I am awake, I am alive, as the concept of “culture shock” dances in my head.

You see, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Being Indigenous, I was raised by a Mom who instilled Anishinabe teachings in me and our home, with the full support of my non-Indigenous father. Career wise, I worked primarily in Indigenous agencies, again enjoying the freedom of a world that made sense to me until …

Culture shock – that feeling of being in an unfamiliar place with unknown rules, often a place that makes absolutely no sense to you! Let me just say that I have only been terminated once in my life and it was from a non-Indigenous for-profit corporation. The stress of the job had my children CHEERING at the news of my firing but today, the shoe moves to the other foot.

Today, a placement student joins my team (virtually, of course). She is non-Indigenous and she is about to discover just how different things are done here in my world. My office is not about decolonization you see. It HAS BEEN decolonized. As a result, I can’t help thinking this journey will be incredibly beneficial for her, especially before she begins her social work with children (many of whom will be Indigenous).

I will do my best to make her comfy. I will do my best to explain but I do believe I am going to ask her to document her journey because for her, it could indeed be … shocking.

I smile as I write that, not in an evil way, but in an excited way. It is time, time to show how we operate when given the power and the space to. Here I have both.

#beautiful

The journey continues …

Be well my friend.
 

I love you! HUGSSSSSSSSSS
Sandi

#ibelieveinyou #ibelieveinme #celebratenandsurvive #repairingfeathers