the nursing program involves a lot of partner/teamwork assignments...right now I know you are all trying to rack your brains to remember when the last group project you had to do for marks was, please bear with me...remember the pain of teamwork assignments, please for my sake...remeber the pain or else this post has nothing you can relate to...if you are remembering how fun it was planning, building, writing and then performing those projects...then you don't have to read anymore...you can go look in the mirror and tell yourself how amazing you are...but just go...
this post is about the agony of teamwork...first you have to choose a partner...most people will automatically just choose the person they want to work with because they have some forethought and realize what an agonizing process these projects can be...but not me, I don't possess the ability to make decisions like that...I think the first thought that entered my head was, how can we divide the 6 people sitting here into 3 fair groups of two...I thought to myself, " I shouldn't grab at the person who i think is the most capable, I should let them go with someone who i think needs a bit more help; I can work with someone who isn't as strong or the best and hopefully, that way, it will be fair...everything will still work out because I am trying to be fair right?" That was my thought...
I am so dumb. I should have just grabbed the best person and ran out of that room...but I didn't and after the initial hesitation to act you have to wait for everyone to be 'picked' so that no one feels left out...this involves some rather obtuse conversations where you never actually figure out what the other people want...you only feel worse after realizing that no one really wants to be partnered with you either...you diplomatically fill your groupings and feel so relieved...it's done, it's decided, you have a partner...6 people really does split into 3 groups of two...you don't have to be alone...hurray hurray hurray...and being the ignorant fool that I am...you go out as a whole group and celebrate with sushi...unaware of the process that lies ahead...your celebrating cause you saw the ice berg and are craftily steering around it, when...
scrap, tear, rip...you realize that teamwork, and planning, and brainstorming is this massive block of ice that takes up the entire ocean beneath your little sailboat...working in a team means that you have to spend time together...this is the first concept of teamwork that I missed pre-group making stage...working with a partner means spending time with said parnter...I had to say it again just cause I feel like it needs to be said...you have to be together alot...
also, there is the melding of minds to form one ultimate theme for a finished product that will inspire the professors with your creativity and depth...you have to talk, and compromise, and contribute, and get shot down, and then when you think it can't get any worse...deadlines start approaching...
BOOM...your sunk...you have to be able to get work done together and also have it handed in on time. All the brainstorming sessions turn into massive meltdowns of anxiety and doom as your project goes from almost brilliant to 'what in the world?'...
somehow, if you survive the presentation, in shock, waiting as the dust slowly settles you realize that your at a sushi restaurant again (de ja vu anyone?), sitting across from your partner, who's smiling at you. "Wasn't that great?! Didn't we make an awesome team?"
frozen you smile...only as the food arrives and your downing the green tea do you realize you feel like dancing, you start singing along to every song playing on the restaurant speakers, you start laughing your 'siren' laugh while the other nursing students around you wonder just what got into you...finally, as your putting on your jacket to leave, you say to your partner, "What a great time." (now that it's over...)
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