Ja ja ja ja

Sundays are meant for randomness.  Or deep reflections.  Or just stuffing your face with Portland's "Mississippi Pizza"!!! Three slices to be exact (and I wanted to eat a fourth).  So........ I'd like to share a funny

It made ME giggle.

Happy Sunday...they always come too soon.  But it's alright cause I love Sundays.

My street

Of course I'd be living on this street ;)  No complaints.  I love the "small town" feel of it.  I love the artsy feel of it as well.  I love seeing all the hipters, families, and people who just LOVE expression on their skin.  I love seeing people walking with their dogs.  Lot's of dogs.  I love seeing people biking and jogging.  I love that I walk one mile down and pass numerous cafes/bars, a hip vegan joint, a coffee stand with the friendliest people, a sushi place, a thai place, a donut shop, a tattoo shop, a barber shop, a funky boutique, a consignment store with the most random but cool apparel, a bike shop, and our very own co-op health food grocery store.

So...if I walk down a few blocks on a last thursday of the month....I will run into "Last Thursday" which is what happened this past LAST thursday.  Tons of art, food carts, people selling the oddest things, people selling some really cool things, costumes galore, music at every corner,  dancing, interpretive dancing....and all in GOOD FUN.  It's one unique block party to say the least.  

Elsa, Brotha Joe and I 

Talk about bombalicious. Anything you can think of...turned into a griiiiilled cheeeese. YUM.
   

Conclusion...only on Alberta.

Yup, that's a shark headed woman dancing

Stories

Well said Mahatma and Buddha...

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”


So the High School and program I will be working with are both so incredibly great.  I will be working in the Corporate Internship Program (CIP).  It is a program that well over 70 companies throughout Portland sponsor....an amazing thing!!!!  Our program carefully places each student (freshman through seniors) at the company that we think will best suit them.  It is our job to train the students, guide and mentor them throughout the year, and serve as a liaison between the students, the employing companies and the CIP.  The companies include financial institutions, healthcare, hospitality, law firms, retail, and universities. 


 Here's the amazing thing about it all...these companies basically pay for the entire tuition of the student...depending on the families income and of course assuming that the student diligently and responsibly fulfills his/her work.  And here comes the tricky part and the balance that the CIP tries so hard to set.  What these companies are doing and the opportunities that they are setting up for these kids are just extraordinary.  However, they have requirements and hold certain expectations just as any other company would of their employee.  Do we hope that every high school student can understand that this is such an awesome opportunity that is just preparing them SO WELL for the real world?!!! Yes!!  Reality check...do most high school students understand that?  Of course not.  These kids are remarkable, but so many of them come from broken backgrounds and families who are dealing with a heavy amount of emotional stress at such a young age, and the fact is that they are not all going to excel in the work environment as expected.  So do we hope that every company will work with and understand that?  Of course!!  But does that happen all the time?  Of course not.


I learned something today through an inspiring retreat I had with the faculty of the school.  I learned that every student at this school has a Story.  For example, a student sullenly walks into a classroom and is just not ready to work, isn't focusing on the teacher's lectures, etc etc.  One side of the story is that the student could just be tired and feeling lazy for simple personal reasons.  OR, the student could have been up all night because his/her mother didn't get home until 1am working and the student had to hear his mother's boyfriend beat her up.  Or the student could have been up all night because his family lives in a house with only one bedroom, but is sleeping on the floor so that his 4 younger siblings could sleep on the bed.  Or the child was up all night worrying about his/her father who is incarcerated and the mother who is battling a drug addiction.


STORIES.  Every student has a story.  And these are only a few.  They are heartbreaking, yet inspiring because these same students are still showing up to school and work every day despite the heart ache and struggle.  The High School's average percentage for daily attendance is 96 percent.  NINETY....SIX....PERCENT.  And we are here to be the best mentors, role models, and support system that we can be for these children.  Simply put, it's an AMAZING THING.  And I am more than proud to be a part of it. 

First piece of me

Change is a part of the journey. Let go of the old, embrace the new, know that people will think you're crazy. But in the end, the only crazy people are those who don't have what it takes to follow their dreams. Let them, but not you, be the ones who die wondering "What if?".

- Mastin, The Daily Love

There it is. My reason.  My simple reason.  I never want to die thinking, "what if?".