After 6 days

Life just gets more exciting. I think whoever is reading my blog will REALLY get bored with me for awhile cause it's just going to be about my work and my thoughts.
Well, work's pretty much my life for now so heee... BEAR with me!

After 6 days, I felt SO well-trained in walking! Everyday, I will walk at least one-two hours to-fro the train station to my wkplace. A little more when there's visits to different homes. First 3 days, it was real tough. By and by, I seem to get used to it. Reminds me of my sec sch days. Initially, whenever I walked with my friend, I am always lagging behind. But after much training, I could walk as fast as her.

In respect to that, it just makes a statement comes to life! "When you can't make the environment adapt to you, you adapt to the environment."

Over the days, workload is indeed increasing but satisfaction is tremendous. People often say that Social Workers burn out very quick. But burnout will really happen only if a job is just a job. Boss said "Social Work is never about professionalism or a job or a career but about the heart." Amazing isn't it? It reminded me that Heart, ultimately, is the well-spring of life. When the heart is dead, how can the blood keep flowing? To me, SW is not about what is the "prognosis" of a client or what is the diagnostic review of someone but really about getting straight into the lives of the people.

An analogy is just like the Sheep-Shepherd system that my church has. A shepherd takes care of a sheep. When a shepherd meet the sheep for the VERY first time, the shepherd has to bear in mind that the ONLY way for the sheep to open up and allow the shepherd to get INTO her life is REALLY only when the shepherd has build such a strong rapport with the sheep.

This was shared to me by my colleague who's my churchmate too. :) I was sharing with her my difficulty in building a rapport. I find it so hard to strike conversations and so hard to make small talk. Then her advise was for me to take it like I am their shepherd and that I want to know what's going on in their lives. Don't take them just like another client. When clients are just clients, that's when burnout takes place.

Wise words indeed.

Another classmate is always telling me to do SELF-CARE when I start this "career". I didn't really understand what's it all about. Self-care? What's it man? Now I understand!!! When I don't care about self, how to care for others? Hee... Well, self-care means, I will be going swimming more often. I am already thinking of WHAT to do when I complete my studies! Perhaps, will really take a break out of Singapore. But then again, I may just wait till ChurchCamp then take extended leave to stay on.

Heee... Well, so much said and done, it's only dreaming for now. I will make it happen in time to come! SELF CARE here I come!! Haha!!