Welcome to Travis Air Force Base!
I arrived at Travis Air Force Base on Wednesday August 8th. Potter was still with me on the road trip and as soon as we arrived we checked into my temporary lodging hotel on base then proceeded to check out apartments. The first place I looked at is the one I went with. I love it and it fits me perfectly. It was such a great relief to find a place the same day I arrived. That night Potter and I spent the night on base getting "initiated" into military life...what a fun night with lots and lots of wine and Air Force boys! LOL. The next day I drove her to the airport....saying goodbye was hard. She was the last friend form Michigan I was going to see for months. The feeling it me as I was driving away "I am for sure on my own now." I cried tears of happiness and of fear. I had no idea what to expect.
So for the next week I spent time getting to know the base and the area of Fairfield/Vacaville. I moved into my place all by myself which was a difficult task but I could feel the support and prayers from everyone back home. After a long 3 days of unpacking I was finally moved into my new place!
One of the perks of my place:
So for the next week I spent time getting to know the base and the area of Fairfield/Vacaville. I moved into my place all by myself which was a difficult task but I could feel the support and prayers from everyone back home. After a long 3 days of unpacking I was finally moved into my new place!
One of the perks of my place:
Love this pool!!!!!
I began my job on August 13....I felt like a little kid going to school for the first time. It was such a nerve racking day. Making sure my uniform was correct, making sure I spoke to people with correct military terms and just making it through day 1 with no mistakes was so stressful. As time has gone on I have started to become more comfortable in my surroundings but every day is a new challenge. Sometimes my civilian mouth comes out and I will say stupid things like calling Colonels "guys" instead of "gentlemen" ... everyday I laugh at myself and the funny mistakes I make.
I feel that I have spent more time in meetings and learning the ropes of military life than seeing patients but I guess that is to be expected. My day begins at 7:30am and ends at 4:30pm (usually however there are lots of day where I work late). I have to leave my house 45 minutes to get to work on time (work is only 15 minutes away). Every morning there is a line up outside of the gate to get on base which makes mornings very early!
I am currently working in Family Advocacy which is a lot like my job I had when I worked in Child Welfare for the state. It has helped me a lot to have this previous experience. In December I will transition from the Family Advocacy program to ADAPT which is the substance abuse program. I will work there till April and then finish my residency in Mental Health. I will be moving to a new base in August 2013.
As residents we are also on-call once a month. So a scheduled of on-call is either Monday-Thursday or Friday-Sunday. We get called to the ER for mental health emergency usually resulting around suicidal thoughts etc. Getting called in is a pain especially in the middle of the night but these are the times when I feel that I am making the biggest impact. I have learned so much in the short 2 months I have been here at Travis.
The learning curve is ridiculous. On top of learning all the military stuff I am learning all the military social work ins and outs. Everyday is overwhelming. We are residents and treated like residents. People constantly drilling us with questions and correcting everything we do...its intense and I constantly have to remind myself that all of this will be worth it in the end. August can't get here fast enough :) I love being a Social Worker and even during the difficult days the love for my job will never change. Here are some pictures of Travis Air Force Base!
I feel that I have spent more time in meetings and learning the ropes of military life than seeing patients but I guess that is to be expected. My day begins at 7:30am and ends at 4:30pm (usually however there are lots of day where I work late). I have to leave my house 45 minutes to get to work on time (work is only 15 minutes away). Every morning there is a line up outside of the gate to get on base which makes mornings very early!
I am currently working in Family Advocacy which is a lot like my job I had when I worked in Child Welfare for the state. It has helped me a lot to have this previous experience. In December I will transition from the Family Advocacy program to ADAPT which is the substance abuse program. I will work there till April and then finish my residency in Mental Health. I will be moving to a new base in August 2013.
As residents we are also on-call once a month. So a scheduled of on-call is either Monday-Thursday or Friday-Sunday. We get called to the ER for mental health emergency usually resulting around suicidal thoughts etc. Getting called in is a pain especially in the middle of the night but these are the times when I feel that I am making the biggest impact. I have learned so much in the short 2 months I have been here at Travis.
The learning curve is ridiculous. On top of learning all the military stuff I am learning all the military social work ins and outs. Everyday is overwhelming. We are residents and treated like residents. People constantly drilling us with questions and correcting everything we do...its intense and I constantly have to remind myself that all of this will be worth it in the end. August can't get here fast enough :) I love being a Social Worker and even during the difficult days the love for my job will never change. Here are some pictures of Travis Air Force Base!
Hospital where I work
I love all the palm trees on base :)
Still have to get up close and personal to one of these yet!
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