Outreach #1 Orientation: Aurora Center

For level 400, we've got two outreaches scheduled. The first one is at the Aurora Center and the second is at Friends for Life. Yesterday was my orientation for the Aurora Center.
The Aurora Center is a wonderful place where women from all around British Columbia can go to get help with their addictions to drugs or alcohol. The reality is, most of these women with addictions have also had a past where physical abuse, trauma, or other sorts of things have happened to them. So you can imagine how unsure and a little scared I was when I came into this environment. I wasn't afraid of the women but rather of what's happened in my past, and what might come up while working with these women. But hey it's an outreach, it's not optional and if anything, I'll benefit from this and I too will become a stronger person (having to deal with my own shit as well).
As I walked up to the hospital where the outreach was located, I noticed that right next door was the retirement home where my Grand Pa Eric spent the last few years of his life and passed away there. I entered the hospital with memories of Grand Pa still lingering in my mind. In the front entrance, there was a woman sitting in a wheel chair holding a new born baby. Her husband (or boyfriend... never know these days) was outside installing the baby seat. She had the most serene look to herself and looked at her new born baby in the most tender and loving way.
As I walked around, trying to find my way, I saw more new moms and their babies with that same joy on their face. I came into the wrong entrance but I was really enjoying walking through the halls of the maternity ward. There were women walking around, holding their pregnant bellies and who looked to be having contractions... It was really neat. I tried hard to fight down tears because I felt like this is where I belonged... working with these women and these little babies. I can't wait to finish my program so I can get there!!!
After walking through the maternity ward, I found my way to Aurora Center and there the rest of my class mates were waiting. The orientation went well, the lady who gave us the orientation was very helpful. It was nice to see where we were going to be working. It's really a great environment for these women. It doesn't seem like an institution, it's more like a dormitory. They have all sorts of activities like art expression, writing and journaling, yoga, nutritional food and guidance, fitness classes, spiritual care services and musical therapy. Oh and massage therapy too :) That'd be me and the other girls in my class! Because it's a holistic approach to healing it's not as linear and "tight assed" as the more conventional ways of dealing with addiction, abuse and other women's issues.
I think it'll be great working there... I can see how at times it may be difficult, certainly knowing that I am an emotional person and I tend to take on the emotions that others around me carry, but I can also see how this will be rewarding for really everyone who's involved in this.
Oh and during the orientation, my teacher Denise (also the assistant Dean now), let out that she was pregnant. It had been a while that I'd been thinking that Denise was pregnant, probably a few weeks before we left for break. I don't know what it was about her but I just had that feeling. So I am happy for her and her husband! The baby's due on February 9th :)