Where to begin…
…about a month ago, as you know, my internship offer for September was withdrawn due to issues in securing a US Visa from the hospital. Naturally I was very upset and very discouraged. I had a plan B in mind and was completely ready to execute it. As you may know by now, when it comes to child life, I don’t like to wait.
With my rejection to McMaster last year, I pursued alternate education because waiting to begin my child life education was just not an option for me. After I found out that options to pursue an internship in Canada were very minimal I reached out to hospitals in the US. And now, after having my offer taken from me, I have once again chosen an alternate route.
About three and a half weeks ago, I approached a woman I met briefly at a symposium back in April. Her name is Morgan Livingstone and for those who are unaware, she is a CCLS in private practice in Toronto, ON. As I learned from her lecture at the symposium, Morgan has been travelling to Kenya for the last 10 years establishing a sustainable Kenyan child life program there. After a suggestion from a friend, I contacted Morgan immediately for some guidance and suggestions. She not only offered me several other opportunities to get my internship hours with her in her practice, but she also invited me to Kenya with her to begin my internship there. We began planning immediately.
I have never been happier, more excited, and more grateful.
Next Wednesday I am off to Eldoret, Kenya to begin my child life internship at the Sally Test Paediatric Centre in the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. I will be the first intern in their program so it will be an incredible learning opportunity for myself and for the Kenyan child life staff as well.
I am absolutely speechless and cannot wait to start my learning in such a culture-rich environment.
Once I return from Kenya on September 3rd, I will be joining Morgan in her practice to complete my internship hours with her.
Words can’t describe how excited I am for this adventure.
My Path to Play 
I’ve been keeping up with reading your blog-posts, and this is so exciting – congrats! Hope you have a wonderful time!
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Thank you so much!! 🙂
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Hi Alex,
Is there any way to get in contact with your supervisor? I would love to see if they will be looking for interns for the Spring 2017 semester. Also, is your internship counting towards the internship hours needed to be eligible for certification?
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Hi Brie! Thanks for reaching out. It’s a different process I went through for this position. They are currently piloting the internship program here in Kenya. As far as I know they are hoping to take only interns from here in Kenya in the future to promote the local sustainability of the program. It’s a very unique situation I’ve found myself in! I do believe there are opportunities for international internships though. Regardless, I can speak to my supervisor and get back to you!
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Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I just saw the same information on the blog, but it never hurts to ask, so if you are comfortable doing so, I would really appreciate it! If you are able to provide me with her email address, I am able to reach out to her as well. Whichever you prefer!
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Hey Brie sorry for the delay! I’ve been flying for a full day pretty much – heading home! Morgan’s email is morganlivingstone@rogers.com. Feel free to contact her with any additional questions 🙂
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