Tuesday, July 31, 2012

New Adventures of the Min. Wage Kind

It's funny how I spent most of last week fretting so much about needing to get the motivation to study for Greek.  The most popular excuses were:
1. Naptime! Who doesn't need 2 naps per day?
2. A walk around the Berkeley Hills is refreshing and, of course, exercise is completely as important as studying, right?
3. Lord of the Rings! Yes please, let's take a 3 hour break from studying to watch Orks get killed!

Those three points being said, I still was able to get at least a few hours of studying done every day.  Greek is beginning to settle into my brain and I hope that it will stay with me for a long time.

This week has been and will be a different story entirely.

Yesterday, I started my first day of training at a local cafe in Berkeley--and I will be spending 4 days there this week!  I feel so grateful to have been able to find part-time work within two weeks of moving into the Bay Area.  The first few days are always the most difficult, so I am glad for the patience and kindness the staff have shown me when I ask a question every five minutes.

I am excited to be a part of a coffee-shop once again! My nose has missed the coffee-shop scent--for me it is a mixture of espresso grounds, buttery pastries, and wooden tables.  One whiff of that scent and I go straight back to the hours I spent at Deja Vu Coffeehouse (the first job I ever had).  Every morning, as I stepped through that brightly painted door, I would take a deep breath of the coffee-shop scent and smile.  It felt great to be a part of that coffee-shop and I will always hold Deja Vu in my heart.  I'm looking forward to making room for another wonderful cafe!

Since I am juggling Greek, training/work, getting to and from work, and those minor things in life like sleeping and eating, I have a pretty busy schedule this week!  My multi-tasking skills feel a little rusty--it is funny how easily I adjusted to only having a job to worry about every week.  I am glad to be able to adjust to this during this summer so I can be ready and prepared for my first semester!  I also cannot imagine how people adjust into seminary (or any schooling, for that matter) after spending years in the full-time work mindset.

Even though my schedule is a bit hectic, I love being able to enjoy the little things.  The 45 minute walk to work is full of great views of the Bay Area ( I first mistyped that as Gay Area, had a little giggle at the non-irony of that statement, and then fixed it- I hope that entertains you as well).  While making my way down the hill to get into downtown, there is a block on Spruce St. that is lined with blackberry bushes.  Two girls were eating from it yesterday, so I had a few today--they were pretty tasty.  Oh, the little secrets that the Berkeley Hills holds only for the pedestrians. :)

People in Berkeley, well, the Berkeley Hills at least, operate as if everyone that walks by is a neighbor.  It is quite nice to be greeted by every person that is out gardening, walking a dog, or grabbing mail--it's almost as if I'm in the Midwest. But, wait, I can see the Golden Gate from here! What a blessed life I live.

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