Liberal Arts

This topic stems from the movie Liberal Arts, staring How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor. The film details the unlikely relationship between Jesse and Zibby, an alumnus and current student of the same college. Though the years between them span more than a decade, Zibby and Jesse are kindred spirits. Jesse, however, has reservations about their relationship and the two ultimately make the difficult decision whether to continue seeing each other or not.

One amusing part of Liberal Arts was the conversation Jesse and Zibby have about presumably a Twilight-esque fiction novel. Jesse repeatedly voices his dislike for the novel and implores Zibby to provide one good reason she enjoys it. The book in question apparently is not well written nor provides any literary significance, yet is well liked by millions of readers. Jesse questions the readership and, in essence, Zibby's maturity, simply because her views differ from his. Zibby rejoinders with the point of a liberal arts education - meeting and disagreeing with people.

What is the point of a liberal arts education? I always took liberal arts education to mean that I could take whatever classes I wanted in addition to the classes toward my major. I looked for and applied only to liberal arts colleges and ultimately decided on a nursing program that would seemingly allow me to complete a minor and study abroad.

Although my sister attended college a couple years before me, her collegiate career was much different from mine. I figured out soon enough that things were not going to work out the way I had planned. I ended up having to put up a little extra work to complete my minor and I am working on studying abroad for January Term of next year.

Now, after two and a half years of college, I consider Liberal Arts as having various means of communicating and discussing different points of view. There are all kinds of courses, clubs, events, and activities offered to students and oftentimes are a prime topic of conversation. As strange as it sounds, I enjoy disagreeing with people and being able to discuss why. It is invigorating and empowering and I suggest it be attempted daily for premium health and wellness.

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.

Why I Like Working.

I sheepishly checked in with my "boss" this morning, a nursing professor, wondering if I had missed anything while I was sick. I had not received any emails nor had there been anything left for me in my box. She says to me, "Oh, no, I just didn't want to give you things to do while you were sick and getting through midterms." WHAT. A. SWEETHEART.

First of all, Linfield professors are the best. Secondly, people like her are why I like working.

I do not know if it is my sparkling personality (wink), but the people I have worked for have not been especially disagreeable. So far. (Knock on wood.) In fact, most of my bosses I have gotten on well with. My grandfather, Guello, used to tell me to make the most of whatever job I get and always strive to do the best job I can. The best-foot-forward attitude was emphasized by my Jesuit-Catholic education in which we were encouraged by the motto ad majoram dei gloriam, meaning, "for the greater glory of God."

As far as making the most of my current job, I am very pleased with how flexible it is with my busy schedule. Knowing that my professor will adjust my workload based on my schedule is a huge relief! Now that I am healthy again and past a couple midterms, I am back to a full workload including researching books and articles on various topics related to nursing.

Researching is fun! I am enjoying the challenge of finding the most relevant and contemporary studies. I actually read through them too - partially to see how best my professor may use them in her course and partially because I become curious about the study.

This job may prove the best yet - I have learned so much already from flipping through packets for class I copied! It may be nerdy, but I really like academic work.

It's Been a Rough Week.

This week has challenged me more mentally and physically than any other week of nursing school. Returning from my relaxing week back home, I literally hit the ground running - I was going to miss the streetcar and have to wait another twenty-something minutes for the next one. I had several meetings scheduled and events to arrange as well as homework and working out. Yet with all that I am doing, I could not outrun the cold that is going around campus. I am currently fighting, tooth-and-nail to get over it, but for some reason, I cannot shake it! I need not tell you how FRUSTRATING IT IS.

With all that is going on, I am more frustrated with the sources of my friends' worries. One of the biggest concerns has been clinical sites that lack concern for residents to the extent that the residents are not receiving adequate care. Another concern has been our research course, which does not seem to satisfactorily prepare nursing students for the papers assigned. The last major concern has been keeping track of all the assignments due for each class. Although it does not seem like a significant concern, the Linfield nursing curriculum is linked with four classes a semester that must be taken concurrently and sometimes course assignments seem to run into each other because they are similar in topic.

