I know it's small, but I am very proud of myself for waking up early every morning this week. I'm enjoying the unhurried time I now have to get ready for work. Although, some mornings when I go to the gym, I run short on time, but it's okay.
This week at work was more of an improvement. We are currently closing out the last cases, and hope that more will be coming soon. We have arrival dates for about 21 people, and flight numbers into Omaha for 5, but our VOLAGs still seem very unsure about whether or not to send us new cases. Supposedly, they're going to tell us on Monday, then we will have 6 working days to set up 2 apartments and prepare for 11 people. Yikes. I got pretty frustrated in the staff meeting yesterday (we all did), because they are keeping us in this nasty state of limbo. If the VOLAGs decide to cancel the travel for those 21 people, I don't want to be the one to call them and tell them their dads, moms and brothers aren't coming to Omaha anymore. I don't want to be the one to call them and say they've been transferred to Georgia or Tennessee or something. What a nightmare.
I'm looking forward to tonight because I am hosting a "wine & cheese under the blankets" party. This means we will build a giant blanket fort and drink wine and eat cheese inside it. I think it will be a good, old-fashioned time. I'm glad that everyone is coming to me this time!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
the joslyn and the weekend
I actually woke up early every day last week, except Friday. On Friday, my alarm simply did not go off. I woke up on my own at 7:41, which isn't too late for a Friday.
Saturday was pretty fun. Kurt, Tyne and I went to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. There was no admission fee, and we enjoyed wandering around looking at art. We decided to have an abstract expressionist art party. After that, I had a meeting for work with the leaders of the Karen community to try to repair some of the damage from the past few months. That went well. Then me and my friends went to this mexican restaurant in Midtown Crossings (can't remember the name). They made guacamole at your table, and all the food was incredibly fresh and delicious. Saturday night, Kurt and I played some games with Tom and Tyne. It was a very nice day.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. We went to church at First Plymouth, then got some groceries from the Asian store, the Arabic store, and Super Saver. We made crab rangoons and stir fry for lunch. We did the cross-work puzzle. I was half-asleep for part of it, but I was still discovering answers while half-asleep. I eventually did sleep for an hour, and after that I ran 3 miles. We watched a lot of TV. Like I said, a relaxing day. Next week Sunday, I think we're going to go to the Mennonite church in town. We're curious.
Saturday was pretty fun. Kurt, Tyne and I went to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. There was no admission fee, and we enjoyed wandering around looking at art. We decided to have an abstract expressionist art party. After that, I had a meeting for work with the leaders of the Karen community to try to repair some of the damage from the past few months. That went well. Then me and my friends went to this mexican restaurant in Midtown Crossings (can't remember the name). They made guacamole at your table, and all the food was incredibly fresh and delicious. Saturday night, Kurt and I played some games with Tom and Tyne. It was a very nice day.
Sunday was pretty relaxing. We went to church at First Plymouth, then got some groceries from the Asian store, the Arabic store, and Super Saver. We made crab rangoons and stir fry for lunch. We did the cross-work puzzle. I was half-asleep for part of it, but I was still discovering answers while half-asleep. I eventually did sleep for an hour, and after that I ran 3 miles. We watched a lot of TV. Like I said, a relaxing day. Next week Sunday, I think we're going to go to the Mennonite church in town. We're curious.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
morning
Another long gap between posts....
Things have improved significantly at work. Looking back, it has been one of the toughest things I have have had to go through. Mostly because I was treated so poorly and disrespected, and the stress piled up on me so that I could not function properly outside of work. I'm so glad that is done.
I like going to work again, and since that stress is over, my whole life feels a lot lighter. I'm back to how I used to be and it's a relief. Things feel significantly different at work, and I'm finding that I am looking for changes in other parts of my life, as well. I have always kinda liked change. My thing this week has been waking up early. I' typically have been leaving for work at 8am, which means I wake up at 7:30 or 7:45am. This week I've been up at or before 7am. I've been up twice in the 6am hour! It's insane! I try to leave for work a little earlier, too. I decided that I wanted to try to make myself a morning person. It's a small change that sounds like a fun thing to try. I have enjoyed booting up my computer in the morning and playing music while I get ready. I've done some stretching. One day I ran 3 miles at the gym. Actually, most mornings I'd like to go to the gym, the prepare myself for the half-marathon training I will start in February (for the Lincoln Half-Marathon in early May).
