Crazy Times
The craziest thing i've done so far in my 4 months back,
is evaluating 300 video clips in a week.
That's an average of 40 video clips a day,
with each evaluation spanning 4 pages.
When my fellow trainers and i took the job
we thought it would be simple one line evaluation for each student,
and now we're all having our daily schedules (and sleeping patterns) messed up by this massive task.
the punchline?
there is ANOTHER round of 300 video clips AFTER the training sessions.
*sob*
I was completely exhausted even before my first training session,
and sure enough after the first day my body rebelled.
It had quietly tolerated the sudden surge of stress the past week,
and suddenly now it is getting exposed to 4-7km walk on heels, carrying laptop and piles of books up and down stairs, and standing for hours in sweltering heat. While talking enthusiastically.
If my body could talk, i bet it would have screamed at me.
vulgarities.
It couldn't talk, so it did what it could.
I fell sick.
And so started a week of training while popping panadol and cold tablets.
It was soooo crazy.
Amidst it all I got PMS somemore.
So add on another bout of symptoms.
Lagi best.
One of my trainer friends once mentioned to me that he had a cold once and still went for class.
and that was the moment he knew he was in his dream job.
because "usually people can't wait to take MC right? but i still went even when I was sick!"
What he said kept ringing in my head.
Because for all the physical discomfort that was accumulating,
I surprised even myself by how much I still enjoyed myself in class.
In fact I think conducting the training had healing effects on me,
I'd start the day with a sore throat but end with the throat fine (and then flu would arrive)
I had 15 classes in all,
and it was only the last class that i finally felt the effects of the sickness and exhaustion and "dragged" myself through it.
The rest i thoroughly enjoyed,
even as I gave the lesson which includes a self introduction 15 times.
I know myself so well now.
---------------------------------------
The Interview
The interviewer from the unnerving "i-know-what-you-did-last-summer" interview told me they'd let me know if i got through within two weeks.
As the days went by my hopes started diminishing.
Surely they would have called by now if I got through.
In recent weeks I've had visions during prayer and worship and prophesies as well,
and on one level I was quite sure where God was leading me too.
But still no call.
So i was quite confused, and frustrated, that there would be another round of waiting and uncertainty.
Have I heard wrong? surely not? So many times? In such intensity?
on one night i was doing devotion and the lesson was essentially "to commit to God and His vision, and not the ideals and ideas".
I prayed and ask for God to strengthen the fire in me,
that I would continue pursuing the vision He has bestowed on me come what may,
despite the confusion, frustration and uncertainty ahead.
The next day, which was the very last day of the 2 weeks,
the interviewer called.
Turns out there isn't even a 3rd interview,
she offered me a position right there,
while asking somewhat apologetically if I could start in May together with another candidate.
I was like "May is perfect! I have a training job right now till April!"
-----------------------------------
And so it looks like things are finally falling in place now.
Despite the physical "torture" i'm putting my body through,
I'm enjoying every minute of the training stint.
I've been dreaming of something like this since forever.
I would have done it for free (maybe with a more manageable load),
and i can't believe i'm getting paid a pretty cool amount for it.
God has a way of granting us little treats here and there.
As i start my new work as well,
I go in with "fear and trembling".
that is good, because then i go in God's strength and not my own.
Social workers may not have much standing in society,
but what they see every day is not for the feeble hearted.
Not many people give social workers much credit,
but i'm in awe of them,
especially the ones doing this with God's leading (and not just out of a good heart).
To me they are the true soldiers of faith.
there is a joke saying that when social workers die and they meet St Peter in heaven, St Peter would tell them "you were a social worker? come right into heaven my dear, you have already seen your fair share of hell."
They are the ones going into the darkest dungeons of society armed just with the lamp of God,
it's a complete honor to join their ranks.
I've been volunteering with the organization I'll be working with,
to find out more.
just recently i found out that in the volunteer training class I'm in,
the guy who introduced himself as "oh i work in this organization, in the corporate side.",
is actually the CEO himself.
And i only knew because i was flipping through the AGM the other day and there he was at the front few pages in a suit writing the CEO's note.
And the guy seated next to me,
happily chatting with me every week about his wife and 3 missionary daughters,
is the Executive Treasurer of the Board.
You look at these two guys and you would never have guessed that they are high level management staff.
completely down to earth, humble, serving.
and taking saturdays off to VOLUNTEER with the organization they RUN.
I'm in privileged company.
--------------------------------------------------
Week 2 of training coming up!