 It is unfortunate that some clinical sites do not provide adequate care for its residents, however, as nursing students we should take that upon ourselves to make a good example. This is what we are taught to do - to develop our critical thinking skills and make the healthcare community better as best as we can! It seems daunting for a first semester nursing student, but we are also adults with two years of education behind us.

As far as our research course goes, I applaud students' efforts to go above and beyond realistic expectations of educational standards of nurses. Not many nursing students will go into research, but they still feel the need to learn the material. The students are struggling to write a literature review. Not only have we had very little experience with APA formatting, we do not understand the structure of a literature review. It is one thing to have very little instruction but plenty of resources and it is another thing to have very little instructions and very little resources. Fortunately, students have bonded together and commiserated over the lack of collective knowledge.

The last concern my friends' had was over the seemingly haphazard scheduling of assignments. One piece of advice given to us at orientation was to write all the assignments and projects out in our planners so we would always have a complete reference. The unfortunate part of this, is that professors often rearrange schedules and accommodate to the learning styles of each class. This can form a jumble of problems for those nursing students who like to have clearly defined schedules.

I apologize for my rant, I just want people to realize that nursing students are humans too. My friends and I are all compassionate people that want to be the best nurses, and people, we can be. Nursing school is challenging me in ways I had not even imagined - and it is only the first semester! If all weeks are like this, I may need more support, but I refuse to give in and fall into the monotonous stereotype of a nurse. I am not going to college, putting in this much work, and drinking this much caffeine to end up like that.

Interview with the Pope: Part One

I finally finished reading the interview with the pope published a few weeks ago! There are many things I want to write about regarding his interview, but I thought I would segment my reflection based on sections of the interview which I thought was very well structured. I appreciated Fr. Spadero's comment about Pope Francis thinking carefully rather than giving quick responses.

One of the first things that struck me was his comment about not being used to talking to masses. He says, "I manage to look at individual persons, one at a time, to enter into personal contact with whomever I have in front of me."It reminded me of a scene in Lord of the Rings where Galadriel, the Queen of the Elves, is talking to the Fellowship and makes eye contact with Frodo and speaks to him while simultaneously continuing her speech to the group. Obviously, Pope Francis is not creepy like Galadriel is and is much more well-intentioned than Galadriel. His statement also reminds me that he wants individual contact with everyone just as God does.

One of the first questions of the interview was about himself. Pope Francis spoke about himself saying, "I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance." What a sense of humility! I often feel what is commonly known as "Catholic guilt" and when I do I am suckered into feeling unworthy of God's love and mercy. As a fellow sinner, I appreciate Pope Francis' trust in the Lord knowing what He is doing because it is hard sometimes (understatement of the year).

I learned a lot about the Jesuits during high school and spent quite a bit of time getting to know St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, so I immediately felt a connection with Pope Francis because of his Jesuit affiliation. When he was speaking about becoming a Jesuit, Pope Francis said he was struck by his constant search for community - something I, too, also look for. Community just so happens to be one of the characteristics I found most attractive about Linfield and am I so grateful for it now that I am here. He also talked about the missionary spirit and discipline characteristic of the Society of Jesus. I wonder now that I am separated from a more direct connection with the Church (being off at an religiously unaffiliated college), how much my education in high school had to do with my positive feelings and responses toward missionary spirit and discipline.

In the interview, Pope Francis says that discernment is something from Ignatian spirituality that helps hi live his ministry. Discernment has something I have always struggled with, so it was interesting to hear what he had to say about and his experience with discernment. Pope Francis spoke so succinctly that I will not summarize what he had to say on the subject:

This discernment takes time. For example, many think that changes and reforms can take place in a short time. I believe that we always need time to lay the foundations for real, effective change. And this is the time of discernment. Sometimes discernment instead urges us to do precisely what you had at first thought you would do later... My choices, including those related to the day-to-day aspects of life, like the use of a modest car, are related to a spiritual discernment that responds to a need that arises from looking at things, at people and from reading the stage of the times... The wisdom of discernment redeems the necessary ambiguity of life and helps us find the most appropriate means, which do not always coincide with what looks great and strong.

