One Rotton Egg Can Ruin An Entire Company

Today's experience volunteering at the Japanese Cultural Center sucked, to put it mildly. On a day that should've been fun (since it was an exhibit opening), it was instead extremely off putting.

First of all, the set up for the day was hectic because they had two separate events prior to the actual opening. The first was a special movie screening, which started at 8:30. Then, there was the annual membership meeting, which started at 10:30. The exhibit opening ceremony was scheduled at 11:30.

With so much going on you'd think they'd have everything set up and with people knowing what they were supposed to do. Instead, when I arrived at 10:00 for my normal shift, no one was even there at the front, and no one briefed us volunteers as we started to arrive. There was no instruction whatsoever. The only thing left for us was a memo with times and descriptions of events . . . and it was buried beneath all this other crap on the front desk.

A few minutes before the group at the movies exited, one of the JCC executives marched over to the three of us at the front desk (all volunteers mind you) and proceeded to rudely ask us why there were so many people wandering around the exhibit. How should we know? They could be attending any of today's three events. No instructions were given to question each person gestapo style or make them walk through an airport body scanner.

She then instructed us to take the registration list for the movie and pass out a CD to each person. When we said ok and didn't move, she became even more irritable and told us to go around the front and be more proactive with them. Well, if she had said, stand by the door and ask them on their way out, we would have done so. Apparently clarity is not her forte or else she believes people can or should read her mind.

One of the other volunteers and I went and stood in front of the doors (blocking the walkway) and stood waiting for these moviegoers. Well, apparently most of them already had a CD, which was given out in the theater. Ten minutes later the exec comes back and states the obvious with a shrug. WTF lady?!?!

This woman epitomizes the kind of rotten egg that can ruin an entire company. Just because you're stressed out doesn't mean you should take it out on others, especially those who are here giving their time freely. We're not receiving one cent from you to volunteer here, and you're lucky we choose to work for your organization and not the numerous other worthy nonprofits out there. To be so rude and ungrateful is unforgivable, and it gives the entire company a bad reputation. If you're looking for someone to reprimand and verbally abuse, take a look at your staff. They're the ones who are completely unorganized, and they're the ones on your payroll.

Ah, the Innocence of Youth

Yesterday, while volunteering at JCCH, I spoke to another volunteer about her college plans. You see, she graduates from high school next week Saturday and is excited about her future. I vaguely remember feeling that same euphoria all those years ago. It was nice to bask in it again, if only for a half hour or so.

Anyway, she's going to OSU and talked endlessly about her hopes and what she expects college to be like. She talked about her worries about getting a roommate she'd like and the craziness that is dorm life. She pondered what there'd be to do since the campus is pretty much in the sticks. She said she wanted to get her driver's license before she left, just in case she'd be able to drive someone's car.

As she talked, I suddenly realized how long it's been since I've had that same feeling of wonder. At that point in life, there are endless possibilities out there for you. You don't quite know where your life will end up, but you're totally willing to see what happens. In fact, you rush toward your destiny with an impatience that others may view as reckless abandon. But to you, there's just no point in letting life happen to you. You'd prefer to interact with it, to embrace it. You grasp for that gold ring, hope things end well and leap with a faith that'll get you through even the worst.

When was the last time you lived with such fervor? When was the last time you walked toward the unknown, both eyes gleaming with anticipation? If you're like me, it's been a while. Stuck in your cubicles in a life-sucking void pretty much kills all of those feelings. Fighting against that bullshit bureaucracy that somehow has enveloped your entire life can be draining to say the least. When the hell did this become your life and why didn't you notice it before now?

I'm not saying to go jump off a cliff so you can feel that excitement again. I'm not saying to let go of all that you've become in order to reclaim your lost youth. I'm definitely not saying that. But what I am saying is why not still dabble in the amazing? Why not take risks that make you feel alive but won't necessarily kill you - at least not literally? Yes, you're older and wiser than you were before . . . but you're also probably a bit more well off, financially speaking, and can finally afford to do all those blue-sky dreams you rambled off when you were a broke college student.

The sad thing is that many of us are unlikely to do those things we planned while in some kind of drunken stupor. Even though we now have the time (be it just two weeks of vacation or not) and money, the inclination does not seem to be there. The youthful innocence we held only a few years ago has become just another casualty in life (along with eating cereal three meals a day and watching 24-hour marathons of your favorite sitcom). But why did we let it slip away so easily? Why do we continue to let it? Why not reinvigorate it and actually make things happen? What are we afraid of?

JCCH New Year's Ohana Festival

Despite the rain, hundreds of people showed up for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii's New Year's Ohana Festival held at the cultural center and Moiliili Field today. The place was very, very crowded as people enjoyed the cultural activities, children's education area, food booths, gift shop and performances.

There was a free shuttle moving people between UH's parking structure and the cultural center.


The year of the tiger was celebrated with displays of good luck charms and other items for sale.




Community cultural groups performed for the crowd at the center's courtyard.



