Except the fact that it just will not turn into summer around here. We get glimpses of it every now and then, but I'm still wearing jeans and a jacket when I'm outside. Crazy to think that this time last year we were sweating at the mere thought of walking outside into the humid Memphis heat...
Sorry I've totally slacked on the blogging, folks. I'd say I'm going to try to do better, but let's be realistic, life gets in the way of these kinds of things.
The main thing going on these days has been work. I'm really loving it, which is great and surprising at the same time. Going into a digital marketing internship, I thought it would be interesting but maybe not my cup of tea. I'm learning so much, though, and really growing to like it a lot. I'm leading my own email campaign now, which is challenging and rewarding at the same time. It's great to be trusted with a project that I will see through from beginning to end. I'm working more and more on our website, and I'm part of conversations involving creative materials and social media. It's been a really fun journey, and I'm excited to see where it leads me.
It's also fascinating to work at a relief organization with all that has been going on in the world. I always had the idea in my head that I would like to work in disaster relief one day, and here I am. Not on the ground, but definitely putting in my two cents. The day I started was actually just a day or two after the Japan earthquakes and tsunami, so I was thrown right into writing emails asking for donations. Now with all the tornadoes, the organization has been in a flurry trying to react. It's really interesting to see something terrible happen on the news and know the next day at work is going to be nuts, as we are one of the biggest organizations responding. It's nice to know that in some way, I am contributing to that relief. It's also just exciting to be on the inside and hearing up to date information and learning more about proper ways to react to disasters like those we've unfortunately experienced this year.
Another awesome thing about this job is getting to meet so many inspiring people. Every week, I meet with around 5 different senior leaders in the organization, and so many of them do fascinating things. A few weeks ago, I met with a man who coordinated Bono's first trip to Africa. Last week I met a man who was country director of multiple countries in West Africa for 15 years (you better believe I reminisced with him about Ghana). My cubicle is right next to a someone who is working with an Olympian track athlete on a partnership with our org. I met another guy last week who used to be "Bill's" top recruiter (right, that's Bill Gates, on a first-name basis). Such cool people.
My favorite is probably this Zambian man who works on my floor. In our meeting he was so sweet and has such a love for his country. He spoke about the moment he started "seeing people with his heart" and about how that's when you really realize that you have a responsibility to make a difference. You may be able to acknowledge that there is poverty and misery, and you may even see it every day. But it is not until you truly see people and these issues with your heart that you are moved into action. It got me thinking about myself... There are multiple times in my life when I feel like I have truly been able to see people with my heart... Mainly my summer as Oxley director and my time in Ghana... but I definitely don't do it all the time. It's something I'm really trying to work on, and I guess something that would just make the world a lot more peaceful. If we can learn to see each other, not just the poor, with our hearts, then we'd all be more sympathetic, more understanding, more loving. We'd know how to encourage people in the right ways and how to interact with them in positive, constructive manners... It would just be better, right?
Anyway, I'm clearly just babbling now. My point is that I'm loving it. There are definitely places for improvement, but that doesn't mean there's not potential :)
Hope you all are well.
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