Heaven Muise's Story
After two weeks in Austria, participating in the International Days in Social Work, I am grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was able to push beyond my personal comfort zone by traveling to Europe, traveling with a group of people I had only met once before, and leaving my husband and children for two weeks for the first time in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people, such as other students in the field, professionals from all over the world, and many others with lived experience and insights into social work in their own countries.
I was able to expand my resilience due to some travel issues, network with like-minded folks, put my adaptability to the test, and deepen my knowledge of social service work in other parts of the world. One thing that was instilled during my two weeks that I will take from this experience into my future work is to always meet the person (clients, others in my life, etc.) where they are at, and meet them with compassion, kindness, and a listening ear. I enjoyed my time exploring Austria in my downtime, connecting with other participants, and eating lots of schnitzel!