First Child Assessed!

WAhhh...HIDEOUT INDEED.

I have really been hiding out.

Thought about changing the name of the blog. To something spunkier. Had the greatest name for it the other day. Then I fell asleep. Dreaming of how much more MAGIC it will bring to my personal little page. Then. I forgot. I FORRGOOTTT my NEW SPUNKY BLOG NAMMEEEE... and lo and behold, it is still... Pink Wombat. *gua gua gua*

But anyhoo. The more significant things that have prevented me from blogging recently have been :
a) Quitting my brain scientist job
b) Starting a new job as a *pinkmarshmellows drumroll and fairy lights*
PSYCHOLOGIST!
Jeng jeng jeng!
c) A huge huge row with Mr.P, resulting from a very dramatic weekend I cannot soon forget (but one that will eventually perish into 'doesn't matter-ness' in due time I'm sure. And rest assured, we're gooder now)

But yes, on the topic of A : I quit the job that gave me kicks from saying I work in a cognitive neuroscience lab, doing 'neuropsych testing'. It was good stuff being brainy (ha ha ha) for about 10 months. Then I realized I didn't like the elderly brain much.

So I started work at the new place, dealing with children, about 5 weeks ago. It's been pretty intense training since. But I'm loving it! Because it's for a charity though, I'm own the classic overworked-underpaid syndrome. But it's all for a good cause, and I'm actually really interested in the stuff I'm doing. I don't think I've ever worked so much or worked so hard for work! Well. Considering this is only the second job I've held since graduation... But I ACTUALLY do work in my own time...and actually constantly read journals and texts for the job now. ACTUAL COMMITMENT.

Aha, science research is spot on when they showed that interest is the biggest motivator & contributor to SUCCESS! Or at least... success in the making. I hope I hope. For the sake of my Chevening application... OHH CHEVENING PLEASE LOOK AT ME THIS YEARRRRR

I'm also constantly thinking of various ways of spicing up assessments with the children and how to talk 'professionally' to parents... especially the kiasu-i-want-my-child-to-go-for-recommended-learning-difficulties-remedial-classes-on-top-of-her-10hours-a-week-and-3-hours-of-German-French-and-Kurbekistan-language-tuition-kinda parents.

Okay. Maybe I haven't encountered those yet. But they exist. I'm sure they do. I smell it in every child who has 50kg backpacks full of textbooks and other mock tests..and every other young child who do IQ tests with their friends on the MRT.

But yes, I had my first child case today! SO EXCITING! MILESTONE! LANDMARK! MONUMENTALLLLLLL

Was actually quite excited to get hands-on. Spoke to the mom, thought she was sweet, and supportive...in a hippie kinda way. And then the child came in. And after 2 hours of her dangling off the chair, bouncing off the walls, trying to break all my grown-up rules and grabbing every cognitive test tool I had in sight... I sent her back to her mom, with her sugary drink in hand. And BREATHED. That was my first kid. I won't forget her so easily. Sweet child though, she drew me a girl in a wedding gown carrying a flower-ice-cream bouquet (don't ask), with a little 'unhandsome' man-servant sat in her hair. Ah children.

I've got her again tomorrow. For the 2nd half of the tests. And then full-on into the parent disclosure discussion. So...plenty of sleep tonight I reckon!

Oola, Mr.P is on his way home... and I am off to make my butter-milk tuna casserole!