Wearing Really Big Hats

This weekend I wore a huge hat. A hat that is normally worn by someone who is much more experienced and better at her job than I am. But I survived. Let me explain...

Twelve families were scheduled to come up this weekend for a residential away with one of our programme workers to focus on positive parenting. I, along with two other long-term volunteers and three short-term volunteers, were assigned to work with these 30 kids and 18 adults. I was very excited to work with these people and the programme worker. Late Friday morning, about 8 hours before the group was to arrive, I am told that the programme worker is sick, and she wants me to organize a few things for her so the residential can still happen. Sure, I say. It even gets me out of housekeeping for the day! So there I go, arranging things, checking things. The group arrives, we welcome them. They get their safety speech and they are told that they are to go to me if they have any problems! Holy cow! Right. So there it was. I was officially in charge.

The weekend went fine. If the programme worker had been there, the group would have had a totally different experience, but they still had a great time. It was weird to be "in charge" of other volunteers who were my peers. I've never been appointed a leader of my peers. I've been elected, but that's different. But it worked out alright. Things weren't always the smoothest, but I don't think the families noticed. The evaluations all came back with positive comments, and the kids seemed to be having a blast. Several of them came to like me so much that they occasionally attached themselves to my arms, legs, waist...everything. And no one saved me from them! But they were so cute and good that I couldn't get angry at them.

There's lots of stories of all the cute things they said and did, and all the things that I learned from being a "programme worker" for a weekend. But I'm exhausted and can write no more.

Here's another photo from New Year's. Jonny felt left out that he wasn't in any of my pictures, so this should make him feel better!