and diverse conversation, but on the other hand, more crappy ideas, bad science, and misinformation is also shared in equal measure, if not more.
here's are some truths that spektor highlights that science has demonstrated to us time and time again:
- vaccines don't cause autism
- vitamins won't make you healthier
- all of our food has been genetically engineered to look, taste, and smell the way it does
- organic food is a rip off
- by not embracing scientific advancement in food production, we won't be able to feed all the people on the planet
this was a breath of fresh air for someone who often feels as though they are fighting against more people within the non-profit/development/charitable giving sector than outside of it to demonstrate not all international development projects are good, not all non-profit agencies deserve people's donations of time and money, and giving is not always better than receiving.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
dirty little secret
here's a dirty little secret - i didn't donate anything to the relief efforts in haiti after the devastating earthquake this past january. yes, i wanted someone to hire me to go there, but i didn't donate. call it karma, but i sort of felt as though costs associated with the response would be covered because of the incredible news, pop culture, and celebrity coverage the disaster got. this is likely not the best way to judge whether or not humanitarian efforts need any additional financial support, but there it is and that is how i made my decision.
in keeping with that same thinking, ever since i heard of the floods in pakistan a few weeks ago, i have thought that it is so interesting that a natural disaster that has displaced an estimated 3 million people has warranted little more than a mention on the nightly national news and have found myself wondering if this is at all correlated with how much money has been donated by private citizens like me.
and it wasn't long before this line of thinking was covered by a popular aid blog, aid watch, and after reading it and thinking 'what the hell am i waiting for?,' i just donated to islamic relief.
i picked islamic relief because (and how is this for good donorship...) i knew a girl who used to work there before i met her when she worked for another international relief ngo. she didn't even have fantastic things to say about her working experience there, but nonetheless that is how i picked one of the agencies i know are on the ground in pakistan.
this will be rather interesting to watch play out because perhaps donors are fatigued, perhaps richies like me (and you, most likely) in the developed world don't have such a connection to a country half a world away, or perhaps freedom loving people are afraid that they will be funding terrorism and the like by giving to pakistanis, but i don't feel confident that it will be such the groundswell of donations as haiti was. i could be completely wrong, however, as many muslim ngos and networks are incredibly well funded using a completely different donor model and they might teach those of us participating in a more western and, dare i say, mainstream response a thing or two.
coincidentally, today is also world humanitarian day.
in keeping with that same thinking, ever since i heard of the floods in pakistan a few weeks ago, i have thought that it is so interesting that a natural disaster that has displaced an estimated 3 million people has warranted little more than a mention on the nightly national news and have found myself wondering if this is at all correlated with how much money has been donated by private citizens like me.
and it wasn't long before this line of thinking was covered by a popular aid blog, aid watch, and after reading it and thinking 'what the hell am i waiting for?,' i just donated to islamic relief.
i picked islamic relief because (and how is this for good donorship...) i knew a girl who used to work there before i met her when she worked for another international relief ngo. she didn't even have fantastic things to say about her working experience there, but nonetheless that is how i picked one of the agencies i know are on the ground in pakistan.
this will be rather interesting to watch play out because perhaps donors are fatigued, perhaps richies like me (and you, most likely) in the developed world don't have such a connection to a country half a world away, or perhaps freedom loving people are afraid that they will be funding terrorism and the like by giving to pakistanis, but i don't feel confident that it will be such the groundswell of donations as haiti was. i could be completely wrong, however, as many muslim ngos and networks are incredibly well funded using a completely different donor model and they might teach those of us participating in a more western and, dare i say, mainstream response a thing or two.
coincidentally, today is also world humanitarian day.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
inflamed, not fractured
i spent 4 hours in the urgent care clinic yesterday and, after a kind visit from a friend who works near the clinic and utilising the wireless in the waiting area to get some work done, i finally had my foot x rayed to see if i had a stress fracture. and the good news is that my bones are in one piece. the bad news is that they suspect i have plantar fasciitis.
and when i googled it, the phrase 'very painful condition' came up often, great... but it makes sense because i was hobbling around this past weekend and hadn't experienced pain that affected my mobility so drastically. call it a learning (and humbling) experience.
and even though i am not thrilled about having an inflamed plantar fascia, i was happy to hear that i did have something wrong with me because then i felt like i wasn't wasting the time of the doctors, nurses, and emergency room staff and i was impressed with how quickly i was able to get x rays taken and read and a diagnosis made. and it made me think that if this had gone down in the us there would be a substantial bill to pay and i might have opted against x rays because i do not have health insurance from my employer at the moment, which would mean i would have had to cancel my hike for fear of exacerbating a fracture. scary.
my next steps are to rest my foot this week, make an appointment to see a podiatrist, and wear my birkenstocks (thank god for birkenstocks!).
have you had this or know someone who has suffered from plantar fasciitis? any tips on what to do or not do to decrease the inflammation? or prevent it in the future? or how to complete a 4 day hike without pain next week??
ouch. and eek.
and when i googled it, the phrase 'very painful condition' came up often, great... but it makes sense because i was hobbling around this past weekend and hadn't experienced pain that affected my mobility so drastically. call it a learning (and humbling) experience.
