OK well i know its been a month but apparently life gets crazy. It feels like not a lot has been going on and yet Ive been here a month and all Ive been doing really is study and more study. Classes are good...still going over the basics but this week the new stuff kicks off. So far I have managed to keep my grades at a ... satisfactory level so as far as classes go Im feeling pretty right. Practicum has been pretty crazy we move from one child to the next every hour which coupled with only being at the center 10 hours a week has made picking up on everything a bit of a struggle. However, last week I feel like I started really breaking through the fog. I had a tantruming four year old and I managed to work through it working as her therapist instead of just the observer for a change and was even OK when the trainer left us alone for half an hour. It was great!
Unfortunately havent had as many opportunites to get outside the college since I got here but I did manage to pull off a day trip to New York City last weekend which was an ... interesting and very tiring experience. There really is nothing like standing 70 storeys above the ground and looking out over NYC. However, it wasn't as enjoyable as Id hoped but I think that was mostly a planning and timing thing....I spent 7 hours walking around 12 square blocks because I didnt have a decent map to feel safe enough to stray further from the bus station and I wasnt going to be in the city long enough to justify a bus/subway day pass.
Not a lot going on with Rotary so far but its picking up slowly which is great. I was really excited because we have the street fair next weekend which is the clubs biggest fundraiser for the year. Sadly Im going to miss it because I have to go to Rotary Orientation is Massechuesetts that weekend as its the only one close enough to us for me to take a train rather than having to fly. It should be good though, a chance to meet some of the other scholars in the north eastern states anyway. Plus i get a day and a half to explore Boston which Ive been wanting to do since I arrived here. (Better still the club kindly offered to pay for my train tickets and the orientation fee which is a great help).
Last Saturday I got to attend the district's Presidents Ball (a really nifty excuse to get dressed up, have really cheap/free drinks and celebrate the new club presidents in the district. It was great fun we had a table of people from our club (who have now dubbed me 'Miss New Zealand') who were very keen to embarrass me (they'll have to try harder) and get me joining them in drinking and dancing. I really got to know some of the club members a lot better I even have a lunch date with one of the wonderful ladies at the club, Christy, and the woman in charge of the End Polio program for the district, Karien. Its really nice to have so many new contacts and I have managed to get a couple more presentations lined up.
What else? I got a call this week for an interview regarding the ABA center, my scholarship and Rotary which I had to write a small piece for and get photos taken for this afternoon which will be in the paper on Wednesday....quite keen to see what has been writen. This Tuesday I have my first inbound presentation which will be pretty cool...hopefully they can all understand my accent OK. I've already schooled a few of them about New Zealand and everything....by the time Im done there isnt going to a Rotarian left in Caldwell (and hopefully the surrounding towns) who doesnt know where New Zealand is and roughly where the main cities are.
Right well that is enough of an update for now...I will try and get better at updating everyone...hopefully in the next week or so there will be a lot more to report and it might even get reported.
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