Okay I'm gonna try being a blogger again ;) I wanna keep track of my life somehow!
Yesterday I went to the mental illness fair at the St. James Cathedral for my fellowship (I got a scholarship from SPU's Psychology department last year). Beth came with me and it turned out to be an amazing experience. We arrived and parked at O'dea high school then headed in. Our booth we were representing was NAMI, wish is the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It helps with support groups, advocacy, and information about mental illness for the general public.
One of the really interesting experiences we had was speaking with a man who has been hopping from shelter to shelter, but attends mass at the cathedral every Sunday. He told us about his diagnosis of bi-polar disorder a long time ago before he was homeless. He's only been in shelters for about 6 weeks, but has been staying optimistic. He was very intelligent and conversational. He just needed someone to talk to. It is so moving to see people that have lost everything, but are pushing through and still taking their medication. I gave him information about our support groups and hopefully he will take advantage of them to get back on his feet.
Another man stayed at our booth for over an hour talking to one of the other Dickinson fellows about everything from dolphins to the atmosphere to politics. He had been homeless for awhile, but is very intelligent and wanted some company. I would love to advocate for the homeless someday. This is so out of my field of interest, but I am soo glad to be expanding to the community of Seattle.
