Security Scrutiny

The early morning hours are not my finest hours. I often struggle to find the balance between grace and functionality.

Ideally I like to wake up at a normal time and take my time showering, getting dressed and eating breakfast before leaving the house for the day. When I leave the house before the sun rises, my priorities are a little different. And despite my best efforts to look like a presentable member of society, things have a way of going awry.

The other morning was no different than any other.

My alarm clock went off at precisely 4:45am and I did my very best to ignore it. Five minutes later it rang again, I sighed and made a pitiful attempt to get out of bed. Having failed at getting out of bed I moved on to the next order of business, clothing. Getting dressed consists of me blindly flailing my arms in the direction of my conveniently placed clean laundry basket in order to acquire a pair of pants, underwear, two socks and some sort of shirt and/or sweater and then donning said articles of clothing.

Next I made a more successful attempt at getting out of bed and turned on the light. Satisfied with my choice in clothes I moved to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face in the frigid water which doubles as an extra wake up call. From there we move down the stairs and into the kitchen where I make a cup of coffee in a travel mug to drink on the bus.

As I begin to bundle myself up in my winter gear, I notice a lonely chocolate chip muffin sitting in the cabinet begging to be eaten. After a brief moment of hesitation I grab the muffin and stick in my bag to have with my coffee in a seemingly innocent act. Thus, unknowingly changing my fate.

Mere moments later I grab my bag and head out into the early morning darkness to catch my bus. The first bus ride passes without a hitch. I disembark and make my way to the bus stop across the street to wait for the inner-city that takes me to the hospital. The bus arrived right on schedule and I sat down in my usual seat. My hand brushed against the travel mug and my stomach grumbled.

As I sat on the bus sipping my lukewarm coffee I remembered the muffin. Smiling I reached into my bag and retrieved the muffin. I don't know if you've ever tried eating a muffin while holding a coffee cup on a bus that happens to be driving down a exceptionally uneven road before, but in my experience it is not an easy task.

I arrived at the hospital feeling slightly more disheveled than usual and made my way to security as I do every morning. Each morning the security guard and I have roughly the same conversation...

Security guard: Good morning.
Me: Good morning.
Security guard: Student?
Me: Yep.
Security guard: I have to check your bag anyways because you're not an employee..
Me: OK...
*Security guard checks bag, finds nothing of interest*
Security guard: OK, have a nice day!
Me: thanks, you too.

This mornings conversation went a little bit differently:
Security guard: Good morning student!
Me: Good morning.
Security guard: You've got some coffee on your pants...
Me: Yep.
*Security guard continues to stare at my pants*
Security guard: It's in like, 3 places...
Me: I noticed, thanks.
*Security guard shakes head in apparent disbelief*
Security guard: It's a little noticeable.
Me: Thanks for pointing it out...
Security guard: I'm still gonna have to check your bag.
Me: Enjoy
*Security guard halfheartedly checks bag while still staring at the noticeable coffee stains on my pants*
Security guard: Well then, have a nice day..
Me: Sure, you too...
*Security guard giggles to himself*
Security guard: Maybe next time try to get more coffee in your mouth and less on your pants!

Early Morning Excursions

This year we jumped right into rotations as soon as school started. Each rotation is around 12-20 shifts so we end up switching hospitals each month.

My first rotation was in a psychiatric hospital. The overall experience was as enlightening as it was terrifying. I enjoyed the time that I spent there but was glad to say goodbye at the end of the month and move to Pediatrics.

Pediatrics has been fun. But the hospital itself is a little hard to get to. After a week of trial and error, I resorted to taking the first bus out of bet shemesh in order to get to my 7am shift on time.

I've always been what most people call "a morning person" but rarely have I cheerily woken up at 4:50am to catch the first bus out of the city. I was under the assumption that 5:00am is the time of day where most sane people are tucked away safe in their beds.

Boy was I surprised to find out that I was wrong. It turns out the first bus out of bet shemesh is actually pretty full. Some of the regulars have been taking the first bus for years.

The first time that I took the first bus I thought it would be a somber experience. I was shocked when I got on the bus and was greeted by warm smiles. As the bus drove down the highway unhindered by the inconvenience of other cars, the driver turned up the radio and  I was subjected to my very first 5:30am karaoke.

It turns out that the first bus is a place full of love and laughter. There's a special bond between these veteran early risers forged by sleep deprivation and a lack of caffeine. The bus driver knows them each by name and they share a knowing glance when a newcomer gingerly climbs onto the bus on their shaky legs, exhausted and disoriented from having woken at such an ungodly hour.

It certainly has been an experience and its nice to know that even in the darkness of the early morning hours, there's a group of people lighting up the day.

Today I am greatful for mornings that I get to sleep past 5am.

To Whom It May Concern

Dearest family, friends, cats, and dogs.

I'm delighted to inform you that after years of eager waiting, mainly from my father whom I'm sure had given up all hope and resorted to saying daily prayers on my behalf, it has finally happened. 

I passed my driving test.

