WOW! I've been in school for a year!

This year has been a real roller coaster! I started school last August knowing it was going to change my life. I had no idea how much my life would change! Being back in school was an adjustment to say the least. I forgot how much time is consumed studying--and feeling guilty for NOT studying! I adjusted though.

I started my first field placement (aka internship) at Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. I worked for almost a year in the public affairs office. It was a great experience. I got to branch out a bit, learn some new communication skills, and of course interpersonal skills. My supervisor was demanding and I needed that. She allowed me the freedom to set my own schedule and find projects that interested me. I became a deputized voter registrar for Harris County and participated in numerous voter registration events. Yes, that is social work! One of the best experiences I had was participating in a 'boot camp' with the TeenReach group. They are a group of Houston area teens who are interested in educating their peers on sexuality issues--and they want the facts. These teens are amazing! They are so passionate. I only wish there had been something like that available to me when I was a teen. So I got to help educate the teens on how to do door to door canvassing on certain issues (the REAL Sex Eduation Act) and how to empower them to make changes.

I just finised this internship and am grateful it is over. The overall experience was amazing, but having enough time to devote to working full-time, going to classes, being an intern, and having a life was overwhelming.

So school has taken over. Last spring one of the most important men in my life passed away. Although it was devistating for me, I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with him. My grandfather was the island in the flowing sea of my life. He was always there for me always grounded me. In the weeks before his death, I took a trip to see him. It was the best and worst trip of my life. I spend 10 days with him, learning about him. All the while my social work background grinding and churning. Because of this field of study, I was able to give him what he needed most--someone to be there with him. Listening. Talking. Remembering. I am a compassionate person by nature, but this social work thing has taught me how to be empathetic with a person regardless if you have been there before. So Grandpa--thanks for everything! I love you and you will always be missed.

I am looking at life with new lenses. The social work glasses have been permentantly affixed to me. I hope that this is an asset in life regardless of the circumstances. My friends do look at me a bit differently. Some of them think I am going off the deep end..that hippy social worker. Maybe I am...maybe that's not a bad thing.