I'm so busy right now its making me giddy...
So much is happening right now I feel like I'm in a whirlwind. Here's a run down:
Big thing no. 1
Big news first, I got a place on the volunteering exchange in New York, so I'm going to be spending the summer living and working in Manhatten, followed be a couple of weeks of travelling round the States and Canada. I went to the interview last weekend and felt that I hadn't really given my best, and also found out that the competition for places was quite steep, so spent the first part of this week preparing for the fact that I probably hadn't got in, and trying to formulate a plan B. So when the acceptance letter arrived it was a real relief, and I had to do a little dance around the kitchen.
I don't know yet exactly where I'm going to be working. It could be a summer project with teenagers or younger kids, or it could involve working with adults in some kind of community setting. I'm secretly hoping that I get to work with adults rather than kids, as I know from experience what working on a summer project with young people involves from doing it for afew summers in London, and its pretty exhausting. And after three years of being a youth worker it would be nice to do something a bit different. But I don't get to have the final say in where exactly I'll be working, so its a case of fitting in where ever I end up. It'll be good though, and its obviously about more than just the work.
But whatever I end up doing, its going to be in New York!!!
Big thing no. 2
I'm going to be DJing at Ladyfest Leeds. They've given me a really good slot aswell, filling in between the band line up on the Saturday night, which will be headlined by The Raincoats. Perfect! I'm glad that I'm filling in between the bands rather than DJing specifically for people to dance to. Yes, I know, a DJ who doesn't want people to dance to her music. How ridiculous! But it gives me more scope in what I can play, and I'm planning to do a set that's a complete mash up of punk, no wave, jazz, soul, blues, folk, show tunes, and even a bit of Brazillian and South African pop - entirely featuring female artists.
Ladyfest Leeds are paying for my ticket up there, and a hotel room for the night, which is really cool. I feel slightly self conscious about the fact that all the other DJs that are playing are attached to particular club nights, and I'm not, so I feel a bit amateur, and I'm hoping that I can pull it off OK.
Other things
I'm writing an article about bisexuality for the LGBT pages of the Skinny, which
jinxremoving edits, and is turning into a bit more of a mind muddling exercise than I thought it would be. Its really good to have an opportunity to talk about my views about my own sexuality, but I've realised now why I don't talk more often. Its like opening this can of worms, once I start I could go on for ever.
I'm working very hard, both in my proper job, and the gardening work. I'm doing lots of training sessions for other youth workers on disability inclusion issues, and it seems as though the youth service has finally woken up to the fact that it needs to improve its inclusion of disabled young people. Funny that this rapid change in attitude is occuring just before the Ofsted inspection that we're due to have in May, which will assess how accessible youth provision is, but now I'm just being cynical.
I'm still enjoying the gardening, and I'm really getting on with S who I work for, although I'm finding the early mornings hard. If the work was over this side of London, it would be perfect, and it would also mean that I'd be able to come home after work and have a shower and change before going out in the evening. As things are, if I need to go anywhere in central London after work, I usually have to go straight there, despite the fact that my jeans are usually covered in mud, and I have a big bag with muddy wellies with me. Having the extra money is good though, coping with being really skint was starting to get really hard, and I need to start putting a bit aside to help with going to New York.
I've given up going to my Spanish lessons, as it was getting too much trying to fit everything in, and also I wasn't getting on at all with the new teacher that started after Christmas, who was going way too fast, and wasn't covering stuff properly. I'm still trying to learn by myself, using the books and CDs that I've got and internet resources, but I just need to be going at a much slower pace to learn stuff properly. I'm glad that I went to the classes long enough to give me a head start though.
I'm trying to get fitter. I had a one off session with a personal trainer at my gym the other week, which was really useful because she showed me how to use some of the machines that I'd avoided because they looked too scary, and developed a routine for me to stick to when I go. I'm supposed to be going twice a week, which hasn't happened so far, but once a week is better than nothing. I'm also going to yoga once a week with
pollitesss although we both officially skived off last night. I'm obviously doing something right though, due to either the yoga or the gym work or the gardening, or a combination of the three, the muscles on my arms are getting a lot stronger and more defined. Just need to work on all the other muscles in my body now.