Full disclosure, everyone: this is the first time I've ever blogged. Seeing that word written now makes me wonder where it came from. Why isn't it called "blagging"? Acutally, blogged sounds better than blagged, doesn't it?! Anyway, I digress. Let me backtrack, start off on some more proper footing and introduce myself.

I'm Kim, a recent transplant to Baltimore and a first year student in the MSW program here at UMB. I'm concentrating in clinical and my specialization is health. I say that with a bit of trepidation thoug, as the more I learn and the more I experience, the more likely it seems that my motivations and goals may shift into other areas. But I'm open to that, I'm loving what I'm learning, and I'm so comforted to know that unlike what I learned in undergrad, I really WILL use this stuff. I was most recently living in DC (3 years), before that Zambia with the Peace Corps, before that Virginia, before that California, before that Pennsylvania, and lastly, we come to my birthplace.....(wait for it)......Jersey. I've got a lot of love for all my various homes, and already Baltimore is squeezing its way into my heart. There's a real palpable energy here, a gritty, unpretentious, and exciting feel to it all. And the people are some of the friendliest I've met in a long time. They take the time to greet you. I don't remember getting much of that in DC....feels good.

Back to school----
It's surprising to me how busy I am---already, just three weeks in and I'm barely able to find enough quiet time to sit down and watch a movie. (Ok, a Sex and the City rerun). Between my fieldwork placement (which hasn't really gotten too far off the ground considering that I've had to go through a few orientations there at the hospital) and the four classes I'm taking the work really has piled up. The trick is to stay on top of it all, keep it manageable...that's what I tell myself at least.....

Anyway, I can get into the finer details of everything at a later date. At this point it's just important that I express how exciting of a time this is, how much fun it is to be in the classroom again (after being out of it for 7 years), and how many wonderful friends I'm making. It's really cool to be in the midst of a such a learning experience, and to know that you're exactly where you should be.

IMore soon.....