Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I Watch the War From My Porch...

Imagine walking into work and someone refers to you as an intern and you are a full-time employee. Wouldn't that piss you off? Hi. My name is Christina Michele G. This happens to me virtually every day. I have my Bachleor's in Public Health (so far... I have a ways to go with more schooling...) I am 24 and a Health Program Coodinator. I oversee 3 programs, am an active member of the Women's Medical Fund, currently outlining a study that I will be submitting to the IRB that may shed light on issues that are commonly ignored, and conducting research to write a new health policy that will hit the city of Philadelphia by late 2012/early 2013. My goal is to improve the health of the people internationally through education and programming on all tiers. This job I have is only step 1.

First, the appropriate music must be played (DJ drop that beat)


This is a topic that is very near and dear to me. I think 3 things that inspired me to write this was 1. "Saving Superman", 2. reading my homegirl @T_Lloyd blogpost (which you can read here) and listening to my linesister, @GenishaMone speak at the C.O.O.L. Kids E-board thank-you brunch. (Sit down. Quick storytime.) Creating Our Own Legacy Kids is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that was started in 2010. Genisha envisioned helping children in need and her first thought was to duplicate an idea in NYC she had seen before. It was an annual Christmas party for underprivileged youth. A group of us college alumni came together to raise thousands of dollars using grassroots tactics to put on a Christmas party with games, presents, cookie decorating, moon bounce, face painting, food, books, christmas decorations, santa hat making among other things... at no cost to the kids... All they had to give back was a smile showing that they had a great time... For some kids, that is the only joyous moment they have to indulge in. The adversities they face or have faced may be greater than we can fathom ourselves. In 2010, it was an idea. An idea that was thought to be a one-time venture. In 2011, Genisha took it a step further and made it a non-profit. Its going to keep growing and making a difference in NYC. You want to know more or even get involved check us out: www.coolkidsny.org



Now, back to the story. Her speech. She said one thing that honestly made me tear up: "It's a war out there for these kids. They are living in a society where they're shown nothing but failure. I just want to show them that there is a way". She's right. Think about it. There IS a war outside. And that factor right there is what lead me to my choice in career.



I love my job. Its not because of the benefits, not because of the pay, but because I am in a position where I can incorporate health with educating the people around us. There are many days that its hard. So many times I'm stressed. I am the youngest one in my department. There are days I have to take work home to read research to understand my population better when I really should be sleeping. There are meetings where I have to conduct trainings and lectures to doctors, nurses, seasoned health professionals, and city and state government officials. Yet, they doubt my depth of knowledge because I don't have enough letters following my name. There are policies that try to limit the extent of my work or my involvement with the community but I work to bend them to achieve the goal of educating the people. And everyday I have to strive harder and harder to stand my ground and prove that I deserve to be there and I am more capable than anyone else to disseminate health education. My goal is for the department to be more in tune with the needs of the people and I will utilize every moment of my time to do everything I can to make that happen. I do it after work through meetings with various organizations, speaking to youth or adults at conferences about health, and volunteering. It pains me to tell 12 year old girls that they are pregnant. It kills me that a woman was a few weeks away from having a baby but couldn't read the health pamphlet I gave her. I sat with her to read the whole pamphlet to her. It disturbs me knowing that there are teens that have stated that getting pregnant was a surefire way for them to get benefits... its as though they seen it as a last resort to their problems. I have work to do. Sometimes I need to remind myself that sacrifice may give way to solution. The sacrifices we make everyday, may be their solution.



We are fighting a war in our front yard. In our chosen paths, we are fighting for them because they may not be able to. We stand in a position where we can inspire and educate the masses. When I mean we, I don't mean me and Genisha. There are more. Way more. Inspiring you through words. Encouraging you through their actions. Paving the way for you and me... just so we can use our tools to pave the way for others. We are keeping them out of prisons, off the street, and even assisting them in living another day on this earth. I have talked about in other posts about finding your purpose. Well, this is ours. This is mine. As I said before, we have a lot of work to do. And every day we aren't only reaching to advance our careers, but we are also reaching fervently for progress. Progress in the society we live in. Here is my homegirl, another leader in our society, @JamiraBurley. Just as Genisha's calling is to build doors of opportunity for the African American youth when they seemed trapped, her calling is to fight. Its to fight for the voice of our youth in our government and inspire those around us to prevent youth violence. If there is anyone who can hear them calling for help, I can assure you its her. Please watch her speech at the 2010 Campus Progress National Conference. Be inspired. When you hear your calling, please answer.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Doesn't It Feel Like Christmas?

