Psych: coming to an end

Sorry for my lack of updating! Honestly, not much has changed since I last wrote. I will admit that I don't hate psych as much as I did before! So that's progress. But it doesn't matter now because tomorrow is my last day and I must say that I am actually pumped to get back down to Pitt. Rotation #4, here I come! I will be down working in the Children's hospital emergency department, so it should be an interesting rotation for a couple reasons: 1) first emergency med rotation; 2) I'll be working with several other students; 3) I don't know much about peds; and 4) I don't like peds that much. Bet that last one surprised you, considering the family I come from :)

So yea. That's pretty much it. I'm only really writing because I'm putting off remediations, but I guess I should just finish them.  So wish me luck! Hopefully I'll have lots of funny stories to share!

Psych update #2

Well, I’m now 2 weeks into my psych rotation. Not a lot has really changed. I’ve been observing a lot of med checks/evals and writing and dictating my notes. I did, though, start my in-patient rounds at the hospital on Monday.  There is a guy there now who is schizo and thinks that there is bad stuff in his body. So, to deal with this, he’s been eating inedible objects like coins, lighters, paper, etc because he thinks by doing this the bad stuff will come out. There’s also a woman that has grandiose delusions and thinks that she used to be really rich but had all her money stolen, used to write plays, be really accomplished, sell insurance annuities, know famous people, etc. The sad thing is that she doesn’t think that anything is wrong with her. It’s amazing sometimes how the mind plays tricks. Other than these patients, I haven’t seen anything too crazy. Mostly because the patients I do see are already medicated and fairly stable.

I will say that even though things haven’t been too exciting, things have been pretty stressed at the office. There have been some serious things going on that I can’t talk about, and that has really changed the mood and tempo. Getting very backed up on some days, and a lot of people are cancelling or not showing up. Hopefully this slum doesn’t carry over into next week…

Only 3 more weeks to go! Then I’m off to Pitt for rotation #4. Originally I was supposed to be in Mount Vernon for my peds rotation, but it got cancelled. So now I will be at Children’s Hospital emergency department. It’ll be interesting how that goes. Even though I have a lot of kids in my family, I’m really not interested in working with them haha. We’ll see.

That’s pretty much it for now! Hopefully next time I’ll have more interesting things to talk about!

P.S. Still don't like psych that much.

ok, psych.

So on Monday I started my psych rotation in New Castle, PA. The first part of the day consisted of getting badges made and getting my drug screen. Then I observed my preceptor as she did her psych evals and med checks. Honestly, it was not a very interesting first day. Maybe because it really was just a boring day, or maybe because I really don't like psych that much right now. Time will tell, I guess.

On Tuesday I observed still some more. Although this day was more interesting than the first because we had a fellow referred over to crisis because he was having homicidal thoughts/plans. He ended up getting angry with the crisis guy and walked out of the office. Eventually the cops were involved and the fellow was taken over to the hospital. That was my first patient of the day. From there I observed and took notes, then wrote up my notes, and then dictated my notes. I was a bit nervous dictating on the phone for the first time, but it got easier each time I did it.

There is another student with me, so that means, for the first time, I have to share my preceptor. But anyway, she is very nice and we get along well so far. My preceptor is very nice and I like her a lot. Although I am a bit disappointed she has not asked more questions about psych conditions and medications. Maybe all that comes a little later.

The rest of the week I am off because my preceptor won't be in the office. Kind of nice because it's extra time I have to get homework/reading done. Except, I have done a very minimal amount of that, so it really hasn't been all to productive. I did, however, go to a Mumford & Sons concert last night! And let me tell you, it was absolutely phenomenal. It was at an outdoor venue, and completely packed. All kinds of different people showed up for this thing. And the band was amazing. They sound even better live than they do on their records, which says a lot. True talent.