Inside there were many cultural crafts . . .


. . . showcasing the handicrafts of many artisans.

There were instructional tables for you to try your hand at caligraphy . . .

. . . and bonsai exhibitions.

Across the street at Moiliili Field, people strolled through food and craft booths.

There were bouncers for the kids . . .

. . . and a taiko performance.

The Cash Register Monster

I don't think of myself as a dumb person. In fact, I think I come in above average in the smarts department. But for some reason, I cannot, for the life of me, remember how to use the cash register at the JCCH. It's like the thing turns into a monster whenever I come face to face with it.

Honestly, there are so many buttons I feel about 80 years old and unable to cope with technology. But, even that's not true because some of the other volunteers probably are 80 and can work the thing just fine.

I blame it on the instant gratification generation from which I come. When someone shows me how to do it, I can do it just fine. But when I come back a week later, I have completely forgotten how to work it. It doesn't help that I only volunteer once a week and sometimes do not even have any customers to help. Then, when I do have to ring someone up there ends up being a line of people who want to cash out at the same time. Jesus!

This is why I never, ever worked a retail job in my life. This is ridiculous. At least the JCCH customers usually aren't demanding. They're mostly old people so they have all the time in the world. If I had to work at a mall, especially during the holidays, I might just give myself a heart attack from the stress.

I used to think my greatest fear was public speaking. Right about now, I would gladly stand up in front of 100 people and talk about global warming rather than use the darn cash register again.

Community Service - Meals On Wheels

I just got back from our company's community service project. We volunteered to deliver healthy meals to seniors in Lanakila Pacific's Meals On Wheels program and had a great turnout of staff and their family. We covered 16 routes, which enabled all regular volunteers to take the day off. Like most events it was quite stressful especially in the morning. However, overall I think we did well and made a good showing.

One let down was that we discovered one of our routes was done incorrectly. This really rained on our parade, not to mention left seniors without vital nutrition. The seniors were not given the appropriate amounts of food and drink because this particular group did not follow the delivery guidelines established by Lanakila and reinforced by the community service project committee.

Why must there always be that one person in a group who tends to ignore all rules and do things his/her own way. It's such a shame, especially when people painstakingly plan things out to make the event run smoothly. I'm not really sure what causes these people to be this way? It's probably just the American upbringing in general that establishes independence and an almost overwhelming self-confidence. Unfortunately, this actually inhibits group work because it results in too many leaders.

To successfully orchestrate an event, it takes time and organization. When you have a loose cannon in your midst, it's difficult to keep things on a steady course. People should realize that there's a time and place to set your mark as an individual and that this trait is not always beneficial. Sometimes being a little humble and more docile generates better results.

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii Orientation

Last Saturday I went over to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and had a brief interview and tour. The girl I met with basically asked questions about my background, interests and motives for volunteering. Then she showed me around the gallery and the behind-the-scenes areas. I start volunteering this Saturday and opted to stay the entire day.

When I first faxed my volunteer application form to them, I was surprised because they called back within minutes. Perhaps that's not all too surprising in this economy though. Another interesting thing is that they asked me to bring my resume for their records. I found that very strange - like it was an interview for a real job or something. Are volunteer requests always handled this way?

I'm curious to see what kind of work they give me. On my form, I checked off numerous departments in which I'd like to help. One of the categories was to be a docent at their exhibit. I gotta say that I'm not really keen on doing that. However, I figured it was the best way for me to learn the historical and cultural aspects quickly and thoroughly. If I'm expected to regurgitate this info to visitors, I've gotta know my stuff.

My main reason for wanting to volunteer at JCCH is to learn about the historical and cultural part of the Japanese American experience in Hawaii. I want to apply to teach English in Japan through the JET Programme, and it'd be interesting to compare local Japanese customs to traditional Japanese customs. I'm sure there are many things that are similar but a lot more things that are different.

Hawaii Literacy Orientation

I went to the Hawaii Literacy orientation today, which was held at Barnes & Noble in Ala Moana. It was an informational session for prospective volunteers and is mandatory if you want to become a tutor. It was scheduled to be two hours long but was just a bit more than an hour. Everything was pretty interesting and I'll be contacting them to sign up for the tutor's training classes.

Before you can become a tutor, you have to take four four-hour long classes. I don't think it'll be that bad. Once that's done, they try to match you up with a student (all 18+ years old) who matches your criteria. You can request different things, such as that your student lives near you, your student's age or if you would like a male or female.

I'm also planning to contact Hawaii Literacy about their ESL program, which is separate from their adult literacy program. Maybe that'd be a good one to volunteer at too? The adult literacy program that I'm doing is just that - adults who cannot read or have trouble reading. They all speak English so it's not ESL. The ESL program will be able to expose me to what it is like to teach someone who is not from the US and who may speak only a little English. This will definitely help prep for teaching in Japan if I make it into the JET program (Yes, I realize I keep mentioning this but have yet to really write a post explaining it. I promise to do this soon).