In response to the title of this post? Hell no. It sure as hell doesn't. Christmas was all of yesterday and the last time I seen snow was ummm... hmm... Halloween? Yea man. Fuck this. This was in front of my apartment circa Halloween 2011.



What the hell is going on? Wait. Why the fuck am I complaining? I'm good off of that ratchet snow. Its bad enough that its OD cold out here (Don't debate me). I need something to get me in that Christmas-y mood (despite its the day after Christmas. Whatever) before I start this post. Kick it Destiny's Child.



So yesterday I survived yet another split holiday with my boyfriend. Those joints can get quite difficult if not planned correctly. Like. You dead have to map out where, what time, and how long you are going to stay there to make sure you get all the necessary elements of see family, small talk and catching up, exchanging gifts, pose for family picture, and swift exit to keep all parties happy. Gives me a headache when I think about it. Uuuuggghhhhhh. Holidays get more complicated these days. But, hey, I had a great time this year. Keep reading, I'm not done writing yet dammit. I'm gonna go on about this stupid Christmas party.



So... I experienced the first Christmas party at my job. That sure as hell was a fail. I mean, the food was good but anyone reading my tweets will tell you that I was sending incessant cries for a superman to come save me from the perils of coworkers. I swear. Why do I have to make an effort to socialize with ya'll? I'm pretty content with the friends I have. Just let me save the community, get my paycheck, and be on my way. I'm not interested in seeing ya'll after work and no, I'm not giving you my personal cell phone number let alone my office extension. Just everything made me upset. I had an annoying coworker say "Hey what do you plan to do in the long run?" Then when I tried to explain it Barney-style to her she was say "That doesn't make sense". Bitch, I didn't ask for your opinion. I was tempted to say "My life goals are to make more money and not end up like you" but my professional side said "Let's not get fired quite yet. We need to stack a lil more so relax". So I walked off from her midway through her babbling on about what she wanted to do in the long run. Bitch, you're old. You're "long run" ends like tomorrow b.



I swear surviving this Christmas party was like a fucking game of Jumanji. What the hell is going on? Someone even decided to spike the eggnog (which I don't drink. What the fuck is eggnog anyway? Sounds like a new STD). How did I know? A certain someone had a bottle of vodka that was clearly just opened and now 25% full hidden under the table. Oh. Swag ya'll out, huh? Eggnog lead to the whole office playing Dirty Minds. This inappropriate game is where one person uses clues to describe an action or object. Now the catch is that the clues have sexual connotations. An example is "What fits neatly between your breasts, works best when tugged, and inserts neatly into a hole?" Now if you had a twisted mind (somewhat sort of like mine) you'd say a penis. However the REAL answer is a seat belt. Liquor plus this game? Yea. I'll be right here in the corner yo.



The last level of this never-ending chaos is when a coworker who clearly quit came back for the office party. I like to call her "Ultimate fighter" because she has this weave that seems to never be done but she tries to convince everyone that she just got it done. Nah. You're weave is tired of fighting mama. ANYWHO, Ultimate fighter came and she crashed the party with her thick ghetto accent and tacky self. Like... You quit 3 weeks ago and you didn't bring a dish. I just wanted to call security the whole time. Although she sounded below my pay grade, something in me made me feel like each moment I listened to her was community service for me. You know, giving back and what not. The funny thing is that her presence not only annoyed me, but other people yet my boss welcomed her back like we were supposed to have a parade for her or something. If I was the boss, shorty woulda had to holla merry Christmas from the office hallway. Fuck. Your. Plate. Oh and happy kwanzaa, bitch.



Now the apex of this Christmas office party (besides the ending of it) came after when a coworker of mine reenacted a tradition that I used to do. She picked a certain number of ornaments, wrote a different characteristic on each one, and had people blindly pick one ornament out of a bag. Its kinda a karma thing. Whatever characteristic you pick out is said to be the one that manifests itself the most throughout the year. Funny enough, I picked one. It was "insight". I'm not sure what the hell that means right now but I'm kinda intrigued what the year will bring me. Insight? How? To who? To what degree? I guess imma have to wait till 2012 hits. In the meantime, I have restarted that tradition. I have a strategic list of 18 people who will participate. I say strategic because I the people I have chosen are not at random. It is all for a reason. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. Sometimes the best gift you can give your friends is good karma and I think the people I have chosen deserve it in soooo many ways.