It's been a long and trying time but I finally have my licence.

Thank you to all of the people that helped make this possible. I appreciate it more than you know.

Sincerely,

Me 

P.S. Today I am grateful that I finally passed my driving test. Amen. 

Caution, Cows Crossing.

I'm back from Switzerland.

Actually, I got back quite a while ago. I meant to update my blog but it never seemed to happen. The rest of the trip was delightful and coming back to Israel was sort of bittersweet.

Why did the cow cross the road?

The holidays are always a fun and exciting time, lots of family time and an overabundance of delicious foods. They're also a time to think back over the past year and just to reflect on life in general.

My mom started doing this new thing where she picks (at least) one thing every day that she feels grateful for. It's easy to focus on the negative things in life especially when I'm feeling stressed or tired and ofttimes I forget that I actually have an awful lot of things to be grateful for.

With the start of a new semester right around the corner I'm making a slightly belated new year resolution to be a little more grateful for all of the positive things in my life.

Today I am grateful to my mother for reminding me that I have a lot of things in life to feel grateful for (,amongst other things).

Kapellbrücke And Ferrys

On Thursday we went to Luzern to walk around the city and see the famous chapel bridge called the Kapellbrücke.

Apparently it is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe. In an effort to sound well cultured I shall pretend like I knew about it and was very interested in seeing it. Regardless of my previous knowledge of said bridge, it was actually quite impressive.

Part of the bridge had burnt down one fateful summer evening in the year 1993 (one of the most momentous events that occurred that August second only to my birth) and was subsequently restored. It is now one of Switzerland's main tourists attractions, a fact which was made evident by the vast quantities of tourists that we encountered as we attempted to cross the bridge.

The famous Kapellbrücke

 After visiting Europe's oldest wooden covered bridge we got back in the car and made our way to the ferry which took us and our car across the lake.

And herein ends another exciting Swiss-Cheese-Land adventure.

Stay tuned for more, maybe.

Hikes And Toboggans In Sattel-Hochstuckli

On Wednesday we ventured out to a mountain in Sattel-Hochstuckli for a fun filled day of adventures. 

We took a cable up to the mountainside and picked a path to hike on. Things started off well, the sun was shining and there was a crisp breeze. Everyone was full of energy and ready to go.

Posing for a picture after being bribed with treats

Hiking up a mountain with two little kids proved to be more difficult than imagined. Especially when one of the children seems to be afraid of nature while the other is a nature enthusiast that wants to run around and touch everything.

Her royal highness being pushed up the mountain in a stroller because she is afraid of rocks, amongst other things. 

Fake.

Seriously, how is this view real?

After the hike we wandered around and found some more fun activities like bouncy castles and mountainside tobogganing.

If you look really close you can see me on the toboggan.

My favorite part of the day was going on the toboggans. It was so much fun that I went on  three times. 

One day I shall buy a plot of land on a mountainside somewhere and build a toboggan track around my house.

It's important to have dreams and aspirations.

Puppies!

Today we went to the zoo and saw lots of puppies, according to Lavi. 

Happy family

Making friends

Flamingo King

Kuzco

Boating

Egg hugger

Swiss-Cheese-Land

Last week The Mad Man and many other family members helped me move out of my apartment in Ariel. There was a lot of schlepping and driving involved but we did it. The sun house now looks like it could be the set of a post-apocalyptic movie in which hundreds of families are displaced from their homes and forced to leave behind belongings as they hastily pack what little they can carry.

There were some halfhearted attempts to try and reign in the chaos but the task proved to be overwhelming and not much progress was made. In an effort to avoid having to deal with the madness, I fled the country.

The Freddie's graciously invited me to join them on their vacation in Switzerland and now seemed like a good time to take them up on their offer. I packed up a little suitcase and The Crazy Lady drove me to the airport so that I could catch my afternoon flight to Zurich.

I found my gate and sat with the others waiting to board the flight. Boarding time passed and we were still sitting and waiting at the gate. Forty minutes later they announced that we would start boarding and began to send us out the door and onto a little shuttle bus. We drove over ten minutes to the other side of the airport, it was the longest shuttle ride I've ever taken. There was speculation of a kidnapping but we pulled up to a lonely looking little plane and disembarked the bus.

It was windy as we began to board the plane. The woman in front of me looked fabulous as her silky hair streamed out behind her looking like she was in a scene from some romantic comedy. My hair didn't get the same memo and flew in front of my face, effectively covering my eyes. I struggled up the stairs looking like a relative of cousin it.

Once we were seated of the plane things went pretty smoothly. I watched some TV and had a chat with the couple sitting next to me. Before we knew it, the plane began to land. We got off the plane and followed the signs to the airport train that took us to passport control and baggage claim. I found my suitcase and went to meet Mr. Freddie who was picking me up from the airport.

After a quick stop at Mami's house we drove to the Freddie's adorable little cabin in Immensee. It was pretty dark out by the time I landed so I didn't see much scenery on the drive but this morning I woke up to this...

I've certainly had worse views.