and even though i am not thrilled about having an inflamed plantar fascia, i was happy to hear that i did have something wrong with me because then i felt like i wasn't wasting the time of the doctors, nurses, and emergency room staff and i was impressed with how quickly i was able to get x rays taken and read and a diagnosis made. and it made me think that if this had gone down in the us there would be a substantial bill to pay and i might have opted against x rays because i do not have health insurance from my employer at the moment, which would mean i would have had to cancel my hike for fear of exacerbating a fracture. scary.
my next steps are to rest my foot this week, make an appointment to see a podiatrist, and wear my birkenstocks (thank god for birkenstocks!).
have you had this or know someone who has suffered from plantar fasciitis? any tips on what to do or not do to decrease the inflammation? or prevent it in the future? or how to complete a 4 day hike without pain next week??
ouch. and eek.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
what's my middle name?
how was mexico, you might ask?
it was fantastic! i have lots of great photos to post, which i will likely put on facebook, and a few hilarious stories to tell, but it seems that as soon as my plane touched down last saturday, i have been running at full tilt.
one of my pet peeves is when people talk about how busy they are. and i am as guilty of it as the next person. i also thought that my life would be able to slow down just a titch once i returned from mexico and this weekend's film screening is out of the way.
but no. oh, no, no, no.
then this training opportunity in thailand came up (which is still a big, old yay), i decided to go to vietnam after the training, and i have become some sort of 'right hand man' to my boss at my day job. i am not sure how any of this happened.
except the part where i thought, 'wait, i am going to be in thailand, which is ever-so-relatively-close to vietnam, where i have always wanted to go AND i have a friend living in northern vietnam right now. is that not sort of like a sign from the universe that i must go?' and i quickly answered my own rhetorical question by booking my return flight nearly 2 weeks after the conclusion of the training...
in the midst of finalising the details of this saturday's event, i am now up to my eyeballs in meetings with people from all over the company during the days, i am living in an absolutely pigsty because my house is a tip, and i have no idea a) how much i owe in taxes or b) how exactly to figure this out if my accountant doesn't return my phone calls.
but 2 of my herbs in my herb garden have sprouted! and even though the training location has had to be relocated outside of bangkok due to those protests, they assure me that the possible venues are 'very attractive' and i booked my first night's stay at bangkok airport in a hotel that has 24 hour massage facilities. and although i am sure they would hook me up with that kind of massage if i requested, i am sure i can get me a nice (and legitimate) rubdown in the middle of the night as i will be jetlagged and wide awake at 4am.
unfortunately, this trip will mean that i will miss the first of 2 half marathons that i am registered in and my fitness will certainly take a hit from not running for 2 weeks. but in exchange, i will receive an incredible networking opportunity, excellent training, a week in some swank hotel in a beach town, and then 10 days in vietnam. there will be other races.
it was fantastic! i have lots of great photos to post, which i will likely put on facebook, and a few hilarious stories to tell, but it seems that as soon as my plane touched down last saturday, i have been running at full tilt.
one of my pet peeves is when people talk about how busy they are. and i am as guilty of it as the next person. i also thought that my life would be able to slow down just a titch once i returned from mexico and this weekend's film screening is out of the way.
but no. oh, no, no, no.
then this training opportunity in thailand came up (which is still a big, old yay), i decided to go to vietnam after the training, and i have become some sort of 'right hand man' to my boss at my day job. i am not sure how any of this happened.
except the part where i thought, 'wait, i am going to be in thailand, which is ever-so-relatively-close to vietnam, where i have always wanted to go AND i have a friend living in northern vietnam right now. is that not sort of like a sign from the universe that i must go?' and i quickly answered my own rhetorical question by booking my return flight nearly 2 weeks after the conclusion of the training...
in the midst of finalising the details of this saturday's event, i am now up to my eyeballs in meetings with people from all over the company during the days, i am living in an absolutely pigsty because my house is a tip, and i have no idea a) how much i owe in taxes or b) how exactly to figure this out if my accountant doesn't return my phone calls.
but 2 of my herbs in my herb garden have sprouted! and even though the training location has had to be relocated outside of bangkok due to those protests, they assure me that the possible venues are 'very attractive' and i booked my first night's stay at bangkok airport in a hotel that has 24 hour massage facilities. and although i am sure they would hook me up with that kind of massage if i requested, i am sure i can get me a nice (and legitimate) rubdown in the middle of the night as i will be jetlagged and wide awake at 4am.
unfortunately, this trip will mean that i will miss the first of 2 half marathons that i am registered in and my fitness will certainly take a hit from not running for 2 weeks. but in exchange, i will receive an incredible networking opportunity, excellent training, a week in some swank hotel in a beach town, and then 10 days in vietnam. there will be other races.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
as i do when i get lazy
here are some interesting things that i came across, did, or thought today:
- asian soup should not be attempted in my nest. i made some, did not enjoy it, and ended up putting the whole pot down the garburator, shame. the seaweed disintegrated in the broth and it made my house smell. now what do i do with an entire package of seaweed?
- i saw a police officer just hanging out in his car outside of the superstore and i am sure it is connected to the recent incidents of food tampering in the city. here is my question, why aren't the people who are caught (or person, as they've only caught one and suspect there are other copy cats) charged with terrorism? i must acknowledge my ignorance of laws covering terrorism in canada and alberta, but they are essentially causing terror of a certain degree amongst the million people in the city considering the majority of us buy our food at the major grocery stores. not cool.
- i bought m&m's to put in my friend's care package that will be sent to east timor and then i opened them and am now eating them on the couch while watching american idol. talk about taking the life of luxury for granted!
