First day of work

My first day of work was today. I actually did not go to the center; I went to one of the trustee's home. Apparently the two trustees fund most of the organization from their own pocket money-- amazing! The organization is being painted, and my bronchitis is so bad that I may have imploded had I gone today.

I talked with the trustees about the organization, and the amount that they have done is really fantastic. They have somehow tackled vocational training, job training, nutrition awareness, tutoring, childcare, legal awareness-- everything! For such a small group, they have done so much.

Also, there are so many benefits to working with a small group. In addition to fulfilling their needs, I can work on whatever I want! One thing that I want to do is conduct interviews with people in slums to look at changes in employment trends over the last few years. As you know, India's getting a ton of money from its IT industry. As you also know, India's economy has boomed in the last three years. Apparently, the organization has data from three years ago, so I am going to update this data. I have to write a paper for CMC, so I'm really excited to have a project that can help the organization and that I'm really interested in. How cool!

In July, when India's schools starts, I will also make field trips to schools in slums. Right now it's going to be planning, planning, planning, and spending LOTS of time with children. I've been brainstorming lots of games to play with them!

I actually suck at interacting with children. One thing that I think will be to my advantage is my limited ability to speak Hindi. When I was little, I felt so excited to teach someone something. I'll ask the kids to teach me Hindi (since I can understand it). This will be awesome because (1) I will bond with the kids (2) I help the kids' self-confidence and leadership potential-- since they are kids in slums and (3)I will learn Hindi-- Win, Win right? Apparently, the kids get really excited when people overseas come to visit.

I also found out that some UN representatives will be at a reception for the center on June 22! How cool! It's amazing how this tiny internship is going to evolve into something so big. I'm so excited for this.

I'm really excited for my paper and my visits to the slums.

Today, for the first day in months (since I started losing the ability to walk), I'm beginning to feel like myself. I've been happy, but I've been feeling really worn out, exhausted, and uninspired about my professional future. I used to dream for big things, but with the surgery, radiation, and horible pain, I felt really worn down. The tumor really improved my friendships and personal life, but it killed my self-esteem and motivation. I felt like I was losing opportunities-- scholarships, majoring in what I want, and studying abroad. I feel like me again-- I feel like one day, I can do great things. I feel like I can dream big again.