October: Year 3 semester 1 month 2

Hello,
       This month has been crazy. First of all I can't believe that it is the end of week 8 of a 15 week semester. The semester just seems to be flying by. I would say that since I last updated you four weeks ago my busyness level has gone up a lot. My internship has started picking up. The kids have been coming for a few weeks now and every week I feel like I am learning right along with them. The different experiences that the other teachers plan out for them also become memories for me that I can take with me.
     I have 5 or 6 group projects to complete this semester along with a variety of other things. One of the individual projects that I have to do is meet with an "older" adult 6 times throughout the course of the semester for a total of 8 hours by the end of the semester. The person I have picked has gone out of her way to provide me with a great experience already and we just met. I spent four hours with her yesterday and I had more fun than I have had almost all week. She gave me quite the tour of the retirement center. Started telling me about her life (even gave me some more assignments to do). She is a super sweet lady who just tells me like it is. At the end of the month I will get to go to roloff farms with my local LPA group and i am excited about that.
  I will be coming home for thanksgiving which is always a fun event especially because that means my next trip home isn't as far away.
Talk to you next month,
Allison

September: Year 4 semester 1 month 1

Welcome back,
        It is my senior year and it still amazes me how fast time has flown bye. Summer is over and fall has officially arrived. This last month I experienced my first LPA district regional and it was really fun. I met a lot of really nice people and got to reconnect with some friends of mine. At the convention I got to go on a boat tour of Lake coeur D'Alene and it was fun. I also got to fly to Spokane and celebrate my grandpas 80th birthday with my family.
         I am interning at a Head Start program here in Newberg this year. I am looking forward to it since I will be working with my ideal client population. This first month has gone by so fast. This summer I experienced post op depression which I now know happened last summer as well. I think the traveling that I did helped me to have a smoother transition into the new school year.

Tune in next month to hear what new adventures I had
Allison

Year 3: Semester 2: Month 2

Hi everyone,
        This has been an exciting month, I went to a mosque and that was an interesting experience.  I didn't really know what to expect but everybody who we met there was really nice. They answered all of our questions and were happy that we wanted to learn more about their religion. We had to wear hijabs and I think it added to the experience because it gave us an idea of what they have to wear in public every day.
       Last Tuesday, I received a letter in the campus mail saying that I was eligible for  phi alpha honor society. This is an internationally recognized organization that is specifically for social work. Members are chosen based on their overall GPA and their performance in their core social work classes. I was surprised but happy to have been chosen since I don't get chosen for things like this very often.
       Early in February, we filled out a form listing our four top choices for agencies which we would want to interview/intern with. Then our internship coordinator chooses three or four agencies for us to interview with at field fair which is this upcoming Monday the 7th of march. This is always exciting because it is the first step to deciding where each student interns next year.
     This week I started looking at which classes I wanted/ needed to take next year. It dawned on me that I am going to be a senior in college next year. Where on earth did the time go. This means that I will also be graduating. I have loved my time here at Fox and can't imagine where I would be if I had chosen to go to another college or university. I honestly feel that God called me to go to George Fox and has therefore guided me through this journey. I am aware that I still have a year and a couple months left but I know that they will fly by as the other three years have.
I hope you enjoyed reading this months update.
Allison

Year 3: Semester 2: January

Hi,
This first month of the semester has gone by very quickly. It is still hard for me to believe that a third of the semester is over. This semester consists of classes and my internship which takes place three days a week. My social work classes are all going well. I am taking a practice 2 class which includes learning about leading groups and working with families, Human in Social Environment 2 which is a continuation of a class from last semester. The other three classes that I am taking are a practicum class which oversees my internship, a stats class, and a world religions class.

My internship is the same as it was last semester. I am interning at a Friends church also known as "Quaker". I have been going to this church on Sunday as well. I am working with the children and family ministries. I enjoy the people that I am working with although I will admit that sometimes the work is frustrating and tests my patience.