- i had 'the canadian' at frilly lilly today and had a giggle when i made my appointment.
- i watched a documentary on the mormons that was broadcast on pbs in 2007. fascinating stuff! the whole thing can be seen on the pbs website and if you are at all interested in how the church of jesus christ of latter day saints came to be or what the hell it is all about, watch this. it explains it without bias or judgement or without trying to sell you on to their (crazy) stories. i guess i am not as unbiased and nonjudgemental. but really, watch the 4 hours of it and are sure to learn a lot.
- i bought a new dress. did i need a new dress? absolutely not. but it was 40% off! and that peachy-orange colour that i love right now! and it is a petite size! and now that i look it up on the american website, i realise that i could've saved even more money if i bought it south of the 49th with this crazy exhange rate we have going on right now.
- i returned a book that i wasn't enjoying. i had never done that before. i had a pang of guilt, but it passed.
- i am having some anxiety about not being prepared to go on a week long vacation. i think i have more stress when going to an all-inclusive resort on a beach than i do adventuring around a foreign place. so much pressure, i tell ya.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
keeping it safe
i took an internet and social networking security workshop yesterday at my office and i learned a few things that i thought i would share in case they are useful to anyone else.
- do not post status updates about your whereabouts, especially if you are going to be out of town. in fact, the police will now ask you if you posted online if you would be away when they investigate break and enters.
- never use third party application in facebook, they do not have to follow any rules set by facebook and can have harmful effects on your computer or system.
- make sure you have anti-virus software installed AND that it is turned on.
- banks have decreased their liability for covering fraudulent charges with the new chip and pin cards, so you should be exceptionally protective of your pin (unlike i was today during a visa purchase when i had to look up my pin and was obtuse about making obvious what i was doing).
- have other manners of communicating with your contacts so that if you social networking site is hacked into and someone claims to be you, you can clarify it immediately before money is sent or your reputation is damaged.
- set up a google alert for your name so you will be notified if anything new is posted on the internet about you. this goes along with googling yourself to see what is out there (especially important to those of us dating or looking for a job, because you know they are doing it too!)
- you do not own any of the material posted on facebook (and most other social networking sites), including wall posts, photos, and videos.
- if you would like something removed from facebook or youtube because it has you in it, just email the company and they will likely have it removed rather than have to deal with lawsuits.
- canada's privacy laws are making it difficult for facebook as they have to change some of their practices to be in compliance with our systems and laws.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
looking into the crystal ball
my girls and i had our monthly ladies' night last night and this time, to make it a little more interesting, we invited a psychic to join us and to do readings while we enjoyed our wine and tarts. here is what she said:
going back to uni, getting a phd, and becoming a professor though? absolutely! i would love to and i think that being a form of a teacher or sharer of wisdom sounds like a good life plan for me.
- i should be a teacher or be teaching people, that is what i am here to do
- i will be moving to toronto in march or april and it will be for a job
- i try to be a master of whatever i choose to do
- i will likely go back to school to do a phd and this will be somewhere in eastern canada
- i might not have children because my life will revolve around my career and my husband
- my future is very positive
- my life will have many recurring patterns, a number of endings and beginnings
- my emotional health is good now and to keep it good, i should always exercise
- whoever i am meant to marry is in toronto and i am supposed to meet him next fall and it might be someone from my past, someone i have met a few years ago
- my brothers are going to be aok, even though one will experience various challenges, but he will just need us to let him know we care
going back to uni, getting a phd, and becoming a professor though? absolutely! i would love to and i think that being a form of a teacher or sharer of wisdom sounds like a good life plan for me.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
about time for a goal check in
1 - get enough sleep. well, i have had some lie ins in my new nest and have loved every minute of them. not sure that i have figured this out because i tend to get a lot of sleep on the weekends and not enough during the week, but at least i have come to understand the value of a good night's rest and what happens to me if i don't get this regularly.
2 - buy a home. i love it. love, love, love it. my nest is so nesty. and mine. and sometimes dirty. and sometimes spotless. and often times the location of entertaining my friends (although i need to invite my fam over more often in the future, but that would entail securing a few more chairs!). check!
3 - reduce my level of anxiety. i still have bad days, but most of my days are good days and i can identify the anxiety before it hits me over the head and am slowly improving in my capacity to deal with it. i have reduced my daily medication levels by one step and am just going to hang out here for awhile before making the next step. but things in the anxiety department are good and i think i am getting better at acknowleding my anxiety, my triggers, and what to do to prevent it from blowing up.
4 - take better photos. photography is technical stuff! but i am nearly through the introductory course in photography at mount royal college (sorry, university). i like it, i need more practice, but i think i am starting to understand equivalent exposures, f stops, and the diamond of taking good photos. green idiot box, no more!
5 - become financially confident. i wouldn't exactly say that i am confident, but i am doing ok. with the current upheaval in my work and the recent home purchase, i am a little nervous, but confident that it will be ok. i have yet to deal with my gst for the past year and am not great at keeping my books for my accountant, but we can file that under 29, can't we?
6 - be happy where i am. this continues to go really, really well. i never thought i woud be so content in calgary, but i am. and am in no hurry to change that. i did have a titch of concern that i was not utilising the summer months to their full capacity, but there were a number of other factors at work there and i will work on that one (see goal #8).
