Tigers, Picasso, and everything in between

Happy New Year! No, I am not two months late. I am talking about the Chinese New Year! Last Sunday was the first day of the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate, I went to the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown with Sara and two other friends. I posted pics on Facebook. It was fun. There were a ton of people there and some rather interesting floats and costumes. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese gift shop and then ate at a Chinese restaurant. I ate a whole plate of peanut noodles with chopsticks! I was quite excited about my accomplishment; I have never been successful with chopsticks before.

Thursday night for our art event we went to the Art Institute's modern wing. I am not a big fan of modern art, but had an enjoyable time nonetheless. I saw a lot of Picasso's work. I plan on going back to see some of the other art later this week, since it is free all of February.

Last night there was a progressive dinner here at the apartment building. Three apartments made appetizers, three made main dishes, and four made desserts. They had a variety of good food and it was nice not to have to cook. :)

My internship has been going well. Getting up at 5:30 doesn't even phase me anymore. I am working 3 morning shifts a week and one evening shift, so I get some variety. This past week I was able to sit in on a staffing meeting for one of the clients with the case manager, therapist, foster parent, unit supervisor, and DCFS worker. That was interesting. I also got to accompany a couple of clients to appointments around town. This week was a little stressful, too, with some of the kids. They require a lot of patience. While I do enjoy the work and look forward to going in each day, I have not been convinced that this is the kind of work I want to pursue after graduation. I miss working with the elderly. I guess I have only been here for a few weeks, so perhaps I will change my mind in a month. :) It just kind of freaks me out that in <11 weeks I will be a college grad and still don't know what I want to do yet...

I have missed my friends at Dordt a lot this week. It's been hard to connect with the other students here, mainly because of all of our different schedules and interests and stuff. It is easy to get lost in the big city. I am trying to get connected at a small group at Park (the church I am attending) but it hasn't happened yet. I guess that could be something you could pray about.

I get to visit my cousin next weekend! She lives a couple of hours southwest and I get to take the train down there. :) It will be so good to see them all again. I think that is all for now. Until next week...

More Adventures in Chi-town

With TCI training behind me, I am finally working full shifts on the unit with the kids! On Monday and Friday I worked the morning shift (7-3:30). Waking up at 5:30 wasn't as bad as I feared; I almost enjoyed getting up that early (key word: almost); must be my dad's blood in me. The shifts went well; yesterday I was able to spend some 1:1 time with a couple of the kids. Now that I have been around for a couple of weeks and know the routine for the most part, I feel like my role has shifted more from observer to staff, which I am very happy about. In fact, yesterday one of the clients, who was slightly frustrated when I redirected him from what he was not supposed to be doing, commented, "Man, you are starting to sound like a staff!" I took it as a compliment. The kids are great; I am really enjoying getting to know each of them as individuals. I meet with my supervisor weekly to discuss how things are going and what else I would like to do during my time at Rice. One of the things I am doing is focusing on one kid each week, getting to know that particular kid, and doing 1:1 activities with him. I am super excited about this. :)
On Tuesday I had one last day of orientation; this time it was at the main Children's Home + Aid office (CHA is the head organization over Rice). We learned all about the history of the organization, other services that are offered, professional boundaries, and employee benefits. Most of it was rather interesting.
I had my first social work seminar and Values and Vocations classes this week. I have a feeling both with be beneficial, academically and personally. There are 5 other social work majors and an instructor in my social work seminar. Each Monday night we meet to discuss things that are going on at our particular sights, as well as other social-worky (I made up that word) stuff. In the Values and Vocations class we will be discussing the relationship between personal calling and social conscience using "insights from modern psychology, scripture, liberation theology, and the mystical traditions of the world" (quote from syllabus). I look forward to the class readings and discussions.
On Thursday night we had our first art event. Chicago Semester students had the opportunity at the beginning of the semester to sign up and pay a very cheap price for weekly art events, which I did. This week we attended two performances at the Goodman Theatre. They were both one acts on the topic of loss and reflection. I cannot honestly say I enjoyed the event this week, but it was kind of a cool experience.
Last night, one of the CS students won a party at a dueling piano bar called "Howl at the Moon" and invited all of the CS students. It was fun to hang out with the other CS students and enjoy the entertainment, free food, and cheap drinks. I ended my Friday night watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" with Sara. I must say, it is quite funny. If you looking for a light, unique movie that is good for both kids and adults, I would recommend it. :)
For the rest of the weekend, I must complete my Learning Contract (contract between me, my supervisor at Rice, and my field instructor on the things I want to do during my internship) and other homework for classes. I hope to do some exploring as well and attend the Chinese New Years Parade in Chinatown tomorrow. :)
Have a great weekend. :)

Week one of February

Each morning as I ride the "el" to work, with my travel coffee cup in one hand and the daily Chicago newspaper --the "Redeye"-- in the other, I find myself feeling very adult-ish. :) It is kind of weird, but I am really enjoying it. :)
All week at work I did the TCI training that I described in my last post. It ended up being rather enjoyable; the instructor and other students managed to make a 30 hour training go by very quickly. Many of the things we learned were a review of things I had learned previously in some of my social work classes (particularly Fundamentals of Social Work... thanks Prof. Olson if you are reading this!) while some were new skills that will come in handy not only in this job, but in other parts of life as well. Basically it was on listening skills, handling conflict and crises, and helping the kids learn coping skills to prevent crisis situations. We also learned a variety of restraints, but I will not be using those skills during my time at Rice since I am just an intern (which I am OK with). All of that said, we had our test on Friday and I passed. :) I am officially TCI certified, which may come in handy for future social work jobs as well as my time at Rice.
I did not have a lot of free time during the week due to the readings we had to do outside of our class times and the journaling I must do after each day of work. I spent most of my evenings at the apartment with my roommate, Sara.
However, yesterday (Saturday), we did get out and explore the city a bit! :) We went down to Millenium Park, saw the "Bean," and did some shopping. I put some of the pictures up on Facebook and will have the rest up as soon as Facebook lets me (it's been weird). We also enjoyed listening to some musicians in the subway. I love riding the "el" (short for "elevated train," though some of the trains also go underground).
This morning I attended Park Community Church, which I think I will be returning to. I enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, the worship time, and the message, which was both convicting and thought-provoking.
Tomorrow I will have my first 7-3 shift on the unit, which means I will be up around 5:30 AM!! I am sure I will adjust. Coffee is my friend. :D Tomorrow evening I have my first social work seminar, which is a part of the Chicago Semester program. I am excited to get to know the other students in my group.
That's all I have for now.
Have a blessed week! :)