2010 Reflections

Little tidbits of 2010:

January-April:

- Rang in the New Year with some friends from church and their family. It was a little awkward though because I didn’t realize I was the only non-relative invited. They’re like family, but being the only person with no traceable family relationship was a little weird. I learned it’s not as much fun ringing in the new year with couples when you’re single. It was still good times all round.

- My parents went to Korea for a wedding. I took care of the dog. She got sick. Not as sick as she did when my parents went to China, but it still was gross.

- Got hired by VANOC to work during the Olympics – from January till March. It was a bit of a fiasco since I didn’t start until the end of January when I was really supposed to start Jan. 4, and they told me I’d be working at Athlete’s Village, which would have been AMAZING, but really I got to work at the (not so) Quality Inn in Surrey. Major letdown. But the pay and the perks were good, even though the hours were terrible.

- Played piano for a friend’s wedding on Jan. 23. I also got to perform a little at the reception with Ethan Vanderleek. We did some background music while people were coming in to sit down, and we also performed the music for the first dance and the father-daughter dance. It was a great time, and my first time singing solo in public.

- One perk of working for the Olympics – the VANOC invitational Opening Ceremonies Dress Rehearsal. I got to see everything from the opening ceremonies except the torch lighting. It was so amazing seeing it in person – way better than on the TV.

- Another perk of working for VANOC was my accreditation pass which got me into venues (I only had it for the Paralympics). I got to sit in athlete’s seating for some sledge hockey games, and they were great!

- Went to many free concerts during the Olympics: Dan Mangan, Sam Roberts Band, Hot Hot Heat, Said the Whale, Mother Mother...

- I turned 23

- Mexico Mission Trip with my church in March. I got to drive a lot of the way. Driving is the best. No joke. I also helped with leading the music in Mexico for the VBS program

May – August:

- Took summer classes to finish off my BSc degree in Kin

- Worked at The Right Shoe

- Went to Creation Fest with a group from church. Included concerts by: Switchfoot, David Crowder, Hillsong Live, Newsboys and many, many more

- Went camping with the Young Adults from church. We almost got kicked out of the campsite for being too noisy at night. We brought 3 guitars, a drum, a ukulele, and an egg shaker. We got in trouble when singing a hymn. No joke. It was Trees of the Field.

- World Cup Soccer! Need I say more. Highlight for me – The Netherlands vs. Brazil game. SO GOOD!

- Hiked Joffre Lakes with my siblings and my dad. It was not an easy hike, so I was definitely proud of my 60-year-old dad for keeping up with us... for the most part.

- Saw Michael Buble in concert!!! Actually, he walked right past me. I wanted to make this a photo highlight reel, but my old laptop died and I lost most of my photos for now, but I do have a picture for this one:



September – December:

- Got hired by Paris Orthotics – a co-op job, so I’m not officially graduating until next June (2011)

- Walked the Stanley Park Seawall with my mom on a super rainy September Saturday. We were the only walkers on the wall. There were a few die-hard runners and
cyclists as well. We felt hard core. Actually, we are hard core.

- Went to Passion Vancouver in November with some friends. Over 10,000 young adults prising God in the same place. It was simply amazing.

- Went snowshoeing with my mom and brother after Christmas. The weather was stunning. This has become a Boersma family tradition, for whoever can make it.



Well, that’s all I could come up with for this year. I’m sure I forgot a bunch of stuff, oh well. Looking forward to a fabulous 2011!!

Happy New Year!!!

Boersma

In Christ Alone

A week ago, I received a text message from a youth in my church asking for prayer for her mother, who was losing her battle to cancer. I had a hard time putting the words together to pray for this situation. Then,a song came into my head, so I sat at the piano and sang this song as my prayer, dedicating it to the Leenstra family. The cancer took Sheila's life that night. Last night was the funeral and it was beautiful - so much love and support for the family. And the same song that I had played just a week ago for a prayer was performed at the funeral. This is it...

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

A Change of Pace

So I've done it. I made it through my first September of not going to school since I was 4 years old. It's crazy to think of how many years of our lives are spent in the classroom. For me, it's been 1992-2010, that's 18 years of the same routine. 18 years out of 23 alive. And now it's over, and I don't know what to do with myself. Technically I'm still a University student even though my coursework is done because I used the co-op program to help find me a job, since the job market is pretty tough right now.

