The items in my bag that I carry around everyday are needed daily for one of my three jobs that I am currently working. As you can see in the photo, everyday I carry along two hospital badges, because at times I work at two different hospitals across the city within one day – so I constantly need to have them both with me. I also, more recently, have been working seven days a week between the three jobs so it’s just easier to always have my hospital ID’s with me. Due to worldwide circumstance and the on going pandemic – I’m continuously working, just not always in the same location, but certainly always working. Healthcare workers were called to action 18 months ago and it’s been nonstop ever since. I really take pride in the type of work I’m actively involved in, since laboratory testing for COVID is crucial for diagnosis and treatment, I am driven by being such an important link in patient care. I never really realized till this photo was taken, but the inside of my bag certainly defines the era of time that we are currently in as a community as well as my strongly rooted commitment and dedication to my role as a health care provider. All three of my jobs are represented in my bag; two through hospital badges and one (that I didn’t notice till now) is my Mohawk College lanyard on my keys. Daily I work as a medical lab technician both full time and part time, but I also find time to teach the Medical Lab Science program at Mohawk College through distance education. The contents inside my bag, in terms of my occupational commitments are outwardly shown to the public as I wear some of them, so I would say these are items I am proud to have and wear, as well as carry with me for its needed daily purpose. Similarly, the items of my bag consistently and accurately represent the image I outwardly project on a daily basis as a member of the healthcare community.
In addition to all my work related contents, I also carry an e-reader as well as my planner. My planner is my lifeline, how else could I work three jobs and take a Master’s level course and stay on top of things! What’s interesting here is, I have a technological version of a book and can read novels on a thin lit up screen, but refuse to have a tech version of a planner. For some reason, I have to have my important dates and schedule hand written in a planner. A lot of people I know use their cell phones for such things, however I just cannot make that transition to use an electronic calendar. In contrast, I am fully comfortable engaging in reading material electronically, which is an interesting comparison to my necessary handwritten planner.
If this photo were to be taken 15-25 years, this bag would have looked quite different. I would not have a phone charger or e-book and I certainly would not have had a medical mask in my bag at all times. As I’m sure most people carry these days, a medical mask would have never been something I would have even thought to carry regularly. This truly demonstrates this societal transitional period of time in a pandemic, where a medical mask and vaccination proof need to be carried at all times. The mask, the charger and the e-book demonstrate how language and text are continually evolving due new experiences and technological advancement. Having my charger (as well as my phone but used it to take the photo) in my bag always with me demonstrates my constant need for communication and shows the method I facilitate language the most. Cell phone use is such a common widespread tool for communication that I don’t think it has changed language or the way that we speak, but has facilitated a different type of method of constant contact and communication.
The contents of my bag truly defined my personality, daily life and work culture more than I thought it would have. Excited to start this semester and learn more with everyone!
