Canada

I think I’m pretty smart…sometimes. I have a decent vocabulary, play a mean game of Words with Friends and had my share of wins of Scrabble games against my mom. I’m in a book club (sort of – and even attend whether I actually finish the book or not) and have read some seriously intense articles on the internet regarding marketing/business/philosophy/education/health/science/the list goes on…but never on politics, sailing or body-building – go figure.

I have been asked to proctor many exams as my main job is currently based in an extension of a University. I recently was asked by a sweet young lady to help her with her midterm and exam which I was happy to do.

Then, came the instructions from her school in Canada…3 PAGES OF INSTRUCTIONS! This was serious. No online course from some obscure online program…uh, this meant I had to read everything…the problem was I had no idea what an invigilator was. I didn’t even know how to say it. Yet, there it was, in black and white, calling me names I’d never heard. The Invigilator. Being the good girl that I am I read all 3 pages. Usually when you don’t understand a word you can figure it out (most of the times) by the content of the paragraph so I knew it was referring to me – but still didn’t know how to pronounce it.

So natch – I went to my favorite website (inner nerd shout-out) Thesaurus.com to hear the animated female audio so I could learn the word. According to the 10 synonyms suggested to describe this word I fell under the category of 4, yes 4 okay maybe even 5 of them. And that’s being generous. As far as I know I am not a watchdog and was not eaves-dropping. I wasn’t listening, guiding or counseling. I was just monitoring. I am not an informant – well, unless you count the fact that I’d be informing the University that the exam was done under my eagle eye and would certainly tell them in the event of a water main break or natural disaster should that happen during and interrupting the exam. Really? Yup, page 2 paragraph 4.

Oh well. Usually the invigilator gets paid – I waived the fee since I am sitting here anyway and figured I could do 35 other things at the same (as all women can do). In fact, I gained something more than money – I gained knowledge. I learned a new word. A great word. A word I can not even imagine using ever again in any other context, nevertheless, it’s the small things in life that make me happy. Yes, me, The Invigilator!!

(by the way – WordPress picked up the word “invigilator” as misspelled and had no alternate spelling…just saying).

Well, la-ti-da! I’ve been officially blogging for 1 year and the fine people at WordPress sent me a note to say congrats.

What started out as a complete experiment (for a marketing project) turned out to be quite rewarding. Mostly thanks to all a’ y’all and my overstuffed brain with lotsa’ junk to write about.

Here is what I learned from this experience.

1. I am funnier when I write than when I am ‘in the moment’ (I so envy those natch funny peeps)

2. More people respond when I am serious in my heartfelt, emotional posts.

3. I am one step closer to actually working in the field that I studied and always wanted to do, but chickened out.

4. I think I WILL write that book…eventually.

5. The day before my blogaversary, I reached my highest ‘likes’ on a given post *which was only like 7 people, I think, even though almost 100 people actually read it.

That last one for me is the biggest deal. After writing about 120 posts, I still have the ability to impact a response – more than when I started all full of gusto and ideas and not just throwing out random thoughts. I have tapped back into my creative thought process, have ways to expand upon what I began and am looking forward to branching out in various connected areas. I have met amazing other bloggers, at a scavenger hunt and various forums and conferences. I have met others involved in social media and marketing and I feel like while I am not one of the main characters in this play, I have my part.

So, in closing, I thank you.

Worldwide my words have reached and I am so very appreciative and flattered.