Countdown to Tanzania! 1 month!

I received my visa today so it's official... I'm going to Tanzania!!! I will be in Moshi, a bustling town right outside of the Mt Kilimanjaro park and very close to the Kenyan border. For those of you who will be keeping up with my travels in Africa via Local Townie, I will post periodically before I leave on October 25 and will post as much as possible while I'm in Tanzania (although I make no promises with the internet access!).

The countdown is on! 1 month!

I will be staying in a compound for volunteers that are working at KCMC (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center) in Moshi, Tanzania with other international medical students, physicians, and volunteers. Duke has a relationship with the hospital and I will be attending rounds in the pediatric wards. A student went from the acute/chronic program last year, but no one has gone from the primary care program before so I will be the first, which should be interesting since I'll also be working in a children's clinic in town.

I'm starting to pack and starting with my small arsenal of a pharmacy which will include: advil, malaria prophylaxis, diamox (for high altitudes), cipro (for those GI bugs), pedilyte (for rehydration after the GI bugs), probiotics (to return to normal after the GI bugs), bug spray.

I am up to date on all my vaccines after next week with yellow fever, HepA, flu, and typhoid.

The reality of my trip has only partially set in but what's more unreal is that when I finish this trip, I will be finished with graduate school. Just one short month of Raleigh clinic work and two months abroad stand in the way of me being a PNP and that's pretty hard to believe!

My family and friends have done well to support me in organizing this trip while battling "Africa time" and encouraging me to take this opportunity. It will undoubtedly be the greatest adventure I have ever embarked on.

UnLabor Day

To all those people who work 5 days a week: I understand your pleas for Friday now. I skipped town and made it to Colorado just in time for happy hour. Golden City Brewing in Golden, Co is the 2nd largest brewery in town... and they have pickles.

The Tour de Fat sponsored by New Belgium was going on in Fort Collins. Imagine Halloween on a Saturday morning... on bicycles. I felt right at home in this little college town, especially since I met up with Kelly-- my long lost from my Carolina days who now lives in Buena Vista.

After extensive research and asking a few locals for beta on where to climb, we set out for Poudre (pronounced "Pooter") Canyon for a gorgeous day outside. This is what we found...

We chose The Palace as our destination... a wall of sport climbing that requires navigating across a freezing river for the approach. Kelly and I led a couple of routes that turned out to be pretty "chossy" but we came out on top.
Never thought I'd see the day, but we even got Richard on the rock!
After a hearty meal and long nap for recovery, we headed to Boulder to check out the city. As we got closer to the city we could see an ominous brownish gray cloud over the city. Rolling down the windows sent ash and the smell of burning wood into the car. We had no idea that the fire started just a few hours before we arrived in town. Flagstaff Rd. is a parkway that overlooks the mountains and Boulder area and everyone wanted a view of the forest fire as well. It's probably about 10 miles as the crow flies, but the winds proved to be the most deciding factor in the fire's behavior.
Many thanks to my great tourguides Kelly, Richard, and Javi-by-email for a great trip in Colorado!

Viral video: Party in the USA

This might be my favorite viral video ever. I have a friend whose friend's friends made this video off the coast. That makes me a little bit cooler.

Sweet Home 'BAMA

I needed a vacation from my vacation at Tekoa. Little did I know that in Alabama it's pretty hard to do anything other than eat and roll yourself from the car to the couch because it's so ridiculously hot.

A week with the Johanson family showed me so much about Southern food that I did not know:
-meat and three is a way of life: Pick a meat and three vegetables from the line of overcooked, over salted, over delicious food.
-The Whistlestop Cafe exists! Iggie was not there, but the fried green tomatoes were about the best I've ever had!
-Another Broken Egg Cafe: Yes, it is possible to make french toast from cinnamon buns. And then cover it with cream cheese icing. And then cover it with banana's foster sauce. And then cover it with whipped cream. And then cover it with summer berries. And take all the calories out.-Impromptu brewery tours in Chattanooga are a great excuse to escape the heat: Terminal Brew House in downtown versus Big River Brewing... I have to admit, I liked Big River Better for the brews but Terminal had the atmosphere down pat.


The Hot Strings Bluegrass Festival welcomed me to town (along with the rain). I can certainly say that I have never listened to live bluegrass while sitting in a folding chair, but the bands were great and very talented. Even Richard was tapping his foot! Definitely worth putting on the calendar!

