Hello,
Oops! There goes seven months without a post here.
In the last one I told you about the imminent placement for uni and my concerns about juggling everything. Well, Brenda, I juggled, and the only ball I dropped was this blog.
I worked part-time at ACON, studied full-time, and completed 560 hours of placement at the Northern Sydney Intellectual Disability Health Service (NSIDHS). Everything wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon as I said goodbye to the awesome team at the health service clinic, carrying my farewell cake in a bag. Last week, the big project I worked on for ACON launched and I submitted my final paper for uni on the weekend. I am exhausted. In fact, for the past two days I’ve been in bed.
The placement turned out to be amazing. My supervisor was a font of knowledge of social work theory and practice across all sectors and fully supported me throughout. The work with children and adults with intellectual disability was fulfilling. The work within the multidisciplinary team (physician, paediatrician, psychologist, clinical nurse consultant, and senior social worker) was rewarding and confidence-building. I built a good relationship with everyone in the clinic and “became part of the furniture”.
My work at ACON was similarly fulfilling and I was also lucky to work in a harmonious team there. Last week we finally launched here.org.au — the first suicide prevention digital hub for LGBTQ+ people in NSW (charlee.org.au launched a couple months before, which is tailored for a national audience). I researched and wrote the majority of the scoping and literature review which informed the creation of the website, which you can download on the About page. While we had to work within the scope of NSW (the project was funded by NSW Health), the resources on the site are relevant to a national audience, and not just for LGBTQ+ people. Check it out! So far we’ve had great feedback and I will continue working on blog posts for it until Christmas.
This year has not been without emotional upheaval. Recently, a dear friend in Adelaide died. And in September my sister-in-law died from cancer. They were 39 and 42, respectively. My brother and sister-in-law were lucky to travel to the UK months before her passing, but upon their return her health deteriorated quickly. She will be missed greatly by her four kids and my brother, who has lost not only a wife, but a best friend, too. In a twist of fate, these deaths happened during the twelve weeks I completed my final subject of the Masters — Dying, Death & Mourning — and launched a website for suicide prevention. Oddly enough, I am more drawn to work around death than before.
Now the degree is over I have started applying for real, adult jobs. I am interested in continuing work in healthcare projects, social research and policy. While I enjoyed client-facing work during the placement, and know I have those people skills from my history as a teacher, I want to use my writing and analytical skills more. Wish me luck!
Halfway through the year I booked a trip to Thailand and Singapore for December. This will be my first time overseas since November 2019 and, to be honest, I’m rather nervous about it. This is mostly due to COVID concerns, but I also feel a bit rusty travelling alone. If you have any recommendations for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or Singapore, let me know. I have already booked a tattoo appointment in Bangkok, which I’m super excited about.
OK, YouTube time.
By far the most enjoyable new channel I’ve followed this year is Jet Lag: The Game. There are several games already up on the channel: connect four across the US, playing tag across Europe, and a race to circumnavigate the globe. It was created by the guy behind Wendover Productions, which I’ve shared here before.
Another channel I’ve probably shared here before, Indigo Traveller, has recently upped the ante with his storytelling and reporting, and has posted fascinating and heartbreaking inside looks into countries such as Nigeria, Ukraine, Haiti, and South Sudan. The Haiti series was particularly affecting.
And onto music…
Well, that’s all for now. I hope to post more often now that this degree is out of the way. Mayhaps a travelogue?
Thanks for your continued support! >.<