It's getting better all the time

(FRIDAY)

Today was my second day at work for South Seattle Community College (SSCC) International Programs (IP) office. From 8am to 1pm I was training to run the front desk, answer inquiries, file paperwork, and learning FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, I think). I have never felt so welcome at a place of employment quite like the welcome I felt here. In the afternoon my coworker came in and he and I took 3 international students on an outing to Bite of Seattle, a food festival at the Seattle Center showcasing local eateries, bands, and artisans.  It was a wonderful day and I know I'm really going to enjoy this place when fall quarter comes and everything picks up again.

I'm still adjusting to this place.  Zach is doing better than me. I just have to be so damn emotional and have this insatiable urge to feel "at home." It'll come soon enough, but I have to work for it by putting myself out there and gaining some self confidence.

We got some rain today; something I really should try and become more familiar with. I somehow got rid of every waterproof clothing item I ever had before we moved out here. Yesterday I managed to find 2 nice shirts and a blazer I can wear to work at the thrift store; I was ecstatic because I really needed some more dress clothes. If only I got lucky there more often! It's always hit or miss, you have to be patient when you shop there. Though it can be a fun game, you can't rarely accomplish a specific clothing mission there.

(SATURDAY)

Di and Mitch, on their way out to California, are stopping in Seattle today! I think we're going to take them to the Bite of Seattle event that I went to yesterday for work. They'll like it, I'm sure. Free food and entertainment, where can you go wrong? I actually really enjoyed myself there; there is so much food to try and lots to look at. The Seattle Center is a fantastic place to put on events. Summer here is THE BEST; there are festivals every weekend and always things to do! Today at the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park they have free yoga on the lawn at 10:30 as well as a free sketch class where they supply you with what you need to learn to draw in the park.

I just have to go back to talking about my job at SSCC to say how much I really am going to love it. I'm back in event planning and I'm going to be making a positive impact on the lives of international students there. And for an amazing pay, that I feel that I'll hardly deserve! I'm grateful for this wonderful opportunity with them :)

Things are going to start picking up for me. Sunday I'm going to Alki Beach with my future supervisor of my graduate assistantship along with two NUFP (NASPA undergraduate fellowship program) interns. We're going to get some lunch and then he's going to show us the beach. I guess there is a little statue of liberty there? The following weeks are mostly full of my 17 max hours at SSCC (or at whatever venue the event is that we take students too). My graduate assistantship is going to start 2 weeks early so that I can gain experience working with the Fukuoka program. The program brings I think around 30 japanese students from Fukuoka University over here for two weeks to study, experience the surrounding area, and practice their English. At the end of the academic year, I will be helping plan the program with my supervisor. I'm really looking forward to it!

Also, I have been looking at LOTS of programs abroad.

(SUNDAY)


I kept putting off posting this post so I kept getting time frames confused and I have no idea what tense to write in, haha!

Blood, sweat, and tears

Our first 5 weeks in Seattle haven't been 100% blood, sweat, and tears, but if you asked me how I felt about moving the day before we left St. Cloud, you would have found me curled up in a ball on the floor of our empty closet with wet, swollen eyes sobbing about how we're not going to make it.

Looking back on August of 2008, the days before I left New Berlin, Wisconsin for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, I cannot recall how I felt about the whole thing. There was so much to prepare for in the days leading to my departure that by now everything in my memory is a blur. The only thing I remember is the moment I hugged my parents goodbye on campus; I saw their eyes getting wet and as they turned away, my own tears started flowing without my consent. I turned around and looked at Mitchell Hall, my new home, and never felt so alone in my life. There was not one person in the entire city who's name I knew besides my roommate's.

Four years of SCSU later I found myself with quality friendships, multiple jobs, internships, and a husband. Everything worked out. That first year was hard, and so was the last year, but everything worked out. I have to remember that while I'm in Seattle. I have to remember that every time that we move (because we plan on moving around a lot).

