i'm here...weeks 1 and 2!

it is hard to believe that i have already been in uganda for 13 days...

how in the world did that happen so fast?!?

so, what the heck have i been doing?!?

monday, 7/19: departed bwi...

amanda, vanessa and i eventually arrived in entebbe, uganda, by way of detroit and amsterdam, very late in the evening on tuesday, 7/20

we spent most of wednesday, 7/22 meeting our housemates, getting settled and doing a bit of errand running

thursday, 7/23: orientation to mulago hospital...the referral hospital of uganda

and by friday, 7/24 i was seeing patients in the main assessment center...24 patients to be exact!

friday's clinic not only included patients with diagnoses ranging from acid reflux and puncture wounds to pregnancy and pneumonia, but was also a true test of my ability to sink or swim...learning how to navigate the ugandan hospital system is quite a challenge!

and speaking of sinking or swimming...

saturday, 7/25: rafted the nile!

(i am/was in the back right corner of the boat...for this class 5 rapid!)

sunday, 7/26: brunched with the housemates and explored a few of the artisan markets around town

then back to my exam room at the hosptial assessment center where i saw...

30 patients on monday, 7/27

43 patients on tuesday, 7/28

28 patients on wednesday, 7/29

7 patients on thursday, 7/30...i was only in the assessment center for 1 1/2 hours as we spent the morning touring the district hospital and surrounding villages in kayunga.

friday, 7/30: headed off to murchison falls national park for a wild weekend...

which began with 3+ hours of chimp tracking in the rain forest...followed by a safari/boat cruise to observe the animals in their native habitat and ending a very long saturday, 7/31 at the top of murchison falls.
today, sunday, 8/1 we tracked rhinos and headed back to kampala to prepare for the week...

a sneak peek at my ugandan adventure...

while i haven't had time (yet!) to post my promised blogs, i thought the following video taken by previous hopkins nursing students (in the undergraduate program) would give you an idea of my upcoming travels...

http://vimeo.com/12766128

enjoy!

i'm not bailing on the blog...i promise!

i have a list on my blackberry of "blogs to post" which continues to get moved from day to day, week to week for that moment when i can just sit down and write...

but for those of you who are wondering just what is she going to write about, below are topics which will soon be discussed...

• my summer clinical rotation with mobile med
• living in emergency, a fantastic documentary about msf
• brunch at woodberry kitchen
• honfest
• "home" heath care
• blind dates?!?
• preparing for uganda

so stay tuned!

a bit behind already...

last sunday, i headed to nyc to one of my favorite places for a bit of pampering...dermalogica.

dermalogica in soho

i have been a long time fan of dermalogica products and used to frequent their santa monica location for treatments. no matter where i lived in california, a dermalogica facial was always worth the drive! so why i didn't keep that same mentality when i moved east is beyond me...

after re-experiencing the luxury and relaxation of the dermalogica facial, i will never go without for so long again!

does anyone actually read this?

while i wouldn't be surprised if the answer were no since i haven't posted an update since 2008...i am pondering the "reactivation" of my blog...thoughts?

no where to run, no where to hide

one of my professors randomly calls on students to participate in "reenactments" of various body processes. she usually picks students who are seated in the front row or at the ends of rows, so i always feel quite confident that i will be spared as i sit comfortably in the middle of the auditorium, middle of the row...

however, as she randomly selected her "victims" this morning and i was, per usual, avoiding eye contact, imagine my shock and horror to be called upon and my middle-of-the-auditorium-middle-of-the-row-self being summoned to the front of the classroom!

after climbing over people and books, i made my way to the front for a demonstration with my fellow "victims" on drug distribution and plasma protein binding. as if this impromptu skit wasn't mortifying enough, in her reenactment, we had to perform the chicken dance to represent active receptor sites!

oh the humiliation...

here i go again...

my second semester of nursing school starts bright and early tomorrow morning!

my schedule includes pharmacology, pathophysiology, childbearing (ob) and psych/mental health. i am also taking an elective to become a birth companion (doula).

wish me luck!