“Our happiest moments as tourists always
seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something
else.” — Lawrence Block
But allow me to begin where I left off...
Sunday, May 27
Jet lag woke me up early so I took advantage of the long day ahead of me. I began running from my house into downtown Vancouver, and ended up following the signs for Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve. I ran down Officers Row stopping along the way to read the signs and to explore the visitors center. The lady there told me about the farmer's market in Esther Shore Park so I excitedly continued on my run in that direction. I love farmers markets!! This one was awesome - it had live music, fresh produce, sweets, and other random awesome things. I sampled different foods and then bought some delicious homemade organic hummus. Upon returning to my house, I rested for a bit and then tagged along with Meagan to Target and the grocery store. I am so happy that I found my way to Shanti Yoga that night where I experienced Restorative Yoga:"Relax and renew with this very gentle class, combining simple yet very nourishing stretches, guided deep breathing explorations, mindfulness meditation, and fully prop-supported restful Restorative poses to deeply nourish the Body Mind."
This was exactly what I needed to sooth my mind after a whirlwind of traveling excitement. I finally realized how tired I really was when I returned home, so I laid down and tried to mentally prepare myself for the first day of my clinical beginning the next morning.
Monday, May 28
Let the physical therapy fun begin!! Today I biked 2 miles to Discovery Nursing and Rehab, a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation, nursing, assisted living, independent living, and Alzheimer's and dementia care. When I arrived I learned that my clinical instructor would not be in this week due to back problems. Therefore I spent the day with the lovely occupational therapist from Austria, Ursula, and the Physical Therapist Assistant, Debra. I met the patients and helped out the best I could. I have mixed feelings... I love most of the staff but I do not think this is the type of physical therapy that I desire to do. Some of the elderly folks are a gem to work with, but some are unmotivated, cranky, and/or do not want physical therapy care. I do not enjoy forcing people to do something they do not want to do. I'd much rather work at a clinic where patients come to me who value and desire my help. More specifically, my dream job would be working as a holistic PT, incorporating holistic therapies such as herbs, reflexology, Reiki, yoga/Pilates, etc. No matter what, this summer will definitely be a valuable learning experience.After work I came home to a yard full of Meagan's AmeriCorp friends having a BBQ. It was awesome meeting them all, I can't believe I'm already making friends and connections :) ... I made arrangements with a a couple of them to do hot yoga on Sundays in Portland, which I'm looking forward to!
Tues/Wed May 29-30:
These next couple of days I began learning the ropes and becoming more confident. Ashley, an on-call PT who graduated with her DPT last year, took me under her wing. She is really sweet and helped me so much. Wednesday night I wandered downtown while chatting with Connor on the phone and ended up at Starbucks where I began this blog. Then I walked to the Brick House bar where I joined Jacqui to see Mike play acoustic guitar and have an amazing stout. He is an excellent musician!! As I was sitting there listening and sipping, I had one of those moments where I realized my happiness. I was completely in the moment and amazed at how I got there. It's the simple things that do it for me - live music, excellent beer, warm night... Life is good.Thursday, May 31
Today will sadly be my last day at Discovery Nursing and Rehab. It turns out that my CI's back problems are more serious that we all thought so she will be taking a medical leave. Therefore I will be transferring to Glisan Care Center in Portland. On the downside I will miss the staff at Discovery and the short 2 mile commute. The new route will be 15-16 miles of biking and public transport. On the upside, however, I will be able to discover more of Portland! I can stop by wherever I would like on my way back from work. I'm looking at it like another opportunity and adventure.So after work I went for a quick run around the charming neighborhoods, and then Meagan's AmeriCorp friend, Brandon, offered to show me around town. We rode our bikes around the streets and stopped at the Jerusalem Cafe where we had some excellent Mediterranean food that I am currently having the left overs of YUM. Then we both were newbies at By the Bottle. This place is so cool and unique because there is a constant rotation of beers on tap and in the bottle. Eight tap handles flow with hard-to-find brews that are often not distributed or bottled or available in Oregon. I had the Bison Baltic Porter (Berkley, CA) and Brandon had the Gravity Mountain. They were both excellent. The porter is brewed in wine barrels and I could definitely taste it! Soooo good! We had a great time talking about books, writing, and life, and laughing at the pink elephant :) . Slow like an elephant or fast like an elephant? That is the question. At home Meagan joined us for a laugh session while watching hilarious YouTube videos until sleepiness took over our giddiness.
Friday, June 1
What a day!! Wow, I am so incredibly happy with where I am. I woke up at 6:30 am so that I could figure out the route I will take to Glisan Care Center starting next week. Several different routes could have been followed including biking, busing, and train-ing. This is what I came up with: I biked 4 miles over the I-5 bridge into Portland where I hopped on the Expo Center Max, got off at Rose Quarter, and continued on the next train eastbound to Gateway/99th Ave. I got a little lost at times but overall I kept on track and somehow made it in two hours! It just goes to show that although I am usually directionally challenged, if I really concentrate, study maps, and talk to people, I can be very skilled at directions.To be continued...
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