This week has been vastly different from all of my other weeks this summer. Whew. What a doozie. But in a good way. Let’s not waste any time and get right to it, shall we?
1. A room without windows is an exhausting thing. Daylight, people walking by, trees swaying in the wind…I need to see these things in a day. The photo above shows the direction of my house from downtown Raleigh through a great big window. The majority of my week however has been in a conference room with no windows but plenty of powerpoint presentations and fluorescent lights. Tell me, when are skylights going to be part of the building code? Hmm, I guess that doesn’t really help buildings with more than one floor. Bummer, nevermind I guess. So, WHY was I in a conference room all week? Well, that brings me to the next point…
2. Working brings a whole new energy to life. Albeit overwhelming or stressful at times, working at a job gives all of your other time a little more meaning or sense of urgency. I feel like I’ve been a bit more efficient with my time, but admittedly still have a lot left to do at the end of the day. What work, you ask? (Did I just bury the lead?) I am now working for the next few months as a Community Engagement Fellow for United Way. It is essentially a temporary position, but will hopefully be a good one as I’ll be presenting to different companies all over the Triangle. It came about rather suddenly after the rejection of the last few positions, but I am grateful for the opportunity. This week has been nonstop training with a few other fellows, and I have learned more than my little brain can handle. I’m definitely ready for the weekend but eager to see what is to come.
3. I thought finishing school was just something they did in the movies. As a part of the training we learned all about United Way, several pointers on public speaking, astounding information about the needs right here in our community and some proper business etiquette. Along with it, today we got a lesson according to the standards set by Miss Manners because apparently people really do go to finishing school and know what to do with eight forks and four knives. The bread plate should go on the left and the drink is on the right. Start from the outside and work in with your utensils. Ladies should always be seated first and the host should start the eating so everyone else can follow suit. When eating soup, the spoon should be scooped outwards. If you leave the table but intend to return, place the napkin on the top of your seat. If you are finished eating, place the napkin on the left side of your plate and your utensils side-by-side yet diagonally on the right side of your plate. For rolls, place the amount of butter you need on your plate and apply it on only the morsel you plan to eat before taking a bite. Y’all, I did not go to finishing school. I promise I have table manners, but some of this was a little too much for me.
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