So, I have a contract working for Paris Orthotics until April 2011, and then I officially graduate in June. I'm working in the orthotics lab, so it's a bit of a nice break from customer service. The people I work with are tons of fun, so I enjoy that. The job in itself though is a little monotonous. All I do is take work orders for orthotics and input the information into the computer system so that the people who actually create the orthotics know what to do. The people making the orthotics have little knowledge of biomechanics or lower limb ailments, so my job is to lay out the instructions clearly for them. I also have to landmark certain points on the foot casts the clinicians send in - like the calcaneal-vertical line for example, which marks where the heel would actually line up with the rest of the leg. Sorry if that doesn't make any sense, but that's the best I can do with explaining it without a visual. Anyways, it's pretty repetitive work, so I'm glad it's short-term.

I am so looking forward to next summer because I plan to go to Europe! It's been something I've wanted to do since going to Europe in gr. 12. And I decided I would wait till I graduated, which is next year officially. I asked my sister if she would be interested in coming with me and she said yes, so right now it's the two of use. After going with a group from school, I decided I wanted to do a trip on my own terms, and go where I wanted to go, so that's what we're doing. Right now, the countries on the list are Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria, Poland, and Croatia, and of course, the Netherlands. I've been looking at sights and selecting where to go so we can figure out what to expect as far as price and timeline go, but apart from that, I kind of want to wing it and play the trip by ear.

This year (meaning September onwards, as we all know the year starts in September) is going to be legendary! Totally different from what I'm used to, which is awesome. I am stoked.

Summer Studying

I think I've been letting too much time pass between posts. It's not like nothing is happening in my life right now, but it all seems so mundane and routine to me by now. Excitement is building within me though, as only 2 finals separate me from having more letters attached to the end of my name - "Elly Boersma, BSc. in Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology". It sounds more impressive than it really is, but it's still a big deal for me. It's taken me 5 years, but I did it...almost. I'm trying to study, but it's such a gorgeous day and I just want to go outside and enjoy summer. Did I mention I hate studying?!?

I won't get to have the actual cap and gown experience until June 2011 though, because I have a co-op job lined up for September to April. Basically the school helped me find work after graduation, not a bad deal, but I get credit for it, so I have to pay course fees. I'm going to be working for Paris Orthotics at their lab where they actually make orthotics. I don't know exactly what my job entails, but I'm basically a "translator", taking what the pedorthist has prescribed and looking at patient foot molds, and putting it in words the lab workers who make the orthotics can understand, so they can make the orthotic. It's a bit confusing, I know, but I don't know exactly what it is either, so I'll enlighten you all when I know what I'm doing. :)

After April, I'm intending to travel, but exact plans are still unclear. Ever since high school, I've been wanting to travel back to Europe, but on my own terms and go where I want to go, so that is definitely an option. My sister is living in China, but there honestly isn't a whole lot else I'd want to do in China. I've always wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand, and I also want to go to Chile...so many places to see, so little money...

As for right now though, I should get back to studying so I actually can graduate. Exams suck.

Boersma

Time out?

Picture this, you're 10 years old, running across the gravel field at the back of your elementary school. It's an intense game of tag. You have been spotted as a prime target, and the "it" man is after you. You run as fast as you can, changing direction to throw them off, but the chase is on. You look down at your feet, urging them to go faster, and notice a shoelace has loosened itself and is flapping in the wind. You refocus on the task at hand, but the pursuer is gaining on you. In one last desperate attempt to escape, you decide to use your shoelace as a scape-goat. "Time out!!" you scream. You kneel down, and take your time re-tying your laces, hoping your pursuer will lose interest in you and move on to someone else, hoping also to catch your breath. As playground code-of-conduct goes, you always honour the time-out. So the "it" man waits patiently. You stand back up. Shoelaces done. You glance at your pursuer. You yell "time in!" as quickly as you can while in the process of running away, hoping for a head start. Knowing in your head, eventually you're going to get caught.

Life has been feeling a little like a game of tag lately. Coming to the end of my degree (I'll have a BSc by the end of the summer!!), the actual real world, beyond the university classroom, is in full pursuit. My life is waiting to begin a whole new journey, but the fear of being in that spot is causing me to run as hard as I can away from it. Sometimes I wish I could just have a time out. I need time to catch my breath. Gather my thoughts. Time to determine a game plan. Maybe I wish my life had a play book. Whatever life threw at me, I could have a practiced response to take on any situation. But then I think, what fun would that be? Where would the spontaneity of life be? Life is not intended to be preprogrammed responses to events. I need to just take life as it comes and learn and grow with every new experience. And I know God will be with me every step of the way.

I'm just nervous about what the future is going to bring to me. Nervous, but also excited to see in what ways will I be stretched and changed into a better and stronger person.

Frustration

It is down to crunch time. The opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Games commence in under 8 hours. Mayhem has ensued. Details are not permitted because you never know who is reading this, but let's just say there's this bus company that isn't cooperating. Gameday has a system to follow and this particular company seems to be the only one that doesn't understand. It's a simple concept really.

