I've applied!

Well, I've finally sent in my application for school...going back for my B.A. in Spanish for the Professions! It's about time something big[ger] has happened for me. I'm incredibly proud that I've made a decision and not just stuck with it, but completely followed through on it. The major steps left are to fill out my FAFSA form and figure out which other paperwork needs to be filled out before school starts. There's also the issue of finding and apartment and a job (I'll be attending school part-time, hopefully all my gen-ed and elective credits will transfer so I'll only be taking Spanish courses!). I've been scouring Craigslist and plan to send out some emails or make phone calls this week. I would love to live in my own apartment for the first time, but I don't think that's in my budget right now. Oh and tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving, I get to sign up for my winter course! I'll be taking a Spanish for Health Care Providers course. Weee, it's a course I've wanted to take for the last two years but never got a chance to or found one in my price range. It'll be expensive to start off my degree with that course (about $700 I think) but at least it will be applied to my degree, whew.

For my application there was the option to write an essay. It's the first time I've seen an optional essay on a college application, I think? Who knows...I haven't applied to college in over nine years! Anyway, I thought I would share it with you.

Question:
Describe the feelings you've had in the past three years about your educational experience. Be sure to mention circumstances which have had a special influence on your education.

Answer:
During the past three years I have done much soul-searching. I’ve found myself constantly re-evaluating the knowledge I gained in my undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island. As a Biology major and coxswain of the men’s crew team for four years, I had a strict schedule for attending classes, studying, eating and spending time with friends. My commitments brought me great joy, taught me time-management skills and enhanced my passion for life. My newfound “family,” the crew team, was full of other highly-motivated students who helped me stay focused and motivated.

It has been five years since my commencement into the working world, and I have held many important job positions. After university, I worked in a hematology oncology office as a phlebotomist and laboratory assistant. From my patients, I learned about the true meaning of life and the decisions we make every day that affect our lives. For one year, I was a Safety Compliance Officer for the largest clinical laboratory in Rhode Island. There I learned how to write company policies and procedures, managed biohazardous waste disposal and educated my colleagues about laboratory regulations, disease and fire-safety. Following that time I enrolled in an Emergency Medical Technician course and acquired my EMT license. I gained insight into the worlds of Medicare and Medicaid, saw diabetics suffer through their dialysis treatments, watched as doctors debrided necrotic body tissues and once or twice heard death knocking on my patients’ doors. My education in Biology enabled me all of these opportunities, each which acted as building blocks for the next.

Throughout these job experiences and the times between, I have never stopped learning about myself and my passions.

In the last two years I’ve discovered that I have an extreme passion for travel. Most impressive were my visits to Australia and Peru. In both countries I was completely immersed in the culture, traditions and lives of the people. I stayed with friends’ families: cooked with them, went to the market, the hardware store, visited extended family, acquainted myself with the native wildlife and toured the countrysides. In Peru, I was immediately enamored, albeit a bit shy about my Spanish upon arrival. Despite the challenges at hand, I came home with profound respect and love for both cultures and a Spanish fluency that I had never felt before.

Because of my trip to Peru, I also realized that I have a passion for the Spanish language and Latino and Spanish cultures. The language has been a love of mine for as long as I can remember, though in college I quickly brushed it aside as only a requirement, a course I needed to take to graduate. When my career in health-care began, I found myself using my high school and college Spanish skills to communicate with patients. I have developed incredible relationships with friends from all over the Spanish-speaking world. I’ve learned how to dance the Salsa, Tango, Durangesa and many more…you name the dance, I am sure I’ve tried it! I even cook Latino meals in my kitchen.

My incredible vacations and job experiences over the past three years have made me realize that my “education” is not just something I’ve received from an institution. The people I’ve met, the places I’ve been and the activities I’ve tried have all taught me more about the world and my own self than I could have ever learned only in the classroom. Thus I will continue to grasp life and the experiences it offers, while continuing my formal education, in hopes that my life will always be full of passion and prosperity.

Exhausting business

I know that I'm about to have my period when I cry.

I also know that when I cry, there's something going on in my heart and my mind.

These past two weeks have been quite a handful, in both good and bad. I reconnected with a high school friend, Laura, who I haven't seen in about nine years. We caught up on our college and grad lives...most interestingly, she studied Spanish in college, something I gave up early on before I realized I had a true passion for it. Now, Laura is a nurse and speaks Spanish daily at PMH with her patients. I was inspired to check out her school and their professional Spanish program. Sold! I considered my options, to look at a few other schools too, but perhaps I'll only call one of them. I'm sure that Worcester is where I should be for the program. It's central to so many parts of my life.

