Organizational Behavior

So, it's been a long running joke with some of my friends that I always seem to land myself in organizations that are slightly, to more than slightly, dysfunctional. Well, granted this time I willingly walked into a dysfunctional situation, but still... I'm baffled at how some people think they can get away with things!

Today, Gary and I traveled to Kaneohe to visit the Extension Office. Prior to me arriving in Hawaii, Gary mentioned that in the 14 years prior to him being hired that this Extension Office's hours had dwindled to only 4 hours a week on Tuesdays. Random. Gary has just hired an additional part-time person, Wanda, to help "clean up" the mess some "retiring" staff have left behind. We met her at the Extension Office and found... nothing. No one. Locked doors that didn't match Gary's master keys. If I was Gary I would've been more than just slightly annoyed. Of the two women who work in this office, one is never around and Gary says in the 18 months he's been here he's never met the other woman. Completely unacceptable! I know Gary's postion wasn't filled for the longest time, and when they did have someone in the postion it was only temporary so things slid under the radar, but the fact that some of these people still blatantly abuse the system under a now watchful eye is beyond me! In fact, the head of the Ag Department at U of H that oversees the Extension Office mentioned that the two women who currently work at this Extension Office are not "comfortable" with the new woman Gary hired. Gary senses it's because they'll now be accountable for what they're doing. Maybe.

We managed to get into a portion of the building - that had been left unlocked - and realized that it was a giant unrecognized opportunity. A giant meeting space with full functioning kitchen (minus the roach infested sink) and ample storage! Only it was severely ignored... dirty, dusty, and storage from who knows how long ago. We found an amazing quarter-fold velt presentation board that costs over hundreds of dollars - IN AMAZING CONDITION - just shoved in a corner. How long has that been there?!

Basically, all this space going to waste when real-estate in Hawaii is hard to come by (oh, and did I mention this building is available to us FREE OF CHARGE), and all these amazing materials are just sitting there when we could really be utilizing them. It's frustrating. What's even more frustrating (of which Gary mentioned first) is that there are numerous paid 4-H employees who do nothing and their actions go unaccounted for, whereas Wanda can only be hired on part-time because of funding, and I don't get paid at all because of the lack of funding. I'm not complaining about not getting paid because I am getting free housing, food, and transportation, but that's still rough for Gary who could use the help and support without needing to hire extra staff.

All I've been able to think about while dealing with this is our Org Behavior classes this past year at school. These people could seriously use a good dose of those classes and groups! It just seems like these people don't know how to work together! I mean, another example of how divided these people are, is how the 4-H programs here are completely divided into Ag programs, School programs, and Military programs. So separated that they have their own budgets, own training/conferences, and before Gary arrived here they barely - if ever - interacted.

It looks like we have our work cut out for us. I'm excited! Bring it on! :)

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In other news...

Tonight for dinner we went to this soul food restaurant called "Soul". :) Oh. My. Freaking. God. The food was so amazing! (I promise amazing isn't my new favorite word, but I just don't have words to describe a lot of the things here, you'll just have to come see and experience them yourselves) I'm embarrassed to say it was the most delicious southern comfort food I've ever had, even better than my grandmother's... and she's from Alabama! I mean, delicious southern comfort soul food in Hawaii... I don't think I'll ever have soul food again that compares. And no, I'm not being over-dramatic or exaggerating. What was also amazing about this restaurant is that the owner/head chef used to work at one of Waikiki's top and hardest to get into restaurants. He quit to open up this place, and actually comes out to meet and talk with his patrons. He's super nice and super down-to-earth. I couldn't believe it! He was also incredibly humble. There are just no words beyond - I'm sorry to say it again - amazing!

The Difference A Year Can Make

Inspired by Maria Sandone's recent blog post about how much her life has changed in just a year, I looked back on my experiences one year ago and was as equally shocked by how much my life has changed! Check it out for yourself:

• August 28, 2009: Lunch with Charles and Chase for Charles birthday, followed by going away antics with Lydia and Monica later that evening.
• August 28, 2010: Sight-seeing along the East side of O'ahu with Gary and Karen.
  
