'a place(ment) to belong (to)'

'a place to belong' - wax crayon, textas and dyetex.

I had my first placement experience last week at A Place to Belong. I don't start officially until July, so this was a bit of an early appetiser. 

I have worked (and lived, as a young child) in many different therapeutic communities, so the process of sharing a meal, sitting in a circle, and talking about stuff, was familiar to me. What was unique is that this genuinely seems to be an 'organically grown' community, which the community members really value. The qualities that were stated several times were safety, support, and a place for feelings to be expressed. 

I am so excited about this placement. I can't wait for it to start. 

In my image, I have tried to capture the organic feel of the community. I notice that the words are hard to read, perhaps this reflects the 'topsy-turvy' feeling of not knowing who is a client, who is a volunteer, and who is a staff member. Although this did/will became clearer. And there are several other students, which I think could make it potentially a very supportive and enjoyable placement. I feel slightly disoriented (or 'topsy-turvy') by being in a student role, after being a worker and a lecturer for so long. but on the other hand, this feels like less pressure and responsibility, which I think I could enjoy. 

In the image I used some wax crayons I had melted down and poured into tiny muffin pans, to make new multi-coloured crayons. I guess I am also being melted down and recreated. 

Its been a long time between posts. The reason this time, is my son's laptop having a meltdown in the middle of block exams, and me having to relinquish mine for several days last week. But I have almost, almost, almost finished my academic marking for the semester. Time for a holiday.

Tomorrow, I am having a massage. This weekend, I am doing an MBSR course for Health Professionals, should be a really nice way to start my week off...

more later.