Social workin'

I try not to mention my personal life in this space, but I've recently had a big life change, and I'd like to reflect upon it here. I was recently accepted into a masters of social work program. I am thrilled. My educational background is in comparative literature, but I see many common themes in these two areas. I realized that what drives me to pursue social work is pure engagement, with society and social issues. The same style of 'engagement ', both political and artistic, that Sartre highlights in his essay, 'L'existentialiste est une humanise'. I have always felt deeply commuted to cultural engagement, which is to say, keeping current with films, art expositions, politics, current events and pop culture. I'm a city girl, I like being surrounded by the pulsation of creativity. That being said, I've always wanted a career wherein i will be able to make a difference or impact in others lives. The principle of direct engagement underscores the entire discipline of social work. It is the practice of engaging with individuals and groups, whether in an academic, corporate, hospital, or private practice setting. Social work is about attacking problems head-on. All I have to say is, I know this will be a challenge, but I am so incredibly excited!

Better living through chemistry...or not

One of the main cultural differences I've noticed between the French and Americans is their attitude towards medication. As the daughter of two doctors, and a migraine sufferer, I tend to pop ibuprofen like it's candy. In any other situation, I take medicine. If I have a stomach ache, I take Pepto. If I have a cold, I take cough syrup and decongestants. It's just second nature to me. You don't feel well, take something and you'll feel better. I don't want to give the impression that i'm some kind of addict, because I am not.
The French, however, take an entirely different perspective. I've had the misfortune of being sick quite a bit here, and my first move is to always run toute suite to my local pharmacy. My friends however, when they're sick, take nothing. I recently had coffee with a friend who was so decongested Ii couldn't understand what she was saying. I told her to take decongestants. She asked why, and said she never takes anything when she's sick. I've heard similar things from colleagues at work, along the lines of, "that cough syrup will only make you sicker". And yet, whenever I've been sick (fortunately only with a head cold or stomach flu) the first thing people tell me is GO SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. First of all, I'm not yet on national healthcare here, so it would cost a lot more for me. Second of all, with something like a simple cold, I know perfectly well how to take care of myself. If it lasts two weeks or longer, then I'll go see a doctor. The rationale also seems to be, why take medication if you'll still be sick for the same amounts of time and it won't speed your recovery? The answer is, in my mind, is BECAUSE MEDICATION MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER and feel like a functional, productive human being. I get headaches a lot, and if I'm at any number of friends places, I've found, they don't have any medication whatsoever. So, being prudent, I came over here with a big stock pile of good old American ibuprofen, which always does the trick. I realize that it's bad to ALWAYS be taking something day in, day out, and if someone has that kind of need they should probably go get a checkup. Nevertheless, I don't understand the French resistance to over the counter meds. Are they scared of some Pringles commercial phenomenon? I have news for them: once you pop, you CAN stop. We're not talking crack here, but things like aspirin, Pepto, cough meds and decongestants. If all of these items (or like products) are sold at pharmacies, which litter the Parisian landscape, how bad can they be? I'm going to stick to my guns on this one and keep on taking medication every time I don't feel good. Better living through chemistry indeed.

Just one of those days

Today, i had no one show up (neither teacher or students) for not one, but two classes in a row. What's more, I had seen one of the teachers in question in the hallway a few hours before. She failed to tell me if there weren't classes. I wouldn't have problems if this was a one time thing, but it's fairly regular. And seeing as I commute from Paris, I have a bit of a thorn in my side about this. Either my status as an American or as a new Yorker has led me to be constantly connected with everyone, either by phone or via email. In college, it was perfectly common that a professor would email me and expect a response within an hour. The system worked vice versa as well. If I contacted a professor or the administration, I was certain to hear back promptly. I'm continually surprised by the amount of bullshit I deal with from colleagues. I came in expecting a certain level of bullshit from the students. Indeed, one might argue that "dealing with bullshit from students" is a dictionary-worthy definition of a high school teachers job. Honestly, I've never had much of an issue from the students. It would be nice, though, if my colleagues could email, call,or even text me if something comes up, so I could plan accordingly. Sitting in an empty classroom waiting for people to show up really doesn't do me or the school much good. What's more, I'd the students didn't know there was class, how come the teaching assistant didn't? I take it as a subtle slap in the face, as it has happened so many times (at the very least 10). It implies that it doesn't matter to let me know ahead of time, as I'm just the assistant and my job is insignificant. Ugh. As the French say, j'en ai marre!