Week 4 Famous Last Words

What a Crazy Week!

Me this week

Originally posted on I Can Haz Cheezburger, found on this blog

This week was probably my busiest week so far this semester. I had something going on every day of the week and felt like I hardly had an hour of free time total for the week. However, this week was not bad, just busy. I had a lot of good news come in, lots of good learning experiences, and reassurance of how amazing the people around me are. Plus, I still managed to get some fun in.

Monday

• As per usual, Monday was my only day of class. I had practicum seminar 12:30-1:20 and Research Methods II 1:30-4:20. Then my roommate and I carpooled up to Calm Waters in OKC so we could get there by 5:30 for grief groups. The groups went well and my classes were good, but it meant that I was busy all day.

Tuesday

• Tuesday I had my practicum at Calm Waters from 10am to 8pm. It was also the first day of divorce groups at Calm Waters. This session i'm working with the Children III group which consists of 8-11 year olds and I am excited about facilitating it because the kids are old enough to really do some deep processing, but young enough to be a lot of fun and willing to open up and bond in group. 

Wednesday

• Wednesday I woke up at 9am so I could shower, get dressed and go to CVS where I got my passport photo taken. Then, I went to the post office on Gray St. where I applied for my passport. Next, I drove up to the city to take a tour of the Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled. I got to do an interview with a director before getting a tour of the facility. It was really neat to learn about the adult day care and all the extra activities and services it provides. After my tour I drove back to Norman where I grabbed a quick lunch and some coffee before heading to campus for a meeting with Shanna Vincent, the study abroad adviser for the Journey to Africa-Tanzania trip this summer. We talked about the activities that I will get to do such as working with social welfare agencies, taking 2 classes (that count as both of my required masters level electives), living with host families, learning some Swahili, taking a spice tour in Zanzibar, visiting the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is home to a deep, volcanic crater-the largest un flooded and unbroken caldera in the world, according to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority website, going on a safari, and holding a thank you celebration for the host families and the community before we leave. The interview went great and really got me pumped about the trip! Then, I went to the Study Abroad 101 infosession at 4:30pm as part of my required tasks necessary to submit my application for study abroad. After that, I went home and took a short nap before getting dressed again and heading with my practicum instructor Rita to Chickasha where we did extended care for a dying hospice patient from 10pm to 3am. Luckily, it was a pretty quiet night, but I WAS BUSHED when i got home at 4:00 that morning. I passed out so fast! 

Here's a link to the study abroad website where you can learn more about the Journey to Africa program!

Thursday

• My Thursday morning started off rough, with me sleeping through 2 alarms and 3 phone calls. This resulted in me being 2.5 hours late to my practicum! I was mortified and so anxious! The rest of the day was okay. Once I got to Calm Waters I worked and got ready for groups until 5:30 before driving home.

Friday

• Friday I was up early to be at Valir Hospice in OKC by 8am for an interdisciplinary team meeting where social workers, physicians, nurses, chaplains, aides, volunteers, and students can all share the opinions on and experiences with patients that week and work together to further develop the patients' plans of care. Then, I had my weekly supervisory conference meeting with Rita before going out to shadow Kirsten, another social worker at Valir, as she performed a social work assessment on a new patient at an Oak Hills nursing home. After that, I had lunch with the Valir ladies and talked about issues arising in my practicum. I left at about 1:30 then headed back home so I could go to O'Connell's on Campus Corner for dinner with a few friends. We went to the hookah bar afterward which was nice, but I didn't stay out late because I was just exhausted. 

Saturday

• Saturday my roommate and I woke up and took the dog out where we played for a long time. She has so much energy! Then, her parents picked us up and we all went to Chili's for lunch before going out to the shooting range. I had never shot a gun before because my father growing up was sexist and believed guns were only for men, so I was ecstatic to finally get the opportunity while also a little nervous. We shot my roommates PK380 and her dad's 9mm and it was awesome! My roommate is a natural, while i'm just impressed with how much power is in my hands. It was a lot of fun and afterward we hung out before going to a party at my boyfriend's apartment. It wasn't wild or crazy, but it did have hookah and cool lights which was awesome and I had a great time! 

Sunday

• Sunday the weather was beautiful so my boyfriend and I chose to sit on the patio at Chuy's where we had lunch. It was lovely and relaxing! Then, we went grocery shopping before coming home to hang out with my roommate and work on homework. 

Now, i'm just looking forward to another crazy week, but I look forward to it, and guess what...

I'M GOING TO AFRICA! 

Sorry, i'm just so excited!