Don't Deny A Friend

When a few friends and I were just discussing a possibility of plans of watch a movie after school during the school day on Monday, we didn't know that it would go this far.

On Monday, we were talking about the possibility of the plans, it was only among three friends and I.

When we touched on the topic on Tuesday in math class, another person in our social group jumped in and said he couldn't wait for it.

The social group I'm apart of is pretty spread out, it's almost like there's one in each class and this would be my math and band social group.

I didn't know what to think of another friend jumping in on the plans, so we left it until today.

While finalizing the plans today, the friend who sort of invited himself said he was really excited, and I didn't have a problem with it.

However, one of my friends in the original planning group approached me and told me that he's iffy about the guy that invited himself because sometimes he makes him feel uncomfortable.

To be honest, I can understand where he's coming from because this guy doesn't always know when it's okay to continue on a joke and when you have to stop it there.

In other words, he doesn't always know where to draw the line.

It can make people feel uncomfortable, but that's him and maybe he'll learn later in time where to draw the line, and it's alright if that will take him a bit more time.

At this rate, I was torn.

Do I invite the friend who seemed like he really wanted to come or do I accommodate to the friend who feels uncomfortable at times around this person.

Then I realized something.

Not even 6 months ago, I was the kid who wanted to be invited to social events but wasn't always invited by the people I called my friends.

I know the feeling of thinking your friends hate you, I know the feeling of thinking you're alone and I know that it's one of the worst things to hear plans be made in front of you and you're not a part of them.

I talked to my friend that was a part d the original plan and explained to him my point of view and he agreed and saw where I was coming from.

He said that he could manage for a night, so that's what we did.

We all went to my house after school, played a few video games while waiting for one friend from the original plan and another last minute joiner because they were both at work and then we watched a movie.

In the end, I learnt that in high school, your social group will be very diverse and you will have many friends in all of your different classes.

It's okay to want to make plans with just a few of them, however if you are to make them, do them in private.

It's one of the worst feelings to hear some of your class friends make plans and not include you, but it also hurts to hear "I guess you can come too."

If you want a small group, make plans in private and if another wants to join, there's no reason nor need (unless it's something like your parents put a strict limit on number of friends that can be at the house) to deny them of the chance to be with friends.

Sometimes the only thing someone needs is a friend. Don't deny them of that.


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Anxiety and Depression VS. Anxious and Depressed

When you tell people you have anxiety, they usually say that they have it too.

Everybody gets anxious. It's a general feeling that pretty much everyone will feel once or many times throughout their life.

When you tell people you have depression, they might say that they feel down at times, too.

Everybody gets depressed. It's a general feeling that pretty much everyone will feel once or many times throughout their life.

Those two terms should be able to be used freely by people who are feeling those ways without people with anxiety and depression jumping down their throats and saying that it's not okay for them to feel that way or without feeling offended.

Of course if you have anxiety and/or depression, you might feel as though things are worst for you, but other people can feel anxious and/or depressed, maybe just not the same way that we do.

I agree that there is a difference, but everyone should be able to express how they feel without someone saying that they "don't know what real depression is like."

However, no one should ever joke about having depression or wanting to commit suicide. I can't believe that it's 2015 -almost 2016- and people are still joking about this serious issue when anyone around them could be pushed over the edge at any moment.

It's sickening.

Everyone gets anxious before speaking in front of the class or before they have to write a test and everyone gets depressed when they lose a loved one or have some sort of traumatic event happen.

Feeling these emotions can cause disruptions in someone's life.

Recently it's been disrupting mine.

To be honest with you all, I don't know what's wrong. I've just been really anxious with school work, I was really anxious with swimming report cards and by the end of the day when I would usually write my blog posts, I just don't have the mental energy to write them.

If anyone read my blog every day when I posted on a regular schedule because they found it therapeutic or simply enjoyed it, I'm sorry for not being back on my schedule, however I'm not in a mental place right now to have a set schedule.

I promise that they will be relatively around the time I used to post my blog posts, every Sunday and Wednesday, but at the moment I'm focusing hard on my mental health and I hope that you can all understand.


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Good Memories Don't Leave You

Something that my old school does every year is that the graduating students put on a show.

For the past seven years, it was "Roi de l'École" meaning "King of the School".