Right now I'm in the library because I don't get wifi in my apartment. I absolutely hate the library for anyone who didn't know already. It's just a weird place and way to quiet for me. But it'll have to do for this rotation I guess. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I have two roommates. They are female PT students doing their rotations at the hospital. Both are very nice! But it's kind of an inconvenience because I'm currently sleeping on a pull out bed in our very tiny apartment. Again, it will do for now. At least it's free:)

That's pretty much all there is to say for now...Wish me luck as I try to conquer this psych stuff!

MUMFORD @ First Niagara Pavilion

back from Alaska!

So I just got home from Alaska on Sunday. I had the time of my life and loved every second of my time there! I absolutely loved working at the Urgent Care and learning from my preceptors, who were both eager to teach and help you out in any way. The staff there was also one of a kind, and I was so surprised by how welcoming each and every one of them were. The camaraderie I experienced there was some of best and I will really miss working with such amazing individuals.

Juneau was also a huge eye opener for me in terms of health care access. Even though Juneau is the capital of Alaska, it is not big at all and there are limited health care services available there. There is 1 hospital, and this hospital is only a level 4 trauma center. The emergency department has only 1 doc for each shift, and 60-100 people are seen there each day. All major cases have to be flown out to Anchorage, Seattle, or somewhere else that offers the appropriate services. Additionally, specialists only come into the city every so often, so when they do come into town, there is a long wait time and they are always completely booked. To compensate for all this, there are the PCPs. They manage a TON of stuff. It just goes to show how much need there is for primary care services in order to reach all the residents and tourists alike.

The weather in Juneau was fantastic and some of the best they've had in awhile, so I got very lucky! It didn't get dark until almost 10:30-11 PM, so I was able to do A LOT of stuff while I was there! I was also lucky to have some really good friends to share in all the fun with :) They truly became like family to me and I will really miss spending time with them all. Lots of late nights, fun times, laughter, and good conversation. Can't ask for much more than that!

A lot of firsts took place in Juneau, and I wouldn't change any of those experiences! First time in Alaska, boating, seeing bears and eagles, suturing, draining abscesses, eating king crab, standing in the Pacific ocean, standing on top of a glacier, drinking fresh water straight from a stream, and so many others. Love that I got to experience so much!

Things I will miss the most about Juneau:

-mountains in every direction

-amazing sunsets

-the smell of the sea

-working in the clinic

-walking around downtown

-hiking

-my Puerto Rican family

-brunch

-Front Street Clinic

-seafood

-Sunshine Lattes from Heritage Coffee

-pretty much everything :)

The one thing that will not be missed: the prices!

Loved Alaska so much and hopefully I'll get to go back someday. But for now, my psych rotation in New Castle, PA awaits me. 2 rotations down, 7 to go! Bring on the new adventures!

more fun in Juneau

So on Friday I finished my first full week at the clinic! It was a great week and I already love where I'm working and all the people I'm working with. I've been getting to see a lot of patients on my own, which has been awesome.

On Thursday I headed downtown to work at the homeless clinic. I'll be there every Thursday. It is A LOT slower paced with a much lighter patient load, but this is because the NP really wants to establish a good relationship with her patients. After work I got to walk around downtown Juneau a bit, which was fun. It was a bit chilly and overcast, but cool because it's very touristy and there are a lot of foreigners because of the cruise ships that dock there.

Friday I started working with the other doctor in the clinic. I will be working with him while my main preceptor is away. Every 2 weeks he heads home to NY and the other doctor comes in. It wasn't a super busy day, but it was very relaxed and overall a good end to the week.

On Friday night I headed downtown to see a movie with some of the other younger folk that live in the building. I don't know if I mentioned this, but there are several people that live in the clinic. My preceptor owns the clinic and rents out some of the rooms upstairs and downstairs. Most of us work in the clinic, which is fun because it's close-knit and friendly. I currently have two apartment mates. One is the doc's nephew and the other is another PA student that just arrived. Then next door is another girl who works down in the clinic with me. Today we all went down to the Glacier and hiked around in the rain, which was cold and wet but fun at the same time. We then came back and had a "family dinner". It's nice having some friends and I think we'll have a good time together over the next couple weeks exploring Juneau and doing fun things outside. I have a feeling I'll be sad to leave this place because I already love it so much.

