Final Photos

The Finished Product! (well for now at least...)

The flowers are inspired by out trip to the Arb.

The Blue and Maize strips are the new support, which represent the U of M community.

The quote is commonly used at the Ginsberg Center, my field site.

And finally the sun and sky are just a representation of the beauty of nature!

An Ode To My Stick

It was a sunny day when we first met
And I grabbed my Stick from Tony's car.
When I biked home with my Stick that day,
Every passerby thought I was so bizarre.

The first week was a little awkward
As I didn't quite know who you were.
But our time together has been great.
With that fact, I think you can concur.

You travelled to field with me
And met all the Ginsberg staff.
Although most were very intrigued,
Some couldn't help but laugh.

We have gone for walks and drives
And many a barbecue.
Once you were almost used to roast marshmallows,
But don't worry! I saved you!

You met other sticks
Including Kim's and Mo's.
You even were reunited with a mini-me,
A long lost family member, I suppose.

Through all of our travels
And our days full of fun,
I have realized that although class is over,
Our relationship is far from done.

You have been there for me
Through the flaws and the stress.
I hope your journey has been valuable.
I hope for nothing less.

Back in May, at the very start,
We were both a little weak.
After looking to our surroundings for support,
Both of us are no longer meek.

This is just the beginning:
The start of you and I.
We will be together forever,
Never having to say goodbye!

How Has This Changed My Practice?

The question of the hour is not only how is the journey of the last few months reflected in the Stick, but how the class and this project have influenced our practice as Social Workers. Thinking about the post I added yesterday, I am looking to find the words to describe the influence this experience has had on my practice.

When it comes down to it, I think the self-awareness of knowing and working on my own insecurities--understanding my own personal A--will allow me to be able to better serve my future clients and communities. By taking this time throughout the semester to work on my own areas of weakness I am preparing my future self to be strong for other. I have noticed a change in myself at field since the beginning of this semester. I feel more comfortable and confident; I have been able to be 100% present for the students and invested in helping better their experiences and development.

Like with clients, an acknowledgement of all environmental and personal influences can allow us as Social Workers to be better at what we do. So, by acknowledging my personal cracks and weakness, just like the Stick, while still cherishing and appreciating the goodness in my life, I have been able to practice the self-care necessary to enhance the personal capacity and community well-being of my future clients. Just some thoughts...

Looking Back at a Month of Greatness

So the project deadline is quickly approaching and I want to take the time to look back at the journey we have shared over the past few months. In class, our professor urged us to think about our journey within this class and how that is reflected in the Stick's transformation. In order to do this, I thought back to some of the original reasons why this particular Stick stood out to me. The one thing that stays in my mind is that the Stick was a bit fragile in the middle. I remember relating to that in the beginning of the semester. I was feeling homesick, burnt out, and sort of overwhelmed by everything around me and all the stress that comes with the last semester of graduate school. And now that I think back through the journey of my Stick and I, I realize that it has been quite a transformation for both of us.

When I think about it my A and B of this course are reflected in a clear way in this stick. I showed up with a lot of emotional stress and was feeling breakable. Now, at the end of June, I feel like by concentrating on the great things around me and living in the moment more, my insecurities and "weakness" have been changed.

Like the drawings and symbols of many of my favorite things about Ann Arbor on my Stick, the great aspect of my current environment have allowed me to concentrate less on the weakness and more on the things around me. Noticing the beauty in the flowers or the sense of hope I feel at the Ginsberg Center, I feel strong. By taking in and appreciating the incredible atmosphere and the blessings that are here in Ann Arbor, the weaknesses is a little less weak...

Show Your True Colors

Painting has begun (for real this time)!!! I have finally gotten the courage/inspiration for some changes to be made. The real transformation is now taking shape. Like mentioned in the previous blog, in appreciation for the beautiful Ann Arbor summer and the journeys we are sharing together, I will paint my stick with representations of the natural beauty of the summer. So, today I have started painting and their are now flowers along the stick. This is meant to show the colors and life of the flowers all over Ann Arbor. This inspiration was a previously mentioned trip to the Arb with some good friends. There is a picture here and I look forward to transforming the stick more and adding more photos for you to see!

I am feeling much more connected to the Stick now. I mean we have definitely had some great times together as mentioned in this blog and some that are not (including writing the entire literature review side by side!), but the transformation process is great is it is allowing me to blend my ideas with the reality of the Stick. Painting has taught me to keep steady while at the same time feeling the cracks and curves along the way. What a great metaphor for life!?!

Summer with The Stick

It has been a little while since my last post, but a lot of things have happened! My stick and I have gone on walks, went to barbecues, and spent time with some of my favorite people including a very good friend who came to visit.

We went to the University of Michigan Arboretum and enjoyed the beautiful summer weather and the peonies. We were a little earlier for all of the peonies to be in bloom, but we enjoyed what we saw.

Big decisions have been made in terms of transformation! Since many of our activities have involved the beauty of Ann Arbor in the summer, I think her transformations should reflect that. This will include painting of symbols and words that represent the beauty around us. I hope that these transformations are not just a reflection of myself, but of the summer and the atmosphere around town and this class! Pictures will follow as well as reflections on the transformations.

(Blogspot won't let me upload any images right now...so there will be plenty pictures coming soon!)

Bring Your Stick To Work Day

One amazing thing that happened at the end of last week was that my stick now has a mini-me! She has been united with a much smaller stick that is literally the exact same shape as she is. The two sticks have the same bends and knots--their similarities are crazy! They are clearly now family members. Family is so important to me and that is reflected in my stick! Pictures to follow. (Shout Out Mo Patterson for finding the mini-stick!)

This week was a good week for my stick friend and I. Although she is still nameless, we are getting along just fine. This past Tuesday (5/24/11) I brought my stick to my field placement, The Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning. There, she met the other SERVE staff, Sara and Heather, and sat in on staff meeting. She sparked interesting conversation because, in the SERVE office, we are talking about incorporating more experiential learning into our student leadership development programming. So, by coming to field, my stick not only got to know more about me and my life, but she also was a source of inspiration for our work. The picture in this post is my stick outside of my field placement.

That same day, my stick came to class with me and I introduced her to Professor Alavarez. I talked to him a bit about my intentions for the stick's transformation. Then, she took part in all of the class's activities including our small group facilitation.

After class, my stick got to socialize with some other sticks as we went to visit Mo and Kim. Their sticks and mine all enjoyed an afternoon outdoors. Mo and Kim are close friends of mine, so it was a good thing that our sticks could also be together!

Little has happened in the transformation of the stick. A few ideas have popped into my head, but nothing has taken shape yet. I'm hoping to transform her a bit more this week!