dirty fingernails

NEW SCHEDULE!

Monday:

Morning- help tender cash in the canteen

Afternoon- Arts and Crafts (Simply Chocolate)

Tuesday:

Morning- Water Play OR Sand Play

Afternoon- Arts and Crafts (Simply Chocolate or afternoon activity)

Wednesday:

Morning- Messy Play

Afternoon- Arts and Crafts (Simply Chocolate)

Thursday:

Morning- Messy Play

Afternoon- Arts and Crafts (Simply Chocolate)

Friday:

Morning- help tender cash in the canteen.

Afternoon- Arts and Crafts (Simply Chocolate OR Vocational Staff meeting)

Seri Mengasih Centre has a (new-ish) pool! It’s small but about 3 times the size of a hot tub so it could easily seat 13 people and it’s at least 3 feet deep. On Tuesday mornings I am scheduled to help with the Water Play sessions. After all the classes have participated (however many weeks that takes) then we switch to Sand Play. This schedule is fairly new, new enough that I can’t tell you what Sand Play will look like. But in Water Play the students get in their water-fun clothes, sit in the pool, and have a water-related lesson from their teachers. The lessons I’ve seen so far involve animal habitats (in water or on land), sinking or floating, and small items and large items. These lessons are fun to watch. It’s obvious that some students are familiar with swimming, perhaps their parents take them to the local sports complex, while others are anxious and just plain overwhelmed. Either way, it must be difficult for students to focus on that lesson don’t you think? Having one hour a month devoted to an activity like this is probably good for a number of reasons, but I’ll have to research and look at the data for you first. My gut reaction is that learning in a new environment with new stimulus is rewarding but, if it were me, I would be too excited to sit and learn and repeat and everything these kids are asked to do. All in all, I’m sure the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Sand Play will most likely be the same idea; new environment and new stimulus with a tactile advantage, I just haven’t seen it in action yet. For my psychology capstone class I researched Sand Play therapy used for children, mostly the nonverbal youngsters, and the process of that particular avenue for therapy. I told somebody about my knowledge of sand play therapy and how excited I was to see Seri Mengasih use sand… for whatever objective they are using it and so I’m thinking that must be why I have been placed in Sand Play. Although this Sand Play isn’t therapy, I’m hoping I can contribute a little bit of something or learn a lot of something from this new thing on my schedule.

As for Messy Play, that’s neat stuff. We make goop and ask kids to rub it on to their partner’s foot or we make colorful gunk and ask kids to finger paint with it. Just today I was massaging vegetable oil into homemade play-dough to get it the perfect balance of sticky, stretchy, doughy, malleable goodness. I never thought my job would be so gooey! But it really is fun. We try to make the kids a little uncomfortable, force them to touch something maybe they don’t want to put their fingers in and then do it in a safe environment. Over time this could help with obsessions over cleanliness or routine or steering clear of the “unknown.” These sessions are also turned into lessons about colors, shapes, size, etc but we are thinking of allowing the children some extra time for ‘free play’ meaning on the days we paint the kids will have time to do whatever they want with their paint and perhaps make ART! and release energy that way. I love that. I guess I love it because I’m such a psychologist and I love these opportunities for freedom of expression (perhaps from the subconscious?) and playing with little activities that can be seriously therapeutically rewarding for some individuals. Whoa, dream big.

The rest of my days and afternoons are spent decorating the Simply Chocolate boxes. It has become my responsibility and I have started to try and teach a few students how to write out the word ‘Sabah’ with the tiny rope, but it’s a slow process. I am committed and even somewhat obsessed with these boxes. I count the completed ones multiple times a day and double-check every single piece. Now that I am being utilized elsewhere, I worry about the boxes and I almost want to request a revision of my schedule so that I can work on the boxes more. I have a theory on my desire to stick with the Simply Chocolate boxes as much as humanly possible: when your schedule changes, or responsibilities change, or your job changes in any way, it becomes new and exciting and newness equals fasterness. The few weeks I have had doing water play and messy play have gone by quickly. Faster than the months I only worked on Simply Chocolate boxes. If my job changes and the days go faster then my return date is also quickly approaching, a thing I do not want to happen. I am clinging to these boxes and not thinking about the sentence that came right before this one.

In other news: my birthday is coming up! And then it’s Holy Week! I’m slightly worried about having my birthday on the other side of the world, but I had it in Egypt so… Plus, I haven’t had a birthday at home in Colorado for four years already, this’ll be the fifth year in a row so let’s hope homesickness can stay away. Holy Week plans are pretty easy-going, much like my Christmas plans were. It will be wonderful regardless of what I’m doing or who I’m with because, hey, I’m in MALAYSIA! Haha. Have a wonderful day wherever you are!! Peace.