Lately I've been feeling a little like Job. As the plans start to fall into place for the coming year at least, as I intend to follow my heart and dreams, I feel my life is crumbling around me. Maybe this sounds a little over-dramatic. Maybe it is. But this is how it feels right now.
My uncle has been out of commission for 2 months now after his sudden accident that has changed his life and his family's life dramatically. The outlook is promising, but his rehab options at this point are limited since he is unable to do any weight-bearing. So we wait. And we pray for healing. And we pray for a better facility with less geriatric patients. And we ask for patience.
I figured this event, which marked the end of an emotional February, would be the end for a bit, and that I could coast by for a while. That things would get better. Everything was going well until I received notice last week that a friend and former co-worker of mine took his own life the weekend before. I have never lost anyone close to me. And this seemed like such an unfair way to die. All we were left with were questions. Why? Was there something I could have done? As coworkers, we all got together one night to talk, support each other, and spend time together. It was tough, but we also got to talk about the good times and the laughs we had spent with our friend. We said our last goodbyes on Wednesday at a memorial service at SFU. It was a time full of tears, but also laughter and pride, as we were all grateful to have known such a wonderful man.
In the week between hearing the news and attending the funeral, I coasted along in a haze, trying to get through the days at work. I was left wondering what if I had shared my faith with him. Would that have made a difference? It wasn't until the memorial service that I found out he was a Christian, and it all made sense. He emulated Christ through his actions and his love. He had a genuine heart and gave so much of himself. Maybe so much that he was left empty and ran out of care for himself. During this week, I was also searching for ways to deal with my pain. A friend of mine lost her mom to colon cancer back in November. She shaved her head on her mom's birthday in February in remembrance and donated her hair to make wigs. I had been wanting to do that for a long time (donate my hair, not shave it) so I had grown it out for a while and it was getting really long. I decided last Saturday to just go out and do it. So with everything I needed, I went to the mall and walked into a hair salon, got an appointment right away, and cut off about 9 inches of my hair. I put it in a bag and mailed it away.
It's amazing what a haircut can do. I now understand the grieving process in the Bible. I always wondered why people would dress in rags and shave their heads while in mourning. It seemed a little excessive to me. But cutting my hair to the shortest it's ever been (it's still about shoulder length) not only took physical weight off my head, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I find it hard to explain, but through supporting a friend, remembering what my mom and my family went through with her cancer, by remembering a friend, and carrying out an act of love, I was able to deal with my grief and overcome the initial stage in the grieving process. The cloud around me that was closing me off from the rest of the world evaporated as well, and I was able to carry on. And I know that's what my friend would have wanted - to remember him, but carry on.
Which leads me back to Job. The story of Job, which some scholars believe never actually happened but we wont get into that now, although much more traumatic than my life shares some similarities with what I've been going through. The people around Job were suffering and dieing, and he dealt with it by shaving his head - just as it says here in Job 1:13-22:
"One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.”"
Even after all that he had gone through (and this is just the beginning) Job grieved his losses and was still able to praise God. Now it's up to me to do the same.
On that note, here's to better days and a sunny weekend!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
February 2011 - Month of Madness
They say March comes in like a lion - would that be why my February ended like a lion as well? So many things happened, I don't even think I can give an adequate recap that would do justice to the situation.
1. My sister decided to surprise the family and drop in on her way back home to China...from India! I found out a couple days before she arrived because she made the error of contacting someone within the school community. Any of you who went to Fraser Valley would know how quickly word spreads. An administrator whom I will not mention by name, unknowingly spilled the beans at a worship team practice at the church. I didn't believe her, but the I confirmed with my sister online that night and had to keep a big secret for an entire day. My parents were so shocked when she arrived. We spent the week she was here hanging out and playing board games, which is quite the competitive experience in my house.
2. I applied to Calvin Seminary for a masters program in music there and had one of my references pending. I needed to be accepted by a certain date in order to qualify for financial aid, which is imperative. It was coming close, so I made a plea and managed to get accepted just in time for financial aid applications. My mind is not 100% made up yet, but the option is there.
3. I was in a car accident last Saturday. It was small - a lady in a minivan ran a stop sign in the snow and hit my driver's side door. My car was written off so now I have to start from square 1 again. For the time being I will be a transit rider and bicycler.