It's supposed to rain pretty much all week, which is a bummer because it was sooo nice the first few days I was here. Hopefully it won't be too rainy and I'll still be able to get out and do some stuff. At least I'll be working most of the day, so I won't be too antsy to get outside in the rain haha. Well I think that's really all for now. Here are some more pictures!

 Salmon Hatchery

 Mendenhall Glacier

 Nugget Falls. I was soaked wet here!

 Downtown Juneau harbor.

ALASKA!

So a lot has changed since I last posted, with the biggest change being that I'm currently in Juneau, Alaska!

I ended my rotation in Coshocton last Thursday. I think overall it was a good way to start my clinical year because I saw a lot of different things and I was able to observe the way the MD manages each case. Wish I could've done more, but I think I'll be making it up during this rotation.

Saturday morning I woke up around 3 AM, got ready, loaded up the car, and headed to the airport. My flight to Detroit was scheduled for 6:30 AM. I then had a layover in Detroit, followed by Seattle, and then I arrived in Juneau at about 2:30 PM Alaska time. That evening I got to meet some of the staff, including my preceptor, who was working weekend clinic hours, and got settled in my room, which is located directly above the clinic (which is sooo nice).

On Sunday I pretty much just worked on hw most of the day. Then that evening once the clinic closed, I went boating with some of the other people in the building. It was a lot of fun! My first time boating, I think. I got to see several whales surface and got to go fishing, although I didn't catch anything. And I was just able to relax and get to know some of my housemates, so to speak. Oh, and the view was absolutely gorgeous! Mountains all around, clear skies, awesome weather, beautiful sunset. It was just great.

Today was my first day at the clinic, and what a day it was.  Working hours here are 8 AM - 7 PM. Totally opposite environment from what I was doing in Coshocton. It was time to put all my skills into practice. I saw handfuls of patients on my own today and got to present to the preceptor and come up with an assessment and plan. I was able to suture for the first time, assist in the removal of a fish hook from someone's hand, debride wounds and dress them, pack an animal bite wound with gauze, administer local anesthesia, and do lots of charting. I made several mistakes, but they are mistakes that I'll learn from. And looking back now, I'm glad for all of the observation I was able to do at my previous rotation because I didn't always go into the room with the doc. So I'm glad I have that experience.

So all in all, it was a great day. Busy, but great, and I learned a lot. Hoping the rest of the rotation is just as good. Only bad news I received today was that I apparently missed a spectacular display of the northern lights last night, because I had fallen asleep while writing my remediations. Ugh.

That's pretty much all there is to say right now, so I'll post some pictures instead! Juneau is beautiful! Love it here.

 View from one side of the clinic, and below is the clinic I'm living/working at.

 Holding a rockfish that I didn't catch, but wish I had.

check out more pictures on my facebook!

ultimate Alaska playlist

Of Monsters and Men

"Dirty Paws"

Looking for some music to add to my "ultimate Alaska playlist". This song right here is one of my current favorites and definitely makes the cut. 

What are some songs you would add to your "ultimate Alaska playlist"? Leave a comment here or on facebook with your suggestions to help me create mine!

patience with the patient.

I've just finished week 4 of my first family medicine rotation. Only 2 weeks to go!

There really isn't much to say in terms of what all I've been doing and seeing... I'm still observing A LOT and still seeing a lot of diabetes, COPD, hypertension, back pain, etc. Kind of disappointed I haven't been able to do more, but such is life.

