I have not updated in a long while, and for that I am sorry. I guess life just got in the way...That being said, I have a lot of things I want to talk about, so be looking in the coming days for more updates :)
However, tonight I think I will just give you one of those random lists of the happenings of my life this summer so far:
-I am currently sitting outside by the pool; sort of. If you have been to my house, you can probably picture where I am. As you go out of my basement through the slider door, I am sitting on the patio furniture under the deck thing. All totally irrelevant, but maybe someday I will look back and read these and remember, "Oh yeah! I was sitting there that night drinking coke." hah.
-Currently I am super warm, which I like. My mom has the air cranked up in our house so I wear a sweatshirt inside. Right now, I am still wearing the sweatshirt and I feel hot, which is a rare occasion for me. It is also raining out, which in turn, has brought a lot of mosquitoes to inhabit the living quarters I am currently in at the moment...but I figure it is better to be outside (sort of) then be inside wasting away the summer.
-I love coca cola. Seriously.
-I love my home, and I love the trees on the property, and I love my pool. Whenever I get anxious to get my own place I am reminded that moving out for good means leaving all of that behind.
-I love my work. I a super busy and the days go by so fast, but I couldn't imagine spending my summer anywhere else.
-I have met so many amazing people this summer, who I know will remain in my life for a while. The most exciting piece of that is that many of them are from different parts of the world and bring with them different cultures and customs. I think at one point last week, a bunch of us were talking and laughing and sharing our own customs and we realized that each of us brings something totally different culture wise to the table. One of my good friends is from China and it we went to her first baseball game ever last week! She is teaching me a lot about the Chinese culture, but also she has shown me just how humble, brilliant, kind and hilarious the Chinese are! She has made me want to travel over there! My other friend, Yana, was born in Serbia, raised in Germany, and moved to Michigan when she was 18. She can speak 4 languages and has given me endless tips on traveling throughout Europe. The girl cracks me up. Then, I recently met a few people who just moved up from Mexico. They are so funny and together we are teaching each other about the cultures we come from. Then, there are my new friends from the U.P. and together they tell me the hilarious tales of hitting over 10 deer a winter. And, I have been introduced more to the Southern culture, as many of my new friends have moved up to Michigan from the South this summer. They too are hilarious and we all have so much fun together! Every time I say that I am hot, they tell me that this is nothing and that I should travel anywhere past Indiana and I will know what they are talking about. I guess, what I have enjoyed so much about this summer is being able to spend a lot of time with people whose backgrounds are so different from mine, and being able to be the inside scoop to West Michigan culture and all that is wonderful about Grand Rapids :)
-I spent a quality weekend up north. It was fantastic. Speaking of 'up north,' this is something else I have learned this summer from my friends further south from the Michigan line. Did you know that the term 'up north' is super confusing to anyone who is not from Michigan? When we (as in, Michiganders) say it, we typically are referring to heading somewhere north of Grand Rapids for a weekend at some sort of cabin or cottage. When we hear the term "headed up north" that is what we know is happening. People outside of Michigan have no idea what we mean by that because to them, they are already up north. When I said that to one of my friends from Georgia, she just started laughing and told me that I was like the tenth person who said that and she needed clarification on what it meant. So there you have it.
-I recently bought a ton of Laura Mercier makeup. It made my entire weekend all the better, even though I had no where to go to wear it, since I was just 'up north.'
-My family talent show is coming up in two weekends and I am no where near prepared. YIKES.
I could probably continue on and on since I am in a rambling mood, but I won't. But, please, tell me what everyone else has been up to this summer!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Real World
Part of my assignment for work is to research blogs and then contribute to Amway’s Intern blog. Throughout my research I have stumbled upon several interesting blogs and articles that have led me to some random thoughts. This may come out slightly (okay, being sarcastic) harsh, and so I am just going to jump right in and feed myself to the wolves here: I am disappointed with my fellow peers. I hate to say it, but no wonder 44% of employers are not planning on hiring employees from the graduate class of 2010 (https://mymail.huntington.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e2b234469f2489ca385ab27d017ae0c&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.courierpostonline.com%2farticle%2f20100524%2fBUSINESS%2f5240312%2fCollege-graduates-face-hurdles-in-finding-jobs) . Feel free to disagree with me, or challenge me on this, but all that I am saying is how do fresh college graduates think that they can walk out of their cap and gowns one day and into a business suit the next when they haven’t put in the effort and lazed away their college days sleeping and maxing out credit cards?