4. I was wanting February to be over because so many other things were going on as well. On the last day of February, I found out my uncle was in a really bad accident - his car was hit head-on by a semi. It took 3 hours to get him out of his vehicle, then he was air-lifted to Royal Columbian Hospital. He went through surgery right away - we all feared the worst. Miraculously, my uncle survived with a broken arm, heel, and hip, and should make a full recovery - after extensive rehab of course. He is doing really well and I am so thankful to still have him in my life.
This is just the shortened version of my month, but trust me, it was crazy. I'll go more detailed later, but I'm tired and should probably call it a night...
1. My sister decided to surprise the family and drop in on her way back home to China...from India! I found out a couple days before she arrived because she made the error of contacting someone within the school community. Any of you who went to Fraser Valley would know how quickly word spreads. An administrator whom I will not mention by name, unknowingly spilled the beans at a worship team practice at the church. I didn't believe her, but the I confirmed with my sister online that night and had to keep a big secret for an entire day. My parents were so shocked when she arrived. We spent the week she was here hanging out and playing board games, which is quite the competitive experience in my house.
2. I applied to Calvin Seminary for a masters program in music there and had one of my references pending. I needed to be accepted by a certain date in order to qualify for financial aid, which is imperative. It was coming close, so I made a plea and managed to get accepted just in time for financial aid applications. My mind is not 100% made up yet, but the option is there.
3. I was in a car accident last Saturday. It was small - a lady in a minivan ran a stop sign in the snow and hit my driver's side door. My car was written off so now I have to start from square 1 again. For the time being I will be a transit rider and bicycler.
4. I was wanting February to be over because so many other things were going on as well. On the last day of February, I found out my uncle was in a really bad accident - his car was hit head-on by a semi. It took 3 hours to get him out of his vehicle, then he was air-lifted to Royal Columbian Hospital. He went through surgery right away - we all feared the worst. Miraculously, my uncle survived with a broken arm, heel, and hip, and should make a full recovery - after extensive rehab of course. He is doing really well and I am so thankful to still have him in my life.
This is just the shortened version of my month, but trust me, it was crazy. I'll go more detailed later, but I'm tired and should probably call it a night...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A Christmas Miracle?
So I've realized I haven't posted any stories lately of the random events that often occur in my life. Sometimes when I write blogs, I just cover the basics of my life and then I feel like my life is boring, since it's not always that eventful. So I plan to change this line of thought and start posting some more of those zany aspects of my life. This particular story, though not entirely Christmas related, occurred on Christmas Eve...
My parents always visit my Grandma in Abbotsford every Friday at Menno Hospital care facility. This particular Friday happened to be Christmas Eve. They usually leave around 2pm, and since both myself and my brother had to work on Christmas Eve, we decided to go meet up with them and see my Grandma and then have dinner with my Grandpa.
For a little bit of background, my car, although it works great, has a little glitch occasionally with the windshield wipers. And me, being the not-so-cautious person that I am, have not had them looked at yet by someone who knows anything about cars. What happens is that sometimes they get stuck on my windshield and stop working. No big deal, right?
Well, on the way home from my Grandparents place, it was pouring rain. I begged my brother to ride with me in my car so I wouldn't be alone. So there we were, driving down the freeway. It's dark. It's pouring. And I can't see. The window is blurry. The lines on the road are not very clear. The windshield wipers are stuck. This is just a situation for disaster. My brother rolls down his window, reaches his arm out and move the wipers with his hand. They start working again. A few moments later, they stop again, and he rolls his window down, and fixes them. This continued the entire way home. From Abbotsford to Surrey. There were times I thought we were for sure going to crash and die. I thought that would be the last time my brother would ever drive with me again. I think he was more scared than I was. At least I was laughing about it. We joked a little about what a sight we must be to the other drivers on the road, but I could tell by the hesitation in his laugh that he was very uneasy about the situation. Needless to say, we made it home, car and all, in one piece and lived to see Christmas, my brother with a very wet and cold right arm, and me with some mild anxiety and a large dose of thanks.
I think I should get those wipers looked at...
My parents always visit my Grandma in Abbotsford every Friday at Menno Hospital care facility. This particular Friday happened to be Christmas Eve. They usually leave around 2pm, and since both myself and my brother had to work on Christmas Eve, we decided to go meet up with them and see my Grandma and then have dinner with my Grandpa.
