Peanut Butter

One highlight of being here in Minnesota is I can eat peanut butter and apples. The peanut butter in England is terrible...not as fatty...much more natural. There are MANY other highlights of being here, but I still really want to be in London. I have had some conversations with friends in London and to hear they were disappointed that I was not returning made me even more disappointed. The conversation in particular was with Rebecca. To hear her and Lynda still have not discussed the rejected work permit was very moving. I DO NOT want to wallow in the misery but as it is something major on my mind, it is worth a mention here.

The last couple of weeks has been surprisingly busy and only continues to become busier.

I applied and was rejected at Fed Ex (could not stay as long as they wanted).

I volunteered at Project Homeless Connect (a one-day event at the convention center that brings together hundreds of different agencies and resources for the local homeless population; from haircuts to chemical counseling, housing, jobs...). As a volunteer (thanks Dasha), I worked one on one with a homeless man. He has been on and off the streets (either homeless or in jail) for the last 10 years. Initially he was released from jail and was told good luck. He had $70 and was in an unfamiliar place...no other help. From that point forward, he wandered. We stopped at AMICUS, an organization that helps criminals find jobs, housing, provides a mentor and support group and is now beginning to train other agencies and employers on how to best accomodate/work with former convicts. I decided that since Fed Ex equaled no job, I would volunteer my time for AMICUS. I met with Kathy and Jay yesterday and we agreed to have me help establish a formal internship program. They want to use their college interns better and ensure the interns are receiving adequate experience from the internship. As of now, I am putting together a focus group of former interns. Exciting!

Another major thing taking up my time is the gym. I go so much now! Only if this body showed any of the time I have put in the gym. It is refreshing and feels very good, both physically and mentally.

I have not seen my friends as much lately. I think everyone is getting really busy with Christmas. Erik, Kimmi, and I had a splendid time on Thursday night. We went out in true Erik/Kimmi/Adam style!

Work is going really well too. Today was a bit rough; a "run-away" (never left the school) kid who then clawed, bit, punched, and kicked me as I had to restrain him: the rewards of working with kids. The nice thing is the whole situation did not bother me. My boss could not believe how calm I stayed. I never thought to become upset, irritated, annoyed, or angry. Those emotions only escalate the situation and kids have reasons for what they do. They may not always know the reason, but lashing out is not done for the heck of it. As a person who works with kids, I feel it is my duty to understand the child and try to determine his or her reasons for acting the way they did. I dish the consequences out but I try to be fair, consistent, and predictable with my punishments. I also try really hard to make sure parents and kids know they are doing a GOOD job. No news is good news can be true, but parents love to hear their child is doing well. When you build that relationship with the parents, they handle the bad news much better. Basically they respect you, they know you are not out to get their child; you see both the good and the bad. In addition to this, I really enjoy the staff I work with. Tracy, Becki, Soo, Trish, and Tera are great. Too bad Trish, Tera, and Soo have all quit. Tracy and Becki are great and it will be nice to continue working with them.

I am off to read some “A Death in Brazil” and then to bed. This week I have been creating to-do lists each day. It is my attempt to be productive and thus far (today) it worked really well.

Happy birthday to Alex!

Peace!