Brother Bear and Nature's Majesty
3/18/16
I have always had a goal to go to Alaska. I have been raised loving the outdoors. My favorite Disney movie is Brother Bear, which is based in Alaska/Northern Canada. The main protagonist is Kenai, which is the peninsula we'll be going to and I can't wait. The sheer majesty of the outdoors is breathtaking and feels truly like God's country. You can feel it in the air.
Every trip outside of Minnesota I take I always have the same thought: I can't believe I'm in (this location). What the hell am I doing here? The same thought went through my head as we went to the Bear Tooth Grill after leaving the airport. It's not a bad thought, if anything it's good because I like change and variety. I have a mindset that sees myself never leaving Minnesota, and when I do it's kind of a culture shock.
I've Alaska for less than 24 hours. The memory I want to share is on the plane. Delta airlines has Wifi, but that only works in the continental US. People were on their laptops and phones watching movies, shows, etc. I knew exactly when we crossed over into Canada because people's shows stopped working and almost the whole plane put their laptops away. Everyone looked outside collectively. We were above mountains. You could feel an aura in the air that I could only describe as amazing. You can feel everyone's collective amazement seeing how beautiful the mountains were. And all it took was putting their devices away. We need more of this experience this day in age. Put down the phone and just observe the beauty all around you. You can see so much beauty in ordinary things.
I have always had a goal to go to Alaska. I have been raised loving the outdoors. My favorite Disney movie is Brother Bear, which is based in Alaska/Northern Canada. The main protagonist is Kenai, which is the peninsula we'll be going to and I can't wait. The sheer majesty of the outdoors is breathtaking and feels truly like God's country. You can feel it in the air.
Every trip outside of Minnesota I take I always have the same thought: I can't believe I'm in (this location). What the hell am I doing here? The same thought went through my head as we went to the Bear Tooth Grill after leaving the airport. It's not a bad thought, if anything it's good because I like change and variety. I have a mindset that sees myself never leaving Minnesota, and when I do it's kind of a culture shock.
I've Alaska for less than 24 hours. The memory I want to share is on the plane. Delta airlines has Wifi, but that only works in the continental US. People were on their laptops and phones watching movies, shows, etc. I knew exactly when we crossed over into Canada because people's shows stopped working and almost the whole plane put their laptops away. Everyone looked outside collectively. We were above mountains. You could feel an aura in the air that I could only describe as amazing. You can feel everyone's collective amazement seeing how beautiful the mountains were. And all it took was putting their devices away. We need more of this experience this day in age. Put down the phone and just observe the beauty all around you. You can see so much beauty in ordinary things.
Minnesota Nice, God's Country, and Community
3/20/16
We spent the weekend at Alyeska Ski Resort. Majority went skiing and a few of us went "snowshoeing." I put snowshoeing in quotations because we went a third of the way on the trail with them on, then realized we were making it harder on ourselves and carried them the rest of the five miles. The rental employees suggested which trail would be best to snowshoe on, but made us feel stupid, like we should know. Every place I've traveled there has been a case on how you can't beat Minnesota nice. This was no different. It's one of the many reasons why I'm never moving out of Minnesota. On the trail, we were being past by runners and others without snowshoes which didn't help the bad vibes put out during rental. But on the way back there was a group about the same size with snowshoes. I was so pumped because we weren't the only ones!
Sorry for the semi-rant. I just had to get that out of my system. Bottom line: Can't beat Minnesota nice.
Overall it was a solid experience. The woods we walked looked like the stereotypical Alaska I was thinking of before the trip. It truly is God's country. The fresh snowfall, abundance of old trees, and mountains everywhere you look, can only be experienced in full when you go there in person. It's so natural that it seems unnatural, if that makes sense. Haven't seen much wildlife out of the norm yet. We'll be going to Homer soon, and I expect to see at least one wild bear when we get there. Then my stereotypical thought of Alaska will be met I guess.
I guess I'm going out of chronological order, but since it's one of my favorite subjects, I wanted to save it for the end. Friday night we went to the Alaska High School State Basketball Tournament at the University of Alaska Anchorage: The Seawolves. Both girls and boys play the same days and at the same time, so it's two courts running simultaneously. Alaska is roughly two thirds the size continental US, so teams playing each other might be 1000 miles apart, which is crazy. We watched the smaller schools play, and were told that if a team makes state, the entire village, literally the entire village, will fly to Anchorage to watch. That's amazing community support, probably the best in the nation for high school sports. Not going to lie, the atmosphere is nothing like a Minnesota State Tournament, but knowing how much dedication some people put forth to just be physically there is amazing in itself. I was actually really close to contacting my coach at CSS and telling him about a couple of juniors that were dudes on the court. Maybe that will be a thing in the near future. Haven't decided yet.