For a little bit of background, my car, although it works great, has a little glitch occasionally with the windshield wipers. And me, being the not-so-cautious person that I am, have not had them looked at yet by someone who knows anything about cars. What happens is that sometimes they get stuck on my windshield and stop working. No big deal, right?
Well, on the way home from my Grandparents place, it was pouring rain. I begged my brother to ride with me in my car so I wouldn't be alone. So there we were, driving down the freeway. It's dark. It's pouring. And I can't see. The window is blurry. The lines on the road are not very clear. The windshield wipers are stuck. This is just a situation for disaster. My brother rolls down his window, reaches his arm out and move the wipers with his hand. They start working again. A few moments later, they stop again, and he rolls his window down, and fixes them. This continued the entire way home. From Abbotsford to Surrey. There were times I thought we were for sure going to crash and die. I thought that would be the last time my brother would ever drive with me again. I think he was more scared than I was. At least I was laughing about it. We joked a little about what a sight we must be to the other drivers on the road, but I could tell by the hesitation in his laugh that he was very uneasy about the situation. Needless to say, we made it home, car and all, in one piece and lived to see Christmas, my brother with a very wet and cold right arm, and me with some mild anxiety and a large dose of thanks.
I think I should get those wipers looked at...
Friday, December 31, 2010
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
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
Saturday, December 04, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
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
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
Monday, May 03, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, February 12, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
"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.
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.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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...
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...
Monday, January 25, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, January 22, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
"Simply having a wonderful Christmas-time"
I love Christmas. Christmas movies, music, trees, the cold weather...it's great! Not much to say here about life as it is right now. I am still waiting to get more information from VANOC on a job that I am supposed to start a week from Monday. I hate the uncertainty, but I guess I could consider this a lesson in patience. Basically, what I know thus far is that I am going to be a Resident Adviser for the athletes at Olympic Village - but they still haven't told me if I'm in Vancouver or Whistler. VANOC has to be the least organised employer I have ever worked with.
Here's just the highlight reel of the Christmas holidays so far:
- worked a lot
- took my mom snowshoeing (this has become a tradition for us) and my brother came too. The sucky part was that the only day we had free was a day that it was raining on the local mountains. We still had fun though
- Went to my uncle's for dinner with the cousins on Christmas Eve. We had fondu. It was delicious.
- Went to see my Grandma and Grandpa at Menno Hospital in Abbotsford on Christmas morning after going to my Grandpa's church in Abbotsford. (My Grandma lives at Menno). It was great to see her but hard because you never know when it's going to be the last Christmas with her.
- I played piano with my Grandpa and another lady singing Christmas carols. I had never done anything like that with my Grandpa before and it was great.
- In the afternoon on Christmas, we went to my parent's church to help with a community dinner for people with nowhere to go on Christmas.
Here's just the highlight reel of the Christmas holidays so far:
- worked a lot
- took my mom snowshoeing (this has become a tradition for us) and my brother came too. The sucky part was that the only day we had free was a day that it was raining on the local mountains. We still had fun though
- Went to my uncle's for dinner with the cousins on Christmas Eve. We had fondu. It was delicious.
- Went to see my Grandma and Grandpa at Menno Hospital in Abbotsford on Christmas morning after going to my Grandpa's church in Abbotsford. (My Grandma lives at Menno). It was great to see her but hard because you never know when it's going to be the last Christmas with her.
- I played piano with my Grandpa and another lady singing Christmas carols. I had never done anything like that with my Grandpa before and it was great.
- In the afternoon on Christmas, we went to my parent's church to help with a community dinner for people with nowhere to go on Christmas.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Time
...I need more...
...if only I had more....
...it would be done but I ran out of...
...there's never enough...
...life would be so much easier if I just have more...
...free...
...spare...
...leisure...
...buy some...
...kill...
...waste...
This four-letter word seems to comprise so much of our vocabulary. It also seems to be blamed for most of our misfortunes. As the end of this semester nears, there never seems to be enough time. Not enough time to study, to finish my assignments, to spend time with friends, to spend time with God, to clean my room, to do my laundry, to think about my future...
