Celebrate the Small Things - July 26 (3 week back log)

Yikes, folks! I haven't written a blog post since July 5th when I Celebrate[d] the Small Things with VikLit and the other blog hoppers over at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author. That means I have three weeks of celebrations to catch up on, but I'll try to keep them brief.

On July 6, the last day at my sister's in Leduc, Alberta, she and I, and a friend of hers did the Colour Run in Edmonton. I did it for fun and to raise a few more funds for the Student Refugee Program. It's an ongoing effort of mine, so if I can twist your rubber arm...click HERE!

I thought I would be celebrating handing in the final version to the committee on Friday, July 12. I was wrong. My advisor had other plans for me the likes of a third extensive edit. Those edits along with packing for my trip on July 13 are the reasons I didn't post that week. I can celebrate, however, the completion and handing in of my third massive edit!

Friday, July 12 was also my last day of work before heading out on two weeks of holidays! Now that is really something to celebrate!

Sometime in that week between July 6 and 12, we welcomed Memphis into our home. He's an adopted 5-year old Chihuahua from a local animal rescue organisation in our city.

The whole next week, July 13 to 19, was just one massive celebration. Farmer Joe, who I have now taken to calling Cowboy Tex since we moved from the farm into the city, and I started out on a massive 3500km road trip from Brandon, Manitoba where we live, to Fredericton, New Brunswick where I will be starting my Master of Arts in English this fall. I even enjoyed the driving. The main points of smaller celebrations within this major celebration are:
-Spending two nights and a full day in Montreal with my beautifully brilliant friend, Haley.

-Spending three nights and two full days in Fredericton familiarising myself with the university and the city.

-Getting a tour of the campus (especially the library) and meeting my grad school advisor.

Other celebrations that occurred from July 13-19 include:
-finding out that I got into the mature student residence for the fall and connecting with my roommate to start planning our living arrangements.
-finding a UNB Mom t-shirt at the campus book store to bring home for my Mom.
-being offered (and, of course, accepting) a position as a Regional Coordinator for WUSC starting in September. This volunteer position comes along with two trips to Ottawa, Ontario! I am really excited about taking on this leadership role with an organisation that means so much to me.

We started the trip home from Fredericton on July 20. The biggest celebration on the return trip, short of actually getting home, snuggling with my dogs, and sleeping in my own bed, was staying in Kingston, Ontario with another brilliant friend of mine. After 5 days staying places without air conditioning when the temperatures were 35 degrees Celsius above, Yvonne had central air and provided me with my first excuse to have a hot shower. It was heaven.

All of that brings me to one more celebration for this week, July 20-26. On Wednesday, I met with my thesis advisor again and despite a few, ok a lot, more edits, she did say that this time (the fourth time) she didn't need to see the entire document again, only a few short pieces! That, my friends, is celebration worthy indeed!

Cheers, everyone! Now, to try and catch up on visits and comments! See you and your blog soon!

Celebrating The Small Things - June 7

Every Friday a bunch of us bloggers taking part in Celebrate The Small Things hosted over at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author post about the things that we have cause to celebrate throughout the week. Sometimes these things are big, sometimes even huge, but most times they are simple things that make us smile.

The sun is shining today and it shone yesterday making it finally finally finally (yes, 3 are necessary) feel like summer is going to make it to Brandon, Manitoba. THAT is definite cause for celebration.

I am moving into a small house in the city soon so I am celebrating no more flooded basements, no more yellowy brown water, fewer wood ticks, a cold water shower tap that will work properly, having a bathtub (gosh I miss having a bathtub), and high speed internet that doesn't crash every five minutes.

A friend of mine was accepted at her first choice articling position after she graduates Law School next spring. Friends doing spectacular things is one of my favourite reasons to celebrate.

I managed to get eighteen boxes of textbooks packed up and sent on their way to Africa. It's always so much work, but when that stack of boxes is all taped and labelled, it feels great. I've seen the results on the other end of the shipments; it's miraculous and so worth the effort.

Finally, I am celebrating the successful re-launch of my running blog: Running for Refugees, and associated fundraising efforts. Since the re-vamp and minor promotion yesterday, I've received two donations to WUSC's Student Refugee Program, a cause that will never leave my heart as long as I live.

Cheers to you and whatever you are celebrating this week!

Photo-a-Day - 3: on my table

In addition to providing you lovelies with today's June: Photo-A-Day, I'm going to tell you about my day. Here's my photo first:

On my table at any particular moment of any particular day you'll find a collection that looks something like this: my laptop with a bursary application form open, a scholarship application, forms to confirm my attendance at a meeting, always a notebook, and always a pack of coloured pens. I'm a busy person...

