Yes friends, Romans, countrymen/women, and family units of various sources…..
I have indeed completed the first year of my ‘new’ life and not only survived, but thrived. Can you believe it? I knew it would go quickly, but not even I predicted it would be this quick. From my arrival on August 7 to today, the whirlwind of a major move to Hawaii and to Hilo specifically has been ongoing with no obvious slowdown in sight until now. It has been many things…. The usual ‘exciting’ ‘enlightening’ ‘educational’ and other such adjectives clearly apply. But more importantly to me it has been liberating, rejuvenating, and restorative in both body and spirit. These and other benefits were the bonus outcomes from this impetuous move, and several people, including my sister, have told me I needed these bonus results more than I had realized. Who said I had become a grouch? OK, Donna, the sister who tells me what I don’t want to hear, did. As I mulled over her comments and others by family and friends, it occurred to me that they were right! It was hard to admit that my usually delightfully wacky personality had taken a severe turn south and was not present in my day to day encounters as much as I thought. However, looking back at the last couple of years in Austin, it is with humility and apologies to any and all that I encountered that I ask you to forgive me for my impatience and bullheadedness. I can only claim ‘burnout’ and a serious need for new beginnings.
They speak of the “Hawaiian Way” here as being laid back, relaxed, unhurried, and kind. The “Aloha Spirit” is the guiding force, and it is incumbent upon islanders to spread that spirit to all they encounter. I truly believe that God knew what He was doing when He set up this opportunity for me. As I have said in my earlier blogs, the path was clear and the necessary steps were placed in front of me. All I had to do was continue putting one foot in front of the other along this, dare I say preordained, pathway. I didn’t question it when it was happening, but I only now realize why and how much I needed to follow that path.
Friends were left in the Austin area. No doubt about it, I miss them all dearly. But thankfully the online technology and cell phone eras are here and working pretty well. So I am able to keep in touch with almost everyone on a reasonably frequent basis. I got to see wedding pictures of a couple who met in my clinical group two years ago. I would have been at the wedding, but the pictures were almost as good, and she was a beautiful bride with a very handsome groom. I have seen my hanai family of Pam and David (no longer my ‘pseudo-children’ but my hanai children) begin raising their son and daughter respectively with gentleness and patience gained from watching Diane and Wayne in their parental roles. A new great niece has also grown before my eyes through texts and online pictures. I have used Skype to stay in touch with Alisa and Kathleen. Some of those Skype visits were the basis for timely contacts and the ability to participate in decisions and follow-ups of activities discussed over the Skype system. My only regret is that it didn’t come while Kirke was alive to enjoy seeing family in distant places. While I’m not addicted to Facebook as some are, it has also been a way of staying ‘in the know’ about past students and family. Pictures posted there also help me to feel a part of life in Austin or Texas.
But I have also made new friends here. One of the joys of teaching adults in the community college setting and in my world of nursing that I love is that it’s easy to have former students become new friends and colleagues after they finish my courses. It was true in Austin, and it’s again true here. What a lucky woman I am that students enjoy my teaching style and recognize the rigueur of the disciplined clinical work I expect from them. They seem to appreciate it and some actually thrive within it. I’ve already shared getting a sunburn at the Merrie Monarch Festival Parade with two students and family members, and watched the Festival international Hula competition on TV live from down town Hilo with about 6 students who brought dinner and I put out the paper napkins!! So going into the summer, I have many invitations from students (and faculty) to occasionally meet for lunch, spend a day on a car trip out of Hilo, to sit and visit at the beach, to watch them surf, or to even meet for a weekend in Kona and get a personally guided tour of that west side of the island. I do love what I do as a ‘job’ and it seems that the enjoyment is apparent to the students. For that I am thankful.
Faculty have also become friends and colleagues and even mentors. Who would have thought that I needed a mentor at this stage of my teaching life? But it turns out that old dogs can learn new tricks, and believe me I am learning from the best. The level coordinator for this year and next is Sharon, and I have been so very impressed with her insights and standards and relaxed teaching style. She has shown me how to be more creative, and has listened to my ideas with respect and openness. We have built on some of the ideas and she has helped me to see even better ways of doing things. The student – faculty interactions here are totally different in the classroom and lab than they were at ACC. And as a result, I have broadened my teaching skills and enjoyed class much more.