As Fr. Spadero cleverly noticed, discernment is an important part of Pope Francis' spirituality and emphasizes his Jesuit identity. Pope Francis commented on the Society of Jesus, saying, "[it] looks to a center outside itself; its center is Christ and his church. So if the Society centers itself in Christ and the church it has two fundamental points of reference for its balance..." I appreciate the fact that Pope Frances recognizes the tension of an institution in its strive to maintain balance. It is not as simple as "focusing enough" on the "right things." Everything in the preceding sentence seems vague, doesn't it? The same goes for a spiritual life. There must be a dynamic tension keeping one's spiritual life in check - for example, making sure one is neither unconsciously nor consciously selfish. If one is consciously selfish, one will forgo opportunities of generosity, but if one is unconsciously selfish, one will take all opportunities to show generosity simply because one wants to be recognized as being generous.

Anyway, I may not be making much sense, but these are some of the things I thought about while reading about Pope Francis' thoughts about the Society of Jesus and being a Jesuit.

Enter HiFi Sim: Interaction With A Person

My first high fidelity simulation was today... and I aced it. I still cannot believe that happened! It was an intimidating, invigorating, and individual experience, to say the least. Basically, we had to assess our patient's vital signs during a 15 minute timespan. We were given a patient chart and had to come prepared with only a stethoscope and a pencil. After we had completed the tasks, we were ushered into a separate room to debrief our performance and the purpose of the exercise. We are then graded pass or fail based on the ratio of nursing actions met and not met.

I am fortunate in that I have an easy-going nature with strangers, as I have discussed in other blog posts. I reminded myself before beginning the exercise that I was there to interact with a person, not to take a test and there was no reason to be excessively nervous. During the exercise I spoke directly to the patient, maintaining eye contact and everything, and tried to keep a steady stream of conversation going. I did this partially for my own nerves and partially to help me think about my actions. I was told later that it had seemed as if I had done the "routine a hundred times." I share that information, not to "toot my own horn" but to impress upon you the exhilaration I felt after doing something well that I have only recently learned.

I am sure I have said this before, but I will say it again - I feel even more confident in my abilities as a nursing student and as a person. It really is the little things that make me feel more and more like a nurse - and I never want to let go of the thrill I experience whenever I learn something new, accomplish a task, and/or make connections!

Anyway, you all must be tiring of my nursing student tales/rants! After my test tomorrow I am sure I will have more exciting things to write about.

Ahh, the life of a nursing student...

Latino Americans: PBS Documentary

My first time taking the tram! I was so excited - it had such beautiful views of the surrounding area.

This evening I had the opportunity to attend a screening of the PBS documentary Latino Americans. A group from Linfield and I made our way via streetcar, shuttle bus, and tram to an OHSU auditorium where we were greeted with food and drink. My goodness, the food! (I know, I know, always with the food.) They served tamales, beans (ugh they were DELICIOUS), rice, chips, and salsa. There were alcoholic beverages available, but I obviously opted for horchata.

The screening showed about 45 minutes of excerpts from the documentary. I encourage you to look it up on PBS.com and watch it. It brought up much of the history and many of the struggles faced by Latino Americans through the last century, from the conception of Texanos to the picketing of East Los Angeles schools. It highlighted a few persons of interest including Juan Seguin, a Texano and former mayor of San Antonio; Guy Gabaldon, a soldier credited with over 1,500 Japanese prisoners captured; Herman Badillo, a former U.S. Congressman; and Sal Castro, a former Los Angeles school teacher. These people and their struggles were news to my peers and I!

We had a quick debrief/discussion after the film (over flan and coffee, nonetheless) and realized that we do not know a lot about our history as Latino Americans. We each shared a part of the screening that stood out most and talked about parts that we wished the documentary would have expanded upon. For instance, there was a brief segment about the rise of Latin music and stars such as Gloria Estefan and Ricki Martin. We wanted to know more about how that came to be - the struggles they faced in producing songs, marketing songs, and dealing with their increasing fame.

