Sarah returns to work

I returned to work.  This is what the outside looks like:

A "few" people wanted to know and and why, etc.  First, I figured I would need to eventually, so that mind-set was there.  Next, Jeremy was walking down a hallway in his office building early spring of this year when he noticed a job posted on the announcements board.  It was for a Director of Child and Youth Programs for the Navy here in Singapore.  I did qualify on paper, but months later and into the job realize how disfunctional and inexperienced I would have been.  However, it led the way for when my position, Child and Youth Programs Leader, opened my resume not only didn't need to be written from scratch, but needed very little tweaking.  This was great because the announcement was open for a week or less. I did go through an interview process and my character referrals were checked.  It was possible to start this 40+ hour work week here in Singapore because helpers are so common and affordable.  It was wonderful that this was the next step in a "career path" I had been on before I stopped working...11 years ago.  These two positions, and the four below mine are the first time that they have gone to Navy civilians (brought "in-house") as opposed to a Singapore contract company that had held it.  I was just in all the right places with the right background at the right time.  Part of my hiring process included a background check, complete with fingerprints.  You would not believe who did those...

The next question everyone wants to know is what I do all day.  Unfortunately, the programs, center, records, etc. have not been up to good standards...so I spend quite a lot of time behind the learning curve or starting something from scratch or revamping things that have been in place for long amounts of time.  Other than that, in a completely broad nutshell, I run the programming and curriculum (core areas, 4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and special events), mentor the ladies who work with me, document everything every which way you can think of, make purchases for a Youth Center and program to function at a high impact level for kindergarteners through twelfth graders.  It has been a transition period for the military (plus DoD civilians and contractors, etc.) community on many levels and for many reasons.  It will be a lot of work and a lot of fun to continue that projection as we work with the Navy and get there.