I have been asked the questions people normally get asked as they near their undergraduate career. "So Elly, what do you plan to do for the rest of your life?" The rest of my life? Really? I know I'm not much of a planner, but seriously, that's over 50 years (hopefully) that I have left. Do I really need to consider that far in advance? Now, I know that's not exactly what they mean, but it seems that way some time. Now that I'm 22, I really should know what career path I want to take and what my goals in life are - but I don't think that's realistic. Some people do know at this point what career path they want to take. I don't think God programmed me to work that way. All I know is that He will be with me every step of the way.
I had an interview today with VANOC that went really well. They "conditionally offered" me a job today which was different than the ones I was applying for. Basically, my interviewer is promoting me for the position at the end of today with the rest of the VANOC, so as long as the other VANOC staff haven't handed out a lot of offers for this position, my chances are pretty high. She thought I would be a good fit as a Resident Advisor - it would be coordinating that the people in Olympic Village get to where they need to go, that their stuff goes with them, and liase with the bus drivers. I wont know all the details until I get the formal offer, but the exciting part is I would have to live on site, which would be pretty sweet, so we'll see.
As far as graduation goes, it looks like it'll be in August, which is fine, because I have no plans aside travel for after grad, so this buys me more time before I need to apply for a "real job".
So I think I have wasted enough time. It's time to return to my homework and finish this semester strong - second-last semester of undergrad...it feels great!
...if only I had more....
...it would be done but I ran out of...
...there's never enough...
...life would be so much easier if I just have more...
...free...
...spare...
...leisure...
...buy some...
...kill...
...waste...
This four-letter word seems to comprise so much of our vocabulary. It also seems to be blamed for most of our misfortunes. As the end of this semester nears, there never seems to be enough time. Not enough time to study, to finish my assignments, to spend time with friends, to spend time with God, to clean my room, to do my laundry, to think about my future...
I have been asked the questions people normally get asked as they near their undergraduate career. "So Elly, what do you plan to do for the rest of your life?" The rest of my life? Really? I know I'm not much of a planner, but seriously, that's over 50 years (hopefully) that I have left. Do I really need to consider that far in advance? Now, I know that's not exactly what they mean, but it seems that way some time. Now that I'm 22, I really should know what career path I want to take and what my goals in life are - but I don't think that's realistic. Some people do know at this point what career path they want to take. I don't think God programmed me to work that way. All I know is that He will be with me every step of the way.
I had an interview today with VANOC that went really well. They "conditionally offered" me a job today which was different than the ones I was applying for. Basically, my interviewer is promoting me for the position at the end of today with the rest of the VANOC, so as long as the other VANOC staff haven't handed out a lot of offers for this position, my chances are pretty high. She thought I would be a good fit as a Resident Advisor - it would be coordinating that the people in Olympic Village get to where they need to go, that their stuff goes with them, and liase with the bus drivers. I wont know all the details until I get the formal offer, but the exciting part is I would have to live on site, which would be pretty sweet, so we'll see.
As far as graduation goes, it looks like it'll be in August, which is fine, because I have no plans aside travel for after grad, so this buys me more time before I need to apply for a "real job".
So I think I have wasted enough time. It's time to return to my homework and finish this semester strong - second-last semester of undergrad...it feels great!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hello, I am in Ontario
I've been in Ontario this past week for my cousin Alesha's wedding in Kitchener. I played piano for the wedding, so I had to be here in time for the wedding rehearsal, but instead of coming for just those two days, we (my parents and I) decided to make a bit of a holiday of it and come in early. What a great decision! This week has been fantastic, so I have to tell you all about it.
We flew in on Tuesday, but because of the time change, the whole day was pretty much gone by the time we got here. We were tired from the flight to London and the drive to Cambridge (remember, this is Ontario not England) we decided to call it a night and go to bed "early". Early being 12pm Ontario time, but only 9pm in BC.
The next morning we woke up refreshed. Wednesday. The weather for the week was not looking too promising, but the forecast for the day was gorgeous, so we figured it would be a perfect day to drive to Niagara Falls. It was gorseous. Nice and hot, but also not too humid, and the spray from the falls was the most refreshing thing. We had a picnic, took a long walk, looked at some shops, then came back to Cambridge for some dinner.
