little monsters

so yeah work can be tiring. especially if you don't get paid for it.

i thought this was going to be more about patients and therapy sessions, but turns out it's mostly about helping immigrant turkish children with their homework and playing with them after they're done. it's the playing part that i find difficult.

i don't want to play dodgeball or uno with kids! or with anyone, for that matter.

i've never been a huge fan of kids, to be honest. i like the quiet cute ones (rare piece) whose cheeks i can squeeze and who i can talk to for a bit until i give them back or put them where i found them. this "giving them back when i want" thing is important, which is a luxury i don't have at work.

and they're not quiet. oh no.

i have to persuade them to do their homework and not run around and to let me help them with the stuff they don't understand.

yesterday, i found out the first rule of helping them when they tell me they don't understand what they're supposed to do. so apparently, before i start explaining, i have to ask "have you read the question?" because they usually don't and just expect you to do it for them so that they don't have to. they know how to wrap you around their finger. i have a lot to learn from them.

i think they like me though, for some reason. i like them too, even if they drive me crazy sometimes. so there's progress.

i have to come up with ideas, educational and fun things i can do with them once they're done with the homework, so that i don't just play uno with them and do something useful. so that i can actually help.

although i only want to work with adults once i start working for real, i still think i can learn a lot from this. i'm learning how to be patient, how to set boundaries and how to find alternative solutions to problems. at least i'm trying.

teacher: so kids, there's only 3 of you left, wanna go home half an hour early?
kids: nooo
me: ah come on, let's go home. there's nothing left to do, anyway.
kids: nooo! (happily realizing that they found a button to push)
me: alright then if you don't go home now, it means we'll stay here and read all episodes of star wars till the end. oh look what we have here! episode one.
boy: cool i love star wars!
me: great! so you can read it for us. it's in german and i'll make you translate every sentence to turkish to see if you understood.
kids: have a nice weekend!! *road runner effect*
me: you too!


i had an interesting conversation with one of the teachers yesterday, right before i left:

- have a nice weekend. don't talk to strangers and don't go with them, even if they offer you sweets.
- even if they're good looking?
- ?!
- ok, especially if they're good looking.


next week, i'm starting to observe therapy sessions with a patient regularly. YES!