A window full of sunshine

12 July 2011

Movin’ up in the ranks of the work place with a new desk. Ok... that’s just my shameless ego boost. I’ve moved desks for no other reason than the PC I’ve been using for the past three weeks was giving me an early onset of gray hairs. 

 

My desk now is opposite my supervisor’s desk (our plastic white desks are lined in, if facing the desks from the door, double vertical columns with a row of three in each column. A horizontal desk closes off the formation on my left. A wall closes the desks in on my right. (Before, I sat towards the back of the office loft... up against a wall. We were only a row of three, not a "two- columned- three- row- one- desk- barring- us- off" formation as I have now and as is replicated a few feet away from my desk. With my old desk, there was no one to the right of me and no one opposite me... just a faceless, bare, unexciting stark, white wall to feast my eyes upon.)

My new location provides for a much airier experience. A bookcase backs me, so no one (with the exception of Paris, who will sit next to me although she isn’t at work today) gets to have the pleasure of watching me take my brief Facebook, Twitter, email AND Blogger breaks. (Contrary to what I may make it seem, I am in fact a very dedicated intern as I have always completed each of my assignments within deadline. Today has been a challenge, however, as I am making up work from my day off yesterday, tackling my day’s assignments AND working to complete tomorrow’s tasks as I will also be taking my second day off from work. Harry Potter is tonight. Not even attempting to go in to work on four hours of sleep.)

I ramble in my writings... on the fourth paragraph and I still haven’t covered my point of explaining my change in desk location. Ok, point: I now have a window view. The window lines the wall you first see as you walk from the door into the loft. So basically, not within arm’s reach of me, but several feet opposite me. Regardless, I still get a view. The shutters are open to the right of the loft, allowing for a gorgeous peak at the city skyscrapers and patches of, what I assume is, grass in Hyde Park. I start my work days a few hours after sun rise. And I end exactly 30 minutes after the sun sets. A simple reason as to why, come week, I feel as if I live and breathe work. I don’t particularly enjoy being confined in an office space during the daylight hours, an explanation for why I spent a few days last week, having lunch out in the park. This window, however, makes for quite a difference. 

After taking Nathan to the train station this morning, I returned to the warm enclave of my bed, hoping to get in thirty minutes of sleep before the buzz of my alarm set in, bringing with it the start of a fresh work day. 15 minutes later, I sensed that falling asleep was by far, not a viable option; my mind RACES in the morning, which today, prevented me from dozing back off. I usually channel my morning energy by spurting out a new blog post, in addition to catching up on the day’s Facebook comments... they tend to pile up given that the states’s day takes place during my night’s sleep. 

I began my blog/ Facebook advetnures at 6:45 this morning. You’d think that the fact that I had 6:45 until 8:30 (the time I should leave the apartment if I wish to make it to work a few minutes before the 9 ‘o clock start mark), I’d make it on time. But given that I was so determined to finish a blog post, I ended up leaving the apartment at 8:45. Whoops. The positive side: my camper... a camper I had my first year as a counselor two years ago, emailed me; she had just returned home from three weeks at camp. Her email stated that she needed a nap. 

The email surprised me... in an absolutely wonderful way. I’ve kept in contact via email with this camper for the past two years. It’s one of the greatest joys as a counselor knowing that you make an impact on your campers’ summers; The fact that my former camper, after weeks of spending her summer with completely different counselors, still thought to email me once she returned home... It truly moved me. Nathan had told me that while he was at camp this year (he had returned to staff Family Camp), one of my former campers had asked him to say hello to me. My best friend at camp had a camper, who was actually never even my camper, approach her to ask where I was. It’s these moments, among others, that reinforce how meaningful my summers at camp have been... both for me, in addition to my impact on my children. I’m in another country, pursuing another dream yet camp never leaves me.

And while the reminders of camp float through, my life in Sydney keeps escalating up. My roommate, who has been here for the past semester, moved in to the apartment two weeks into our summer program. I couldn’t have been luckier with who I am sharing my room with. For a general picture: we’re the ones that are in bed by, um 7.30, for an early night in during the week. I also have an adopted family, both in a cute and real sense. Cute wise: the 10^th floor has one apartment of two boys and two girls... who decided they are a family. I’m their adopted child. Which means I sometimes crash their meals, comment flood their Facebook photo albums and tag along for HARRY POTTER this evening (more about that later). In terms of real family, Mark and Sue and their daughter, Laura, have taken me in each Friday night in addition to calling me throughout the week for a check up. 

So begins week four of my Sydney experience. I still feel as if I have so much left to do, yet not enough time to do it all. (Result: considering taking the Thursday and Friday off from work my last week here... is that ok??) A month in, and I am still loving the internship, so pleased with the people I work with and thrilled to have finally felt as if I have gotten closer with several people on my program.

As for tonight... plans are to hit up a karaoke bar and then the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight showing, with a quick nap in between... (obviously). The latter half of my plans, however, undoubtedly deserves its own post. 

For now, I’m swimming in yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s work assignments. (Apparently, taking the day off from work doesn’t let you off the hook in terms of assignments.) It’s 3:15... I have just over two hours left to finish the three projects remaining on my day’s to do list. 

I look up, reminded that I now have a window view at work. A window view streaming a day’s worth of sunshine into a space that my day’s full of work lays awaiting completion. The rays of sunshine poking their way seem to mimic the spark of joy this weekend, and I can proudly say, this trip across the world, has left me with. It's truly a good feeling to have as I sit here contemplating the heaps of work I have left to do.