mikao's world

in response

to rachel's question ("How many people were involved in project mail-a-thon and what other stuff did you get?"):

see this post. i got mail from rebecca and jake, and you. i am still expectantly awaiting neely's contribution to the project. :)

but, now that i look back, i forgot to post what i got from you! sorry. i got two neat postcards (one with sheep on it, and one with a photo of new zealand on it i think...), a neat "auckland at night" magnet, a cute homemade card with a note, and a bazillion little glittery confetti stars. was that everything? i am sorry my mind is escaping me at the moment. i especially liked the sheep postcard and the stars that scattered themselves all over my kitchen table. very neat. :) i loved the whole package, very fun.

now to answer neely's question ("Hmm any clues as to when you'll figure out where to live?"):

if i had any idea, i would let you know. :) chuckle chuckle.

as part of the answer though, here's what's going on in my life at the moment... i just finished my last class ever yesterday. and we even had a test in the morning. i've never ever ever had a test in a youth ministry class. i think it's a first in briercrest history. i chuckled. but, i did get to hand it in with a classic michelle line ("that was fun"), which i always said to the teacher or professor after doing every test and every exam for as long as i can remember. so that was kind of neat. i had forgotten about it actually until i had to hand it in yesterday.

now i'm not officially done school, i still have about 6 papers I think to finish for the classes i've taken this semester (Spiritual Formation, Philosophy and Foundation for Ministry and Mission, and Junior High Ministry), and also i need to get cracking and write my MRRP proposal ( a MRRP is a "ministry related research project", it's like a thesis but a tad bit shorter)... and then actaully write my MRRP. my original plan was to get it all done before Christmas. i still could, if i worked at a frantic pace. oh. i still have yearbook to do too. that isn't as important as my schoolwork, but i like doing layout, it's fun (most of the time!) and when i do it i can be confident that it'll look good.

a bazillion people have suggested i should just stay here all next semester. this is appealing for the following reasons:
a) it gives me a place to live
b) i don't have to start a job or anything then
c) my roomdawg jodi is cool
d) it gives me more time to do fun stuff and not have to be rushed
e) i wouldn't have to fret job hunting

this idea however is also unappealing for the following reasons:

a) it costs money to live and i wouldn't be making any
b) i would feel very much like i was just delaying the inevitable
c) i don't really need to stay another whole semester
d) i've been in post-secondary school for six and a half years. that's much too much. i don't want to make it a whole seven.
e) caronport isn't always fun.

i don't know how long it is going to take me to finish these papers, or realistically how long it would take me to do a decent job on my MRRP. i have thought about staying for january. but realistically, how motivated will i be to leave at the end of january? not very, i don't think. it would be much easier to leave, and logical to leave, at Christmas time when everyone else is going home and a few other people leave and don't come back as well.

i'm not very motivated to get on the job hunt and get a cool youth ministry job. i think this is mostly because i don't want to just move anywhere. there are lots of cool youth ministry jobs out there. they just happen to all be in places i don't really know anyone. i am tired of getting jobs in weird places. the past two summers i was really glad to spend in the same place, after working in illinois, the yukon, and maine the few summers before that.

i want to go somewhere familiar. but i don't really have a home. my parents moved after i finished high school, and i've never lived in alberta with them, so going there isn't like going home is for most everyone else, because i only know my family there. and besides, it's northern alberta, there aren't any interesting jobs there. i don't want to work at sammy's pizza.

ideally i'd like to move to the g.t.a. (greater toronto area) and share an apartment with my good chum carolyn that i worked with at camp in 2002, and we have discussed it, just lately i haven't been able to get ahold of her to see if she's actually serious serious about it. it would be near a great deal of my old briercrest friends, plus near the camp i've worked at the past two summers, i'd probably be able to go to church with a lot of camp friends, i wouldn't be too far from a few relatives, and it's toronto so there is neat stuff to do.

and hopefully lots of jobs. i don't really know what kind of job i would get yet, i think i'd just apply for a bunch and see what happened. the thought of a random job (or jobs) for a year or so seems oddly appealing to me after being in concentrated youth ministry studies for the past few years. i started out expecting to go into full-time ministry, but now that i'm almost finished, the though of it is somewhat... i don't know what the proper word would be... i kind of have this weird exhaustion. i don't know how to explain it.

i'd like my january to be given to me on a silver platter with all the kinks worked out for me. but it's not happening that way. so, i'll let you know what happens when it does. as i have said before, God has it all under control, and PTL for that. :)