About the program; it's a B.A., so yeah, I'd be getting another Bachelor's. Seems like everyone is so obsessed with grad school; master's degrees, Ph.D.s, etc. etc. I say, what's wrong with another undergrad degree? Of course I loved my first one, Biology, but haven't used it to it's full potential. And I was so busy with sports in college that I didn't have time to double major...and may I remind you that I didn't realize my passion for Spanish until these last few years? Anyway, I'm applying - deadline is 10 Dec for January classes. I'll start the program (and new year) off with a bang in the winter session course that's being offered through continuing education: Spanish for Health Care Providers - perfect!

In addition to my schoolgirl fever, things are going awry as far as family health goes. My grandmother has had trouble breathing for the last few months and Sunday night went to the ER, later (1am Monday) to be admitted to the RCU (Respiratory Care Unit). In the ER she endured bloodwork, x-ray and CAT scan. I went immediately and helped ease the pain with my usual humor and stories...and of course pulled a few good stories out of my grandmother too :) Now she's been "quarantined" - not really, but is there another word? Because she is a respiratory case, by medical law they have to first rule out TB because they don't know exactly what is wrong. She's being tested (well, her sputum actually) for TB, is currently receiving antibiotics for pneumonia (does she even have it? No idea, but they're treating for it anyway) and once the TB results are in, if they're negative, she'll go for an endoscopy to see if she's having an esophageal blockage that might be causing her difficulty breathing.

Two days ago (18 Nov) was gram's 89th birthday. It sucks that she had to spend the day in the hospital, but she was showered with cards, visitors, doughnuts (I think she ate one), phone calls and a beautiful get well Christmas cactus...and when I say beautiful, I mean that EVERY single leaf-end has a magenta bud on it!!! It's going to be gorgeous! This is only the second time in her life that she's suffered an illness; she's a tough cookie with great genes. I like to think that I inherited her immunity, though thankfully not her allergies!

All day I've been trying to erase the guilt I've felt for not going to the hospital today. I was there Sunday, Monday, twice Tuesday. Not once today. I was told that it's okay to take a break. I just feel my duty to her while she's ill is to be there every step of the way. For the most part I have been - helping her spread mayo on her ham and cheese sandwich, taking her to the toilet, rubbing ointment on her sores, smiling at her through the awful mask I have to wear when I go into her room. June told me the other day that even if I go to the hospital to see her and I have nothing to say, nothing to entertain her with, that I should just be there to "be". She's right, and I have...and I will again tomorrow.

Besides my gram, another person near to the family has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I found out today and as I'm not close with her I can't do much but be a good cheerleader on the sidelines and provide support for her family. I always say that if I prayed, I would pray. Now would be the time.

Before I picked up my laptop I had words running high-speed across my brain, waiting to be written down. It seems like my mind moves so fast sometimes that I cannot keep up, cannot get to my computer in time. And most definitely cannot hand-write fast enough! I've already forgotten most of it...which accumulated post-"The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2" during my come-down from lots of tears. Okay, so I'm a movie sap...I also have PMS and a heart made for mushyness, desperate to fall in love again. I suppose we can save that for another time.

I was going to title this entry, "Fuck," because it's exactly how I felt tonight when I heard about the ovarian cancer. It's also how I feel when I think about all the shit that's going on with my grandmother, and my very short time span to get my application for school and financial aid filled out. Instead, I'll save the vulgarities for another time when I really need them.

If you pray, please pray. If you meditate, I ask for peace of mind and healing. If you cook, please bring some food to my parents' house because the kitchen is still under construction and we have no stove (argh!) hehe. If you've read this far, then I've fulfilled my wish to interest others in my life's challenges and stories.

Brroklyn...er, Brooklyn

For some reason, every time I write the name Brooklyn I spell it wrong the first time. I'm a fast typist so perhaps I'm jumping the gun on the double letters when I get to the "r", unable to wait for the "o". When you really think about it, saying "rrrrr" is much more fun than "oooooo" haha.

2007 At A Glance...

In 2007, more than one or two wonderful things happened each month, but these are the highlights (and of course the ones that got recorded on camera) :)

January 2007

I went to California...90210 baby!

