Spring!

Hey!
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Wow, I haven't updated this in nearly three months.

I have officially been working at Children's Choice for three months. Hard to believe. One of my coworkers, who started about two weeks before I did, has quit. She left about two weeks ago and did not give two weeks notice. We have yet to hire a new worker, so things have been pretty crazy, especially for my supervisor, who has taken over her fourteen person caseload in the meantime, in addition to her responsibilities as a program coordinator.

My caseload has moved around a little bit.  I now have sixteen children on my caseload. Nine are foster care and seven are aftercare, which means they have been reunified with their parents, and I make at least one a month home visits to make sure things are going well. This month has been crazy. I had to move a sibling group of four from their aunt's to a new foster home. Unfortunately, that new foster parent could not keep all four foster children, and the two younger siblings had to be moved to a new home. They get to see each other at visits with the mom every Tuesday, which is good. But this case has been crazy for me this month.

A lot of these kids have had multiple caseworkers. I know at least three or four within the past six months. This job is tough. I work really long hours and have to drive all over the place. Working in North Philadelphia is quite an experience. I am learning a lot. Although I wouldn't want want to do this work the rest of my life, I am going to try to stick it out, for the sake of these kids. I may make mistakes (my supervisor is not the best at training new workers in how to do the job), but I am slowly starting to figure out how to make this all work.

I'm starting to look at grad schools too. I will probably go to Temple and get my Master's in Social Work. I'm not sure how I am going to balance working and going to school (part-time), but somehow I will make it work. It will all be worth it someday soon. I know most people won't/ don't get why I want to do this kind of work, but as cliche as this sounds, God is calling me to it.

My job has kind of taken over my life, which is unfortunate. I am trying to take time out for myself to relax. I am learning to just take things one day at a time. I had Good Friday off, which was really nice, and I have about six days of vacation time to use, so I also decided to take off Monday, as well. I have a dentist appointment, which is good, because I haven't been able to go in almost a year. I have not had dental insurance until I was hired at Children's Choice.

I am very happy that spring is here and that the weather is finally starting to warm up! Hopefully I will be able to get out and run like I had been doing in the fall. Next weekend I will be going on a retreat for post-college age students at Keystone (I'm backkkk haha). I hope it'll be fun!

Working

Hi! So I have now been working at Children's Choice for about three weeks now. It is crazy. This job is definitely stressful, but it is nice to have a full-time job with benefits. Most of my caseload are children who have been reunified with their parents, which is pretty cool.

Today,  I had to attend a hearing for one of my clients. She is to be reunified with her father after three overnight visits at his place. Then I will start aftercare services, where I visit my client at her new home twice a month to make sure she is safe and things are going alright. I do have one three week old client and have been having problems with the foster mother. She has "so many appointments" and has been really unwilling to set up visitation with the mother because she can't change any of her schedule around. The birth mother has been allowed weekly supervised visits so we have done two so far. They are going to be moving the baby out of the current foster mom's house as she no longer wants to have her in her care. She has been calling me, my supervisor, the DHS worker assigned to the case pretty much every day angry about something. I had heard the birth parents are the ones to watch out for, but I guess in this case it's the foster parent. Soon, I won't have to deal with her for long, which will be good.

Next week, I have trainings at the main office in New Jersey. I'll get to see my friend Rose since she lives five minutes from there, which is pretty cool. Since I am working all the time, it's harder for me to find time to workout. I need to start putting my gym clothes in my car and go after work. I drive right past Planet Fitness in Jenkintown, there is no reason I can't go.

~Jenna

Changes...

Hello! Oh wow I didn't realize, but it is has been over a month since I've updated my blog.

Well. It finally happened. I got a full-time job! I will be working as a Foster Care Caseworker with an agency called Children's Choice. It is a Christian agency, and the CEO's son, who I interviewed with, also went to Eastern, which I think really helped me. It is salaried, which is a blessing and a curse. I will at least know the exact amount I will make every two weeks and will be able to budget for living expenses and loan payments accordingly. I will probably be doing a lot more work than I am truly being paid for, but that's the nature of Social Work, I guess. I will be driving all over Philly, but will be reimbursed for my mileage. I am a little nervous about parking. I know that sounds stupid, but that is honestly what I am nervous about. Oh yeah, and my safety, I guess. I am really going to miss Indian Creek a lot, especially my co-workers at TASP and my clients. We are having a nice dinner on my last day at an Italian restaurant in Souderton and I am excited. Sad and Excited.