The days of recreational fun are over, and the real work begins tomorrow, which is a new kind of fun.
We spent the weekend at Alyeska Ski Resort. Majority went skiing and a few of us went "snowshoeing." I put snowshoeing in quotations because we went a third of the way on the trail with them on, then realized we were making it harder on ourselves and carried them the rest of the five miles. The rental employees suggested which trail would be best to snowshoe on, but made us feel stupid, like we should know. Every place I've traveled there has been a case on how you can't beat Minnesota nice. This was no different. It's one of the many reasons why I'm never moving out of Minnesota. On the trail, we were being past by runners and others without snowshoes which didn't help the bad vibes put out during rental. But on the way back there was a group about the same size with snowshoes. I was so pumped because we weren't the only ones!
Sorry for the semi-rant. I just had to get that out of my system. Bottom line: Can't beat Minnesota nice.
Overall it was a solid experience. The woods we walked looked like the stereotypical Alaska I was thinking of before the trip. It truly is God's country. The fresh snowfall, abundance of old trees, and mountains everywhere you look, can only be experienced in full when you go there in person. It's so natural that it seems unnatural, if that makes sense. Haven't seen much wildlife out of the norm yet. We'll be going to Homer soon, and I expect to see at least one wild bear when we get there. Then my stereotypical thought of Alaska will be met I guess.
I guess I'm going out of chronological order, but since it's one of my favorite subjects, I wanted to save it for the end. Friday night we went to the Alaska High School State Basketball Tournament at the University of Alaska Anchorage: The Seawolves. Both girls and boys play the same days and at the same time, so it's two courts running simultaneously. Alaska is roughly two thirds the size continental US, so teams playing each other might be 1000 miles apart, which is crazy. We watched the smaller schools play, and were told that if a team makes state, the entire village, literally the entire village, will fly to Anchorage to watch. That's amazing community support, probably the best in the nation for high school sports. Not going to lie, the atmosphere is nothing like a Minnesota State Tournament, but knowing how much dedication some people put forth to just be physically there is amazing in itself. I was actually really close to contacting my coach at CSS and telling him about a couple of juniors that were dudes on the court. Maybe that will be a thing in the near future. Haven't decided yet.
The days of recreational fun are over, and the real work begins tomorrow, which is a new kind of fun.
Cultural Awareness Workshop and Making Connections
3/21/16
Today was the "real work" with a cultural awareness workshop from 9-3. It brought up things that I lost sight of recently. Going back to the Minnesota nice semi-rant, I realize that I was narrow minded on the gentlemen that rented us the snowshoes. I don't know their story or how their day went. To be honest, I would be short with people at times too if I had to rent equipment out all day. But I actually still stand on Minnesota nice because encounters like that happen much less frequently. Especially as an observer with outsiders asking for help in the MSP airport.
Something interesting is the English language compared to other languages. English relies a lot on pitch and tone when conveying messages. Other languages like Native Alaskan languages have words that mean a phrase in a specific tone. You could say a happy word in an angry tone and the receiver will take it as how the word means.
I always thought of other cultures and all their characteristics, but I never thought about what my culture was. I really didn't know where to start my thought process. A culture has many parts like language, spirituality, environment, etc. In a small nutshell, it's how you are raised and what you grew up in and around. Telling stories are the best way to share your culture and to learn another's culture. The workshop did a phenomenal job in showing the beauty behind Native Alaskan culture. I know I've described things beautiful a lot, but get used to it because that's the way it is around here. As I said before, Alaska is huge. The size combined with different climates in different areas leads to much diversity throughout the state. Alaska is essentially its own nation with all of the different tribes and people who move there every year.
Today was the "real work" with a cultural awareness workshop from 9-3. It brought up things that I lost sight of recently. Going back to the Minnesota nice semi-rant, I realize that I was narrow minded on the gentlemen that rented us the snowshoes. I don't know their story or how their day went. To be honest, I would be short with people at times too if I had to rent equipment out all day. But I actually still stand on Minnesota nice because encounters like that happen much less frequently. Especially as an observer with outsiders asking for help in the MSP airport.
