Reading

Well, I was able to leave a little bit earlier than yesterday. As I said, my shift isn't exact, so expect variations in when I post these updates. Today was the day I was to read to the kids, and they let me pick a book out of a little bookshelf they had. I decided to pick the oldest book they had sitting on the shelf, it looked worn and unused for some time. The book I chose was 'Der Struwwelpeter', and the title itself was vaguely in my memory. I looked through the table of contents and read the only narrative poem that looked familiar. I'll share it with you.

The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb

One day, Mamma said, "Conrad dear,
I must go out and leave you here.
But mind now, Conrad, what I say,
Don't suck your thumb while I'm away.
The great tall tailor always comes
To little boys that suck their thumbs.
And ere they dream what he's about
He takes his great sharp scissors
And cuts their thumbs clean off, - and then
You know, they never grow again."

Mamma had scarcely turn'd her back, The thumb was in, alack! alack!

The door flew open, in he ran, The great, long, red-legged scissorman. Oh! children, see! the tailor's come And caught our little Suck-a-Thumb.

Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go; And Conrad cries out - Oh! Oh! Oh! Snip! Snap! Snip! They go so fast; That both his thumbs are off at last. Mamma comes home; there Conrad stands, And looks quite sad, and shows his hands;- "Ah!" said Mamma "I knew he'd come To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb." Afterward, I was able to talk to some of the kids as they were doing various little projects. I was able to meet Brian, who was drawing some sort of picture. He didn't seem out of the ordinary at all, just a little shy. He told me he liked the poem, and added with a smile, 'I think I've met that Tailor,' and he showed me his fist with his thumb hidden. It was amusing, and when I looked at the picture it didn't seem out of the ordinary at all. Whatever the tour guide said about him being strange, I certainly don't see. (But then again aren't we all a little strange?)

First Day

I'm quite worn out from the first day. Not that much happened, I got a tour of the place (as much as a tour can be, it's a six room building with a small attic and half-finished basement, along with a playground outside), along with some information on the children that go there. I'm going to change their names for their privacy's sake, as I bet you can guess I'm going to talk about them.

One child in particular, Brian, was said to be different than the others as the guide told me. He's 7, and is quite bright but they just say something is "wrong" with him. I'm not sure what to expect as I won't be able to meet or interact with any of the kids until tomorrow. If it is what I think it is, he probably has some 'morbid' outlook on the world, or some disorder that isn't natural in a child his age. I think I'm a little too excited to meet him and see what exactly is wrong with him. I do know he is a human, and I'm not going to treat him as some sort of experiment (although it will seem that way dlks bad habit of mine).

The children, after being told I was going to be working there voted on what I was to do with them. There's about ten of them in the group that will be there when I work, and they decided I should read to them. I'll look forward to that tomorrow.

I got the job

I was going to wait to post this tomorrow after my first day of work, but I was so excited I couldn't wait. They called me back about half an hour ago to tell me I got the job, and that I was to start tomorrow. I can't wait to see how everything goes, and they seem fine with me working with the older kids. Classes are usually over by noon, so they told me to come in by one, and I'll work until the kids are picked up, or enough of the permanent staff can handle the children who are still there after their dinner/snack time.
Wish me luck~

Job Hunting

I've decided to look into getting a job, as much as I'd love to simply keep my mind focused on my studies, bird watching, and Roc none of those generate any sort of income. I've been looking around at a few places, and already I've ruled out working at some fast food place. Even though I don't mind people there is a lot of pressure and stress with working with a lot of people over the course of the day.

There is however, a Day Care center that is near the forest where I bird watch. This place interests me as it would help me with my studies (after all there is a lot of psychological study in children), and give me some experience with simply working with them. I say children because I really don't do well with babies, I think 6 years and up will be the age range I'll work the best with. After I work up the courage to go and fill out a résumé, we can hope for the best. Roc certainly approves of me getting a job (I've been talking to her, she's the only other creature I really talk to besides family), and seems very excited about being able to be in a quiet room all day without me walking around.