Tomorrow marks 5 weeks here. Yesterday, I was offered two part-time positions in my field. One is a graduate assistantship at Seattle University with the International Student Center and the other position is the Activities and Events Coordinator with South Seattle Community College.  I am delighted that my hard work and dedication paid off. Of course, I couldn't have done it with a little help from some new friends. Melissa was a girl in my summer class; she let me know about the International Student Center deciding to hire a second graduate assistant because she works there as one. Lindsey, another girl in my summer class, actually works in the same office at South Seattle Community College, where I got my position, and put in good words for me. Thank you so much, you two! I appreciate your help and support.

Tonight we're going out for food and drinks, partially because I haven't seen people from my class in a while, partially because I want to go out and celebrate getting job(S)!

It's been such a productive week, I feel incredible. My Google calendar is filling up nicely again. Remember this?

August 2011 - May 2012: Every waking second I either worked or did homework.

Yeah I don't ever want to go back to that. But the past 5 weeks my Google Calendar has been anxiety-provoking-ly EMPTY. I'll have to remember to keep a healthy balance. Being under-involved makes me lonely, being overly-involved makes me crazy. Two jobs, grad school, and a few volunteer hours each week should keep me well balanced, I think.

Going back to the post title: blood, sweat, and tears. I shed so many tears in the past few months. In May it was because of all the difficult goodbyes I had to face, in June it was because I lacked hope and felt in dispair without friends or an income. It's July now and my blood, sweat, and tears have pulled through for me with jobs and new friends. I'm so fortunate and grateful that things are working out. Now if only an employer would see Zach's resume and recognize his genius and glory so we're both employed!

Today I have some appointments on campus and I'm going to take care of some things there. Tomorrow I head over to South Seattle Community College to fill out some hiring paperwork. I start next week at SSCC and my first day at the ISC at SU is August 27! I'm proud of myself.

Catie listens to the Internet again!

So I know nothing about beauty products. Well, next to nothing. I came across my friend Addi's new beauty blog today and watched her first video (which was 20 minutes long, mind you.) She has beauty products I've never even heard of that does things to certain layers of skin, certain parts of you, whatever that I didn't know people ever did before. Does this mean I'm super behind on this, "maybe I should start taking care of my skin and spending better money on make-up so I don't look 60 when I'm 40" thing?

Anyway, what I'm about to post pictures of has nothing to do with that.

I've been on a role when it comes to listening to the Internet, which ironically has stemmed from the fact that I wanted to spend less time derping around on the Internet. By listening to it I'm doing the crafts and recipes from the bookmarks I've made or whatever I've Stumbled Upon lately rather than drooling over pages of Tumblr and bookmarking more crafts I'll never do until I stay away from the Interwebz.

Today, after I failed at dying my hair dark auburn brown,

I remembered a tutorial I had seen for making wings on your eyelids with eyeliner. You can tell I'm a noob from the way I described the thing. Anyway I never wear liquid eyeliner except for special occasions but I wanted to try this technique I saw

First I taped my eyes like a derpette.

Then I abused the advantage of the tape and sloppily swapped on some liquid eyeliner, going a little past the edge of my eye

Took the tape of and voila! Beautiful winged eyeliner. Is this how everyone does it? Because I couldn't do this look without the tape...

Ta-da! Experimentation got Catie to actually spend time on make up today! Confidence boost, aww yeah.

The fact that I've been posting on Blogger a lot means I have way too much free time on my hands. Every day we get outside and walk around for whatever reason, which is great, but I still need some kind of purpose! I'm excited though that we'll start volunteering more soon :)

Ish is actually coming back to our place on Wednesday and then flying back to Minneapolis sometime at the end of the week. I'm excited to hang out with him again!

Catie does DIY!

I was Stumbling my life away this beautiful Sunday morning instead of being outside on this day of perfect weather when I came across a Do-It-Yourself blog post to make a braided top similar to this one offered at Banana Republic.

Whenever Catie comes across a cute and easy DIY project, she usually can't resist. I don't know if anyone has noticed, but every few months this will happen to me where I suddenly go from surfing the Internet to cutting up t-shirts and usually the project ends up looking sloppy because I'm just so excited to finish and wear it.

One time I cut up a t-shirt I bought in Perú and made myself wear it for at least a day. I never wore the shirt before because it fit me so awkwardly, and I told myself that if I cut it up and made myself wear it once, it's better than sitting in my closet for the rest of forever...