Violent Music

Yesterday I walked up the mountain to the university for the last time this school-year to hand in the final paper for my second year of nursing school. Mid-august, my summer vacation is finally starting.

My lease ends at the end of the month so in between working on my project I've been trying to pack up my apartment. Yesterday The Crazy Lady drove out to Ariel yesterday to pick up the boxes that I had already packed. Z is taking some classes during the summer semester so he came after class to help with the schlepping.

I'm storing most of my stuff in L&Z's basement so after we loaded up the car we drove to the sun house to pick up The Mad Man and Avi and then headed to L&Z's house for dinner (and to put my stuff in the basement).

I like to think that I have a pretty solid relationship with most of my siblings but admittedly, I don't spend a ton of time with my youngest brother. A point that was made evident yesterday afternoon as I carried some of my belongings into the sun house to store in my room.

Avi and some friends were sitting on the couch playing Xbox. One of his friends looked up from the screen and asked "Oh, where are you coming from with all of that stuff?" to which Avi replied "Uh, she has a job in Ariel, I think. She goes there a lot..." satisfied with the answer his friend shrugged and went back to playing Xbox.

I'm glad he knows that I'm in university and that I haven't lived at home for two years.

Car partially unpacked, we piled back in and headed down to L&Z's for dinner. Following the earlier conversation between Avi and his friend, I thought we could use the time to bond a little. I asked Avi what was new in his life and we spent most of the ride conversing about video games and such.

We arrived at our destination and parked the car. As Avi was reaching for his seat belt he turned to me with a serious look on his face and the following conversation took place:
Avi: I've been listening to violent music lately.
Me: Oh... Uhhhh, what exactly does that mean?
Avi: You know, it's just a genre of music...
Me: What does it sound like? Could you maybe sing a little for me?
Avi: Um, Ok. It mostly sounds like violins...
*Hums some pleasant violin music*
Me: Oh, Violin! That's nice!
*Avi gives me a weird look and gets out of the car*

I'm glad we had that bonding time. I feel like now we're closer than ever!

The Poop And Scoot

This morning I woke up in my lovely little apartment in Ariel with the urgent need to pee. I walked into the bathroom and noticed that I seemed to be standing in a small puddle. First I checked  the shower to make sure I had completely shut off the water after my shower last night. The shower head was dry and nothing there seemed to be dripping.

Next I moved on to the sink where a considerable amount of water seemed to be collecting. I wiped up the water and waited to see what would happen, nothing did. Running out of options I moved on to the toilet. There was a steady trickle of water was dripping from the pipe that connects the toilet to the wall and drains the waste water. I found a container that I deemed worthy enough to sacrifice to the cause and stuck it under the pipe.

I watched the steady drip for a while before realizing that the container was starting to fill up. We needed a more effective solution, perhaps a way to stop the water from dripping out of the pipe. I debated trying to find some tape to cover the cracks but then realized that shutting off the water would probably be more helpful.

Sure enough, the trickling began to slow down. With nothing better to do I took advantage of the still full tank and emptied my very full bladder. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for my quick thinking and superb problem solving skills until it dawned on me that I would probably have to use the toilet again at some point and now the tank was empty. Emptying the tank had taken a while and quite a bit of water had come out during the process and the pipe was now dripping from two places.

I needed help from a professional, so I texted my dad. He told me to send a picture of the leaky pipe to my landlord and see if he could help. Following my fathers sage advice, I sent a picture of my toilet to the landlord and waited to see what would happen. After a couple of hours of waiting I looked at the clock and began to panic. I had a driving lesson in 40 minutes and I really needed to use a toilet, preferably one that wouldn't leak waste water all over my floor.

With no time to lose I grabbed my keys and half ran to the gym that's about a ten minute walk from my apartment. Pretending that it was completely normal to walk into the gym without work-out clothes or a gym bag, I waved my membership chip near the machine and hurried to the bathroom. Luck was on my side for the first time all morning, the bathroom was almost completely empty. I did my business and then hurried back out of the gym attempting to avoid making eye contact with the guard.

I made it back to my apartment just in time for my driving which went surprisingly well considering my eventful and stressful morning. After the lesson I went back to the apartment to stare at the toilet again. My bladder started hinting that it might be time to visit the gym again so after talking to my landlord and confirming that a repair man was on the way, I got suited up for the gym and headed out in search of a toilet.

The security guard nodded at my proper gym attire as I waved my chip by the machine and entered the gym for the second time today. This time, with the intention of actually working out. But since they conveniently had working toilets, I also used the bathroom before and after my workout.

I got back to my apartment just as the repairman was leaving. He informed me that the problem was solved and I was free to once again pee in the privacy of my own home. I cheered. He nodded briefly and got into his car. True to his word, the toilet did not drip when I flushed it.

A pretty exciting experience all around.

A Lesson In Persistence

Five intensive and exhausting but awesome weeks have come to an end. I was pretty nervous about starting my rotation in internal medicine, mainly because my default reaction to any new situation seems to be perpetually stuck PANIC mode. But also because I had heard a lot about the clinical nurse and I wasn't sure that I would live up to her expectations.

