Cutting and Coloring

Yesterday I got my orientation to the unit I will be working on at least for the next two months. I have to admit that yesterday was a depressing day.

I am just in the middle of learning what all the teens on my unit have been through, and it's not pretty. (abuse, multiple foster homes, etc.) And leads to lots of problems. At least one girl on the unit is a cutter, some have suicidal ideations. One girl likes to sit and mutter (things like "Don't hurt me!" "F___ You!" "I'm scared" "I'm gay.") We sat together and colored pictures of the Little Mermaid, and I think she actually made eye contact with me twice. One girl taught me some hip hop dance moves, which made me laugh, and I think I am helping her with homework tonight.

Then I went home and chatted with my roomates, and ended up watching about half of "The Color Purple." (it was the most depressing movie I have ever seen - we had to turn it off). It's basically about this black woman who is abused every way possible by her husband her whole life.

Life is ugly. I think we all know this in some way. And it had never been more real to me than yesterday. I have a tendency to be like "God where are you? Why didn't you stop this from happening?"

I was praying last night for Joy and Endurance. (two things that I am going to need) Because these sad stories are not the end. God knows what each of these teens have been through in intimate detail. And he cares for each one more than I could ever know. And God is shown to the world through those who love Him. I am Christ's light shining in a dark place. I am excited and scared for the months ahead, but I know that I am growing in His light.

How to Get Wax out of Your Hair

I've always wanted to have dredlocks... just like this guy.



Liz and Anna had a pirate Valentine's day party. And what's more Jack Sparrow than dredlocks? So last night was my chance. I made dredlocks.

And what's the most difficult hair styling product to get out of your hair?

We used wax and glue to make dredlocks. Well, I looked hot like this guy last night, but even after washing my hair three times last night in the shower, I woke up with a very waxy head and pillow.

So I phoned Nikky, my friend that also made dreds, to see how she was doing.

Her concotion was eggs, peanut butter, mayo, and vegetable oil. Rub it in, wait for five minutes, wash it out. My head was still waxy.

I found an internet site that said vegetable oil would work. I tried it, my head was still waxy.

Finally I found a site that said to get wax out of carpet, you should use an iron and wipe up the wax as it melts with a cloth.

So I went to the shower, pretty determined. I scrubbed my head with every random product there was in our shower. And I thought, well, what about the carpet method. The iron provides heat, and the cloth adds a mechanical way to remove the melted wax. So I turned up the heat in my shower, stuck my head under, and scrubed with a cloth.

My head is feeling less waxy, but still not normal. It might take a few days. I think I've washed my hair nine or ten times now. hahahahaha Oh what we do for dress up parties....

This week...

I'm really enjoying not having homework.
- I spent lots of time this week planning Erin's bridal shower, phoning a ton of girls to come, and getting really excited about being part of another wedding.
- I was one of the few people in my class to get my IV catheter in Nikky's vein. Unfortunately, I messed up and she had a huge hematoma the next day (sorry!!)
- I went to see the play at Trinity, and it reminded me too much of what my job is like... It was a play about a doctor and feeling helpless about actually saving/helping people. I mean there are so many people with so many problems, I just want to fix them all, but I can only do so much... and I really don't have the power to actually change another person's mind. (although, I pray that God gives me influence in relationships that I will be building with my teens at work).
- We ended up talking to one of Jessica's friends for hours that night (and it gave me hope that there are nice guys out there that I have not met yet).
- Oh, and dating Maia is great! Saturday made me feel like it was summer, we made a list of summer goals - I think for me skinny dipping is at the top of the list!! (oh, did I say that outloud?)
- Wallyball is really fun!! I just love playing games with friends!!

So, I've had some random days. Yesterday, I went four-by-fouring with Erin and Adrian. Adrian is always an adventure. We found a hiking trail starting in Coquitlam, but it was blocked off with large cement blocks.

So, we were like "That's dumb, we want to drive up the mountain in our truck. Why don't we pull the cement block out of the way?"

There was a Chinese woman waiting for the bus across the road, so we drove around the block until she was gone. Then we stopped and Erin, very stealthily, put our tow rope around the block as Adrian drove (partly on the sidewalk, partly on the road). I'm not sure how many cars saw us (at least 5). The block tipped over and we dragged it almost to the sidewalk, Erin unhooked it and hopped in. And we took a drive around the block again (to make sure none of the cars that saw us drag the block would see us drive up the trail).

We turned onto the trail. The rain was lightly falling, Adrian had his window rolled down, enjoying the fresh air as we drove up the mountain. It was a beautiful trail.

About 1/2 km up the trail there was another set of boulders and also posts to prevent anyone from driving up the trail. So we just gave up. And did a 10 point turn to get back down the trail.

So we went to Buntzen Lake. "Oh this trail is closed for dangerous conditions. Let's go see!!" The trail was closed because a bunch of trees had fallen in the winter storms. So we climbed on tree trunks in the snow until I was so cold and wet that I couldn't feel my fingers or toes.

Then, we went for ice cream! (I also had tea).

Classic, I hung out with Maia afterwards, went to Death by Chocolate for supper (and almost died) and watched The Devil Wears Prada at Liz and Anna's. It was the perfect day.

South Africans Take over Vancouver

Yesterday Maia and I went to Vancouver with four South African guys - David, Yanni, Ben and Neku. They were so much fun!! And it was the perfect day. The sun was shining and we easily found each other after parking (which can be a hassle sometimes). My favourite memory from yesterday - Neku chasing me down the street in Gastown (which was a complete surprise from such a quiet fellow). We did the classic tourist thing - took pictures of the steam clock, went to Lonsdale market, Robson street (and lululemon). Altogether, an awesome time!!

Oh, and tomorrow Jessica and I are going snowshoeing. Hurray!!