Laura is the third Musketeer here in Hilo, and she has become a dear friend who listens and shares and supports and helps me reframe Ideas and reactions to more realistic perspectives. We have tried to eat dinner or lunch together almost weekly (well, at least about 3 times a month) and those evening visits have also helped ground me here and facilitated my becoming a member of the community and state. The other day, I wore a new pair of seersucker blue and white striped capris pants and a collage like print top with blues, browns, and some white. I asked her if she thought they went together since there were some stripe areas in the collage top…..I barely finished the sentence when she firmly said ‘No’. I laughed and told her that she had just become the surrogate for Kathleen who would say to me “You are not leaving the house dressed like that!” But, that is what a friend does. I just wonder how hard she had to fight to stay mum on the mismatch until I actually asked about it late in the afternoon? Laura and Sharon live in Wimea, which is about an hour and 15 minutes west of Hilo. The drive is absolutely gorgeous as you spend most of the time skimming along the ocean on the Hammakua Coast Highway. So, the two of them head home each weekend if they don’t drive back and forth on a daily basis. Several faculty do that from Wimea. I just think of it as ‘rush hour’ drive from Eastview Campus to home, but less traffic and much better scenery. But new friends abound on the teaching team beyond just my own level faculty. I am lucky again in that regard.
Nooli has come into my life, and he is a great companion. He is still only 10 lbs, and has a darling expressive face. I continue to work on the house breaking. Those books that tell you to stop and take the puppy out every 30 minutes are nuts. But he is getting better at letting me know he wants to go out, and I’m more in tune to his communication style. But he only has me so he is close by all the time I’m home, or if I’m on the computer, he is either here in the study lying down quietly or he’s at the living room window sitting guard. No one, and I mean NO ONE, is sneaking up on this house when I’m here. But he is less aggressive when I let people come in, and he’s being less paranoid about being left alone when I go to work or out somewhere. He can not possibly get any cuter, and he snuggles beside me on the love seat at night if I’m watching TV. He also will curl up with his back against my back at night when we go to sleep....my own little heating pad who wakes me by licking my eyes when he thinks I need to get up.
One last thing to let you know how well I am acclimating into my new paradise. I have taken some cooking classes on the Community College campus. They are taught by faculty in the Culinary Arts Program or chefs from the community. So, Korean cooking was one, and another was an island blend of cultures. There is an Eggplant here that is called a Japanese Eggplant. It’s purple on the outside like the ones you see in Texas, but it’s long and shaped similarly to a zucchini. It is less tart and much easier to cook with. We diagonally sliced and battered and coated it (Panko bread crumbs are the BEST), and then deep fried them. The last step was to layer them in a casserole with Marinara Sauce and lots of cheese between layers before baking. UMMMM!! GOOD! But I’ve also been introduced to foods I’ve never heard of but were delicious. We also fried whole fish at the last class I took. Me!! Cooking and eating a whole fish! Yep, I’m not in Texas any more.
Enough for now. I am sending my love to you along with my aloha spirit. But I’m also sending the message that I’m here for a while. The process to apply for Tenure has been started, and that is a 5 year process. I plan to be here at least that long. SO….WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU??? IT MEANS YOU NEED TO COME VISIT ME OVER HERE!! Door is always open, and a guest room is waiting. The hall bath has two sinks, so bring a friend!
Take care, and have a great summer.
Aloha,
Janene
Showing posts with label faculty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faculty. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
I Really Miss Round Rock Hospital
Aloha,
Am just home from the second clinical day in a row for this week, and have only 6 more days (3 weeks) of clinical to do before it’s time for end of semester exams and then summer break……Hallelujah!!
My students are ending their second semester of a four semester Associate Degree Nursing Program. It’s an excellent program with a curriculum that is challenging, evidence-based focused, and patient centered. It is a program that demands students in it and the graduates from it practice within standards of care set by the Board of Nursing for Hawaii, accrediting agencies for nursing programs and for hospitals (NLN, JCAHO), and many professional nursing organizations that set forth standards of care specific to their professional area of practice. So, when patients are taken care of in a hospital, they should be able to expect and receive the best of the current knowledge and skills used by nurses across the nation to help them improve and leave the hospital as soon as possible. That should be a minimum expectation at any hospital facility when someone is a patient. This Hawaii Community College ADN Program (curriculum and faculty who implement that curriculum) does everything it can to ensure that these standards are understood by students and grads, and that they implement the standards throughout the two years as students and then into years of professional employment as RN’s.
