I’ve meant to update about this for months, and am finally getting around to it. May marked the end of two long years during which I drove to San Francisco weekly. It would probably make me a little sick to add up how much gas that is, in addition to my tuition. But I can also say that it was worth every second. It was such an amazing experience on so many levels. I was forever changed by my professors- I have such love and admiration for them. Not only for what they do as a profession with the visually impaired people, but for the way in which they taught us. So much dedication and passion.
I also learned so much from my diverse group. There were only 9 of us and we became pretty close. None of us are remotely similar, but that’s what made it so fun. There was such a fun dynamic and synergy in our group. That made it much easier to enjoy going to school each week.
On our last day, we all felt so many emotions. SO relieved and excited, and also so sad! Wendy kept our “graduation ceremony” secret until the end of the day. We all stood in an arc, with our canes, and hummed the traditional graduation song daaaa-da-da-daa-daaaa-daaaa. Each of us walked through the arc and at the end, we got a big hug from Wendy along with a packet and CD of pics she had taken for us. So sweet!
Then we all went to Chevy’s for the traditional after-graduation dinner. Wendy said she was extra excited to participate in this with our group because we had such a positive energy. She said there have been groups in the past (just a few in her 25 years) where she didn’t even initiate the final gathering because it just wasn’t good. We literally stayed at Chevy’s from 5-10:30pm and still didn’t want to leave!~
Here are the “last men standing” (Joyce, Erica, Me, Teacher Yana, Teacher Wendy and Teacher Sandy Staples)
After all that excitement…I’m not really close to done. Since May, I’ve been chipping away at my internship. I have 440 hours to do for my internship. I think I only have 70 done! I’m currently working with adults through the Department of Rehab. And in the fall, I will also work with Clovis Unified. I will get more like 30 hours a week done in the fall, so I’m really hoping to wrap it all up by January??
I’m also still going up to San Fran monthly, until November. And then I’m done going up there! It’s a seminar class where we have lots of readings, online discussions, and creating our own portfolios. It’s actually really helpful during our internships, to have a place to bring questions or concerns. The only negative is that i get to pay nearly $4000 for the internship seminar class, AND my 9 units of internship. Paying to work! Can’t wait till I actually get paid…someday?
I currently usually see clients on Friday and Saturday mornings. It’s soooo hot here, so often we start at 7:00 am or earlier. It can be draining to see a few clients in a row. By noon, I often have 6 hours of work done. Walking on streets, studying intersections or taking city buses for specific lessons.I love the people I’ve met so far. I’ve worked primarily with Ray (pictured, 58), Krystle (26), Nathan (45) and Vanessa (32). There are a few more that are harder to meet up with, but are on my caseload.
Sometimes I feel elated and happy helping them. Other times I feel weighed down and confused. I think that probably comes with the territory! These are not easy situations! Having no-vision creates so many challenges that require out of the box thinking and attitudes.
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