Trabajo Social

The school social worker, ID, has returned at last. She is a genial, upbeat middle aged woman who exerts a positive influence on the school environment. We rearranged her office to make room for 2 of us, and greeted and met with a slow trickle of parents with enrollment concerns. The major challenge is that the concept of a social work intern is not the same in Guate as it is in the US.

Everyone is glad to have me, but doesn´t have a clear idea of what I do. While they are eager to teach me things, I am trying hard to make it clear that I can also be a practitioner, assisting with work and shouldering responsibility. I´m sure this will come with time. In the mean time, my learning contract was a foreign object to ID. She smiled and reviewed my proposed goals and objectives, but I could tell by the uncomfortable nuance in her smile that it may take a few days to get roles sorted out.

On top of the intern role confusion, ID keeps suggesting that I only stay a month, then go to work at the deaf preschool on the other end of the eye-ear compound, and later to the oral deaf school on the other side of the city and the remote one in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. She is very wise to acklowledge the importance of a well-rounded perspective, but it really is humorous how different our concepts are. I would like the opportunity to visit all of these places, but my first perogative is to iron out my current situation! Either way I´m learning tons and fullfilling direct practice hours, but I am concerned about my efficacy in serving the children and families. Oh, to be young, American and a guinea pig.