...which leads me to the events that occurred throughout my day today (and most days). Keep in mind that while all of the upcoming things are happening, I am also at my full-time day job as an Office Assistant at Brandon University.

One of the WUSC students comes into my office and needs help printing off some resumes. At the same time he tells me that his brother who I am helping to put through Kenyan boarding school because he cannot get a decent education in the refugee camp where he lives, wants to fast track his education and attend a British boarding school (still in Kenya). The cost is about three times as much, but if he can fast track his high school education, he'll be able to apply to WUSC's Student Refugee Program and hopefully come to Canada (just like his brother who is sitting in my office). If he can't fast track his education, he'll be too old to meet the requirements for the program. He needs 2100 CAD. I currently have 700 CAD set aside for him. Like I said, three times as much. I'm going to be a broke ass graduate student in a few short months; how can I provide someone with what is likely the only chance he has to better his life? How can I not?

As I am packing up text books to send to schools, orphanages, community groups in Africa through Better World Books and Books For Africa (This shipment will contain approximately 25 boxes of approximately 20 books each. I do this at least once every two months.), another WUSC student comes to me because he needs my help finding the book he requires for the Spring Session class he just started. At around the same time, another friend of mine comes to my office because she needs help printing her thesis. I tell her to hold on a minute while I go with him to get his books. I help him find the textbooks. I print her thesis. I continue packing textbooks...

...and that, my lovelies is #justadayinmylife.

A-Z Challenge: W is for World University Service of Canada (WUSC)

Of all my A-Z posts, this one is the most important to me. World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is my life. I've been volunteering with WUSC for eight years and every year since I initially got involved my life has changed substantially for the better.

WUSC works towards a world in which all young people can grow up in safe, secure and supportive environments; have access to high quality education opportunities from early childhood to adulthood; are able to secure fair, decent and fulfilling employment; and can actively participate in all aspects of their society's development.

Every year through WUSC's Student Refugee Program (SRP), Brandon University sponsors a student from a refugee camp in Kenya, Malawi, or Thailand to come and gain a post-secondary education. It is these students that have continually changed my life over the past eight years. Each and every one of them climbs in and finds a comfortable place in my heart to call their own. The cross-cultural awareness that my eyes and mind have been opened up to is unfathomable and indescribable. All I can say over and over and over again is that WUSC and the SRP and these men and women have changed my life, made me a better person, taught me about humility, and renewed my faith in humanity time and time again.

The conditions in refugee camps are atrocious. Think of the worst living conditions you can imagine and multiply that by ten; those are the conditions of a refugee camp. Imagine what the conditions of their original homes must have been to force them to seek asylum in a place as awful as a refugee camp. That is where the students that live in a special corner of my heart come from.

When I meet them for the first time they are quite timid, so very thin, and incredibly thankful. The timidness slowly fades away as time passes and so does the thinness, but they never cease to be thankful for the opportunity to study in Canada, for the opportunity to change their lives, for the opportunity to have a real future. In actuality, though, it is I who am thankful. Thankful to know what it means to be a Muslim in Somalia, thankful to hear stories about witch doctors in South Sudan, thankful to taste real Ethiopian injera, so thankful to have these epitomes of the human spirit in my life.

 

Their success is my success. Their pride is my pride. Their happiness is my happiness. Their lives are my life.

I've been volunteering with WUSC at Brandon University for eight years. I'm leaving for Fredericton and the University of New Brunswick (UNB) in a few short months. As soon as I made up my mind to accept UNB's offer, I immediately contacted the WUSC committee at UNB Fredericton and got put on their mailing list. No matter where this world takes me, WUSC will always be a part of my life.

If you are interested at all in making a monetary contribution to WUSC, please visit my fundraising website. WUSC is strictly not-for-profit and all donations over $10 CAD will receive an official charitable tax receipt. 

Help me help these students; you won't regret it, I promise!

RAOK: DAY 84 - I am Grateful

Wednesday, May 16
Inspirational Quote: "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."





