Hi, I’m Jzb! This summer, I had a great experience at the Sorauren Farmers’ Market as a the Business Development Officer through Canada Summer Jobs. I am thankful I finally got to put my education to work doing something I am genuinely passionate about.
On my first day, I was biking to the market waiting at the intersection for the light to turn green. Someone on a bicycle pulled up beside me, it was my manager, Helen, who was also biking. It was our first time meeting in person. We shook hands and then continued riding to the market. Before she turned right, she used the hand signal. I always forgot which bicycle hand signal was right and left, so I would never use them. But after I saw that, I immediately copied her and have been signalling ever since. This set the tone for my summer job— picking up quickly. Learning naturally.
Every week, I’d look forward to Mondays. I loved being outside all day, moving my body, learning about market operations, and running events. I would become acquainted with more vendors and take on more responsibilities as the summer progressed. The highlight during my time as the Business Development Officer was putting together a Cultural Bounty Day. I chose to celebrate Caribbean culture since it was around the time of Caribana. Cultural Bounty Days spotlight a cultural dish, which gets prepared using seasonal produce from vendors. It’s then served to market goers while portions of the food get donated to a charity fighting food insecurity. With the guidance and support of Helen and the collaboration of the community, the Cultural Bounty Day was a success. I got to see what goes into making food for hundreds of people and how much thought vendors put into the planning and logistics of their work.
Every day at the market looked different but every week without a doubt, 5 hours felt like a blink. Time flies when you’re having fun! I vlogged one day at the market. We did so much but this is what I could fit into a short video. This summer job has been such a dynamic experience, I’m grateful that I spent this summer at the Sorauren Farmers’ Market.
