VISTA, PSO and My First Week

Hello all!  I know I’ve been a little absent lately.  I’m going to make up for it with a super long post, so don’t worry!

When I left off, I told you that I would be meeting my site-mate.  Unfortunately, things tend to happen, and we never met.  She decided to go to Phoenix, rather than Fayetteville, and I can’t really blame her.  It has made things a little difficult here, since I’m now in charge of two different clinics, but what can you do?  I’ll have help soon enough, since they’re looking to get someone else before November.  C’est la vie, as they say.

To spare you my hard feelings, because I was really looking forward to having a partner, I’ll talk to you about PSO!  Pre Service Orientation is like if you took a bunch of young, college aged kids and threw them in a hotel surrounded by bars.  That’s, actually, exactly what it is.  I had the luck of being in the Purple group with a facilitator named Michael as a facilitator (I haven’t cleared using his full name on here yet, so I wont.  However, this guy has been a very valuable resource to me already, and I’m only a week in!) and I learned a lot from him!  Everyone was like minded, which was strange to me.  We all were here for our own reasons.  For some of us, it was our first job.  For some others, it was a way to spend time before grad school.  For me?  This is the kind of stuff I have always wanted to do.  At the beginning of the orientation, we were all split into groups (based on colors, like I said, we were purple).  Luckily for me, I was in a group with my new friends Zoe, Craig, and Mario.  We started our day at 7:00 with a large breakfast.  Our classes began at 8:30, sort of, and we stayed in class until 5:00, when we had dinner.  We were given breaks at 10 and 3, and our lunch was 12-1, so it was properly spaced out.  There was always some sort of interesting conversations no matter what we were talking about.  After dinner, everyone (and I do mean everyone) would go to the surrounding area and grab drinks with their new friends.  I think that’s how my group sort of solidified.  Zoe, Craig, and I were literally ALWAYS with each other.  It was awesome.  This isn’t to say that I didn’t make other friends.  I totally did.  I swear.  But I was really sad to leave.  It’s these people that I met at PSO that have kept me sane over the last week.

Now, on to the nitty gritty.  The actual work.  This past week has been HELL.  I mean H-E-Double Hockey Sticks, hell.  I have already had a nervous breakdown.  I went from a nice, relaxing, PSO where everyone was organized and knew what we were doing at every second of the day to a situation where my supervisor wasn’t available to answer questions (not her fault – she has an ongoing family emergency) and NOBODY knows what I’m doing.  It got so bad toward the end of the week that I came to work equipped with my VAD so I could show people that I. Wasn’t. Just. There. For. The. Patient. Portal.  Is that syntax annoying?  Just imagine how annoying it is to say that day, after day, after day, after day.  I have never been so infuriated.  Someone, and I’m not saying who, has spread around the idea that all I am there for is to increase patient portal enrollment to meet some sort of quota for the clinic.  That is NOT what I’m there for.  That is one bullet point on my VAD of 12.  I have become rebellious.  I am following my VAD.  Neaner neaner, and all that.  I’m a federal “employee” now, so I’ll do what keeps my butt out of trouble. This being said, I am so excited to work with UAMS in order to better the community.  So, I have been in training all week for this stupid portal that took me all of one day to figure out.  I was sent to Fort Smith to watch someone doing less than I do, Springdale in order to get to know the clinic, and Little Rock for a meet and greet (which was more important than I anticipated).  All in all, I felt that I wasted more time than congress.  It was so unproductive.  I just want all this information, and no one is giving it to me.  What is a PAC?  Where can I find the information on the Patient Portal and the rules that Little Rock set up?  Where is the grant that resulted in the VISTA position here?  When do I get to go out into the community to gain social capital? These are important questions!  And no one is taking the time to answer them!  It’s so frustrating!  The only things saving me from a very public temper tantrum is my near constant chitter chatter with Zoe and Alex (a friend from the yellow group), and my Skype sessions with Craig.  I’m hoping these next weeks are better.  I’ll keep you informed.

Counterparts?!

So, I received some really good news on Thursday, and I can’t wait to share it with y’all!  I finally learned the name of ONE of my partners in service (I’d say crime, but…).  Luckily for me, this partner is going to be with the Springdale Clinic, which means I won’t have to travel quite so much between the Fayetteville and Springdale clinics (a whooping 15 minute drive if you include traffic).  So, now I know two people in my four (wo)man team.  Me and Rachel (Spr.).  We’re going to change the world, guys.  I can’t wait!

Well, I may have to.

See, I sent her an email on Thursday – 5 minutes after Susan gave me her email.  Yeah, I showed some restrain.  Yes, 5 minutes is pathetic, but I was excited.  I told her all of my contact info.  My email address(es), which email I preferred, my phone number, etc.  I also invited her to coffee.  No dice.  She hasn’t contacted me yet.  I’m so nervous that I came off as a complete weirdo, but I couldn’t help but show my excitement!  This is a little strange, since I am introverted.  Very, very introverted, in fact.  But I love working in teams, provided I’m not the only one doing the work (which happens often enough that I just assume leadership over projects now).  Maybe I came off as a little overbearing.  I hope I hear from her soon.

