Are we there yet?

Are we there yet is the question I seem to be asking more and more....
It applies to everything from our little trip to Ford in Campbellfield,
to the general feeling of anticipation surrounding the semester break. I
should probably fill you all in about my little adventure to Ford, which
took place on Friday afternoon.
I applied online for a chance to participate in the Ford cooperative
program next year, which is like a real job (yes, it's actually paid!).
Just like a real job, they conduct an assessment center and an interview
process. The process is a three stage process, the first being the
online application, followed by evaluation at an assessment center
activity. If you pass the first two tests you are then offered an
interview and if all goes well, a job.
On Friday afternoon I attended the assessment center component of the
application procedure. I was so lucky that I did not have to attend
alone. Half the people in PDE were there, probably applying for the same
job as I am. =( I gave Mauris and Diana a lift from uni to the "Ford
Learning and Development Training Center". In all my wisdom, I thought
it would be a great idea to basically wing it to Campbellfield, then try
and find the Ford factory. (After all, how hard could it possibly be to
find?)
I turned the wrong way onto the western ring road, managed to get lost
in the city, and resulted to getting Diana to navigate from the Melways!
After all that, Mauris said he could have directed us, because he drives
past the Ford factory to get to Numerca. (In Mauris's defense, he didn't
realize until we were half way there)
The assessment center was a great experience. We were split into tables
of 10, and had to complete a range of activities. There were three
activities in total, each designed to analyze teamwork and technical
skills. Many of the activities required short presentations by each of
the team members, so I feel I didn't do too badly. (This is the one time
I am glad that God gave me the gift of gab!) The activities ran very
strictly to time, which indicated a certain level of professionalism
within the company. We finished a little bit earlier than expected, but
that was a good excuse to mingle and have a chat with our assessors and
with the other students applying for positions.
I should probably add that there are about 2000 students that apply for
95 positions, so the competition is fierce. I will find out in the next
week or two if they would like to interview me in the next stage of the
process. (I will keep checking my e-mails with my fingers crossed!)
Following the assessment center, I took Mauris and Diana back to the
city, then dropped Evan home. I then headed over to Warrandyte to have
dinner with Chris, his parents, and his Nanna. We were celebrating
Michael's birthday. I think everyone enjoyed dinner. I forgot to take my
camera, I guess I was so distracted by the Ford interviews that I forgot
to put it into my bag that day. They had great service at the
restaurant, and it seems that Rachael might be getting a job there. I
suppose I should insert the free plug here.... Thyme on the Terrace, 238
Yarra St, Warrandyte. It's good, check it out.
I had a rather lively discussion over dinner with Chri's Nanna,
regarding the City of Melbourne's recent decision to splurge thousands
of dollars on a documentary about the controversial camp fire in King's
Domain earlier this year. Merna claimed that it was a waste of money,
because the fire was deemed illegal. I soon pointed out that even Ned
Kelly, an Australian icon, was actually an outlaw who just happened to
be very good at running from the law. Merna commented after dinner that
she quite enjoyed our lively discussion, and that it was refreshing to
meet someone so opinionated. (I still don't know if that's a good
thing!) I am glad she enjoyed our healthy debate.
Saturday night saw another birthday party, this time a 21st. Jess Lewis
turned 21, and had a fantastic birthday bash at the Upwey baseball club
rooms. Almost everyone from rovers attended, which was so nice to see,
and provided a great chance to catch up with some people from Venturers
too. I have some photos, which I will have to post up sometime soon.
Sunday morning I worked at Kmart, then Chris and I went along to the
Glen Waverly Uniting Church 'hymnfest'. The afternoon was filled with
singing, as we counted down the congregations 20 favorite songs. Fiona's
mum was there, and we had a chat after church. Fiona came after church
to say hello. We went and did the weekly shopping with the McMasters'
which consisted of one apple, one orange, and half a kilo of fish. They
must have been feeding the five thousand. I really enjoyed having the
time as a great excuse to catch up with Fiona and see how everything has
changed since high school.
This morning I had to do photos for ballooning, so it was an early start
for Bruce and I. I think I must have driven almost 100kms today! That's
a fair effort, considering I only live 40km from the city! Following
ballooning, I went to uni, for another day of study. Evan and I drove
from uni to Bayswater to visit a laser cutting place. The salesman there
seemed very nice, and was so helpful. Evan and I spent the rest of the
afternoon preparing a technical drawing of our tea light. The end result
needs to be in DWG format, so we used a combination of SolidWorks and
Adobe Illustrator. I hope our first quote goes smoothly. (I guess we
will find out tomorrow)
Tomorrow morning I have ballooning yet again, so I had better get to bed.