3/15/2010
Here we are San Fran!
Hello everyone from San Fran! Yes San Fran! My friends and I just got in earlier today from our 12 hour drive from Seattle. First off I want to say sorry about my missing blog last week. For one thing I am very lucky because as a senior social work major I get two weeks of spring break! J So for the first week my sister and our friend flew in from Colorado where they attend school to spent their spring break with my friends and I. So after spending Saturday with my family and to watch the Pacquiao fight! Filipino pride!
We left Sunday night to start are drive. Are butts where so numb by the time we got into San Fran. Are first day here it was actually a really crazy day plus a very warm and clear day! No fog! J We were able to go to twin peaks, go to the famous sandwich Ike’s place in the Castro district as well as Hot cookie,Golden Gate, and we finally got to check into our hotel in Japan town. It is feels so nice to be finished with classes but as well it’s pretty crazy because we are starting at the end of March we will be starting our final spring quarter as an undergrad. I am so happy and scared at the same time.
3/2/2010
It's a GOLDEN Firday in Vancouver
This past Friday I went on a day trip with my friends in a once of a life time opportunity. We jumped in the car and drove to Vancouver B.C at the crack of dawn! The wait at the border was less hectic than the last times I crossed the border in Canada. Let me tell you the feeling in Vancouver was amazing! So much fun. We where able to walk around/subway around to see the many venues we got to see the colosseum where short track was held [didn't get to see Apolo though :(], the flame, hockey venue, and many more. Let me tell you lots of fun.
Picture Time:
2/21/2010
Off to Bainbridge I go!
Hello everyone!
Sorry I haven’t been blogging as of late blame it on the midterms and crazy hours at my internship. Anyways President’s day weekend was a day off for me but I was lucky enough to work in the Psychiatry Emergency Room. Not much happened but it still was very interesting to say the least.
This has been an eventful weekend for me. Well for one thing on Friday we had another Girl’s night out and we watched “From Paris with Love” and let me tell you a really good movie. Not all guts and glory but pretty good jokes in between. Well the nice thing about Seattle is the fact that there is so much to do. Saturday two friends and I took a day trip to Bainbridge Island [it’s a 30min ferry ride from downtown]. My friend Haley is from Bainbridge so we had our own personal tour guide. We had the best ice cream ever! Not only made on the island but so YUMMY! The place is called Mora’s but shhhh don’t say I told ya. Than after that we got the grand tour of the island, the beaches, schools, etc…. oh yea and the big mansions on the island! Let me tell you those houses are so pretty! Lots of windows and being almost 60 degrees and sunny in Seattle made it twice as nice. The one thing that I have learned from being away from my own parents and home is that it is always nice to meet friend’s parents and see where they grew up. It is so nice to actually be in a home even though all you we did was watch the Olympics.
Alright guys that’s all I got for now. But stay tuned we are heading to Vancouver, Canada this Friday!
2/8/2010
Movie and Sushi = fun
This week in the emerald city….
We officially hit the half way mark! This quarter is almost over! I have a quarter in a half left in my undergraduate career! That is so daunting. Any ways this weekend was a nice break away from the stresses from mid-term week [I have another one later on in the week] was Friday night out with the girls. It was tons of fun because we headed downtown with a two of my friends and we watched “Dear John” sorry guys I loved it! I cried the whole movie. All three of us where trying not to cry but it just happened we didn’t even bring tissues! After the epic movie we went to Blue C sushi and it was fun because it’s one of those sushi bars that the sushi rotates on a belt and you pick which one you want. It was a nice experience because it just opened not too long ago and I haven’t had sushi in forever! After an eventful dinner filled with funny quotes we headed off to Bellevue to help celebrate a friend’s birthday than back to our side to help celebrate another friend 21st birthday Island Style. Island music bumping from the speakers and bbq on the patio!
p.s. look what I found at H-Mart in Lynnwood! All my favorite Korean brand drinks that I have been craving since I left.
p.s.s. I have to go back to studying for my research methods class to learn the difference between validity and reliability!! Ahhh!
2/1/2010
crossing my fingers and hoping
Let me just tell you this past couple of weeks have been a little crazy. For one thing I have been working on my Graduate School applications and I totally forgot how hard it is to write about myself! [>.<] It really is crazy though because I thought that the second time around feeling out these applications would be easier. Sorry to break it to you, I work at the admission office and I know the process by heart already but it is still nerve wreaking filling out everything. Checking it over three to four times to make sure you got everything covered. So it is official since this past Saturday the last of my paper applocations went off to the schools. So right now I am just crossing my fingers and hoping that I get into the schools I applied for! :)
On another note I want to talk about my internship I am having right now at Harborview Medical Center, for the few that don't know what that is let me explain. So basically Harborview is the one of the top trauma centers in the Northwest. I don't exactly work at the ED [emergency department]or anything like that however that is one place I would like to work for maybe a few years. Well I currently in the Mental Health Services outpatient clinic at the moment. I love it! I get the hospital feeling plus a small agency feeling at once. To be truthful when I first interview for this internship I was all for working at the hospital but was a little shaky when it came to the special population that I would be working with. I know that this is terrible for me to say but I had my stereotypes of individuals with a mental illness due to what Hollywood portrayed. However in the process of my interview I was able to ask questions about the population because all my life I only worked with individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly so this population was all brand new and shiny to me. The social worker who is charge of placing us at which internship we would be completing at the hospital was very patient with all my questions and took the time to put my feelings at ease. To this day I remember what she told me "the people who are coming into the clinic are those who are seeking help and want help and are those who you don't have to worry about hurting you." Just by hearing that phrase all my misconceptions to rest.