1. schedulers outline the routes that need to be driven at what time for events and practices. Done

2. this information is passed on to the companies based on the routes their drivers have been trained on. done

3. Those company supervisors then assign their drivers to the routes. Fail for this one company.

4. Driver's schedules are then passed on to the hotels (ideally in a timely matter). Fail.

I have drivers who haven't done anything except for training since they've been here, 5 days ago. Their names just haven't made the schedule yet. Let the Games begin!

I'm not very good at keeping secrets. They consume me. Actually, it's not that I can't keep a secret, I won't tell anyone, but it takes a lot out of me because I think about it all the time. I often speak before thinking, so in order to prevent myself from blurting out a secret, I need to make sure I'm thinking. Anyways, I got to see the Opening Ceremonies dress rehearsal on Wednesday. It was a Vanoc employee/volunteer invitational and all the headlining acts were there. The hard part is keeping the secret. I am so glad it's tonight, because then it won't be a secret anymore. I'll be free.

When people ask me how it was? It was great! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't know how good it will be on TV because I think the live experience adds to how good a show was, but I definitely recommend watching it. And watch it from the beginning. It starts at 6.

"Is that it?"

I was sad I had to work while my friend Adana carried the Olympic torch through part of Surrey yesterday, it would have been cool to see her run it. I had to work at 4pm, and I had spent the night before at home, so I got stuck in crazy traffic on the way to work, but I thought nothing of it because I didn't think the torch was coming down that stretch of King George Highway. The closer I got to work, the more people I saw lining the street. Turns out the torch was coming down my stretch of King George. It took almost 10 minutes for me to turn into the parking lot, and then I ran to the street to watch. After the torch went by, one kid turned to his dad and asked "is that it?"...haha you gotta love kids. It's true though, there was so much hype, but when it comes down to it, it's not such a big deal. Some guy carrying the flame lights the next lady's torch, they hug and dance around, and she continues down the street. Done.

As for me, work is still crazy, disorganized, and very last-minute, but you can see things slowly coming together. I still know that once Friday comes around the chaos will become a little more organized chaos, people will be cranky pulling long hours with little rest, and bad food.

The drivers at my hotel love us. (how could you not? haha). Apparently there are issues with other RAs not doing what their supposed to and just not being very helpful at other hotels, so right now, even with a lack of amenities, the Quality Inn is the envy of all the other drivers. Most of the drivers here are recently retired, in their early 60s, and basically not much older than my dad. They bring us cookies and other snacks they stole from the bus depot, extra sandwiches they sneak from lunch, a dinner they don't want, you name it, it's great. I get a per diem for food allowance and I don't have to buy much food at all because the drivers keep feeding me. One driver went out to get me a donut along his route, said he'd surprise me, and came back with a box of 15 timbits. It's so sweet. I think some of them are just trying to butter us up. They've already been joking around about "favors" on Valentine's day - don't worry I've turned them all down. The vast majority are joking, but there's one or two that I think are not...a little creepy, but I'll just have to keep my eye on them.

That's it for now. These posts are turning into the diaries of the Vanoc employee, but really not much else is going on in my life right now, aside from planning for the mission trip to Mexico with my church youth at the end of March.

I'm not ready

When I was little, we used to play a game with my dad before bed that we appropriately named "I'm not ready". This game consisted of me and my siblings jumping on my parent's bed and my dad had to grab us, but he wasn't allowed on the bed. When he caught us, he would throw us over his shoulder and bring us to bed, one by one. Just so you know, even though I'm the youngest, I almost always "won" by being the last one left jumping on the bed. I don't really know why, but this seems like a good analogy for what's going on with the Olympics right now, so I'm going to go with it for now.

The Olympics are inevitable. They can't be postponed or negotiated, but they are set in stone, just like my childhood bedtime. Outwardly, to the untrained eye, Vanoc looks ready, just as I had my pajamas on and teeth brushed before playing the pre-bedtime game, and to anyone who wasn't my parent, I appeared ready for bed. But on the inside, I was not ready, and neither are they. This job is so disorganized. Hopefully they get their act together before the world gets here.

This job is through the co-op program at school, and although it has almost nothing to do with my degree aside from that it is connected to the transportation for the olympics, which is sports-related, and kinesiology is sports-related too. It is also designed to help us with direction for what career path we intend to take in the future. I am confirming I am not cut out for office jobs. I hate being stuck behind a desk. It is so dull and boring and I feel so sluggish. I think I get more exercise being in school, because I don't sit for a whole 8 hours in class. I've been considering the PDP program for highschool education at either SFU or UBC, but it scares me. I was a bit of a brat to teachers in highschool, and I wasn't near the worst one, and I think my antics would annoy myself, if that makes sense. Maybe I can learn to deal. I don't really know many other options with a kinesiology degree. Seeing as I graduate soon, I need to start figuring this out...

