The Aftermath of an Awesome Weekend.

This weekend was fantastic. There was so much I had planned to do and not only did I accomplish most of it, I had a fun time doing so!

First up on my list was my first ever 5K - The Mustache Dash! It was in support of prostate cancer research and survivors. I just thought it would be a fun run to start with - a sort of trial before the big thing in June. With this in mind, I figured I would aim for a time between 35 and 40 minutes. The course was much hillier than I anticipated, but I took the hills slow in order to spare my knees the pain and after a while I got in the zone. I brought my iPod along to keep me motivated, but honestly I could have done it without the music. The people around me were enough to keep me going! I found myself keeping track of certain people and pacing myself with them.

Anyway, I finished with a time of 36:33 - not bad for my first 5K, I think. Feeling that last burst of energy and sprinting the remainder of the course was exhilarating and something I will never forget!



Next on the docket was Ajax in Iraq. I believe I have already blogged about the play itself, so I will not go into further detail. I just want to comment on the fact that although I was only ushering this time instead of simply being a part of the audience, I felt like I was back home. It seemed that people were genuinely happy to see me and I, them. I even met some of the freshmen interested in theatre!

Immediately after closing was strike. Strike consists of deconstructing the set, rearranging the theatre, packing up the seating, putting away most of the lights, and cleaning. It can be a long process depending on how much help there is. I specifically came to closing night to help with strike, knowing that the reward of eating at Shari's was worthy of a late night. Sure enough, we arrived at Shari's around midnight and left about two hours later completely satiated and exhausted. Good times were had by all.

I crashed (literally - I was exhausted after such a long day!) on the couch at my friend Rhianna's apartment for the night. Several hours later, I awoke to a complete arrangement of breakfast items prepared by Rhianna before she left for rehearsal. The darling! I am not ashamed to say I started bawling. The thoughtfulness, generosity, and overall kindness I had experienced (especially from Rhianna) in the last twelve hours was overwhelming.



It may be needless to say, but I will say it anyway - friendship is a powerful thing.

Now I am left to my studies, but with the anticipation of seeing my family next week, I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed this week.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo
I made this with every intention of eating it with tortilla chips, but ended up using this for breakfast and various other meals throughout the day. Needless to say, it didn't last long. This is a simple, homemade recipe for pico de gallo, easy enough for a college student to replicate.

2 large tomatoes
1 jalapeño
1 small onion
Cilantro
Lemon juice to taste

Dice the tomatoes, jalapeño, and small onion and combine. Chop the cilantro and add to the mixture, with lemon juice, to taste. Eso es!

Lofting

It finally hit me. I have only two and a half more weeks of my first semester of nursing school. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!

I have four papers to complete and one project to present before I have to execute my final performance evaluation in high fidelity simulation and take the HESI (Health Education System Inc.) exam - all before Finals Week. 

That being said, I apologize for any late blogposts or poorly written/edited blogposts. I am doing some major self-care this weekend and I hope to have the energy to blog about it all, but I am also going to be very, very, very busy. Evidence A: my bed right now.

#nursingschoolproblems

Confirmation Class

I may have mentioned before that I am a confirmation sponsor for one of my cousins. Part of the responsibility of a sponsor is to attend as many confirmation classes with my candidate as possible. Being a short while away from Vancouver, one would think it would be easy enough for me to travel from Portland to attend all of the classes. Unfortunately, I am still a college student without a car and have had to resort to public transportation.

Fortunately, Portland to Vancouver transportation is easily maneuvered and I finally made it to mass and confirmation class with my cousins. It was great! I enjoyed spending time with my family and experiencing confirmation class with my cousins.

The class focused on human dignity - a topic I constantly think about in nursing school. It was refreshing to not only be able to talk about it openly from a religious standpoint, but also hear the thoughts of the candidates on the topic. The coordinator had prepared an activity to stimulate our interpretation of human dignity. The exercise consisted of a number of hypothetical situations with the option to make the information about the situations public or private with subsequent reasoning. Ultimately it came down to the individual's perceptions of publicity, privacy, and human dignity.

Dealing with the hypothetical is never easy for me, because I consider several possibilities at once which eventually results in indecisiveness. The candidates, on the other hand, seemed to have specific situations in mind and acted in response to them. I found it interesting from an anthropological perspective that their lived experiences varied little from each other and greatly from mine. For instance, there was a situation about a friend having a same-sex significant other. Some of the candidates thought it should be made public because they wanted to show their support. The phrase "be proud of who you are" was thrown around frequently in the discussion.

