Getting Better Day by Day

What a delightful week it's been! Two days of internship with fun people doing interesting things. For example, I met one THRILLING client with a nasty case of scabies and an odor that could knock a horse over. Then there was another client who has often been found on top of vending machines, on rooftops, darting past classroom windows and grazing on wild mushrooms on school grounds.

But I mustn't forget to mention the interns and practicum students who make the professional part a pleasure, too. Most are from my school, so I know them already and am feeling like every day is a reunion. Some are new to me though, and so far all are great fun. Besides the camaraderie, I particularly love the mental challenges. Lunch with my fellow interns is all about discussing and debating theories, ideas and sticky cases. We're all plotting out our futures and everyone is enthusiastic. This is what I had hoped to find in grad school and was disappointed that it was pretty rare there. But now that we're all clear of the coursework it's a very different energy! And too, I suppose that the site has selected for people with lots in common, philosophically speaking.

To add to all of that, a fellow classmate, now in her PostDoc year, has just started at the Prison I left. She's only been there a few days, but her experience is so far really good. I'm delighted about that because it confirms for me that it wasn't the prison in general, it was my supervisor and the internship program. It also assuages my guilt about 'tainting' my school's reputation in some way. I know she'll do well there if she chooses to stay long term. Anyway, it's fun sharing experiences about the place.

The more time I spend with my therapist, the better I like her. I'm finding all kinds of things like that making a big thick silver lining over the horrific cloud of my first internship experience.

I suppose after the past few months this post must sound positively MANIC! It's just really nice to feel like a normal human being again. And somewhere in all this I've had a fundamental shift in my priorities. I don't really care how long it takes me to get through this degree now. I'm going to enjoy this as much as I can, learn as much as I can, and let the chips fall where they may with respect to post docs.