Adventures in Job Searching, Chapter 1

So, Thursday afternoon I recieved a message on my answering machine from a Marilyn from Kiwanis Care Centre. She said that she had spoken with my boss and could I please call her back to set up an interview. Surprised, since I had no idea of her or this place, I left a message on her machine agreeing to the interview.

On Friday morning Marilyn called back and asked if I could come for an interview that morning. That was too early for me, so I pushed it back to 1:30pm. I googled Kiwanis Care Centre, found that it was a great facility in North Vancouver, offering great wages for this position.

It took me 45 minutes to get there by bus, but felt like much longer since I had a horrible headache. But I made it, at 1:15, and was astonished to see the size of the facility. It is like a resort compared to my other nursing home! Excited, I asked the receptionist of Marilyn's whereabouts. She did not know of a Marilyn. So I asked her for the Recreation Therapist, thinking maybe I had remembered Marilyn's name wrong. She took me to the Rec Therapist's office.

I introduced myself, only to find that the Rec Therapist had no idea who I was or why I was there. After some confusion we came to the conclusion that there was another Kiwanis Care Centre. Indeed, we were right. And so I set out on a 1.5 hour public transit adventure to another Kiwanis Care Centre, this one in New Westminster. It is a much smaller and older facility, but still nice. I made it there 2 hours late for my interview.

Luckily I am from Central Alberta. I think everyone around here has a fondness for that area. I need only to say I am from there and people become excited thinking of someone they love from that area. Or a memory they have of that place. I won them over with my origins.

So, Marilyn is contacting my references and said that I will most likely start with orientation this week. Also, the Rec Therapist at the first Kiwanis Care Centre handed me her card and told me to contact her if I do want to work casually for her.

And that is how I may have landed myself positions working casually as an Activity Aid at two Kiwanis Care Centres yesterday. Good, yes. But nothing to be overly excited about as working casually can mean one shift per month... as it currently does at my old workplace. Tomorrow I work my only scheduled shift this month.

grad-elated

I graduated!
I am now officially an art therapist. Henceforth, I shall be known as Sara Prins, DVATI. (Diploma Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.) But you can still call me Sara. I'll probably only pull those letters out a few times, as they are a little ridiculous.

check.

I am back in Vancouver after spending a week with this lovely lady. And her fiance, Craig. And their cats Merlin, Pixie, India, and Pico (all pictured but Pico because he didn't want to partake in family pictures.)

Now that I can check 'visit Beka' off the to-do list, it is time for graduation and finding a job. yes.

L.A., 2007

Greetings from sunny California! My cloud and cold-conditioned Canadian skin is not used to this fantastic warmth. I am becoming one big freckle.

Although most of our time has been spent catching up and relaxing, Beka and I were definitely tourists one day: our in Los Angeles visiting Jack and Jasmine.




We saw the tar pits. Beka could not contain herself as she had wanted to see them ever since she saw My Girl 2. We also drove down Hollywood Boulevard. Classic.

Jack and Jasmine are as cool as ever.

Two more days here and then home I go.

California, here I come.

I've decided to make the most of this new-found free time by doing the most logical thing when there is no prospect of steady income in the near future: taking off to California!

Tomorrow I will be in California visiting Beka! I am really excited to see her! Anything could happen! (This picture is one thing that happened last time we saw eachother.)


I might also see Jack Maatman! And it will be nice and warm! yipee!
(Enough of the exclamation marks, now. It is time to finish packing.)