The first couple of days were a bit of an uphill battle, I was still getting my bearings in the ward and I wasn't entirely sure how to approach or deal with my patients. I'm the kind of person that likes to rehearse uncomfortable situations in their head. Unfortunately, the person on the other side of the conversation doesn't always get my memos and the conversations never go quite the way I had planned.

On my third day in the ward I went into the room that I was assigned to and introduced myself to the patient in the first bed. Armed with two days of experience, I had things down to some semblance of a science and was feeling pretty confident. The patient glanced up for his phone for a minute and then noticing the blood pressure machine that I had with me, held out his arm.

As I wrapped the cuff around his arm I tried to introduce myself again. The patient gave a pitiful half-smile in return, I chose to take it as a good sign. When we were done with the blood pressure the patient thanked me and got up. I still had to take his temperature and ask him a few questions so I asked him to sit back down.

He looked at me quizzically and said "But you already took my blood pressure." . I smiled and said that I had just a few more questions and it wouldn't take long if he would be kind enough to sit back down and cooperate. Deciding that he had had enough pestering for one day he kindly informed that he was going to change his clothes now so I should probably leave.

I waited a few more moments trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. None of my rehearsed conversations or previous patient encounters had gone on this particular direction...

And that's the story of how I watched a 70 year old patient strip in an effort to avoid talking to me.

I was pretty determined not to let my clinical nurse down so I asked the semi undressed man the rest of my questions and realizing that I wasn't leaving without answers, he reluctantly gave them to me.

Things got easier as the days flew by. I learned more efficient and effective ways to gather the relevant information from my patients and by the end of the second week the clinical nurse trusted me to take care of a full room of patients (between 8-9 patients depending on the day).

During the first couple of week my clinical nurse stayed in the room with me while the doctors were doing their rounds. Deciding that she trusted me enough with the patients, the nurse left me alone with the doctors on days that we were understaffed. Seeing that my clinical nurse trusted me, the doctors relied on my information about the patients to help make decisions about the course of the treatments.

It felt great to be a part of the team and to feel like I was actually contributing rather than just standing on the side and watching other people work. The staff in the ward were warm and welcoming. They always made time to answer any questions that I had and help me when they could, and I tried my best to help them in return.

Overall it was a great experience and I can't believe that it's already over. I have lots more to learn but I think I'm off to a great start.

A Beautiful Friendship

At the end of my shift on Monday afternoon a new patient arrived in the ward. Charlie had spent a good potion of the day sitting in the miyun and he was glad to finally be able to get some rest. The nurses bustled around and got Charlie settled into room number 4 for the night.

The next day a patient by the name Joe arrived in the ward and was wheeled into room number 4. He didn't know it yet, but life as he knew it was about to change. His bed was set up directly across the room from Charlie's bed. Tired and worn out from having a procedure done earlier that day, he drifted off into a troubled sleep.

Joe woke up a few hours later and sat up in his bed and surveyed his surroundings.  He hadn't paid much attention when he had first arrived, he looked across the room and saw a man around the same age as him sitting in the bed across from him. The man looked up and smiled, Joe smiled back.

It was boring in the hospital, and lonely. Charlie sat in his bed wondering when his wife was going to come to visit. She had called earlier to say that she would be there after work but it was only 14:00 in the afternoon and she didn't finish work until 16:00. It seemed like time was barely moving. 

Charlie sighed and looked across the room. The man in the bed across from him was starting to wake up. He watched as the man sat up and took in his surroundings. As their eyes met, Charlie smiled. The man smiled back.

A nurse came into the room with a glucometer to check the diabetic patients blood sugar levels. The nurse took Charlie's level first and then walked over to Joe's bed. "So we're both diabetic.." thought Joe as the nurse pricked his finger.

The nurse left the room and Charlie realized that it had been a while since he'd last visited the little boys room. He tried to stand up but got tangled in his IV line. Those damn nurses seemed intent on pumping him full of fluids. 

Joe watched the man in the bed across from him flounder as he struggled to free himself from his IV line. The man lost his balance and the IV stand began to sway dangerously. Joe jumped up to the rescue and ran to grab the man before he fell.

Charlie panicked as he lost his footing. Just as he thought that he was a goner, he felt a firm grasp around his arm and steadied himself with the help of his rescuer. The two men worked together to free Charlie from his IV line. 

As the line came untangled the two men smiled at each other. They stood there like that for a while until Charlie remembered his manners. 

"I'm Charlie, thanks for saving me there.."  said Charlie as he stuck out his hand. "Ya, no problem." said Joe as he shook the outstretched hand "Names Joe". Charlie nodded towards the spot of dried blood on Joe's finger from where the nurse had checked his blood sugar level . "Watchya in for?" he asked. Joe sighed and answered "Chest pains. You?" Charlie smiled and said "Same.".

