I figured it was time :)

So I figured I should write something before I lose all my followers, if I haven't already. Things were pretty drab here for a bit so I didn't want to bore you with frivolous details.  I am now in Outreach 100% of my time which means I get to do assessments and recruiting.  We recently went to a needle exchange, so that was really interesting.  I've heard about them but had never seen one in person.  This one is city run and it's a van, kind of like a small camper, that parks at certain locations around Baltimore.  People walk inside the van with their used needles and how ever many they turn in is how many they receive.  They also have an opportunity to be tested for HIV.  I have mixed feelings about needle exchanges, but at least people have an opportunity to use clean needles instead of sharing with others which spread disease.

As people would leave with their new needles, we would stop them and ask if they would be interested in joining a paid job-training study where they would also receive methadone treatment.  If they said yes, then we would ask them a few questions to see if they qualify for the study then ask them to come in to the office for an appointment. Unfortunately, none of the people we met actually came in for their appointments. So we will be going out soon to try again.

Other than that the only new thing here is that my supervisor is moving out of state.  He is the only person here who is currently a board certified behavior analyst, so he will continue to be my supervisor via phone until the director gets his licence renewed.  Thankfully my supervisor is staying on as a consultant so he doesn't mind continuing my supervision, otherwise we could have been moving back home. Which as much as I would love to do, just isn't the best option.

We feel like we're finally getting settled in here.  It took some adjusting and it still does not feel like home, but we are enjoying it here.  It's fun being so close to DC and were able to see the cherry blossoms, which are totally worth the effort.  They were gorgeous!  There was one section that was near the Potomac River and it looked like a dream, it was just so pretty.  We are also enjoying the church we found. They seem very happy to have a full tech team attending their church. The sound guy and pastor want to meet with Michael to discuss some things.  They understand we are on sabbatical while we're here, but we will help them work out a few kinks.

I think that's it for now, I'll try and do better about keeping up with this :)

Catching up...

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been trying to get over a migraine and I'm finally feeling normal again.  I think the lack of sleep since Daniel being born has finally caught up to me. But I'm a little more caught up on sleep now and feeling much better.

So, things are picking up at my internship.  I'm not officially moving back and forth from the classroom (which is where everyone works) and the lab.  I'm getting very comfortable with my tasks and the participants are warming up to me. I have quite a few responsibilities now.  I have to do a check once a week to make sure everyone is going to treatment, I help with purchase orders which is how the participants receive their gift certificates and pay their bills, I help introduce new participants to the program, and I help as a research assistant.  Plus I just fill in the gaps when they need an extra hand. 

On a funny note, they are having a cook-off here on the 7th and Mexican is the theme.  This happened after my 2nd day or so we were talking in the breakroom about all the good Mexican food we have back in Texas.  I was talking with one of the other volunteers on Wednesday, and she was saying how I probably make really good Mexican food since I'm from Texas. I told her can make really good enchiladas, and she asked what those were!  The only Mexican we've seen since we've been here is Don Pablo's and Taco Bell.  I miss El Fenix!

Since I've been here, I've been trying to talk to who ever I can about where to go next for school. I've been told Florida, Arkansas, West Virginia.  Well, this week, I decided to email one of my Substance Abuse professors.  He suggested I go to Southern Illinois.  He said have a Masters program called Rehabilitation Administration that should allow me to do what I need to do to open my own facility. So I looked into, and saw they have a partial online program for working professionals.  I emailed the person in charge and he said they just opened the program up to be fully online, so I can do this from back home in Denton!!  So now not only did I find a school that has a program that will work for me, but I can do it from home.  YAY!!!! Thank you, God!!

Week 2

I completed another week here at CLH.  It had its ups and downs, but was overall a good week.  On Wednesday I met with the director.  He's the "big boss" and the one who is friends with the professor who got me here. Well, after sitting down and saying hellos, he asked me, "so what do you have for me, why are you here?" As in why I'm in Maryland working for him.  I was stunned, I figured he would be the one giving me direction, not the other way around. So I explained to him why I came, what I want to do, and what I hope to get out of working at CLH.  I described the facility I hope to have one day for adolescents, and he was less than helpful.  He basically said he doesn't know how I can do that or even what I would need to start something like that.  But he said he would ask around and see if there's anyone I can talk with who can help. 