  
• August 29, 2009: Hitting the road toward Vermont with Amanda... driving through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and part of Ohio.
• August 29, 2010: Relaxing and enjoying Honolulu. Attending a Greek Festival.
  
  
• August 30, 2009: Continuation of my move to Vermont for Graduate School, driving through the remainder of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York stopping at Niagara Falls at sunrise and then Amanda's grandma's in upstate New York near Cooperstown.
• August 30, 2010: First day of my Practicum with Hawaii 4-H.

SAY WHAT?!?! This is so surreal! When you think of it like that it really does seem so AMAZING that I'm even here! A year ago today I would never have thought I'd be in Hawaii within a year, let alone living here for 6 months! I also would've never been able to imagine the people I've met over the past year, the opportunities I've had, and the locations I've been able to go. I thank all of you who have made the last year what it has been and who have helped me get to where I am now - completing my practicum in Honolulu, Hawaii!


2009:

2010:

Change in plans...

Today has been a relaxing day. I went to church with Gary and Karen. The sermon today was on service. I thought it appropriate that it was on service when I know Gary from my AmeriCorps*VISTA service focused in Service-Learning, and because I'm completing my internship with Hawaii 4-H which happens to be a service minded organization. Good signs, don't you think? I'm really excited that my practicum is with a service oriented organization. I've grown really fond of them and also very passionate about service/civic engagement in general. :)

This afternoon I got caught up on emails, posting photos to Facebook, going through 4-H information, and reading through (again) the requirements for my RPP proposal. I also chatted with my friends Elaine and Chris, as well as watched some anime (I know... weird, right?) before heading to downtown Honolulu for a Greek Festival. It was very entertaining. There were people line-dancing, which reminded me of when the group of Turkish students came to SIT and then had us get up and dance during their presentation at the end of their stay. I also had some delicious gyros and watched an older woman jump up on a table and start shaking her groove thang! Videos are posted on Facebook. You're welcome.

While at the festival I was able to have a in depth chat with Gary about overall plans for my time here. I found out that he and Karen are planning to head to the mainland over Thanksgiving. At first I was concerned because that means I'd be alone for Thanksgiving - which I'm not too keen on - or I'd have to spend a lot of money to go home to spend the holiday with my family just to turn around and go back in less than a months time. Gary assured me that their is a big Thanksgiving shindig at the University of Hawaii that I could go to, so if I stick around I could possibly do that. I'm currently working on trying to convince one of my friends to come visit... I mean, really, who wouldn't want to spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii?! One alternative is that one can hang out with their family and most likely have to deal with relatives they'd rather not deal with and/or be bored out of their mind at some point or another, OR another alternative is that one can come visit a friend in Hawaii and have an amazing vacation! Um... hello?!

Gary also informed me that due to the number of visitors they're hosting over the next few months, that they've found me alternative housing with the 4-H alum here in Hawaii. It's not that they're having a lot of visitors, but the way the visitors are spaced out and then the numbers coming a certain times (as in the same time) they just don't have enough rooms at hotel Heusel. That's fair. I'm deeply appreciative that Gary went through so much work to secure alternative housing for me that still wont cost me a thing! He also told me that I can utilize their extra vehicle when needed and can use their house over Thanksgiving (and anytime both he and Karen are away for work at the same time) since they'll be off to the mainland. The woman I'll be staying with apparently has a rather large 5 bedroom home, and rents out room to local college students from time to time. Currently there is another girl staying there. Her place is also only about 5 mins up the mountain from Gary and Karen's and on the same bus line. :) I hope everything works out well, and I'm sure it will. I can't complain too much about free housing in Hawaii. This also means that I will officially be here 6 months straight instead of taking January off and working through March (meaning I'll be here in January and February for those of you who need me to spell it out clearer). It's good to know, now I can start looking at flights home for the winter holidays, as well as start figuring out what I'm going to do come March!

