Orientation has been a whirlwind. While I think that the pacing would be absolutely perfect for someone who doesn’t have responsibilities outside of the session hours, we are finding ourselves with too many things to do. The girls are finally settling into the routine here after so many weeks of a different schedule each week. Also – a crib for Catherine makes such a difference! We had been trying to get her to sleep on a cot, but with very limited success. Now that she’s back in a crib her nights are going much better. We find ourselves snatching what conversations we can between escorting kids, feeding kids, meeting with retirement planning, human resources, IT and taking our turn doing dishes. Still, it feels full but not overwhelming.

Last week we learned about and worked through many heavy topics in orientation. From understanding the history of Mennonite Central Committee to issues of power and privilege, diversity, peace building dilemmas, child protection and trauma, we waded through the topics which impact work across the spectrum of MCC. This week we are tackling program skills and while I enjoyed coloring as I listened and digested information during week 1, I love the super practical skill building. And who doesn’t like doing a simple pretend budget sheet and getting all the answers right?