***Note: I didn't realize how encompassing 70 hours of work and travel a week can be, so these updates might be a bit more sporadic than originally planned. Hang in there, and I'll try my best to insert excerpts from my journal from time to time and keep you updated!**
It's 5am and I'm working on zero hours of sleep and a 20 hour workday behind me. Oh, and I'm on a plane to Canada, with three days notice.
Adrenaline and instinct have become my best friends; learning how to connect without attaching, appreciate without longing.
But there's something so fantastic and exhilarating about all of it... constantly testing my limits. Seeing sparks of inspiration in the eyes of the students I talk to. Hopping on a cross-country plane at the crack of dawn, and waking up in a city I've never been before. It's a constant reminder that the future is always uncertain - even when we think it is.
Already in the first few weeks, I've discovered the value of being able to live in the moment. To cherish connections, however confined by space or time; and to always be open to the world and new possibilities. I can't even imagine what the next few months will be like... but one thing is certain, I've learned to stop expecting, and just to accept and go along with the ride.
Lessons from Week One:
So the first few weeks inevitably came with a few hard knocks... and even moreso for some of my fellow recruiters who hitchiked, got drenched in hot coffee, missed plane flights, and sat alone in hotel rooms without even facebook for company. Good news is, most everyone found a way to bounce back quickly and make the most of it. And as for me, I picked up few good lessons from my first week on-the-job:
#1) Always know what class you're going into before trying to make an announcement.
My very, first-ever classroom announcement was a bit of a bust - I stumbled into a small classroom with about a dozen asian students sitting in a circle of desks, waiting for their professor. I walked in, noticed they were all staring at me, and got nervous... so out came the word vomit. "Um... hi! Have you ever wanted to travel to Australia, Europe, Africa, South America or Thailand? Yeah... we're having an information meeting, or I mean, I'M having an information meeting... Thursday... you can do volunteer work...." and as I smiled and handed them flyers, I noticed that they were looking at each other awkwardly, and one guy said something in Chineese to the girl next to him, who then said to me very politely "we do not speak english." She handed me back my flyer, and pointed to the board - "ESL: English as a Second Language for Foreign Exchange Students." Awesome. (Also did an annoucement later in a class full of deaf students which was actually alot of fun - although I had to slow down so the sign language interpreter could keep up with me.)
#2) Never, ever hesitate.
As a little rundown of what an average workday consists of for me: 10 minutes to the hour, "stalk the halls," pace up and down the hallway (sometimes multiple floors) looking for a full classroom with a friendly-ish seeming professor. Ask to make an announcement. Success? Say "be right back!" Run to the next class, repeat. Denied? Run to the next class, repeat. Run back to first class. Make announcement. Make another announcement. Make... ANOTHER announcement while yelling, jumping, barely breathing, and sweating like a wet shower curtain. Then BREATHE, rest. ....and repeat, 45 short minutes later, every hour for 8-10 hours a day. After a few weeks of this, it became nothing less than routine - hesitation wasn't even a question.
But that first week on the job, I almost let my head get a hold of me.
Monday afternoon, I hiked it across campus at CSU San Marcos to try my luck at the biggest lecture hall on campus. (Only about 400 people, but at the time it seemed huge.) When I got there, I realized that no other classes were beginning anywhere near mine, so this was it: I could make only one announcement this hour, and it had to be THE one. As everyone poured into the lecture hall, I waited near the entrance, holding my pile of flyers and sign up sheets, running the announcement through my mind. As I watched more and more people fill up the seats, the nerves started creeping up on me... what am I doing? CRAP! what are the odds? A girl walked by that I recognized from high school!
"I can't do this." I started thinking to myself. "There has to be more people here who will recognize me. I need to just do a relaxed, "cool" version of my announcement and go back to the smaller classes." So I bailed. I turned around, walked halfway out the door, then heard the professor begin class - and then something just came over me. "No, this is my one shot, and screw being cool" some invisible motivational speaker yelled into my ear.
So I turned back around, and ran - except this time, toward the professor's podium. She had just opened up Powerpoint, and I walked up and said "excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I make a quick announcement about a volunteer meeting this Thursday?" and much to my relief and surprise, she said "...sure, just make it fast."
HEYguysmynameismichellefrominternationalstudentvolunteersandIwanttotellyouaboutanINCREDABLEprogramthissummer
ifyouveeverwantedtotraveltoplaceslikeAUSTRALIAEuropeAFRICAsouthamericaorTHAILAND!!
The first paragraph came out like word vomit (but convincing word vomit apparently, because people were paying attention) and suddenly, the confidence and memorization took over. I air-white-water-rafted, gestured a cheetah claw, mimed a ticking clock to show the meeting time, and by the end of it - the whole class was laughing and clapping. Even the professor seemed pleasantly amused!
I took a deep breath. Bright red in the face and probably shaking, and ended with a screeching "see you guys on Thursday!" then ran up the lecture steps and out the hallway, accepting high fives and residual applause from my performance.
And just like little children's screams in the Disney Move Monsters Inc., there began my fuel from students' applause and laughter. It was addicting. And I would never, ever hesitate again.