We discussed the changes we wanted to see in society and talked about certain changes we felt were possible within Linfield to accommodate and welcome underrepresented students. We talked about how many students felt cut off once reaching the nursing campus because the Latin@ group was not as strong as the one back in McMinnville and talked about the changes the one in McMinnville was experiencing. We have come up with some ideas as to how we want to expand and incorporate nursing into the club and I am very excited to implement them this year.

As we were heading back, I felt extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to see the film and be able to discuss it with a group of people that was not only concerned by what we saw, but wanted to act on our collective concern.

One of my friends sent this to me in an email once and I think it definitely applied to our discussion tonight: Unity makes us stronger- La union hace la fuerza.

Tram by nightfall. Still beautiful. 

Patients Are People Too: The Blood Pressure Clinic That Was

This week has been slightly hectic with all the things first semester nursing students have to prepare for. We have the opportunity to participate in blood pressure clinics around the greater Portland area today and Thursday, depending on what day we chose. Then we had to schedule a high fidelity simulation vital sign assessment for the day we did not chose. On top of that, we have our first exam (in NCLEX style, of course) on Friday. We also have an assessment next week in IEL. It does not seem like much, but it is.

The blood pressure clinic today went surprisingly well. I say that because I was nervous to be "practicing" reading blood pressure on "real" people. It was not as if I could necessarily retake someone's blood pressure because I did not hear it correctly and I may not have read it correctly the first time. Not to mention, the chit-chat. How much were we expected to talk to our client? If it's a blood pressure clinic, one would assume the clients would be less likely to converse. Not so!

I was fortunate enough to have a fellow nursing student swing by to be my first client. She advised me to not worry about gentility in putting the cuff on - the client would let me know if I hurt them. I never counted how many people whose blood pressure I took, but by the end of it I felt quite confident in my abilities as a nurse. I was able to correctly read blood pressures AND chit-chat throughout the process.

I had told my roommate before her vital sign assessment earlier, "Remember, it's just a person." After the blood pressure clinic, I thought about what I had said and realized I should have taken my own advice. Patients can be incredibly intimidating, but they are just people.

The Side-Effects of Studying: Part One

We have our first exam coming up on Friday in a course called Foundations. My professor does not have any presentations or study guides to study off of, so most of my studying has been off of notes I have taken in class. My professor told us to think of everything we have learned in IEL and in class and that would be all we needed to know for the exam. As if it were that simple to synthesize all the practical and structured knowledge we have acquired in the last five weeks of classes.

Her seemingly lack of guidance in studying for the impending exam made me think about the overall knowledge we have gained. I summed it up to two main questions I must ask myself when answering NCLEX-style questions (National Council Licensure Examination):

• What is ultimately going to be the best option for the care and safety of my patient?
• What does this mean in context to my patient?

I like how Linfield teaches using the patient-centered approach - it reinforces my ideal of the compassionate nurse, which is something I strive to be. I like that patient care is so important that part of our first assessments in the IEL curriculum incorporates "applying principles of therapeutic communication."

The presumption many nursing students have is that the course on communication will be "easy." I have already found it quite useful in addressing many fears nursing students have (i.e. talking too much and not being able to establish rapport) in beginning clinical work. It makes me proud to know that Linfield nursing students are considerate enough of patients that they think about verbal interactions and exchanges as much as physical procedures and interactions.

I'm not quite sure this makes sense... I've been studying for quite a while and, as a result, my brain is having difficulty formulating coherent thoughts not directly related to skin assessment or nursing interventions. Hopefully my thought comes across and that I receive some feedback from you as to whether you agree/disagree with it or simply some tales of healthcare experiences you have had.

Thank you and goodnight.

Volunteering, Running, Jobs... Opportunities Galore.

It occurred to me today that I am very, very blessed. I have been presented with many opportunities in my life that I have not always been grateful for and now I am. My meeting with Marc Kochanski yesterday and my interactions with people throughout yesterday made me realize I am definitely my mother's daughter. What I mean is, my mother is a people-person. To this day I do not know if she enjoys striking up conversations with strangers or people she only slightly knows, but either way, she is very good at it!