May 13th, 2011. The last time I cut up a t-shirt, not including the one I cut the sleeves off of to wear to the gym.

So anyway, I've held onto a few of Zach's t-shirts that he was going to get rid of over the past few years, and today I decided to cut one up and make it look just as perfect as the braided shirt picture above.

I started by cutting off some of the neck. Looking back I wish I had made it lower, or maybe into more of a v-neck shape (I live in hipster-city these days, why shouldn't I have some v-necks?).

cool shirt, right?!

Then, following the instructions from the original blog post I stumbled upon, I cut some slits near the collar.

Maybe I should have washed it first.

Then it was time to do the "braiding." The braiding was more like looping you did when you were younger to make other DIY things I can't remember right now.

close up of the braided collar

it changed the shape of the shirt, that's for sure. I had to use some safety pins to secure both ends of the braid, later I'm going to purchase some black thread so I can sew it and it doesn't look like I'm a desperate 12 year old goth with safety pins in my clothing to make me look tough.

I hate t-shirt sleeves. They're at an awkward length for my arms. I had to figure out something to do to these sleeves. I started by cutting off the hem.

Then I followed a different t-shirt modification tutorial and cut a slit down the sleeve following the seam from the shoulders, then tied the end.

Now it looks like this:

I really hate those safety pins. I need some thread asap.

So later I asked this anonymous girl to model the shirt for me. This is how it looks on someone:

VOILA!

Since I didn't modify how the shirt fit around the chest and stomach, it's a little baggy/frumpy, but I will save that project for another day.

It was kinda fun. I've always wanted to modify my t-shirts. I wish I didn't have to get rid of so many before we moved to Seattle, because I would have SO MANY to chose from now if I didn't! I'm thinking when I have a steady income I'll start picking up some t-shirts from thrift stores, where I primarily do my clothes shopping in the first place.

I know!

I'm going to put out an ad on Craigslist to see if anyone has lots of t-shirts to get rid of. It's perfect! I can help someone else get rid of stuff they don't need, and I won't be upset if I mess up modifying a shirt because it wasn't one I paid for or care much about! I hope I get some responses.

Today Zach and I are going to stop by the farmer's market they have in Capitol Hill. I'm excited to see what they'll have. Then we're going to check out the Urban Craft Uprising event going on at the Seattle Center's Exhibition center. We've been so grateful the weather has been beautiful; even spent most of yesterday outside, exploring! Seattle summers are jus too perfect: no humidity, no scorching heat, just beauty.

Very Good Things

I had been talking to my friend Ish over the past week because he told me he sent a package to Seattle and wanted to make sure we got it. Yesterday he texts me saying the package should arrive that day. I checked the mail around noon and nothing was in yet. Later in the afternoon he calls me and says "I just got a call confirming that your package has been delivered!" On my way downstairs, assuming he really wants me to grab the package and call him back to tell him what I think, I notice a group of people standing outside the main entrance. After the realization clicked, I stopped dead in my tracks when I recognized that hair, that voice, that stance: SURPRISE! Ish was on my doorstep! He road tripped out here with two of his friends, all the way from Minnesota. 


As silly as I felt I couldn't help but cry when we greeted. He's the first person who has visited us out here in Seattle, and the first person to remind me that we aren't so alone. It feels so incredibly comforting to have someone from home out here with us because something in this giant, scary city is finally familiar to me.

Ish's surprise wasn't the only great thing that has happened to me lately. I had a phone interview and an in-person interview with one of the centers on campus regarding a graduate assistantship. The phone interview could have gone a lot better, but I believe the in-person interview went very well and I'm really hoping I get this position! It encompasses a lot of my passions for programming and international education. Cross your fingers for me! I have another interview next week for a position in a nearby community college, also.

In other news, I had my last day of summer class today: I'm officially done with my first graduate level course! I cannot wait to dive into my fall classes so I can learn about student development theory and foundations of student affairs. According to my classmates my fall schedule will be quite a full one, but I think I'm prepared for the challenge.