Bird Watching

Today I found some time to do some bird watching. I had both my cell phone and my regular camera, but even so it was hard to get good pictures. A lot of the trees hid the birds from view, and they were being very skittish as always (I don't blame them, really). After cropping and messing around with some of the pictures so the birds are in better view, I only had a couple pictures, but I like them so I'll share them.

The gold finches, as promised. I was lucky to get these three, I didn't notice there were three until I zoomed in more on the picture.

I believe those are Sparrows, if they don't look like them I blame my camera (or my horrible photo editing, haha).

I don't know exactly why I took this picture, but something told me too when I saw all the trees. I like the picture, even though there aren't any birds in it (which really surprised me, you'd think there would be).

Facts About Various Disorders

For my own reference, and for the greater good of others researching the subject, I've decided to make some little fact lists about some Disorders. I've chosen OCD, Schizophrenia, and ADD/ADHD.

OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

- People who suffer from OCD suffer from both Obsessions and Compulsions. 

- The Obsessions include: reoccurring, unwanted thoughts, or images. They are often disturbing and cause anxiety and disstress.

- Compulsions include: Repetitive acts that are in response to the Obsessions. They can be mental or physical, and are meant to prevent certain situations from happening.

- OCD Affects men and woman equally.

- People with OCD have different brain patterns compared to others with mental disorders or no disorder at all when looked with a PET (positron emission tomography).

- 2% of the US Population has OCD; one third of that was diagnosed in childhood.

Source:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/287681-overview
http://www.anxietypanic.com/ocdfacts.html

Schizophrenia

- As devastating a disorder as Schizophrenia is, it is highly treatable. If more research were done on the disease, it could be cured by 2013.

- The leading theories for why Schizophrenia occurs are mainly that it is genetic, along with certain enviromental factors.

- Schizophrenia usually occurs between ages 15-25, and is generally slightly younger in development in women.

- Hardly anyone under the age of 10 or above the age of 40 is diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

-  Schizophrenia occurs in all races, genders, religion, or culture.

- At least 51 Million people worldwide suffer from Schizophrenia.

Source:

http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm 

ADD/ADHD

Attention Deficit Disorder

- Affects between 5 and 12 percent of children worldwide.

- Children with ADD/ADHD are not all alike, as there are different severances of the disorder (Mild, Moderate or Severe).

- Often occurs along with other disorders such as; Learning Disabilities, Tourette Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, Substance Abuse, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder.

- Affects more males than females.

- Depending on the person, ADD/ADHD may only last through childhood and they learn to cope with it, others suffer through it the rest of their lives.

- There are two distinct types of ADD/ADHD: Hyperactivity and Impulsive or Inattentiveness without Hyperactivity.

Source:
http://www.chrisdendy.com/keyfacts.htm

I plan on doing more of these when I decide it is needed. I decided to name my pet cockatiel Roc, as Alice suggested. She seems to be okay with the name, and I think it will fit her.

Welcome Home

I decided today to do something a little different than usual. Instead of going out bird watching, I checked around at a few shelters and pet stores looking for a bird of my own that wouldn't fly away before I could take a picture. To my amazement, I was able to get one, a female cockatiel whose about 6 or 7 years old. I know a lot more about birds, than you would think, so I'm quite glad to have gotten her. She even warmed up to me fairly easily, as the shelter told me they had found her out in the wild and she had trouble warming up to anyone. She's very quiet though, and there is something about her that is different. I guess I'll have to figure that out as I get to know her better.

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Here's a picture; like I said she's different. There's a mirror in her cage but she hardly ever looks into it, and when I put my phone into her cage in order to take this picture she became aggressive when she was calm only moments before.

Let's Start This

 I finally was able to convince Alice to create a blog along with me. She doesn't see its use yet, but these things are very well-intended both for her health and the health of others like her. I will be also posting updates on my life that I figure will be of interest, my life is not busy or exciting but I do have many adventures when it comes to my hobby of bird watching. The birds around where I live are curious creatures, not like other birds I've seen.

As for Alice, because of her schizophrenia, I will be monitoring her posts as well as lending support as much as I can. She needs a friend or two, it would do her good. The information I receive from my friendship with her will help me in my studies, and possibly even others like her. I'm sorry if I sound too cold in this, we really are friends, in spite of what Alice might imply.