Monday, March 21, 2011

11 Days...*Insert Facebook Status Update Here*

I'm ever mindful of the calendar these days...

11 days from now is my last day at INAC.

Last month, I accepted a deployment at HRSDC; it's basically the same nature as my current job, but hopefully without the same issues that have motivated me to leave INAC.

The Code of Ethics and Values, I'm sure, somehow prevents me from talking a lot about my job, my files, etc. But I think it's fair to say that being a First Nations individual working at INAC has caused an incredible tension within myself. It's no secret that I do not support the current Federal government, but I've worked hard on my files because it is about the principle of supporting First Nations. This tension has upset me at times, and made things difficult for me at other times, but it isn't the tension of being First Nations that is driving me out; I can and do bear with it. No, it's an organizational issue. It became clear that there would be few opportunities to positively impact my career, so I made the decision to find a place where opportunities were more readily available. In the meantime, I've been occupied by extricating myself from the files I've accumulated over the last 10 months, and mentally preparing myself for the change to come.

In all other respects, life continues on. We're more settled into our new place, and a few disagreements about the decor aside, I think Etienne and I are easing into a one-year commitment to share living space. He's taken to the cats like bees to honey, and vice versa. Max and Purrball have taken to the new place like champs...lots of space means the run-ins are fewer and farther between, which has greatly reduced Max's need to establish dominance by pissing all over.

And so life continues on as a quick succession of busy nothings.