Joe let out a little laugh "Two diabetics administered for chest pains... What are the odds?" Charlie thought for a moment and said "It's like it was meant to be.". Happy to finally have  a distraction Charlie offered to show Joe around the ward. Joe had been pretty out of it when they brought him in earlier and thought his legs could definitely do with a stretch.

The two men spent the remainder of the day together. By the next morning, they were inseparable.

At the beginning of the shift my clinical nurse divided the room into two, assigning me with left side and the other student with the right. When I went to take Charlie's blood pressure before breakfast he asked me to take Joe's as well so they could go to breakfast together. I explained to him that the other student was in charge of Joe's side of the room and she would take his blood pressure for him.

Later in the day I found the generally bubbly and outgoing Charlie lying in his bed "How are you feeling?" I asked him. "Oh you know... Alright I suppose." said Charlie with a sigh. Twenty minutes later Joe was wheeled back into the room after having had an X-ray done. Charlie jumped out of bed eager to welcome his friend back to his room.

"I was worried that you might miss lunch!" Charlie exclaimed. "I never miss lunch" Joe answered with a smile.

When I went to check Charlie's blood sugar level before lunch he hesitantly asked if I could check Joe's as well. I explained again that he wasn't my patient and he would have to wait for the other student. They looked at each other longingly across the room and sighed. Charlie pulled a chair up to Joe's bed. "I'll wait with you.".

During lunch I watched them sitting across the table from one and other telling tales as they ate. Joe gestured about wildly as he excitedly described his adventure around the hospital on the way to get his X-ray. His hand knocked over a bowl of apples on the counter behind him. The two watched as the apples bounced to the floor. The head of the kitchen staff watched them with a stern look on her face as they chased the apples about the room giggling with glee like a pair of young boys.

Later that day, the two men sat outside in the courtyard off the ward. They introduced each other to their spouses and children. It was a day full of laughter and bonding in an otherwise bleak ward.

Charlie was released from the ward later in the afternoon. Joe was sad to see him go but they promised to stay in touch.

Who knows what it was that brought them together... A mere coincidence or perhaps fate?

The Tale Of The Forgotten Sweater

Things have been kind of boring lately. Mostly I've been studying for finals and taking driving lessons. Riveting stuff, I know...

I took my last final yesterday morning and now I'm just waiting for grades (fingers crossed that I passed all of them!). Finals actually weren't to bad this semester and I'm feeling good about things.

Yesterday I picked Hadassah up from gan. Getting her from gan wasn't much of a problem but things went south on the way home. We got about two blocks away from the gan before Hadassah stopped walking and began to frantically search through her bag. Unable to find whatever treasure she had been looking for, she promptly burst into tears.

Hadassah: I have a thing for my arms so I'm not be cold!

Me: You're cold!? *stares at her in disbelief as sweat drips off my face*

Hadassah: Nooooo! In gan! *burts into tears*  I am have sometin so I'm not be cold! 

Me: You have a sweater in gan?

Hadassah: *nods head*

Me: Um, OK....

Hadassah: We need to go get it! *still crying*

Me: Uhhhh, maybe we'll get it tomorrow

Lavi:  EEEEEEEE! *sees bird and shrieks in delight*

Hadassah: Noooo! We need to go now!

Me: OK but we're almost home now so they'll save it for you and we'll get it tomorrow.

Hadassah: I need it now! *continues crying uncontrollably*

Me: Are you cold now?

Hadassah: No. *still crying*
Lavi: *still shrieking at presumably deaf bird*

Me: So how about we go home and watch a nice movie and tomorrow we'll get the sweater from gan?
Hadassah: *sniffles* ok... The princess with the long hair?

Me: Sure...

Hadassah: Ok

We made it home without any further mentions of the forgotten sweater. Hadassah went straight to the couch when we walked in and reminded me to put on the movie about the princess with the long hair. She also said we should put the air conditioning on because apparently, it was hot outside.

Next week I start my second rotation in the hospital. This time I'll be working in internal medicine which I've been assured is much more interesting than E.N.T. and I've heard only good things about the staff. 

I'm pretty excited to be in a ward where I can learn a lot and really be hands on with the patients. 

Maybe we'll even get some good stories out of it! 

The Trials And Tribulations Of Traffic Circles

I'd like to take a moment to share my feelings about traffic circles...

I don't get them.

My driving instructor has gone to great lengths to try and explain them to me, including drawing some diagrams and raising his arms in frustration and despair almost every time I unsuccessfully try and use one. But I just can't seem to figure them out.

The idea is simple enough in itself. You slow down as you approach the circle and if there are no cars coming at you, you enter the circle and somehow maneuver the wheel in a complex series of twists and turns to magically get the car to come out of the circle where you want it to.

I've discovered that the most important part of this delicate procedure is to NOT use the blinkers (or as my Israeli driving instructor likes to call them, winkers). Using the blinkers helps the other drivers know where you want to go and we can't have them knowing that because apparently, its a secret.

Aside from my difficulty using traffic circles, driving lessons are going all right. I've been told that learning how to drive is a bit of a learning curve.

