Though I have had many successes this week, there have difficult moments. Many of the people in the house faced challenges at their placements this week including witnessing a child dying of AIDS and neglect. I, myself, have been haunted by stories of incest, rape and the atrocities faced by humans around the globe. Our group had to come together this week to process these unbearable realities. With the help of our supervisors and one another, some of us were able to talk about our experiences at placement. Though I was quiet during the session, I reflected on how in the past few weeks I have been pushed and challenged by statistics, accounts, and my duel identity of tourist/social worker.
As a young person, I knew I wanted to work with people. I wanted to help all young people have the opportunity to have happy safe lives. With this ideal, I have aimed to become an effective social worker. But many times, my own beliefs about human kindness are faced with darkness. The sort of darkness that wakes you up at night when you see it in others or in yourself. When I am faced with this darkness, I find myself standing in a gray area that stretched farther than I can see.
When I find myself in the gray abyss, I think about my challenges and my strengths:
I am challenged by each account of pain.
I am challenged each account of betrayal.
I am challenged by my own memories.
I find strength in the little wins.
I find strength in running it off.
I find strength in talking with others and journaling.
By the end of the day after long talks and take out Sticky Toffee Pudding, our group pushed through a horrible day to a pretty good night.
No comments:
Post a Comment