Something interesting is the English language compared to other languages. English relies a lot on pitch and tone when conveying messages. Other languages like Native Alaskan languages have words that mean a phrase in a specific tone. You could say a happy word in an angry tone and the receiver will take it as how the word means.
I always thought of other cultures and all their characteristics, but I never thought about what my culture was. I really didn't know where to start my thought process. A culture has many parts like language, spirituality, environment, etc. In a small nutshell, it's how you are raised and what you grew up in and around. Telling stories are the best way to share your culture and to learn another's culture. The workshop did a phenomenal job in showing the beauty behind Native Alaskan culture. I know I've described things beautiful a lot, but get used to it because that's the way it is around here. As I said before, Alaska is huge. The size combined with different climates in different areas leads to much diversity throughout the state. Alaska is essentially its own nation with all of the different tribes and people who move there every year.
Traditional Healing, UAA, and Travel, Travel, Travel
3/23/16
We started our day off with a tour of the clinic across the street from the hospital we were at the day before. They use traditional healing from Native Alaskan healers. This is only for Native Alaskans though because the demand is high and increasing. The atmosphere is the best I've seen. Very relaxing and safe. The best part is the smell. Another impressive operation. Great first impression.
Then we went to UAA again except for comparing their nursing school facilities with ours. Their's are better. Bar-none. More mannequins, more room, rooms look more like a hospital room (ie no carpeting). They have more money though which would explain all that. We're still the best nursing school in Minnesota according the the MN Board of Nursing, which is better in my opinion.
We took off for a five hour drive to Homer after that. Five moose sightings along the way and one in our yard when we got to the house we're staying in. Tomorrow we're all going to different schools and shadowing school nurses. I'll be with the school nurse at Soldotna HS an hour away.
This is the one credit of clinical work for the class.
We started our day off with a tour of the clinic across the street from the hospital we were at the day before. They use traditional healing from Native Alaskan healers. This is only for Native Alaskans though because the demand is high and increasing. The atmosphere is the best I've seen. Very relaxing and safe. The best part is the smell. Another impressive operation. Great first impression.
Then we went to UAA again except for comparing their nursing school facilities with ours. Their's are better. Bar-none. More mannequins, more room, rooms look more like a hospital room (ie no carpeting). They have more money though which would explain all that. We're still the best nursing school in Minnesota according the the MN Board of Nursing, which is better in my opinion.
We took off for a five hour drive to Homer after that. Five moose sightings along the way and one in our yard when we got to the house we're staying in. Tomorrow we're all going to different schools and shadowing school nurses. I'll be with the school nurse at Soldotna HS an hour away.
This is the one credit of clinical work for the class.
It's an Experience. Good or Bad.
Thursday 3/24/16: Soldotna HS. When I first got there, the door I got dropped off was locked. Normally in Minnesota, it wouldn't be a big deal to just open the door for someone who was locked out, even though you didn't know them. The student who was walking by the door took one look at me as I was motioning to come open the door. He took his time walking to the door, trying to get a read on me. There was slight hesitation on his part. To be honest, it's smart to do that. It's actually even better to not let me in because if I needed to get in the building, I should know how to go in the correct door and not be a threat to the secretary at the front if I'm a legit visitor. Nonetheless I got in scratch free and the nurses office was within eye shot. Nurse Tracy was very welcoming right away. She shared with me a lot of complicated and troubled back-stories from majority of the students that walked into the office. I'm sure that's no different than any school in the world. If I could describe her in one word, it would be compassion. She goes above and beyond the call of duty for her kids.
Friday: 3/25/16: Kenai Central HS is lot bigger and newer than Soldotna HS. Kenai was the name of the protagonist in the movie Brother Bear, as I mentioned before, but alas, they are not called the bears or grizzlies. The Cardinals (disappointment). They are called the Cardinals. But anyways, back to the meat and potatoes. Nurse Sam, or as I like to say "Murse Sam," is the school nurse there. If I had to describe him in one word it would be intelligence. (Is it bad I spelled that word wrong on the first try? Does that I'm not intelligent?) (Got it that time.) He has amazing IQ about the population and the area's needs. He knows a lot about parents and their struggles. A good chunk don't have health insurance and have trouble getting off work if their kids are sick. Nurse Sam does an excellent job in catering to families' needs.
A lot of blogs I see about travel only focus on positives of the trip. If you haven't noticed by now, I like to share my whole experience, good or bad.