Between you and me, I'm just glad that its not a traffic circle.

The Unsuspecting Passenger

After years of avoiding and pushing it off, I have finally begun the ever so tedious process of getting my drivers licence. This country sure doesn't make it easy.

Last week I went to take theory and passed (if only my finals at university could go by as smoothly!) and this week I had my first driving lesson. It was a bright and sunny afternoon as I stood in the sunshine anxiously awaiting for the driving instructor to pull up.

In the distance I saw a car with one of those triangles on top signifying that it was an instructors car. I briefly considered hiding behind a tree and letting them drive by without me but the tree wasn't very wide and it just looked like I was standing behind it to get out of the sun.

The car pulled up and I noticed that there was already a student in the drivers seat. I waved at the instructor and introduced myself. She smiled and gestured for me to get into the car. I happily started to make my way to the back seat of the car when the other student got out of the drivers seat and climbed into what I presumed was my seat.

I looked to the instructor for guidance and saw her patting the drivers seat. When she didn't make a move to get out of the car I succumbed to the inevitable and got into the drivers seat. I had spoken to a bunch of my friends before my lesson and they had all assured me that I probably wouldn't do much driving. They said that the instructor would probably drive me to an empty parking lot to point out the different car parts and maybe let me drive in a straight line.

The instructor began to point out the important things in the car that I would supposedly need in order to drive and I relaxed a little bit thinking that my friends were right, I probably wouldn't have to drive. When she was done explaining she asked if I had understood and mentioned that we had to get the other student home. I nodded enthusiastically and opened the door to get out of the car so we could switch spots.

Before I managed to get out of the car, the instructor asked me where I was going and told me to sit back down. I sat back down, and put on my seat belt. The instructor told me to adjust the seat and mirrors. When I looked up into the mirror I saw the student in the back looking a little uncertain, I didn't blame her.

And thus began the drive to the other students house on the other side of town. I'm pretty sure she wished she had walked.

We got there without too much trouble. The instructor has total control over the car from her seat so I mostly pretended to control the wheel and played with the blinkers.

After dropping the other student off we turned around and drove back to my apartment to drop me off. I happily relinquished control of the drivers seat and went on my merry way.

All in all, not the worst experience (although it is a rather costly one!). Hopefully the process continues to go smoothly and next year I'll be able drive myself to whatever hospital I get put in!

Just Like Chicken

This week I moved from my quiet little ward into the operating rooms.

My ward had been small and at times boring but I was comfortable there. The staff was always nice to me and the patients were more or less happy to let me treat them, except for that one really quiet day where I spent so much time playing nurse with one patient that he started to pretend to be asleep whenever he heard me come back into the room.

I've never really been a fan of blood and gore. I'm the type of person that gets queasy and fast-forwards through the surgery scenes in tv shows and movies. I wasn't thrilled at the thought of having to stand in an OR and watch someone preform surgery right in front of me.

As you can probably imagine, it wasn't the most flawless transition.

Things didn't go exactly as planned on my first day. Or rather, they didn't go quite the way that the nurse in charge of me had planned. I picked up my scrubs on the way into the hospital and was ready and dressed by 7:10am. Unfortunately surgeries don't start until closer to 9am so I had almost two hours to sit in the staff room panicking and trying to come up with a plan on how to get out of there.

My OR nurse came in at around 9 to find us and give us a quick little tour of the place. As we walked farther away from the staff room and deeper into the OR I noticed the drastic change in temperature. The next thing I noticed was the distinctive smell and then, the nausea hit.

Everyone had finished eating and the OR had come to life. Doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists rushed around shouting orders and double checking that everything was ready. My nurse started to explain the types of surgeries scheduled for the day, my insides churned in protest.

Feeling like a ticking time bomb I desperately tried to explain that I needed to get out of there. After a difficult five minutes of arguing I was sent to the head nurse that's in charge of all of the nursing students. I tried to calm my insides down and went to present my case. Twenty minutes later I was introduced to the nurses in the recovery room where I spent the day hooking patients up to monitors and taking their vitals while they waited for the anesthetics to wear off.

Today I got to the recovery room bright and early only to find that this mornings surgeries were all "big" surgeries that would take at least 2 hours per surgery. After sitting for an hour and a half in recovery with no patients to hook up to monitors I started to get really bored.

I saw the nursing student that I'm supposed to be watching surgeries with hurry down the hall. She stopped by the sinks to grab a face mask and then walked into one of the OR rooms. Curiosity got the best of me and five minutes later I was standing next to her watching a gastric sleeve surgery.

The surgery was laparoscopic so we could see everything on a big screen. They were just beginning to cut the stomach when I went in, my insides panicked in sympathy. I felt like throwing up but then I noticed the liver and the spleen and then I noticed that it was kind of like cutting up raw chicken.

I don't know if it was an adrenaline rush or a miracle but my insides calmed down and I couldn't look away. It may sound kind of gross but I just kept thinking of chicken and steak and it made me really hungry.