I love the students. They are enthusiastic, and caring and compassionate, and sensitive to their patient’s pain, anxiety, fears, needs, and safety. Adhering to these standards reflects those traits which they each bring to the future career of nursing. However, there is always the ensuing element of each student being, technically, a novice and a learner. That means they will require assistance to process and learn techniques and policies or protocols for specific elements in the delivery of care on any assigned unit at any assigned facility. It is then inherent that the professional staff and support staff on these units be open to providing role models to these students, and to take opportunities to instill knowledge gained from their experiences into these future colleagues. Alas, that is not always how the interaction and presence of students on units are perceived by staff members. Today that was brought home to me in a very clear and unambiguous manner…..and by a Certified Nurses’ Aide at that!
I’m not going to go into details about what happened today other than say that in my efforts to follow up on a negative encounter a student had with the aide, this aide was explicit in her declaration of the role she and the other’s that she spoke of in the universal ‘we’ language felt was what they should be doing or rather NOT doing when students were on the floor. She made quite clear that my supervision skills were significantly lacking, and that I didn’t teach in the same way that more established and long standing faculty members did, thus mine was the wrong way to do it. The original trigger had to do with one of those standards and the differing perspectives on how implementation of said standard should be done. Student was chastised for doing it ‘wrong’ and then I was blamed for not teaching the student correctly. OK….ce’st la vive! But then I tried to talk to the aide, and that just blew up in my face. I am very very embarrassed to say that I actually left the unit and cried….I’m sure it’s a hormonal thing, but none the less…..I DO NOT CRY AT WORK….PERIOD!! So what triggered this unprofessional and silly personal reaction to something an aide said??? OK, you asked, and I’ll tell you what I think happened.
My clinical experience in Austin for the last 25 years has been with ACC – ADN students on the general medical-surgical unit at Round Rock Medical Center. I began there when there were less than 50 beds, and have been lucky enough to watch and help it grow to approximately 250 beds today. In that time, I was asked to work some extra time as a nursing supervisor who is the key administrative person in the facility other than the 8-5 M-F that ‘real’ administrators are working. I did that for 10 wonderful years, and gained many personal and professional benefits along the way. Additionally, I was asked to become an inaugural member of the hospital’s Ethics Committee, and when I left the only one of the original members left was the Chaplain who chaired the committee all these years. Lastly, due to the respect of peers on the unit, skills recognized during my stint as weekend or evening nursing supervisor, I was asked by the CEO to join the Board of Trustees, and was then later invited to do a third term because they wanted and needed an RN perspective in Board decisions. That was a total of 9 years on that Board. These and other less prestigious requests for my contributions to committees, continuing education, pre-JCHAO surveys, and staff debriefings were all based upon mutual respect and mutual love of the facility and the quality of care it consistently offers to all patients in it’s area. I treasure those years and the friendships and accomplishments made during that time.
In Hilo, where I have students, I am the newbie on the block. That was a given, and I knew that I would have to earn the respect and trust that I had left at RRMC. But, I have good people skills, and I love nursing. I have respect for each member of the health care team…..a caste system doesn’t help the patient. RN’s need aides to assist with some basic tasks, but RN’s should also do some of these basic tasks when time and situation warrant it. So each helps the other to get the best job possible done for the patient. To that mix you must add additional persons who are not directly giving care to the patients but who support that care…..a unit clerk handling posting of orders, phones, paperwork on admissions and discharges, etc. It also includes the Charge Nurse or on the 7Am to 7 PM shift, the Unit Director. They set the tone, the expectations, the morale level, and the team spirit that is present on any unit. If it isn’t starting at the top, then it’s certainly not present at the bottom…..thus this Unit Director has to be in the know about implied and subtle nuances around them. They need to be the role model for when guests, new employees, students or others are on the unit. That’s how it SHOULD BE. Unfortunately it’s not where I am.
There are exceptions to this sad tale of woe….but they do seem to be the exception. Some of the aides I have been able to win over with my usual style of treating them with respect, thanking them for input and assistance, and just trying to interact as a colleague not some evaluator of their performance. That has paid off with three of them. These three know that if they tell me after a clinical day is over that charting of Vital Signs was not done by student Suzie Student, then I will address it, and it will dealt with in the chart. But, somehow my reverse welcome wagon approach missed the aide I encountered today.
