it's my first week of work at the pregnant girls' services at mother's choice...

things have been rather tame so far.  just a lot of orientation of all the different services and departments, and getting to know people and the pregnant girls.  i also have to work very hard at improving my cantonese, especially my sex talk.  since virtually all my clients will be local chinese girls, i think it'd be a good idea to start being able to chit chat in chinese... not to mention how to explain the processes of abortion or adoption.  i haven't had a need to speak chinese in more than 9 months (incidentally, the same amount of time it takes a fertilized egg to mature into a full-fledged human being...), so i feel especially out of touch right now.

random fact: did you know that the chinese character for "crisis" includes the words "danger" and "opportunity"....

now about abortion... if i ever needed any more convincing that it's murder, i only need to go to this website.  warning: the pictures under the resources page are not for the faint of heart, or those who like to live in a perfect pink bubblegum world.  they are extremely graffic.  i haven't given this subject much thought since uni, but because my job involves counseling on it, i had to take a look.  after a few seconds, i couldn't hold back my tears as the reality hit me straight in the guts.  i'm sure that website will offend somebody (as i'm sure it has with lots of americans where the site is based), but i welcome any and all discussion.

i think what is going to drive me in my work this year is not so much what is done to these precious babies, as horrific as that is, but the reasons that drive girls to make such a decision.  often, it's not that they are cruel and heartless, but because they feel like it's their only option, or that they are forced to go to such lengths.  i guess that's what i'm here for.