I was selected to attend the State Department International Visitors Leadership Program that will take place in June taking myself and another candidate to locations throughout the US for a 3 week exchange program that will focus on Environmental Education. This is obviously an exciting opportunity, although at this point we are not certain as to where we will go, possible locations include New York, Washington California, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to attend a State Alumni Networking Evening that gathered various Bahamian Leaders who had participated in this program from its inception in the 70’s. A conversation that I had with an Alumni (although i am not yet an alumni after June i will be) helped me to realize that my “challenging” lifestyle is completely self-inflicted. Now you ask really what is so challenging... I refer to challenging as what I feel as not fitting into one of the blocks that are outlined as “jobs” in our Bahamian Society. Most people really have no idea what it is that I do and sometimes I find it hard in one sentence to truly explain what I do. My explanation is usually something along the lines of “ Environmental education and leadership development with youth.” Which i guess sounds like a great job... the catch 22 I am not at this point being paid to do my job. I do it because its my passion and I work on it as if I am receiving overtime.... this is all because I have a vision that some day ( I hope soon) I will have the security of knowing that there will be a cheque in my hand at the end of the week. This is the “challenge” that is completely self inflicted I am choosing to work side jobs here and there as opposed to working a 9-5 for an established organization. The logic here is if I work 9-5 for an established entity when will I have the time to invest in my vision and make it a reality.... Last night the gentleman I was talking to jokingly told me that it was my ego that had me doing my own thing...... Ego as defined by good old faithful google is “ A person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.” Perhaps this has something to do with it.
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Getting started i want to say that my blog may go between spanish and english... I apologize for those of you who only speak on of the two but as a native English speaker with an ambition to do my PhD in a Spanish University I try to speak as much Spanish as possible but today will be an English day.
It is my hope that this blog will share the challenges and struggles, the good and the bad of an “Ambitious” or maybe too ambitious person working her way through life. I choose the word ambitious based on a conversation I had today with a former student. The use of the word ambitious for me was not at all a bad thing, although it was intended as a joke... it made it clear that sometimes when you have a vision not everyone can see it - and thats okay. Also as we work towards our vision sometimes we fall down.... I have taken many trips, tumbles and down right screaming my head off because I’m on a roller coaster and can’t get off ( if you know me you know I don’t do roller coasters). It is those of us crazy people who are missing a few screws that get up and do it all over again after we cry ourselves to sleep the night before. I know that although the rest of the world may not be able to describe exactly what I do, or understand why it is that I do what I am trying to do..... change the world ( a more sutler version of pinky and the brains trying to take over the world ;-) )..... The cool thing is that I know where I am going and the pieces to this ambitious girls puzzle makes sense in my brain, although I am still trying to translate it to the real world. So with that said I want to make a toast one of my favorite quotations... “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them. disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world - are the ones who do!” ~ Apple |
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The Science BlogIn the spirit of scholarship and adventure my writing explores a range of topics about the ocean, conservation and Small Island Developing States. This island girl, although not always writing from an island hopes to introduce you to the fun and wild side of science! Archives
September 2019
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