7 - visit friends who live in other places. i have failed pretty miserably at this goal (and with only 2.5 months left of 28, there is little chance that things will turn around), but i am going to england in december for a very dear friend's wedding and am then carrying on to ireland where i will meet up with a friend from home to go on a great irish roadtrip, yippee! beer, irishmen, and the isle of green, what more could a canadian girl ask for?!
8 - make the best dating decisions for me (the goal formally known as sort out my relationship). i'm still dating. blah. i have had a great time, but i am getting a little exasperated with the whole process and after a few hopeful episodes, i am still as single as ever. i suppose as the goal is to make good decisions, i have done that. but in doing that, the results have not exactly borne the fruits that i had hoped they would by now. another blah. but i will just keep soldiering on (but with fewer soldiers and more civilians).
2 - buy a home. i love it. love, love, love it. my nest is so nesty. and mine. and sometimes dirty. and sometimes spotless. and often times the location of entertaining my friends (although i need to invite my fam over more often in the future, but that would entail securing a few more chairs!). check!
3 - reduce my level of anxiety. i still have bad days, but most of my days are good days and i can identify the anxiety before it hits me over the head and am slowly improving in my capacity to deal with it. i have reduced my daily medication levels by one step and am just going to hang out here for awhile before making the next step. but things in the anxiety department are good and i think i am getting better at acknowleding my anxiety, my triggers, and what to do to prevent it from blowing up.
4 - take better photos. photography is technical stuff! but i am nearly through the introductory course in photography at mount royal college (sorry, university). i like it, i need more practice, but i think i am starting to understand equivalent exposures, f stops, and the diamond of taking good photos. green idiot box, no more!
5 - become financially confident. i wouldn't exactly say that i am confident, but i am doing ok. with the current upheaval in my work and the recent home purchase, i am a little nervous, but confident that it will be ok. i have yet to deal with my gst for the past year and am not great at keeping my books for my accountant, but we can file that under 29, can't we?
6 - be happy where i am. this continues to go really, really well. i never thought i woud be so content in calgary, but i am. and am in no hurry to change that. i did have a titch of concern that i was not utilising the summer months to their full capacity, but there were a number of other factors at work there and i will work on that one (see goal #8).
7 - visit friends who live in other places. i have failed pretty miserably at this goal (and with only 2.5 months left of 28, there is little chance that things will turn around), but i am going to england in december for a very dear friend's wedding and am then carrying on to ireland where i will meet up with a friend from home to go on a great irish roadtrip, yippee! beer, irishmen, and the isle of green, what more could a canadian girl ask for?!
8 - make the best dating decisions for me (the goal formally known as sort out my relationship). i'm still dating. blah. i have had a great time, but i am getting a little exasperated with the whole process and after a few hopeful episodes, i am still as single as ever. i suppose as the goal is to make good decisions, i have done that. but in doing that, the results have not exactly borne the fruits that i had hoped they would by now. another blah. but i will just keep soldiering on (but with fewer soldiers and more civilians).
Saturday, November 07, 2009
do you...?
do you want to learn more about human trafficking?
do you need something to do on the evening of november 20th that is free?
do you want to support a local film festival that features films with meaning?
come out to the marda loop justice film festival on november 20th at 7:00pm when they will be screening the film call + response, which promises to be entertaining and informative.
do you need something to do on the evening of november 20th that is free?
do you want to support a local film festival that features films with meaning?
come out to the marda loop justice film festival on november 20th at 7:00pm when they will be screening the film call + response, which promises to be entertaining and informative.
ask for what you want
if you are my friend on the facebook (and if you aren't, feel free to add me, i like friends!) you would notice that my status right now is Lara thinks you need to ask for what you want. and because you are my privileged blog readers, you get the whole story.
you might recall that i was hopeful that i would get to go to an event where stephen lewis is the keynote speaker. i was even willing be the bathroom attendant to listen to him and for the chance to meet jian ghomeshi, of cbc fame. well, last week i sent a little email to my company's community investment manager and asked if we would be sponsoring a table and if we were, was it at all possible that i could have one of those seats?
lo and behold, she wrote me back and said that no, they hadn't sponsored a table, but if i could find 10 people to fill the seats, they would buy the tickets. i wrote her back in my most eloquent email speak without being pretentious and said i was confident i could find 10 people to fill those seats and she immediately replied saying she would purchase the table and forward me all 10 of the tickets as soon as they arrived! this not only saves me from having to pay $200 for my own seat, but it gives me the opportunity to invite 9 people to fill the $2000 table!
now you will be able to find me learning and laughing and networking at the aspen full circle event!
additionally, this morning i called visa to inquire about the $100+ interest charge on my bill and when they looked into it the simple response, 'you moron, you paid your bill late last month and therefore we charged you interest and that is why that charge is on your account!' but they said it a little more nicely than that. so i asked if they could reverse the charges. and they said yes. just like that.
a few weeks ago i took a two day training course on conducting social impact assessments. it cost a lot of dollars as well. i found the course, thought it was interesting, found a policy at my company that said we commit to doing these things, then sent an email to my boss that explained the training, why i thought it would be beneficial for me to take it, then asked if the company could pay.
my boss talked to some corporate bigwigs on my behalf and a few days later, provided me with a budget line to charge the course to and a few weeks later, i found myself learning all about how you can do research into the socioeconomic impacts of a industrial development or an international development project as well as meeting people in the industry and being asked to join a board of a local ngo.