As much as I was trying to hang back and not become too involved in the discussion (in order to let the candidates flourish on their own), I spoke up on this particular occasion to play the devil's advocate. I spoke to homophoebia and bullying because I thought it was important to remind the candidates that realistically it is not quite as simple as "being proud of who you are." I am grateful no one seemed to take offense to my input as the candidates continued their discussion.

I truly enjoyed the experience of talking with young adults and sharing our faith. Confirmation class was similar to a refresher course for me and I find I cannot wait until next week!

Ajax in Iraq

The show Ajax in Iraq goes along with the college's theme, "Legacies of War." Not only does Ajax provide a modern adaptation of the Greek story of Ajax, it also presents testimonials from real-life veterans of the Iraqi war. Although I was interested in the subject matter, I mainly went to see it in support of several friends who are in it. I loved the show - the cast members were well chosen, the sound and lighting designs were fantastic, and the costumes and staging were great. It was definitely thought-provoking. Slightly depressing, but thought-provoking.

In Greek mythology, Ajax and Odysseus were two warriors among many other Grecian soldiers who fought in the Trojan War. Odysseus was given the armor of Achilles as a reward for his efforts, despite Ajax having more substantial contributions to the war. The goddess Athena drove Ajax mad, leading him to slaughter an entire flock of sheep. Teclemessa, a Trojan offered to Ajax for a wife, was distraught and prayed for protection for her son while Ajax was on the war path. Ajax eventually kills himself, though Teclemessa pleads him not to.

Throughout the show, the audience also follows the story of A.J., an American female lieutenant in the Iraqi War. The fact that A.J. is being raped by her superior officer does not manifest itself immediately, though when it is indicated, members of her troop do not confront the situation. Once the despair and hopelessness of the situation sink in, it is too late - A.J. has already gone mad and killed an Iraqi shepherd's flock. Before she is arrested, she gives a picture of her son to a friend and tells her friend to tell her son that his picture was the only thing she valued. Eventually A.J. escapes and commits suicide. 

At her funeral, her comrades comment on various aspects of her death and it is revealed that A.J. only had a couple weeks left on her tour. The gravity of the undisclosed events leading up to her suicide weighs heavily on the audience as the troop exits offstage and Athena reappears, surrounding the gravesite. 

I am grateful I was able to see it before Veterans' day, because it gave me a better perspective on veterans. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a popular topic associated with veterans, but what about joblessness or homelessness? There are things that we as fellow citizens and compassionate people can do for the veterans that have put themselves in harm's way for us whether or not they "needed" to. Society can discuss war in the realm of politics all it wants, but the fact of the matter is, soldiers are people that are placed in a range of dangerous situations for one reason or another. Without them, others could/would be drafted and placed there against their will. The least I can do is thank them for their service, whether or not it is their designated day.

Corrido Calavera

Tonight I went to a show put on by Teatro Milagro of Portland called Corrido Calavera. It is about a young married couple, Amanda and Manuel, who die in a car accident and are sent to the world of the dead. There, they meet a cast of characters who try to help them reconcile their deteriorating marriage (pun intended).

It was a great show. It even had musical numbers! The lighting, the costumes, and the characters were all fantastic. I just wish I could have taken more pictures!


It was a black box theater, meaning the entire room was painted black and the audience was seated in the same place as the staging area. I was lucky enough to be seated in the front row, toward the center of the theater, so I had pretty great view of everything.

The main characters hid in coffins on display when the house opened and emerged when called upon by the rest of the cast members to rise again. The cast members all wore black jumpsuits with hoods, gloves, and shoes with bones painted on with various distinguishing costume pieces. Although there were only eight or so cast members, each person played more than one character. It was so amusing to see how their costume changed with their character's voice and mannerisms!

Anyway, I laughed, I cried, I mourned... It was a great night.

The altar in the foyer with pictures of honored deceased.

My New Best Friend

I made a friend today at clinical! Unfortunately my friend suffers from severe dementia.

Many of my interactions with my friend prior to today were brief and tense. I had heard that my friend liked to twist arms, bite, and lick and the thought of a person like that kind of made me nervous. Today however, I was in a strange mood because of the death of a patient I had worked with and my friend must have picked up on that. My friend clung to me all night and kept telling me that I was loved and how special I was.

