Time - Day 1 – 28/06/11
Place – Outreach Centre based in the corner of a primary school playground.
Mission – work experience
Stapling, hole-punching, photocopying, counting, folding. I couldn’t possible tell you which one is my favourite. I mean, photocopying 1500 pages in bunch of 500 and having to sort them out in piles of 30 was quite a...how should I say it? Enlightening experience…
My first lot of 500 went relatively well… with no experience, I had printed out the 500 all in one go and carried them back to the centre where I then resolute myself to sorting them into groups of 30.
I was about to start my second lot of 500 when I realised that the original I had, wasn’t signed... Mustering some courage I pointed it out to the centre co-ordinator. I still wonder if she will sign individually the previous 500…
On my THIRD lot of 500 I had created quite the method to get this sorting-into-packets-of-30-business done. I photocopied in 50’s instead of 500 all in one go. But…forgetting myself and the stupid settings of the machine, I pressed start on the first 50’s without choosing the colour setting. If you were there you would have thought “no bid deal, it was only the last line at the bottom that needed to be in colour anyway” well…you would be wrong. Because that final line was VERY important! As in EXTREMELY VERY important. Well... I can’t really press the “back” button 50 times could I? So I just got on with it
That was pretty much my morning.
The afternoon consisted of setting up the activity room for “toddler and parent”. So me and the lady who’s in charge of that session were just sitting there, after putting out the mats and strategically setting up the toys on them and all these others things you do in preparation of “an opportunity for parents to spend a good time with their toddler”. While setting up, I saw something I wished I hadn’t. One of my dreadful black and white printouts. And the last line…highlighted. It was a sign. I abandoned all and made my way to the one thousand five hundred copies. Took out the 30 odd that were black and white, grabbed a highlighter, you can guess the rest.
Well to be honest, I expected a lot of mothers and maybe the odd daddy having the time of his life with his little toddler. The reality, I am afraid to break it to you, was… a mother...and her two daughters. You would obviously say this is a good thing right? Well…what happened was that one of the daughters was over 5; and the centre is only insured for under 5’s. So in a hurry she had to leave...just when the toddler was starting to enjoy herself…
After that I was given another one of my favourite task! Photocopy a leaflet and then…FOLD IT! Ahh the ecstasy! This was ever so swiftly destroyed by a paper jam. But as ever so composed, I set myself to await for help (as there was a clearly written red message saying “don’t touch if you don’t know”) and started on my folding; with practise come perfect they say, who would have thought leaflet folding was such a complicated art? But in the end I mastered it! What a gratifying feeling, for one to have accomplished something that they couldn’t have when one woke up in the morning (I’m exaggerating…)
But the photocopy machine wasn’t going to unjam itself…when suddenly to the rescue flew this nice lady with a cool accent, she did this, that, HOP! Took this piece of paper out and off went the machine again.
And then it started raining…I don’t have anything against rain, mind you...but... How was I supposed to carry 500 odd pieces of paper to the other building where I was based? I had to use my INITIATIVE! I Left the leaflet at the reception, ran (ok, walked) to the building, got a bag, went back and took my leaflets-to-be. Then I sat myself down on one of our beautifully prepared yet irreversibly deserted table and set myself to some hard core folding. I became one with the folding, to the point where I had to roll up my sleeves and my fingers became one with the ink. I felt “Folding” within the very core of my wrist. (Not the most pleasant feeling, I can assure you)… and then, my “tutor” for the week, the centre’s co-ordinator did something salvaging, she gifted me Freedom.
Comments
folding folding folding.
I remember folding.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I don't know how you did it but you managed to make that a quite interesting read. You have more talents other than photocopying and folding, i can tell.
Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH
Jim Bob, you totally ruined my moment! Actually no, u stole it!
Was gonna say..that was an interesting read...(I am exaggerating):twisted:
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
you seem to be a bit slow these days
getting old
Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH
I was otherwise occupied...having a life and tht
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
Oh the irony :LOL: after you just said you were gonna go crazy because you had nothing to do.
i wasn't gonna say anything but you had to go there and you have to be cruel to be kind.
Stop pretending you have a life
Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH
I agree Fboy. that girl's getting ooooold...
and thank you yall for your comments. I think im seriously going to copy this into my "diary" for work experience.I wonder who'll be reading it...
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
haha. Well its difficult to stop something that one has not started Jim Bob!
touche! 
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
Ohhh now we've lost her completely Lilly. She's denying the fact she's getting older.
It's ok Billz it happens to (almost) everyone. You should have never left Neverland.
Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH
getting old? thats crazy talk! Dnt u knw.. black dnt crack
loool!
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
Killed it.
Lets reunite the ummah under one flag LA ILAHA IL ALLAH MUHAMMADUR RASULULLAH
what-ever!
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
roll on the floor laughing!!
black dont crack?!?!
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
indeed
"Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find rest"
Im not sure Ocean. But i think, it is part of the work. the centre is really small. theres just an activity room, an office, store room, toilets. its just like a little hut. and on that first day, i printed out around 600 leaflets. i might have folded an odd 100, but when i came back the next day, they were all folded. and it wasnt me!
and today; left for lunch and one of the ladies that work there, she was sitting at the desk counting leaflets into 50's.
the work Ive done. If i hadnt done it. then Mandy (thats the coordinator) or Tracy (the lady counting into 50's) or anyone from the school would have done it. I guess its part of the actual work.
but your statement really made me think. I never saw work experience like this, ive been taking it as a joke, but yeah, it Is about "shadowing someone you want to be like"
*thinking
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
work = coping with boredom
therefore:
work experience should be learning how to cope with boredom.
Don't just do something! Stand there.