i am hoping that this strategy continues to work because this morning i made a phone call to confirm that i do indeed have a dinner date tonight. i left the breeziest message (which is not normally my strong suit, so this is quite something) and asked this fellow to call me back to let me know if we were still on for dinner. because i want to know. and i want to go out for dinner. and i want to wear my new dress!
you might recall that i was hopeful that i would get to go to an event where stephen lewis is the keynote speaker. i was even willing be the bathroom attendant to listen to him and for the chance to meet jian ghomeshi, of cbc fame. well, last week i sent a little email to my company's community investment manager and asked if we would be sponsoring a table and if we were, was it at all possible that i could have one of those seats?
lo and behold, she wrote me back and said that no, they hadn't sponsored a table, but if i could find 10 people to fill the seats, they would buy the tickets. i wrote her back in my most eloquent email speak without being pretentious and said i was confident i could find 10 people to fill those seats and she immediately replied saying she would purchase the table and forward me all 10 of the tickets as soon as they arrived! this not only saves me from having to pay $200 for my own seat, but it gives me the opportunity to invite 9 people to fill the $2000 table!
now you will be able to find me learning and laughing and networking at the aspen full circle event!
additionally, this morning i called visa to inquire about the $100+ interest charge on my bill and when they looked into it the simple response, 'you moron, you paid your bill late last month and therefore we charged you interest and that is why that charge is on your account!' but they said it a little more nicely than that. so i asked if they could reverse the charges. and they said yes. just like that.
a few weeks ago i took a two day training course on conducting social impact assessments. it cost a lot of dollars as well. i found the course, thought it was interesting, found a policy at my company that said we commit to doing these things, then sent an email to my boss that explained the training, why i thought it would be beneficial for me to take it, then asked if the company could pay.
my boss talked to some corporate bigwigs on my behalf and a few days later, provided me with a budget line to charge the course to and a few weeks later, i found myself learning all about how you can do research into the socioeconomic impacts of a industrial development or an international development project as well as meeting people in the industry and being asked to join a board of a local ngo.
i am hoping that this strategy continues to work because this morning i made a phone call to confirm that i do indeed have a dinner date tonight. i left the breeziest message (which is not normally my strong suit, so this is quite something) and asked this fellow to call me back to let me know if we were still on for dinner. because i want to know. and i want to go out for dinner. and i want to wear my new dress!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
what i do well
the term 'networking' used to make me break out into a rash, but i have learned over the years that i am good at it and can make connections that benefit me and others rather effortlessly. which is even more impressive when you consider that most of my anxiety is brought on by new social situations.
today was another one of those opportunities that i managed to walk myself into. i have spent the last two days at a course at the university and met a lot of interesting people from various sides of the same industry. there were a lot of opportunities to participate in discussions and as they related not only to my current jobs, but to my previous jobs abroad as well, i offered a lot of examples and asked a number of questions.
at the end of the day (and after we had a mini 'graduation'), the convener of the training approached me and invited me to become more involved in his local organisation that consults on international development projects and mentioned that he needs a new board member, hinting that i could potentially be it. i am not sure exactly what that would entail or if i would be a suitable candidate, but i am definitely going to look into it. i always thought board members were old people with grey hair and lengthy cv's, not 28 year olds who just like to talk!
today was another one of those opportunities that i managed to walk myself into. i have spent the last two days at a course at the university and met a lot of interesting people from various sides of the same industry. there were a lot of opportunities to participate in discussions and as they related not only to my current jobs, but to my previous jobs abroad as well, i offered a lot of examples and asked a number of questions.
at the end of the day (and after we had a mini 'graduation'), the convener of the training approached me and invited me to become more involved in his local organisation that consults on international development projects and mentioned that he needs a new board member, hinting that i could potentially be it. i am not sure exactly what that would entail or if i would be a suitable candidate, but i am definitely going to look into it. i always thought board members were old people with grey hair and lengthy cv's, not 28 year olds who just like to talk!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
time to grow up
after a wild weekend of houseboating with 17 other women in various states of career, relationship, and sobriety i feel ready to do a little growing up and put my recent past of dating, drinking, and debauchery behind me while i switch my focus to nesting, operation get fit (phase iii!), and other forms of maturity.
a year ago i was in a very similar place, but for a very different reason and it has been a rather hectic, tumultuous, and exciting year to get back here. i know you are supposed to say that you learn so much by overcoming challenges and that you are better for it, and i do believe this wholeheartedly, but if you had said that to me before last february, i would have supressed every urge to kick you right in the shins.
the truth is, i have made it here and that having a little fun along the way would not have made it nearly as enjoyable or as rewarding. and i am not about to turn into 'no fun lu' but i do think that this last kick at the can of an august long weekend might be the turning point towards heading back to where i thought i wanted to be a year ago.
maybe the universe was just telling me that i had a little more i needed to get out of my system.
and you just never do know, there might be more left in me in the future.
a year ago i was in a very similar place, but for a very different reason and it has been a rather hectic, tumultuous, and exciting year to get back here. i know you are supposed to say that you learn so much by overcoming challenges and that you are better for it, and i do believe this wholeheartedly, but if you had said that to me before last february, i would have supressed every urge to kick you right in the shins.
the truth is, i have made it here and that having a little fun along the way would not have made it nearly as enjoyable or as rewarding. and i am not about to turn into 'no fun lu' but i do think that this last kick at the can of an august long weekend might be the turning point towards heading back to where i thought i wanted to be a year ago.
maybe the universe was just telling me that i had a little more i needed to get out of my system.
and you just never do know, there might be more left in me in the future.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
can't argue with this
i received this in an email from a friend the other day and instead of forwarding it, i am posting it here. it made me smile from the inside, which i think is the best way to smile.
