What am I doing here???

Hey :o)

Several people have asked what I am actually doing in the US of A (I have been a little out of touch recently!). So I am planning to devote this weeks entry to telling you.

I have taken a year out of Psychiatry training and am studying at CCEF (www.ccef.org) which stand for Christian Counselling and Education Foundation. It is fantastic. I am doing their "certificate programme" which is Level 1, 2 and 3 in Biblical Counselling (I am told that this is equivalent to a Masters, but they aren't a Masters-awarding institution).

This term, I am doing 6 modules, which is very busy work! The modules are:

• The Dynamics of Biblical Change - This is an amazing class looking at how our ignorance of God's character and his design for our lives produces problems e.g. anger at people who wrong us because we think we're perfect (or at least better than those who wrong us) and we feel entitled to be judges of right and wrong - when there is only one person (Jesus) who has the authority or the wisdom to do this. I have to counsel myself in it as well - everyone does, by the way, not just me! It is really challenging, but very good.
• Counselling and Physiology - Looking at the interaction of body and emotional states, also we look at different views of the spirit/soul/body/mind/heart distinctions both in theology and outside (v interesting but quite high brow!), but otherwise this module is very much about psychiatry and the physical health problems produce emotional disorders (e.g. brain tumours, dementia, head injury, etc) and how to deal with them well.
• Counselling Observation x2  - In these sessions, I watch live counselling sessions on a big screen with my 30 classmates - we're observing a one-on-one session and a couples-counselling session - and then everyone in the class discusses what was said in the sessions - it is really amazing to see people choosing to come to a Christian counselling place because of the reputation of CCEF - not neccessarily having a belief in God themselves - and seeing them thinking about God and how the gospel impacts on their wider lives.
• Marriage Counselling - This is probably my favourite class! I really enjoy thinking about emotional problems in the context of relationships (it does apply to friendships and family relationships too - so as you can tell by my family - I needed to take it!! ONLY KIDDING!!!!!!!!!! Haha!)
• Human Personality - I am about to start it in a week! So havent looked at the syllabus yet! But I gather we are looking at various theories about human personality and their capacity to change and appraising these against the Bible.

I have other classes over the winter and spring terms as well, which I will tell you about later.

My other course over the year will be with the famous Philadelphia Child and Family Therapy Centre (woohoo!). I will be studying Family Therapy (an adaptation of systemic family therapy for those who are au fait with such things!). It is not a Christian institution - it will be great to train with them while I am continuing at CCEF and see how the two approaches work together! This is a super-expensive course, but my work are kindly funding all of it for me :o)  I love the NHS.

Just a quick personal update... I love it here! It's all going really well and I have found a super-nice group of people to hang out with. I am back to going for drinks after class and talking for hours into the dead of the night. It's so nice to escape the world of work for a short time for this! I went to a "fall meal" last night, which was great - American food is super ;o)  I had corn bread for the first time ever - mmmm. And hot apple spicy cider stuff.

Corn bread

In the wee hours of the morning, I still worry that these Yanks are only being nice to me because of my accent. This novelty may wear off. But I will keep you posted and you can join me in indignant outrage if this happens to be the case. Although, I won a free pampering session for me and some friends because the girl doing a makeup promotion at a gym I visited LOVED my accent, so we became the best of friends :o) I got an email from her today saying I won, but I am sure she fixed it for me. So, anyone who needs a self-esteem boost, come to America (provided you have a British accent) - but don't come to Philly - their aint room for more than one of us.

The Pest Control Shop

Hi!! Since my last post I have had many bizarre, terrible and wonderful experiences. But today I thought I'd tell you about Glenside (which is a little town/suburb outside Philly).

Philly has a train station. Quite normal? Yes, probably. Here is a photo of it:

BUT, this is where the normality STOPS. The first shop you come to on the highstreet, to welcome you to Glenside, is a Pest Control Shop. The window display is UNBELIEVABLE. It looks like it hasn't been changed in 100 years and shows all sorts of creatures caught locally by the pest control man (who is probably over 100 now as they are looking for a replacement, judging by the window advert). The window also displays things devoured by insects, like an early 20th century leather suitcase eaten by termites, old books also devoured by termites and many other wonders.

There are two particular creatures that caught my eye and made me quite nervous. See if you can spot which ones I mean (I won't make it hard for you). And please think "dinner plate size" to get an idea of their expanse.

OK - let's have a look at them a little more closely...

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I have definitely been on the outlook for slow moving, large orange things. And as a result, i have noticed strange spider webs in the local foiliage, with a disconcertingly large tunnel entrance (sorry no photo availble - I was unwilling to risk my life hanging around outside a potential tarantula's nest taking photos!).

There are, thankfully, other shops on the street. They are all somewhat grimy and old - strange thrift shops and jumbly shops selling stationary covered in dust. There is also a Dunkin' Donuts. And, thankfully, one lovely cafe... phew! The library is old and strange (in a 60s kind of way) and the librarians are overly smiley, which also frightens me. And they charged me $15 to send an international fax today (with a smile). The elderly lady in the Bank of America branch I have joined is nice, but doesnt know much about banking - to the extent that I am wondering if I am on a Truman Show equivalent and she is actually a poorly-cast actress! In fact, if I ever take an unusual detour e.g. to the pharmacy on the highstreet (which is also incredibly decrepid and has "hazard" tape up across the entrance, with people still going in and out) I have a fruitless conversation where the person looks at me blankly and sells me something I didn't want.  Can you see where the Truman Show idea comes from??

Seriously, people seem to really genuinely not know what I'm saying quite often, which I think is a vocabulary thing rather than my accent or because I am generally frightening (which I won't deny).

To give you a run-through of all my activities so far - I have started my lectures (hooray!) - which I will tell you about another time, I have been into Philly itself, I have been to a discussion group with other Christians in mental health which I will do every month, I have joined a book group, I have tried American tea (and wept bitterly at the taste!!), I have since started to cope with American tea and now drink it out of desperation, I have done two grocery shops (which is a story in itself), I've made some friends - I think - you never know though, do you! ;o) I have been shocked at the amount of sugar in everything (even bread, cereal and hummus!) and I made scones to win over my housemates, which worked. There is more. I obviously still continue the normal things like showering, going to the loo, brushing my teeth, etc. but I don't think there are any issues of a cross-cultural interest that need shared. So for the sake of time, I will leave it there, with a few pictures of Philly itself to give you a parting flavour of it.

I will post again in a week :o)

 Thanks for coming! Have a great day!!

  

Air con and American flags

Hi everyone! This is day 3 in Philly! I have so much to say and share, but no time to do it today! So I thought I would just share with you some of the highlights so far..! There are many, though, more will come with time. In summary, America is NOT the same as the UK. Not at all.

Air conditioning in every bedroom! Think it's excessive? Well try living comfortably in 84% and 30oC humidity before you mock! Paper is literally going wrinkley and wet on contact with the air (for those of you who dont know what 84% humidity is all about). It is essentially walking underwater when I go out onto the street! 

It's American-flag central! There are 8 huge flags on my very small street (3 pictured here and one Irish flag). And who are they being so patriotic in front of? The British? That was over in 1776, if I'm not mistaken.

The bottom house is mine! My window is the top right :o)



I whole-heartedly admit this is a rather slow start to my blog, but I am just getting used to it. Things WILL improve and I will start bringing my camera everywhere with me and viewing the world through the eyes of a blogger, which is what I am as of today! Watch this space...!