and the apartment's *almost" clean, I feel I can sit down and make good on the promise I made to you all a few days ago. It's Sunday night, a little before 10- a good a time as any to bust out a proper blog and catch you all up on some of the things I've been doing, thinking, etc. Right now I'm thinking "Holy moly, where'd the weekend go?" I :) I'm thinking that it can't possibly almost be Monday again. I'm thinking that the weekends never seem to be enough time to rest up, to recover from the previous week and to prepare for the following one. Something tells me I'm not only in this....

So school stuff. I know that some of my recent blogs have been heavy in other areas, so let me stick to the basics here. I'm long overdue in discussing my field placement, aren't I? I'm actually forgetting if I told you all about my shift within Sinai Hospital...I don't think I did, so let me start there. I spent the first half of the school year in Sinai's oncology and gynecological surgery unit, and as I know I've mentioned before my mom died about 7 years ago from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Well, it turns out that I really wasn't emotionally prepared for seeing cancer patients, on a regular basis, who so vividly reminded me of my final days with my mom. After a number of very difficult encounters, it became clear to both my supervisor and myself that the jig was up- I couldn't do it. I was spending so much energy on the emotional challenges of it all that my professional growth became almost stunted. Anyway, my supervisor really advocated for me, she and I spoke with the Director of the Case Manager department about what other options existed, and before I knew it I was working alongside a social worker in the Infectious Disease Outpatient clinic. Very different population, different role, different challenges. Most of the people I work with are infected with HIV/AIDS-- this is an area I feel really comfortable in. Before Peace Corps I did a lot of volunteer work on HIV/AIDS education...as a Health volunteer in Zambia it was something that I was really involved in, and even since being back I've felt connected with it having worked on the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) evaluation of PEPFAR. Anyway, suffice to say that I was in charted, and much less emotionally charged territory. I have a client that I meet with weekly, I've been able to help out with some outreach efforts, and just last week a colleague and I began co-facilitating a girls' empowerment group at a local middle school--I'm getting out there..I'm getting a lot of exposure and experience and I'm lucky-- very lucky. Things are good.

I imagine that this is a stressful time for many of you out there trying to decide if UMB's for you. A good friend of mine received only acceptance letters from the schools she applied to (including UMB), and she's now having to make the big decision. I told her she comes here. Period. End of story. No, I'm kidding--I'm actually being very careful to not pressure her in any way, and I'll grant you all the same consideration.I guess the only "wisdom" I can share is that you'll be okay...wherever you go is where you were meant to be. All that we can do is make the best decision with the most information that we have access to at this point in time, and then we go with that decision--full-speed and full of enthusiasm- no regrets. Grad school, like most things in life, is what you make it...and you can make it FANTASTIC!! wherever you want to. :) It kind of reminds me of Peace Corps in a way. I had wanted to be a volunteer in South America, thinking that Spanish would be a really useful language to know. I finally got my official invitation and it read "Zambia". At the time I thought: a) Where exactly IS Zambia and b) Major bummer!! The bottom line, though, is that in looking back, I consider myself so lucky to have lived in that amazing little country for two years. I'd have it no other way...and all of my friends who have done Peace Corps would say the exact same thing whether they served in Paraguay or Ukraine or the Dominican Republic.

I really am so excited for all of you. Being at one of life's crossroads, though a very stressful time, can make you feel so alive!! As always, I'm here if you all have any questions/comments. Good luck!!