Although my friend's speech pattern was very strange, I immediately picked up on things by the way it was said. Our communication kind of reminded me of how I interpreted my brother's speech when we were younger. I know that seems awful comparing my brother to a person with dementia, but bear with me.



Saul, my brother, used to talk in a roundabout way. Getting from one point to the next was a journey, but not always a linear one. To get from A to B, he might skip to H or P before implying B. He did not speak in word salad (unintelligible mixture of words and phrases) like my friend, but it was sometimes hard to tell what Saul was actually talking about.

Over the years, Saul has developed in so many ways and I have honed my skill of interpretation. It may be the fact that I am his sister, but most often I know exactly what he means when he says something unclear to others. Whatever the case may be, my friend today reminded me of one of the many reasons I love and miss my brother. I am now going to try and get over my homesickness with - you guessed it - sleep.

Grey's Anatomy: An Overanalysis

Despite feeling weary of my workload, I am grateful for one thing - Netflix.

Now hear me out. I love watching movies, but I honestly do not have the capacity for sitting through an hour and a half or longer film that I would not be able to remember even if I did sit through it. Netflix offers a variety of television shows that I can put on as background noise or watch on a short break. I have no qualms about pausing the show because I know it will still be there when I am ready to continue it. It is better than DVR because I do not necessarily have to share what I am watching with others!

Anyway, recently I have been watching Grey's Anatomy. As if I could not get enough healthcare culture in my life, I like watching the show about surgical intern doctors living in Seattle. There is medicine, healthcare providers, and drama! Although I do not consider it a realistic representation of the healthcare industry, I have picked out several instances where my education has already helped me feel prepared for my future career.

Grey's Anatomy has also taught me a few things - and I am only in the midst of season 2! One episode struck me as particularly important to remember when interacting with other healthcare providers. The episode in which the nurses are on strike reminded me of the fact that all of our responsibility is to our patients. A few nurses are providing specific information about patients they would like an intern to check on and when the intern protests their requests, one nurse replies, "They're our patients too."


The succinctness of the nurse's reply in that particular episode was remarkable. The implication that the doctors were not the only ones responsible for their patients was very clear. Coincidentally, I read about the national standards of interpreters in healthcare for next week's communication class which outlined the practices of interpreters in the the medical process. Although interpreters' role is refined compared to nurses' roles, the common ground is the dedication to the patient.

Why is it then, that the relationships between different healthcare providers can be so tense? I do not mean simply the primary care provider and nursing staff, I mean the shaman, priest, and psychiatrist too. Should patients be metaphorically "claimed" by departments? Holistic care can offer so much more to patients - particularly through utilizing the multitude of resources available in the healthcare industry these days.

November Updates

First of all, there are several exciting opportunities that I have taken advantage of that I thought I would share:

1. I will be participating in the 5K Mustache Dash in Portland in a couple weeks. If you have any ideas for how to make the best mustache or the best costume, please comment below!
2. I will be officially volunteering for the American Red Cross as a blood drive ambassador.
3. I will be attending the show Ajax in Iraq which my dear friends are performing in.

Those are the only events I have allowed myself, despite my efforts, with the next few busy weeks of the term. In the meantime, I will be performing several momentous lab evaluations and completing four critical papers and two crucial exams. Oh, and writing a novel. No big deal.

Why is Monday Nicknamed John?

Because Monday was long.

I am not sure where that cheesiness came from, although today was indeed long. I was determined to get as much done as possible, but the more I progressed, the more unnecessary distractions and obstacles arose. Long story short, today was not my finest day.

I lost my patience and a bit of my compassion. As much as I would like to simplify it to my frustration getting the best of me, I feel slightly ashamed that one "bad" day caused me to react so poorly. I could blame it on stress or lack of sleep, but in all honestly, I could have kept my calm.

I cannot help worrying about how my future career and how I still have so much yet to learn. Late-night shifts, long shifts, and troublesome patients are still in my future and I need to be able to regulate my emotions better in order to provide the best care for my patients.

With all that has occurred today, the most embarrassing part is the fact that I actually feel ashamed of my emotions. Should I really have to "battle" with my emotions as a nurse? If I do, I wonder if it will always be this way...

Daylight Savings Time? More Like Daylight Time.