Things have improved significantly at work. Looking back, it has been one of the toughest things I have have had to go through. Mostly because I was treated so poorly and disrespected, and the stress piled up on me so that I could not function properly outside of work. I'm so glad that is done.
I like going to work again, and since that stress is over, my whole life feels a lot lighter. I'm back to how I used to be and it's a relief. Things feel significantly different at work, and I'm finding that I am looking for changes in other parts of my life, as well. I have always kinda liked change. My thing this week has been waking up early. I' typically have been leaving for work at 8am, which means I wake up at 7:30 or 7:45am. This week I've been up at or before 7am. I've been up twice in the 6am hour! It's insane! I try to leave for work a little earlier, too. I decided that I wanted to try to make myself a morning person. It's a small change that sounds like a fun thing to try. I have enjoyed booting up my computer in the morning and playing music while I get ready. I've done some stretching. One day I ran 3 miles at the gym. Actually, most mornings I'd like to go to the gym, the prepare myself for the half-marathon training I will start in February (for the Lincoln Half-Marathon in early May).
Thursday, August 11, 2011
orientation
Today I finished cultural orientation for about 30 Bhutanese people who have come in the past few weeks. I had never done it before, but was placed in a situation where I had to do it. I pretty much knew what was to be done, and the trickiest part of the whole thing was making sure the people got to the office! The logistics of getting that many people without cars to one location is a nightmare. I had some wonderful volunteers that helped out.
I really enjoyed doing cultural orientation. It was fun watching my coworkers interpret for me. It was interesting that if I focused, I could pretty much tell what they were saying based on tone of voice and hand motions. One of my coworkers tended to directly translate everything I said. Another one tended to elaborate on every word I said. It was fun to work together with them to make sure the refugees got as much information as we could cram into their heads.
I really liked teaching the Bhutanese about American culture; about how we don't have caste systems based on our name and families, but we have something similar to that. Our caste system is based on money. You are of the highest American caste if you make a lot of money, and the lowest caste if you don't make much. It was fun to talk to them about how they can rise up and improve their status in life, like President Obama who started his life on food stamps. I tried to give them encouragement, saying that if they work hard and have patience, they will make a wonderful life of opportunity for their children. I tried to encourage them so they would know that immigrants are the reason this great country exists. They are already American, even if they don't know it yet. I loved that part of my job today, having the opportunity to teach these things about my country. I'm proud of my country, even though it seems to be a huge mess of anger and bitterness and intolerance these days. I must believe that it's a better place for the sake of the refugees. I must cling to this fact about my country: that we accept people who want to be free and want to work hard and be proud of who they are and where they come from.
It was nice to have happy times at work. Yes, my brain is fried and I just want to curl up in a ball and watch TV. And yes, the morning was stressful and painful, but the afternoon was awesome and rewarding and fun.
I really enjoyed doing cultural orientation. It was fun watching my coworkers interpret for me. It was interesting that if I focused, I could pretty much tell what they were saying based on tone of voice and hand motions. One of my coworkers tended to directly translate everything I said. Another one tended to elaborate on every word I said. It was fun to work together with them to make sure the refugees got as much information as we could cram into their heads.
I really liked teaching the Bhutanese about American culture; about how we don't have caste systems based on our name and families, but we have something similar to that. Our caste system is based on money. You are of the highest American caste if you make a lot of money, and the lowest caste if you don't make much. It was fun to talk to them about how they can rise up and improve their status in life, like President Obama who started his life on food stamps. I tried to give them encouragement, saying that if they work hard and have patience, they will make a wonderful life of opportunity for their children. I tried to encourage them so they would know that immigrants are the reason this great country exists. They are already American, even if they don't know it yet. I loved that part of my job today, having the opportunity to teach these things about my country. I'm proud of my country, even though it seems to be a huge mess of anger and bitterness and intolerance these days. I must believe that it's a better place for the sake of the refugees. I must cling to this fact about my country: that we accept people who want to be free and want to work hard and be proud of who they are and where they come from.