Because it was the King of the school, it was only the boys who could enter as contestants although the girls were in the show, however they couldn't win a "prize".

This year was the first edition of the "Star of the School", so anyone who wanted to could enter.

There were only five contestants, but all of the graduates participated in it someway or another.

This was the first year I went to go see this event at the school, so it was a little weird seeing something I always thought I would participate in.

I met up with a few of my old friends when I got to the school and we watched the event together.

The event was really well done, it was amazing and it was great seeing all of my old friends.

However, I have to admit that being at my old school brought up a lot of good memories and it made me want to go back.

These are the kids that I've gone to school with since primary, we have pictures of each other from when we were 5-6 years old! I moved away from everyone that I knew since I was little and sometimes I still wonder "Well, what if I stayed?"

Honestly, I thought about going back for grade 12 and it was immensely tempting.

When I got home, I talked to my parents about it and the only way I could go back to my old French school and still stay in the IB program would be to switch back after Christmas break this school year.

I wouldn't be able to go back just for grade 12 because the schools don't offer the same IB program and to go from none intensive writing in French to a high level French exam, I would be a little rusty.

I can't lie, I spent my whole evening thinking about what I really wanted to do, all of my good memories are at that school, and then I realized something important.

Memories don't change.

I can have all of those good memories at the French school and make more at my English school.

Of course the friendships aren't as close as my past ones, but you're constantly meeting people your whole life and being with the same people for so long can cause you to be in a safe bubble you can no longer venture out of.

I don't need to be in the same school to remember the good memories from it, I just have to remember that those memories aren't going anywhere.

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Balancing Out Stress From Work

I know that I've been less than faithful with my posting schedule, but everything is a little hectic at the moment.

School work is picking up, I'm starting to have more homework to do and more things to memorize; and on top of that I have my job and report cards to write.

Many people are confused when I say that I have report cards to write, but I do them for the swimming lesson classes I teach.

For the term I'm working, there's a total of 10 weeks, therefore 10 classes. By around the 7th or 8th week, we start to write report cards for the kids in the classes, hand them in to the looked over for week 9 and then hand them out on week 10.

I thought that it would be a breeze, but I was very wrong.

I have many classes with little kids and I can't say that many of them are passing.

They all have the same main problem which is they can't float.

While writing report cards, I can't wright the same thing in them because of they're friends within classes and parents compare report cards, that doesn't reflect too well on myself.

There's only oh so many ways you can word "Remember to squeeze your bum and to look up at the ceiling to help you float!"

Personalizing every single report cards wasn't the issue, it was the phrasing.

However I have managed to get almost all of them done, I believe that I have completed around 65 report cards and only have 10 more.

I didn't realize that I taught so many kids.

As you could imaging, 65 report cards with 10 more to go, schoolwork and general life events have made it difficult for me to write.

My Sunday evening was spent at the dining room table, report cards and worksheets all around me.

I love blogging, it's something that I want to do seriously when I'm older, but at the moment other things such as work and school will have to come first.

Admittedly, I've been feeling stressed because of the report cards.

I honestly wondered if teaching and writing a total of 75 report cards was worth it when I could make sandwiches or pour coffee into a cup for the same amount of money.

Then I realized that it was.

It's such a great feeling when a kid gets something right after weeks of working on it and you can pass them to the next level.

Writing so many report cards is worst is because you get to know these kids over the span of 10 weeks and you get to know their personalities and some of them you grow to like.

One father asked if I would have his daughter next term and I honestly hope so because even though she didn't cover all of the skills, she was always smiling and having fun and that's what makes my job great.

There's always going to be a stressful factor whether it's report cards, the environment you work in, the location, the people, the coworkers; but if there's something to balance out that stress, then you know it's worth it.

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Motivation Wednesday

I've known for awhile now that my grandmother is coming into town and staying with us over the weekend.

Because of this visit, I made a schedule to clean my room.

Monday started with doing my laundry.

Tuesday continued with putting things away/straightening things out.

Wednesday ended with vacuuming, cleaning my desk and doing whatever else had to be done.

Because of my amazing procrastination skills, all of that was left for today.

My room wasn't awful to begin with, honestly it did need a clean though, but had I not have had the motivation of know that my grandmother is coming, I probably wouldn't have had bothered to clean my room.