So, slight changes in plans, but nothing horrible. I just thought I'd keep everyone posted since I've been getting endless text messages about the details of my duration here. I hope to keep hearing from all of you whilst I'm here! For now I'll settle for watching my future husband - James McAvoy (sa-woon!) - in Atonement with Gary and Karen. ;)

Til next time... Aloha po!

Aloha!

I've officially been Hawaii for 48 hours. What?! Crazy! I still can't believe I'm here...

Okay, okay. Time for what everyone's being waiting for: my recap and first impressions of the past two days. Sit back, this is gonna be long.

First we have to start with my adventures getting here. My flights here were looooooooooooooooonng. Ridiculously long. I suppose that's what happens when you buy the cheapest tickets you can find 2 weeks prior to departure. It also doesn't help when you don't go to bed the night before traveling for 17 hours. Whoops! My flight from Lincoln, Nebraska to Minneapolis, Minnesota wasn't horrible. In fact, I don't really remember it - I slept the entire flight (which wasn't very long). Once I arrived in MN, I was informed that my next flight which was originally supposed to depart at 11:35am was now scheduled to leave at 1:15pm. Not horrible because I'd still make my next connection, but I was soooooooooo incredibly tired and was hoping to get on a flight so I could pass out. Instead I found myself sitting at my gate with a bunch of other crabby passengers who were all missing their connections and taking it out on anyone within range. I made a friend in this older woman sitting next to me. She asked me if I'd watch her stuff while she went and got food, and then she'd do the same for me in return so neither of us would lose our seats to the vultures circling the gate looking for somewhere to wait out the long layover. Once we both had food (purchased with our vouchers provided from Delta - a whole $6, whoopie) she began asking me all the same travel questions that you ask anyone when you're making small talk while traveling.

Long story short: I'm the first Nebraskan she's ever met, she was impressed that I was heading to Hawaii to live for half a year, she was overly impressed with the sound of my degree (I think it's just because it's such a long name), and she thinks that I've done well for myself and I should keep taking advantage of every opportunity presented to me because I'm still "young". She was heading to Seattle to visit her daughter ("not as exciting as an internship in Hawaii" as she said). She was nice, and actually ended up having a seat nearby me on the flight... not that it mattered because I slept for that entire flight too. I told you, I didn't go to bed the night before! The flight from Seattle to Honolulu was the flight I was looking the most forward to... the longest flight meaning I was expecting free movies, food, and plenty of opportunity to sleep. Boy, was I wrong! No free food, only complimentary drinks served twice (once at the beginning of the flight and once at the end), no free movies (you could pay $12 for a portable movie player), and little to no opportunities to sleep (I had 4 babies sitting within the three row vicinity of me, including one right next to me). Luckily, I was SUPER exhausted so I just put in my ipod headphones and passed out. This however did not prevent me from being woken up multiple times.

When I finally arrived in Honolulu (17+ hours after I departed home) I got lost in the airport. THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO ME! I followed the signs. I did! I blame it all on the construction and the other passengers from my flight who were walking the wrong direction too. Shut it! :P I finally managed to find my boss and his wife - Gary and Karen - and they gave me a traditional lai (so pretty), and whisked me off for dinner and drinks on Waikiki beach! We went to Duke's. It was fabulous! We sat out on the patio and watched the waves roll in while eating some delicious food and sipping on tropical drinks. Afterward, we took a stroll down Waikiki beach, getting our feet wet in the surf. It was absolutely amazing! Don't hate. Appreciate!

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to be living with my boss and his wife for the first few months while I'm here. So once we got home, I was given the grand tour, I unpack, and - what else? - I crashed. I mean, back home in Nebraska it was already 3:00 in the morning! I was tired. The next day I slept in a little bit, watched the Little League World Series game on TV because Hawaii is one of the final teams (they came from behind to beat Georgia), headed to campus to see my office space and meet - I swear - half of campus. The building my office is in is really cool. It's all lofted and the architecture is very unique. I hope to have pictures up on Facebook sometime next week. At the end of the day I went to dinner with Gary and Karen in downtown Honolulu at this French Pastry Bistro that serves a wide variety of food. I tried some sushi... and actually liked it. I'll pause while we wait for my Vermont friends to start breathing again after the shock. :) Once home, I spent the evening catching up with Gary on our lives back in Nebraska.