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Stephanie Nolen's message
i found this article on one of my favourite online papers, the globe and mail, and not only is Stephanie Nolen one of my favourite canadians, her message in this speech to new grads resonated with me. perhaps because i never would have told you as a 23 year old graduating from u of c in 2003 that i would be working in the private sector. and although the path that got me here had its fair few of ups and downs, i really am grateful for where i am now.
and Nolen's message reminds me of two of my favourite phrases: education is something no one can take away from you & there is no downfall to learning.
now the question is, where will i be in another 6 years?!
You learn the most from the hardest things
Though students are graduating into tough times, a lot of the world has it tougher. As the Globe's Stephanie Nolen gets an honorary doctorate, she hopes grads find inspiration in that
May 22, 2009 03:18 PM EDT
National Newspaper Award and Amnesty International Award for Human Rights Reporting winner Stephanie Nolen is The Globe and Mail's current India, and formerly Africa, correspondent. The author of 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa and two other books, she holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax and pursued a masters in development economics from the London School of Economics.
She just received an honorary Doctorate in Civil Laws from King's and this is part of her address to students:
You are graduating today into a world of great uncertainty — my generation, and the ones before mine, have done a spectacular job of really screwing things up. It's deeply unfair, that we are handing you this mess.
But if you will indulge me, I'd like to tell you a little story: On my first day of journalism school at King's, I went to a lecture in the old Haliburton Room, and Michael Cobden, who is here today, and was then the head of the journalism school, mentioned proudly how every single person in that year's graduating class had a job. You will all get jobs, he said with great confidence. And I thought, "Great. A job would be good. A career. A grown-up life."
Four years later, as I sat in this cathedral, I was graduating into the teeth of a bitter recession — and nobody, not one person, in my graduating class had managed to find a full-time job. (Stop me if you've heard this.)
I did the obvious thing: I went to graduate school, and took on $40,000 worth of additional debt. I went to the London School of Economics, and never regretted a penny of that debt, because I learned a million things, and because I met people and had adventures that continue to open doors for me today. But that was only good for a year of avoiding reality, and not long enough for the recession to end. After submitting my masters thesis, I came back to Canada, to find that now ONE person from my graduating class had a job: He was editing the monthly newsletter of the Atlantic Fish Canning Association. I'm not making this up.
So I left. I made a totally ill-thought-out decision to move to the Middle East, to Jerusalem — to be a freelance journalist in the city which, I soon discovered, already had the world's largest full-time press corps. That, in hindsight, was dumb. And it was really hard. I was broke, I was totally out of my league, I was alone. I was also too proud to come home.
Because I was broke, I lived in a Palestinian village and shopped at a local market and took the local bus and soon I had learned pretty good Arabic. Well, of course, in a couple of years world events were going to dramatically improve the market for journalists who spoke Arabic.
Because I was way out of my league, I landed in Beirut on a holiday just as Israel invaded. I was dumb, but I was also fast on my feet, and two weeks later I was working on a cover story for Newsweek.
Eventually I was able to come back to Canada, and after paying a few newsroom dues, talk my way into a job as a war correspondent, and it all happened much faster than it probably would have, if at all, if I had simply landed the job I originally had hoped for right after graduating from King's. And along the way, I got to tell important stories: I covered the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin; I covered the return of the PLO to the occupied Palestinian territories. And I got to race camels in the Egyptian Sinai and dance in a secret underground nightclub in Beirut with the drag queen son of the sheikh who founded Hezbollah.
The point of this story is that, sometimes, bad luck turns out not to be so bad.
That you learn the most from the hardest things.
That opportunities come in places where you're not looking.
And, as Amelia Earhart said (words I later took as my own motto when I was learning to fly), "Courage is the price that life demands for granting peace."
Something else happened to me along the way in those early years of working overseas: I think it began the first time I went to a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and really spent some time there. I came away with a whole new understanding of my privilege, as a Canadian, and of the fact that really, I didn't know anything about anything in the world. I didn't know what life was really like for — as I would soon start to realize — the great bulk of people in the world.
And here's something I only started to figure out even later: that even if you spend the rest of your life right here, you are responsible for much of what happens elsewhere in the world.
For how those other people live.
Regardless of what you choose to do with your new degree, your new skills, you will be responsible.
If you have an iPod like mine, or a cellphone, or a Wii, you are connected to the 14-year-olds I have met who are enslaved by rebel groups in the Congo and who dig for coltan, the mineral that is the essential ingredient in our gadgets.
If you have a Gap T-shirt like I do, then you are connected to the Bangladeshi women who stitched it for five bucks a day, and who cannot develop their textile sector into better-paying jobs because of our trade restrictions.
If, like me, you are a Canadian citizen, you are connected to the children in Swaziland who cannot go to school today, who will never have the moment you are having today, because Canada, as a voting, policy-setting member of the World Bank, forces the Swazi government to charge school fees for their primary schools — even though ours are free.