My motivation wasn't the most practical reason to clean my room, I wasn't doing it for myself but for my grandmother, but it was motivation nonetheless.

Sometimes it's hard to find motivation for events, but it's always possible.

Can't find any motivation to do homework?

Think about the chance of getting all of the homework right.

Think about the chance of feeling confident when the test comes around.

Think about the chance of doing amazingly well on the test.

Think about the chance of that test bringing up your average.

Think about the chance of getting into your college/university of choice because you brought your average up.

It'a not always easy to find the motivation in the moment, but think about the motivation for the long run.

Dig deep and find a reason; find your motivation.

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Stopping Hate

Since Friday night I've kept up to date on the news whether that was reading articles, watching the news or listening to the radio, I can't stop hearing about what happened in Paris.

My first reaction was sadness. 

Who would do something like that? Why would someone want to do that? Why hurt so many innocent people?

But the more I thought about all of these questions, the more I realized something.

I wasn't in shock at the news.

I didn't stare at my TV screen with my mouth wide open and my eyes bulging out of my head. I just watched in silence, my heart aching for the people in Paris.

I was stunned once I realized that I wasn't shocked at all.

After the stun feeling wore off, I was disgusted.

Within a year, so many acts of terror have happened around the world.

Enough of them have happened for me to no longer feel shock! 

But then I went on Instagram.

Apparently there were also horrid events happening (or about to happen) in Mexico, Lebanon, Japan, Syria, Bagdad and Beirut. 

I didn't hear any of those stories on the radio or news and that was really upsetting. Honestly I'm still not 100% sure what happened in all of those places, just the main concepts of what was happening, but I'm going to find out all of the details as soon as I can.

For the time being, I only really know what happened within Paris.

Admittedly, I don't have the most up to date news on the terror in Paris (only from the 5 o'clock news this evening) and I don't want to jump the gun and start saying that it was a specific crime (hate, random, terrorist, psychotic, etc).

However, it hasn't stop and neither has any other from of hate in the world.

Terrorism is still happening.

Racism is still happening.

Sexism is still happening.

Homophobia is still happening.

War is still happening.

Hate is still happening.

The world isn't perfect; there's still so much hate in the world and it's sickening.

As human beings, he should be doing all that we can to end all of this hate.

The world is slowly moving towards that. Of course things have drastically improved within the last century, but we still have a journey ahead of us.

And something to remember; if you blame a group of people with a specific religion, with a specific race or a specific religion for acts of hate happening on earth, you are doing nothing to help stop hate in the world.

You're part of the problem.

My heart goes out to the citizens of Paris; I truly hope that you and your loved ones are safe.

One More Girl, no longer online

My Secret: Revealed

I owe you all an explanation.

I love you all more than anything and I think it's time to tell my story. 

It's time to tell you all why I started this blog and why I'm not always posting on Wednesdays like I promised that I would.

Although it's difficult for me to write this today this has been something that I've been wanting to write about for a really long time.

Since October last year, I've felt as though I'm two different people.

The first person being the one that everyone sees, the happy me usually laughing, smiling or telling a joke.

The other being my secret self that only I ever get to experience.

It's hard for me to write this; I've been staring at my computer screen for about three minutes even though I know perfectly well what I want to write.

Right, here it goes.

The day after my 15th birthday back in March, I was diagnosed with depression.

With where the world is at today, it might not be an uncommon thing to hear an you might know a few people with depression, but it's very hard for me to open up about this because this is a factor of my life that I've kept extremely private since being diagnosed.

There are many different types of depression, but when I went to go see my doctor I was not diagnosed with a specific one.

I knew that something wasn't right long before going to the doctor's, but it was only confirmed there.

Admittedly, I was ashamed.

I was upset with myself because I remembered all the movies from when I was little and the depressed person was always an outcast and always viewed in a negative way, so I kept quiet about it all. I didn't want to be viewed the same way those characters on TV were.

I don't want to say that I suffered because I know that other people in the world have worse situations than I do, but I don't know how else to describe it.

I went through my days with a smile that couldn't reach my eyes, I had a lack of motivation for school work and whenever I didn't want to go to a softball practice, it would always because I was "feeling sick". I was too ashamed to even admit my depression to my parents even though they knew.