The other thing that really helped was that there was already a student from our BSW program who was interning at the same sight that I wanted to intern at and she was nice enough to show me around one afternoon so that I would be able to get to know everything. Now that I am well off into my second quarter at my intern site I can really say that I am loving what I am doing. I have been able to build relationships with my clients as well as the interdisciplinary team here. Being an intern, full time student, and working two jobs on campus sometimes is a really hard thing to pull off. However the time that I spent here I have learned a whole lot, if I was to talk to myself when I first started in September. That shy scared girl who had no idea what she was doing. I would just want to tell her that in a couple months you will be doing good and that not to worry because she will just do fine.
Some people ask me why Social Work, because when I entered SU I actually wanted to try being nurse believe it or not. However, I was lucky enough that my mother was a Social Worker and allowed my sister and I to work and volunteer with different populations. That is where my passion in helping people came about and I thought that I wanted to help these individuals on a more medical level however I decided that I wanted to do more than treat the patient. I wanted to actually develop a relationship with the patient and be able help that patient to work on there strength and provide that support system for the patient. I think that was when I decided to place my emphasis on Geriatrics/ mental health in the health system. With this concentration I want to be able to work in the hospital setting because I love the fast pace environment and the medical field so becoming a medical social worker is nice blend of both my passions. Most of the time when individuals here what I am going into they say "good for you" or "you must have a good heart" and all I can answer to that is "Thank you."
I know that this was not that interesting but my main point is to follow your dreams, follow what you feel in your gut is the right thing to do for you. Thanks guys for reading this!
Little Hula girly is out!
1/25/2010
Back into the swing of it!
Dear Future and Current RedHawkers please let me tell you a story about a girl and her epic adventure of being a senior at Seattle University.
This story didn't start not to long ago it's been exactly 3 weeks since this Winter quarter has started. With only three classes taking up her time and an internship at the ole famous Harborview Medical Center this girl had a nice slow start to the new year. But now the evil mid-term witch and Father time has come about and the girl had to start and get back into the swing of things. What is the girl to do!!! ahhhhh!!!
Like my little story? If not its okay! :) The start of my quarter was off to a slow start just getting back into the grove of things you know:
Monday: Internship than Work
Tuesday: School and Work
Wednesday: Internship than Work
Thursday: School and Work
Friday: FIRST time in a very very very LONG time NOTHING!!! :)
This is what a typical week looks like for me I think this the first time that I have a three day weekend every week since my spring quarter Freshmen year. Plus when you look at it this quarter has a few Mondays off so I get the best thing in the world! a FOUR day weekend.
Other than that I am enjoying all of the three classes I have to take this quarter, my research methods class which is really interesting because this the first time in a long time am I being held accountable for using the right format! I like it because I have been following all the rules anyway so it's YAY ME! :) However my favorite class this year is my community organizing class, this class is actually is being run my an adjunct professor Scott Winn who is a professor at UW social work graduate school. Let me tell you just going to class these past three weeks have made me critically think about everything! It's crazy. We have been talking about the issue of institutional racism and it has brought alot of things to light. I actually love LOVE this class and plus just like the other professors all over, Scott <he prefers us to call him by his first name> has us reading articles and things that he is so passionate about and it comes across clearly while in class.
On another note enough about school! I finally got my car shipped up from Hawaii and I got my baby back last week friday. So this past Friday, Sadie <my roomie and one of besties> drove my baby around town and went down to Southcenter where we went shopping! Believe me I love Southcenter mall, me personally haven't gone shopping for me in a very VERY long time as well. As well Sadie and I applied for our very first student credit card. ZOMG! Hope we get approved. Other than that our weekend was a pretty slow weekend, Saturday night my Friends and I went to a Hawaiian BBQ place up on the Ave near UW. Let me tell you the owners are from Hawaii, the insides don't look like much, however the food tasted so SO so good especially when you start craving foods from back home. Other than that we went back to our apartment and played Wii! :) Other than Wii, my friends and started to plan our next adventures! For the next three day weekend we are trying to take a road trip down to San Fran! :) So I will let you know if we will be doing that or not! :)
Alright guys! Peace out A town!
Just Kidding! :)
1/19/2010
!
This weekend has been a whirl wind adventure in the Emerald City. This weekend was actually my birthday weekend as well a goodbye weekend to one of my good friends. First off this whirlwind adventure on Friday where my close group of friends went to a Korean bbq restaurant to celebrate my birthday and a nice send-off to our other friend. We had to celebrate my birthday early because Laurel was leaving on Saturday. Laurel actually had to leave Saturday morning to go on a four month internship in Cambodia! We were so excited for her! After a nice long dinner we headed over to UW and had a dessert party at our friends place. Plus my birthday cake was the best in the world! Twelve Cupcake Royale Cupcakes! Yummmo! It is a must have while in the Emerald City. It’s pretty crazy that on my actual birthday my roomies and I stayed in PJ’s all day and just a movie marathon! Everything from Twilight to Ariel the Little Mermaid. J That’s all you really need cake and friends!