And if, like me, you enjoy the occasional Starbucks latte, you are connected to the women in Ethiopia who earn 70 cents a day sorting their coffee beans. Ah-hah, you think. I always order the fair trade blend. Well, great. The women in the fair trade factory earn 96 cents a day. I know — I spent an afternoon on a Starbucks factory line in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a couple of years ago.
So I can tell you that those women are glad to have their jobs.
I'm not sure that's good enough.
You are connected to these people. And you decide how much responsibility you will take for that.
and Nolen's message reminds me of two of my favourite phrases: education is something no one can take away from you & there is no downfall to learning.
now the question is, where will i be in another 6 years?!
You learn the most from the hardest things
Though students are graduating into tough times, a lot of the world has it tougher. As the Globe's Stephanie Nolen gets an honorary doctorate, she hopes grads find inspiration in that
May 22, 2009 03:18 PM EDT
National Newspaper Award and Amnesty International Award for Human Rights Reporting winner Stephanie Nolen is The Globe and Mail's current India, and formerly Africa, correspondent. The author of 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa and two other books, she holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax and pursued a masters in development economics from the London School of Economics.
She just received an honorary Doctorate in Civil Laws from King's and this is part of her address to students:
You are graduating today into a world of great uncertainty — my generation, and the ones before mine, have done a spectacular job of really screwing things up. It's deeply unfair, that we are handing you this mess.
But if you will indulge me, I'd like to tell you a little story: On my first day of journalism school at King's, I went to a lecture in the old Haliburton Room, and Michael Cobden, who is here today, and was then the head of the journalism school, mentioned proudly how every single person in that year's graduating class had a job. You will all get jobs, he said with great confidence. And I thought, "Great. A job would be good. A career. A grown-up life."
Four years later, as I sat in this cathedral, I was graduating into the teeth of a bitter recession — and nobody, not one person, in my graduating class had managed to find a full-time job. (Stop me if you've heard this.)
I did the obvious thing: I went to graduate school, and took on $40,000 worth of additional debt. I went to the London School of Economics, and never regretted a penny of that debt, because I learned a million things, and because I met people and had adventures that continue to open doors for me today. But that was only good for a year of avoiding reality, and not long enough for the recession to end. After submitting my masters thesis, I came back to Canada, to find that now ONE person from my graduating class had a job: He was editing the monthly newsletter of the Atlantic Fish Canning Association. I'm not making this up.
So I left. I made a totally ill-thought-out decision to move to the Middle East, to Jerusalem — to be a freelance journalist in the city which, I soon discovered, already had the world's largest full-time press corps. That, in hindsight, was dumb. And it was really hard. I was broke, I was totally out of my league, I was alone. I was also too proud to come home.
Because I was broke, I lived in a Palestinian village and shopped at a local market and took the local bus and soon I had learned pretty good Arabic. Well, of course, in a couple of years world events were going to dramatically improve the market for journalists who spoke Arabic.
Because I was way out of my league, I landed in Beirut on a holiday just as Israel invaded. I was dumb, but I was also fast on my feet, and two weeks later I was working on a cover story for Newsweek.
Eventually I was able to come back to Canada, and after paying a few newsroom dues, talk my way into a job as a war correspondent, and it all happened much faster than it probably would have, if at all, if I had simply landed the job I originally had hoped for right after graduating from King's. And along the way, I got to tell important stories: I covered the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin; I covered the return of the PLO to the occupied Palestinian territories. And I got to race camels in the Egyptian Sinai and dance in a secret underground nightclub in Beirut with the drag queen son of the sheikh who founded Hezbollah.
The point of this story is that, sometimes, bad luck turns out not to be so bad.
That you learn the most from the hardest things.
That opportunities come in places where you're not looking.
And, as Amelia Earhart said (words I later took as my own motto when I was learning to fly), "Courage is the price that life demands for granting peace."
Something else happened to me along the way in those early years of working overseas: I think it began the first time I went to a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, and really spent some time there. I came away with a whole new understanding of my privilege, as a Canadian, and of the fact that really, I didn't know anything about anything in the world. I didn't know what life was really like for — as I would soon start to realize — the great bulk of people in the world.
And here's something I only started to figure out even later: that even if you spend the rest of your life right here, you are responsible for much of what happens elsewhere in the world.
For how those other people live.
Regardless of what you choose to do with your new degree, your new skills, you will be responsible.
If you have an iPod like mine, or a cellphone, or a Wii, you are connected to the 14-year-olds I have met who are enslaved by rebel groups in the Congo and who dig for coltan, the mineral that is the essential ingredient in our gadgets.
If you have a Gap T-shirt like I do, then you are connected to the Bangladeshi women who stitched it for five bucks a day, and who cannot develop their textile sector into better-paying jobs because of our trade restrictions.
If, like me, you are a Canadian citizen, you are connected to the children in Swaziland who cannot go to school today, who will never have the moment you are having today, because Canada, as a voting, policy-setting member of the World Bank, forces the Swazi government to charge school fees for their primary schools — even though ours are free.
And if, like me, you enjoy the occasional Starbucks latte, you are connected to the women in Ethiopia who earn 70 cents a day sorting their coffee beans. Ah-hah, you think. I always order the fair trade blend. Well, great. The women in the fair trade factory earn 96 cents a day. I know — I spent an afternoon on a Starbucks factory line in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a couple of years ago.