Establishing a new life in Seattle has been much harder for me than I expected. I say I like change, but it has never been an easy thing for me to deal with. Turns out being a shy extrovert in a city with a reputation called The Seattle Freeze puts me at a disadvantage for making friends as well. I know I just have to give it some more time. I know that when school and/or work start up it can only get easier.

Zach and I decided to start volunteering in order to spend our time more meaningfully while we're unemployed. Two weeks from now we're volunteering for a conference about social media and non profit organizations. I'm looking forward to it!

OH AND BEFORE I GO
I have to say how gosh darned happy I am that my friends Lars and Addi are getting married. I have so much respect for that gregarious, unforgettable man and I have no doubt he picked the affable goddess of gorgeousness for a wife. Those two apparently started some wedding planning today because this undeserving-flattered-grateful girl is going to be in Addi Always-Beautiful's wedding party. You two are peanut butter and jelly; everyone who looks at you must know you're perfect for each other. Lars, I'm so glad I met you a few years ago. I'm so happy to be taking part in this part of your life! 

Grad school kickoff!

No, there wasn't a formal event to kick off my first graduate level course. I was fortunate enough to be able to register for a summer class, before my 2 year grad school journey really began.

The course, "Best Practices in Student Affairs" is taught by Dr. Jeremy Stringer, the head of the Student Development Administration department, and founder of the entire program (that began 20 years ago this year!). We meet on a strange schedule in order for the class to take field trips to various universities and colleges to tour and learn about how their student affairs departments are managed. We had class from 9 to 5 last Thursday, with lectures and a presentation from SU's civic engagement department, and Sunday we left for the University of Idaho for 2 nights.

Being able to go to the University of Idaho with my 10 other classmates was an incredible experience. We Stayed in their LLCs (Living and Learning communities) which were only built a few years ago, and incredibly spacious. We arrived Sunday evening and met Denise Carl for dinner, an SU SDA alum  who now works in student engagement at the University of Idaho. Over dinner, we got to know Denise quite a bit and my classmates and I were buzzing with excitement for the next day.

Monday morning we got breakfast at the U of Idaho's student dining hall called Bob's at 7:30am. After breakfast we met up with Melinda Lewis, a graduate student, and she gave us a campus tour and briefed us about the Greek population there.

After that we met with Bruce Pitman, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. He taught us a lot about their structure, student learning outcomes, mission, and student body. I was very interested and constantly soaking up every word he said about their institution. I was intrigued to find out that the University of Idaho did a lot of collaborating with Washington State University because it lies just 8 miles away from the U of I on the other side of the state border. They even, without knowing it, chose the same common reading book that year, and have begun collaborating on that project.

I guess they've had a tough year when it comes to student deaths. Usually there is 3-5, but last year they had 14, and one case was a faculty member murdering a student. They've had a tough year, but you can really tell they've worked hard and kept everything in tact and running smoothly. I truly am grateful I got to meet and connect with the student affairs professionals at University of Idaho. They all are exceptional people and I do hope I can meet with them again some day.

the view from the meditation room in the student union. So beautiful

We also met Jeanne Christiansen, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. She and Bruce are practically attached at the hip, working in sync for the greater good of the students.

Right before lunch we met another Bruce, Bruce Mann, the Volunteer Center Coordinator. I think he blew us all away with his passion and dedication for his job. Starting out as a marketer and promoter for their campus recreation department, he knew what he always wanted to do, and jumped on the opportunity when he saw the open position in their volunteer center. It was interesting listening to him talk; he repeated a lot of the same values and goals that the Seattle University community engagement department listed. I guess they go on service trips several times a year, and there are at least two abroad trips each year.  My favorite, and maybe a quite obvious, lesson from Bruce was that service learning trips must be mutually beneficial for both the students and the community, otherwise it is not successful. Listening to him speak got me even more interested in working with civic engagement on a campus. I'm considering that area much more strongly now.

After lunch we met Ray Gasser, Director of University Housing, and Matt Kurz, Director of Greek Life. They discussed and shared their successes and challenges in student housing. U of Idaho has a large population of students involved in greek life, and there is apparently a lot of pressure to join fraternities and sororities. Ray was telling us about Res Life's challenge and goal to make achievement possible for everyone. They've developed strategies and systems for identifying students at risk and have successfully used it to help students.