Thursday, we took the drive to Toronto to see the sights. We wanted to see the CN tower, but seeing as it would be $20 each to take a ride up to the top to get a view of the city, we decided to see the view of the CN tower from the sidewalk. We had a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Ontario, then proceeded to a place I really wanted to see - the Hockey Hall of Fame. I loved reading up on the history of the best Canadian sport and seeing the architectural beauty of the old bank the Hall of Fame was situated in, but best of all was the item sitting upstairs. On the top floor was all the awards hockey player dream of, from the Hart Trophy to the Vezina. But best of all was the trophy behind the velvet rope. The biggest prize in hockey. The Stanley Cup. I waited in line for my chance to get a photo taken with the cup. (I'll post some photos later) It was great. We decided to beat the traffic and left before 4, but the weather had other ideas. Tornadoes were hitting the greater Toronto area as we headed back South the Cambridge. There were strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, and brilliant lightning. I never saw a tornado, but heard later on the news the massive destruction that took place not far from where we were driving.
That evening, I was invited to my cousin's bachelorette party, which was a blast. We started by taking a fitness dance class thing, then went "bouldering" which is basically wall climbing without a harness, so you don't go as high. It was a blast, as well as a great workout. After, we relaxed our muscles in the hot tub, then went to open presents, eat food, and have some drinks. I was told it was going to be at a fitness club, so I just wore some workout pants and a tank top, but following the main event, a bunch of the girls wanted to go clubbing, so I accepted the invite. I was way under-dressed. We went to a club with a dress code, and I don't think I would have gotten in if it weren't for one of the bridesmaids knowing one of the bouncers. So, there I am, in a fancy club where the ladies wear dresses (mostly) and a lot of the guys were wearing dress clothes, and I'm in there wearing runners, yoga pants, and a racer back tank top. So out of place. It was almost comical. I still had a good time, so that's all that matters. We ended the night at a bar, where I was much more at home with the way I was dressed.
Since I got in late on Thursday, more like Friday morning, I spent most of the morning sleeping, so my parents went to St. Jacob's, an Old Order Mennonite community close to Kitchener. They're sort of like the Amish in their way of living. I went shopping at some outlet stores, then had the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in the evening.
Saturday was the wedding, which went really well. We had about 4 hours to kill before the reception, so I went with my Uncle and some cousins to St. Jacob's to go to the farm market, and hopefully see some horse-drawn carriages. We didn't see any there, so we drove to a nearby town called Elmira, where we came across some Mennonites in a carriage at McDonald's. It was quite the sight to see. There you have a horse and buggy on the side of the road with a man in traditional clothing. Then you see a lady in a bonnet and traditional clothing walking towards the buggy with a McFlurry, coffee, and a bag of food from McDonald's. It seemed like twisted logic as a group so against modern advances is supporting a consumerism giant.
Interesting fact: We learned later that day that the McDonald's we saw was the only McDonald's in Canada with a hitching post. The reception was a blast, just a good time over all.
Today I got to go to Canada's Wonderland with my Boersma cousins and my Uncle. It was a great time. Some great roller coasters as well as water slides, and the weather held up nicely for us as well. But, I should head off to bed - early morning tomorrow as I head back to the beautiful west coast.
Night.
Boersma
We flew in on Tuesday, but because of the time change, the whole day was pretty much gone by the time we got here. We were tired from the flight to London and the drive to Cambridge (remember, this is Ontario not England) we decided to call it a night and go to bed "early". Early being 12pm Ontario time, but only 9pm in BC.
The next morning we woke up refreshed. Wednesday. The weather for the week was not looking too promising, but the forecast for the day was gorgeous, so we figured it would be a perfect day to drive to Niagara Falls. It was gorseous. Nice and hot, but also not too humid, and the spray from the falls was the most refreshing thing. We had a picnic, took a long walk, looked at some shops, then came back to Cambridge for some dinner.
Thursday, we took the drive to Toronto to see the sights. We wanted to see the CN tower, but seeing as it would be $20 each to take a ride up to the top to get a view of the city, we decided to see the view of the CN tower from the sidewalk. We had a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Ontario, then proceeded to a place I really wanted to see - the Hockey Hall of Fame. I loved reading up on the history of the best Canadian sport and seeing the architectural beauty of the old bank the Hall of Fame was situated in, but best of all was the item sitting upstairs. On the top floor was all the awards hockey player dream of, from the Hart Trophy to the Vezina. But best of all was the trophy behind the velvet rope. The biggest prize in hockey. The Stanley Cup. I waited in line for my chance to get a photo taken with the cup. (I'll post some photos later) It was great. We decided to beat the traffic and left before 4, but the weather had other ideas. Tornadoes were hitting the greater Toronto area as we headed back South the Cambridge. There were strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, and brilliant lightning. I never saw a tornado, but heard later on the news the massive destruction that took place not far from where we were driving.
