In what is quickly becoming the theme of many of my weeks, this week was very much unlike the rest. Monday was Labor Day, during which I took a much needed break at Stinson Beach with a few friends. I think it was a really good time and place to just take a break both from studying as well as working. Much like after the Annual Retreat with the Shinnyo Foundation, afterward I felt much more centered and peaceful, and I came back feeling extremely relaxed and ready to tackle the week.
I spent the next day doing CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) training, which is a necessary program that everyone who works with human subjects takes. I had taken this training before for another program, but it was still helpful to have a refresher course. The training essentially took all day between the modules, videos, and quizzes, but at the end, I got a certificate, so it was overall a productive day.
Wednesday was a big day for Redwood City 2020: Packing Day! I met Jana and Janneth at the District office, and was ready to pack boxes all day. After a quick meeting with Jana about how I could best utilize my time that day, I rolled up my sleeves and started the process of splitting the shared stock of office supplies right down the middle (half to the District, half to Redwood City 2020). This was also an opportunity to inventory what we had and what we would need. I spent the rest of the day playing Office Supply Tetris, packing our supplies into boxes and labeling them for the move.
Thursday was largely uneventful, save for my fingerprinting appointment for the Gardner Center, but the next day was a very important one: Moving Day for 2020! I again met at the District Office and helped a bit with cleaning. I also sat down with Jana about fleshing out our proposed workplan. We came up with some really cool, tangible ideas that I will be sharing once we have a more concrete plan. Meanwhile, the wonderful Facilities people helped move the boxes into a truck and to the new office. Before I could help unpack, however, I attended a Community Youth Development Initiative (CYDI) meeting with Jana and the rest of the Youth Development team at the District office. We spoke about the structure of 2020 and how youth development fits into that structure looking forward.
After the meeting, we went over to the new office and began the process of unpacking. I spent the rest of the day organizing the office supplies into a functional, practical system in the Copy Room. It took a surprising amount of time to unpack only a few boxes, but I was happy to do it. I liked having work with an immediately tangible end result, and unpacking and organizing could be very easily quantified.
The week’s theme, “Harmony within yourself,” comes as a reaction not only to the inherent disharmony of packing and moving, but to the hecticness of the week as well. Even though I spent much of the week moving or else spending my time atypically, having a harmony within myself helped me find the balance and stability that I didn’t necessarily find during the week. Being able to center myself during the holiday was a big part of this inner balance, but so too was the support of my friends, coworkers, and family. Finding this balance and harmony will be especially important next week, as I return home to San Diego in order to take the MCAT! As such, there won’t be a work blog for week 9, but I will return with updates.
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