This will be my last post while I am away with katimavik. I am overwhelmed with the love and support waiting for me when I return home. As for now I still have three days left in the program and I will continue to update!
This week has gone by very fast with all the wrap up business. I have been house manager so that means I had my last day at work over a week ago. It has been weird for me because the end of the program has been dragging on me longer, instead of just having my last day at work yesterday. Marina and I have been a wonderful team as house managers. I am learning even more, I never thought I could prepare supper for 10 other people especially at the beginning of the program, I am so proud of myself! I have really bad judgement and bought too much food, when we are supposed to be using what we have before we leave so we aren't wasteful. Well I am apparently stupid and bought like 2 extra sour creams, and too much cheese. I am forcing people to eat it, and also fruit and yogurt. It will be gone before we leave however I should get better with my judgement on those kinds of things. House managing can be really difficult sometimes, it is so exhausting; waking up early- cleaning, cooking all day, then preparing supper and cooking it. Then the evening is full of other activities with the group. I am so happy about this week though, Marina and I have had so much fun, and Denis our PL adds to the mixture. Grocery shopping was ridiculous, he put his sunglasses on which really make a statement and his hood on, and was dancing and following me around, and then he blamed me for not focusing. Thats another thing, I cannot do grocery shopping in a constructive way, I get so side tracked it's ridiculous.
Other than Marina and I's House Managing life, we have been really busy with the group this week, it has been really intense. Tuesday we had our goodbye party, SO much food, and a surprisingly good turnout of people. My work partners showed up, and my Billet mom who happens to be a work partner too. She is charge of the youth zone which we did our collective project for. She delivered a speech, it was so heart felt, it almost made me cry. She was really happy about our work at the YMCA, and I loved when she said the work we did may not have been sustainable in a way of laying cement down which will be there forever, instead we impacted youth which will stay with them forever. It was so special to hear those words from her I know she has a really busy life, and I was so appreciative of her support during this rotation for our group. Our final presentation was a video of us to say thank you to our community here in Moncton. Katie did a great job on it. Here is the link if you are interested
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgT-BPmDsmE it always makes me cry when I watch it.
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| Evan putting his apple on, wearing my hat (: |
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| Debriefing-KCC |
Wednesday we started our debriefing, Mitch and I planned a workshop on our Work Placement, and it went really well, I took the idea of smarties from camp and applied it in to a workshop. Each color represented a section about our work placement, and when it was your turn with the smarties box you chose a color, and you got to speak about that part of your work, example would be like challenges, and they explained challenges they faced during their work placement in Moncton. After our workshop the Community Relations workshop started, we got to go outside and build snow men, they even had food coloring for our snow! We all had to make it represent our feelings towards our community, each snow ball was significant for something, the small one on top was something we wished we could have changed. The medium size one was something we wished we could have done, and then the last big one was something we loved. I even made stick arms for mine, and big eyes, and I named him Jerry. It was funny, and people were laughing because I was acting as if Jerry was a real person. It was really special for our group to open up, and be outside breathing fresh air.
Thursday morning was the moment the group has prepared for the last week with all the cleaning, and riding of junk in the house. The guy from Heritage Canada the main funder of Katimavik was in our home with the regional director of Atlantic programs. The group was up for 6, and Marina and I were up at 5 to start preparing breakfast. It was great having the whole group helping to make the house perfect. I must say our group cleans up well when it comes to important events. The guy was very chill, and it was a relaxed breakfast. He wanted to know about our experience, and how we will apply what we learned in Katimavik to our real life. It really gave me a new perspective about coming home, and how fortunate I am to have done the program. After I went with him and a few others for 2 job place tours, and we spent a lot of time at the YMCA, and they were impressed with the work the group did there for youth zone, and for the work David and I did in the adult day program. I also went in to say goodbye to the participants in the program, it was really sad. I got hugs from everyone, and when they all said goodbye at once I almost started to tear up. I will never forgot that experience with them. Our PL, PC, and regional director were all very impressed with us about the special visit, and they said we raised the standards of Katimavik in Heritage Canada's eyes. I think it was because we really opened up to them about our time here. That was really amazing to know I was apart of something so huge, over a short breakfast.
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| The Breakfast |
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| Showing our final presentation! |
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| Group picture with Heritage Canada Guy, PC and Regional Director |
Thursday evening we continued our debriefing workshops, David and Marina did the KCC and Competency workshop, we all had to write down feeling towards questions they prepared and we all got a chance to share them. It went really well, and it was good to see a mix up in all of our workshops. Afterwards we did the Group Living workshop, it was really unique. They painted a tree with roots, and made apples for all of us. We all filled in the tree with the roots which were things which made living as a group, example was like respect, love, anything we could think of which kept our group bonded as roots to the ground. Then the tree branches were events which happened that were significant to our group dynamic and vibe. A big one was all the conflict with our old PL, and the month without one, and then the transition to having a new PL. A special one was Christmas day, and New Years because it was a huge moment for us all to be away from our homes on such special occasions, and it made us closer as a group. Afterwards we got to have a chance to go up and put our name on an apple to add to the tree, we had to say three things the first thing was something you brought to the group, something you needed from the group, and something you loved about the group. It was a great opportunity for everyone to open up, and get things cleared. It has been highs and lows when it comes to group life, sometimes we fight like real brothers and sisters, and those feelings can linger for awhile.
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| Calm before the storm |
Friday we got tons of snow, more than 40cm in only like 4-5 hours. We got to the youth night with slight problems at 530, however it was almost impossible to cab home in the blizzard. I have lived in Manitoba my whole life, and I don't ever remember experiencing winter to that extreme. Half the group walked home, and I don't know how they did it, it was past the top of my boots, just walking a few houses down to our house getting out of the cab. We were really happy to wrap up our collective project in a powerful way. We completed a month schedule template for them to work from, as well as a very descriptive activity guide on things they can do with the youth. I was in charge of networking, and looking for volunteers to take over at the ymca. So I put in all my contacts I made, emails and such. I feel very accomplished with our community project they were very pleased, and appreciative of our work for them.
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| snow snow snow |
Today was a very productive day. We woke up early to start shoveling, you know there is a lot of snow when there was already like mountains of snow, and then we get more dumped on us. The Katima van was literally stuck in the snow and it took a long time getting it cleared and the drive way cleared. When we were finished we had a group meeting and discussed what needs to be completed. I then went off to make bread and that took most of the day, also with some cleaning. Then all of a sudden it was time to prepare supper, the day goes by so fast as house manager! I made it a Ninja themed supper, it was interesting to see how people dressed for it. After supper we had a special surprise at Suzanne's home she is the same lady who had us over for xmas brunch. They are so wonderful, . We went over there after supper and they had cake and ice cream for us! I will never forget them! After that we went to Crystal Palace it is an amusement park here in Moncton. We went on the roller coaster, and the swings, it was so much fun! Our PL was like losing his mind.
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| First group picture in September |
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| Final Group Picture in February |
Now I am just at home about to go to bed after this busy day. I am so excited to see everyone in only three days.
Peace & l o v e
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