“Free” Time Like an Oasis

My school life with UVic is filled with milestones. A few weeks ago, I finished my practicum. Officially. On a Tuesday, the same day of the week that I began it, 300 hours earlier. Ten weeks seemed to shoot by and suddenly, there I was at the end of my first ever practicum. As to be expected, I felt a bit adrift at first. Not long after my practicum completion was my children’s two week long spring break. Really, it should be renamed “Mud Break” for us here: there’s still snow in the yard, a lot of mud, and skiers going up the hill. Now that the kids have been back in school for a full week and the snow really is almost all gone, I feel fully restored and in the swing of enjoying springtime.
I’ve become reacquainted with my humble little kitchen. Believe me, I never totally lost touch with it, but I’ve taken some ME time to enjoy the early spring sunshine flooding in the windows. I’ve baked time-consuming meals and made biscuits. I’ve perched on a kitchen stool, reading a (non-school) book, drinking raspberry Earl Grey tea while waiting for chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies to brown. When I was working at my practicum, I obviously didn’t have time to do this.
This week, I’ve taken the time. I’ve happily schlepped around in old jeans and work shirts, my barefeet jammed into my faithful old clogs, moving spontaneously between inside and outside activities, like going to see my horses and bunnies in the barn. I’ve even actually enjoyed catching up on the laundry. What I have missed is the clients I worked with. I often wonder about them from time to time and how they are doing. I always silently wish them well in their lives.
The positives, such as the meaningful interactions with clients, that I came away with from my practicum have inspired me to continue on with the tri-semester system. I planned to take three courses over summer semester, but then decided on two. Two feels right. So, while I continue to wear my old jeans, do laundry and take time to make whatever meal I want, I’ll be working on SW 356 Lifespan Development and 471 Addictions Theory.
My fourth year practicum is in the planning stages and I realize, that’s yet another milestone. I just read in the student rep notes that UVic’s seats in the school of social work are becoming more and more coveted: there are more applications than ever. I’m grateful once again that I’m a UVic social work student and have the opportunity to study and work in a field that is so vital (even in a small way) in the lives of so many people, including my own.