The later part of the year has been better for me so far, but even then things can get difficult.

Teaching swimming lessons can be extremely difficult. I have to be happy and smiling for three hours, it's part of my job. Somedays I'll wake up and immediately know how difficult its going to be, but I just push through it.

Having depression can be like a constant roller coaster. You're enjoying the climb up, but the next second you can feel your stomach drop and you have the urge to scream.

I have good days where I'm barely affected by my depression, but I have harder days where getting out of bed is a challenge.

Yes, I can be tired on Wednesdays, but I can also have a lack of motivation and a lack of energy where I can't write a post.

Writing this tonight was very difficult and emotionally draining for me. I stopped a few times and had a few cries, but that's the truth behind this post. 

I want to share this with you all today because I understand.

I understand what it's like to feel like your life is not going anywhere.
I understand what it's like to have no motivation.
I understand what it's like to cry over a simply school project.
I understand what it's like to have depression.

Kevin Breel once said "When you tell people you break your arm, they come running forward to sign the cast. When you tell them you have depression, they turn around and run the other way."

And I felt as though I couldn't agree more.

I want to change that.

Just because I have depression doesn't mean I'm less of a person. 

Having depression doesn't mean that I'm not just as valuable as someone without depression.

It's time to stop tiptoeing around depression. It is a subject we need to address.

It's time to make a point of it and let people know that they aren't alone.

My secret is out and you can always email me at onemoregirlonlineadvice@gmail.com if you every want to get something off your chest in a non-judgement zone.

It's time to start talking about mental health because wherever in the world that you are; you are not alone.

My secret is out and honestly, it feels great. It's something that's been a secret of mine for ages, so I'm relieved to be able to get that off my chest.


One More Girl, no longer online

Long Term Time Management

I really do promise that I try my best to post every Sunday and Wednesday, but as we all know, it's been more like every Sunday and Thursday (In this case I didn't get around to posting on Wednesday or even Thursday at that).

It's not that I can't write in Wednesday's, it's that I'm too tired.

I was actually on the phone with my boyfriend Wednesday night, I had my headphones and mic set up so that I didn't have to hold the phone up and my laptop was in front of me, taunting me to write my usual Wednesday blog post, but I kept falling asleep.

I felt awful for my boyfriend; I believe it was mainly a one sided conversation because I kept falling asleep every five minutes and I would be out for 10 minutes at the time.

I apologized a few times, but I definitely felt like I should've apologized a lot more because I did feel just awful about it.

This will bring me into my topic of today (like I've written about a few times before but will be slightly different this time), time management.

I've written about time and the importance of managing it before, but those were for short term reasons.

You see, I picked up an extra shift at the pool to make more money.

When I thought about the consequences this would have on me, I only thought about a few weeks into the future, maybe two weeks.

I didn't think about how it would affect me on a six week period.

I didn't think to manage my time in the long run and this has already caused me to be overtired, cram a little bit with schoolwork and to generally not have 100% control over things.

This taught me the importance of managing time within a long term as I will definitely be doing things differently for my next work term.

When you have an abrupt change in your schedule and you know it's going to be for a long period of time, plan ahead that far, look into your schedule that far into the future so that you know you aren't overworking yourself.


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Extra Shifts

When I started working at the pool, I subbed for many people thinking I was getting favours in for myself.

Today I realized that I wasn't.

I've been sick for at least half the week with a bad cold and a cough that won't go away.

There's a Facebook group for my work and you can post in it whenever you need to communicate with everyone on staff (for example: lost item in the staff room, sub needed, etc.).

Late last night (Halloween night), I posted in the group that I would really appreciate a sub teacher for today because I'm still sick.

I knew my chances were slim of finding a sub because it's Halloween night and let's be honest, the majority of staff is of age and were all at parties and drinking.

I wasn't too concerned about the Facebook post though because I subbed for so many people that I thought that at least one person would be able to do it for me.

Not a single person could take it.

At first I thought how many late notice shifts I've took for other people and how I thought one of them would've covered this shift for me, but then I realized something.

They don't owe me anything.

Of course a few people have directly asked me to take their shift, but they were never forcing me to take their shift.

Whenever someone else posted in the Facebook chat and I would say that I'm available, I'm not the only one in the Facebook chat and I don't have to say yes to taking the shift.