I’m diverging off my point here….why cry? Well, the undertones of questioning my ability as a nursing educator / clinical instructor have been present almost from the beginning. When my students (as second semester students usually do) began to add IV medications to the scope of what they could do in the medication administration skill, I had some catching up to do. Remember, I had only had first semester students for about 15 years now, and therefore had not worked with new equipment and pumps, nor new ways some IV drugs are being dispensed. Now wouldn’t you gain as much as you can from the same lab that the students were taught this topic, and then plan to clarify with staff if you have a question?? Yep, me too. But apparently asking questions was perceived as clear evidence that I was incompetent and therefore should not be there bothering them with my questions. I should come knowing all the answers and only deal with the students. Add to that, many questions came up as students were preparing to give IV meds thus it was added to the growing perception that I am not very smart and that the students were needing the staff to do my job instead of me doing it. The aide today made it very clear that students were not to ask aides or RN’s on the unit ANY QUESTIONS, because they can look in the chart or ask me, the instructor. I should know it or find it in the chart. That includes the location of supplies on the unit, Med Center protocols for Isolation, etc. (Those answers are not in a patient’s chart, by the way.) So, finally the cats out of the bag, the poop is in the bedpan, whatever…… I’m too dumb to work at McDonald’s. Just a last note….when clinical was over, the original student who had the run in with this aide tried to tell this aide thank you for her help and guidance today, and the response was the aide walking away while muttering “whatever”. I don’t think we will win this battle…..my bigger concern is can I win the war?
The Unit Director is less friendly than the staff or aides, gives every impression of being quite ‘put out’ when students are in her station zone to do ANYTHING….yet, charts are there, info on reaching docs are there, and other documents associated with patient information that are not chart based are there. We just have to occasionally go into her area. I do what I can to minimize any contact with this Unit Director, and definitely work to keep the students from irritating her. But, it will not be a 100% effective effort just because of the nature of the hospital unit.
What is inarguably being impacted here is the future replacement of nurses who leave hospital nursing. The average patient care unit job for RN’s is about 10 years. Look around the next time you go to visit someone at the hospital….what is the average age of the nurses working that unit. Older nurses move to areas that are less physically stressful and arduous, like Out Patient Surgery, or clinics or doctor’s offices. We need more nurses even now on patient units like this Medical-Surgical unit, much less needing them in the future. My students are saying to me that they wouldn’t work on this particular Medical Unit (Post-Surgery Unit is a separate unit one floor below us) simply because of this atmosphere of intolerance and apathy about their learning or their desire to join the ranks of these nurses. I find that very sad.
So, I will persevere for three more weeks. If I’m back there next year, I believe I will approach the interactions with staff differently. Being a colleague who just happens to come two mornings a week and work with students instead of doing the patient care myself didn’t work. I’ll just focus on the separation of church and state so to speak…..I’ll deal with student and they deal with each other.
But, then I doubt I can really pull it off…..I too much a people person who generally likes working with health care professionals like me!!
Thanks for letting me vent,
Janene
Am just home from the second clinical day in a row for this week, and have only 6 more days (3 weeks) of clinical to do before it’s time for end of semester exams and then summer break……Hallelujah!!
My students are ending their second semester of a four semester Associate Degree Nursing Program. It’s an excellent program with a curriculum that is challenging, evidence-based focused, and patient centered. It is a program that demands students in it and the graduates from it practice within standards of care set by the Board of Nursing for Hawaii, accrediting agencies for nursing programs and for hospitals (NLN, JCAHO), and many professional nursing organizations that set forth standards of care specific to their professional area of practice. So, when patients are taken care of in a hospital, they should be able to expect and receive the best of the current knowledge and skills used by nurses across the nation to help them improve and leave the hospital as soon as possible. That should be a minimum expectation at any hospital facility when someone is a patient. This Hawaii Community College ADN Program (curriculum and faculty who implement that curriculum) does everything it can to ensure that these standards are understood by students and grads, and that they implement the standards throughout the two years as students and then into years of professional employment as RN’s.
I love the students. They are enthusiastic, and caring and compassionate, and sensitive to their patient’s pain, anxiety, fears, needs, and safety. Adhering to these standards reflects those traits which they each bring to the future career of nursing. However, there is always the ensuing element of each student being, technically, a novice and a learner. That means they will require assistance to process and learn techniques and policies or protocols for specific elements in the delivery of care on any assigned unit at any assigned facility. It is then inherent that the professional staff and support staff on these units be open to providing role models to these students, and to take opportunities to instill knowledge gained from their experiences into these future colleagues. Alas, that is not always how the interaction and presence of students on units are perceived by staff members. Today that was brought home to me in a very clear and unambiguous manner…..and by a Certified Nurses’ Aide at that!
