Week 4 was mapping with google maps. I was not here that day. I missed 2 weeks,
week four and week five, because of a family illness. It sounds weird to say...
as people do not usually think of mental illnesses as what they are; illnesses.
My mom has bipolar disorder that she refuses to get treatment for. It's
something that I've grown up with and it is something that I used to think that
I could handle. It's something that I have handled for my entire life. Every
couple of years she gets super manic and does something crazy. In 1999, my 3rd
or 4th grade year, it was running down the street naked, in 2005 it was
stuffing two cats, a dog, a freakin palm tree, my four younger siblings, and I into
a old beat up four door mud brown Honda Civic. In 2007 it was stealing my
siblings form my dad and stashing them in some abandoned house. In 2010 she had
a mini episode during my finals week of summer term, and her episodes have been
becoming more frequent but less severe as time has gone on.
Wednesday of week 3 she called me crying. She hadn't slept or eaten in a couple
of days, and she was starting again. What set her off this time was that she
broke up with her abusive boyfriend again. I can't help it. No matter what she
does, if she calls me crying, I run to the rescue. I think it might have
something to do with being the child who held her while she cried while I was
growing up. My sister calls it codependency. I don't know. Anyways, she was
slipping again, so I went to pick her up.
She was different this time. She was weak and crying one minute and then angry
and hostile the next. And I really just wasn't equipped to handle it. But she's
homeless, and has been since the summer after my junior year in high school.
Our house is the only safe place she has to stay.
Anyway, I know you don't want to read a novel, and I really don't want to go
into great detail about the state of mind that she was in, but sleep has been
nearly nonexistent in my life for the past 4 weeks; not just sleep- but rest. I
hardly call 3 intermittent hours of sleep rest. I don't know how I'm still
standing. My Tuesday and Friday classes have suffered the most because they are
from 8-4 (the time of day when my younger siblings are at school and my dad is
working). Luckily my Monday/Wednesday math class is from 5-7 at night and I
have been able to attend that class.
On top of all that craziness, my school placement wasn't secured until Thursday
of week 5- literally half way through the term. This doesn't necessarily apply
to your class, because observations are not necessary, but my other classes are
suffering significantly. I'm frustrated. And focusing on the content being taught
this term has been difficult.
I finished the google maps activity last week and found it fairly simple. I've
never used google maps before, and I found it easy to access. Your online
directions were very helpful and I was also able to come in before class last
week and get your assistance. The most difficult part, for me, was creating a
tour that flowed well. I don't feel like I did very well with that aspect at
all.
I appreciate that I have the opportunity to turn these blogs in late, and that
assignments are due 2 weeks after they have been assigned because this has
allowed me to finish the assignments that are due without the stress of
impossible deadlines. It has also allowed me the time to exert a fair amount of
effort. Again, I really appreciate being able to do this so late.
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