Happy World Social Work Day!

While many of you may be busy celebrating St. Patrick's Day, I am fully embracing World Social Work Day, a celebration of an increasingly important profession in our current economic situation.

Yesterday I traveled to Detroit with my Community-Based Initiative cohort to tour Gleaners Food Bank and a few soup kitchens. My classmates and I were participating in a national study that is conducted every four years to evaluate hunger in America. We had the opportunity to interview individuals who utilized these soup kitchens, which was a difficult and moving experience because it really put the economic crisis into perspective. While I had the security knowing that I was returning to Ann Arbor, where full cupboards and refrigerator shelves awaited me, many of these individuals do not know where their next meal is coming from on a daily basis.

Tonight I went to the School of Social Work Student Awards Ceremony, where I received recognition for being a part of the CBI program and for my assistantship position. The only regret I have is not re-taking my student ID picture, because they published the picture that was taken over the summer. I'm not sure what the photo technician did with that shot, but my face is about as wide as it is long and I look like a chipmunk. Anyways, I don't think many people read the program...I hope.

I have a few more busy weekdays, before a busy weekend begins. I'm counting down the days until I fly home to see my family for Easter weekend. After that, I have one more week of class and then I'm off to South Carolina to visit Tricia! Until then, peace.

Chai Tea, Gas Stations, and Friends

The people, places and things in my title encompass a few of the most important components of my life as of late-and no, there is no hierarchy of importance attached to the order. 

But first, let me first explain why February was a blog-less month: graduate school + internship + assistantship + a bad cold + Skype dates with people around the country and the world + spring break + The Wire + A Thousand Splendid Suns + roommate birthday = a schedule too full to blog. 

That said, I will return to the theme of the day-the components of my present life: 

Chai Tea

For those not in the loop, I have successfully cut out all caffeine from my diet for a month now. My new beverage of choice is chai tea and I am constantly exploring new concoctions at home and in cafes. My latest order from Espresso Royale: English decaf breakfast tea with soy milk and a shot of vanilla-extra hot.

Gas Stations

I am commuting to and from Detroit more than ever. In addition to Thursdays and Fridays in field, I spend Saturdays in Southwest Detroit, learning about urban gardening. The class is great, but I find myself at the pump more frequently. Lucky for me gas prices are low and my car gets good mileage!

Friends

Everyone is back from spring break today, and it was great to see all the familiar faces once again. I didn't realize how lucky I was to have several close friends in the School of Social Work until we weren't around each other 24-7, like usual. I've also come to more deeply appreciate my long-distance friendships. Even though I don't see some people on a regular basis, it is refreshing to know we are still as close as the day we split for different parts of the globe.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back in Wisconsin over Easter weekend and can't wait! Keep me posted on what you are up to lately, especially if it's been awhile since we've talked.

Peace.