Thursday, 4 March 2010

Another award for Heather Kavan

Let's take one moment to acknowledge the success of a very good teacher and an extremely kind person: my former lecturer, Heather Kavan, has won yet another award, this one for speech-writing.

Heather is a very talented and intelligent lecturer, and one of the kindest and most helpful teachers I've had. Her specialty is speech-writing, and I've heard many students rave about her speech-writing class; I haven't taken that one, but I took one other class of hers, and it set me on the career path I'm on now. I can say, without any hyperbole, that without that paper, I would never have thought of choosing this career path, and I'm already so glad I have. Without it I'd no doubt still be drifting, unsure of what I really wanted to do, wanting to use my "skills" and degree in some nebulous way, and increasingly frustrated at my inability to find a practical career that I really think I'll be great at.

So thanks so much, Heather, and congratulations on yet another well-deserved award.

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

So far, so good

Sometimes so much happens that you don't write about it.

I've moved away from home — my home with Dan. I'm in Wellington now, doing a one-year diploma. We visit each other on the weekends, and we talk on the phone. But I'm used to him always being around. I miss him.

My dad's moved overseas again: another teaching job in another off-the-beaten-track country. I dropped him off at the airport at 4am this morning, and I hope to soon hear that he's arrived there safe and sound — although I don't think he's even meant to get there till late tomorrow night. Going to the other side of the world takes a while. I do worry about him. I know he's a grown man, but he isn't exactly going to the friendliest country around.

I don't know if I mentioned this on my blog, but I got that internship I wanted. This means that I have an employer who'll give me work over the holidays, and to whom I'll be bonded for two years once I've completed my Diploma. They'll also pay for my course fees once I've completed it.

I haven't mentioned the internship to anyone in my class, since quite a few of them unsuccessfully applied for it. Rather than taking twelve interns this year country-wide, they only accepted seven* — take that how you will.

About seventy people were interviewed for the course, so it's nice to be one of the elite twenty-ish that got in, and a bit surprising to be one of the two* who got an internship. Seeing the high grade of the other students, it's a bit humbling, and I honestly wonder if my employer made a mistake in choosing me when there are so many others of such a high calibre. But I'm gonna do my damnedest to exceed their expectations, to ace this course.

Knowing how many people believe in you gives you new faith in yourself; new determination to exceed people's expectations. I've started to feel like I haven't been living up to my potential, and I want to begin doing so.

* To clarify: seven interns were chosen nationwide to do five or six different courses. I and one other person were chosen as interns in my particular course.