Dog Stew

Did I mention I teach English to South Koreans over the phone?

The textbook was developed by Koreans.
Situation I was to read out loud to my student today:
"Your mom said that it would be rain. And actually it's raining now. Tell your friend that it is raining and your mom mentioned it already."

Really?

Best part is the instructions: "Read to student as is in textbook"
They must have had people changing the questions a bit...well DUH! I love when my students point out the incorrect grammar of a question and I'm like, "Yes, I know. But I am paid to read incorrect grammar out loud to you, so.."

Okay, they don't point it out. But if they did, I could say, "See! They tricked you into learning something!"

Oh, and another student talked about eating dog today. In a stew. I had an urge to cover my ears with my elbows, scrunch up my face, and run around the room yelling, "CAN'T HEAR YOU! CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

I have an exam today: SW 622 Psychopathology & Social Deviance and tomorrow: SW 690 Social Research.
Wish me luck...especially for tomorrow. A series of unfortunate events may have led that professor to not be in favor of me.

Stress: increasing. Last semester the stress was terrible, and I almost relapsed. Let's not do that again..mmmK?

Things are getting real...

I never thought macro social work was for me.


I was interested in person-to-person therapy, not addressing social concerns on a larger scale through policy development, lobbying, etc.


But...my interests are changing. I'm still interested in clinical social work, but I'd like to be an active advocate for eating disorder recovery as well.


Thus:

• I'm working for a non profit called Eating Disorders & Education Network (EDEN) as an eating disorder consultant. I maintain our Facebook and Twitter pages, I developed a new website for the organization (in the process of linking it to our old domain so I'm not going to post the link yet), I actively respond to comments, questions, concerns brought to me through our Facebook page, and I designed the flyer for our fundraiser benefit in May. I'm also on the committee for organizing our annual 5K. Last year I also organized the 5k through the Big House Big Heart race in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

• I'm organizing a trip to Washington D.C. to lobby for the FREED Act along with the Eating Disorders Coalition. So far friends, in-recovery friends, fellow social work students, and even some people I don't know are going! We need NUMBERS (the irony).

• I designed I SURVIVED t-shirts through my online store BreakUpWithED.

• I actively promote positive body image messages, point out unhealthy and disordered talk/actions, and serve as a media watchdog (pointing out harmful images/ideas/words to media organizations), if you will.

• I am registered with the National Eating Disorders Association's Awareness Week (NEDAW) as a speaker, which means schools, organizations, events, etc., can find me on the database and request me to talk with them. I received training through a webinar early this week and now feel confident about telling my story and educating others in a manner that is safe for myself and them.

You can be a recovery advocate too. Get involved.

Celebrity Status

Okay, not really.


BUT! I was contacted by an agent from a press agency in the UK that is interested in my story! (see: this post)


She wants to interview me, arrange for a photographer to come to my house (in the US), and publish the story in a newspaper and sell it to magazine companies! OMG that is so hard to believe for me! I am SO honored and grateful!


The photographer is coming this weekend! Excited!