The red pen...

Well, I got my public policy paper back today. This is the one I have been blogging about...the only thing that I have really been blogging about!

I love my public policy class. My professor is one of the best professors I have ever had! She is so smart and can really teach this subject so that it is interesting and you can understand what is going on and enjoy it!

When I was typing this paper, I felt like a fish out of water. I have never done a paper with footnotes before. I always use APA style, which I pride myself in knowing, but with my research all being governmental based, I was not sure if I was citing it correctly and really felt like my professor was going to think I was a loser after she read my paper. I really wanted my professor to respect me. She is just great! She knows our names and talks to us at conferences and just gets very excited about public policy.

Anyways, as I was driving to class today I was kicking myself for not having Joshua read over my paper and tell me what I should change or point out what doesn't make sense. I was fully prepared to have to take the class again because I knew I probably failed this project.

When she handed back the papers, I flipped to the back in search of the damn read pen score, the dreaded red pen and saw 99% circled!!!! I teared up because I was so shocked! I wanted to run to the front of the room and embrace my professor that I look up to so much...she has asthma though so lord knows I end up taking her to the emergency room and she would fail me for being crazy!

Here is what followed the 99%:

This is a well researched and well developed paper, Rachel. I'm glad you were able to interview with Senators Costa and Fontana even if you don't agree with their support of the proposed legislation---and I appreciate your own thoughtful analysis of the positives and negatives of this bill. This paper was a pleasure to read!

I really hope people do not think I am a jerk, but this kind of thing does not happen to me often. It's really encouraging when it comes from someone you really hold in regard.

Anyways, thanks for sharing in my excitement!

My paper

I finished my paper on the senate bill for the medical release of hospice inmates. A few people expressed interest in reading my paper when I was done, but to be honest, I have a hard time letting other people read my papers. I always have, so I thought I would share what I found and the conclusion that I came to.

Interviewing the senators unfortunately had to happen through e-mail because we got a ton of snow the day that I was supposed to meet with one of the senators and everything was cancelled. Also being gone in New Orleans 10 days did not help for having a flexible schedule.

After researching the bill I came to the conclusion that I do not support the senate bill. I think that the prison system should think through what it means to have inmates with life sentences because basically that is the same thing as "long-term care." They had to have known that inmates would get ill and die in the prisons. I think that correctional hospitals should have hospice wings or a certain amount of beds available. I strongly believe that it is the prisons responsibility to figure it out. I do not think that it is fair to the victims of the crimes or their familitesto have the inmates be released.

So, those are my thoughts on the whole issue. Feel free to comment.

New Orleans and Haiti

Joshua and I are going with two other leaders from WJU to New Orleans tomorrow with 20 college students for spring break! We went last January, so it will be interesting to see how things have changed. I am afraid that it will feel like they have not changed much at all.

I have been to a small village in Haiti two times and going back a second time was one of the best things I could have ever done. It was helpful for me to learn that while these folks live a very different life than me, they are still some of the most joyful people I have ever met. I left the second time with a sense of joy and hope that life happens at the pace that they are familiar and comfortable with and while they greatly appreciate "our" help, they are content with their lives. I love the people of Haiti and they will always hold a dear place in my heart.

Going to New Orleans last January was a completely different feel from Haiti. They very much looked similar in a lot of ways after the levies broke, but the attitude and sense of morale were very opposite. Of course I understand that New Orleans had just experienced a major natural disaster and a series of unfortunate events, but I could not help comparing my experience to Haiti, who also experiences natural disasters on a fairly regular basis and has for the most part of it's entire existence experienced series of unfortunate events.

Because this devastation happened in the United States it has had a very different reaction. It was amazing to me how many people were shocked that something like that could happen in the US. I'm not saying that we should not be helping down in New Orleans, because I clearly see the need and am thankful that I am able to help out in a small way, but Americans never surprise me I guess.

Being there last year, and helping was some of the hardest physical labor I have ever done. I can see how people feel like it is an overwhelming problem and basically that's because it is. With what I have learned from being in Haiti (and also knowing folks who have been going there for the past 13 years), you have to have perseverance and hope that small change is big change. You have to continue living life and celebrating ever step of the way.