Since I’m already on the subject of counterparts (or should I just call them my partners?  Team Get Sh*t Done?  VISTA Squad of Arkansas?  I’ll work on a team name.) I’ll have to explain what kind of partners we’re “supposed” to be.  I think we’re going to be closer than this, but at the very, very least, we’re supposed to remain in contact with each other and bounce ideas off of each other.  Of course, we aren’t going to be very close to each other, since we’ll be servicing different clinics.  Rachel and I are going to be servicing the Northwest Arkansas region, so we’ll be able to work together more efficiently.  The other two (whom I haven’t met yet, and probably wont meet until the Denver trip) are going to be working in Magnolia and Jonesboro.  Both of these locations are more towards Southeast Arkansas, and thus closer to the more impoverished areas. They’ll need more support, I think.  I hope I can give them assistance when they need it… Or at least moral support, you know?

On a weird note, I wonder if Dr. McGhee will do the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator with them like she did with me.  For those wondering, I’m an ISFJ.  I know.  I’m super boring.  Such is the luck of the draw.

General Update: Internships and Applications

Hello y’all!  It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated, so I thought I’d bring you up to speed through this post!  After this post, well, things are going to get interesting around here!  But!  First things first, the update…

Internship Front

When I started my internship, I was a wreck.  I tried to get up to pace with everyone, but the training just wasn’t there.  To be honest, I never wanted to go into catering, but you people already know that!  So, I’ve worked up to the point where my internship supervisors are going out of town starting tomorrow, and I’ll be in charge of their whole business for the next week.  If I don’t sound excited, it’s because I’m not.  I think this will be a great experience for me.  There won’t be a lot of time to waste, especially since I’ll be working from 5:30 (most days, 5:00 on others) until whenever I can get everything ready to close up!  Hopefully, this doesn’t take too long.  I don’t want to screw over their labor costs, you know…  But at least I know I’ll reach my required 250 hours…

AmeriCorps Front

I am now officially selected for the position of Community Health Worker at the UAMS Fayetteville Clinic!  On August 11th, I will be going to Dallas for training!  I’m so excited!  That being said, I realize this is just a stepping stone to what I really want to do, but it’s great to finally see some progress!  I know I haven’t said much about the assignment, so let me fill you in.  For this assignment, I will be promoting something called the Patient Portal.  Now, you may not think very much of that sort of assignment, but give me a chance to change your mind.  The Patient Portal is a web based program that allows patients to connect with their doctors and nursing staff on an intimate level.  No, we’re not talking home visits, but we are talking about something very similar!  Say, for instance, you are a Type II Diabetic patient at the clinic, and your doctor is Dr. Bob.  You need to make an appointment to see Dr. Bob as soon as possible,  because there is something concerning you about a pain you’ve been having in your feet, but you’re too busy at work to spend 10-15 minutes on the phone to make an appointment.  How do you resolve this? Patient Portal!  Patient Portal allows the patient to make appointments to see their providers in no time flat!  Now, Dr. Bob has you do some blood work, because apparently you owe the blood gods a sacrifice or something, and you’re really nervous about your test result.  It’s supposed to come in tomorrow, but your follow up appointment was scheduled for the following week…  Guess what?  You can view it as soon as possible on Patient Portal!  So, lets say you view it on PP, and you’re confused about why your Vitamin D is so low, and hey – isn’t that the Sun Vitamin?  Who in the world needs sun!?  You do, apparently.  And you’ll know that once you email Dr. Bob through the Patient Portal.

See?  Isn’t it useful!  So, while most of my work will be promoting that, I will also be expected to find various opportunities to find ways of reaching out to the community to promote the clinic!  I’m so excited to be able to do this!  And, get this, I’ll have a partner in crime in Springdale! That’s only 10 minutes or so away!  Maybe we could move in together to share the cost of living expenses…Since our less that $1000 a month stipend isn’t considered income, we’ll be able to apply (and receive) food stamps, so living together would mean more money to use towards my gym membership.  Yeah, of all the things I’m worried about, the gym is a big one.  We wouldn’t even have to have internet at home!  We could go to local coffee shops for that… Or maybe the public library.  They have free wifi, books to check out, and a coffee shop in house!  Oh!  I’m so excited!  I can’t wait!

Well, that’s all I can think to update you on.  I’ll have a few book reviews out in a little while.  I know I’ve been saying that a lot, but I’ve finally finished a big one!  Robert D. Kaplan’s Balkan Ghosts.  It’s fantastic.  That’s it for me.  Have a happy 4th!

Finally Found Support!

Hey, y’all!

So, I think I mentioned in a previous post that I didn’t have a lot of support for my decision to apply for the Peace Corps.  Out of everyone I know, the only people who seem to be excited for me are a cantankerous old doctor (who I ardently admire), and another young doctor in her residency who almost went (she was assigned a country, but was unable to leave and had to decline)!  Well, that changed today, because I (uncharacteristically) reached out to someone I had attended high school with for a short amount of time, and asked her to join me for coffee a few days ago.  Well, we met up today and I’m happy to report that I had a FANTASTIC time!  I usually don’t like to approach someone first, it really makes me nervous, but how could I resist when we have so much in common?  I’m so glad I now have someone my own age to go through this process with.  It was awesome being able to answer some of her questions, because as I’ve stated before, I am a research machine.  A tried and true nerd on crazy weird levels.  Yup – That’s me!  And in return, she shared some of her hysterical stories from the times when she was an Au Pair in Germany!