I was glad we got to visit the U of I Women's Center, because I find a lot of merit in the department in general. Heather Gasser, Ray's wife, is the director there and she told us about the incredible upbringing of the Women's Center and the LGBTQA Center. In 2008, U of I did not have an LGBTQA Center. I can't recall what happened when, but eventually they created an LGBTQA Resource Center in an office within the Women's Center, but obviously the need for a more welcoming and larger space brought the center out of there and into the student union. Unfortunately the Women's Center is still located in the basement of a building that mostly houses a gymnasium. Just one of the amazing things their center does is have an Emergency Scholarship Fund, mostly for LGBTQA students. A prime example of when a student would apply for use of this funding is if they came out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and their parents cut them off completely. The funding is for those students who suddenly find themselves with little to no support and need financial assistance to continue. Heather told us about a particular student who was completely cut off from her parents after coming out and her parents actually reported the car that they had given her as stolen.

they have a library in their women's center!

At the end of the day we met again with Bruce Pitman, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, as well as with Sharon Fritz, a psychologist in the counseling and testing center, currently interim in the student conduct department. They titled their topic of discussion "Campus Safety and Student Welfare post-Virginia Tech era). With higher expectations and student/family fearing American campuses, the post-Virginia Tech era has brought the need for more intervention and intense preparation/detection of and for student safety. Every week they have campus safety meetings with individuals from all over departments and campus areas to discuss students of concern, etc. With the high number of student deaths this past year, they've had a lot to talk about and a lot of new strategy to implement. A good lesson I took away from this discussion was that as graduate students in the field, we should prepare ourselves for the tough situations that WILL come our way, such as those that these professionals have had to deal with. We know student affairs is an enjoyable and rewarding field, but we have to keep in mind there are things such as conflicts, emergencies, and deaths that we will eventually have to deal with in our future positions.

At the end of the day during a wrap up talk with Bruce, we asked him what his mission and vision was for the University of Idaho. He answered:
1) A comprehensive freshman year experience. As of now, U of I has a 79% freshman to sophomore year retention rate, and Bruce would like to see 85%.
2) More space for services to be more efficient in their duties. This way they can provide all students with high impact engagement services.
3) More comprehensive services for first generation students.

Another good point he had:

• If they admit students with a need (first gen, veteran, etc) they must be able to accomodate for those needs, they must be able to provide the services for them. Washington State Unviersity, just 8 miles from U of I across the Washington-Idaho border, recently lowered their admission requirements. The following year they had an unusually large freshman class, however they didn't hire extra staff in student support. Bruce is interested to see the retention rate between year one and year two after the students realize the lack of support. 

Some of the U of Idaho swag they gave us!

At 6:00pm they served us catered dinner (I had an amazing portobello mushroom cap while everyone else had chicken; guess I was the only vegetarian). We got the opportunity to sit with and talk with many of the professionals that we met that day as well as others we had not yet interacted. 

I sat next to Colleen Quinn, Director of Student Engagement. I learned a lot from her. It was actually her first day on the job, but she seemed to be really enjoying it there, and I was not surprised. As I've mentioned, the staff and faculty there seem to be incredible individuals. 

All in all,

I learned SO MUCH from this experience. I'm so glad that I was able to enroll in this summer class. It was wonderful getting to know my classmates on a deeper level, as well as having the opportunity to speak with Jeremy Stringer, director of the SDA program at SU, one-on-one. Now more than ever I am excited for classes to start up in the fall. Now all I need is a job to keep us afloat and my anxieties will be gone!

Today Zach might have a job opportunity up in Redmond, so I'm going up there with him today and we might explore that area when he is done. Seattle has been good to us so far!

The future is becoming clearer

my ideal career future, that is.

(I wrote the following yesterday morning, actually. I just couldn't post because we didn't have Internet and I didn't get to the public library!)

