The Good In Everyone

Day four winds down with a delayed trip to the gym and a swim in the pool as a treat to my tired body.  It took four days of extremely hot temperatures and some sore feet from all the walking that we do across the campus and squatting, clipping, raking, sweeping, lifting, hauling and lots and lots of water drinking to take me down a few notches.  Okay, so I am human. 

I have a favorite lunch spot outside of the building where many of the residents have lunch together.  It is a bench facing east across one of the common green areas towards the big oak tree.  I sit and eat as much as possible in 30 minutes and just pause, and watch birds dart through and sometimes a butterfly. 

There are many planted gardens in front of the resident's apartments and the setting is peaceful and quiet, punctuated by a tinkling wind chime and the conversations through the dining hall window of the residents of this blessed place.  It is there, on that bench, that I reflect on the distance I have traveled in the last year, some of my disappointments and all of the gratitude that I feel for working. It has been such a long and painful process.

An aside, tonight, watching more of The Good Wife and the amazing performances of many of the strong women depicted in the series and a good distraction from my fatigue.  As the youngest of three girls, I often watched my sisters get ready in our one family bathroom.  I sat in the hall and watched the transformation and even then, I felt awe for strong women who also painted their faces and ratted their hair.

Today was harder and I am just keeping the negative thoughts at bay for now, knowing that time will tell if I can prevail as a woman working with two men who are not just men but men who speak English as their second language.  Different cultures see women differently that I do and I must prove myself and take my lumps.  However, I shall be watching for the good in everyone as the weeks tick by and I am no longer the new girl on campus.