 |
| Our first welcome mat! |
A month before I was set to move back to Massachusetts and end my time at Free The Children, I was approached by some of the directors in the organization and asked to stay. They explained that they had a position available in Minneapolis, MN which they wanted me for. After hearing so much about it I realized it was an opportunity that I could not pass up... and here I am. In my new role, I am a hybrid of a few roles at Free The Children. I am:
- Outreach Speaker (which I have been for the last two years) - Traveling to schools every day to connect with youth and schools that want to be involved with Free The Children. I deliver 45-minute keynote presentations to schools about my own personal story, what FTC is, what Adopt a Village is, and how they can get involved.
- Youth Programming Coordinator - The first point of contact for individual youth that want to be involved with FTC and schools that are not yet involved. I will be responsible for nurturing relationships with schools until they are ready to get involved and then I introduce them to their own Educational Programming Coordinator.
- Main MN contact (not exact job title) - I will be working with one other person, David, to get people in Minnesota involved in our programming; from youth and schools to corporate partners and school administrators... I'll be working hard to make sure we have a strong network in MN.
I am really excited about this role because I get to wear a few hats and try new roles, while also gaining skills and improving the ones I have already learnt. I am currently in Toronto training with various team members to make this role successful and will be returning to Minneapolis this weekend and starting in the office there on Monday!
 |
| Panoramic view of our dining room and living room. |
As for the apartment and living with Nathaniel... It's been fantastic! The apartment is beautiful and spacious for two people and in a quiet neighborhood. Once you walk into our apartment there is a kitchen and dining area to the left, living room straight ahead, and bedroom and bathroom to the right. I've been doing most of the cooking and Nathaniel's been doing the handy work! So far our biggest differences have been folding towels differently (we now fold them as Bria does) and making the bed differently (we now make it as Nathaniel does)... so I'd say we're doing pretty well ;)
There isn't too much within walking distance right now because it is so cold, however, once the weather gets better there are all sorts of trails and lakes surrounding us to explore. Besides, we're only a 30-minute transit ride from downtown Minneapolis, which is pretty sweet! We took our first successful bus ride last weekend to prepare for Nathaniel's interview and did not get lost which was a plus. I'm excited to get back to the city this weekend and be able to explore a bit, we have a running list of 30+ things to do!
On a more personal note, I have followed along with the typical societal rules of committing to New Year's Resolutions... they are as follows:
Become more comfortable in my own skin.
No fast food.
No soda.
Get back into a workout schedule (4-5 days a week).
Train to run a 5k race.
Stop swearing.
Blog more (weekly).
So far the resolutions have been going well. I haven't had fast food or soda. I'm working on the swearing (haven't perfected it but have been doing pretty well I think). I will start working out when I get back to Minneapolis since we have a fitness center in the apartment building (this goes along with training for the 5k and being more comfortable in my own skin).
Look out in the coming weeks for updates on all our adventures!
Until next time...
"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm... As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others." -Audrey Hepburn
No comments:
Post a Comment