One thing that has been nagging at me is my attitude toward this rotation. One thing that I really looked forward to was being able to assess a patient's condition (by asking questions and performing a physical exam) and formulate my own assessment and plan. Although I already do that in my head, I was hoping for more opportunities to present my ideas to my preceptor (which I don't get to do often). I was also hoping to get "pimped" a lot on all the common things that I will see in primary care (pimping is when the preceptor asks tons of questions in a row and essentially makes you feel like an idiot). This also does not happen often. So I'm kind of bummed, but whatever.

Another thing that I really need to work on is patience. Now, I don't really show when I'm impatient, but I definitely feel it a lot. In particular, I am very quick to judge and become suspicious of patients who need pain meds. In my head, THEY ARE ALL DRUG SEEKERS. Or people that just complain all the time about everything. They come in with aches and pains all over. 

Do you have headaches? "Oh yes I get migraines all the time." 

Okay, well have you been feeling tired? "I can't seem to stay awake!"

Do you have any numbness or tingling in your legs? "Both of my feet are numb right now."

...Alright, well do you have any back pain? "I've had back pain since my slipped disk 10 years ago."

Suspicion, suspicion, suspicion.

But really they're just people with vague complaints that want some relief.

As a health care provider, it's so important to lay those prejudices, judgments, and suspicions aside and treat all patients with the respect and care that they deserve. It's our job. It's our job to take a person's vague complaint and turn it into a diagnosis. People really do have problems and they really do need our help. Some people really do need percocet and vicodin. Pain is real. Sometimes it really seems like people are faking because sometimes things don't quite line up as they should, but that's medicine. Patients are different and medicine is variable. It would be unacceptable to turn a patient away because of suspicion when they really do need our help. So, I'm working on that.

I'm also working on getting ready to go to ALASKA! Woo! I'm going to be in Juneau for a 5-week family medicine rotation. So pumped. Mountains, glaciers, hiking, kayaking, whales, exploring the beaches and downtown, working in the clinics, and so on. Alaska is going to be fantastic. The only downer is that I'm going to be alone a lot of the time. So, if anyone knows people in Juneau that will go exploring with me, call them up right now! I'm so desperate for a hiking buddy that I've even gone to the extremes of couchsurfing.com. No kidding. But companion or no companion, I'm sure I'll still have a great time.

Alright, well that's pretty much all I have to say for now! Thanks for being "patient" with another long post. I promise I'll try to keep it shorter next time!

3 weeks late...oops.

A little late, but I'm finally posting something!

So, I started my first clinical almost 3 weeks ago. I'm currently in Coshocton, Ohio for my family medicine rotation. If I could describe my experience in three words, they would be diabetes, hypertension, anxiety. Pretty much EVERYONE I see has at least one of these if not all. Oh and COPD. Everyone smokes! 

I'm currently at two clinics and following three preceptors. They are all very young and currently working their first real jobs. Two are medical doctors. One is particularly interested in internal medicine, and the other did a fellowship in sports medicine. Then I'm also following a nurse practitioner. It is interesting for me to see the differences in the way all three of these preceptors practice, even when they are all so young. Some are a lot more conservative in their management, while others are not.

Since this is my first rotation, I'm still mostly observing and trying to soak everything up. A lot of the appointments I see are to manage chronic conditions, so they consist of medication changes/refills, lab work follow-ups, and stuff like that. A lot of zoloft, a lot of percocet, a lot of insulin being prescribed on a daily basis. Many patients may walk out of the office with 3-4 new prescriptions in hand. It's insane. Every once and awhile I will get to go into a room myself and ask the patient questions and perform a quick exam. I've correctly diagnosed a few patients, so I'm pleased with that! But more often than not, I don't quite know what exactly is going on with the patient. Hence, the reason why the clinical year is a learning experience! I've also been able to assist in a few things, like knee injections, skin lesion removals, and I've even done a few pap smears on my own. Call me nerdy, but I love it all!

