Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What a journey it has been...

As I write this blog, my last for LETCEE, it is a bitter sweet experience. On the one hand I am very excited about all the new adventures coming my way and on the other hand I know I am going to miss the communities and the people that I have been working with over the past three and a half years.

I was asked to reflect on my time here at LETCEE and as I began to reflect hundreds of memories, feelings and emotions flooded my mind. As I began to wade through them all and to sort them all out I realized one thing....I have grown  incredibly over the time that I have been here. One of our core beliefs is that we want to see women empowered and see them grow into the women they were created to be...not only have I been witness to this growth in many women's lives but upon reflection, I am one of those women who have grown.

I came to LETCEE having worked in communities for almost four years as an Occupational Therapist, either in district hospitals or community schools. I was also about half way through my Masters course in Early Childhood Intervention and I really thought that I knew what it was to work IN a community and with families. One of my greatest learning curves was learning what it is to work WITH a community and not tell them what they need. I learnt that working IN a community does not necessarily mean that you are working together WITH them and helping them to meet THEIR EXPRESSED NEEDS. It has been a frustrating yet rewarding process and it has really made me re-evaluate how I conduct myself in all aspects of life in all kinds of situations. It has taught me once again to try and consider situations from all angles before jumping to conclusions. This environment of mutual respect has created many relationships and situations that formed fond memories that I will carry with me as I move into the next phase of my life. I hope that I will be able to share this and the many other things that I have learnt at LETCEE with the people I come in contact with and help them to grow as much as I have over the past three and a half years!

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