My Grateful List:

• At 28 years old, I am grateful for a mother that I can call at 7:30 a.m. when I've had a bad dream. 
• I am grateful to be working at Brandon University where I am given masses of used and unused textbooks that I, in turn, send to others in need. 
• It's May and we are going to hit 30 degrees Celsius, for that, I am grateful. 
• I am grateful for the friends I have currently residing in Kenya, Peru, Botswana, Thailand and the many friends who have traveled the world. 
• As I walked up the hill to my apartment, I came across some chalk art. "The World is My Canvas" and "Love is All You Need." I am grateful for the stranger who brightened up my strenuous uphill climb.

Other things I did today included donating $20 to the Cadet Wake-a-thon I mentioned on Day 82 and donating $20 to a colleague who is participating in the Caged for Critters fundraiser for Funds for Furry Friends. She is being locked in a make-shift jail cell until she raises a $250 bail. 

I also entered and started bombarding people to vote for Brandon University's WUSC Student Refugee Program in a contest being held by Better World Books. The winning entry, a.k.a. the entry with the most votes, wins $300 for their cause. So VOTE!

Remember Day 83? The half marathon, the raising money for WUSC, the insanity? Well, here's my new blog all about it. 21K for Change!

RAOK: DAYS 79, 80, & 81 - 'Say Cheese'

Once again, I stink at blogging daily!

Friday, May 11

Inspirational Quote: "No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted."

Today while having coffee, I spotted a lone quarter on the coffee shop floor. I picked it up and put it in the tip jar. I figured that could count as my small act of kindness for today, but I also left loonie in one of the soda vending machines outside of Wal-Mart. I'll also tell you that today I bought the fixings to make Inspiration Jars for my Mom and Baba. I wanted to have them ready for Mother's Day gifts, but with my insane schedule over the next two days and the fact that Mom is coming to visit, I just won't have the time. I'll post the actual giving of the gifts as a RAOK when I finally get them all put together. I'll try to remember to post a photo of my creations as well.

Saturday, May 12
And, again, I forgot to open one of the inspirational quotes from my jar. Today, it may have had something to do with the fact that it was World Fair Trade Day and I had a big day ahead of me. I spent the day at Ten Thousand Villages (I do so love that store) promoting Fair Trade and WUSC. We had a great day of sales, considerably above what a normal day would bring in at the store. The drum circle was great and I raised a little bit of money for our Student Refugee Program. $400 in sales from the coupons came in which means our SRP will be getting a cheque for around $60! Every little bit counts!

Sunday, May 13

Inspirational Quote: "Every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another."

I suppose I can't really count the Mother's Day stuff I did today, but I will tell you about it anyway. I wanted to do something different so Mom and I drove up to the International Peace Garden and spent the day with flowers, food, and fresh air. Entrance to the garden was free, Mom's were given a free petunia to plant in their own gardens, and the $13 buffet lunch was simply scrumptious. My RAOK did take place at the Peace Garden, I spotted a large family posing for a group photo and getting ready to alternate who would be taking the photo. I got up from my prime picnic table location and offered to take the photo for them so no one would be left out. 

Random Acts of Kindness (Days 51-60)

Ok, I am almost caught up. Today (April 26) is Day 64. I suppose it isn't all that random if it's planned, but I am planning to have one of my acts on Day 70 be to start pulling inspiration quotes from the gift Ang gave me on Day 50 and to start blogging about my Random Act, themed after said quote, everyday.

DAY 51

Friday, April 13 - I planned one volunteer event, executed another volunteer event, delivered an invitation from the university to the home of a colleague to ensure she received it on time & sent a best wishes message to someone I had a falling out with. 

World Fair Trade Day is May 12. I met with the manager of Ten Thousand Villages today to organise a collaborative event between the store and WUSC. We'll have entertainment and a small percentage of the day's sales will be given to WUSC. Today was also, Band-AIDS. WUSC raises funds for the Bike for AIDS (that's the AIDS part) initiative every year by holding a concert (that's the Band part). We held it on campus in SUDS and raised just under $300. I have to thank Shannon for helping organise the whole thing, Eddie from Hudsy for letting us crash his social and performing for us, as well as Misty Street and The Heavy Souls for performing for us. Natasha is the coordinator for the Psychology Nursery at BU and since she only works every Tuesday and Thursday she tends to get missed during important events. The senior administration at the university was holding an Employee Appreciation Breakfast on the 17th so I dropped off the invitation at her apartment so she'd be sure to get her chance to take advantage of the free breaky. As for the friend I had a falling out with, I'll spare the details because they are quite personal, but it was his final performance for his undergrad degree and I figured the least I could do was send a little token of kindness his way despite our differences.