I hope everyone is doing well. I will be home in about a month and a half for spring break and easter so even though I miss everyone the semester will go fast. Please pray that I can keep my focus where it needs to be and not on where I want to be.
Thanks for reading
Allison

Year three-month 2-3 the October-November

Hi everyone,
Within the last two months, I wrote my first two 8+ page papers. One was about child abuse and the effects that it can have on the child and the other one was an autobiography about my development from infancy to adolescence. This was a somewhat interesting paper to write since I was able to learn a lot about myself and see how the events of my life leading up to today have affected who I am as a person. I lost my voice for the first time in a long time this month. That was not a fun experience. I decided to come home for thanksgiving which I am excited about since I have not come home for thanksgiving at all since starting college.
         In the first weekend of November, I completed a safety training course for my social work practice class which was fun. We learned different moves to help us stay safe when we are working in the field. At first I did not think that the moves would work for me in terms of the height difference. The instructors were able to work with me in adjusting the moves so that I could do them. One of the moves we learned was how to get a gun away from an active shooter.
       My internship is going well. I have finished up all of my pre-hours which is basically like orientation for the spring when our internships really start. I love working at the church that I am interning at especially getting to know the families and the kids. This semester has gone by so fast. After thanksgiving we have two weeks and then finals. In between now and then I have two more social work papers due, and a term paper and I am done. Can't wait to see many of you soon.
Allison

Year 3: month 1-september

Hi everyone,
      It's hard to believe that four weeks of the semester have already come and gone. I am loving this semester. I do have to say though about two weeks ago I was beginning to think " how on earth am I going to make it through this semester". I began to doubt that I could do it. Thankfully though that has changed. I am in the swing of things now and have a schedule. This semester I started an internship that I absolutely love. I get to spend two hours a week taking care of children and the rest is helping with the children's and family ministries.
        Last week I was able to be a part of a panel of students who have disabilities. This was cool because even though many times I don't consider myself to have a disability. According to the government I do. I love the house that I live in.  Those of you who knew us when we lived on Fey street; I'm told it looks similar to that house. My knee has had its up and downs. As of the week, this blog was written. My knee has done pretty well. I am attempting to wean myself off my walking stick. So far so good. I know that as time goes on I will get stronger. All my classes are interesting. I am taking a class on the history and doctrine behind Quakerism.  This is interesting because before I started attending George Fox I had never heard of Quakerism. All my social work classes are going great. My classes all confirm why I decided to go into social work. One of my professors keeps her dog in her office. So whenever we go over to the social work office we get greeted by him. His name is frisky. Can't wait to see you guys soon.
talk to you later
Allison

Year 2 semester 2: April and May

April 3rd, 2015
Hi everyone,
This past week was Spring break for me and probably for a lot of you guys too. This past Sunday was also my 21st birthday. I had a great spring break, it was a great break from the craziness going on at school that comes with finishing up the semester. Believe it or not I only have three weeks left, from the time that I am writing this( which includes finals). My last day is May 1st This year has gone by too fast. I must say that this year has been an interesting one. This year has brought a lot of emotions that I was not expecting such as homesickness, fear, and nervousness and later on stress.
               So much has happened and I feel as though I have grown up a lot this year. I'm progressing in my major, I am going to have an internship next year along with living off campus. So much has gone on, however, that also means that I am learning more to think for myself and make my own decisions about what happens instead of someone else. That alone is a big thing because I feel like while I have been able to make decisions. I have generally relied on others to make the decision for me.  Within the last week or so I realized that I am not a kid/teenager anymore. I am an adult whose decisions mean something in the future.  The last thing I wanted to say is that the last couple weeks to a month have brought more stress than I am used to. It reminded me that the decisions I am making now are and will affect my future. This will probably be the last update until after summer begins. Thank you to everyone who reads these posts. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. This blog gives me the chance to vent/ say some of the things that are on my mind that feel I can't say out loud.
Hope you all have a great easter,
The lord has risen
From Allison