My frustrations

So, as I’ve mentioned before I’m now working at an orphanage working on creating a 10 week, business simulation course in which I will use the orphanage bakery as a teaching tool. This sounds like a fantastic idea, right?

Well, the problem is, my first mission is to get the bakery (that the volunteer before me started) running so that it’s not losing money (which it has been for the past two months). My second mission is to get enough kids interested in my bus. simulation course so that all the work I will do to plan all the lessons and activities won’t be in vain. My third mission is to not only manage the bakery AND plan for this course at the same time, but do my best to involve a staff member of the orphanage in all of my activities so this person is learning what I’m doing to set the foundation for sustainability for when I leave in Nov. 2008.

Wow, Nov. 2008 sounds so far away, but really the clock’s a tickin’ and I really need to hit the ground running with this project. My bosses have been “reminding” me of my time, too and it doesn’t help relieve the anxiety I’m already feeling of completing my service soon. Imagine trying to fix up, in a different language, a small business that’s dependent totally on children the ages of 12-18!!! UGHH!!!! You can imagine the frustrations I deal with everyday.

If not, here are a few I deal with from them:
1. not following recipes b/c he/she thinks his/her recipes are better which is totally NOT TRUE
2. not showing up to a day of work and not telling anyone in advance and thinking that’s perfectly acceptable
3. walking out on the job just b/c
4. not accepting responsibility of tiny things such as taking out the trash, sweeping the floor, washing the dirty equipment and utensils after use

These are just a few of the tiny roadblocks I must surpass to reach my final destination of a well run bakery. Did I mention firing kids is a bit of a problem, too? Why? b/c if I fired every person that didn’t follow the rules, there won’t be anymore employees for the bakery!
Ahh, the life of a volunteer.