Bored

So I finally started "working" now, which is good, but everything is still so disorganized, it's driving me nuts. I put working in quotations because I'm not exactly doing anything right now.

I got hoe from a wedding reception on Saturday night, and decided to check my email because I was supposed to have heard something from Gameday regarding my start date and schedule. Sure enough, I got an email, and when I opened my schedule, it said I start 10am on Sunday, and that I needed to check in to my hotel and then wait for my supervisor to come and train me. So, I showed up and checked in without having anything because I had no time to pack. I'm staying at the Quality Inn in Surrey at least until March 5. There are 2 other RAs at my hotel, and we have to share a room, which has a main, typical hotel room, with a second bedroom with 2 beds in it, so 3 beds in total. We also have a kitchenette, with microwave, kettle, stove and fridge. It's all tiny, but functional.

So I check in, and one of the other girls showed up, and we just hung out in the room getting acquainted and waited for some direction. A manager finally showed up at around noon, but he didn't have much more information for us as he hadn't been told anything either, except that we had a few drivers showing up who needed to sign an agreement that they would behave at the hotel.

So between the 3 resident advisers at my hotel, there are 3 different shifts each day; one person covers midnight-8:30am, one person 8am-4:30pm and one 4pm-12:30am. I got lucky and scored the 8-4:30 shift, 6 days per week. The downside is, since we are all sharing a room, people are constantly coming and going at weird hours, so I think sleep will be limited. What a gong show this all is. Crazy.

As for right now, I'm sitting on a couch in my hotel room, trying to occupy myself with things to do till 4:30. There really is nothing. So I'm getting paid close to $18 per hour to hang out at a hotel.

The Truth Comes Out

Watching the Winter Olympics has been one of the highlights of my university career. I remember back in first year, winter of 2006, Torino Italy, cutting classes to watch events with Jackie. TVs were propped up around campus with crowds of people huddled around watching whatever happened to be on at the time. I don't like crowds, neither does Jackie, so we managed to discover a lecture hall in the Computer Science hallway with constant Olympics coverage projected on the wall, comfortable seating, and no one else in the room. Every chance we had, we would sit in that room and watch everything from curling to bobsleigh. When I found out the Olympics would be here in 2010, I couldn't wait for this year to come. It seemed so far off then...

When the opportunity came up to get a job with the Olympics, I jumped at it. It seemed too good to be true. For those that don't know, I was offered a job as a resident advisor. I didn't know what that was, but I was told I'd be living at Olympic Village for free, get a bunch of free clothing, and it was going to be great. I was so excited for this opportunity to rub shoulders with the athletes.

I had a training session today, and some of my dreams were shattered. Apparently I don't know how to speak Vanoc-anese - let me explain. It turns out that "Athlete's village" actually means "random hotel at some location in the lower mainland", "free clothing" translates to "black and orange coat", "athletes" means "bus drivers", and "resident advisor" is really "hotel concierge". Basically, I am going to be living at a hotel for 2 months, but they haven't told me where yet, and send bus drivers on their way to their shuttles to take them to the bus depot. I get to give out meal tickets, make sure they have their cell phones, and contact hotel front desk if a bus driver is being a tool and needs something. I get money for food. And I am going to be nowhere near Olympic venues. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Olympic Woes

Year 2010 has begun like no other in the history of my life. First off, over Christmas holidays, my mom got a herniated disc and has been a little out of commission since. That, however, has not prevented her from traveling to the other side of the world with my dad to go to Seoul Korea for a wedding. They left yesterday morning. I guess my mom is tougher than I thought. ;)

My opa fell on New Years Day, bringing him to the hospital with a broken hip. He had surgery the same day and is recovering in the hospital.

I was supposed to start work with VANOC on Jan. 4 as a resident adviser in athlete's village until after the Paralympics. VANOC hired another company, Angus One, to run the co-op students (which includes me), and the process is taking longer than they expected. So, I found out Jan. 1 that the start date would be Jan. 8 and we would get more information before then. Today came, and still no word, so I emailed Angus One asking for some info. They said they're behind schedule and training wont start till next week because nothing is up and running yet.

This has been the most stressful pre-work experience I have ever had. I really hope the job isn't this stressful. So now, I get another couple days of holidays...and I'm starting to get bored.