a DAY here...a DAY there

A day in the life of ME.

It might go without saying, but my daily schedule and my life in general, is radically different here in Mozambique than it was this time a year ago in New York.  And I thought what better way to show you all the difference than to compare the two side by side. 

Daily Schedule for this past Thursday in Quelimane

7:00am- wake up, check twitter and facebook

7:15am- ab work out

7:30am-breakfast, get dressed and ready for the day

8:00am-leave for work and casually walk to the office.

8:30am get to work (today “work” consisted of chit chatting with my supervisor at length, planning for the following week, talking with a neighbor who I have befriended and meeting with some youth interested in starting a group).

11:30am-go home for lunch, eat lunch, rest

2:00pm- go back to the office because I am supposed to have an English class at 2:30.  But the class is canceled because we have to all go to a funereal.

2:30pm-Find out the funeral is actually tomorrow.  The work day is over, so I go home.

2:45pm- at home reading, making dinner, talking to my mom on the phone, watching a movie.

10:00pm-lights out its time for bed!

Daily Schedule for a typical Thursday in New York

8:00am-wake up, rush to get ready and be out of the door by 8:30am.

8:45am- walk fast to the A train.  It is my “internship day”.

9:30am-arrive at my internship.  Rush around meeting with students, doing admin work, meeting with teachers, etc. 

12:00pm-rush to the train to get to the Global Potential office

1:00pm-arrive at the my Global Potential office (my internship).  Attend and participate in several meetings, do admin work, etc.

***Throughout the entire day I am also on my Blackberry, doing work for my other job at Fordham Lincoln Center, responding to emails and texts from my co-workers, staff and other students. 

5:00pm-Internship is over.  Race to the 1 train.  Pray that I can get from way downtown to Columbus Circle in 30 minutes.  For those of you who know the 1 train know that rarely happened, as the 1 train is the definition of a Hot Mess.

5:40pm- arrive at Res Life to continue to respond to staff and student needs, which includes meetings, judicial hearings, roommate conflicts and programs.

7:00pm-rush to the gym for a quick work out

9:00pm attend res life/university programming.

10:00pm-dinner and hanging out with RAs

11:00pm- Real Housewives of New York!

12:00am- shower and bed

***Starting at 6pm until 10am the following morning I am also on the Resident Director on Duty, which means I respond to all kinds of emergencies and non-emergencies as they arise. 

So as you can see not only are my daily activities radically different, but the amount of activity is also very different.  The expectation around what can be accomplished in a day is extremely different.  For example, after I found out the funeral was canceled; I asked if we were going to do the English lesson that was scheduled.  I thought for sure my supervisor would say “yes”, instead he said “no” that the day was over and people need to rest, even thought we all just had a 2 hour lunch break. 

The slow and sometimes VERY slow pace here can be frustrating, especially for me coming from the “go go go culture" of New York City.  And although I probably will not ever completely get used to, I am starting to embrace it.  And when I am back in New York racing to the 1 train, as I most surely will, only to find out I just missed it, I will have had a LOT of practice waiting and taking things slow.