A New Beginning
A fellow volunteer cum social work seeker was chatting with me the other day.
he recommended that i check out the blog of a lady's journey into social work.
"Do you know her personally?" i asked.
"Nope. I googled and found her blog. She updated a lot when she was studying and finding her way into the field. good insights. but she hasn't blogged for a long time now."
"What happened?"
"She graduated and started working as a social worker. Then I think no more time to write anymore."
----------------------------
and so it is.
i haven't updated this blog for a while.
but not because i don't have the time.
it's because i have TWO blogs now.
and i have to submit reflections every week to my supervisor.
I was just typing one two days ago and I realised it's almost like i'm getting paid to blog (to my sup).
she looked almost apologetic that i had to submit a reflections report every week,
but I love this part of the job.
Last week she answered my question on "what is the line to draw with the clients? when do we help and when do we hold back?" with another question.
"I'm going to answer your question with 2 questions. What do you expect from yourself as a social worker? and What do you think your client expects from you as a social worker? Mull about it and then tell me what you think in your reflections"
I've certainly gained more clarity just by mulling on the questions. Genius i tell you, these counselling people.
-----------------------------------
I've been helping my supervisor write reports as well.
Bless her soul she has been so patient with me.
As i hammer out assessments, she would be like "er....your assessment should follow the key information that you recorded yes? it's like an analysis of the information."
And then the next report I would go into analysis overdrive and come out with some abstract assessment thing, and she would read it and go like "er....i think you can just say (this and that). No need so long."
Every time after a meeting with clients she would ask me of my assessment. And then smile patiently as I start strategizing into systemic changes "the child needs support. the client needs (etc etc etc)".
After some grand theory exposition on systems and changes, I would ask her "so what is the follow up action?"
"The next follow up is to issue food coupons to the client," she would reply, still smiling as sweetly as ever.
If i were on Ally McBeal, that would be a face palm moment.
Of course! In my eagerness to "think big" and systems, I conveniently forgot to feed the client. Systemic changes would be of little use to a starved client yes?
------------------------------------------------------
I asked my colleague the other day how long it took for her to reach home.
she told me maybe about 30 min, but she will time on her way home and tell me for sure the next day.
the next day she came to work and told me "Wah lau yesterday I timed until I missed my stop! I looked up and I was at Lakeside MRT!"
----------------------------------------------------------
The best thing about talking with the elderlies,
is that they say the darnest things.
I called one up the other day,
and the first thing she asked was "are you the thin or fat one?"
"er..fat one, fat one"
"Orrrrhhhh, I know which one!"
Grrrrrr....
---------------------------------------------
some of my colleagues have a grand sense of humour.
seriously witty and funny, in a non-intimidating or put down way.
there would be discussions on how people with "jaw lock" see the doctor (do they pretend to be biting into something the whole time in the bus?),
how many times a year we have "eat your family day",
and what "garden elegance" dress code means (grasshopper brooch?)
Then there are lots of pranks going round.
people on long hols would get their cubicles wrapped in raffia string (admin pple: "so THAT"s WHY we always run out of raffia string!")
there would be plans on whatsapp to call our centre manager "Ms xxx" and stand up when she walks in so that the new interns would get nervous in her presence,
and some of them got tricked into preparing a song item when they first joined ("they told me to prepare to sing my favorite hymn!") as the HQ HR would usually introduce new staff at corporate gatherings.
The HQ HR, by the way, flashed the wrong photo of me when they introduced me at the corporate event.
Genuine mistake, not prank.
They were very apologetic after that. i thought it was pretty funny.
So now you know what social workers do in the office.
---------------------------------------------------------
I was looking at my own support structures the other day,
a social work assessment thing (yeah i remembered to feed myself first),
and i realise being out of the country has a way of isolating and cutting off all your friends.
i guess at a certain age,
you just can't afford to lose touch anymore.
people just get too busy with their families and they are gone forever.
it didn't help that in cambodia we got way too busy.
Maybe that's what steph meant when she said all the changing of countries made her wonder where she really belonged. it's like she didn't belong anywhere.
I suppose it is time to start anew.
New job, new church, new club, new hobby.
