Dear Rose,

Yesterday was my first day at the JCC Internship. Orientation was on Tuesday, and can I just say that the drive home that night was a scary one... I felt so overwhelmed! How was I going to remember which cabins were where? Was I really going to walk around this campus with these kids all around? But yesterday, all those fears were dispelled. I'll still get a little lost, but I feel so safe there.

Because of confidentiality, I can't say much. But I can say that, so far, I've been given the perfect group of boys for my personality. I'm the youngest of the interns and I was assigned the youngest group of boys-- my supervisor calls them the "ankle biters". What I've noticed about these kids is that they are good boys who have done some seriously stupid and bad things. But the first thing I felt, suprisingly enough, was Christ's love for them. I understood how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ could love every sinner. Four of the boys are the same age as Kit, my little sister, and it gives me the heebie jeebies to know that they were capable of doing what they've done. But it also gives me a chance to see them through different eyes.

I was warned that some of the boys will get attached to me and that I need to keep firm boundries. The oldest boy in the group has already started paying special attention to me: holding out my chair at chow time, introducing me to everyone. He's a nice kid, but I'm going to keep an eye on him...

But don't worry-- I'm not flattered or pleased with their attention at all. I know that they are manipulative and that I posses anatomy that no one else in their group does, which makes me a rare item. I'm not fooled by their acts.

But I still see the goodness in them.

Interesting.

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

HEAR YE HEAR YE!!

I got the internship!!

YAY ME!!!!!

Internship!!

JCC in St. Anthony:

"Interns will be exposed to many aspects of the JCC St. Anthony residential treatment program including, education, security, student life, medical, and peer group counseling, drug and alcohol counseling, psychological assessment, risk assessment, and aftercare planning. An integral part of this internship involves learning the basics of the Positive Peer Culture treatment modality and being able to demonstrate an understanding of it through appropriate interactions with their assigned student group."

That's the first part of my internship description. I have my first meeting tomorrow to see if I'm a good fit for it, but if all goes well, I start next semester at the JCC!!!

I'm so excited! I did a Family Home Evening with them a few weeks ago, and they blew my mind. These kids have been living sucky and screwed up lives, but here at the JCC, they are learning how to accept resbonsability for their actions and live happier lives. There's just something about the youth that makes me excited and interested.

AHH!!!

PS- I'm graduating in DECEMBER!!