10 weeks in

I've been home 10 weeks! 10! And I was only in Paraguay for 13. Only a few more weeks and I'll have been back home for as long as I was gone.

This morning on the T, with my iPod shuffle playing in my ears and with my free copy of the Metro in my hands (which is apparently my source for news these days), I had a moment of strong regret. I thought about how little I've spoken Spanish since I arrived home and how bad I sounded trying to speak to my mom's friend Ornella at my parents' anniversary party on Saturday night. I thought about how I can't remember what denominations Paraguayan money comes in (seriously - I tried for 5 minutes to remember and I am still struggling). I thought about how I haven't emailed my host family in Ita except once and I'm not even sure that got through.

It was a powerful wave of regret.

But then I thought about how when everyone at the party asked me about my new job and how I'm doing, I said "Great. I'm glad to be home." And every time I said it, it was true. Funny, regret. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it, even when you KNOW you've done the right thing. Is it regret, then? Or is it something else less malignant? Wonder, perhaps?

When I unpacked my box o' work stuff and put some of it up in my new office space, I found this quote that I had hanging in my office at Wentworth. I can't remember where I originally found it, but it's just typed on white paper and cut out.

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurditites no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

So I'm taking this morning's little bout of thoughtfulness and I'm going to think about it a bit, but then I'm going to keep moving into today, because it is "all that is good and fair." Interesting that someone as philosophical and questioning as RWE has challenged us to move the hell on from stuff.

New blog feature alert!

I'm going to start to highlight one of Boston Cares's partner agencies in the Boston area in each blog post. Perhaps one of my readers will find something that resonates with them and will volunteer, or donate some end-of-the-year money to an organization.

Generations, Inc. http://www.generationsinc.org
Boston is undergoing a demographic revolution, and that is great news. There are now over 100,000 Boston residents who are age 55 or older. In the next 20 years that number could grow by almost 50%. What does that mean for Boston? We believe it means better opportunities for local children. It’s a simple case of supply and demand. Local children need all the guidance they can get. Retirees have free time, experience, and a desire to help. For 15 years, Generations Incorporated has worked to connect older adults with the children who need them the most.

One especially interesting project they have at the moment is this one:
The arrival of Siamese Sam and the Things He Will Eat!
A new, fully-illustrated children's book about a very hungry cat who embarks on an exciting adventure. The book was written by board member Rich Trombetta, and loosely based upon the adventures of his real-life Siamese cat, Sam. Siamese Sam is vibrantly illustrated by 3rd and 5th grade students from the Orchard Gardens Pilot School in Roxbury. All proceeds from the book will benefit intergenerational literacy programming at Generations Incorporated. We are currently campaigning to bring a Siamese Sam book to each child in every one of the 19 schools and after-school sites we serve.
Help us support this effort by getting your own copy of Siamese Sam now, or by purchasing the book for one of our students! Books are $10 each. http://www.generationsinc.org/siamesesam_main.htm

Tres dias en mi nuevo trabajo

Three days in my new job.

As I left today, my new boss, PK, said to me, "Does it feel like longer than three days?" "No," I answered. She looked surprised. "It feels like a perfect three days," I said. And it has.

This job is a great fit for me. I'm not completely sure what I do yet, and I've spent hours this week reading documentation, program plans, starategic plans, grant proposals, Americorps requirements, and folders of documents. And I haven't even gotten to reading the documents on the computer yet.

My new supervisor set aside loads of time this week to sit with me and talk about everything I need to know about everything. We've had three 2 hour sessions, and will have more next week. It's been amazing to have someone take that time to help me orientate.

I've begun meeting with the four Americorps women I will be supervising. One is a Americorps Massachusetts Promise Fellow, one is a Americorps Citizen Fellow and two are Americorps VISTAs. They are all different programs all funded through the US government, a domestic Peace Corps, if you will. (Irony not lost here.) They are all talented, interesting and will be wonderful to work with. I've started to promise them that within the month, I'll have a clue what I'm doing, what Boston Cares is all about and be in a position to really begin to help them figure out next steps for their positions for this year.

I've been very calm starting this job. Even though I've made a total career move and am now in a field I've not been in before, I'm calm. I'm pleased. I'm energized. I'm looking forward to having a great run at Boston Cares.

I've really been enjoying being in downtown Boston, too. I've never worked somewhere (in the US) where there wasn't a campus. A coffee source, cafeteria, bookstore, library, mail room or post office, etc. all right there just a short walk away. How nice that even though i've given that up, there's still all those things near by because I'm downtown. Just across from my building is a open space with a fountain, loads of tables, and a Finagle a Bagel and Au Bon Pain. We've been meeting there a lot instead of in the office. If I need money, the ATM is a block down. I pass THREE Dunkin' Donuts on the way to work. THREE. And one is two feet from the office. There's a Subway, a Brighams, and a Rebecca's very close by. There's every type of international food just around the corner. And my office is at the end of High Street, which is literally across the street from the Archway that goes out to the waterfront where the water taxis come in, and since the upper deck of 93 is gone due to the Big Dig, you can not only see right through to the ocean, but you can walk over there on nice days and hang out on a bench. Amazing.

I figured out today that I've only commuted to work in a car for 1 year since 2000. I'm glad to be back on the T after this past year of car commuting. Time to ride and read and think or whatever that doesn't require honking, yelling, or being annoyed with idiots on the road. A half-mile walk on the front end, a 20 minute ride and a half-mile walk on the other end makes for a 40-45 minute commute. It's great.

I'm pretty blessed. I'm reveling in it at the moment.