A Little Somethin' About Me
_E-Portfolio
Some of you know me really well and some of you may not so (for those interested) I wanted to share a little information about my background and I have ended up in Tanzania!
Born in Washington and raised in the Seattle area my entire life, I have always known that I wanted to be in a helping profession. As a child I was very smart but truly PAINFULLY shy. It was 3rd grade, Ms. Yakomoto from Hawaii. She took me under her wing for both 3rd and 4th grade and nurtured my confidence. I will never forget her. Kindest, sweetest spirit. I never looked back.
I am the oldest of 3 girls and my mother enjoyed treating us like dolls when she had a chance. We took every every class I can think of such as swimming, ballet, tennis, gymnastics, macrame, pottery, sewing, cooking, etiquette classes, modeling. Many of those classes I cried on my way there but my mom knew what she was doing. Both my parents were raised in Louisiana and received higher education at Southern University, a historically black college. In the early years they were enjoying the freedom that a middle class life brought them in the 60's and 70's. We spent a lot of time in my early child hood traveling the US by car sight seeing and visiting the many relatives that I have all living all over! I have fond and not so fond memories of staring out of the window looking at the landscape, catching a glimpse of a deer or an eagle, or elk...windows rolled up and the Winston and Marlboros smoke stoning my nose hairs. Did I forget to mention we might be cramped in 7 to 9 people deep in a 1976 Lincoln Continental AND screaming down a mountain with no side rails at 80 MPH?!! That is my dad for you.
Education was number one in our household. My parents were direct products of what an education can do for you. They lived in small almost non-existent towns some would say. My father lived on 200 acres with his parents and 4 siblings. They lived a harsh life including picking cotton. His mother made sure each one of her children went to college. My father was the only one to actually finish in Electrical Engineering. My mother was next to the youngest of 11 children. She lived in a little bigger town and besides school and playing the piano at her father's church, she remembers a life of sugar cookies, coca cola, and climbing trees. She never had to do any hard work cause her mom was simply tired she says. All of my mother's siblings except the eldest went to vocational school or finished a 2 or 4 year degree. My mother finished with a degree in Math and worked in Computer Science. She was one of the first people to help develop computer programs. She helped to develop the first computer programs working on Bainbridge Island in the 70's. The program was for tracking torpedoes, a Cobol program called "Blanket Time"! My parents were not strict about studying or anything, it was expected. I never got in trouble for not studying enough. Back when i was growing up it was very improper for young children to hold conversations with adults. My parents encouraged us to speak with their friends. My dad would just sit back and be proud of his precocious little girls.
Some of the most prominent influences were playing the clarinet in several bands, high school sports, and church. Talking about music hurts a little sometimes. I miss it. i dedicated so much of my time to my instruments. Day and night, every free moment including summertime. So many memories of symphonic orchestra, ensembles, competition, traveling. I was raised in a Baptist church that had a lot of tradition. We were not only taught about how important it was to have a relationship with God but also how important it was to know your history. I discovered my love for God while growing up there and I obtained a sense of cultural pride and a keen notion for social justice.
As life would have it, the roses of my childhood began to wilt and my parents separated and divorced. At the time I was happy for it because they seemed miserable with each other which made us miserable. I had so many resentments. As I began my own family I realized the sacrifices and the compromises that my parents had to make for us. I could only find in my heart to understand them. In addition to the regular ups and downs of the thankless job of parenting, they endured racism at it's highest level everyday on their jobs. It had to have been stressful for them and I know they were weary. They would work long hours at Boeing or for the "government" trying to be the best or better than than counterparts. They had to prove their worth. With their success came a price including friends with alternative motives, investment sharks, and the pressure to have it all. It was a lot to take in and a lot to deal with. I respect and love my parents so much.
I fell in love at a young age and had five children with my high school boyfriend. Something about those eyes. We are divorced now for the last 18 years. But I have a magnificent family out of it. Each child has shaped me for the better. I tried my best to instill in them a love for God, a desire to have an education, and the gumption to get up and get what you want in life. I dedicated most of my young years attending to their needs and wants...and driving them everywhere. I almost forgot who I was and ever wanted to be and do with myself. Someone asked me several years ago what types of activities bring me joy and I could not think of anything off the top of my head. I was tired and needed to get back to me--the 18 year old with dreams and aspirations. So, I started the journey back to me. Along the way, I found myself. I found that spark buried deep in my spirit. So, I coaxed her out and this is the result!
Something about me. I believe in God and what God can do. I believe in the power of prayer-the individual and collective power of prayer. I believe in being educated about a subject in order to make an informed decision. After all of that, I believe in my intuition. My gut leads me most of the time. Usually, if I dare go against my intuition, I am proven otherwise. My intuition is right. Sometimes it takes me longer to make decisions about important things because I am wrestling with my intuition--I am wrestling with what my Spirit is telling me to do. I listened (to my Spirit) and decided to go back to graduate school. While there peeled back heavy layers of societal norms I had placed upon myself unknowingly. While I was literally housebound or library bound or clinical bound for 3 years, I started to feel lighter. My gut/intuition/spirit was being fined tuned to the call of the next steps in my life. So here I am in Tanzania. I am excited to share with my family and friends my experiences and my adventures.
I know my life experience is not unique. But I do feel like everything that I have experienced thus far in life such as exhilarating times, tragic moments, disappointments, career paths, lifelong friendships, and my relationship with God has prepared me perfectly to do the work that I am going to do here. You all will laugh with me, rejoice with me, cry with me, pray with me and console me over this next year. Thank you all for loving me the way that you do.