 The office I will be working at is in North Philly, which will be a little scary, but I know I can do it. I have always had a desire to work in the inner-city, which most white people up here in the suburbs don't understand. Although my internship last year at the charter school was frustrating because of the lack of organization (I would frequently go in and be told they didn't know what to do with me), I enjoyed working with the teenagers there. Although I am white, and I believe the overwhelming majority of my future clients will be black or Hispanic, I am excited. Eastern, believe it or not, broadened my horizons to African American culture in a way that I never, ever would have thought. I was placed in a gospel choir called Angels of Harmony my freshman year, which exposed me to African American churches. I met my best friend, Rose, there and many of my other friends. Although I was not able to do the choir my junior and senior year, I still look back fondly on my time there and am thankful for the experience.

I start my new job on December 17th, I think. Hopefully my child abuse clearances will be in by then.  I'm not exactly sure how that will fit with Christmas time, but that is not really my problem.

I still am trying to keep up with exercise, though I run indoors now at the gym, though not three miles. I hate the cold and will run indoors until it starts to get warmer. I really hope it is not too snowy of a winter, especially since I will be driving all over the place.

I have started attending another church. It's call Epic Church and it's in Manayunk. It is pretty cool, it's a church in a movie theater and most of the church is working professionals, or so it seems. They boast being a church that is accepting of all kinds of people and it seems there is a bit more diversity at this church, not just white suburban kids who go/ went to MontCo. I still meet with my friend Wendy weekly for a bible study of 1 Corinthians, which has been good. I don't know how much longer I will be able to do this, depending on my schedule at Children's Choice.

Although it took me seven months post college to find a full-time job, I am really glad I held out and am so blessed and thankful to finally have this job. Indian Creek was wonderful, but I need full-time hours that are reliable. I get cancelled on frequently by my TSS clients at home. If I don't post again before Christmas, Happy Holidays! I will have to change the name of the blog soon, seeing as how my birthday is on the 28th. Crazy to think that about a year ago, I was taking final exams in Denmark, and I was super ready to come home. Before I know it, I'll be 30. Ew. Haha Just kidding.

Unrest

Hi!

Wow a lot has happened since the last time I posted. On October 29th, Hurricane Sandy hit us. Thankfully we only lost power for two days and were without cable, internet, and home phone services for five days. It could have been so much worse for us. Poor New Jersey and New York got really slammed. Yesterday, a little snow storm came and it snowed in New Jersey and New York. Like they haven't been through enough. People are still without power in some of those areas. I might be going with alma mater to help out in New Jersey on Saturday. I have to find out if I will be approved to go.

My job has been giving me some stress. With the hurricane, it meant that I couldn't work for most of the week, which really, really sucks. My one client cancelled one of their sessions this week, so my pay check is going to be very low. I have huge student loans to pay off, and starting this month I have to pay loans #2. Needless to say, they are very high and money is really tight. I wish I had a full-time job with paid time off. I interviewed for a full-time position on Friday, but haven't heard back yet. I don't think I'm going to get it because I don't have enough experience- they ask for at least one year. It also sounded like they were doing okay without the Bachelor's level Mental Health Worker. I do still like working for Indian Creek, but I am going to have to get another part-time job to do on the weekends. I wish I didn't have to, but oh well. I interviewed with Banana Republic, but they never got back to me.

I am still looking for full-time positions, but I can see most companies point- I have had three months worth of professional experience post- grad. I forget if I wrote in the last post, but I was offered a job at Melmark, but decided not to take it. It was 33 miles each way, I had to pay tolls. They wanted me to work during snow storms, and the clients were really low-functioning, and sorry to sound like a snob but I didn't go to college to be hit and have to take people to the bathroom. I may be an idiot for turning down a full-time job, but hopefully I will find one that is right, or maybe can make it work with Indian Creek.

I'm still looking at grad schools, but I won't get into that right now. I just have a lot going on. Hopefully it will die down soon. I am probably going to try going to another church. I don't feel at home at the current one I have been attending. I had been attending a Bible study, which I really enjoyed, and then it all of a sudden abruptly ended. I still don't understand. The young people who attend that church also tend to be very judgmental and mostly all the same. Most young people that attend go to MontCo (the local community college) or have attended MontCo and *love* living in Montgomeryville/ Hatfield,  or whatever, and are all white and Republican. I lean more Democrat, do not want to live in the Philadelphia suburbs with all middle-class,White people my whole life, and do not feel that a lot of the people who attend this church are that intelligent. There I said it. It's mean, I know, but it's how I feel. Not everyone I have encountered is like that, but I feel that most I have met are.