It is the year of the jubilee after all...where everything starts afresh.
he recommended that i check out the blog of a lady's journey into social work.
"Do you know her personally?" i asked.
"Nope. I googled and found her blog. She updated a lot when she was studying and finding her way into the field. good insights. but she hasn't blogged for a long time now."
"What happened?"
"She graduated and started working as a social worker. Then I think no more time to write anymore."
----------------------------
and so it is.
i haven't updated this blog for a while.
but not because i don't have the time.
it's because i have TWO blogs now.
and i have to submit reflections every week to my supervisor.
I was just typing one two days ago and I realised it's almost like i'm getting paid to blog (to my sup).
she looked almost apologetic that i had to submit a reflections report every week,
but I love this part of the job.
Last week she answered my question on "what is the line to draw with the clients? when do we help and when do we hold back?" with another question.
"I'm going to answer your question with 2 questions. What do you expect from yourself as a social worker? and What do you think your client expects from you as a social worker? Mull about it and then tell me what you think in your reflections"
I've certainly gained more clarity just by mulling on the questions. Genius i tell you, these counselling people.
-----------------------------------
I've been helping my supervisor write reports as well.
Bless her soul she has been so patient with me.
As i hammer out assessments, she would be like "er....your assessment should follow the key information that you recorded yes? it's like an analysis of the information."
And then the next report I would go into analysis overdrive and come out with some abstract assessment thing, and she would read it and go like "er....i think you can just say (this and that). No need so long."
Every time after a meeting with clients she would ask me of my assessment. And then smile patiently as I start strategizing into systemic changes "the child needs support. the client needs (etc etc etc)".
After some grand theory exposition on systems and changes, I would ask her "so what is the follow up action?"
"The next follow up is to issue food coupons to the client," she would reply, still smiling as sweetly as ever.
If i were on Ally McBeal, that would be a face palm moment.
Of course! In my eagerness to "think big" and systems, I conveniently forgot to feed the client. Systemic changes would be of little use to a starved client yes?
------------------------------------------------------
I asked my colleague the other day how long it took for her to reach home.
she told me maybe about 30 min, but she will time on her way home and tell me for sure the next day.
the next day she came to work and told me "Wah lau yesterday I timed until I missed my stop! I looked up and I was at Lakeside MRT!"
----------------------------------------------------------
The best thing about talking with the elderlies,
is that they say the darnest things.
I called one up the other day,
and the first thing she asked was "are you the thin or fat one?"
"er..fat one, fat one"
"Orrrrhhhh, I know which one!"
Grrrrrr....
---------------------------------------------
some of my colleagues have a grand sense of humour.
seriously witty and funny, in a non-intimidating or put down way.
there would be discussions on how people with "jaw lock" see the doctor (do they pretend to be biting into something the whole time in the bus?),
how many times a year we have "eat your family day",
and what "garden elegance" dress code means (grasshopper brooch?)
Then there are lots of pranks going round.
people on long hols would get their cubicles wrapped in raffia string (admin pple: "so THAT"s WHY we always run out of raffia string!")
there would be plans on whatsapp to call our centre manager "Ms xxx" and stand up when she walks in so that the new interns would get nervous in her presence,
and some of them got tricked into preparing a song item when they first joined ("they told me to prepare to sing my favorite hymn!") as the HQ HR would usually introduce new staff at corporate gatherings.
The HQ HR, by the way, flashed the wrong photo of me when they introduced me at the corporate event.
Genuine mistake, not prank.
They were very apologetic after that. i thought it was pretty funny.
So now you know what social workers do in the office.
---------------------------------------------------------
I was looking at my own support structures the other day,
a social work assessment thing (yeah i remembered to feed myself first),
and i realise being out of the country has a way of isolating and cutting off all your friends.
i guess at a certain age,
you just can't afford to lose touch anymore.
people just get too busy with their families and they are gone forever.
it didn't help that in cambodia we got way too busy.
Maybe that's what steph meant when she said all the changing of countries made her wonder where she really belonged. it's like she didn't belong anywhere.
I suppose it is time to start anew.
New job, new church, new club, new hobby.
It is the year of the jubilee after all...where everything starts afresh.