Most of what I have learned so far during this rotation is not necessarily medical knowledge, but rather practical knowledge that will help me be a better provider to the patients. Putting the patient first can be difficult at times because a lot of times you're just thinking about trying to fix the problem when you should be dealing with the patient as a whole. Every patient is different, so the listening part is really important. But it can be so hard though, because a lot of patients will literally talk your ears off! But I think forming that relationship is very important, especially in family medicine because you're managing chronic conditions, and essentially, a person's life.

When I'm not at the clinic, I'm studying, or trying really hard (or not so hard) to finish assignments and study. There was a point in time where I thought, "Oh, I'll have a ton of free time during clinicals to read books and what not!" NOT TRUE. Although I have spent a lot of time watching Grey's Anatomy. Oops.

Overall, this has been a good rotation. It started off slow, but has been getting better as time goes by. I'm just trying to make the most of the experience and get what I can out of it. I'm sure all of my rotations will have something different to offer that will be beneficial to my career :) Well, that's it for now! Props to you if you made it all the way to this point! I will try to write more often so they are not as long!

pretzels.

 Dough ball.

 letting it rise.

 meanwhile...highlander grogg...

...and pinterest. 

done rising! 

 rolling them out.

post-oven. 

topped off with cinnamon sugar.

That's what I did today.

What did everyone else do?

{life} lately.

this right here...completely taking over my life.

beautiful fall days.

apple cider. mmm.

kayaking on the allegheny.

it's the weekend!

and...you know what that means, right?!

more time to study!

in case you didn't know, i'm currently working on my master's in physician assistant studies to hopefully become a physician assistant in a couple years. let me tell you, school is TOUGH. i feel like i'm studying 24/7 minus the sleeping and eating part of it. oh, and the blogging part, of course. anyway, here is just a little more about what PA school is like...

you know you're in PA school:

+when you get mad at yourself for sleeping in until 7:30am.
+when eating and sleeping feel like a waste of precious study time.
+when everything becomes a learning issue.
(our curriculum includes a class called problem based learning, where we are presented a case and have to work through it on our own. anything we don't know becomes a learning issue that we have to go back and research)
+when weekends are no longer relevant and/or existent.
+when you learn about anal winks.
+when the term "bear down" becomes totally medically relevant.
+when you spend more time on campus than you do in your own apartment.
+when it hurts to even think.
+when it's completely ok to make coffee at 10pm.
+when palpating your classmate is completely normal.
+when medical terminology becomes your only terminology.
+when looking at dissected cadavers is a normal occurrence.
+when Facebook is your only outlet to "the outside."
+when knowledge extractions in PBL are your idea of fun.
+when the only time you use your phone is to calculate drug doses on epocrates.
+when the question "what is your rationale for that?" becomes the worst question on the earth.

so yea, that's a little about PA school, AKA my life right now. now back to drinking coffee and studying learning issues!

boxes.

For the past couple weeks I've been slowly packing away my life into boxes...getting ready for the big move to Pittsburgh. That's less than 3 days away. YIKES!

I'll be honest...I'm a bit nervous. Although this college experience probably won't be so different than the last...I'll now have to cook my own meals and drive myself to class everyday. Can't believe I'm grown up now. Ha. But in all seriousness...I am nervous about school. Meeting new people, tough curriculum. Really hope I can break back into college mode quickly.

But even with all the nervousness, mostly I'm just super excited. I'm moving to the city. Festivals, local coffee shops, farmers' markets, diversity...tons to do (which is good, but also kind of bad). I'm looking forward to everything I'm going to see and experience. I have a week after I move to explore before classes start and I'm pumped. And I can't wait to take some pictures.

I'm ready for a fresh start. New school. New city. New people. New home. New me. Well, a modified version of me. I'm ready for a fresh start and all that I'm going to experience and learn while being semi-independent. I'm sure It'll be challenging at times or most of the time or all the time...But I'm ready. I'm ready to unpack my boxes and my life in Pittsburgh and see what all is in store for me.

