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What is Valuable to ME!

My previous entries over the course of the semester reflect that I am a person that values my family, my health, putting in hard work, and self-care. The theme that is consistent across all my occupations is dedication. Why that particular word you may ask? Well, I choose that theme because regardless of the change in my environment or the situation, I am still committed to my occupations.

Moving away from home and my family and entering the world of grad school, was a big step for me. The first time around wasn’t so bad because I lived in the resident halls surrounded by other student who were away from home likewise. Now, I am living on my own, cooking my own meals, and driving. Regardless of the distance between my family, I make it a point to call and speak to my mom, aunt or siblings at least once a day.

I am also dedicated to my education. I would like to return home with pearls of wisdom that I gained in grad school and not just be any therapist, but one of the best therapists the island has to offer. Alongside my education, I am also dedicated to working out or taking part in some sort of physical activities. My classmates, especially Troy, positively influence and encourage me when I am slacking or not pushing myself to my full potential.

Lastly, I am dedicated to taking time out for myself. Initially, I would run myself ragged which would result in me always feeling drained. Now, every weekend I do something fun whether with my friends or by myself. That may include, going out of town for the weekend, going to dinner with friends, reading a book for leisure or even staying in bed and watching Netflix.  

When I was younger, I would shut down and retreat to my room or a quiet area because I was feeling stressed or overwhelm. However, now that I am older, I have found better ways of coping with stress. Now, by balancing and prioritizing my occupations and other activities, I feel more at ease and relaxed. Another thing that I have realized about myself is, even though I am older, my values for the most part have remained the same. Due to my current change in environment, cooking is one of the new occupations that I have come to value now, in terms of cooking for myself and in turn, one day cooking for my own family.

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Promotion of Health

Going to school over the years have been one of the most stressful periods in my life. This is the time where I do not get enough sleep, anxious about everything and anything, eat unhealthily, and stress over things I cannot control which would sometimes result in me getting sick. However, this time around for grad school I promised myself to handle things differently to promote better health and overall wellness for my sake. 

The occupations that are very important to me in promoting health and preventing disease and disability are enough rest and sleep, meal prepping and eating healthier, self-care, exercising, and taking a step back and hanging out with friends and family. Now that I manage my time a lot better, my occupational performance has increased in these areas.

My role in these occupations affect each other one way or a next. By meal prepping every three days, it gives me more time to do homework in the evening and go to the gym. The gym is where I get to blow off some steam and calm my nerves at the same time laughing and joking with my friends and classmates. By the time I get home and get ready for bed, it is a lot easier to fall asleep because I am so tired from the gym. By managing my time and having a good balance, I get more rest, more homework done, eat healthier, stay fit and even have time for leisure pursuits. Not only do I feel better mentally, but also physically and emotionally.

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Spending Time with my Family

One occupation that is especially meaningful to me is spending time with my family. During my toddler years I could remember spending most of my time with my grandmother because my mother worked late. I could remember my grandmother packing our lunchboxes and drinks, a bedspread, our beach gear, and taking us to the beach. We would literally spend all day at the beach playing the sand, having fun in the water, eating our lunch, taking a nap, then repeating the cycle till it was evening time. I could also remember, my grandparents taking my siblings and I to the backyard to plant our own peas tree. Also, we each would have our own little buckets to pick the fruits that were ripe and ready.

As I got older, during my preteen years, I remember spending more time with my brothers and cousins, which were all boys. I had not choice but to be adventures like them. We would climb the mango trees in my grandparents’ yard for fun, ride our mini motorcycles around the yard, play our Wii and PlayStation against each other, even horseplay in the house until someone gets in trouble. I have too many “warrior scars” and stories to go with them.

During my teen and adolescent years, I spent time with my brothers and my mom. We would go to youth night at church every Friday night then go watch a movie or go to a game arcade. During that stage in my life, my siblings and I all played sports, so as a family we would go to baseball, basketball and volleyball games during the season to support each other. On Sundays, after church we would all eat by my grandparent’s house and then go to the beach and relax till evening time.

Currently, in this stage of my life, I spend even more time with my mom, grandma, and my aunts. I literally speak to them more than my best friend. We take trips together, go do our nails, go shopping, cook together and more. The best part is, I do not have to leave the room when they are talking. I get to be included in the “adult” conversations now that I am older.

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I Live Where You Vacation

I come from a place where manners are top priority, where families go to the beach religiously every Sunday and where men walk and dance on stilts for cultural and festival activities. I come from collective society where people greet you with a smile when walking down the road even if they do not know you or offer you something to eat or drink as soon as you step foot in their house. The place where I come from is very culturally different from the mainland in terms of food, music, climate, activities to do and much more. This place is the US Virgin Islands.

Growing up as a child, the one thing that must be said upon entry of the house, classroom or building with other people present is good morning, good afternoon or goodnight. Failure to do so is a sign of disrespect and would result in the teacher sending you back outside the classroom, parents disciplining their child, or people giving you strange looks. Aside from manners, another thing that is strongly valued is our cultural heritage.