So I can tell you that those women are glad to have their jobs.
I'm not sure that's good enough.
You are connected to these people. And you decide how much responsibility you will take for that.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
things i have learned recently
- nest shopping is FUN (although i suspect it will get stressful when decisions must be made)
- when i don't run, i really miss it (and it's only been 5 days)
- dairy queen blizzards continue to rot my insides (that was just a confirmation)
- eharmonising is FUN
- if you back into a parking stall at the calgary transit stations, the park plus ticketing system can't get you
- my sister gave me a day at the spa for my birthday and i had forgotten until i tidied my room and found the card, she's the best!
- all my years of defending canada as not being as cold as people assume it is was all for naught as it is bloody cold and i am sick of having to brings scarves with me to cut the chill
- i didn't love the book Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, i felt it was rather sad and i am not sure if that was my own mood reflecting on the story or the story reflecting on my mood
- opi's nail envy really works. pricey, but effective at strengthening your nails and preventing them from cracking or breaking
Thursday, May 14, 2009
mentorship
earlier this week i met with a colleague's 22 year old daughter who is struggling to figure out what to be and do when she grows up. he thought it would be good for her and i to chat about life, growing up, and educational opportunities (he also threw in that maybe i could mention how many degrees i have). we met, we had a great chat, we'll probably do it again.
then today i took a summer student out for coffee and answered her questions about our company, our department, my background, and what i wanted to be when i was a student. i gave her some work, encouraged her to me ask me about anything (which she later did - asking me how to post something out of our office, which i had no answer for!), and reassured her that she'd have a good experience in her position.
i recall many times when people took me under their wing in previous jobs and when i moved to other countries, when i showed up without a clue and a thousand questions. i know i never would have figured things out as i did without other people's help and i am now enjoying being in a position when i can share what i know with young women who are beginning their careers. i surely don't have all the answers, and never will, but i like the role of mentor and cannot imagine how i would've made it this far without them myself.
then today i took a summer student out for coffee and answered her questions about our company, our department, my background, and what i wanted to be when i was a student. i gave her some work, encouraged her to me ask me about anything (which she later did - asking me how to post something out of our office, which i had no answer for!), and reassured her that she'd have a good experience in her position.
i recall many times when people took me under their wing in previous jobs and when i moved to other countries, when i showed up without a clue and a thousand questions. i know i never would have figured things out as i did without other people's help and i am now enjoying being in a position when i can share what i know with young women who are beginning their careers. i surely don't have all the answers, and never will, but i like the role of mentor and cannot imagine how i would've made it this far without them myself.
Monday, May 04, 2009
lots of learning from a nobel laureate
another good book about africa, development, and the fight for better governance and democracy is Wangari Maathai's book Unbowed. she is the woman who won the 2004 nobel peace prize for her work promoting environmental conservation while simultaneously fighting for women's rights, good governance, and human rights, demonstrating that they are not mutually exclusive nor attainable in isolation.
i liked reading the story of where Maathai came from, how she became a professor, and how she found herself in the middle of a civil rights movement. i had always wondered why she had won the nobel peace prize, but after reading about her struggles and what she had to get through just to plant trees with her organisation the Green Belt Movement, i am utterly impressed that she continued to fight corrupt officials, the undemocratic system in kenya, and cultural moors that said she should not be a divorced, single mother working in academia.
as i read about the corruption rampant within ngos and the government of kenya, i totally related to this frustration and as Maathai fought to overcome the barriers to sustainable economic and social development in kenya, i felt vindicated that i had struggled with similar challenges, but saddened that there are not more Maathais who can withstand such pressures and bullying to create lasting organisations and programmes that are homegrown, grassroots, and owned by the people at whom development is always targeted.
i now know why there is a sign at freedom corner in uhuru park and why there are green belt signs in the green spaces between the roads throughout nairobi. i understand what happened to the parcelling out of land after colonialism and after moi finally stepped down from power. the book was published after the post-election violence of 2007-2008, but it does shed a lot of light on the history of the violence that erupted after the most recent irregular election. i now know a lot more about the place i called home for 2 years and i think that even people who've never visited kenya would also enjoy learning a thing or two about Maathai and her life.
i liked reading the story of where Maathai came from, how she became a professor, and how she found herself in the middle of a civil rights movement. i had always wondered why she had won the nobel peace prize, but after reading about her struggles and what she had to get through just to plant trees with her organisation the Green Belt Movement, i am utterly impressed that she continued to fight corrupt officials, the undemocratic system in kenya, and cultural moors that said she should not be a divorced, single mother working in academia.
as i read about the corruption rampant within ngos and the government of kenya, i totally related to this frustration and as Maathai fought to overcome the barriers to sustainable economic and social development in kenya, i felt vindicated that i had struggled with similar challenges, but saddened that there are not more Maathais who can withstand such pressures and bullying to create lasting organisations and programmes that are homegrown, grassroots, and owned by the people at whom development is always targeted.
i now know why there is a sign at freedom corner in uhuru park and why there are green belt signs in the green spaces between the roads throughout nairobi. i understand what happened to the parcelling out of land after colonialism and after moi finally stepped down from power. the book was published after the post-election violence of 2007-2008, but it does shed a lot of light on the history of the violence that erupted after the most recent irregular election. i now know a lot more about the place i called home for 2 years and i think that even people who've never visited kenya would also enjoy learning a thing or two about Maathai and her life.
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