Back to school!

Well, this is the second week of the NILD training and I am exhausted. It has been more intensive than I ever expected. Good, but tiring!

Little Abby came this week to demonstrate for us the rhythmic writing that is the base of the NILD therapy. Abby's parents are friends of ours and live in the neighborhood.

During each of the sessions, Cheryl would give us "practice" time with our table mates. There are 5 core techniques and about 20 other techniques that level 1 educational therapists (interns) can do with their children, and we were given time each day to practice the techniques we had learned that particular day. I am a participant at this training because I wanted to learn more about learning disabilities and to become more familiar with the NILD therapy, but because I am not going to actually be working with children, and because there were 13 of us, I did not work with a partner to perfect my technique. I took the mid-term exam (made a 97!) but opted out of the final since I'm just there to learn, not to eventually become certified. It was much more fun to audit and reduce the stress!

The second to the last day Cheryl gave the ladies time to work on the last assignment and to prepare for the demonstration (fondly called "demo's") part of the final exam where they have to do an actual 40 minute therapy session with a partner.

Since I wasn't preparing for the final, I decided to provide drinks and snacks in the morning and afternoon for the ladies to munch on while studying. That was fun for me. Much more fun than practicing techniques over and over.

This is our group picture, taken toward the end of our class shortly before the demo's started. Can you tell that everyone is tired and still a little stressed about the final? Our teacher, Cheryl, is in the row behind me in the khaki pants and taupe shirt.

And Friday night when the last demo was completed, all the ladies staying at the Eden House for the training came down to our house for a mexican dinner. Lots of laughing and reminiscing of the past 10 days!!!

We had our final "wrap up" session on Saturday morning and then folks started catching their flights home. I came back to the house Saturday afternoon and started packing for our stateside assignment which begins in less than a week! We fly to Atlanta on Saturday, and will be staying in Marietta, Georgia for the next 5 months.

I'll still be doing the TCK education work long-distance, along with member care "a distance", as the French would say, during our time in America so we'll be busy, but we will find time to visit with family and friends and speak in churches. Before we know it, our time in the US will be up and we'll be heading home. Back to Budapest, that is.

Depending on how the week goes, I might update on Thursday or Friday to show you pictures of our last week here. If not, hopefully on Sunday or Monday!

Catch you later!