Decisions, decisions, decisions!

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on

the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining

the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question,

I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”

—ALBERT EINSTEIN

 

Wise words from a wise man. If only we were so wise, every community development worker would be redundant... I wait patiently for that day. Today I've been attempting to design the 3rd session I have with the Job Seekers Network tomorrow morning. This quotation opens an article about The Art of Powerful Questions, an art I'm ever-increasingly becoming aware of since I've been here. Asking the wrong questions can open Pandora's Box, whereas the right one will be an open sesame to a world of magical possibilities... it's a fine line to walk and the risk's only worth as much as the gain in the given situation... that's the choice i make as a Community Development Worker; Risk Taker and Change Manager could be other names for this job.

 

Anyways, I'm either:

 

• 
  
  
  Presenting a code about unemployment
  
  

OR

• 
  
  
  Facilitating a 1930s british role-play activity
  
  

I just don't know which one will be more suited to this group who seem depressed, uptight and lacking group setting skills...  bleh.

Yesterday, Monday, I went to visit Shakti, a wee girl got chatting to me while I was waiting for the worker to arrive at the refuge and we drew pictures. These are the ones she gave me:

I think she found my accent funny; she kept correcting my pronunciation of 'cow' when we were talking about what sounds farm animals make. This is a picture of the kitchen.

6 families live there and there are 2 staff and there were 2 volunteers while I was there. It was great chatting to them about the various issues that have come up since I've been here and comparing practices across the 2 countries. Isaw this on the wall and it made me smile.

And my lettuce is definitely growing; that ozone free sunshine's strong and the water's a deciding factor too. It has rained almost every day, sometimes all day, in the last 10 days here. It's good for the plants and better than drought. I've been watching the California bush fires on the news.

At lunchtime yesterday I went to the 'mall' for dim sum; I love it here, there's a heavy Asian influence and sushi, dim sum and asian food is on every street corner. Hmmmmmm.

This is a photo of me being silly in the office at Community Waitakere; it's loads of fun in that office, I'm really going to miss it...

Now let's see what happens tomorrow...