Below are some pictures from last year when we were in New Orleans. I thought I would give a small glimpse into what we will actually be doing for our 6 full work days while we are there.

This is a picture from the 9th Ward. This was the area closest to the levies. From what I understand this area is still pretty much untouched because the folks that lived here were displaced all over and most have not made an attempt to come back for various reasons.

This picture is from one of the homes that we worked on. As you can see mold is everywhere. This house was in one of those neighborhoods that you saw in pictures or on the news where water was right to the roof tops. This homeowners neighbors were rescued from their roof.

So basically what we do is take everything out. This house was full of furniture and everything as it was on the day the levies broke. I had to unload the dishwasher and sink in this home before we could rip them out of the wall.

Everything that we take out of the house we take straight to the curb and pile it up high. FEMA drives around the neighborhoods every day or so and picks up all the trash.

So, this is what we are headed to do. We will be staying in a lodging type place near downtown. Last year we were usually so tired by the end of the day that we all just ate dinner, showered and talked for a little while before heading to bed. We hope to get out a little more this time.

I will share pictures after we return!

Ping-Pong

Joshua and I have been playin a lot of ping-pong lately. There is a table in the basement lounge. I grew up playing ping-pong and never thought much of it, but after one of our students observed us for a few minutes he said to me, "You've played before haven't you?" And I said, "I grew up playing." And he said, "Yeah, I can tell and Josh did not!"

I won the first 7 games we played! I think he has won 3-5 since then, but it was humourous!

Our whole family would get into around the holidays when extended relatives came to visit. I have a lot of good memories about ping-pong. It was really fun to watch my mom and her brother get so competive and tease each other and laugh the whol time.

Hospice for Inmates

Alright public, here's a topic for discussion...

For my grad class I have to pick a PA bill from last years session or the current one and research it and do some interviews with some of the congress men or women who introduced the bill. I choose a bill from the Senate, #1072 if you are interested, that would allow inmates over the age of 50 to be able to be released from prison for hospice services if they are in need of them.

My topic was just approved last week and I am trying to get a hold of two of the senators to interview. I am also going to interview the medical director of the hospice that I am now working for and the executive director as they have had some involvement with the issue.

What are your thoughts on this PUBLIC? CRY it out and let me know what you think?

Rachie Goats

I have a muscle disease called Myotonia Congenita. It's an interesting disease that I don't really mind having for the most part. Joshua's mom sent him a link to a video the other day that had a description of some goats that apparently have this same disease and it shows it very well. If you listen, the woman says Myotonia Congenita.

Essentially the exact same thing happens to me when the disease sets in. Since my friends and family do not often get to see an episode play itself out, I thought I would share this with everyone.



Joshua suggested that I film a Myotonic fall just in case you really want to see what it looks like when it happens to people. Go ahead and laugh, it's funny.

Apparently...

I have had a blog for awhile now, but I did not take the time to figure out how to login and update it and all of that stuff. (My husband set it up for me and I knew about it, but I wanted to incorporate the word "apparently" into my first entry.)

I thought about starting a blog a couple of years ago and never did. Now that I am an Elek and that is what you need to do to stay in touch, I should probably just starting updating this thing!

I just started my second field placement (intership) at The Washington Hospitals Hospice in Washington, PA. It is halfway between Wheeling and Pittsburgh, so I can continue on to class, which I do ever tuesday this semester.

This is my second week there. I watched 5 hours of videos today as part of my orientation. I am glad to be in the Hospice circle again. I like the environment and the people that I meet.

I hope to share stories from my experiences there and my class this semseter as well. It is called Social Work Pubile Policy in Gerentology. I was not excited to be taking this class because politics intimidate me, but my professor is awesome! She is an adjunct professor, which I think are sometimes better professors, and she is determined to not make the class exciting. She is doing a great job so far and I am really looking forward to our assignments. I just got my book today and I can't wait to start reading it.

Well, I need to hem some dress pants now that I have to dress up three days a week and I am abnormally short!

Hope you enjoyed this entry!

Rach