February 2007

I went Nordic Skating in Vermont with some friends...and decided to wear the most obnoxious, homemade outfit, ever (thank you Grandma Ethel!).
March 2007

I went to a salsa fiesta at Carlos and Jennifer's apartment.

April 2007

I went to my first Pawtucket Red Sox game and it was FREEZING! (Note the bundling!)May 2007
I planted my first vegetables with my roommates...look how neat and clean...it was a mess at the end of the season!

June 2007

(1) I sang in a concert with the Cumberland Lincoln Community chorus...all Broadway show tunes. I had a solo, "The hills are alive with the sound of music!" and later on, I danced around the stage with five other gals to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" while wearing a purple boa! (2) We got kittens!!! (Okay, we were only kitten-sitting until they were old enough to be adopted by others, but we got them nonetheless!) (3) My friends and I went to the beach in Newport, RI and played "Superman" (4) I went to Tanglewood with friends for a live taping of Garrison Keillor's "Prarie Home Companion"July 2007

(1) There was a great 4th of July parade in Bristol, RI (it is apparently one of the oldest running) (2) My roommates and I had a jigsaw dinner party...at one point the kittens joined in but ended up just moving the puzzle pieces to areas where they didn't belong
(3) I went to Block Island for the first time and played 'Capture the Flag'August/September/October 2007
(1) Lauren and Steve got married!!!

(2) Our sunflowers were in full bloom!

(3) I WENT TO AUSTRALIA!!! (There are over 300 photos from this trip, so I will only put in my faves)
(a) Meditated with Koalas at the Billabong Sanctuary, Queensland(b) Swam nudie in Zoe Falls on Hinchinbrook Island, off the coast of Queensland(c) Went scuba diving for my first time in the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland(d) Met 'Roos for a snack in the vineyard, Margaret River wine region, Western Australia(e) Walked over Sydney Harbor Bridge to see the Opera House with a friend, New South Wales(f) Shook hands with the Queen of England, Canberra
(g) Conversed with an Aborigine on the ways of life today, Canberra
November 2007
(1) My brother got married! Meet the new Mr. Randy and Mrs. Tina [Galletta] Bonito!
(2) My best friend Alyssa was 8 months pregnant with my future goddaughter!(3) Cousin Vivian from Israel planned a big family reunion in Peabody, MA!
December 2007
My goddaughter Claire Jayne Mages was born on the 12th December, a dream come true!

Discovering Strange Wonders

Check these out... some of them are science blogs, some are random blogs I found and two are jewelry/art home decorating items. Enjoy what the incredible internet offers us! :)

http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com/2007/10/merkins-and-kotekas-and-codpieces-oh-my.html

http://www.scienceblogs.com/bioephemera/

http://bioephemera.com/category/cephalopodmania/

http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/

http://www.scq.ubc.ca/order-of-the-science-scouts-of-exemplary-repute-and-above-average-physique/

http://www.emilyamey.com/

http://walterialiving.com/

That guy next door...

Tonight in the library I ran into the guy with the beard who works next to my building. Apparently he has a second job at the library. His name is Seth. I am sure I will see him around....

I just finished "reading" L'Affaire, a book on tape that takes places in Val Marie and Paris, France. I'm not sure if the first place is a real ski village or one created by the author. It was a great book - about an American woman who sells her dot-com company in Palo Alto, CA and goes away to France for a few months, hoping to get the experience of her life. And that she does! In France, she winds up assisting a family of whom two relatives are seriously injured in an avalanche in the Alps, ends up in bed with two married men - the first, an Austrian Baron and the second, an egotistical anti-American Frenchman called Emile. Emile also winds up in bed with his wife's half-sister, before realizing who she is. Amy, the American woman, winds up acting as benefactor for the little brother of the girl injured in the avalanche and also taking care of the girl's baby, Harry. There are so many twists and turns that I cannot even write them all down without getting you so confused! In any event, it was an excellent book and I recommend it if you love the sound of French words and accents and steamy love affairs.

And speaking of love affairs, I've been doing a lot of love-daydreaming lately.... About the guy I met in the farmlands of Peru, the one I met at the salsa club in Denver. The guy I see at the recording studio next door, the guy I dated a few years ago who's finishing a stint in the military. There's also the guy I met in NY, mysterious, compassionate and seemingly interested in me too, though definitely not my type. Alas, daydreaming is what keeps me going when I get bored!

It kinda makes me wonder...is someone daydreaming about me too?