"Why should there be rich people that have more than they need and poor who don’t have anything? God didn’t plan it that way. He planned for us to be equals. That’s why we have to build a society where everyone has the right to live a decent life.... Maybe it sounds like I have my head in the clouds. But I’ve heard about these astronauts in the United States who’ve gone into outer space. And I figure, hell, if these astronauts can get to the moon, then why can’t ordinary folks like us learn to share the earth?"

- Elvia Alvarado
from Don’t Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart

I wish I was ambidextrous. To be ambidextrous would be an amazing blessing right now. I have just been in Prof. Belcher's "Social Welfare and Social Policy" class and afterwards my right hand is always aching from writing so many notes so fast. Now, I really love this class and love getting to learn about government policies and how they affect poverty in America and around the world. From reading the news and hearing from fellow students who work in these different social services, I find out what is really going on in the social services and communities right around me. But, it is immensely painful as well. First, because of the hand cramps, but also because of the harsh realities brought up about the state of our country. About how much the wealthy benefit from new policies while the poor and middle class suffer from these same policies. How wages just aren't matching up to what people need to survive, how everyone's just out to make more money, no matter who they/we trample in the process. It's pretty depressing, really. Will things ever really change? Will my efforts as a social worker and citizen really make lasting improvements for those in need?

I don't really know, to be honest. Yet I still have hope. And, if you're wondering, I do recommend Belcher for a teacher. Of course, we'll have to see what I think next week when we recieve our take home mid-term. I've never had my whole grade rely on just a mid-term and final before, so I'm quite nervous. I'll let you know how that goes.

On a random note, a bit of advice for those of you who are in the process of applying to grad school: Get your medical information together! I can't tell you how much I wish that I had gathered all my medical records way before I even sent my application in. For example, since it's now 7 years after I started my undergrad, my undergraduate colleges put my records into some vault off campus for storage and thus made it harder to retrieve. Avoid the frantic paper chasing!

Hope you all have a wonderful week,
Sharon

Posted by Sharon at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello All,

Welcome to the wonderful, soul searching, possibly dangerous, World of Social Work! My name is Sharon and I'm really honored to be able to share my experiences as a first year, graduate level social work student with you. Since we're going to be friends, thought I'd share a bit about myself:

I have a wonderful husband named Chris, and, since this is usually the 1st or 2nd thing people ask me, I am half Chinese and half Irish and technically a first generation American. I moved to Maryland just over a year ago to marry my husband. Before then, I lived in Maine, Connecticut, and 5 different cities in Pennsylvania, the most recent being Washington, PA where I was a youth and campus minister. Therefore, maple syrup must be real, ice cream must have 3 times the legal limit of fat, it must be called "water ice," and ketchup must be Heinz. After becoming a Social Worker to counsel teens and their families, I hope to become a professional ballroom dancer, a carpenter (and electrician), master a martial art, take theology courses, and be in a Batman movie. But, those other things will have to wait.

I am taking the standard foundation courses for full time students: Human Behavior, Social Work Research, Social Welfare/Policy, and Social Work Practice, which goes along with my field placement at the New Foundations School. I just started my placement on Tuesday (just a week later than everyone else. But hey, New Foundations was on summer break and the Field Education office gave me the wrong contact phone number anyways. It's all good now.) and I already can tell that it is definitely going to be an interesting year. The school is all boys, all of whom have been kicked out of other schools for whatever reason and so they end up here. I have started sitting in on two group therapy sessions, which have been fairly calm, considering there were 2 fights already in another group session. Eventually I will also be meeting one-on-one with two of the students each week. Trust me, I've already started praying about that!

So that's my new life in a nutshell. Tune in next week to read more!
Have a great day!
-Sharon

(Title Quote from Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack)

Posted by Sharon at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)