A Homebody in Longjohns

Well I did it. I broke out my long underwear. Primarily because I forgot to turn the heat on in the house yesterday and it decided to be in the 30s while I was toiling away in the ER. I came home to a chilled cranberry cottage. I really should have predicted it, seeing as though my mittens made an appearance on the walk to work yesterday. The weather forecast is sunshine for the next week with temperatures dipping into the 20s. Eeek.

I suppose that is the nice thing about working in a hospital without many windows. I was pretty oblivious to the chilliness yesterday as I beefed up my procedure log. My shift passed fairly quickly, filled with splinting broken bones, draining subungual hematomas, suturing lacerations, gluing lacerations, and (the ever-popular) draining abscesses. There was also a nice variety of more medical complaints (mysterious causes of vomiting, chest pain, headache, fever, vaginal bleeding, and I even saw a 3 week old with icthyosis. I had to look that one up).

Even more exciting: I learned that people who are being arrested but are too drunk to go to jail come to the ER to sober up. This made for an interesting Friday night. Around 8 pm a whole crew rolled in and really spiced up the environment. I heard that in a few months Bethel is getting a sobering center, which is very badly needed. I think the sobering center got first dibs in the new construction queue seeing how pervasive of a problem alcoholism and alcohol related shenanigans is here. Also in the queue: a nursing home, inpatient hospice, and a pool (above ground). At least that is what the permanent docs tell me. They might have just added that last one for my sake, because I've been using that as my excuse for why I can't move here permanently. I mean, honestly. Me without a pool? That's like Alaska without snow. Can't be done. I'm already counting the hours until I can plunge into the early morning waters of the slightly grimy but very well loved Ballard public pool. Although if the mismanagers of the King county budget have anything to say about it, Ballard may just lose its beloved pool this year. (note to self: write another angry email to the political people about the importance of public pools in the community) But I digress.

Back to Bethel. Where I have 2 more 12 hour shifts and then I'm homeward bound. This whole experience has seemed sort of surreal. I suppose that is what happens when you fret about doing something for so long and then time just creeps on in, and before you know it, you're doing it. Just like that. Much like Kenya. And much like Kenya, being here as been an invaluable experience. But boy am I looking forward to getting home. My family can attest to the fact that I have always been a homebody. Just ask my mom to dig out the tear-stained letters from my one and only foray into over night camp: Lac du Bois French camp for 2 weeks. I know, nerd alert. And yes, we did all wear berets. I think the only difference now is my slightly more adventurous spirit. Still the same homebody. Minus the beret.