But the morals of writing this whole post? Hope for good karma in the year to come and FUCK OFFICE PARTIES. Till next time....

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

**taps mic** Is This Thing On?!?!?

Did... Yall... Miss... ME?!?!?!?! Of course not... Some of ya'll don't even know who he hell I am so just forget that question. Anyways, where the hell have I been? I've been in the magical place where ratchetness meets professionalism and where liquor flows from the fountain of youth. Anyone who follows me on twitter (find meeeee @C_Michele1L shameless plug) will notice the difference between my Sunday thru Thursday and my Friday/Saturday swag. Sue me. I work hard. **tity boi voice** Its mine, I spend it. aaahhhhh waaaiiitttt my song is on!!!! **booty pops in chair***



Well... soo... yea... That music video looks kinda like the parties I've been going to for the past 2 months... And thus explains my hiatus... I've lost my license once, debit card twice, acquired things ranging from champagne flutes to chicken nuggets to car keys (mind you I didn't have a car for a while) in my purse on my ratchetty evenings, and had a slew of sit-downs with my friends that have always started out with "ok, so what exactly happened yesterday?" I know its living trife but hey YOLO (You Only Live Once) naaaahhh mean?!?!?!?!?!


I've been partying, oversleeping, working at the "plantation" (yes, that is what I call my job), studying in between, getting calls from everywhere, and making and breaking appointments. Its what I do, its how I live. I'll get over it tomorrow. However, reality started hitting when I was studying for the GREs and leading up to the GREs. It was that tense feeling that built up in my soul of "Damn, I'm really going back to school". I'm kinda excited, kinda not. I'm excited because I took off a year like I stated in December 2010 and now I get to embark on a new journey. This will officially be my second chance at med school. Graduate school will give me the opportunity to delve deeper into the realm of health, let me move up another pay grade, and give me the chance to get the grades I deserve for med school (finally) minus the extra-curricular drama I experienced in undergrad and the added stress of "just trying to get a degree". Fuck it. I have full benefits and a decent salary now. If I decide to back out of grad school I have other avenues I can drive down (**kanye voice** "Who gon stop me haaannnnhhh"). I'm not excited because it officially marks that I'm getting older and I have to slow my life the fuck down. Like by 75%. No more exclusive restaurant openings and invite-only events. No more VIPs on the weekend. No more "lemme take the day off so I can rehab my system because that liquor yesterday had me feeling like I was incepted". Smh. Its bout to be extra boring. The only happy hour imma be experiencing is the hour of sleep I'll get between work and classes. Yea. I said it.


Now what can I say to the rest of ya'll? Well... I just wanna encourage ya'll to take advantage of your 20s. We are in the only time in our life (besides retirement) where we can be selfish. You have money (Don't front), no obligations to anyone else, and at an age where doing something stupid isn't looked down upon. Think about it. You have a drunk night now, people will say "damn you had a good night". You have a drunk night at 40, people are already googling the nearest AA sessions for you as a Christmas present. Don't debate me. I didn't ask for your opinion dear reader. lol.


Ok. Now lets get back to the topic: DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. You like to read all day? Fuck it. Go for it. You fly all over the world. Good. Bring me some shit back for me. You attend church every Sunday. Amazing. Stay devoted. Add me in your prayers (Every ratchet needs a blessing here and there, no?). Whatever the hell it is, I want you to do it to the fullest (that sentence sounded weird but I don't feel like changing it right now). Focus on you. Focus on the amazing memories you can make. Focus on preserving the moment now more than any other time in your life. You need to experience. You need to grow. Just make sure you don't get caught up in some craziness that'll land you in jail or something (well, more like don't end up in jail with a record. Sometimes, you just get arrested for the dumbest things). It'll be worth it. Trust me. And when you get to that point that you are done you're gonna be so happy you took advantage of what life has to offer: from travelling to partying with different people to extreme sports like hang-gliding. As for me, I gotta cut back (Key word cut back, not stop. **waves rolex** "Thought I told you that we don't stop"). I did exactly what I stated I was gonna do for 2011: jump start my career, re-up on bigger and more connected people to add to my contact list, and just go crazy. Going out and all that was apart of the "I've been in undergrad way too long so I deserve this" 2011 package. So next time you go out, have a shot for me. You work hard. You deserve to have a great time :)