MorintoNursing

Here goes the longest day of my life, quite literally. After a full day in Chiang Mai, we are to hop on the plane at precisely 11:15pm on January 24th and fly back in time. After a 20 hour flight, we should arrive back in the states on January 25th at 10am. We will gain back a full 12 hours. My body will definitely take a toll. Especially since I have to grab another connecting flight home after we get into Dulles. The price I pay for living long distance. Even though I'm going to try to stay up for as long as I can on the flight so that I can sleep soundly on the 14 hour flight, I know my body is going to be out of whack. My stomach too. It took my ... read more

We are nearing the end of our trip, and it's starting to feel bitter sweet. I think I'm ready to go home, now that things are winding down, but I'm not ready for the drastic change in weather. It's gonna be a real shock going from 85 and sunny every day to 5 degrees with 20 inches of snow. A little bit of post-trip depression but I'll manage. These last couple days are pretty chill days too, so it'll help us wind down and get ready for our trip back. Boy am I looking forward to that flight (not). This morning we has a formal conference to attend. The topic was on domestic violence, and there were 3 other colleges in the area that were in attendance. Each college had to present about the topic.. in ... read more

Wow. What a day today was. Something I'd never thought I'd actually experience. Elephant rides, ox cart riding, bamboo rafts. It was an amazing experience, but also had some mixed feelings. We arrived at Maetaman Elephant Camp and were immediately in awe of these beautifully ginormous creatures. They seem so gentle, yet can be so destructive. First we saw an elephant show. and Immediately I began to feel uncomfortable. Although it was so cool to see giant elephants kicking soccer balls and painting artwork, I couldn't help but think how voluntary this was for the elephants. I know that animals can be trained and used for work, like horses with bits and oxen with yokes, but just seeing the sharp tool that they would use to steer the elephant or get it to pay attention made ... read more

Alternative medicine. Not always the most popular thing in America, but in Thailand it's a huge part of healing. It was our last day in the hospital, and we spent it on a special unit. We learned about Thai traditional medicine, mostly acupuncture and massages. We sat in with one of the acupuncturists to hear more about what he does. He was an interesting individual to say the least. If you can think of your friendly neighborhood hippie who is all about energies and good vibes, then you can pretty much describe this guy. A classic guru. He talked a lot about knowledge and imagination and then had us stick out our tongues so that he could read our auras. Apparently, my snake-like tongue is not a good sign. He said I have a little health ... read more

Another productive day being a nurse. Today we walked into the trauma unit and were introduced to a "foreigner", a patient who is on vacation and got in an accident. Guess what accident? Motorbike collision. It was sad, poor guy has a swollen black eye, bruises and cuts everywhere, cracked ribs, and a pneumothorax. He may be in the hospital for a little while working out insurance details and healing while his friends are continuing with their vacation. I felt bad for him, and I also felt bad that I couldn't help translate for him. It was nice to have an english speaking friend to talk to though. Right after talking to our patient, we were whisked away to the Operating Room. I was super excited for this. We stood in on a spinal surgery. The ... read more