Hazels secret blog

Times flies! I can't believe it has been 3 months since my last attempt to update this blog. It takes hours to reflect and write something. Moreover, writing in a second language takes work. Therefore, I barely update this blog.  My latest blog post draft was the first thing I saw when I logged in to this blogger account. I am quite surprised that I actually tried to write a blog entry during the last few months. I kind of wish I could go back in time to when I drafted that post as I no longer remember what I was thinking at that time. Starting the year 2 journey makes me feel so grown up. Firstly, Linda, who I consider a sage in this organization and one of my main sources of security, is leaving us. Secondly, during this year's induction training month, we went to an event, where we had a chance to meet other youth workers and build connections with them. There, I exchanged my business cards with others like the real adults do and it was the first time I have ever done so. I...

Before writing this post, I came across a YouTube video that summarizes the storyline of a TV show, Maid. The show is based on a novel and tells the writer's own story.  Being a parent is not easy, especially in today's world where people often juggle work and childcare due to the high living cost. The story of Maid makes me think of my childhood. Just like the single mom in that story, my parent worked a low-paid job. My dad worked a night shift job at the airport which was undoubtedly exhausting. Meanwhile, my mom was a beautician who worked 6 days a week from 12:00pm to 9:00pm. To be honest, I hated that there wasn't much time I could see my parent when I was a kid. I don't know if my brother shares the same feeling.  As I grew up, I worked hard with the hope of finding a decent job that would allow me to spend more time with my family. As a kid, I always thought the other kids got to see their parents much often than my brother and I did. However, now that I have wo...

It has been almost a week since the second semester started. Returning to school and seeing the students is nice, but the workload left behind is overwhelming. Time flies, and it's hard to believe that I have been on my mentoring journey for 5 months now. Working as a mentor at school is not easy. Managing multiple programs, handling school academic work that is not part of TUF's initiative, meeting different students, and fulfilling the school's expectations can be exhausting. Sometimes, I don't feel like the mentor I should be, providing emotional support and personal growth advice to students, because I am overwhelmed by the programs and academic workload. However, being around students and building connections with them is the best part of the job. It makes me feel alive. Honestly, I push myself to be better because of them. Just yesterday, my partner noticed a student who seemed unhappy. I ended up talking to him for over an hour and a half. He felt much better aft...