We celebrate and throw parties for everything and anything. There are about 10 additional holidays that the Virgin Islands celebrate that the mainland does not, such as Transfer Day, VI- Puerto Rican Friendship Day, D. Hamilton Jackson Day/ “Bull and Bread Day”, Three Kings Day, and the list goes on. All of these holidays are celebrated with a parade of people tramping down the street in the town, wearing specials colors, costumes, waving flags and drinking the local Cruzan Rum. You would also see floats and big trucks painted and nicely. The best sight to see in my opinion is the Mocko Jumbies or guys on stilts, dressed in vibrant colors of madras, dancing in the street and doing amazing tricks in sync with the upbeat music.

Even though English is the national language, the Virgin Islands is a melting pot and is made up of people from many Caribbean islands whether British or French. People speak Spanish, French, Patois, or Creole. However, more than half of the people that inhabit the Virgin Islands have an accent and speak with a dialect. Typically, we can tell if a person is a native of the island or just from their accent, you can tell which Caribbean island they are from.

In terms of ethnic influences, my family is from the island of Grenada, the island of spice. So, during the holiday seasons, for example Thanksgiving and Christmas, we cook the national dish and deserts from Grenada. My family is also big on planting and growing fruits, vegetables and crops such as sugar cane, different types of mangos, banana figs, peppers, lemon grass, basil, avocado, sweet potatoes and more. The same produce that is grown, we cook, eat, make smoothies, ice pops or make tea. When I travelled up to the mainland for school, I brought with me soursop and bay leaf leaves to make tea, and that is what I drink every morning with my breakfast.

Now that I am away from home, I still do certain things the same way. I brought with me some of the spices and leaves to cook and make tea. I also continue to go to church every Sunday, the same way I did back home with my family. Even though I cannot attend the parades during the different holidays, I still do listen to my Caribbean music all the time in the car when I drive or go on Facebook and look at the different events live.  So regardless of where I am, I still carry a part of home everywhere I go.

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“I am my Brother’s Keeper”

Fire-watch/Hole watch

One of the most memorable jobs that I held was a fire-watch/hole-watch position in an oil refinery. Being that the refinery sat dormant for 7 years, lots of pipes, valves, and other materials needed to be demolished and replaced. That required lots of fire-watchers to monitor the guys cut, grind, weld and demolish things along with the hole-watchers monitoring the work down in confined spaces.

Every day was something different. Today I might be fire-watching for a crew on the ground welding and fabricating pipe however, tomorrow I might be climbing 200 ft in the air hole-watching for some workers that had to clean out the debris in a vessel. Some of the skills for both fire-watching and hole-watching include removing hazardous materials from the work area, proper use of fire extinguisher and hose, testing the air quality in confined spaces, constantly communicating with the worker and making sure they are okay, and knowing how to use the communication system to get help if a problem did arise.

Being in such a dangerous environment, safety was the number one priority. Fire-watching/ Hole-watching was not my only job. I was also given a small role as safety inspector. I had to make sure not only myself but my crew were wearing proper personal protective equipment at all times. By doing this every morning it became a habit.  

In an industrial environment, the fire-watch/hole-watch position is said to be the most boring but the most important job. People’s lives were in my hands. That is why, I took my job so serious and others could see that. Many times, I was praised by the crew members, foreman and supervisors about how I went above and beyond in my duties. I made sure that I was always alert in the event that something happened and made sure my crew was focused as well.

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Routinely Occupation

Grooming my hair is something I do routinely. Ever since age 8 or 9, I would sit and watch my mom braid her own hair and people’s hair. My mom knew that I was interested in learning how to do my own hair, so she made a deal with me. She would braid my hair during the week for school and I was responsible for losing and combing out my hair at the end of the week, along with trying to braid it or style it for church on Sunday. We continued this routine, till I got to high school. By that time, I was proficient enough to do my own hair and even assist my mom with hers.

The only problem was, I took forever! I would take 5 to 6 hours to do my hair while my mom would take 45 minutes on the same hairstyle. So in the essence of time, depending on if I had to much homework or had a scheduled engagement, I would ask my mom to assist me.

Now that I am living on my own, I have developed some tricks of the trade in terms of cutting down the amount of time that it takes me to do my hair. I have also invested in products that make managing my hair easier. Depending on the weather or the occasion, I might do my hair in a protective style such as braids with extensions or a wig. These protective styles allow less manipulation and only require daily trimming or oiling of my scalp.

Regardless if my hair is in a protective style or out in an afro or even in a sleek bun, I enjoyed the process it takes and seeing the end results.

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Balanced Occupations

Finding a balance between work and play can sometimes be stressful. However, it is very important. In the past few months alongside working, I was able to attend a paint and sip event, dog sit for 6 months, and maintained a workout regimen for 30 days. Keep reading to find out more about these activities and the type of satisfaction each brought to my life.

