I finally figured it out!!!

Today is not just another day for me. After 6 months of being in Southern California I finally figured out how to use 5 freeways, the 110. 101, 10, 5, and 405. I am so excited. Being from out of town is a bit intimidating at first, especially with California drivers. I used to put on my blinker to get into another lane in anticipation that someone would let me in...now I just simply put on my blinker and move in. Defensive driving is an essential part of the transportation system in L.A.
In other news, totally unrelated to driving I met with my field liaison and my field supervisor to evaluate my performance in my placement. I was a little nervous but all went well. I had great feedback that basically affirmed that social work is the right profession for me. I am really enjoying my placement. I am working with low income families and my clients ages range from 11-26 years old. I was pretty lucky to get the population demographics that I am interested in since you don't get to choose your first placement. Working with this population has been challenging at times don't get me wrong. I have a great supervisor who is always available when I need her. However, the best advice that I have received yet is to seek your own therapy when issues come up. My advisor called the MSW program an "emotional boot camp". Something I did not understand until I experienced my own counter transference with a client. It has been hard for me to work with this population. Even though it is my chosen profession does not mean that I have it all together. I grew up in a upper middle class family, and had the privileges that many Americans dream of. Therefore, becoming culturally competent with severely impoverished families was a struggle, it was something I had never seen being that I live in a suburb of a larger city but not as large as Los Angeles by any means. It is okay to struggle with your own issues as long as you identify them, self-awareness is a tool that I have come to utilize and it has gotten me through some really tough times.