I thought I was doing it to get favours for myself for later, but in all honesty, I would be a sub, I got paid the money and that was that.

There's nothing more to say to that because I'm getting paid for their schedule.

I'm not subbing for later favours, I do it for myself to get money.

There's nothing with wanting to make money, but you can't expect to make money and get the days off that you want.

I went in today and it wasn't the greatest time, but it had to be done.

No one would sub for me but I can't hold anyone against that because it's their choice.

They don't owe me anything for covering their shift and getting paid for their shift.

Don't swamp yourself with someone's else's shift because if it's an absolute emergency, then the supervisors will get even more involved.

If you want the money, go ahead and pick up an extra shift; but if not, don't feel the need to take it.


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Love & Fear

The human race is where it's at today purely because of two emotions.

Love and fear.

Had the first forms of human life been fearless, they would've died out (along with the human race) because they wouldn't have been afraid to go discover something new. There would've been no bell going off in the back of their heads saying "Hey, maybe we shouldn't do this!"

Fear has been what's keeping the human species on its toes; always ready with a fight or flight instinct.

We have distinctly love to thanks to be here today because love is the reason as to why human are reproducing.

For billions of years, love and fear have fun the earth.

The reason as to why we do something that's scary is because the weight of their confidence and love for something is bigger than their fear of being on the ice.

Humans have stayed and have done something to remind themselves of home.

Humans are incredible at he best of times.

They're capable of trying something new because their love of fear is simply bigger and greater than their fear.

Deciding to try something new is not necessarily being brave, but it's knowing that you have emotions stronger than the emotion of fear that's making you do something new.


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Become Infatuated

I want to start off this post by saying that I'm terribly sorry for being off-schedule with my posts recently. I do try to keep it to every Sunday and Wednesday as much as possible, but work and school have to come first and by the end of the day, I'm usually exhausted and don't have the energy to write. I'm starting to find a bit more of a balance, but bear with me at the moment!

I take any chance I get to appreciate and thank you all for reading my blog. It's an absolute shock to me that so many people take time to read about my life and to even leave comments and I'm just so honored that I can write blog content that you enjoy to read.

I love all of my readers so much, I really do. There's a few people in particular that comes to mind when I think of my blog because I know that they're reading and they leave the loveliest comments and I'm so grateful for that.

But as much as I love you all and turn to you guys first with any news that I have, I've been holding back a little bit with some news and I really want to share it with you.

I have a boyfriend.

Yeah, I might've build that up to be something that you're now wondering "Why would you tell us this? It doesn't affect our life in any way."

Yes, it might not have a single impact on your life, but I don't want to talk about being him necessarily, but the feeling of being with him.

That sentence probably sounded very odd to you, but bear with me once again.

This is my first boyfriend and I have to say that things are going great, he's great and it's just amazing.

We spend quite a bit of time together, not just in school but also outside of school. We've had a few movie marathons, a few library sessions for homework and coffeeshop studying.

The more time I spend with him, the more I become infatuated with him.

I don't want any of you to think "Of course you're becoming infatuated with him; you're dating him!"

This is the first person I've stumbled across in my life that I hate saying goodnight to.

Within both of my schools, I've seen friends so close that they text each other in the early hours of the morning, arrive to school and stick together, text each other when they're in different classes, stick together again and then text them on the way home and the cycle repeats itself. They can't see themselves being apart from the other, they're constantly communicating to fill in the void of not having the other there in person.

I've never had a person in my life like that until now.

I am telling you this today because you don't have to only be infatuated with a boyfriend/girlfriend, it can be anyone; an acquaintance, a friend, a best friend, absolutely anyone.

We've been dating for a little bit over a month now, things could honestly go in any direction for us, but that's what you always have to remember in life.

You never know what's going to be around the corner for you or the people in your life. If you find someone that you just want to spend all night talking to whether it's about jokes, 2am conversations that you'll barely remember the next day or conspiracy theories, seize the chance and do it.

It took me over a decade to find someone that I don't want to say goodnight to and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon. 

If you have someone in your life at the moment that you infatuated with, platonically or not, seize it. Don't find a reason to be staying up until 2am talking about why you think aliens exist, just do it.

As I mentioned before, you never know what life might have for you just around the corner. If you're afraid to become infatuated with someone because you don't know what the outcome will be, do it.