It was nice to have happy times at work. Yes, my brain is fried and I just want to curl up in a ball and watch TV. And yes, the morning was stressful and painful, but the afternoon was awesome and rewarding and fun.
Friday, August 5, 2011
a reason for the silence
This time there's a reason for the silence. Work has been a nightmare. My boss and 3 coworkers were fired, on top of many people quitting. I won't go into details here, but the changes break my heart.
I added a "widget" on the side of my blog with info about my training for the half-marathon. I just registered for it today. The registration is the final commitment. I paid my $60 to run, now I have to run it. Having been looking at my training today, I've noticed that I've been running faster, which is a very cool feeling. I hope to keep it up. I remember when I was in rowing and I blogged on Xanga. I wrote about the details of my training all the time. For the half-marathon, I'm not quite as deep into the training as I was with rowing, but I am using a heart-rate monitor a lot, and I can tell the training schedule I am now reflects the pattern of some of my rowing training.
Kurt and I have been together for a year now. It's quite a milestone, but I kind of forgot about it in the whirlwind mess that is my job. My boyfriend posted a song on my Facebook page by Flogging Molly to honor our year "thing" as he so eloquently put it. I'm amused with the low-maintenanceness of our relationship. We do hope go out of town some weekend to celebrate the year we've been together, but it will be a challenge, seeing as this month is a very unstable month for both of us. He's finishing his Americorps contract and my job is just FUBAR. I am a big fan of us, and I'm glad we've held it together for a year. I hope there are many more to come.
I added a "widget" on the side of my blog with info about my training for the half-marathon. I just registered for it today. The registration is the final commitment. I paid my $60 to run, now I have to run it. Having been looking at my training today, I've noticed that I've been running faster, which is a very cool feeling. I hope to keep it up. I remember when I was in rowing and I blogged on Xanga. I wrote about the details of my training all the time. For the half-marathon, I'm not quite as deep into the training as I was with rowing, but I am using a heart-rate monitor a lot, and I can tell the training schedule I am now reflects the pattern of some of my rowing training.
Kurt and I have been together for a year now. It's quite a milestone, but I kind of forgot about it in the whirlwind mess that is my job. My boyfriend posted a song on my Facebook page by Flogging Molly to honor our year "thing" as he so eloquently put it. I'm amused with the low-maintenanceness of our relationship. We do hope go out of town some weekend to celebrate the year we've been together, but it will be a challenge, seeing as this month is a very unstable month for both of us. He's finishing his Americorps contract and my job is just FUBAR. I am a big fan of us, and I'm glad we've held it together for a year. I hope there are many more to come.
Monday, July 11, 2011
little brother
One week ago, I was flying back to Omaha from Chattanooga, TN where I attended my little brothers wedding. Now, he's well over 6 feet tall, so he's not quite little, but he's 2 1/2 years younger than me. It was a weekend to remember. My parents rented a huge house (7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 living rooms) and we stayed there with most of the out of town family and a few of my brother's friends who were in the wedding. It was like a big Michigan reunion and it was awesome. I got to spend a LOT of time with my family, which I enjoyed and I no longer take for granted now that I live far away. We slept in rooms near each other, shared bathrooms, ate our meals together, and shared rides everywhere we went. When we weren't busy with wedding stuff, we had time to relax and enjoy each other's company. When I visit Michigan, I don't always get to do that to this extent.
The wedding stuff sure kept us busy, though. The events were all formal or semi-formal, and they were all just a little bit different than how we do it in the north. I wore a lot of makeup and did my hair in fancy ways every day. For the wedding, I got my first pedicure and got my hair and makeup professionally done. At first, it was fun to dress up, but I got sick of it by the end of the trip. I am not one of those women that enjoys a ton of pampering. I believe they call that low maintenance.
