Week 3 Journal

 You find yourself facing--or know someone who is facing--a situation that offers no solution. Any solution would be painful or costly. Who are these people and how did they come to be such a mess? Make it up, think it through.

Down here in the streets of Chicago it ain’t pretty, people are getting shot and killed daily. Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, you name it. People like me are born into this life. I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. Life isn’t all happy with rainbows and unicorns, it will kick you on to your knees and it is up to you in how you want to respond. The world is a dark dark place especially where I am from. It all started for me at the age of 8 when I walked around the alley corner on Roosevelt drive to see a gun being placed against my brothers head. Fortunately he hadn’t been shot. The gang let him live under one condition, me and him would work for them. From that day forward my life had already been laid out for me.

It has been 10 years since that day, and I still feel like the same young helpless boy. Nowadays, I’m running block north of forge avenue, dealing drugs to all sorts of people. I’ve gotten myself stuck in a hole, I have no one. I’ve lost all of my relationships with my family because I’ve driven them away. Little do they know I had to do it, I don’t want them to get swallowed up into my situation, this is my fight and my fight alone. There are many more kids just like me who resent what they have become and I know they want to escape this life. I’ve been trying to leave this gang for years now but that has only gotten me into the hospital several times because of the leader, Tyron. Tyron has been in the game for decades now and he is no force to be reckoned with, he has seen the real horrors of this world. He has no mercy, if you try to betray him he will not hesitate to pull the trigger on you or one of your loved ones.

I feel like I am stuck in this life, but I chose it. I knew what I signed up for. I’ve gained a spur of motivation over the years to get out of this life. It is all thanks to my family, I’m doing it for them. Getting them out of poverty and being able to take care of them is the only motivation I have in this sad life.

The Stranger Comes to Town. OR. Someone goes on a journey. Write that story. Why has he or she come here? Who or what will change because of it? OR. Why are they going on a journey and what’s at stake?

I don’t know what to do anymore, none of my co-workers are following corporate policies or my rules. I’ve tried to fire them many times but they aren’t phased. My store's area manager told me I have to fire them or quit but they’re so many employees that disobey me, I will be scarcely understaffed. Ughhh I am so stressed out. I just moved to Minnesota five months ago to run Markos and if I quit I don’t know what else I am going to do. Me and my girlfriend are already struggling to pay rent and have food on the table.

After a few weeks of thinking, I made my mind up. I do not want to fire all of those employees; they all have their fair share of struggles. I’m going to sign up for management positions in the food industry and see what I can get. Luckily I have found a position at chipotle. The position is general manager and depending on how I do the average salary varies from $60,000 and $100,000. Finally I dropped my job at Markos and started my training at chipotle. The general manager there was so mean and rude. She was a woman in her mid 20s, she had red tinted hair and tattoos all over her arm. She thought I was trying to take her position but those aren’t my intentions I plan to transfer to another store, but I just need the training.

Charlotte trained me for four months and I’ve gotten very good at my job honestly even better than she is but I’m not gonna say anything, apparently Charlotte feels threatened. I’ve been observing her lately and she is trying to take over without giving me any experience. She has also been flirting with Jessie the area manager. To my sudden surprise Charlotte had gotten fired a month later and so did Jessie. Charlotte slept with Jessie and they both got fired, Charlotte thought she would have her ways by sleeping with Jessie but karma got her. Now I’ve officially been promoted to GM and my staff loves me, I’m finally becoming more financially stable and am able to settle down happily in Minnesota.