Of course you never know what will happen and things could change and they become bittersweet memories for you, but they'll return to happy memories because you'll remember how you loved those early hour conversations.

This might be something that you might not have needed to read because you already know this, but it's always good to be reminded to go for the things that you might be scared to do.

Get lost in the conversations, have time to yourselves, go for adventures, do whatever it is with someone that you're besotted with. 

I have no other reason to tell you why you should do that besides the fact that you're young.

We're all bound to make mistakes, we focus too much on school and finding/having a job that we forget to enjoy yourselves and get lost in a moment with someone else. 

I'm not necessarily recommending that you stay up until 2am texting someone that you're besotted with on a school night, but I am recommending that you do something with them that you don't do with anyone else.

Life is going to seem very short when we're all looking back on it; don't be afraid to spend it being smitten (once again platonically or not) with someone and creating memories that will make you both laugh and cringe.


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Injuries

You guys might all know the story of how I was giving my grandmothers dog a bath, the dog got out all soaped up, shook and got the floor wet and soapy and after I got her back in the tub, I reached over a little too far and slipped into the tub.

Because of my slip into the bathtub, I have an injured thumb on my right hand.

I'm a right handed person.

I'm currently wearing a splint all day, except for when I go to sleep, that stabilizes my thumb and my wrist because doctors are worried that I broke/fractured a small bone that is found right below the thumb.

Because I'm wearing this brace, I can't really write with my right hand.

I've been able to get away with it for most classes, but I can't get away for it in math class.

I can't take many notes because I'm either 

a) writing them with my right hand until it starts to cramp up

b) using my left hand and going too slow because I'm trying to make it readable that I miss half of the examples on the board.

I've more so been taking picture of the notes that are on the board instead for trying to write them down.

Today, I had a math assessment, but my teacher wasn't there; we had a substitute.

I really didn't feel like explaining to her why I was the only one in the class to be looking at their phone while do one else is.

Because of this, I spent a whole 80 minute period struggling to write on my math sheet and do my work.

By the end of the class, I was still trying my best so she came over to see how things were going.

I was so frustrated with myself with my writing because I got myself confused. My 4's looked like 9's, my my 5's like S's, my 2's and my 7's and more, they all started to look the same.

The sub finally looked at my hands, but there was nothing that could've been done differently, it was too late.

In the end, we should never be ashamed to make healthy choices to help us heal, be able to do everything that we would normally do and to help you live a life where you don't feel as though you're an inconvenience.

One More Girl, no longer online

Balancing The Days

The most common example of balance in the world is Yin and Yang.

They say that there's the good in life, the bad in life, the bad in the good and the good in the bad; and that's said to be the balance of life.

I got a first hand experience this weekend of how the bad and the good will balance each other out.

I work both Saturday and Sunday mornings as a swim teacher.

Saturday was rather rough, but today was good.

First off, I can't catch little kids that jump in the water because of my thumb/wrist (I was giving my grandmother's dog a bath and I slipped intothe tub) and I was told that someone would be in the water with me at all times in case two of them jump at the same time (because that happens quite often), so I was feeling relieved about that.

Upon arriving to the pool on Saturday I realized that the only person that would be in the water with me would be a practice teacher.

I'm fine with that, but the practice teachers move around and I wasn't guaranteed someone there with me when I knew I needed them, so I borrowed one from someone else.

The practice teacher I stole from a coworker was a guy, probably had a head on me but he's sort of lanky and I thought it was going to be fine.

He came to the first class with me and one little girl started crying and refused to do anything.

I couldn't figure out what was wrong because she's usually really good and loves to swim, so I sent her over to her mom.

They came back over a bit later to the class and the mom explained that it was the practice teacher and she was afraid of him.

I managed to distract her and play games until the class ended, so that all worked out.

After that, I had my last class of the day.

I look forward to my last class, I have the two cutest little girls.

One is always smiling and ready to jump in while the other is really sweet, quiet and still nervous to go into water where she can't touch.

It's understandable at her age, but I don't think she'll be ready to let go of me in deeper water any time soon.

Halfway through the class, the little girl that's always happy to swim just lost it.

She didn't want to swim anymore, she was sobbing and her mom wouldn't take her out of the class and left her in the pool.