I don't expect to go to church and constantly have deep, intellectual conversations, or expect people to be liberal, especially in a Protestant church in America, but I do want a church where I can meet different kinds of people, not just white, 20-somethings, who go to MontCo and believe that men are more superior to women. I literally sat at a diner after church on Sunday near a guy from the church talking to another girl, basically saying how men and women are "so different" and women are "so much more emotional" than men. That is not true. Man or Woman, Black or White, young or old, Disabled or Able-bodied- we are all the same to God. He loves us all. Needless to say, I am starting my church search, once again. Alone. I can do it. I did it in Denmark and if I can do it there, I can do it here.

~Jenna

Decisions, decisions

Hello! Life is moving fast. I can't believe it is almost mid-October. It feels like it was September 7 just yesterday.

Things are going really well at Indian Creek Foundation. I really love TASP (Therapeutic After School Program). I have a lot of fun doing that. I work Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays there. I lead "Game Club". Last week, we played War and Egyptian Rat Screw (well, we called it the Egyptian Rat Game). Then, I had them play soccer. That went pretty well, it just is kind of a violent game and was a bit too loud and stressful for some of the kids. I have enjoyed leading games, but never would have thought I would have been given that responsibility. When I worked at Camp Sankanac and Carson Simpson, there were way more athletic counselors that would lead Sports or Activities than me. It's kind of funny that I now am given that duty. I do like it, though.

I also TSS and work with two different boys. One is 3 and the other is 7. I do that for 6 hours a week, and I like it. My only dislike is that it is only part-time and I get no benefits. For the TSS, the families can cancel on you and you don't get paid. You are also not paid mileage, which kind of stinks. I am going to be getting a new case in Hatfield in a couple of weeks, which will bring me up to 24 hours a week, but that still isn't enough.

I do, however, have an interview with Melmark in Berwyn this coming Wednesday. It is full-time, offers benefits, and I wouldn't have to drive all over the place- I'd work in a school. They also offer tuition reimbursement, which is awesome! Indian Creek does not. The only downsides are that it is 30 miles away from me in Willow Grove, I have to pay tolls ( about $13.30 weekly), I'd need to buy a newer car to be able to handle the drive, and I don't particularly like the Main Line. I thought I was leaving that area forever, but maybe not. I'll keep you posted.

Today, I went to Bryn Mawr for an open house for the Social Work graduate program. I was very impressed. Bryn Mawr reminded me a lot of Eastern, the way the roads are getting to and from the school, and the Social Work building is old like a lot of the buildings at Eastern are. It basically is a more prestigious, non-religious version of Eastern.A lot of women, much like Eastern is, too. I also went to a grad open house last week at Temple. I was also impressed with their program. It is a bigger program and they didn't have as entitled an attitude as Bryn Mawr, but BM is a higher ranked Social Work program. I feel more called to live and work in an urban environment. Temple would probably be cheaper. I am looking at UPenn, too, but don't think I'll get in. They are more research oriented,  I hear, and I don't have much research experience.

As you can see I have a lot of decisions to make. Today was also Homecoming at Eastern and I got to see Catherine, who I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice to be back at Eastern. They re-did McInnins and it looks very nice. Tonight, is UM Homeshow and it is Alumni Band. I couldn't make the practice in the morning, but it will be nice to see people that I haven't seen in a while.

Moving on

Hey!

It is definitely beginning to feel like fall. I can now whip out the long sleeved shirts, jackets, jeans, and put away the shorts and summer clothes. I remember a year ago when I was abroad, I had left for Milan in early October. The weather in Denmark at the time was remarkably warm and in Milan, Italy it was pretty warm- about 80 degrees F. When I came back to Copenhagen a week later, however, it was suddenly much colder, which was a shock. Wish I was going on a trip to Milan right now!

Indian Creek is going well. I love the after school program. I led games this past Friday. The kids were more hyper and not listening as well. One of the kids brought Dutch Blitz, which is a super hard game, and is especially hard for kids with Autism. We also played Steal the Bacon, which went alright, except for the fact that the kids were real loud and not listening.

