The Paradoxical Commandments

Today was my last day of clinical until the last week of May and it went amazingly well for me. I learned more, did more, and felt confident in what I have studied and practiced. Injections were a piece of cake, IV and O2 monitoring was natural. I discontinued an IV, and helped with wound care. My patient learned a lot about his diagnoses (Stroke, Diabetes Mellitus) while in my care. My patient and the family thanked me immensely for my efforts and advocacy for them while in the hospital. If felt really great to make a difference in their lives. 

It was also my teachers last semester as an acute care instructor, and next semester she will become Nursing Program Coordinator. I feel really honored to have learned from her, and appreciate the time she spent with our group. She left us each with this quote:

by Dr. Kent M. Keith, based on Mother Teresa: Missionary of Charity

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self centered. 
Love them anyway. 
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway. 
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. 
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. 
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankeness make you vulnerable. 
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest ideas.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs and follow top dogs. 
Fight for the underdogs anyway.
What you spend years bulding may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the butt. 
Give the world the best you have anyway.

ummmm

so many things to look forward to. 

so many things to be stoked about. 

I don't even know where to begin!

but, the count downs are on. 

yep, thats right its plural. 

count downS.

ready....set....go.

things work out, they always do. 

life is good. 

Universal Health Care

So you say you are against Universal Health Care?

You know me, 21 years old, full time student. I take pretty decent care of myself. I don't smoke, don't really drink, I kinda get exercise. 

I guess I don't deserve health insurance. I can't always work enough hours a week because of school. And they cut everyones hours at work because of the tight financial situations. So I don't make the cut. 

While you argue that not everyone is entitled to health care, I am praying to God I stay healthy. Praying that I don't end up with a urinary tract infection, which is super common with women. Because  I know if I do get one, the best I can do to treat it is drink lots of water. And can you imagine what would happen if it turned into a kidney infection? Even more than that, I am crossing my fingers I don't get seriously injured. Because a broken bone, a car accident, a case of appendicitis..... who knows where the thousands of dollars will come from to pay for my medical bills. I know my family can't afford that kind of financial burden. 

Many nursing students like myself, are thinking of these things all the time. One of us gets a measly cold and cough, a urinary tract infection, the flu, and we are down for the count. But, I guess since we don't work 40 hours a week with a job that pays into an insurance company--that probably will find a way to weasel out of paying for serious medical bills anyways--we don't deserve health care. 

So before you toot your horn about not everyone deserving health care, think about your loved ones, your family and you friends. Can you think of anyone without insurance? When it comes down to life or death, terminal illness, do you really want to see them get denied, because they didn't meet someone elses standards of who deserves and who doesn't?? 

I never thought so hard about this until recently. I never cared so much until now. Because now, I am in the position to seriously get back handed if I am not careful. 

(in case you are freaked out, no worries. I am still healthy. Just being realistic.)

Closing a Chapter of My Life..

 I know I already made a recent post dedicated to Corona, but I cannot stress enough the importance of him in my life.

A lot of my friends on Maui windsurf, surf, or kite. You may not realize it, but you can relate. As your world wraps around the ocean swell and the trade winds, mine used to wrap around my horse. I used to eat, breathe, sleep and dream horses. My horse made my world go round. Horses taught me responsibility and the meaning of hard work. I owe my current drive and determination to do what I want to do-- to my history with horses. From a young age I was held accountable for the life of something else, something important. I can even say that some of my best friends and most amazing mentors were found through horses.  Now that he is officially sold, I see an important chapter of my life closing. It was well written, with a happy ending, and a to-be-continued last page. 

So, Saturday Madelyn picked up Corona. He belongs to her now. She left me a message today saying he settled into his new surroundings nicely, and all the young kids that she teaches at her barn were stopping by to give him carrots.  It makes me happy that he will have a good life. 

My best friend Kristen was there to say bye to Corona for me, and give him a last ride for me. She will miss him almost as much as me. 

Corona...

Corona and Kristen...

...

...

Nurse Sierra

goodbye my Corona

It looks like I sold my horse, Corona. He lives in California, so it doesn't make sense that I keep him. The final details will work out this week. Congratulations to Madelyn, his soon-to-be new owner. 

I bought Corona was I was 15. There were many challenges with owning him... he bucked me off more times than I can count on two hands. In the end, we did really well in competition and I learned a lot. I gained a lot of respect from others who had the opportunity to ride him and realized what a challenge he could be. I love him dearly and I am going to miss him even more than I already do. 

I'm 21 now, and I can't wait until the day I own a horse again. 

Jona emailed me a couple pictures of him that she took today. 

Pediatrics Final Exam

My last pediatrics exam I nearly failed. My entire class got backhanded by it. 

Last night, I didn't get off work until 2:15am, I didn't sleep until almost 3:30am. I woke up at 6:30am for school, my pediatrics final exam. 

Whoever said you can't cram-style study and hyper-caffeinate before a test was very wrong.

I got 83/85 on my final. Next time I hope I don't work before my exam, but even if I do, it will be OK. 

