Actually...on second thought, it's probably best that it doesn't. I shamelessly ate three pieces of pie after dinner and my only excuse is that they were all different kinds of pie. I firmly believe that variety is the spice of life. This theory also applies to donuts. (And for those of you who are interested, I preferred my aunt's homemade pecan).

So yeah, Thanksgiving came and went, and it really was a nice, relaxing time. I caught up on some much missed t.v. time and pop culture, had lots of fun with my nephew, cousin, sisters, the whole fam. Do you guys believe that I didn't bring even one textbook with me? Believe it. I didn't. I considered it, and knew that I needed to catch up on some reading, but being the procrastinator that I am I also knew that none of it would get done. It was nice to feel so far away from my schoolwork, even if only for a few days. Human Behavior, huh? Social Work Research, what? On the flip side, it felt really nice to come back to Baltimore last night. It's beginning to feel a lot like home.

Thoughts of home lead me to school...eventually to my blog....then to the fact that I got another comment! (Thanks, Angela). It really does feel good to know that these words of mine aren't just bouncing around out there in cyberspace....there are interested people, like you, Angela, who are reading them. To answer your question on the organization that I mentioned in a previous blog, International Social Service, I suggest you visit their website. You were wondering about what they did, and if you follow the link below, it'll take you to a page of their website that lists not only what they do but how they do it. It really is a neat organization, and I wholeheartedly support you learning more about them.

http://www.iss-usa.org/site/index.asp?IdSection=2

Alright, friends, I must run now to pick up a textbook for the second module of our social work practice class. The class lasts two semesters, and is divided into modules that cover practice with individuals, groups, families, communities, and organizations. Again, the spice of life. It's everywhere.

Take care, everyone. More soon.

Kim

Posted by Kim at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi everyone. Despite the yucky weather, today is a big, overlywhelmingly important day....we first-year foundation students were allowed to register this morning for next semester's classes. Yippee!! Hooray!! Sa-weet!! Yeah, not so much. Registering for classes has always been a very stressful event for me...I worry about not getting the classes I want....I wonder if the classes I want are the ones I actually should be wanting....I imagine three days before I'm supposed to graduate getting a notice in the mail saying I need an additional 3 credits that were supposed to be taken my first year, that kind of thing. Anyway, as things always do, they worked out once again this morning and I'm looking forward to a pretty exciting spring semester. I've decided that my concentration will be in health, and I'll be delving into that field with an advanced policy course entitled Social Policy and Health Care. From what I know about the course, it sounds interesting, and though I'm not thrilled that it's a night class, I'm anxious to see how that class differs from the day classes I've taken this semester. I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

Switching gears for a moment, I received the very first comment in response to my blog. (Thanks, Sara!) Bit of background for the rest of you: a woman applying to the social work program here at UMB asked if I have any suggestions of books/articles that she could read in order to get a better idea of what a social worker actually does. To answer your question, Sara, sadly I don't...but I'm actually not sure that that'd be the best way to find what you're looking for. First of all, social work is an incredibly broad field-- and social workers can play vastly different roles within it. It might help for you to think about the various areas of social work in which you are interested, and then find some social workers who are placed there, set up informational interviews, that kind of thing. Depending on where you live, you might be able to meet with someone from a local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Along those lines, their website might be a really useful resource for you:
href="http://www.socialworkers.org/">http://www.socialworkers.org/
You can read the social worker's code of ethics there, find a local chapter, see what some of the most current issues in the field are, etc. I remember referencing their website on multiple occasions before coming to UMB, and always found it very informative.

Hopefully all of this babble has helped to answer your question...if it hasn't, please let me know and I'll gladly give it another go.

Must run now, friends. The application for the India program is due this upcoming Thursday, and as you are all well aware, the reach of my procrastination gets to even the good stuff.

I'll write soon...promise. Stay dry. :)

Posted by Kim at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)