Chance of Uncertainty: 95%
It is 9 degrees in Michigan this morning. At 10 pm in Can Tho, it is 85 degrees. We share a 20% chance of precipitation.
The chance of uncertainty, however, is much higher. John and I met Friday about our ongoing plans for the work we will be doing at CTU. We know generally what our task is: To work with an unknown number of faculty from unknown departments around the university to begin plans for an adult & continuing education (ACE) program. We know we'll be working in simultaneous translation. We know we'll have six days to work with our Vietnamese colleagues. And John knows a lot about ACE and program planning. I know comparatively little about ACE but a good amount about program planning and evaluation. If we were doing a 6-day workshop at MSU, there'd still be some uncertainty (How much will participants know coming in? How will they work together? etc.), but we've both done enough teaching to feel comfortable and flexible "at home." The number of unknowns at CTU ratchets up the uncertainty and, for me, substantially challenges my comfort.
Add to that uncertainty the unfamiliar cultural and physical context, and it takes the whole thing up around 95% for me. Not a place I generally like to be. Without my usual routine (the gym, the office, home) to rely on for stability while handling the uncertain work context, I'm not sure how it's all going to go. I'm a big planner. I like to manage uncertainty by planning for all contingencies and relying on routine. I can't really do either very well in this situation, so I'm getting anxious.
And yet...I'm also getting excited about the trip, the work, and the challenge of testing myself in this uncertain context. What if it turns out I really can operate with this level of uncertainty? What would that mean for my reliance on routine and (over)planning when I got back? Yikes. Get an umbrella, quick. It might just downpour any minute.
The chance of uncertainty, however, is much higher. John and I met Friday about our ongoing plans for the work we will be doing at CTU. We know generally what our task is: To work with an unknown number of faculty from unknown departments around the university to begin plans for an adult & continuing education (ACE) program. We know we'll be working in simultaneous translation. We know we'll have six days to work with our Vietnamese colleagues. And John knows a lot about ACE and program planning. I know comparatively little about ACE but a good amount about program planning and evaluation. If we were doing a 6-day workshop at MSU, there'd still be some uncertainty (How much will participants know coming in? How will they work together? etc.), but we've both done enough teaching to feel comfortable and flexible "at home." The number of unknowns at CTU ratchets up the uncertainty and, for me, substantially challenges my comfort.
Add to that uncertainty the unfamiliar cultural and physical context, and it takes the whole thing up around 95% for me. Not a place I generally like to be. Without my usual routine (the gym, the office, home) to rely on for stability while handling the uncertain work context, I'm not sure how it's all going to go. I'm a big planner. I like to manage uncertainty by planning for all contingencies and relying on routine. I can't really do either very well in this situation, so I'm getting anxious.
And yet...I'm also getting excited about the trip, the work, and the challenge of testing myself in this uncertain context. What if it turns out I really can operate with this level of uncertainty? What would that mean for my reliance on routine and (over)planning when I got back? Yikes. Get an umbrella, quick. It might just downpour any minute.
posted by Kris at 9:44 AM
1 Comments:
This is an interesting point - and I'm interested in the way that some of us go voluntarily and others have been compelled by military jobs (some voluntary; I suspect John's brother was not there by choice). KR
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