There was the rehearsal dinner, which was attended by about 80 people. I don't know if our experience was normal, but we spent about an hour or so sharing memories and saying how much we love and appreciate the bride and groom. It was so much fun because both Peter's side and Connor's side got to share memories of their loved one. There was much laughter, many tears, and boatloads of love in that room.
It was strange and wonderful to see Peter so happy. He was actually serious, which is rare for him. He was serious about how much he loved Connor, and serious about his appreciation to his friends and family. He was genuine and heart-felt. I don't even remember the last time I saw my brother like that. There were a lot of moments when I felt proud to see how much he has grown up. I was proud to see him in a healthy, loving relationship with his woman. I am thrilled to welcome a new family member into the Overbeek clan. I look forward to Connor being my sister for a very long time. It's strange to see her with my last name, but again, strange and wonderful.
And then Kara announced that she is pregnant! There's going to be a baby in the family! The first grand-child! I will be an aunt! I will hold a baby in my arms that shares my blood! I'm pretty excited for that.
This weekend overflowed with joy and happiness. Those times are rare and precious.
The wedding stuff sure kept us busy, though. The events were all formal or semi-formal, and they were all just a little bit different than how we do it in the north. I wore a lot of makeup and did my hair in fancy ways every day. For the wedding, I got my first pedicure and got my hair and makeup professionally done. At first, it was fun to dress up, but I got sick of it by the end of the trip. I am not one of those women that enjoys a ton of pampering. I believe they call that low maintenance.
There was the rehearsal dinner, which was attended by about 80 people. I don't know if our experience was normal, but we spent about an hour or so sharing memories and saying how much we love and appreciate the bride and groom. It was so much fun because both Peter's side and Connor's side got to share memories of their loved one. There was much laughter, many tears, and boatloads of love in that room.
It was strange and wonderful to see Peter so happy. He was actually serious, which is rare for him. He was serious about how much he loved Connor, and serious about his appreciation to his friends and family. He was genuine and heart-felt. I don't even remember the last time I saw my brother like that. There were a lot of moments when I felt proud to see how much he has grown up. I was proud to see him in a healthy, loving relationship with his woman. I am thrilled to welcome a new family member into the Overbeek clan. I look forward to Connor being my sister for a very long time. It's strange to see her with my last name, but again, strange and wonderful.
And then Kara announced that she is pregnant! There's going to be a baby in the family! The first grand-child! I will be an aunt! I will hold a baby in my arms that shares my blood! I'm pretty excited for that.
This weekend overflowed with joy and happiness. Those times are rare and precious.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
lucky
I've had this thought come into my head several times the past few days, and I would like to write it down.
I am a very lucky person. Some people prefer the word "blessed". To me, they mean about the same things. I was born in America to upper middle class parents. I attended private schools and got an excellent education. I got my bachelors degree and my masters degree. I have a lot of work experience. I have lived in a different country and traveled to a bunch of other countries around the world. I have good, good friends. My parents are still married and my family is strong. I am healthy, both mentally and physically. Very few of my friends and family have passed away. I live in a comfortable apartment with cable and internet. I have delicious strawberries in my fridge and cold water from my tap. A wonderful man loves me. I have more joyful memories than painful memories.
These days, work has been very difficult, for a variety of reasons. And I sometimes narrowly make it with my bills. Nevertheless, I am awed, amazed, humbled, and thankful for my luck, and I hope that I make the very best of the great things I have been given.
I am a very lucky person. Some people prefer the word "blessed". To me, they mean about the same things. I was born in America to upper middle class parents. I attended private schools and got an excellent education. I got my bachelors degree and my masters degree. I have a lot of work experience. I have lived in a different country and traveled to a bunch of other countries around the world. I have good, good friends. My parents are still married and my family is strong. I am healthy, both mentally and physically. Very few of my friends and family have passed away. I live in a comfortable apartment with cable and internet. I have delicious strawberries in my fridge and cold water from my tap. A wonderful man loves me. I have more joyful memories than painful memories.
These days, work has been very difficult, for a variety of reasons. And I sometimes narrowly make it with my bills. Nevertheless, I am awed, amazed, humbled, and thankful for my luck, and I hope that I make the very best of the great things I have been given.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)