The other nursing student kept checking on me to make sure that I was feeling ok. Towards the end of the surgery I told her that I was going to go out and she asked me if I was ok I said "Ya, I'm just going to go grab something to eat. I'm starving!".

After eating a quick snack we went in to see someone have their hemorrhoids removed and then finished off the day with a bilateral hernia repair.

I'm pretty proud of myself for actually going into the OR and watching some surgeries. I'm also really glad that I didn't throw up or pass out!

Tomorrow is the last day that we're allowed to watch surgeries and then its back to hooking people up to monitors in recovery.

The Power Of Determination

Learning in the hospital has been interesting. My ward is pretty quiet so I spend a lot of my time making small talk with the patients and their families. One of the questions that they love to ask is "So, why nursing?" and I'm never quite sure how to answer. 

Today I was treating a patient that had undergone a surgery earlier in the day. When I was done talking to her and taking her blood pressure she informed me that she really needed to smoke. I smiled and did my best to explain to her that she was still under the influence of the drugs that she had gotten during surgery and wouldn't be able to leave the ward on her own until the following day. 

She patiently listened to my explanation and told me that she understood completely. Relieved that it had been so easy I asked her if there was anything else she needed before I left. She stared back at me blankly and then reiterated that she really really needed to smoke. 

I explained to her again that there was no way for her to leave the ward to smoke and that smoking in the building is illegal. She smiled and nodded before giving me a wink and telling me that she understood. I stood there staring at her for a minute wondering what the wink was supposed to mean, she offered no explanation but gestured towards the door and waited for me to leave.

Slightly perturbed I slowly backed out of the room. She took out a cigarette and wrestled the window open. Realizing that there was not much else that I could do I sighed and went to make sure that she didn't fall out of the window or get the drain from her surgery stuck on anything. 

As I stood there holding the back of my patients robe shut while she enjoyed her precious cigarette, I couldn't help but wonder to myself "So, why nursing?".

The Vanishing Act

The hospital is a busy place. I started my clinical hours in the ENT ward last week and so far things have been going pretty well. Freddie works in the ER just one floor down for me and I pop in every once in a while to say hi and see if there's anything interesting going on.

ENT is a quiet little ward that consists of four rooms of patients, a nurses station and a room where the doctors examine the patients. The staff is nice and the patients accommodating. Alas, its not the most interesting ward in the hospital.

Things in the ward this morning were as riveting as they usually are. We took blood pressure for some of the patients and followed the doctors as they made their rounds. When the morning routine was done with they sent us down to the clinic to see how things were going there.

While I was walking past the ER to get to the clinic a little old Romanian woman was making her way into the hospital. The little old woman hobbled over to the reception desk and waited patiently as a file was opened for her. File in hand, she continued her journey to the entrance of the ER to wait for someone to come call her in.

I sat in the clinic watching the ENT doctor work. In between patients we chatted, she told me that she had been in the field for thirty years and was happy to share her knowledge and answer any questions I might have.

While I was sitting in the clinic looking at patients vocal chords Freddie was in the ER calling for a patient named Atilia. A petite older woman standing with her shoulders hunched and looking like she was in quite a bit of pain raised her head in response to hearing her name.

Atalia was an older woman in her 80's. She had broken her leg earlier in the year and came in to the ER today with a fractured clavicle. She was noticeably in pain and walked very slowly. Freddie took her by the arm and led her to get an x-ray.

This is where things started to go wrong. The little old lady with a painful fracture never returned from the x-ray. She simply vanished.

When the doctor received the results from the x-ray he went to find Atalia so that he could give her the diagnosis and prescribe some pain medications. Except, she wasn't there. After waiting half an hour to see if she would turn up the staff grew concerned and began to look for her.

All of the hallways and bathrooms near and around the ER were checked but there were no signs of the little old lady.

While the search for Atalia continued, I made my way back to my ward from the clinic. After my shift ended I went down to meet Freddie in the ER so that we could go home. I asked one of the nurses that works with her where she was and they told me to check the security room at the entrance of the hospital.

I walked into the security room and found Freddie and some security guards watching footage of the entrance to the hospital from earlier in the day. They quickly filled me in and we all stood there staring at the screen trying to find Atalia.

It was almost like playing a game of "where's waldo" except the picture was constantly moving and Atalia was a short little old lady that couldn't walk very fast and had a broken clavicle. At one point we watched some of the footage backwards and it looked like everyone was being sucked out of the hospital by a freak storm of some sort.

We watched the footage for at least half an hour but couldn't point out our leading lady. Eventually they spotted an older women that came in to the hospital around the same time as Atalia had and they decided that it was her.

I'm still not entirely sure that it was her in footage. My theory is that she magically vanished into thin air. It seems much more believable than any other alternative.

In any case, there's an old Romanian lady on loose so be sure to lock your doors!

Birthday Dinners And A Cacophony Of Germs

Last week was an exciting week full of birthdays and celebratory dinners. Family members began to trickle in from all over the country on Wednesday evening.