Pittsburgh, here I come!

Well great news! I've been formally accepted into Chatham University's MPAS program for this coming fall! I got the e-mail yesterday during my botany class but, unfortunately, couldn't show much excitement as I was supposed to be paying attention :) But thankfully I did get to share the news with a friend of mine in the class and he offered me his congrats. I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity or more relieved that I know what my future has in store for me! God is so good!

Now the plan is just to finish off my undergrad on a good note, which may be hard now knowing that I've already been accepted into a school! And then once August comes around, I'll be Pittsburgh bound to start a new chapter of my life! Thanks to all who have been an encouragement during this time. I couldn't ask for better people to share my excitement with!

happy Monday!

As I mentioned before, I had an interview for Chatham University's PA program on Saturday. I think it went well! But there were a lot of qualified applicant there...They interviewed over 200 altogether and are only accepting 80-90, so we'll see! I should have an answer by the end of the month...


I loved the program and the way the curriculum is set up. It's all self-directed learning with a lot of problem based learning (PBL). It's definitely different with me coming from a lecture background, but I think it will be a good challenge and a way to begin thinking clinically.

The campus is great. Chatham is very small and set up much like MVNU, with the campus being clustered all together. But the awesome thing is that it's right in Pittsburgh and so there's no way you can ever be bored! I got to go around the city a bit and I absolutely loved it! It's incredible even in the winter, so I can't imagine how it is during the warmer seasons. I really think I would LOVE living there.

So yea, overall a really great experience! Now just looking to hear back from the school!

grad school

In a few hours I'm Pittsburgh bound for a grad school interview into Chatham University's Physician Assistant program! This year they're bringing back the interview phase because the applicant pool is really competitive. This makes me really excited and hopeful, but at the same time I'm soooo nervous!

The entire visit will take place between 8am and 12pm, so if you get a chance, just send up a quick prayer that everything goes smoothly!

So thankful for this opportunity and how God has worked it out so well! Hopefully His plan is for me to get accepted, but we'll see!

sawubona

In Swaziland when you greet a person, you greet with "sawubona", which means "I see you". In return they say "yebo, sawubona", which means "yes, I see you, too".

I was watching a video on the meaning of "sawubona" by Orland Bishop. He explained this word's meaning, "I see you", as a dialogue that "establishes you as a witness" to the other person. It's an acknowledgment and an agreement that obligates a person to "affirm the reality that seeing has empowered us to investigate our mutual potential for life." Sawubona asks us, "Why are we here at the same time? What has this moment of time given us to be able to do?"

A long time ago, sawubona was more than just a "hello". It was the act of exploring the inner capacities of another person...It was the act of truly seeing a person. I think we have totally lost sight of this today. Now, we don't take the time to really see people. We just wave and get on with our lives, losing that opportunity to be interconnected with others.

I think as Christians, we need to make an effort to truly see people; to see them as human beings; to see them as someone just like ourselves; to see their hopes, desires, hurts, needs... By taking the time to truly see someone, we create this potential for God to work in awesome ways. You never know the difference you could make by taking the time to just see someone.

"Change begins with a ginuine look."
-Max Lucado, Outlive Your Life

Here's the video from the Global Oneness Project. Check out some of their other videos, too. Really awesome thing they have going on.

go. be the bucket.

On one of our first days in Swaziland we distributed buckets of food to people with HIV/AIDS. We drove out into the rurals areas around Manzini and visited patients in their homes, talking with them, praying with them, and giving them these buckets. One night during devos, Joe gave us a bucket analogy. Why did we get out of the van, walk down these uneven dirt paths in the blazing sun,  into these small homes, for hours upon end, just to deliver a bucket? Why not just drop it off at their door or at the end of the path? They'd still get their bucket. So why take the time and energy to go to them?