DAY 52
Saturday, April 14 - I attended a high school play & sent a congratulatory email to the play's director.
Urinetown was performed by students from Neelin High School. $1 from every ticket purchase went towards Compassion Canada's efforts to build sanitary latrines in developing countries. The play was fantastic and like I've said before, it's important to me to give credit where credit is due so I emailed the director of the play and let her know how great I thought the play was. I also took the time to highlight some of the more spectacular performances by specific students. I received a very thankful response from her and a request to post the email on their public display board.

DAY 53
Sunday, April 15 - I took my Mom out for a birthday dinner and surprised her with a candle when her dessert came out & wrote a letter of support for a professor's nomination for a teaching award. 
My Mom turned 54 today! I took her out for dinner and made sure that we ordered dessert. When her's came out, I quickly grabbed the candle and lighter I had stashed in my pocket and made her yummy treat just a little more special. As you can see, the look on her face was priceless. I love you, Mom. One of my favorite professors was being nominated for the BU Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award and I was asked to write a letter of support for the nomination. Of course I did it, with the utmost pleasure.

DAY 54
Monday, April 16 - I posted a song to a grieving friend's wall.
The nature of the loss and the person's identity is best kept discrete. What I will tell you though, is that Angels Among Us is a song that has gotten me through a lot of trying times in my life and I thought it was fitting to share.

DAY 55 
Tuesday, April 17 - I helped a friend register for classes & attended a creative writing reading to support my friends. 

'Tis the time of year to register for 2012-13 classes. It's not really the easiest thing to do, so I helped Abraham out. Now he's all set to get his learn on come September. The creative writing reading was really for my own good. Hearing Kirsty, Johnson, and Ryan (among other students) read their fantastic work made me miss writing so very much. These types of events always reiterate to me the abundance of raw talent we have at BU, my friends being some of the best of the bunch!

DAY 56
Wednesday, April 18 - I helped a friend put the finishing touches on a powerpoint presentation & mailed an application for name reservation for a not-for-profit.
Barbara was getting ready to do a presentation at the Senior Colloquium (another display of phenomenal student talent) and she needed help getting some videos onto her slides. Yours truly, to the rescue! Friends for Development is the name of the not-for-profit that Immaculate and I (mostly Immaculate) are working to get recognised so that we can start doing some official work. We've been trying to get it underway for some time know, but hopefully now the name will be officially approved and filed by the Manitoba government and we'll be set.

DAY 57 
Thursday, April 19 - I paid for the friend I mentioned on Day 40 to take the class, attended a potential board members meeting for The Marquis Project & chose WUSC's SRP student for 2012-13.
I'm pretty sure paying for Abraham's class made my day almost as much as it made his. I cannot express the kindness that Abraham embodies and I am happy to be able to help him. A big thanks also has to go to Tina for suggesting we do this. A few weeks ago I was asked if I was interested in sitting on the Board for The Marquis Project. Today was the meeting for potential new members. It looks like I'll be taking a position on the Board, I'm just not sure what that will be quite yet. One more project = exciting! Every year as part of WUSC we go through files of potential students in refugee camps that have qualified for WUSC sponsorship. As part of the selection committee, I read the files (try not to cry) and rank the candidates in terms of who I feel is best fitted to come to BU for a post-secondary education. I wish we could bring them all.

DAY 58
Friday, April 20 - Attended a friend's presentation at the Senior Colloquium & facilitated a session later on. 
Remember Barbara on Day 56? It was her presentation on the exploitation of women in advertising that I attended. There are few things more rewarding than presenting work you've poured your blood, sweat, and tears into. Having friends to support you, is just an added bonus. O, and, of course, Barbara rocked it! Later on, I was the facilitator for a session on cross-cultural education. I was honoured to be asked to facilitate and happier to do it.

DAY 59 
Saturday, April 21 - I held the door open for people at the theater & let a family go ahead of me in the concession line.
American Reunion was the movie and I realised that it was 9:30 p.m. and I still hadn't done a random act. I held the door open for a few people exiting the theater and then as I got to the concession line, allowed a family that arrived at the same time as me to go ahead.

DAY 60
Sunday, April 22 - I spent time with a friend I haven't spoken to in a really long time. 
Every time I saw Tegegn on campus I felt guilty for losing touch with him. We had a tentative 'date' set for today and I almost cancelled because I felt like I should be studying for my exam the following Wednesday. I'm glad I didn't cancel because we spent nearly four hours just talking about life and it was great!

Almost there folks! One more 10-at-a-time post and I'll finally be posting my random act on the actual day that I do it!