I’m not going to go into details about what happened today other than say that in my efforts to follow up on a negative encounter a student had with the aide, this aide was explicit in her declaration of the role she and the other’s that she spoke of in the universal ‘we’ language felt was what they should be doing or rather NOT doing when students were on the floor. She made quite clear that my supervision skills were significantly lacking, and that I didn’t teach in the same way that more established and long standing faculty members did, thus mine was the wrong way to do it. The original trigger had to do with one of those standards and the differing perspectives on how implementation of said standard should be done. Student was chastised for doing it ‘wrong’ and then I was blamed for not teaching the student correctly. OK….ce’st la vive! But then I tried to talk to the aide, and that just blew up in my face. I am very very embarrassed to say that I actually left the unit and cried….I’m sure it’s a hormonal thing, but none the less…..I DO NOT CRY AT WORK….PERIOD!! So what triggered this unprofessional and silly personal reaction to something an aide said??? OK, you asked, and I’ll tell you what I think happened.
My clinical experience in Austin for the last 25 years has been with ACC – ADN students on the general medical-surgical unit at Round Rock Medical Center. I began there when there were less than 50 beds, and have been lucky enough to watch and help it grow to approximately 250 beds today. In that time, I was asked to work some extra time as a nursing supervisor who is the key administrative person in the facility other than the 8-5 M-F that ‘real’ administrators are working. I did that for 10 wonderful years, and gained many personal and professional benefits along the way. Additionally, I was asked to become an inaugural member of the hospital’s Ethics Committee, and when I left the only one of the original members left was the Chaplain who chaired the committee all these years. Lastly, due to the respect of peers on the unit, skills recognized during my stint as weekend or evening nursing supervisor, I was asked by the CEO to join the Board of Trustees, and was then later invited to do a third term because they wanted and needed an RN perspective in Board decisions. That was a total of 9 years on that Board. These and other less prestigious requests for my contributions to committees, continuing education, pre-JCHAO surveys, and staff debriefings were all based upon mutual respect and mutual love of the facility and the quality of care it consistently offers to all patients in it’s area. I treasure those years and the friendships and accomplishments made during that time.
In Hilo, where I have students, I am the newbie on the block. That was a given, and I knew that I would have to earn the respect and trust that I had left at RRMC. But, I have good people skills, and I love nursing. I have respect for each member of the health care team…..a caste system doesn’t help the patient. RN’s need aides to assist with some basic tasks, but RN’s should also do some of these basic tasks when time and situation warrant it. So each helps the other to get the best job possible done for the patient. To that mix you must add additional persons who are not directly giving care to the patients but who support that care…..a unit clerk handling posting of orders, phones, paperwork on admissions and discharges, etc. It also includes the Charge Nurse or on the 7Am to 7 PM shift, the Unit Director. They set the tone, the expectations, the morale level, and the team spirit that is present on any unit. If it isn’t starting at the top, then it’s certainly not present at the bottom…..thus this Unit Director has to be in the know about implied and subtle nuances around them. They need to be the role model for when guests, new employees, students or others are on the unit. That’s how it SHOULD BE. Unfortunately it’s not where I am.
There are exceptions to this sad tale of woe….but they do seem to be the exception. Some of the aides I have been able to win over with my usual style of treating them with respect, thanking them for input and assistance, and just trying to interact as a colleague not some evaluator of their performance. That has paid off with three of them. These three know that if they tell me after a clinical day is over that charting of Vital Signs was not done by student Suzie Student, then I will address it, and it will dealt with in the chart. But, somehow my reverse welcome wagon approach missed the aide I encountered today.