Two things I noticed at Kenai Central: One: I feel all grown up because Sam called me Nurse Mike when introducing me to students. (That's right. I'm going to be a nurse soon. Rock on.) Anyway, two: I want to be a public health nurse. County's are hiring new grads now because they want to mold us. We don't have many predispositions about health care. Nurse Sam showcases a lot of this. He's been in the business a while and knows trends on how kids work. But there was this one girl that comes in crying about a guy who's been harassing her for a while now. She's tried to go through administration about the problem multiple times, but it's always the same answer. It hasn't gotten anywhere. Sam asked her that she needed to take it up with the school police officer and file a formal complaint. She had no idea how to do that and isn't comfortable with the school officer. Nurse Sam then allowed her to go lay down and cry it out if she wanted. He then took me to the assistant principal and they told me their side of the story. She's got some drug issues (explains the lack of comfort with the school officer) and was asked straight up, "Start writing." (meaning document what's happening) She didn't write anything. Well she just said that she doesn't know the process on how to deal with it. Drug problems or not, that's not what she needs right now. I told Sam that I was going to talk with her a bit. All it took was five minutes (not kidding, that short) to listen to what she was thinking, tell a little story about an experience I had, and explain how the process works.
I don't blame the administrators or Nurse Sam for this experience. It just shows how these preconceived ideas can effect this line of work. I was just a new pair of eyes to see it. I believe this can be applied to any situation. A new pair of eyes can see many of the world's problems and look to solve them for the better.
So as I'm writing this, I'm back in Duluth. On the way back home from the airport, my parents and I were listening to Green Cheese. (radio program that everybody needs to listen to) If anybody needs to explain Minnesota euphemisms or niceness, have them listen to Green Cheese. It's great.
Oh and the jet lag from being three hours behind is real.
(Insert generic "Thank you for reading my blog!" here)
Friday: 3/25/16: Kenai Central HS is lot bigger and newer than Soldotna HS. Kenai was the name of the protagonist in the movie Brother Bear, as I mentioned before, but alas, they are not called the bears or grizzlies. The Cardinals (disappointment). They are called the Cardinals. But anyways, back to the meat and potatoes. Nurse Sam, or as I like to say "Murse Sam," is the school nurse there. If I had to describe him in one word it would be intelligence. (Is it bad I spelled that word wrong on the first try? Does that I'm not intelligent?) (Got it that time.) He has amazing IQ about the population and the area's needs. He knows a lot about parents and their struggles. A good chunk don't have health insurance and have trouble getting off work if their kids are sick. Nurse Sam does an excellent job in catering to families' needs.
A lot of blogs I see about travel only focus on positives of the trip. If you haven't noticed by now, I like to share my whole experience, good or bad.
Two things I noticed at Kenai Central: One: I feel all grown up because Sam called me Nurse Mike when introducing me to students. (That's right. I'm going to be a nurse soon. Rock on.) Anyway, two: I want to be a public health nurse. County's are hiring new grads now because they want to mold us. We don't have many predispositions about health care. Nurse Sam showcases a lot of this. He's been in the business a while and knows trends on how kids work. But there was this one girl that comes in crying about a guy who's been harassing her for a while now. She's tried to go through administration about the problem multiple times, but it's always the same answer. It hasn't gotten anywhere. Sam asked her that she needed to take it up with the school police officer and file a formal complaint. She had no idea how to do that and isn't comfortable with the school officer. Nurse Sam then allowed her to go lay down and cry it out if she wanted. He then took me to the assistant principal and they told me their side of the story. She's got some drug issues (explains the lack of comfort with the school officer) and was asked straight up, "Start writing." (meaning document what's happening) She didn't write anything. Well she just said that she doesn't know the process on how to deal with it. Drug problems or not, that's not what she needs right now. I told Sam that I was going to talk with her a bit. All it took was five minutes (not kidding, that short) to listen to what she was thinking, tell a little story about an experience I had, and explain how the process works.
I don't blame the administrators or Nurse Sam for this experience. It just shows how these preconceived ideas can effect this line of work. I was just a new pair of eyes to see it. I believe this can be applied to any situation. A new pair of eyes can see many of the world's problems and look to solve them for the better.
So as I'm writing this, I'm back in Duluth. On the way back home from the airport, my parents and I were listening to Green Cheese. (radio program that everybody needs to listen to) If anybody needs to explain Minnesota euphemisms or niceness, have them listen to Green Cheese. It's great.
Oh and the jet lag from being three hours behind is real.
(Insert generic "Thank you for reading my blog!" here)