Thursday night we gathered in a new restaurant for a tasty and festive dinner celebrating my grandfather and mothers birthdays which are only a few days apart. We ate, sang and made merry before dispersing to our respective lodgings.

My school finally put up the list of hospital placements for this coming semester. I managed to nab a spot in the hospital that Freddie works at so it looks like I'll be spending a lot more time with The Freddie's in Petach Tikvah.

Freddie and The Munchkins stayed over at the Sun-house and we spent Friday morning running some errands. We went to the mall where I bought a brand new pair of white sneakers to wear for my clinical hours in the hospital.

Shabbos was fun. Apparently, 'tis the season for coughing and sneezing. The family had gathered for a fun filled weekend and so had all of their germs. By Friday night most of us were downing chicken soup with fervor hoping it would cure our various ailments.

We took turns using the netipot before lunch and drank lots of tea throughout the day. Despite our sniveling noses the weather was surprisingly pleasant and The Munchkins decided that a visit to the park was in order. The park brigade was assembled and  made their way to the yellow park armed with snacks and drinks.

After shabbos we packed up and headed out, leaving The Crazy Lady and The Mad Man to ward of the cesspool of germs that we had brought to them. They had somehow managed to remain uncontaminated throughout the weekend. I wish them well and hope that they stay that way.

"I'll Just Wing It"- Me (about something that I most definitely should not wing)

The last five months have been both the shortest and longest five months of my life. Somehow an entire semester went by and I barely remember a thing. A couple of weeks ago I overheard my classmates making plans for study groups and then suddenly finals were upon us yet again.

In my opinion, not that anybody's asking, finals seem to come around far to often. Luckily for me, I think I finally started to get the hang of studying and everything seems to be going smoothly (for now).

Who knew that reading over notes and cutting back on TV time can actually help you pass exams? Because like everything else in life that requires forethought and planning, just winging it isn't the most spectacular of plans. Someone really should have told me that last semester.

Now that finals are almost over I've had a lot of spare time on my hands. I've been spending most of my time annoying The Crazy Lady and The Mad Man in an attempt to make up for all the time that I wasn't home during the semester. I can tell that they really like having me at home because so far they've only asked me when school starts again two or three times.

Who knows what else I'll get up to with my new found freedom. It'll probably involve a lot of watching TV.

Heroism, its not for everyone.

Some people are born heroes. Brave, courageous and destined for greatness.
Others are, well, not. Born to stand on the sidelines watching. And dare I say, waiting, to be saved.

Our story begins with a man. An ordinary man who yearned for meaning in his mundane life. A man who dreamed of being a hero.

He worked as a security guard in the Azrieli mall and took his job very seriously. Standing tall he surveyed the area ready to jump into action, should the opportunity arise.

It was a normal day for our presumed hero. The mall was bustling with shoppers eager to find the best deals on end of the season clothes. The store he was working in front of had a big red "SALE" sign standing to his right. It was a bright eye-catching sign and the shoppers were taking notice.

As the day wore on our protagonist grew weary. His shoulders sagged as he struggled to stay alert. Things were generally quiet and he didn't think anyone would notice if he rested his eyes for just a moment. Bleary eyed and semi-awake, he almost didn't hear the commotion in the store behind him.

The tall man running out of the store with a bundle of clothes under his arm jolted the guard awake. Alarms blared as the stolen clothes passed the doorway of the store.  The guard stood wide-eyed, heart pumping, formulating a plan.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he took in the scene. This was his moment, his time to shine.

                                                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had been a seemingly normal day for me too. I had taken my last exam earlier that very morning and was on my way home for the weekend. As I waited on line to get onto the escalator I noted that the mall seemed to be busier than usual, or at least this particular escalator was.

The crowd surged and I found myself on the escalator. As we neared the halfway point a big red "SALE" sign came into view. Still on the escalator I watched as a tall man ran out of the store with a bundle of clothes beneath his arm and set off an alarm. The bleary eyed guard at the entrance to the store seemed to have no intention of stopping the thief.

                                                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Seemingly out of nowhere, our hero sprang into action. Flying out of the store she tackled the thief. Grabbing onto the cute top in her size that she had her eye on before it had been snatched away by an unusually tall man. The top was 30% off and she had waited all season for it to go on sale, there was no way she was letting go.

A crowd began to gather to watch the peculiar sight. A petite woman with fiery red hair was clinging onto the arm of a rather tall man who seemed to be in quite the hurry to get away. Her purse flailed wildly on her arm threatening to fly off at any moment as the thief desperately tried to shake our hero loose but still, she held on.

The struggle continued for a few more seconds before the thief decided to cut his losses and get out of the mall before things got messy. Our hero fell to the floor as the thief relinquished his hold on her precious top. The crowd began to cheer.

Heart still pumping, the security guard walked over to our fallen hero and picked the stolen goods. Raising the clothes triumphantly in the air he turned to his adoring fans. It was just how he had always imagined it, he could swear he heard them chanting his name.

Chest puffed out and standing tall, he smiled to himself as he walked into the store feeling like he had conquered the world.