10 Days! Well...Technically...

10 days! Well…technically…



Ten days until I leave to spend the rest of my life with spiritual partner. 10 days. A perfect number. Most of the time I am scared and a little flustered about big transitions in my life, but this time, it is just pure excitement and energy pulsing through my body. Plans rushing through my head like the water of a new spring bursting through the earth’s surface. I would say it hit me just yesterday, when I gave my boss Wendy, the infamous two weeks notice. Extended my arm with that letter on the other side of it…the two-weeks in writing. When my arm cranked that letter out to her it landed on the top of her desk. Her eyes followed it and I snapped my hand back to my side as if I were afraid I held it out too long it might be chopped off. “Put it in writing” she said, as it landed on her desk. This been a long time coming my friend. I left that letter on her desk and lifted myself out of the chair at the exact moment that I felt my spirit lift. The possibilities that lie ahead of me propelling me up into the stratosphere. Leaving what could have been viewed as a ho-hum community organizer position to tread the unknown (to me at least) capital of Jamaica. Kingston-town. A city that breathes. You know how they say when one door closes another one opens? I felt like this door closing opened the flood gate of my closeted and ‘parking lot’ dreams. Studying development issues at the University of the West Indies. Conducting field work in the garrisons of Jamaica. Full of history, passion, the streets have a heartbeat there. Dreams are big and reality even bigger. Nights when everything seems still, the street seems to whisper to your soul.



Plan of Action for this week
Monday
Inform residents and students that I will be leaving including the reason, last day, and what will be happening with the programs
Flyer each and every household letting them know to sign up for the food co-op by THIS FRIDAY
Recruit youth volunteers to flyer all of the apartments for the food co-op and also to get started with volunteering on a regular basis
Award “Points Winners” from last month with FREE tickets to Legoland California
Call Starbucks and try to get coffee donated for our last meeting (next week)
Inform Ahmed of my plans
Start creating a “transition binder” complete with step-by-step instructions and a resource guide for RSS position
Collect Food Co-op Money
Tuesday
Complete newsletter article to highlight student of the week Safiya Abdiraham for being accepted into the Young Entrepreneur’s Club
Have the “Points Winners” from this month get together and think of places they would like to go, write a letter requesting donation, and send it (I will also write a letter with them and send it)
Continue adding resources and more detail, including tips from residents, to the “transition binder”
Follow-Up with Starbucks to try and get the coffee donation
Ask new resident children to fill out the “Payless Shoe Voucher” request form
Start the monthly report for December
Ask Wendy for permission to take the “Park Clean Up” crew to the movies (courtesy of SAY San Diego) and set a date for Monday of next week at 4pm to return by 7pm
Collect Food Co-op Money
Wednesday
Write up an article for our newsletter about the Christmas party and the “Points System” as well as including pictures of the Points winners of November with their Legoland tickets and the kids making Gingerbread houses at Christmas
Work on Monthly Report
Work on the “transition binder” call all contacts in the binder to make sure their information is up to date
Call all personal/professional contacts and let them know when I am leaving and how to contact me
Upload all the pictures from Metro Villas to a Web Album and send Ahmed, Danielle, Wendy, Maria, and Allison an e-mail with all of the pictures from my time at Metro Villas.
Ask new resident children to fill out the “Payless Shoe Voucher” request form
Hand out permission slips to the “Park Clean Up Crew” to go to the movie on Monday, arrange rides for those who desperately need it (do not have a parent at home at that time) Allison will drive 4 children…
Collect Food Co-op Money
Thursday
Work on Monthly Report
Work on “transition binder” show the draft to Ahmed and Maria and ask for tips on improving it
Collect Permission Slips for Monday
Flier Each and every household letting them know that I am leaving and have as many 1-1’s as possible, inform residents of next weeks meeting.
Collect Food Co-op Money
Friday
Complete and Submit Monthly Report
Continue flyering each house that I did not get to on Thursday, inform residents of next weeks meeting.
Collect Food Co-op Money
Give Sakara the “Payless Shoe Voucher List for January”
Compile a list of everyone who has ever gotten a shoe voucher so that they DO NOT receive one again by accident—enter it into the “transition binder”
Work on the “transition binder”