The Workshop

I did my presentation for that employment agency today. Beforehand, the guy told me that I'm not trying to sell the program, because they're already in it, and that I shouldn't think of it as a presentation, but that I'm just coming in to chat. He said that the reason they were asking me to come in, is because of how much I've changed since coming out of the program. He said that I shouldn't try and attribute the program as the key to my change, that I need to take credit for that, and that I'm just there to show the current participants that change is possible.

So I went in with nothing. I tried giving a rough outline of what I was like before the program, how I changed afterwards, and what I'd done since then, which basically means Katimavik and Canada World Youth. I started off pretty solid, but moved through each experience fairly quickly. Guess where things stuck? Of course it's going to be my Malian experience.

Soon as I hit that, they were throwing down questions left and right, and I know you guys know how long I can talk about Africa. It turned into a presentation on my overseas experience. We didn't even get through all the photos, and I wound up talking from the start of the day until their lunch break. And they were still asking me questions on the way out. Afterward, one of the participants approached me and thanked me, telling me that I'd done a great job.

Well, it's true that it turned out to be more of a "chat" than a presentation. The supervisors all seemed pleased. When I did that program, I enjoyed every workshop and activity. I felt everything was relevant, so I hope their judgment was sound in asking me to come in, and I hope they can somehow make my rambling relevant.

I certainly enjoyed myself, that's for sure. It's kind of depressing, though. I outlined all the things I'd done in life, and the popular demand fell on Africa. I've been talking about that experience since I left the program. I was hoping that I was still just stuck on it because of how recent it was, but today I learned that it's genuinely the most interesting experience I've ever had.

People who've seen my motions... How I've traveled from one place to another to another, and seen my experiences grow wilder and wilder, have come to expect bigger and better things to come out of me. People keep asking me "What's next?" and "Aren't moving to God-knows-where soon enough, anyway?"

I have to tell these people "Sorry, I'm done. I can't top Africa. I've done all the programs, and that last saga was the climax of my life."

...It's kind of hard to make a plan to forge a simple and humble life, after experiencing the things that I have. I guess that comes off as arrogant and entitled. Hopefully I'll get over myself.