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| Sunflower field between Lawrence and Tonganoxie. Source: Window on the Prairie http://windowontheprairie.com/tag/kansas-sunflowers/ |
We also have buffalo (bison). A.K.A future Colorado burgers. Not kidding, I saw some just a few yards from the road between Topeka and Lawrence when I was on my way here.
The sunsets here are gorgeous.
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| Near the Wakarusa River, toward Clinton Lake |
The weather is a little bipolar. One day it's hot and quite humid and it might even be pouring rain. Not California rain. Over 3 inches in a day, my phone is making obscene noises at one in the morning and telling me to watch myself.
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| My leather seats were soaked after this storm. My car leaks. |
Then we might have a gorgeous clear day with no clouds, and I've got the top down, cruising on the highway in the country, admiring the farms in Tonganoxie. Until after 9. Because it's still warm and it's still light.
Well, beyond the weather-
28 May: I left my mum's Without much of a plan. Heck, I didn't know when I was moving till I was in the car. And I only told some of my family the night before. The plan was to get to Ridgefield, Utah, stay a night in a motel. Then drive on to Colorado Springs and stay a few days with an old friend. Until I felt it was time to go.
29 May- 3 June: I stayed in Colorado for 6 nights, visiting with my friends. Laughing a lot. Being happy to be home. Because Colorado is a big part of me, and every time I see Pikes Peak, and breathe that mountain air, I just feel happier. For months.
4 June: I continued on to Lawrence, KS. I originally had a hotel for two nights, expecting that I would be able to find a room to rent for a few months, learn the town, then find something more permanent. Turns out that wasn't going to work. I got a third night at the hotel, and ended up finding an apartment Friday, and moving in Saturday. Because surprise, surprise, Kansas is affordable. I have been unemployed for months but with my savings and how much people charge for sublets and room rentals, it was worth getting a small studio.
Toward the end of August, I will be starting school at the University of Kansas. It is the only school I applied to, and I was accepted. I will be starting as a junior at the School of Social Welfare. I am receiving scholarships that will cover just over 40% of tuition, due to my membership in an honor society and some pretty good grades while earning my AA. I still have to pay about 11,000 a year for school plus books, fees and all personal costs. Unfortunately Kansas is also one of those states where minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour and minimum wage here is federal ($7.25). I will have to work a HELL of a lot. I can take the chaos, as long as I can find work. Seems that is all I have been doing since I moved-search and search and search. So far, nothing.
I am really looking forward to another tax season with H&R Block as well. I have already tested up one certification level, and once I purchase a new laptop next month and get WiFi service, I hope to test up at least one more to get me ready for Spring!
I have 2-2.5 years left for my B.S.W. And I really do not know what is next. I intentionally chose KU because it was one of few schools that offered both Social Work and Haitian Creole classes. I want the option to study Creole because I really have a love for Haiti and am considering going there for a few years. Of the dozen or so schools with the option, it's the closest to Colorado. It's right in the middle of the country, a top research school, in an affordable area, and I just like the Midwest. If I get stuck in Kansas, I am okay with that. I love it here. I jokingly asked my mom if I can get a farm. I wanted proximity to Colorado so that if I decide to go there, I can. I intentionally chose a school that gives me options if I want to go work for an NGO in Haiti for a few years or a decade or however long. The thing is I don't know. . .and I don't care. I do know that I am pursuing a dream.
My ultimate goal is to advocate for survivors. For the people who are surviving horrors that are unimaginable. To give them dignity. To give them a voice. To listen to them. To hear what they have to say. To uplift them. To empower them. To be a reason that they can stand and face tomorrow. Social work is about connecting people with resources. It is the humanity in a system.
I choose social work because there is a great deal of flexibility I can have in my career and it is one of the ways I can choose direct, trained advocacy. I certainly intend to pursue an M.S.W., if not multiple additional degrees--but I will narrow my focus as I see what is available for the specific work I want to do, and as I pay down my school loans (darn the educational system!)