Today Gary and Karen took me sight-seeing around the East side of O'ahu. My camera, of course, decided to act up so the only pictures I have are on my Blackberry. I'll post them to Facebook soon. I'm not too upset about it though because I'm here for six months. I'm sure I'll see most of those places again, especially if friends come to visit. I'll say right now - it's so indescribable here. Hopefully I'll get better at describing it during my time here. After sight-seeing (which included beaches, drinks, and a macadamia nut farm) Gary and Karen took me along with to there annual Pau Haha Parrotheads dinner meeting (a Jimmy Buffet fan club thing). It was actually pretty fun, although a little long.

There... that's my past 48 hours. My first impressions have been good so far, but I'm always cautiously optimistic. My friend, Lydia, asked me today what I thought of Hawaii and moving here. I told her that I was taking it one day at a time in order to let it sink in and so that I could get into a routine. As of now, I don't have an answer to that question. I'm not disappointed or dreading my time here, though... :) One minor complaint I have is that I'm 5 hours behind Nebraska, and 6 hours behind the East Coast. Basically, that means when I'm getting out of work here in Hawaii, the majority of my family, friends, and support network are all heading to bed. How am I supposed to keep in touch with people that way?! Hopefully this doesn't turn into a problem.

Anywho... I have much more to write about, but this entry is long enough. I'll try to write more often so these aren't as long. Also, I promise this blog wont just be a recap of my daily schedule. I officially start my practicum on Monday, so I'm excited to get into the full swing of that and to have more specific things to share with all of you (especially my RPP friends)! :)

Aloha ahiahi ia oukou!

"I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..."

Ok... After a lot of harassment from my friends and classmates, I’ve agreed to start this blog. I suppose it’s a good idea – it will help me stay connected with people, I wont have to tell the same stories over and over again to multiple people, and it might just help me keep track of what I’m doing for my practicum. But still… I haven’t seriously written a blog since senior year of college when I studied abroad in Germany, and even then I didn’t write very often. This is going to take some effort, I can already tell.

Who can figure out where the name of my blog comes from? You’re not allowed to guess if you already know! Dirty cheaters. :) I’ll give the rest of you a hint. It’s a quote from a movie. I could give you a better hint than that, but I tend to give things away when I think I’m being clever, so I’ll just avoid going down that road.

I leave for Hawaii in less than 48 hours! Sooooooooo crazy! I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I’m super excited AND super nervous. It’s so surreal. For realz. I’ve packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, and repacked… etc, etc, etc. I’m trying to go minimalist, but it’s not working out so hot for me. Why is it so difficult? I don’t even have that big of a wardrobe, but then when I start packing a suitcase it’s horrendously difficult to pick and choose what to take for 4-6 months! One would think it would be easy because Hawaii’s average temperatures are between the mid-70s and mid-80s degrees Fahrenheit. However, I still managed to have issues with it. I know what some of you are thinking… I manage to have difficulties with a lot of things. Well, bite me. :P

I have a lot of things to do before I leave. A lot of people to visit, a lot of errands to run. I hate goodbyes, I really do. They suck! I mean, who honestly LIKES goodbyes?! I remember when I snuck out of my first AmeriCorps position (@ ServeNebraska) early on my (original) last day because I hate goodbyes that much. My colleagues, Greg and Peter, never let me live that down. I also remember refusing to say goodbye to certain people up in Vermont because I didn't want to admit to myself I might never see them again. Ugh, I just hate saying goodbye. I cry every single time! It doesn't matter who you are, if you thought that me saying goodbye to you wasn't that big of deal... you're wrong. I cried, just probably not in front of you.

Anywho… enough of this. I’m going to go run last minute errands and visit people before I leave. See you in Hawaii! :D