I think I'm finally starting to figure things out when it comes to my future career.  After discovering the student affairs field and consequently choosing it without hesitation for my future, I've come to realize it is a much larger field than I initially thought. Not only are there many specific areas of student affairs (student activities, student career centers, civic engagement, et cetera) but of course there are different levels and positions within those areas that I did not consider before. For instance, managing the student affairs office, assessing the development of a student affairs department, managing a student union, it's facilities, or directing the entire student life department.

I chose the field for several reasons. 1) I know that advising students is something I can be good at with practice and something I want to excel in. I moved from Milwaukee, WI, my hometown, to St. Cloud, MN for my undergraduate studies completely alone.  I turned to whatever department I could find for advice, activities, and advising because I just didn't know what to do with myself. It quickly became an identity crisis; a common phenomena of new students like I was. Searching for advice became a game; each department I visited gave me pamphlets, resources, and/or calendars of events and I gobbled it up. Resources! Free! What can I do with all this! Cool! I wanted to utilize all of them to better myself, make friends, and truly take advantage of my college experience; and that's what I ended up doing, though after some peer encouragement. 2) The university/college setting is where I feel that I fit in when it comes to a work place. Some would argue that I just don't want to leave my college life behind or I'm too afraid of change to start working in a company or firm. Let me lay it out for you: I thrive in changing environments, working with people, and being in more open minded communities. I've worked as a campus event planner for the last two years of my college career, so I already know what it is like to work in such an environment, and I already know that it is the environment for me. 3) Education is constantly growing/improving and education is everywhere. Student affairs may not academically instruct students, but it is still an incredibly valuable part of post secondary education, as I am beginning to learn in my studies at SU. When I was young the job I wanted "when I grew up" was to be a teacher. I couldn't explain it then, but now I know it was a precursor to my desire to work in an educational setting. When I say education is everywhere, I mean education can take me anywhere! Even if I don't work in a university, the things I learn from a student affairs program is going to be incredibly applicable in different educational institutions and I'm even looking forward to grasping that opportunity.

Of course, I could go on, but those are the main reasons I chose the field. The past few months it has been a struggle whether or not to decide what specific area I wanted to specialize in, if any. I loved the idea of working in a student career services center; helping students establish career paths, helping them find jobs in the area, et cetera. However, I couldn't find a passion for it. I considered student activities, where I have years of positive experience as an undergraduate, but my heart wasn't in that path 100%. The past year or so I've been looking at what I can do abroad, and I've dappled in researching working in an education abroad office, but I hadn't really been serious about it until recently. Here in Seattle I have been fortunate to come across several job postings that have helped me clarify the skills I want to attain and the responsibilities I want to practice in my daily work. It's a match made in heaven: I can advise students, I can work with people abroad, I can travel abroad, I can run orientation programs, I can use my Spanish skills, the list goes on! I have more research to do, but I'm confident that this is the area I want to work in. 

I do have one reservation about my career aspirations. Many can argue that student affairs in general doesn't exactly save lives, its not changing the future of a third world country, nor does it have much to do with national social justice issues. A long time ago I decided I wanted to work in whatever field would make an important difference in the world. You can argue that student affairs has the capability to make worldly and significant changes, but I can't get over the fact that in this day and age, the rich and privileged are still the majority of college students. The last thing I want to be is some superficial director of a study abroad office designing incredibly expensive programs for upper class students who might not take the program very seriously anyway. 

Well, what exactly do I want to do with an education abroad position, then?

There are a few things I am sure of:

I want to make programs affordable for everyone. I want to include civic engagement in all abroad experiences. I want to be a resource and friend for all the students who walk into my office and tell me how badly they want to experience the world around them. I want to design orientation programs and return programs for study abroad students in order for them to get the most out of their experience. I want to expose students who have never left the country to environments they'd never imagined before. I want to make sure they never forget their experience, and never forget that there is more to the world than their city or state. I want to involve them in something bigger than themselves.

And so my journey continues. I'm going to start searching for professional development opportunities that would give me an advantage in the education abroad field, as well as search for positions in Seattle that will help me develop relevant skills. I'm looking forward to everything I'm going to learn in the next few years in the Student Development Administration program at Seattle University so that I can apply it to my career plan.

Its an incredible relief and excitement to finally know what I want to do with my future.