Today I was actually able to have some one on one client contact! I came into work expecting to have our weekly meeting where the social workers present new cases to the rest of the staff. It turned out that most of the staff had a workshop scheduled and unfortunately I could not attend. A young man came in and was seeking our services. He spoke great English and all of the social workers were out of the office, so my supervisor asked if I would like to screen ...

This morning when I got to work, I went to the service manager and asked if there was anything I could do. He called in a social worker who had several home visits planned for the day. They asked me if I would feel comfortable going along. Immediately I said yes. Coming into this experience I wanted to work in a township. I feel there is no better way than going on home visits to get the full experience for what life is like for the people who live in this comm...

I had a great birthday weekend! On Friday a bunch of us went out to Club 31. It's on top of a huge building in downtown Cape Town. I thought it kind of had a European feel to it and it was a beautiful night so the view was great. We had a great time dancing the night away until 4am! The next morning we had to be up bright and early. We signed up to go on a tour of the Cape Town winelands (See Cape Town Winelands Tour photo album). After such a long night it wa...

(If you haven't already, go read about where I am interning! http://www.empilweni.org/) The first week of my internship at Empilweni has come to an end. So far it has been a great experience, but I still have a long way to go. I am starting to realize how difficult it is going to be for me to connect with not only the clients but also the staff. Everyone speaks xhosa in the township where I am working, so during the therapy sessions the clients obviously speak ...

Going into this experience, I was afraid that I might have a difficult time adjusting. So far that has not been the case. The VAC (Volunteer Adventure Corps) staff does a great job of creating a supportive family and teaching us the ropes. Of course at times I have missed home, but I find that only happens when I have down time, which is very seldom. As I am writing this, I am laying in bed trying to sleep. It is about 1:15am here and I have to get up at 6am. T...