Thirty

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. To celebrate, I went to Guelph, and my girlfriend came to visit. She had already met my mother, so it wasn't too much of a gamble, but she got to meet my brother and see my family's home, which was pretty cool.

My mother and brother got me the dried up head of a Kong sunflower, which is a ridiculously huge breed of sunflower that grows multiple blossoms, and which I've always dreamed of growing. One of their neighbours grew them this year, and I didn't really believe he'd managed it until I saw them for myself. They were small Kongs, but unmistakably the real deal. With this dried up Kong head, I should be able to harvest the seeds and grow my own next year.

They also got me a water filtration system to attach to my tap at home, because I don't trust my Kitchener pipes. It's the same filter that the city got for them to eliminate the lead that had been detected in their pipes, so it should be good. I found this to be a very appropriate gift for turning thirty, because concerns about water quality seems like quite an "adult" issue to have.

My girlfriend got me a journal to write down my dreams, because I'd said that I wanted to start doing a dream journal again, as well as to write down bucket list items (growing a Kong sunflower is on my bucket list), and some tickets for doing a "paint night" on her, since she knows painting is a hobby of mine, and she found out I'd never heard of a "paint night" before (it's like a painting session with a prompt given by an instructor).

My girlfriend treated me to Crafty Ramen, which is a restaurant in Guelph (much higher quality and more dressed up than Mr. Noodles, more akin to an authentic Japanese ramen spot). I had the Gryphon Bowl, which is something I've wanted to try for a long time, but for some reason, while it is often featured, it's never been available while I was in town. It was good. It was spicy at a comfortable level, and had pork and corn.

Birthday dinner was a barbecue. It was only the second time my mother had used the barbecue I got her for her birthday. She said she needed the inbetween step of watching me and listening to my instructions, and me watching her while she does most of the work. She seemed to be fairly comfortable with the process by the time dinner was ready.

Annual reminder that the 21st isn't just my birthday, it's also the International Day of Peace:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Peace

This year's theme was "Climate Action for Peace" in acknowledgement that sustainable global peace doesn't just come through reducing physical violence, it's also about caring for this planet that we all share.

Also, check out this wacky guy:

https://twitter.com/electrolemon/status/1175445355992797184

He does a video clip based on the Earth Wind and Fire song, September which is based on the "21st night of September". This year, if you buy a shirt from him, 100% of the proceeds go toward Climate Action for Change"

I'm not opposed to turning thirty. I'm not saying that I want to get old, or that I don't wish I'd accomplished more, but honestly, my twenties gave me a pr etty fair shake. Let's review the decade:

I entered the Katimavik program, where I was stationed in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Chisasibi, North Quebec. In this time I worked for Community Connections, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, the Regional Food Distribution Association, otherwise known as the food bank for food banks, and then a series of projects in Chisasibi, such as looking after children for a summer camp, helping facilitate a powwow, and living on Fort George in a teepee for a week. We also did workshops and volunteer events on evenings and weekends and took turns acting as House Manager.

Then I came back and worked factories in three different Linamar Branches, moving from being an Assembly Line Worker, inserting springs and rocker into car axles and clutches, to being a Machine Operator.

Then I did Canada World Youth, where I lived and worked with a citizen of Mali, a country in West Africa, in a host family in La Pocatier, Quebec, acting as a horticulturalist for three months. Then we moved to Karadie, a village of 800 adults without English or electricity for three months.

Then I came back and did the Human Services Foundation program at Conestoga College for a year and earned an Ontario College Certificate before entering the Social Service Worker program, which I did for two years and earned an Ontario College Diploma.

I did two years of student placement at WALES (Working Adults Learning Empowering Skills), a community group run through an organization called Extend-a-Family, made for people diagnosed with developmental disabilities, helping them develop and actualize their goals and dreams.

I worked for a year as an Independent Facilitator for Facile (now Bridges to Belonging), helping people diagnosed with disabilities build their futures while working in the community.

I did four years of Summer Program (a recreational program run through Extend-a-Family), doing both a Day Program and an Overnight Camp.

I've done four years of Direct Support (one-to-one work in the community with people diagnosed with developmental disabilities)

I've been a Safe Management Instructor, teaching crisis intervention and prevention techniques for three years.

I worked for the better part of a year working night shift at a group home for displaced youth through Hatts Off.

I did a year of education at the University of Waterloo in the Social Development Studies program, and then realized that my old student placement, WALES, was hiring, and quit higher education to become their In-House Facilitator, which I've been doing for a little over a year now.

Katimavik through Canada World Youth, my family (mother and brother) has changed their residential setting three times (and I have lived with them at each location). I lived in the Conestoga College Residence for a year, then lived in student housing (not connected with the college, but still marketed to students) for two years. After graduating, I subletted for five months, and then moved to the place I am currently at, where I have been for three, going on four years.

This means that, not including Katimavik or CWY, I have lived in seven locations in the past decade. Including my youth programs, I have lived in twelve (I changed host families in my Quebec rotation during CWY)

During my time in student housing, which included a place where I had six roommates at a time, I had twenty roommates overall. After moving out, I have lived with six more people (not including a couple from Newfoundland who I spent less than a week with and ultimately decided Ontario living wasn't for them), bringing me to 26 roommates overall, not including my youth programs. Including my youth programs, I initially had ten roommates in Katimavik (but two dropped out in the first three weeks, so we won't count them, and we won't count Project Leaders either), and one in CWY (not including host families), meaning I've had 35 roommates.

Near the end of the decade, I got a cat, something I'd been wanting to do for seven years. Then I got a girlfriend!

So yeah, I don't feel like my twenties cheated me.