First a quick update - my flight is (finally) booked! I'm heading out on May 18, and I'll fly back home August 3. I'm vaccinated (even though seriously almost passed out after the 4th shot to the arm), my malaria meds are waiting for me at CVS, my visa is in the works, and my practicum is approved!
The program is really just 8 weeks, but I am staying an extra two to work at SIC's office organizing baseline data they have collected on their Community Health Worker program. Unfortunately, this will eat into some of my free time while I'm there (we have a week break, but I'll be at the office), which means no white water rafting in the Nile for me... I'm actually okay with that idea. That sounds terrifying. I don't want to get eaten by a hippo or something.
| Not today, hippo. |
BUT I'm very excited about the practicum. As part of my MPH, I need to complete one in order to graduate. While working with data may sound boring to some, this is pretty much what I'm good at and like to do. It's a great fit with my epidemiology (and maybe biostats...) concentration too. I think it will be similar to what I did in my former (employed) life. Only I'll get to apply it to something I really care about - public health! So once I have the baseline data set up for SIC, the idea is that they can just keep collecting data annually, and use it to monitor how their CHW program is going. Hopefully, I'll still get to to go Zanzibar while I'm there, and I have kind of high hopes in going to the Kenya marathon (and running the half!) but we'll see.
BACK TO BUSINESS (aka the running log):
Today's run was brought to you by the cutest almost 1 year old in the history of the universe - Lindsay! (with a little help from her Uncle Sean...) Lindsay is turning 1 on May 16. I'm going to miss her party (which I was very upset to find out), but I won't be missing her actual birthday! In fact, I'll be home that whole week, since I'm flying out of the beautiful Newark airport!
| Ah, I can smell the smog already! |
| Sean is the one that's like, "See ya later guys. You're weird." |
So, typical for a Friday (and Monday and Wednesday for that matter), I met up with Back on My Feet for our early morning run with very little sleep in my system. I still have very little sleep in my system - can you tell? One of my teammates and I took off with a pace much faster than usual, and wound up losing the group without really realizing it until we got back. But we had a great talk about grad school (he's thinking of going back), and moving, and being away from home in strange places for a long time. He's a Marine and was in the Middle East for a while. After everyone circled back up we went to Dunkin' for our monthly coffee social (my last until August!). I'm really going to miss the team this summer, but they are so excited for me, that I get even more excited to go. So I was already pretty wound up when I got to the run, and by the time I ran and had coffee, I was in a great mood, and maybe a little jittery from caffeine.
After departing from Dunkin', I was still a little short on mileage, so I logged a few more on the old bike path. Since it was a little later in the morning (due to the Dunkin' detour), I saw a lot of people out heading to work and thought to myself "Suckers!" But then I got home and started working on a paper and thought about how I have no income and started a running extravaganza to help me pay to volunteer. Maybe I am the sucker? Nah, despite the lifestyle change and looming papers and finals, this is definitely and upgrade.
So thanks, Lindsay (and her lovely Uncle Sean!), for a great caffeine-fueled run.
Natalie
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