November 17, 2014

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Tuesday- NO SCHOOL!!

Best thing ever! I usually try to do something adventurous like going on a hike/mud caving or shopping. This time, I was completely content just taking the day off. So I slept in, and did homework. It was all easy homework, so I didn't mind it. In reality, I like organization, so catching up was really refreshing. In the pm though, I watched a few episodes of my fav-One Tree Hill and then went on a date with Peyton Manning. Jk, his name is Carl Ellingson. He looks like Peyton though. The date was super fun! We went on a bike ride around Reid Park (which is the only non-hobo park in Tucson and the cutest) and I was in heaven. I LOVE bike rides, they are literally my favorite hobby. Plus the weather was spot on. After riding around the whole park, we went off the path and had dinner by the duck pond. After dinner and all the bike fun, we went across the street to U-Swirl for some frozen yogurt. We also ran into a ton of mormons while there including the ASL missionaries! I guess it is just the mormon place.

Wednesday.

I had practicum like normal. I can't really remember what I interpreted, so I'm sure that means it went well. I did have a solid talk about interpreting with my mentor and have a greater understanding about my role.

I was supposed to get observed by my teacher, but the assembly went over time by a half hour, so she had to leave. I don't know if I was happy or disappointed about this. I'm not super nervous about getting observed, so it's whatever I guess.

After practicum, I had my 2nd to last class with all the girls in my major. After next week/this week, we no longer have class. This is both exciting and sad. This class is the core of my major, so this class ending shows how close graduation is.


Thursday was whatevs. Normal.


Friday.

While getting ready for school I got a call from a number in Georgia. I answered and it happened to be a lady responding to my application. On Wednesday I applied for an interpreting job online but didn't expect to hear anything. Well this woman gave me a lot of praise and said they would love to hire me. Here is the deal...this company is a national agency, so I could potentially work anywhere as long as my EIPA (The big test I took back in Oct) score meets their requirement. I would be interpreting in a school setting regardless of what state I choose to live in. Also it is a straight up full-time job with benefits and all!

Here's the catch. I have to have my EIPA score before I can start. I won't get my score til the beginning of February and if I'm super lucky, the end of January. The joy of waiting 120 days. So let's say I wait to get my score and I pass, then I have a full time job. If I don't pass, I am out of work until I can take it again and wait 120 days. Stupid huh.

Although there is another catch. Sometimes places will allow you to work while you are waiting for your score. The lady said if a school in Phoenix doesn't hire someone by Thanksgiving, she will try to see if they will consider me.

Anyway, I was pretty excited to get offered a full time job! Even if I don't take it now, I could take it the following fall. I've been praying for options for 4 months, so this was a blessing!


That afternoon I volunteered at the deaf elementary school and it was one of the best days there. A) I gave the interpreters, teachers, and aide of room 2 my graduation announcement. It made it all more real, and my appreciation for them was so strong. That class helped me grow so much the past 2 1/2 years. Also while I was there, a student had "show and tell" so her family came to support. That meant her 3 year old little brother came. My job was to entertain him and he ended up entertaining me more than anything. He was so fun. The best part was his little hands signing. Kids signing are the cutest things ever.


In the evening, the institute had a regional luau! They served us hawaiian food, put on a show and then a dance. The dance was of course my favorite part. Luca is an awesome DJ-right on point!


Shout out to Steph for supplying Syd and I with hawaiian shirts. 

After the activity, Steph had the brilliant idea of exploring 4th Ave/Congress, which is basically our equivalent of Mill. We stopped at the Hub for ice cream. I was a little leery of the price but it was SO WORTH IT!! The best ice cream I've ever had. 

There were a lot of interesting and creepy people. We agreed to explore again, but decided to wait for a school night when it's not so crazy. 



Saturday. 

I had to wake up at an early hour to volunteer for Deaf-Blind folks. Now mind you, my practice is not with deaf-blind people. I have communicated with them, but interpreting is a whole other ball park. I was pretty nervous. Friday night I had a few nightmares that the people told me I was awful and wanted to switch partners. Thankfully we had a team with certified interpreters, so I knew if I didn't understand something, I would have someone there to help me out. 

Upon arriving, I realized I knew one of the Deaf-Blind individuals so that made me feel better! 

By the end of the meeting, I was SO grateful I took advantage of this opportunity. It was a great experience and I learned SO much! I am now more comfortable with Deaf-Blind individuals and understand how to work with them. 

I even had some laughs. I was interpreting for a deaf-blind man, and then we were all supposed to team up and put glasses on that blocked our vision. Oh my goodness. Trying to tactile sign is freakin hard. I figured out how to sign with someone's hand on mine, but understanding it is beyond my skill. Anyway because of how badly I struggled, I made the deaf-blind man laugh a lot. In fact we were both laughing for quite some time. 

If you don't know what tactile sign is, here is a video. These are the people that presented. It is all in ASL so you won't understand anyway, but this shows what it looks like. PS, they are both deaf-blind. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l11lahuiHLA


The workshop/interpreting ended at 340 ish and then I headed home. I was exhausted but knew I wouldn't wake back up if I fell asleep. So instead I turned on the football game. Holy cow. It was insane. We miraculously won by one point! I think I'm happy I wasn't at the game or I would have been freaking out even more! 


Once Syd came back from the game, Steph, Syd and I went to BJs to celebrate my job offer. My dad was probably as excited as I was, so he said he would treat us to dinner. Of course we got pizookies too! 



After dinner, we got in hipsters and hobo attire. A girl in my ward had a party themed Hipsters or Hobos. She was turning 22... "it feels like a perfect night to dress up as hipsters..." Get it? Steph went full out and rocked her hobo costume. 




The first half of the party, we sat in the front room and conversed with other hipsters. In the other room people played kool-aid pong and rock band. Towards the end we all came together and had a dance party. I even learned how to salsa a little with my homeboy Jenk and Austin taught me how to do "the spongebob"! 


Sunday. 


After many years of effort, the Phoenix Temple was finally dedicated! We were fortunate enough to go to the first session, which was the best because it was the only one the prophet spoke at. Also he was a hoot during the corner stone filling. It was a nice reminder that he is human. 

Once we got home, Syd, Rory and Steph drove to Mesa to celebrate Syd's birthday with her family. I was tempted to go, but I had a RS meeting and a meeting with some girls in my major. I had the house to myself, but I wasn't too productive. I was EXHAUSTED, but I didn't want to take a nap, so I was just waiting for time to pass. I did make my mother's famous cookies though! 


Monday. 

I was having a fab day. I got lunch with Steph, had a good chat with people at the institute, volunteered at the elementary school and ran some errands. Towards the end of my errands, I kind of had a melt down. I think it was a mixture of being tired, and overwhelmed.

Remember all the details I shared about the job? Well I started thinking about "what if I don't pass the test..." It seems so minor to everyone else, but it is really hard to take any time off interpreting. Even a week off hurts your skills. It is something you have to constantly work at. So if I don't pass, then I wont have a job until at least August. That's a REALLY long time. I can't really explain the extent of my stress, but it is a big deal. 

I was sick of not knowing. So I called my mother. She is so sweet to hear me complain about this all the time. 

FHE helped because we were active, so it got my mind off of it. Also after the activity, I asked the missionaries for a blessing. I so badly wanted it to tell me if I passed or what I should do. Of course that didn't happen, but it gave me some direction. I still feel a little lost, but I feel more confident.

I will find out if I for sure got a job in New York by December 1st (which doesn't require my EIPA). So until then, I get to play the waiting game. 

Another fun fact, only 26 days have passed since I took my big test. So I get to wait another 94 days of waiting. 


CONVERSATION

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