Random Acts of Kindness (Days 21-30)

I really am trying to get this blog caught up so that I can start posting everyday. In the meantime, here are Days 1-10 and Days 11-20.

DAY 21

Wednesday, March 14 - I held the door open for a woman with her hands full and cleaned up all of the disgusting trash in the bushes around my apartment building.

One of the things I picked up was one of those disposable aluminum baking trays. It looked like something you would bake lasagna in. Seriously?! Who throws something like that on the ground?

**BREAKING KINDNESS NEWS - In honour of Pi Day, I was given a piece of vegan strawberry rhubarb pie. (Corey, you're a saint!)**

DAY 22

Thursday, March 15 - I donated a case of juice boxes to the BUSU Food Bank and let someone pull into a long line of ongoing traffic.

Juice boxes were one of the high priority items on the Food Bank's list, primarily used for children's lunches. Superstore sells entire cases for $10, so cheap. You know when you pull into a parking lot and then try to exit into oncoming traffic? You know how you can sit there FOREVER? One person didn't have to wait all that long today.

**BREAKING KINDNESS NEWS - Because she loves me, Angie made me dinner!**

DAY 23

Friday, March 16 - I watered the plants in a public area.

The Brandon University Student's Union put some beautiful plants in the Mingling Area on campus. Sadly, it seems that they rarely get watered. Today they did!

DAY 24

Saturday, March 17 - I held the door at Starbucks open for a father carrying a baby in a basket and I checked in with a friend I knew would be having a bad day.

There are few things more adorable than a father carrying his baby girl in a bassinet. I knew one of my friends would be having a rough day due to some personal issues she needed to take care of. I tried to brighten her day as best I could from afar.

DAY 25

Sunday, March 18 - I cleaned up the trash at a local playground and in the bushes in front of my apartment (again). I also sent an email of compliment to The Olive Garden regarding one of their servers.

Spring rolls around and the garbage that people aimlessly toss on the ground throughout the winter sprouts up. Perhaps one of the worst places for this garbage to be 'growing' is in a place where children are going to be playing. As far as my apartment goes, I really don't know if it's just the wind that blows random garbage into my bushes or if people are just consistently throwing trash on the ground. Perhaps my building is really full of pigs as opposed to people. I am a firm advocate of giving credit where credit is due and Dennis was a fantastic server. I mean he even picked the croutons out of Jocey's salad!

DAY 26

Monday, March 19 - I paid for a friend's supper.

This one was easy; Tina and I went for sushi and I picked up the tab.

DAY 27

Tuesday, March 20 - I got Daffodil Days for the Canadian Cancer Society underway at BU, did some planning for a WUSC charity event & shared a couple playlists with a new friend.

I've organised Daffodil Days at Brandon University for the last five years. This year, it would not have been possible without Angie Currie who sat and sold flowers for me all day. Shannon and I put the finishing touches on WUSC's Shine-A-Light and Her Challenge, Your Challenge Coffee House showcasing the musical talents of Julia Watson, Deandra Tousignant, Natalie Bohrn, Emily Diehl, and Misty Street. Hopefully Allen enjoyed my Disney and Sweet Tunes playlists.

DAY 28

Wednesday, March 21 - I finished up Daffodil Days at BU and dropped off the leftover flowers and collected funds from the two-day sales so that the coordinator didn't have to pick it all up.

Again, word to Ang because I could not have pulled off Daffodil Days this year without her. Megan was incredibly busy running all around Brandon collecting flowers and money. It took me an extra fifteen minutes to drop the supplies off and likely saved her at least a half hour.

DAY 29

Thursday, March 22 - I promoted the L-Project today and left comments on a couple of blogs.

The L-Project is an ongoing anti-bullying campaign that recently produced a phenomenal video entitled "It Does Get Better". I added the video to one of my playlists and have shared it, more than once, on facebook. As far as leaving comments on blogs, which may seem insignificant, as a blogger (albeit a non-regular one), I rarely get comments so when I do, I know how great it feels: "Someone is actually reading me!"

DAY 30

Friday, March 23 - I made and posted "Take What You Need" signs in every building on campus and left a gift certificate at a coffee shop for a friend's birthday.

Today was an epic ten day...remember?! The best part of the signs, was seeing them in the days following with all or most of the slips ripped off. People actually took what they needed! I think Johnson (Jack) enjoyed his complementary birthday coffee and muffin, but you'd have to ask him to be sure!

That's it; that's all for those ten days! 31-40 soon; I promise!