Upon leaving school this past May, I had a conversation with a soon to be 2010 college graduate. His major: Youth Ministry. I said somewhat excitedly to him, “Oh! So you plan to be a youth pastor right away?” His response? “What?? Heck no. Never.” Wait a second. Am I missing something here?
My question to you is, why? Why would someone go to a private university for 4 years working toward a degree (which, by the way, can’t really be used anywhere else other than a church), and then not even plan to go after an actual job in that field? Do they not want to earn a living? I am not asking to be critical, but rather out of curiosity, because I honestly just don’t get it.
I see this in other ways as well. Students attend college with lots of potential, but then they don’t do anything with it. I realize that jobs are hard to come by these days, but, if you were really talented and ambitious, I think I would be safe in saying that you would have a good chance in landing a new hire position. The fact is: if you have talent and you are dang good at what you do, employers will want you. Isn’t that what we have all been working for ever since we walked into our kindergarten classroom with our box of crayons and side pony tails? Why don’t students work toward this? Why do they (and, maybe I should be saying “we” in some of these cases, because I can be just as guilty sometimes) just take the statistics and assume they don’t have a chance so they just don’t even try.
I have heard the story thousands of times over the past three years about how my generation is lazy and wants to spend too much time “finding themselves.” At first, I tried fighting this generalization on my own people, but I hate to say it, but it is kind of true. It seems as if too many fresh college graduates leave college physically but not mentally, almost enabled to actually enter the real world of work. Do I think it is because they can’t do it? Of course not. Actually, I think my generation is probably made up of some of the most brilliant people the world has yet to know. Do I think it is a sense of laziness and selfishness?
It is kind of ironic to me that the very people who say they are very caring (which they are) people who want to reach the world and make a difference; who say they are selfless, are the very people who won’t give up their “freedom” and get to work. They rather play then go out and use their talents. One of my absolute most favorite quotes (by Marianne Williamson) describes this pretty well:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Why aren’t we going out there and being all we can be? Why are some of us staying in the past and trying to live a childish life when we could be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Maybe going out there and being a career person or a missionary or an amazing coach is not for everyone. Maybe it is okay for some people to do what they do. That’s okay. All that I am saying is if we really are those great, passionate, selfless people that we claim to be, then it’s time to show it.
To me, the 44% of employers hiring us statistic needs to change. But, guess what guys, only we can be the ones to change it.
Upon leaving school this past May, I had a conversation with a soon to be 2010 college graduate. His major: Youth Ministry. I said somewhat excitedly to him, “Oh! So you plan to be a youth pastor right away?” His response? “What?? Heck no. Never.” Wait a second. Am I missing something here?
My question to you is, why? Why would someone go to a private university for 4 years working toward a degree (which, by the way, can’t really be used anywhere else other than a church), and then not even plan to go after an actual job in that field? Do they not want to earn a living? I am not asking to be critical, but rather out of curiosity, because I honestly just don’t get it.
I see this in other ways as well. Students attend college with lots of potential, but then they don’t do anything with it. I realize that jobs are hard to come by these days, but, if you were really talented and ambitious, I think I would be safe in saying that you would have a good chance in landing a new hire position. The fact is: if you have talent and you are dang good at what you do, employers will want you. Isn’t that what we have all been working for ever since we walked into our kindergarten classroom with our box of crayons and side pony tails? Why don’t students work toward this? Why do they (and, maybe I should be saying “we” in some of these cases, because I can be just as guilty sometimes) just take the statistics and assume they don’t have a chance so they just don’t even try.
I have heard the story thousands of times over the past three years about how my generation is lazy and wants to spend too much time “finding themselves.” At first, I tried fighting this generalization on my own people, but I hate to say it, but it is kind of true. It seems as if too many fresh college graduates leave college physically but not mentally, almost enabled to actually enter the real world of work. Do I think it is because they can’t do it? Of course not. Actually, I think my generation is probably made up of some of the most brilliant people the world has yet to know. Do I think it is a sense of laziness and selfishness?
It is kind of ironic to me that the very people who say they are very caring (which they are) people who want to reach the world and make a difference; who say they are selfless, are the very people who won’t give up their “freedom” and get to work. They rather play then go out and use their talents. One of my absolute most favorite quotes (by Marianne Williamson) describes this pretty well:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Why aren’t we going out there and being all we can be? Why are some of us staying in the past and trying to live a childish life when we could be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Maybe going out there and being a career person or a missionary or an amazing coach is not for everyone. Maybe it is okay for some people to do what they do. That’s okay. All that I am saying is if we really are those great, passionate, selfless people that we claim to be, then it’s time to show it.
To me, the 44% of employers hiring us statistic needs to change. But, guess what guys, only we can be the ones to change it.
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