Taming the Shrew

I'm learning to tame my mind and my mouth. LOL. I have a tendency to want to speak a lot with others at work, but now I'm learning to curtail how much I say. When I began volunteering, I thought very often about mom and thinking of her made me sad. I was a little disturbed by the happiness of others similar to how I behaved at TRIO Upward Bound. Now I am better in both places. I'm glad that I learned to allay my hostility towards others' happiness. I think that I will apply to work with AmeriCorps. I don't know what I will do in August, whether go to the Republic of Georgia or stay in the U.S. I feel less torn than I have felt in the past two months. I see how staying home will be good for the family and for me. I need to feel that I am part of a community. I've been denying myself of that and that's why I keep on rejecting Georgia, even though I can definitely make a life here. I'm afraid of commitment and becoming established. I'm slowly learning to accept being settled and happy here, which does make me happier. I have an opportunity to work with EF Atlanta by teaching English to foreign students who come to learn in metro Atlanta. Perhaps I shall be accepted and maybe I will work with them for a year or longer. I may reduce my travel ambitions to short visits in other countries. Well, let me not decide my future too soon. I may yet surprise myself and do some incredible things that I didn't expect. May God help me with it all. Amen.

Two months in

I've been volunteering at Habitat for two months now. I enjoy adding details to the digital photos. I recognize that I'm doing cataloging work. I just laughed to myself, because I remember that I was doing similar work at Georgia State University's Archives and Special Collections. There I was an intern doing a course for my Master of Library and Information Science degree. My project was organizing the Welch collection. The collection contained many images such as prints, transparencies, and slides. I loved seeing the places that Ernest G. Welch had gone. I just remembered how similar what I'm doing now at Habitat is to that experience at GSU. LOL, then I thought, well what did I do after that internship? I went to Martinique four months later. I'm still a bit ambiguous about whether I should stay in Georgia and work full time or continue my life ambition and teach English abroad. If I do go abroad, then the Republic of Georgia will be my next destination. I'm learning how I can make a life for myself in Georgia, but travel still calls me. I don't know about taking my mom with me abroad. But if I get her Honduran passport renewed, then she could come with me, but to a country where I could earn more money. The Republic of Georgia cannot pay much at this time to its volunteer English teachers. I'm not sure of what the future will bring, but I still want to dare to dream and not submit to fear. AMEN.

Progress, thank God

I'm learning to apply metadata more effectively without making errors! LOL. It took me a while to master that. It turns out the Candace already finished her assignment. I didn't know that she would only be here for four weeks or a month. She didn't tell me goodbye. Oh, well, I guess she had a good time here, but I never knew her well. The FBI charged me the $18 for my criminal record check! Thus that means that they'll send the record to me soon. Now I can scan the document and send it to the Teach and Learn with Georgia program. I'm a little scared... should I still pursue going to Georgia. The answer seems yes, because I'm quite tired of my mom's ill health. I don't mean to throw her away, but I'd really like to teach in Georgia. I know that the experience will be a little sad for whatever the schools may lack, but to see a new countries would be exciting. I found two local job announcements seeking French speakers. I will apply to both just to try my chances. I wonder how this year will go? Will I go to Georgia or be too scared to leave the U.S.? I hope that I have the guts, the will and the faith that leaving mom under Andrew's charge will be enough and that I don't need to worry. God, please allow me to go to the Republic of Georgia with a confident and faithful heart and mind. Amen.

The kids... and other stuff

I was wrong about the kids.  The brother is smiling in front of his house.  I'm glad.

I went to today's Devotions meeting.  It was good.  I wrote prayers from myself and for mom.  I also wrote that I was thankful for my students at Upward Bound and for my volunteer job at Habitat.

I just printed the FBI criminal summary check form.  I will also need to have my fingerprints done.  I guess I can go to a police station or do it myself.  I'll just need an ink pad.

Sad or mentally preoccupied children

I started volunteering at Habitat for Humanity's corporate office in downtown Atlanta.  I love working here.

I noticed today that two young, black children appear mentally preoccupied at a Women's Day event in Orlando.  I wonder what the children were thinking about?  I hope that they are happier now than they were on that day on May 11, 2013.  It's interesting that during the same period I was getting used to my mother's illness/change in behavior.  I truly hope that they are happier in their new Habitat home in Orlando.

There is a Latina lady with her two children.  Those children smile much more than the two black children.  Latinos do try to make their children happy -- it's one of their strong cultural practices.  I hope that the black mother and her kids have happier days today.

The black boy really reflects the sadness that I've been feeling... I hope that he doesn't deal with those sad emotions for too long.  They can affect his general demeanor and expectations from life.