As I was recounting my day to my friends yesterday, they commented on my ability to make connections with people on a daily basis. One friend joked that I would never have to pay for drinks because the people I strike up conversations with tend to offer to buy one for me. The joke was based on the fact that I was offered free coffee a few times over the week, most recently by a Linfield alumna who I introduced myself to, assuming by her Linfield sweatshirt that she was a current student. She is attending graduate school and was visiting a friend in Portland, a fellow alumna. She congratulated me on my acceptance to the nursing program and offered to buy my drink. I hesitated, but she smiled and said, "I've got to support a fellow Wildcat. Plus, I enjoyed our conversation." Anyway, I digress.

My friends' compliment made me think of how my "friendliness" has helped me in the past and will help me in the future. I have been thinking more and more frequently of things I would like to do (including possible challenges for my list). I definitely need to get a job, but I also want to regularly volunteer - I like volunteering and I know Portland has many opportunities for that. I want to try a fun run or a 5k before the Sound to Narrows as well.

Fortunately, my connections with people have helped me accomplish each of those! A friend, whom I met through theatre, has offered me her job as a professor's assistant and another friend offered to be a personal reference for the hospital she works for. Talking with Marc yesterday reminded me that I can now volunteer for organizations in the medical field. Last, but not least, my friends and I have decided to do the Ugly Sweater Run in Beaverton, OR on November 16th.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there are so many opportunities available if one is open to the surrounding community!

Today Was Not a Busy Day

Let me clarify: the day itself was not busy, I made it busy by being productive. Shall I compare the list of things I wanted to do today with the list of things I had to do with the list of things I actually did today?

Want	Had To Do	Did
Dress up for Wildcat Wednesday (it's a Linfield thing)	Classes (2 of them)	ALL OF THE THINGS!!!
Go to the gym	Drop off prescription
Grocery shop	Pick up stamps
Homework not due tomorrow	Send a form to my mother
Leisure read
Organize computer files
Apply for more jobs
Look up directions to CAPS (I'll explain later)
Watch an episode of Firefly
Pick up ID sticker (again, it's a Linfield thing)

That about sums it up. I literally did all the things in that chart and more. I was a bit sleep-deprived, but I compensated by drinking coffee around the mid-afternoon. Anyway, point being that the day itself wasn't that bad to begin with - the usual classes and mini-errand-running - but what kept me busy was the fact I crammed the day with the rest of the things listed. I accomplished all that I wanted to and more! I am rather astonished at what I did with my day.

It is days like these that I have to remind myself I am an adult, I'm not playing one. That being said, I really need to pace myself... I am exhausted!

Introductions in Nursing

One of my favorite classes of this semester is definitely Clinical/IEL. It is similar to a lab session in other science classes where knowledge is put to practice. In fact, IEL stands for Integrated Experiential Learning. It is also considered Clinical, because after learning the "nursing basics" we are sent out to clinical sites to practice what we know in a safer, less controlled setting.

This week in IEL we have started practicing patient admission assessments which includes taking vital signs and auscultating lung, heart, and bowel sounds. The reason I enjoy IEL is that as we are role-playing and practicing, we can question and constructively instruct each other while maintaining the educational atmosphere characteristic of a normal class lab. Occasionally, the role-playing goes awry and students are detracted from the purpose of the exercise. I will be honest - tonight I was in a giggly mood. My poor partners were making the most of it, but I still feel horrible about my behavior. When it was my turn to assess my "patient," I could not remember several steps on my own and had to check and be prompted. Needless to say, the experience was discouraging.

The process reminded me of rehearsals for a show I assistant stage managed for, Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson. New to the process of collegiate theatre, I was unprepared for the abruptness of line-calling during rehearsals. The stage manager interrupted frequently with the right lines and right phrases immediately if not before the actor finished calling for the line. As one of the people who constantly counts her mistakes, I reminded myself of the reason I was not an actor. During the remainder of the IEL process, however, I became more determined to remember the steps not simply as I was taught them, but as their overall significance in the admission process.