My favorite song was "Somebody in Alabama loves you"

When the heat was too much, we headed for the mountains and stopped at DeSoto State Park. There's a super nice place to stay run by the state with access to hiking trails at the back of the lodge.

DeSoto Falls:

Feet up in Little River Canyon. A beautiful canyon that is known for having a river than runs mostly on top of a mountain.
After a long trek, we finally made it to Mouth Park where the swimming hole was huge with perfectly clear water. You could see the fish nibbling at your toes here.
Back to the grind...
I am starting my last semester in school and finishing up with a residency in Raleigh before I head out to Tanzania in October. More coming soon!

How I love the things we do at Camp Tekoa...

Hendo (Hendersonville), NC: My long awaited return to Tekoa came not a moment too soon after the end of my endless summer semester of class. I used to work at Camp Tekoa and miss it nearly every day. There is a smell that is distinctly Tekoa-- I think it's Hemlock mixed with camp fire-- that makes my heart warm and get all mushy inside. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be their nurse for a week.

A week in review:
Number of campers to take care of: 250
Number of staffers to take care of: 60
Patients I sent to urgent care: 14
Safety pin surgeries to remove an embedded earring from a child's ear: 1
Pranks pulled: 2
Successful pranks pulled: 1
Hours slept that night: 2
Hours spent in the rocking chairs of the front porch througout the week: 40
4 square games that I dominated in: ALL OF THEM
Weeks until I can go back: 40 (I'm counting!)

Remembering Eve

copied via anawfulbeautifullife:

Eve.

I have this photo on my desk at work as a constant reminder to be more, do more, see more. To remind myself to not let little things bother me. To remind myself to focus on the bigger picture.

I may not be where I want to be yet but I’m continuing to learn from her and grow.

I won’t pretend that we were best friends because we weren’t. We were merely acquaintances who passed each other often, with many smiles and small talk exchanged here and there, at the Campus Y.

Despite our limited interaction, her absence continues to impact me to an extent that is difficult to explain.

I received an email this morning regarding her Memorial Collection and still, each time I see or hear her name, my eyes uncontrollably well with tears. I can only imagine the pain and loss her family and close friends continue to experience on a daily basis.

However, I hope they know that yes, she was irreplaceable. That she impacted a lot of people in a short amount of time. That she continues to impact me.

I hope she knows it too.

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

What's more, she is a Carson. My name means more to me than words can say. That is our bond. That makes her family. Eve continues to inspire people every day. I am one of those people.

Finals week: [insert procrastination here]

When I should be studying, I'd rather be doing hundreds of other things. Here's my superlative lists for your own procrastinating enjoyment:

Top places to study:
1. 5th floor Davis library (ah my love from undergrad... went back last week and had the most productive day ever! Bulk candy, hearing the bell tower chime, and a view of the Pit)
2. Looking Glass Cafe- great tables, good coffee, and they sell cereal by the bowl. Genius.
3. Open Eye Cafe- for when you don't actually want to study and would rather people watch the hipsters.
4. Weaver St. Market- one of the only places where the wireless extends outside
5. Caribou Coffee- because Starbucks charges you for wireless and I think that's ludicrous since I just spent $2.50 on a "tall" cup of coffee.
6. Bean Trader's- A great place to meet my Duke classmates halfway between Durham and Chapel Hill.
7. The UL- although not much studying goes on there


Top online dawdling:
1. postsecret
2. any combination of online shopping: old navy, zappos,
3. craigslist missed connections
4. reading the blogs of my friends who are also putting off their work
5. I try to avoid facebook because there is way too much unproductive procrastination that happens there (read: Farmville. ew.)
6. The Daily Tar Heel- not regular during the summer though
7. Looking for my next job- any leads?!?!
8. tv shows that I don't have time to watch during the week: Glee, Bachelor, Jersey Shore... you know, the smart, classy shows.
9. searching flights for any of the fantasy trips I would love to take
10. catching up on my not-so-secret love of music videos

The Staple Attire for a "study bum" day:
-shorts/pants with an elastic waistband
-giant men's dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up
OR
-hoodie
-glasses (can't bother with looking cute)
-ponytail (that becomes a side pony by the end of the day and that's how you know it's been a rough one)
-shoes & socks optional

When I finally get my work done and finish up for the semester (my last semester of class!!!) then I'm jet setting for a couple of weeks before coming back to start my residency.
Things to look forward to hearing about:
-Bradley's graduation: Atlanta, Ga.
-Tekoa camp nurse: Hendersonville, NC
-trying to impress total strangers: Birmingham, Al.