The answer seems obvious in a situation like this. We go to show people that we care about them; that they are worth our time and energy; that they are valuable. Duh. In a situation as desperate as this, of course that's what we'd do. But...what about the shut-ins? What about the prisoners? What about the child in the hospital? Or the single mother looking for a babysitter? What about the millions of orphans around the world who need a loving family? Or the people who have never heard of Jesus Christ? What about the person you always see eating alone everyday? Or the student who dropped all of his books in the library? What about the homeless? What about the woman who just lost her husband? Why do we not go to these people?

We have to break down these walls that separate us from the world and answer Christ's calling. He wants us to be relational. He wants us to show love and compassion. To be that person who goes when no one else does. We need to take Christ, the food of life, to the world. We can't just drop off the bucket. We have to go and be the bucket of Christ. Willing and ready to love and serve.

June 9 (home)

Thursday

It's crazy that I'm home right now. It sometimes feels like I never even left...that I was never even there. But I have the memories and pictures and feelings.

It's going to be interesting to see how I will change from now on. I am still passionate about the same things and a lot of people know already. Maybe I will have to make my passions more of who I am than ever before...or just be more vocal about it...

I think I did learn a good lesson on assuming things about people, which I've been praying about for some time now. I never expected to get as close to my team as I did. They really caught me off guard. I was so wrong. But I'm so grateful that I was because they are awesome people. I'm really looking forward to building up the relationships that I formed this school year.

I also think I drove the idea of simplicity deeper into my being. We do not NEED all of the things that we have to be joyful and content with life.

Being in Swaziland also just made qualities like joy, simplicity, love, servitude, and humility so much more real to me. I think for me, it's not trying to attain these qualities as much as it is working on things not to do so that these qualities can move forward. I feel like I've lived a fairly simple life, but I lose sight of things because of different distractions around me. I think by removing these distractions, everything being pushed inward can then be expressed outwardly.

I also learned so much from the Swazi people. They make me want to be a better peson. I saw real love, real hope, real joy, real servitude in them. They were so on fire for God and for serving people. Incredible examples.

[Swaziland was such an amazing learning and growing experience. You have my journal entries here to get an idea of everything, but I really cannot put the whole experience into words! You'll just have to go and experience it all for yourself! And I just want to thank everyone who kept myself and my team in their prayers during this trip. Prayer is really powerful, and I know it made a difference, whether we were aware or not. And thanks to whoever made it this far into my journal! I hope you enjoyed hearing all about my trip! Even though it's over, I'll probably keep writing about it, so keep an eye out for future entries.]

June 8 (day 17)

Wednesday

In Dakar, Senegal right now. Well, on a plane in Dakar, Senegal. So tired! Wasn't feeling well for awhile, but I feel fine now. Probably won't eat breakfast, though.

Still have around 8 or 9 hours until we arrive at Washington Dulles. Then we go through customs and what not, then board for Columbus. I'm going to be dead tired and so hungry. God, can you send me back to Africa where we stuffed our faces full of awesome food? Ha.

I wonder what the SNU team is doing right now...I really miss them. It's still so strange being with just the MVNU team. It almost feels surreal, like we never even met them at all. And being in the airport and on the plane for so long...it's like, I was in Africa for two and half weeks? Good thing I have all the awesome memories. God, please don't let me forget Africa and all that I felt there. I hope I always miss it.
...........................................................................................
Sitting in Dulles when I should be on a plane home. We arrived about an hour later than originally planned, so we had to seriously rush through immigration and customs to board our plane to Columbus. We had people running (no kidding) through the airport. I honestly thought they (the people who got pulled aside through customs) weren't going to make it onto the plane and that they would have to catch another flight home. We all made it on board, though! Praise God! EXCEPT...after all that we learn that we weren't going to be taking off anyway, because of some mechanical problem. So we had to deboard  the plane, and now we're waiting at our gate. Thanks United! We all ran here for nothing! Ha. Another first for me!