That evening, I was invited to my cousin's bachelorette party, which was a blast. We started by taking a fitness dance class thing, then went "bouldering" which is basically wall climbing without a harness, so you don't go as high. It was a blast, as well as a great workout. After, we relaxed our muscles in the hot tub, then went to open presents, eat food, and have some drinks. I was told it was going to be at a fitness club, so I just wore some workout pants and a tank top, but following the main event, a bunch of the girls wanted to go clubbing, so I accepted the invite. I was way under-dressed. We went to a club with a dress code, and I don't think I would have gotten in if it weren't for one of the bridesmaids knowing one of the bouncers. So, there I am, in a fancy club where the ladies wear dresses (mostly) and a lot of the guys were wearing dress clothes, and I'm in there wearing runners, yoga pants, and a racer back tank top. So out of place. It was almost comical. I still had a good time, so that's all that matters. We ended the night at a bar, where I was much more at home with the way I was dressed.
Since I got in late on Thursday, more like Friday morning, I spent most of the morning sleeping, so my parents went to St. Jacob's, an Old Order Mennonite community close to Kitchener. They're sort of like the Amish in their way of living. I went shopping at some outlet stores, then had the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in the evening.
Saturday was the wedding, which went really well. We had about 4 hours to kill before the reception, so I went with my Uncle and some cousins to St. Jacob's to go to the farm market, and hopefully see some horse-drawn carriages. We didn't see any there, so we drove to a nearby town called Elmira, where we came across some Mennonites in a carriage at McDonald's. It was quite the sight to see. There you have a horse and buggy on the side of the road with a man in traditional clothing. Then you see a lady in a bonnet and traditional clothing walking towards the buggy with a McFlurry, coffee, and a bag of food from McDonald's. It seemed like twisted logic as a group so against modern advances is supporting a consumerism giant.
Interesting fact: We learned later that day that the McDonald's we saw was the only McDonald's in Canada with a hitching post. The reception was a blast, just a good time over all.
Today I got to go to Canada's Wonderland with my Boersma cousins and my Uncle. It was a great time. Some great roller coasters as well as water slides, and the weather held up nicely for us as well. But, I should head off to bed - early morning tomorrow as I head back to the beautiful west coast.
Night.
Boersma
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Time to Clean
So today is cleaning day, and that is why I blog, mostly to postpone the inevitable. Thankfully there have been no more poo incidents, but for the past 2 days, the dog has thrown-up in the basement. I cleaned it up yesterday, only to wake up to more vomit this morning. I am currently in the process of desensitizing my brain to its nastiness so I can start to clean it up. This is not the only reason why I am cleaning today. My parents come home this week on Wednesday, and I need to make the house look like I've cared for it regularly over the past few weeks. They read this sometimes, so I guess the secret's out. It's not too bad, it's tidy, but it needs to get clean.
I decided not to feed the dog this morning until she starts bugging me for food. If she's sick, I dont want any more of her messes around the house.
Ok, that's enough, I should get to it. At least this time half the mess is on the linoleum.
Boersma
I decided not to feed the dog this morning until she starts bugging me for food. If she's sick, I dont want any more of her messes around the house.
Ok, that's enough, I should get to it. At least this time half the mess is on the linoleum.
Boersma
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Grouch
It was around 5:15 at The Right Shoe today, a time less than an hour before closing where we get a lot of people just coming in to browse. I approached one lady who seemed to be studying the shoes more carefully than the other customers were, which was enough evidence to show me she was not a browser but a shopper. I approached her and asked her if she had any questions. Sure enough she did. She told me about the Merrell hiking shoes she had purchased before and how their insole had the best support for her foot and that nothing else had better support (which I believe is a little flawed - in an arch support war I think Birkenstock would be the hands-down winner). However, this time she was not looking for a hiking type shoe but wanted a bit more of a dressy sandal that she could wear to the office but also take long walks in. Ok, so my task is to find a comfortable dress shoe for her...can be done. She shot down some of my ideas, but managed to pick out one she liked. I was about to grab her one in her size when another customer who had just walked in stopped me to ask me a question. The other girl I was working with was upstairs at the time dealing with a customer on the phone, so it was just me on the floor with about 4 people in the store, so naturally I listened to the other customer's question.