So I left the meeting feeling very discouraged. Before talking with him, I was already feeling like I wasn't needed here and wasn't sure exactly why I was here.  And after the meeting, I really was doubting us being here.  But I prayed about it on my way home and God reminded me that he brought us here and there is a reason. 

On Thursday, I was less than motivated to come in, but I put on a happy face and walked through the door.  I'm glad I did.  Thursdays are not typically busy days, but for some reason this one was.  We had a new participant start, so I read him all the instructions and got him set up with his computer.  I got to collect a urine sample, sounds gross but it's still kinda cool.  Then I met with my supervisor for our first official supervision meeting.  I was going to tell him how I've been feeling and that I need more to do.  But before I could, he started saying how glad everyone is that I'm here and how big of a help I've been.  That they really appreciate everything I've done so far and look forward to what else I have to offer.  Then said that he wants me to move on to the lab and start working in there more.  And once I'm done with that, then I can move on to Outreach.  And he gave me a project that I'll be starting in a few weeks.  Then said if I ever feel like I have nothing to do or ready for something new to come to him.  So without me saying a word, he addressed all of my concerns and reassured me I do have a place here. 

So what did I learn this week: My supervisor is won't be someone who can help me figure out where to go next, but he will be a big help while I'm here.  He's going to be able to direct me where to go and what I can do to get my hours in. The director will not be much help directly, but he does know a lot of people and can give me a nice recommendation letter when I leave.  Which by the way, he did email one of his friends who I'm going to meet with on Friday. I also was reminded this is where we need to be right now, and although it's not exactly how I pictured, it's going to work out in our favor because God has His hands on this.

My first week

Last week was my first full week.  It was really weird having to leave the house every day.  I don't like leaving the boys, but it was a good week.  It's really fun being in the environment I've been studying about for the past 4 years.

I finally finished all of the training modules and am ready to take on any task they give me.  So far each day I run reports, help participants with computer issues and I'm starting to help out in the lab.  On Wednesday, I was left in charge of the front because Scott was out sick.  So I checked in all the participants and helped them when they had issues with their computers.  On Thursday, I went back to the lab and observed them.  This is where they collect urine samples and analyze them.  They have this big machine that tells them what drugs the participants have in their system.  It's very sciency and kinda cool watch.  One of the technicians is working on a research project to get the participants to dress more professionally and asked me to help, so I am now her research assistant. My job is to take pictures of the participants in the study.  Friday, I stayed home because none of us felt good, except Evan, he felt great.

I'll write again on Friday to let you all know how this week went.  My plan is to write every Friday, unless something exciting happens on a particular day. I hope you're enjoying it.

My first day

Today was my first day as a Johns Hopkins Volunteer.  My TB test came back negative, I received my badge and was ready to get to work.  It wasn't the most exciting first day ever, but it was still good.  I spent the majority of my time reading training modules and following around one of the staff, who I'll call Scott.  He's the guy I'll be working with the most and for the next couple of days I'll be his shadow learning the ropes.  Everyone, including all the participants, were very nice.  I never felt unsafe or weirded out by any of them.  Some you can definitely tell live on the street or pretty close to, but they were all very friendly.

For the next month, I'll be working in the Therapeutic Workplace.  This is where participants come in and work.  My job is to help them with technical problems and to assist Scott.  I'll eventually move into working in the lab helping assist where I can.  The lab is where the technicians collect urine samples for analysis.  My next month will be working in the Outreach department where they recruit new participants.  I'll help with assessments and getting the participants oriented to their new job.  Once I get familiar with that, then I can decide where I want to dedicate most of my time.  Both the Therapeutic Workplace and Outreach need help, so they're already fighting over me, but I've been given the choice of where I want to be.  That's the nice thing about being a volunteer.  They can't tell me what to do :)

It's going to be an adventure. I'm really looking forward to what all this opportunity has to offer.

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