Well today was slow-going... I was very grateful for the added hour of sleep, because otherwise I would have been in sleep debt an hour. It is interesting that one of the most associated topics with Daylight Savings Time is sleep. Coincidentally, sleep and rest are topics we will be covering this week in our Foundations course.

I am not quite sure I remember the actual purpose of Daylight Savings Time and I would not think of boring anyone with a history lesson, however I am concerned with the thought of the consequences of Daylight Savings Time. I understand enough about sleep to discern that a change in perception of time can disturb sleeping patterns. As a person that typically experiences difficulty falling asleep, I wonder if it will make it easier to fall asleep.

I am also one of those people that gets drowsy as the lights fade into darkness. Will I hibernate this year? Only time will tell... For now, I will advise everyone not to rue the Pacific Northwest winter weather because of the related sluggishness and depression it causes. Definitely take it into account and combat it with an increasing use of lights and an appropriate amount of caffeine, just as I will.

Resourcefulness + Creativity = Surprise!

Don't judge me. I've never been very creative.
Plus, I didn't have any poster paper. Or many markers.
Or someplace completely dry to shelter it from the rain.

Today my aunt returned from a very long, arduous business trip. Having been away from home quite awhile, my aunt deserved a proper homecoming.  With the skills resulting from many years of procrastination and mischief, I made it my mission to provide a nice, if not amusing, reception.

It was surprising how easy it was to track her flight information down without her knowing. Long story short, I utilized her check-ins on Facebook and crossed the information with flight details from the departing and arriving airports.

Once I had her flight information, I sent her a few text messages to throw her off my scent. (Not really, I just figured I would check up on her while I could without seeming conspicuous.) Then I looked up streetcar and Max line schedules and formulated a plan to get to the airport at the appropriate time. After constructing my plans and setting the necessary timers, I proceeded to design a beautiful poster to present to my aunt upon arrival (or wave fanatically as I ran toward the escalator my aunt was descending, squealing). It turned out better than I expected. I even gathered a supply of Halloween candy for her, complete with a festive decorative bag!

My plan was foolproof! Despite the drizzle, I made it to the airport with just enough time to settle in at the designated baggage claim carousel for her flight. Instead of waiting to see her, I texted her to come to the carousel. Honestly, it would have been better if I had not texted her, but I was so afraid I had missed her arrival despite having check the arrivals compulsively on my journey to the airport.

Sesame bananas are ridiculously satisfying with tea...

Anyway, my aunt was pleasantly surprised by my presence and I was satisfied with her reaction - and with having her home, of course! Getting to walk around Portland in search of coffee and ending up at a Chinese restaurant at 10pm, catching up with my aunt over tea and fried bananas made all my efforts worth it.

Also, we both got the same fortune from the fortune cookies we gave each other... Coincidence? I think not.

Sleepovers in College?

In college, there's not really much thought given to "sleepovers," unless it's with a member of the opposite sex. I did not have many sleepovers when I was younger, but the ones I did have were not always pleasant. As a result, I appreciate the classic girls' night sleepovers; the ones with gossip sessions and lots of ridiculousness and giggling.

Now, my friends, God love them (because I sure do!), sometimes oblige my random whims. Like, for instance, having a sleepover in their room, despite having my own room and bed just across the way.

Anyway, it was a nice change from normal. We do frequently eat together, study together, and see each other outside of class, but it was fun to spend quality time together. We talked about things other than school and nursing - such a relief!

The communal self-care did wonders. For one, we reaffirmed our lunacy when together. We got a decent amount of sleep too!

Champurrado

Ingredients:
2 packets Coconut Maizepena (usually found in a Mexican tienda)
1 packet Chocolate Maizepena
1 gallon milk
1 disk Mexican chocolate (I used the brand Abuelita)
1 cinnamon stick
Brown sugar to taste

First, bring the majority of the gallon of milk to boil with the cinnamon stick. Break the chocolate disk into smaller pieces and set aside until the milk has begun to boil. Add in the chocolate pieces. While the chocolate is dissolving, mix the Maizepena into the remainder of the milk. It will be hard to mix as the Maizepena will thicken the solution, but once it is thoroughly dissolved add it into the boiled mixture. Add brown sugar to taste.

The mixture will need to be mixed occasionally to keep from congealing. Serve warm with pan dulce, as pictured below.