I start the other part of my job, TSS, where I'll work with clients one-on-one to help reduce unwanted behaviors and increase coping skills and help to pass along the skills to the parent. I have observed two other TSS workers working with other clients and am going to one tomorrow. I then have a 12 hour training, and then I will start the other part of my job.

I quit Panera last Monday. I have been with the company on- and - off for almost two years, which is crazy to me. I started working at Panera to make money to study abroad and for some insane reason decided to start working there again (at a different location) in February until now. I practically now could be a manager, which I have no desire to be.

Now that the the weather is getting colder, more people are coming to Panera, and more people = more problems. I was planning on working at Panera every Saturday, since Indian Creek is only about 30 hours a week to make some extra money, but working last weekend completely changed my mind. Last weekend was really awful. The employees that work at Panera who A. Care and B. Know what they are doing, all left for college, so they hired a LOT of new people. It is really frustrating because things are not running smoothly and no one but me, really, knows how to do things properly.

The customers that weekend were mostly pretty awful.Very impatient and condescending.We had one woman start screaming at us because before when she came to Panera there were croutons in her soup and she doesn't like croutons. She the proceeded to very closely watch the line prepare her food. Before they were even finished putting her side on the plate (an apple) she takes her plate and starts screaming, literally screaming, about how she can't believe they forgot her apple and oh now there is soup spilled on the side of her bowl! They give her a new bowl of soup and she then starts yelling about needing to see a manager. My manager was no where to be found because she was taking inventory in the baker's walk in and couldn't hear us. The woman eventually calmed down, but it was kind of scary. I'm pretty sure that woman had some sort of mental illness.

 That weekend, I also had an issue with a manager taking my phone for leaving next to my register behind the receipt printer (where no customer can even see) without saying anything. What am I in middle school? "A zero-tolerance policy for phones! If we see it or hear it, we must take it away!" That was a policy my high school. The last time I checked, I was out of high school, though to be fair, many of my Panera co-workers are in high school. I am a fairly mature person and would like to be treated like one. The manager who took my phone (and my other co-workers, mind you) clearly thinks differently. If she had warned me and said "Hey! If I see your phone there again, I will take it" that is one thing, but she took it! I confronted her about it and told her how I felt and she goes, "I shouldn't have to warn you, you signed the handbook!" Yeah, two years ago... I did get my phone back, though.

Needless to say, I'm pretty done with Panera. I have one more shift and then I'm done. Yesterday, I worked and it wasn't to bad. Probably because I worked with a manager who I like and also worked with at the Wayne location, too. Hopefully, I will be able to find another little source of income. 

I also have been training for a 5K with this program called Couch to 5K. I am currently in week 4. It starts off slow, running for 60 sec, then walking for 90 seconds during week one and it gradually goes up from there. I think I may be signing up for a 5K with my friend in October. I'm a little nervous, but it should be fun! Today, I ran/ walked 2.5 miles, which is crazy! I could barely do a mile before.

Sorry this post was so long. I had a lot to say. I am little sad to be leaving Panera, but I just can't imagine working there during XMas. I did that once in 2010, and NEVER AGAIN!

~Jenna

September

Hello!

I can't believe it is already September. I was not in America during the fall last year, so it is a little strange to be here with the season getting cooler. I remember coming back in December and it being cold and I still had summer clothes in my dresser at home.

I started my job on Friday at Indian Creek. I really liked it. I will start the TSS Worker stuff within the next couple weeks. I did the after school program on Friday. I was a little nervous about working with kids with Autism, but I found the kids in the program to be fun and not too difficult. Part of duties include being assigned two children and keep count of their behaviors. Each child has goals. My one client had a goal to keep on track with activities and not just walk away without saying sometime to the person they are with that they were done playing. I had to keep a tally of every time he interacted with another peer and every time he kept to himself.

The majority of the kids in the program are boys. A lot of these children are very, very intelligent, they just lack the ability to pick up social cues. I got to lead a game with the kids called social skills where they got to practice how they would react in different social situations, e.g., "pretend you see a friend playing a game you don't know how to play. What could you say to your friend to get them to teach you how to play the game?"

Last night, I got go out with some friends that I went to high school with. It's been a couple of years since I have seen some of these people. My one friend is getting married in January and will soon be buying a house! Ahh! Can't believe I am so old. Also, I saw many, many people from Upper Moreland. It was weird. There were also two UM teachers there. I never had these teachers, but it was pretty weird none the less.

I am very happy to have a job in my field and I hopefully will get more hours soon!

~Jenna