Shit got real.

Sam Time


Dear World,

The last few days I went down to pop pops. Yesterday, I heard Amanda sing on the piano at Berea Hospital. Today I learned the breath stroke which is the frog stroke. He also says never talk to strangers if you don't seem her or know him. Especially if they look like Mrs. Shirley.

*End of Sam Time*

The last few days have been a little bit of a whirlwind. Dr. Zook and family have been very sick so I've been having days to work on my final research project. I've found a great place in town called Berea Coffee and Tea and they by far have the BEST chai tea lattes I have ever had. I have also learned that I could never be a plumber for several reasons. The first being that I cannot deal with the smell of sewage. You see, Tuesday we had a rough day. I had woken up and taken a bath and when I got out of the bathtub, I had heard Bobby (the painter who has been working at the house) calling for help. Dr. Zook in her sick and sleepy drunk state meandered down the steps reluctantly getting out of bed. By the time I got ready and headed down the damage had already been done. As I descended the stairs, I looked into the garage to see that there was about two inches of water spread evenly across the floor. Later, we came to find out that the source of this leak was the drain at the bottom of the garage. Turns out this was not just water...... The drain at the bottom of the garage was linked to the sewage lines. Apparently there was a major blockage in the sewage line which caused the sewage to back up into the garage. I guess you can say that the kids were ready to get out of the pool..... There was a pipe in the front yard that was also a drain. Sewage was everywhere. There was an overwhelming smell of poo throughout the entire house. We eventually got it taken care of but.... all in all it was a pretty shitty day... heh... heh.... l

For my final project, I've been working on informational brochures for Bluegrass PCP. This requirers a decent amount of research but at the same time, I get to express my creativity which I'm really enjoying. So far, I have made brochures on COPD (a very common respiratory disease here), General Health (basic guidelines on how to be healthier), Hepatitis C (A disease that is also common among Suboxone patients due to the sharing of needles), and Suboxone. I also plan on making an informational brochure on child check points (when they should have their vaccines, etc.) When I get home (because it would be difficult to do while I am here), I am planning on making some models of the human body made of plastic tubing so that kids can follow marbles through the heart, GI track, and different parts of the brain. I though this would be a good way for the kids to learn and still have fun.

Although this week has been primarily research based for me, I also had the rare opportunity to go to Berea Hospital, as Sam mentioned. Originally when I was to come down to Kentucky, I was supposed to be working part time with Dr. Zook and part time with Debra Hille at the hospital. Debra Hille is a contractor at the hospital who is brought in to do art with patients. This is not to be confused with art therapy. Kentucky has strict laws about the licensure of art therapist and even though doing art with patients is therapeutic, it is not considered "art therapy". Art therapy is when art is used in order to attain a certain result or get them to think a certain way. This is different then doing art with patients because the main goal of doing art with patients is just to have the patient express his or herself.

Finally, this past Wednesday, I got to put a face behind the e-mails. Even though the internship fell through, I was still able to play in their summer concert series. I met them at the hospital at 11:15AM and was able to get set up. They provided a piano for me and I was placed in a corner. It wasn't so much a concert as it was me playing for people coming in and out for their lunch hour. Not what I was expecting but lower pressure and I was fine with it. I ended up playing for about an hour and a half and afterwards, Debra took me on a tour of the hospital. We look at the different artwork on the walls and talked about how patients interact with her. She even showed me an exhibit of patient artwork. After that we framed some photographs and made plans to meet next week. She's absolutely wonderful and I'm more then excited to see her again.

Last night, Susan, Dr. Zook, and I were all up late working on the sink. When I say this, I actually mean I was handing things to Susan, Dr. Zook was trying not to die but still being a trooper for moral support, and Susan was cursing at the sink.... a...lot... At 11:30PM I made a taco bell run for everyone to refuel. AFter going through the taco bell drive through and ordering a chalupa meal, two beef tacos, chicken taco al fresca, an order of nachos and cheese and a diet pepsi. I had to go to McDonald's to get a large coke for Susan and obviously an order of fries. After pulling up to the window to get my food, I was judged harshly for the full taco bell bag sitting next to me. I hung my head and shame as I told the boy working the window to "Not judge me" and I drove away.

I cannot believe that I'm a week away from going home.... this month flew by so fast and I am so thankful to have had the experiences that I have had. Let's hope this next week slows down a little bit!

Until Next Time,
~Wacko Jacko~