I’m diverging off my point here….why cry? Well, the undertones of questioning my ability as a nursing educator / clinical instructor have been present almost from the beginning. When my students (as second semester students usually do) began to add IV medications to the scope of what they could do in the medication administration skill, I had some catching up to do. Remember, I had only had first semester students for about 15 years now, and therefore had not worked with new equipment and pumps, nor new ways some IV drugs are being dispensed. Now wouldn’t you gain as much as you can from the same lab that the students were taught this topic, and then plan to clarify with staff if you have a question?? Yep, me too. But apparently asking questions was perceived as clear evidence that I was incompetent and therefore should not be there bothering them with my questions. I should come knowing all the answers and only deal with the students. Add to that, many questions came up as students were preparing to give IV meds thus it was added to the growing perception that I am not very smart and that the students were needing the staff to do my job instead of me doing it. The aide today made it very clear that students were not to ask aides or RN’s on the unit ANY QUESTIONS, because they can look in the chart or ask me, the instructor. I should know it or find it in the chart. That includes the location of supplies on the unit, Med Center protocols for Isolation, etc. (Those answers are not in a patient’s chart, by the way.) So, finally the cats out of the bag, the poop is in the bedpan, whatever…… I’m too dumb to work at McDonald’s. Just a last note….when clinical was over, the original student who had the run in with this aide tried to tell this aide thank you for her help and guidance today, and the response was the aide walking away while muttering “whatever”. I don’t think we will win this battle…..my bigger concern is can I win the war?
The Unit Director is less friendly than the staff or aides, gives every impression of being quite ‘put out’ when students are in her station zone to do ANYTHING….yet, charts are there, info on reaching docs are there, and other documents associated with patient information that are not chart based are there. We just have to occasionally go into her area. I do what I can to minimize any contact with this Unit Director, and definitely work to keep the students from irritating her. But, it will not be a 100% effective effort just because of the nature of the hospital unit.
What is inarguably being impacted here is the future replacement of nurses who leave hospital nursing. The average patient care unit job for RN’s is about 10 years. Look around the next time you go to visit someone at the hospital….what is the average age of the nurses working that unit. Older nurses move to areas that are less physically stressful and arduous, like Out Patient Surgery, or clinics or doctor’s offices. We need more nurses even now on patient units like this Medical-Surgical unit, much less needing them in the future. My students are saying to me that they wouldn’t work on this particular Medical Unit (Post-Surgery Unit is a separate unit one floor below us) simply because of this atmosphere of intolerance and apathy about their learning or their desire to join the ranks of these nurses. I find that very sad.
So, I will persevere for three more weeks. If I’m back there next year, I believe I will approach the interactions with staff differently. Being a colleague who just happens to come two mornings a week and work with students instead of doing the patient care myself didn’t work. I’ll just focus on the separation of church and state so to speak…..I’ll deal with student and they deal with each other.
But, then I doubt I can really pull it off…..I too much a people person who generally likes working with health care professionals like me!!
Thanks for letting me vent,
Janene
Saturday, November 6, 2010
HOW CAN THANKSGIVING BE 3 WEEKS AWAY?????
November 6, 2010
HOW CAN THANKSGIVING BE 3 WEEKS AWAY?????
It’s raining in Hilo as I write this blog entry. I’m told to buy several umbrellas, not the wimpy small ones, but big honking tent-type umbrellas, for the ‘rainy season’. OK….I can do that. Actually the rain cools things off, comes in intermittent spurts with some just pouring down, while others you can’t tell it’s even raining until you step out into it. I got to the grocery store today under very overcast skies, and just got the many bags into the house when the bottom dropped out. Great timing…..Go Me! I can gage the intensity in part by whether I can still see the Hilo Bay and large hotel complex from my living room. If they are all gray and indistinguishable, it’s a gully washer on the way fur shur!!
So, despite the onset of rainy season, I’m sitting here wondering where time has gone!! I got here on August 7, started work on my birthday the 16th, and have already done mid-semester clinical evaluations for my group at the nursing home, Hale Anuenue. Great place, by the way. So, Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away. My brother and sister-in-law, Kirke’s younger brother, are coming for the holiday. HOORAY!! It will be a fun visit and a chance to show off my new home town that I have grown to love.
But seriously, what have I accomplished in this short fast time?? Let’s see…..humm.
Well, #1. I have made a really good friend who has been ready and enthusiastic since I landed at the Hilo International Airport. Bev is one of those truly great friend who will go anywhere, do anything, and help a friend get acclimated to the new world order here. She recently held an Open House to officially house-warm her Vacation Rental apartment that I stayed in when I arrived. During the party, her cousin….did I mention she is a cousin to 98% of Hilo and Hilo area folks?....did an Hawaiian chant, then a blessing in Hawaiian, and then sang the Queen’s Benediction before we ate. Then later she sang native songs with two neighbors accompanying her on ukuleles. THEN…. