Happy

My life is a far cry from what it was ...

Sometimes I still laugh at how the world changed me.

After all.

UWI

Part time education...  part time work.

If last year this time, you would have told me I would have been doing this, I would have said - Yeah right.

Life is funny...

Take it as it comes.

Persistence

This is a story about persistence.

If you really want something. Keep knocking on doors.

Somebody, usually. Saids yes.

It might take some time but..

The journey is the important thing.

Role - paid work

The thing about being a care giver, is that it is the most undervalued profession in the world.

The other thing is, I don't want to be Aunty.

I don't want to be stuck in a house alone by myself.

And I do get something from sitting with her.

I learnt more about life from her in the last year than I learnt in University.

And I want to help.

A rather large stumbling block seems to be in my path.

But .... maybe this is the opportunity.

To become Aunty in turn.

She used to pick me up and drop me to Common Entrance lessons in another school for the entire year.

I will never forget that.

And it is due to that time that we spent that I can still ... FEEL... her.

Words are not necessary.

It is something which I can't explain, but it is a sense of well being.

You OK, I'm OK.

My mother's sister.

The closest person to my mother, left in this country.

....  time....

I asked over a year ago now.

No it doesn't.

Bizarrely enough, this still seems right.

STEUPS.

CAPE Biology - requirement

May 17.... Uhm

Possible.

Theory - yes

Lab skills ?

My aunt

She's just an old chinese lady. Well, technically she is 3/4 chinese, 1/8 African, 1/8 Scottish.

She didn't want an arranged marriage at 14.

She moved out on her own.

It wasn't easy.

Now she is old.

Trapped in her house, Lonely. Scared. Her fingers are curling, rheumatoid arthritis.

Last year around this time she fell down.

She was on the floor for four hours.

And .......... I realised, I am her. Very similiar.

Ironically, doing the same job, in the same institution.

Separated by 55 years.

And as I look at my future.

I ....  I ... I

....... there is no alternative !#@

Now, UWI, won't even let me do the prerequisites to be a candidate for occupational therapy.

Sociology... Emile Durkheim... Suicide.   Data from 1850.

There is wisdom in knowing when to give up.

But first I need to convince a few others to pursue the courses I dare attempt to make the argument, that a person trained to deal with the whole person, might be a necessary skill set in the health care sector.

I'm scared

Little boys don't have a problem saying " I'm scared."

What happens as they get older?

Normally I am the first one to cream my cousin's husband.

He lazy, he doh help. He not interested in the kids.

But over the last year, well....

the truth is

in generational terms... they didn't grow up with examples of fathers that well...

did stuff like that..

and they are struggling with coming to terms with...

being different.

I always thought being a lesbian meant that kids was out of the question.

And Iz not really feminine.

But I don't know, it must be hormones or something.

I turn 30 and find ... 

I don't want to be mother, Auntie will suffice.

But the kid thing.

Something inside me just wants to give back... legacy I suppose.

Uhmmm....

It is sad to say... I think I am becoming ... my aunt.

Math

Math is only fun so long as you are able to apply the concepts in a practical context.

Doing test papers is not going to help, well it will with speed but not with concepts.

Recipes: Proportions make six cookies or something,
Take it down from a higher serving side.

Work it out in advance yourself and get her to do it on the fly.

Make trapeziums out of straws and pasticine.

Use play money to work out sums, let her buy stuff. Do the groceries, - cheat with a calculator.
Compare prices.

Maths is supposed to be practical.

Whether it be rearranging furniture for translations. Make a model house.

I am preparing a child as well.

And I've already gone from I can't do math, to this is so exciting.

Legacy

Why does no one want my money?

Madoff, targeted institutions of learning, so he could live the high life.

I've benefited from that mentality.

I got a bursary. And I've been Turkey, Guatemala.

I like this idea, I think when the system is broken, those who have benefited should give back.

It's not much, it's just enough to provoke interest. See if we can create some candidates.