Finally things have started rollin along! This week has finally felt like a real work week!! I can't tell you how excited that makes me. I had my meeting with both my supervisors on Monday and I expressed my frustrations with how I felt that I did not have enough work to do. They sympathized and said this is usually the case in the first month while everything is getting started up. I still have to meet with my other supervisor at the health center to figure out what exactly I am doing there. So far she has not been there the days I have been there so I have not done anything but twiddle my thumbs. Seeing as how I am not sure what I can and cannot do, more rather what I am supposed to be working on. Especially at a health center where a lot of things are confidential between patient and doctor, there is not a whole lot of self starting abilities at a health center.
Mitzi (my co-worker at the Family Resource Center, where I primarily work at the Elementary School) and I just had our Nutrition class with about 8 women from the community and it went smashingly!! It was so great!! I taught the whole class while Mitzi sort of elaborated on things and was there as kind of a comfort blanket for me haha as well as for the women since they know her really well.
Today's lesson was an overview of what the class is going to be like. Which will be as follows: first half hour will be sort of a lecture/discussion and then the second half will be making healthy foods and snacks. Each month will be focused on a particular vegetable or fruit. October is Squash month!!
Also on today's lesson I went over the dangers of processed foods, why sugar and salt are bad, and healthier alternatives for snacks for their kids. Then ended with giving them two recipes they can take home and make. Each class I will give them a few recipes to take home. Today I gave them the recipes for Apple Chips and Homemade Lara Bars.
I am also now counseling 4 kids at the elementary school helping them to figure out better choices instead of outbursts at home, bullying, impulsive behaviors, as well as helping them to lessen anxiety or gain better social behaviors. This has been a bit of a stretch for me, but I find I kind of am settling into it rather well. I've taken to doing art therapy with them. For example yesterday I had the little girl I am counseling and had her start by just drawing whatever she wanted, asking her about what she was drawing (she likes art a lot) then I had her draw a picture of her family, and as she was drawing I asked her about why she put her family members in that particular order, who she is closer to etc... The reason she is doing the counseling is for outbursts at home. I found it rather helpful to do it like that as she opened up a bit more then our previous session. So I am slowly navigating my way through all of this. But more importantly, I am super happy that things are finally picking up as the classes are getting started now.
Woohoo!!
This weekend is going to be a busy one as well. Another healthcorps member and I will be heading to LA to do the Beachpalooza 5k race which is on the beach (oh dear god) but it also has all kinds of things on the beach that we have either go through, climb up, jump off of etc... Then Sunday morning we will get up extra early and start driving back, but will stop in San Francisco for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival!! It's a free concert and her brothers band is playing in it!
I'll probably be wiped out on Monday, but it'll be totally worth it for a weekend of awesomeness!
That's all for now :-)
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