Anyway, that’s about it.  I did end up sending an email to the Lodging and Hospitality Association of Montana in order to find some internships out of state.  I want to travel if I can, so why not get paid for it, am I right? 🙂  I’m planning on sending more emails about where to find internships in Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia later.  But for now, I’m going to see how this email turns out.  Hopefully it isn’t tacky to ask for information on where to find internships… I’ll keep y’all updated.

Well, it’s 11:05 right now, and I’m an old lady!  Have a good night everyone! 🙂

New Coffee Shop, Old Friend

Drinking: Coffee, black

Reading: Crime and Punishment – Dostoevsky

A Small Key Opens Big Doors – Chen, Jay (editor – there’s a lot of authors!)

A GRE book given to me by my best bud, Lysa!

Feeling: Pretty good – Grades remain intact, for the moment.

Hey y’all!

So, I’m writing to you from a new coffee shop in town, Mama Carmen’s!  Well, it isn’t new to town, honestly.  It’s just the first time I’ve been here because I’ve been wary of the place.  A little back story – this shop is owned by people who I used to go to church with, and when I stopped going to church, I didn’t want to come here and see them.  I really didn’t want to be bothered about why I was choosing to sleep in rather than go to church.  It’s awkward. But anyway, it’s a beautiful day, and I’m relaxing with one of my bestest best friends, Lysa, and I’m wearing a cool Deadpool shirt that my other bestest best friend Maria bought me!  (Here’s a stockpic of the shirt:  – Isn’t it cute?  She got me a large, so I’m wearing it with leggings.  I feel so nerdy, it’s the absolute best!)  I am so happy to be here relaxing and studying (sort of – I’m taking a break to talk to you lovely people!).  It’s so busy in here that I’m having a hard time concentrating on my work, and I’ve elected to people watch for a bit.  Everyone here is so similar, it seems as if the culture of the shop is very “fashionable college hipster” complete with long haired, bearded men.  Not that I mind, that’s the majority of Fayetteville.  I do kind of wish that there was a bit more diversity here.  But c’est la vie!

Anyway!  So, on to my update!  I am still trying to find an internship – it’s hard.  I need one in order to graduate, but it’s so hard to find one.  Hopefully, I can talk to a hotel and ask for a position and have them call it an internship!  That’s what most people do.  I just want to graduate soon.  If you guys have any ideas, please let me know!

I haven’t started on any projects with my Venture Crew, yet but we’ve got our first camp-out coming in February!  I’m so excited!  We’ll be going to the Old Spanish Treasure Cave in Sulfur Springs!  This is one of the first outings I went on as a Venture Scout when I was younger, and it has always been one of my favorites!  We’ll get to take the traditional tour of the cave first, then we’ll break for dinner.  After dinner, we’ll take the less traditional tour (we’ll get to visit the “Peanut Butter Room,” where I was sent to my first visit after I complained that I wasn’t getting as dirty as the rest of the boys – I still wasn’t dirty after that, to everyone’s amazement!) and then we’ll sleep in the cave!  It’s going to be so much fun, I can hardly wait!  My role in the crew is really just to give my counterpart, Susan, a bit of a break.  We’re the only two lady-leaders in the troop (both in Venture and BSA) and so if a girl wants to tag along to an event, either of us have to be in attendance.  Hopefully, I can give Susan a bit of a break.  I know she loves being outdoors, but it has to be exhausting to go to every single event so that other girls can go.  Anyway, I’m trying to convince Lysa to go, but she’ll have to see whether or not ROTC will allow her time to do that.  I know it’s so hard for her to balance studies with extracurriculars.  I sometimes forget that she has two majors, including a language minor, that requires a lot of her time.  That, coupled with the fact that she does ROTC competitions, makes  her a very busy (very awesome) girl!

So, that’s where I am right now!  I’m going to nail an internship soon, so I can feel okay about starting my application to Peace Corps soon!  I’ll write about all of that later!

Here I am, signing off! Adios!

I never update this

…because I’m a busy little bee!

Also, how do you bloggers do this? I feel like there isn’t enough time in a day! Well, I guess you have to carry on!

Quick update: just passed my 100th hour of DOCUMENTED service in Alpha Phi Omega. I would have a lot more if I bothered to document all of my service activities. Numbers really don’t matter to me when it comes to doing service. It’s the whole “I’m doing this to make a difference, not for a scholarship/resume/etc” attitude that I have been blessed/cursed with.

Also, UFC. I’m doing that. It’s fun. I’ve lost some weight.

Hockey season is about to start! Soooooo…. It’s going to be even harder to find time to update. 😂

Progress on the peace corps? Well… I’m a few weeks closer to graduating! So, we’ll see! Not much I can do right now, except getting some experience under my belt.

Toodles!