Joycelyn
Born in Washington and raised in the Seattle area my entire life, I have always known that I wanted to be in a helping profession. As a child I was very smart but truly PAINFULLY shy. It was 3rd grade, Ms. Yakomoto from Hawaii. She took me under her wing for both 3rd and 4th grade and nurtured my confidence. I will never forget her. Kindest, sweetest spirit. I never looked back.
I am the oldest of 3 girls and my mother enjoyed treating us like dolls when she had a chance. We took every every class I can think of such as swimming, ballet, tennis, gymnastics, macrame, pottery, sewing, cooking, etiquette classes, modeling. Many of those classes I cried on my way there but my mom knew what she was doing. Both my parents were raised in Louisiana and received higher education at Southern University, a historically black college. In the early years they were enjoying the freedom that a middle class life brought them in the 60's and 70's. We spent a lot of time in my early child hood traveling the US by car sight seeing and visiting the many relatives that I have all living all over! I have fond and not so fond memories of staring out of the window looking at the landscape, catching a glimpse of a deer or an eagle, or elk...windows rolled up and the Winston and Marlboros smoke stoning my nose hairs. Did I forget to mention we might be cramped in 7 to 9 people deep in a 1976 Lincoln Continental AND screaming down a mountain with no side rails at 80 MPH?!! That is my dad for you.
Education was number one in our household. My parents were direct products of what an education can do for you. They lived in small almost non-existent towns some would say. My father lived on 200 acres with his parents and 4 siblings. They lived a harsh life including picking cotton. His mother made sure each one of her children went to college. My father was the only one to actually finish in Electrical Engineering. My mother was next to the youngest of 11 children. She lived in a little bigger town and besides school and playing the piano at her father's church, she remembers a life of sugar cookies, coca cola, and climbing trees. She never had to do any hard work cause her mom was simply tired she says. All of my mother's siblings except the eldest went to vocational school or finished a 2 or 4 year degree. My mother finished with a degree in Math and worked in Computer Science. She was one of the first people to help develop computer programs. She helped to develop the first computer programs working on Bainbridge Island in the 70's. The program was for tracking torpedoes, a Cobol program called "Blanket Time"! My parents were not strict about studying or anything, it was expected. I never got in trouble for not studying enough. Back when i was growing up it was very improper for young children to hold conversations with adults. My parents encouraged us to speak with their friends. My dad would just sit back and be proud of his precocious little girls.
Some of the most prominent influences were playing the clarinet in several bands, high school sports, and church. Talking about music hurts a little sometimes. I miss it. i dedicated so much of my time to my instruments. Day and night, every free moment including summertime. So many memories of symphonic orchestra, ensembles, competition, traveling. I was raised in a Baptist church that had a lot of tradition. We were not only taught about how important it was to have a relationship with God but also how important it was to know your history. I discovered my love for God while growing up there and I obtained a sense of cultural pride and a keen notion for social justice.
As life would have it, the roses of my childhood began to wilt and my parents separated and divorced. At the time I was happy for it because they seemed miserable with each other which made us miserable. I had so many resentments. As I began my own family I realized the sacrifices and the compromises that my parents had to make for us. I could only find in my heart to understand them. In addition to the regular ups and downs of the thankless job of parenting, they endured racism at it's highest level everyday on their jobs. It had to have been stressful for them and I know they were weary. They would work long hours at Boeing or for the "government" trying to be the best or better than than counterparts. They had to prove their worth. With their success came a price including friends with alternative motives, investment sharks, and the pressure to have it all. It was a lot to take in and a lot to deal with. I respect and love my parents so much.
I fell in love at a young age and had five children with my high school boyfriend. Something about those eyes. We are divorced now for the last 18 years. But I have a magnificent family out of it. Each child has shaped me for the better. I tried my best to instill in them a love for God, a desire to have an education, and the gumption to get up and get what you want in life. I dedicated most of my young years attending to their needs and wants...and driving them everywhere. I almost forgot who I was and ever wanted to be and do with myself. Someone asked me several years ago what types of activities bring me joy and I could not think of anything off the top of my head. I was tired and needed to get back to me--the 18 year old with dreams and aspirations. So, I started the journey back to me. Along the way, I found myself. I found that spark buried deep in my spirit. So, I coaxed her out and this is the result!
Something about me. I believe in God and what God can do. I believe in the power of prayer-the individual and collective power of prayer. I believe in being educated about a subject in order to make an informed decision. After all of that, I believe in my intuition. My gut leads me most of the time. Usually, if I dare go against my intuition, I am proven otherwise. My intuition is right. Sometimes it takes me longer to make decisions about important things because I am wrestling with my intuition--I am wrestling with what my Spirit is telling me to do. I listened (to my Spirit) and decided to go back to graduate school. While there peeled back heavy layers of societal norms I had placed upon myself unknowingly. While I was literally housebound or library bound or clinical bound for 3 years, I started to feel lighter. My gut/intuition/spirit was being fined tuned to the call of the next steps in my life. So here I am in Tanzania. I am excited to share with my family and friends my experiences and my adventures.
I know my life experience is not unique. But I do feel like everything that I have experienced thus far in life such as exhilarating times, tragic moments, disappointments, career paths, lifelong friendships, and my relationship with God has prepared me perfectly to do the work that I am going to do here. You all will laugh with me, rejoice with me, cry with me, pray with me and console me over this next year. Thank you all for loving me the way that you do.
Joycelyn