The other lady was looking for a sandal for walking for a trip she is going on in the fall. She wanted to know if the sandals would go on sale before then of if she's better off getting them now. She told me the brands that were recommended by her podiatrist at Paris Orthotics, and I told her those brands don't go on sale very often and if they do, it's because we only have the "extreme" sizes left like 6 or 11 and she was a 9-1/2. I was on my way to just point out where she should look for the sandals when the other lady I was helping stops me and says, "Excuse me, but I was here first." And I was like, "yes, I realize that." What else do you want me to say, really? Then she said, "aren't you going to grab me my shoes?" And I responded with, "yep, I'm getting them, I'm just showing this lady where to look, but I'll get them in a second." With that, the lady slipped her shoe back on and stormed out of the store, leaving me completely flabbergasted and the other lady who had come in after felt so bad. She turned to me and said, "I'm so sorry. I lost you a customer." And I just said, "Don't feel bad. If that's her attitude I don't want to help her anyways. What am I supposed to do? I'm the only one down here. I can't ignore everyone and just focus on her. It's not your fault."
I had to reassure this lady several times that it wasn't her fault and that I don't want to deal with people like the grumpy lady anyways. The other lady was much more pleasant to work with.
I think I just don't understand where the grumpy lady was coming from. If I'm in a store which clearly has more customers than sales associates, I don't expect to be waited on. If the sales person quickly stops to guide someone else, that's fine. That is their job and it is also more efficient for sales if you can grab something for one person while the other is looking for things they like in the right section. If I didn't guide the second lady where to go, she probably would have picked out some sandals that weren't good for her feet and I would have to correct her and show her what would be better and why. If I can avoid that first step and show her what to look for, she will pick out good footwear that I can grab for her thus avoiding the step where I explain to her why the shoes she picked out are bad. It just seems logical to me. In my opinion, the first lady had no right to storm out like that. Well, "right" is not necessarily the best word, maybe "reason" would be better. I think she was being completely irrational and needs to stop being so selfish. I hope I never run into her again, but it's hard to say if she'll ever be back. With that attitude I hope she doesn't come back.
The other lady was looking for a sandal for walking for a trip she is going on in the fall. She wanted to know if the sandals would go on sale before then of if she's better off getting them now. She told me the brands that were recommended by her podiatrist at Paris Orthotics, and I told her those brands don't go on sale very often and if they do, it's because we only have the "extreme" sizes left like 6 or 11 and she was a 9-1/2. I was on my way to just point out where she should look for the sandals when the other lady I was helping stops me and says, "Excuse me, but I was here first." And I was like, "yes, I realize that." What else do you want me to say, really? Then she said, "aren't you going to grab me my shoes?" And I responded with, "yep, I'm getting them, I'm just showing this lady where to look, but I'll get them in a second." With that, the lady slipped her shoe back on and stormed out of the store, leaving me completely flabbergasted and the other lady who had come in after felt so bad. She turned to me and said, "I'm so sorry. I lost you a customer." And I just said, "Don't feel bad. If that's her attitude I don't want to help her anyways. What am I supposed to do? I'm the only one down here. I can't ignore everyone and just focus on her. It's not your fault."
I had to reassure this lady several times that it wasn't her fault and that I don't want to deal with people like the grumpy lady anyways. The other lady was much more pleasant to work with.
I think I just don't understand where the grumpy lady was coming from. If I'm in a store which clearly has more customers than sales associates, I don't expect to be waited on. If the sales person quickly stops to guide someone else, that's fine. That is their job and it is also more efficient for sales if you can grab something for one person while the other is looking for things they like in the right section. If I didn't guide the second lady where to go, she probably would have picked out some sandals that weren't good for her feet and I would have to correct her and show her what would be better and why. If I can avoid that first step and show her what to look for, she will pick out good footwear that I can grab for her thus avoiding the step where I explain to her why the shoes she picked out are bad. It just seems logical to me. In my opinion, the first lady had no right to storm out like that. Well, "right" is not necessarily the best word, maybe "reason" would be better. I think she was being completely irrational and needs to stop being so selfish. I hope I never run into her again, but it's hard to say if she'll ever be back. With that attitude I hope she doesn't come back.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Success
Well, so far no other problems with the dog, hence the title of my post. I've been taking her for extra long walks so she does her business, but I also enjoy exploring new routes in a neighbourhood I've lived in my whole life, so it's win-win. It's amazing how certain streets can be overlooked, only to be traveled 22 years later. I love my neighbourhood. Quiet streets, lots of trees, and plenty of ditch space for the dog to poop. It's great.
