An update

The month of June was a month of roller coaster.

I am just beyond grateful to have found a job. My new job brought me to sunny LA.

The whole employment process went on smoothly for most of the part, so did the temp housing, rental car and whatnot.

I started working almost immediately after my transition to LA. Actually even before I could unpack my stuff. For the first two weeks, I was mainly observing, asking questions, and I am still asking questions two months later now. The automotive industry was a whole new world to me.

I was overwhelmed with a mixture of fear, excitement, and busy catching up with the super fast paced work environment, feeling my way around the foreign, new surrounding.

Interpretation has a lot to relate to the world of arts and performance. To reproduce something from the manuscript, you have to first understand the background of it, the essence of the story and coming up with a performance for your audience. I am definitely no performer. I have stage frights, all the time. I get nervous, I get self-conscious. It will take all of my effort to separate myself from "me" and concentrate on whatever that I am producing.

Interpreting under such circumstances, talking to audience that you don't really know, talking about something that you DON'T UNDERSTAND, requires some training and effort. This is where the training at MIIS kicks in. My rule No. 1: Fake it, fake it, until you make it. I mean, what more can I do. Being an interpreter, I am suppose to facilitate conversations, not stall time and make them explain whatever tech stuff, tech terms that's flying around like common sense to everyone. The biggest obstacle is probably no the technical knowledge that is lacking. Swallowing the fear for the unknown, and making myself believe that what I am saying are facts, is. And I can feel my mentality to comprehend such situation, is expanding. The adrenaline kicks in, feeling the fear, and overcoming it, catching up with the unknown, catching up with the speaker's speed, being able to feel all of this makes me appreciate even more for being in this field. I am enjoying the ride.

Meanwhile, if you are riding on the waves, there are ups, and of course, downs. There are days where I have zero compassion to myself. Mentally torturing and beating up myself for mistakes, blanks, misinterpretation, hearing capability and the list goes on. My mentor at MIIS used to say, I don't really need harsh comments on my performance, that I have a lot of self conscious. Feeling useless and weak, not being able to perform well...IS NOT GOING TO DO ANY GOOD. The solution: SUCK IT UP AND GET GOING.

It's life, you have to move on.

It's also a rough path. Stumbling and floundering in the dark, falling over and struggling to get up, and the whole process repeats, until one day, one day, you will get use to the rocks and obstacles. Just keep going and one day you will manage to glide through smoothly, and probably that's the day when you need a change in life.

For now, just enjoy the ride.

  

★享受★

水煮鱼般的人生