The craziest thing i've done so far in my 4 months back,
is evaluating 300 video clips in a week.
That's an average of 40 video clips a day,
with each evaluation spanning 4 pages.
When my fellow trainers and i took the job
we thought it would be simple one line evaluation for each student,
and now we're all having our daily schedules (and sleeping patterns) messed up by this massive task.
the punchline?
there is ANOTHER round of 300 video clips AFTER the training sessions.
*sob*
I was completely exhausted even before my first training session,
and sure enough after the first day my body rebelled.
It had quietly tolerated the sudden surge of stress the past week,
and suddenly now it is getting exposed to 4-7km walk on heels, carrying laptop and piles of books up and down stairs, and standing for hours in sweltering heat. While talking enthusiastically.
If my body could talk, i bet it would have screamed at me.
vulgarities.
It couldn't talk, so it did what it could.
I fell sick.
And so started a week of training while popping panadol and cold tablets.
It was soooo crazy.
Amidst it all I got PMS somemore.
So add on another bout of symptoms.
Lagi best.
One of my trainer friends once mentioned to me that he had a cold once and still went for class.
and that was the moment he knew he was in his dream job.
because "usually people can't wait to take MC right? but i still went even when I was sick!"
What he said kept ringing in my head.
Because for all the physical discomfort that was accumulating,
I surprised even myself by how much I still enjoyed myself in class.
In fact I think conducting the training had healing effects on me,
I'd start the day with a sore throat but end with the throat fine (and then flu would arrive)
I had 15 classes in all,
and it was only the last class that i finally felt the effects of the sickness and exhaustion and "dragged" myself through it.
The rest i thoroughly enjoyed,
even as I gave the lesson which includes a self introduction 15 times.
I know myself so well now.
---------------------------------------
The Interview
The interviewer from the unnerving "i-know-what-you-did-last-summer" interview told me they'd let me know if i got through within two weeks.
As the days went by my hopes started diminishing.
Surely they would have called by now if I got through.
In recent weeks I've had visions during prayer and worship and prophesies as well,
and on one level I was quite sure where God was leading me too.
But still no call.
So i was quite confused, and frustrated, that there would be another round of waiting and uncertainty.
Have I heard wrong? surely not? So many times? In such intensity?
on one night i was doing devotion and the lesson was essentially "to commit to God and His vision, and not the ideals and ideas".
I prayed and ask for God to strengthen the fire in me,
that I would continue pursuing the vision He has bestowed on me come what may,
despite the confusion, frustration and uncertainty ahead.
The next day, which was the very last day of the 2 weeks,
the interviewer called.
Turns out there isn't even a 3rd interview,
she offered me a position right there,
while asking somewhat apologetically if I could start in May together with another candidate.
I was like "May is perfect! I have a training job right now till April!"
-----------------------------------
And so it looks like things are finally falling in place now.
Despite the physical "torture" i'm putting my body through,
I'm enjoying every minute of the training stint.
I've been dreaming of something like this since forever.
I would have done it for free (maybe with a more manageable load),
and i can't believe i'm getting paid a pretty cool amount for it.
God has a way of granting us little treats here and there.
As i start my new work as well,
I go in with "fear and trembling".
that is good, because then i go in God's strength and not my own.
Social workers may not have much standing in society,
but what they see every day is not for the feeble hearted.
Not many people give social workers much credit,
but i'm in awe of them,
especially the ones doing this with God's leading (and not just out of a good heart).
To me they are the true soldiers of faith.
there is a joke saying that when social workers die and they meet St Peter in heaven, St Peter would tell them "you were a social worker? come right into heaven my dear, you have already seen your fair share of hell."
They are the ones going into the darkest dungeons of society armed just with the lamp of God,
it's a complete honor to join their ranks.
I've been volunteering with the organization I'll be working with,
to find out more.
just recently i found out that in the volunteer training class I'm in,
the guy who introduced himself as "oh i work in this organization, in the corporate side.",
is actually the CEO himself.
And i only knew because i was flipping through the AGM the other day and there he was at the front few pages in a suit writing the CEO's note.
And the guy seated next to me,
happily chatting with me every week about his wife and 3 missionary daughters,
is the Executive Treasurer of the Board.
You look at these two guys and you would never have guessed that they are high level management staff.
completely down to earth, humble, serving.
and taking saturdays off to VOLUNTEER with the organization they RUN.
I'm in privileged company.
--------------------------------------------------
Week 2 of training coming up!
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