I played for the Jen VanHove/Joel Nagtegaal wedding today. What a beautiful day to have a wedding, it was gorgeous. This is just the first of a couple other weddings this summer, and I love it. It's like I have a gig. I get to showcase myself for 30 minutes before the service, without being too obvious, so it's more my style - up front, but not drawing excessive attention to myself. It feels so intimate, and to calm the nerves a bit, I like to pretend I'm just sitting in my parent's living room at the old piano playing my heart out and praising my God for the gifts He has given me. The next wedding is not till after my finals, and it's in Ontario, so it will be nice to have a bit of a holiday in a lesser-traveled part of Canada for me, and to see family I haven't seen in a while. A bunch of Boersmas together - this could get rowdy.
Classes are going steady for me. I wrote my last midterm for the summer yesterday, and now I don't feel like doing my homework, so I blog. I am also procrastinating walking the dog in the heat, so I blog. I probably should be watering the flowers, but I blog instead. :) This semester is going by incredibly fast. If the next two go by as fast as this one has, I'll be a graduate before I know it - with no idea of what I intend to do with my degree. Is it this hard for everyone? A lot of people I've talked to have it all figured out, the next 5 years at least are all mapped out already. Part of me is envious, but the other part knows that's not my style. I take it one day at a time, and I need to trust God will show me what I am supposed to do in His time. As for now, I finish my studies in Kinesiology at SFU, and move on to bigger and better things. Music perhaps. We'll see.
As for now, I need to water the plants so not everything is dead when my parents get home. So far the dog is still alive, and I think my chances of keeping her around are pretty high. For the vegetables, the zuccini are coming up in full force and appearingly on steroids :O. I caught the dog eating an apple from the tree the other day. Judging by her face, it was not quite ripe yet, but she ate the whole thing, after playing with it thinking it was a ball. Ok, that's enough, I think the plants are dying, time to save some lives.
Boersma - Plant hero extraordinaire
I played for the Jen VanHove/Joel Nagtegaal wedding today. What a beautiful day to have a wedding, it was gorgeous. This is just the first of a couple other weddings this summer, and I love it. It's like I have a gig. I get to showcase myself for 30 minutes before the service, without being too obvious, so it's more my style - up front, but not drawing excessive attention to myself. It feels so intimate, and to calm the nerves a bit, I like to pretend I'm just sitting in my parent's living room at the old piano playing my heart out and praising my God for the gifts He has given me. The next wedding is not till after my finals, and it's in Ontario, so it will be nice to have a bit of a holiday in a lesser-traveled part of Canada for me, and to see family I haven't seen in a while. A bunch of Boersmas together - this could get rowdy.
Classes are going steady for me. I wrote my last midterm for the summer yesterday, and now I don't feel like doing my homework, so I blog. I am also procrastinating walking the dog in the heat, so I blog. I probably should be watering the flowers, but I blog instead. :) This semester is going by incredibly fast. If the next two go by as fast as this one has, I'll be a graduate before I know it - with no idea of what I intend to do with my degree. Is it this hard for everyone? A lot of people I've talked to have it all figured out, the next 5 years at least are all mapped out already. Part of me is envious, but the other part knows that's not my style. I take it one day at a time, and I need to trust God will show me what I am supposed to do in His time. As for now, I finish my studies in Kinesiology at SFU, and move on to bigger and better things. Music perhaps. We'll see.
As for now, I need to water the plants so not everything is dead when my parents get home. So far the dog is still alive, and I think my chances of keeping her around are pretty high. For the vegetables, the zuccini are coming up in full force and appearingly on steroids :O. I caught the dog eating an apple from the tree the other day. Judging by her face, it was not quite ripe yet, but she ate the whole thing, after playing with it thinking it was a ball. Ok, that's enough, I think the plants are dying, time to save some lives.
Boersma - Plant hero extraordinaire
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