I know it's been awhile, so there is a lot to tell.
First, I finished the fall quarter of automotive school at Portland Community College somewhere in mid-December. And, as I wrote about earlier, made a decision to take a break from automotive school and concentrate my efforts on bringing the patriarchy to it's knees (ie. getting into the building trades....I know, not going to completely revolutionize the male dominated world, but you gotta start somewhere). I got mostly B's last quarter, which for a perfectionist, is a hard pill to swallow. I realize though that I'm balancing a life of school and work that is bound to make a person crack (or slack off). I know I didn't get to study all that much. Besides that, I DID NOT enjoy any aspect of my steering and suspension classes. they bored me to death. I lost my partner in crime before the last class and got stuck with the leftover partners that no one else wanted to work with. the bottom of the barrel.
Before the end of the quarter I went to the Assoc. of Women in Automotives Christmas dinner at a mexican restaurant. I sat across from one of the most amazing women. She told me the story of how she started out working as a mechanic when she was in her 40s (there is always hope for change in your life). Almost 30 years ago Betty and her husband and decided to get their first new car and realized they could get a european car for cheap if they went there and picked it up. their daughter was in school in germany at the time, so betty flew out to pick up her brand new volvo at the factory and took a road trip. before she drove away they placed a box of old tools and random parts in the back of her wagon. so from there her daughter and her drove all over europe - volvo breaking down every step of the way. betty, scared and inexperienced with cars, pulled out the service manual and tools and fixed it time and time again. From there, she found the strength and interest in fixing cars for a living. she became the first woman to graduate from the automotive program at portland community college. one kick ass woman. did i mention she's the size of my arm? tiny.
Over the break I spent time with a couple classmates from auto school and I truly was sad to think that i wouldn't be seeing them for awhile. i have enjoyed learning about cars and feel knowing about your car is something everyone could benefit from.
I am currently taking the pre-apprenticeship class with Oregon Tradeswomen. It's a free class designed to help women get into the building trades and have a successful career that gives us better earning power. We just finished the third week leaving four weeks left. we meet three days a week for about 7 hours. on tuesdays, we do book work - "fun with fractions" packets, "reading the tape measure" packets, talking about sexual harassment, etc. on wednesdays we do manual labor for misc non-profits around town. so far we have done demo on a art collaborative's new space, and i got to hang drywall at the rock 'n roll camp for girls (watch the little video on the left of their website - kick ass!!!!) (oh - and they are coming out with a documentary - go here). on thursdays we visit training centers to talk to different trades about their apprenticeship programs and go see some job sites. so far we have visited the:
carpenters union - not interested
sheetmetal workers - this was rad! i'd consider actually doing this. it reminded me of model building, except with metal and welding. I'm not interested in the HVAC ductwork, but rather being the one who puts metal on frank gehry's buildings.
outside lineman - the dude was 1. drunk, 2. had chest hair hanging out of his shirt with a gold chain, 3. explained how he should give up his CDL license because the laws have gotten strict about drinking and driving and he likes to have a few beers and drive home,
4. he said that because of affirmative action being a woman getting into the trades is like being grease on the gravy
the plumbers union - interesting. although working on poop-shoots still bothers me.
roofers - ick. not remotely interested. although using a flame thrower was rad. i'd get one. the women at this union were the most burly we have met yet. one very masculine lady, who was bald because she just beat ovarian cancer, proceeded to have a wad of dip in her lip while she showed us how to put on a safety harness. ick. am i prepared to be that bruly? no.
On tues and thurs we work out with a tiny german lady who competed in the olympics for weight lifting. intense.
so, yeah, after doing push ups off a bench and ripping down a nasty plaster ceiling (no dead petrified animals in this one) i have noticed my biceps are getting firmer. upper body strength here i come! who wants to arm wrestle?
my classmates are amazing. each has struggled to find their place whether it be the seventeen year old with a 1 1/2 year old son or a late 40-something recovering addict who's husband is in prison or the girl pushed down the path of college only to find a world of cubicles waiting for her. they all have an amazing story and great strength.
god, i almost forgot to mention how much i love my teachers. one is a highly regarded contractor in the green building world and another was a carpenter, but now teaches the trades class while being on the board for bitch magazine. Right now she's in panama for a human rights watch of indigenous villages being terrorized by contractors building a hydroelectric dam.
i have a feeling i won't be going back to automotive school....