Dog Sitting

Hey guys! Meet Tazz. However, in my house we called her Nene. Back in February, one of the ladies from my church asked me to watch her dog for couple months, knowing that I had experience with dogs in the past. At first, I was a bit hesitant because I had just started working full time and I knew a dog would be lot of responsibility. However, I accepted the challenged and little Tazz (Nene) moved in.

Off the bat, we realized Tazz was different. If the house was too noisy, she would chase her tail nonstop till the noise would seize (hint hint: Her name came from the Tasmanian devil cartoon) or if we give her a dog bone treat, she would growl and protect it for days before she realized it was safe to eat. All in all, Tazz was a character, filled with personality. She woke my mom and I up every morning to go outside walking. Not only did she keep us active, she kept us alert being that she became the neighborhood’s little watch dog.

In those six months, Tazz brought so much joy to my family and I. The excitement that she brought outweighed the not so fun chores like bathing her and cleaning up after her when she had an accident.  Having her, brought back so much memories of the past dogs my siblings and I had while growing up. I realized that this is something I want for my children in the future, so they could have the same experience or better in taking care and loving a dog.

 Paint and Sip Event

In the beginning of the summer, I attended a paint and sip event with my God-sister for the first time. The ambiance welcomed creativity with soft lights and paintings all over the room.  The inner artist came out and I was able to unleash my creative side with a tall glass of wine.  When I first sat down, I felt a bit nervous because I didn’t know how to draw further more paint, but my nerves subsided when the instructor assured us that no prior painted experience was needed. Even though we were all painting a sunset scene, we had the liberty to use our own color scheme and add your own style to it.

By the end of the end of the event, my apron was covered in a contrast of colors. There was more paint on me than on the canvas. This event reminded me of the time when I facilitated a tie dye activity with the kids in church. There was dye everywhere!

At first, I was anxious and careful not to mess up because I wanted it to come out right. One of the things that I realized from this paint and sip activity, is that there was no right or wrong way to paint the sunset scene. Even though we all listened to the instructor’s instructions, all of our painting look unique which was cool to see at the end. This activity made me realize that everything does not always have to be structured to have a positive outcome. This is one stress-free activity I would definitely do again with my friends.

 Workout Regimen

Last month, I was challenged by my coworker to choose any workout regimen on the internet and stick with it for 30 days. Initially, it started out as a joke, but being the competitive person that I am, I wanted to prove that I could complete the challenge. So, I went online and found a 30-day workout challenge. It looked fairly simple, well so I thought.  By day 13, I wanted to call it quits. I was so sore, everything hurt. I remembered thinking about high school days when I had volleyball practice 4 days a week and weight conditioning during lunchtime.

As the days continued, the amount of exercise increase. I had to break it down into 3 sessions. I did some in the morning, some when I got off work, and the some right before bed. I literally had to push myself during the last set before bed. As the last week approached, the exercises became more of a routine than a burden. I also realize that by workout in the morning, I felt energized during the day and more focused at work. It also helped with staying asleep during the night. This challenge not only allowed me to push myself but it also and encouraged me to some kind of physical activity after the challenge with completed.

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My Meaningful Occupations

The occupations that I have enjoyed all my life include going to church, shopping, playing volleyball and spending time with my family. These activities bring such peace all while bringing excitement at the same time. Ever since I could remember, going to church with my family have been my every Sunday routine. Not that it is a chore, but rather a special time to worship God in my own accord. Another occupation that is routinized in my life is spending time with my family. When my mom, aunts, grandparents, siblings and I get together, there is nothing but good vibes, good food, and good fellowship.

In terms of physical and leisure participation, I enjoy playing volleyball and shopping. Growing up, volleyball has been the number 1 sport that I enjoyed and was actually good at. I have even played for the National Volleyball Team of the US Virgin Islands and traveled to different islands and states, representing my territory.

When it comes to shopping, both online and in stores, the thrill of finding great deals on quality clothes and shoes is so exciting. Having the right amount of patience to go through clothes, rack by rack is very therapeutic to me.

Not only are these occupations meaningful to me, my participation in them keep me grounded and overall improves my quality of life.

Occupations I have not Enjoyed

An occupation that I have not enjoyed for years is cooking. Coming from Caribbean household, it was expected for a young girl to be in the kitchen. However, I disliked being in the kitchen, and wanted to be outside with my brothers. Another reason that added to my dislike was that there was never a cook book or some type of instructions to follow when cooking. Everything was estimation and my estimation skills was all wrong.

My Interest Changed Overtime

Now that I am older, my interests and environment have changed. Due to starting grad school, I do not attend church as often as I use too, however I found have an alternative. Now I read my Bible more and watch sermons via YouTube. As part of adulting, cooking is necessary and is starting to become something I enjoy to doing. Along with having a significant other, it is also nice being able to cook him a meal that he enjoys.