As my clinical advisor told me, every patient interaction will be unique in some way. Thus, the order of the assessment process will deviate slightly, but the process will always be the same. There is no script for this act, but the act always has the same events: introductions, recording vital signs, auscultating body sounds, and so on.

Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast

I don't know if I forgot to mention, but I'm Latina. This morning I had the opportunity to attend the Hispanic Heritage Month Breakfast in Salem, Oregon with some of my fellow Latina schoolmates. I was completely underdressed for the occasion, but I didn't let that ruin my experience. The breakfast itself was delightful - scrambled eggs with sausage, roasted red potatoes, pico de gallo, salsa roja, corn and flour tortillas, and fruit were some of the items offered. The featured speakers included a business associate, lawyer, the executive director of Latino Network, and a doctor.

The first to speak was Frank Garcia who works in the office of the governor. He proudly reminded us of legislation that recently passed, including tuition and drivers' license equity in the state of Oregon. He encouraged us to continue being active politically.

The second featured speaker was Alberto Moreno, who is a part of the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs. He discussed the positive impact of migrant workers on Oregon's economy and the average life expectancy of a migrant worker as compared to non-migrant workers. Moreno spoke of the prenatal care act that was recently passed that made prenatal care available to all pregnant women regardless of documentation.

The third featured speaker was Jose Gonzalez, president of the Latino Business Alliance of the Willamette Valley. His speech on supporting local Latin@ businesses was inspiring and thought-provoking.

Following Jose Gonzalez was Carmen Rubio, executive director of Latino Network. The master of ceremonies including in her introduction several more organizations she was involved with. She spoke of her commitment to those organizations and introduced a colleague, Nancy Ramirez Arriaga. Both women worked on the short film "The Oregon Latin@ List" along with many others present at the breakfast. We then proceeded to watch the film; I was surprised at how succinctly everyone spoke about childhood and families and the connections I was making with my own experiences.

After the film, I mentally prepared myself for the presumably long, emotional speech given by the keynote speaker. The keynote speaker was Dr. Yara Delgado and her speech was quite the opposite of what I was expecting. She spoke briefly about her childhood, but mostly about her education and vaguely about the struggles she faced during it. Amidst her 17-minute long speech (she timed herself), she uttered a statement that struck me as being so truthful it almost hurt - "I was a mutt." She was referring to her experience in being seen as Americanized by her Puerto Rican peers and vice versa.
I oftentimes feel the same way, although I might add to her statement, saying instead, "I am a mutt, stuck between both breeds, wanting, but never willing to be either."

Dr. Delgado concluded her speech saying, "...find yourself becoming a leader." I like the idea of not intentionally becoming, but discovering a leadership role. It signifies that one does not simply become leaders because one wants to - one becomes a leader when the situation arises.

Anyway, I could go on about my experiences and my thoughts and opinions about the morning, but I will end here and leave more to be discussed than not.

Updates: Nursing school, Portland, Challenges, and etc.

I am writing this from my cozy room in the Linfield Good Samaritan School of Nursing campus in Portland, Oregon. In brief, this last month has been a whirlwind of classes, exploration, food, and friends - and I'm loving it! Classes are going well, I have enjoyed exploring Portland and the surrounding area, food is expensive and SO GOOD, and friends are my favorite. My favorite class at the moment is actually lab/clinical because of the hands-on nature and the clinical advisors are very informative and fun. I have ventured out every week to explore Portland, including the Saturday market and part of the Pearl District. As there is no cafeteria on this campus, I have had fun grocery shopping and cooking for myself - though with NW 23rd nearby, my friends and I decided that Friday night dinners would have to be a thing.

Moving on: I failed to complete the August photo-a-day challenge, however, I will be attempting the challenge again in October with a better understanding of what to expect. I am so very close to completing the AFI Films challenge, but with little access to a movie library I am a little set back. I have renewed motivation to complete the challenges now that I have gotten settled with nursing school, although I have to say I am renewed in my motivation to become a nurse as well. I feel as if I have studied harder the last few weeks than I can remember.

I suppose my point is, I am a full-time nursing student but I will continue contributing to this blog as much as possible. :)