---------------------

Here is the rest of the semester as I see it:

I'm done with Pediatrics for the semester

I'm done with my Transitions Nursing class for the semester

I have 2 weeks left of semester clinicals

4 more lectures

2 exams

HESI testing

In 2 weeks Nitsan is back from Israel

In 4 weeks I fly to San Francisco to sail the bay with Aaron 

A few days later I spend a week in Chico

During that week I will get to ride horses with my best friends

Then its back to school for summer session

Car runs great, my sunburn is fading without a peel, life is good. 

more butterflies

One of the two coordinators, Juliana Shelef with her husband Eyal

The initial startoff, Hookipa

Before the start, girls stretching

My love, Chiclet!

Me and Chiclet carrying her board at the finish, Kanaha Beach. 

Girls coming in at Kanaha Beach. 

Me and Chiclet, paddling through the surf at Hookipa

Girls paddling out at Hookipa.

Yours truly!

Me, Gal, Laura, and Marina at Hookipa

The girls getting ready at Hookipa.

Me, Laura and the other Laura. 

Ready...set...GO!

circle up for stretching and warmup at Hookipa

One of the two coordinators, Tatiana Howard. 

view from the top, Stand Up Paddle

Be The Effect

A huge huge huge thank you and congratulations to Tatiana Howard and Juliana Shelef for the success of the 2009 Butterfly Effect Maui!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Visit www.betheeffect.com! Within the next few days pictures will probably be posted here.

This year there was over 100 girls who participated, more than double from last year. The Butterfly Effect was created by Juliana and Tatiana. They wanted to do a downwind run from Hookipa to Kanaha and thought it would be great to get some girls together for it, and so the Butterfly Effect was born. This year was the 3rd year of it in Maui, and since the first year the girls have brought it to other countries in the world.

The goal: to get women together for a noncompetitive event, to encourage women in ocean sports. The run is 8 miles down the coast in the same direction of the wind. You can Stand-up Paddle, Windsurf, Kitesurf or Canoe. There are prizes and free pizza and giveaways. Along the way, there were plenty of jet skis stocked with photographers and a few for safety. After a pit stop on the beach at Sprecks, a helicopter came and took some amazing photos for us. The afterparty at Jacques was a blast, ending this years event. Here are some photos:

(these pics are by Kevin Pritchard, and I took them from Tatiana's website www.tatianahoward.com)

Here are the girls at the start

A view of the coast, see us all leaving the beach at Sprecks?

One girl on a stand up paddle board

Coming in at Kanaha

Here is all the girls at Sprecks Beach, forming the shape of a butterfly. Look at all the equipment!

The girls circling up, see the butterfly image left in the middle from our footprints?

Jewish Holiday

First off, I bought a camera!!!!!
Just a cheaper point and shoot digital camera, but YAY I can take pictures again!

School has been completely insane. Last time I posted a blog about school, I was just finishing my Pediatrics Clinical Unit. After that, I spent 2 weeks up at Kula Hospital doing longterm care.

Honestly, I don't see longterm care being the field I plan to work in, but I have to say it was incredibly rewarding and a great experience. I ended up with some fantastic opportunities with my patients. On my last day, I realized that my patient was ready to pass away, and that was challenging for me. I really wanted to make her as comfortable as possible, and I gave her some care that may have very well been the last for her.

Next I began my first clinical hours at Maui Memorial Hospital doing acute care on a medsurge floor. Such a different experience! Everything is so fast paced and hectic in comparison to long term care. There is so much to be done, and the time flies by. What really amazes me is how much I have learned just through this experience. Finally, everything I have studied in lecture the last few years is making sense. I am really beginning to grasp how body systems all work together, and I am amazed at all of it. I have 2 more weeks of acute care left now, and then my clinical semester is over! Just lecture and tests. Only 5 more weeks left! Then I get 10 days off!

I also left Hot Sails, at least for the time being. Just too busy for 2 jobs! Working at the restaurant seems to be enough for now. My car, still running great. Rocko, still happy to chase bugs all day while I'm at school.

Okay, so... the good part of this post.

Did I mention that I um, have a boyfriend now? Yes, its true. Despite the internal fighting I have done with myself, it has happened. And I am pretty happy about it. So while he is currently back visiting his homeland of Israel, I have been here. A couple nights ago was the big Jewish holiday, Passover. With all my Israeli friends I have now, I was invited to celebrate with them. Wow. What an experience!!! I realized I mostly know the story of Passover already... the jewish slaves of the Egyptians and Pharaoh, Moses coming to rescue the slaves. The walking in the desert, the locusts... etc etc. Wow cool! Marci sat next to me and translated all the hebrew. With at least 40 people at the dinner, I don't think I was the only one who didn't understand the Hebrew. The excitement I felt throughout the crowd was contagious, everyone was laughing and singing and some were dancing. The food was amazing (I am finding that all these Israelis know how to cook!!!).

I looked around at one point and really appreciated the tight family-like group they have made here. And I realized how many of them I have began to really care about, and how much I love some of the friends I have made within their group.

Here are a few pictures!

Some of the people

Juliana is Brazilian, and her husband Eyal is from Israel. 

Pre-dinner, tables set up. 

MMMMMmmmm =)

Omri, Lee, and myself. 

Yoav playing guitar, Arnon playing keyboard, and Tidhar drums and vocals. 

Me and Omri

After dinner lots of singing and celebrating.