I still had another child to teach, so I called over a float teacher and got her to deal with the situation as I continued on with the class with the other girl.

That was my last class so I just left the pool and put it behind me.

It was a rough morning, it was the worst day of lessons yet.

I didn't know what to expect on today, but I was happy with the results.

My first class is a class with both the parent and the child, and I have 10 (parent and child duo) enrolled in the class.

Today, only 4 of them showed up.

It was the most bizarre thing, but I loved it. 

It was a lot quieter, I wasn't buzzing, I could watch what each kid was doing and not think "Oh no, did this kid already do it yet?"

It was so nice, I didn't do as many songs as I usually would, I didn't have to yell as much so it was nice and calm first class.

After that, I have a class where only one kid is enrolled in it, but she didn't show up so I got 20 minutes in the hot tub which was the nicest thing ever.

After that, I only had 3 more 45 minute classes.

I usually find them brutal, but I was able to fill the time up easily and we did fun things, so it was a really nice.

I left the pool feeling pretty good about today and today's lessons.

I feel as though I still have a lot to cover, but I still have at least five more weeks of lessons.

I wasn't as overwhelmed as I can be on Sunday mornings and it was nice to be able to take a breath and really think about what I'm doing and not worrying about the next thing, the next drill, the next song or the next game that we're doing.

I had a bad day at work on Saturday, but I had a great one today.

We always have good days and bad days no matter who we are in he work and what we do, but the days will always be there to balance each other out.

One More Girl, no longer online

Don't Hold Back

As many of you know, I volunteer at a museum. 

More specifically, an immigration museum.

As a volunteer, I tell the volunteer coordinator when I can go in and she adds me on the schedule accordingly. So far I'm going in every Saturday afternoon until the end of November.

Seeing as this past Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, she asked me if I could go in and said that she understood if I had family plans. I told her it was no problem and I would be there for the shift she put me for.

I walked in and it turns out that she forgot to add me to the schedule. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to make my mom drive back already to pick me up, I decided to stay and to just walk around, talk to our visitors and see if I could help them out with anything.

Because I made that decision. I met some wonderful people.

We have two exhibits at the museum and I met one group of people in an exhibit and they were looking for something in the opposite exhibit, so I told them that and said that I'd be more than happy to escort them over to what they were looking for.

They were pretty thankful for that and I led them over to the exhibit.

I ended up giving them a tiny tour of the exhibit and talking to them a lot about the stories of the immigrants from France, the story of the Deportation of the Acadians and a few other stories that I knew. I told them a few personal stories of my own and they said that they loved that I was sharing my stories with them because it enrichened their experience at the museum.

I was so honored to be able to meet and to talk to these people because they were just wonderful and the sweetest people.

Not too long after that, I ended up chatting with an elderly woman who immigrated to Canada from Scotland. 

She was telling me that for her, her brother and her sister in-law, the experience was long and awful. Her brother and sister in-law got so fed up that they decided to immigrate to New Zealand instead.

I was chatting with her about her whole immigration process and I asked if she had any regrets.

She told me that she packed her bags in Scotland at 18 years old and hasn't regretted it one little bit.

She then proceeded to ask me about myself. At first she thought I was a university student, but she was rather shocked when I told her that I'm still in high school.

She then asked me what I wanted to be when I'm older and I told what I want to be: a travel writer.

She told me that every time I get a paycheck, I should take 10% of it, put it away and never touch it so that I could retire at 55 and live comfortably. 

It was really good advice and I'm going to follow it. She also asked me where I wanted to go, so I told her my top destinations but that I was also hesitant to go.

She looked me in the eyes and gave me advice that I'll never forget.

She told me to go for it.

She told me to do what I want to do and that it's a good thing to be scared. 

She told me that she wasn't sure if she wanted to immigrate to Canada or Israel, but she said that if she didn't like it in 5 years time, she could change her mind. But 30+ years later, her she is, still in Canada.

She packed her bags at 18 to find something better and I'm going to do the same.

I can't say that I'll immigrate to another country, let alone another continent when I'm 18, but I'm not going to let fear hold me back from going to new places and meeting new people.

Great minds must think alike because this lady and my amazing older cousin both gave me the same advice.

Don't hold back.

And I won't.


One More Girl, no longer online