On My Own

So today I was asked to stick around the Center and move things and clean out closets and other menial labor tasks. Honestly, I was a little bummed, but after a run and a prayer and an attitude adjustment I threw myself into the task, reminding myself that if I do whatever I am asked to the best of my ability, I increase my value and attractiveness as a potential employee.

And then *laaaaaa* (that's the sky opening and the angels singing) I was asked if I wanted to go out and do something on my own. YES! Not only did this mean getting out into the community and being with people (which I find so much more interesting than moving sewing machines), but it means I have been officially recognized as a valuable resource, someone trusted to go out and represent the Center solo.

Assignment: pick up a family, take them to get passport photos, bring them home, bring photos to caseworker. Sounds simple, right? Nope. If you've never had any experience with new Americans, here is the first rule of thumb: nothing is ever as straightforward as it appears. That's both the blessing and the curse.

Today I forgot my GPS, as Jeff took it to Philadelphia and had it in his car and I didn't get it out of his car this morning. So I was meandering around neighborhoods that the purchase of the GPS was designed to help me steer clear of. After figuring out where the family lived, I discovered they know not one lick of English. Not surprising, and can be worked with. Just gotta get my charade skills on. The next tip of the day: always establish how many seats you actually have available in your vehicle. There will often be attempts to stuff more people into your vehicle than the law allows. We figured out who actually needed photos, the right people got in the car, and we drove to where the photos were to be taken.

The camera and equipment were out of service at that place. Call to Center for plan B. Received. On to the next place that does official passport photos, where everything went pretty smoothly. Mission accomplished.

The rest of the day was not nearly so eventful, but I was delighted to discover that I passed some sort of litmus test and am now on the "to call" list for more errands of that kind. Wooohoo!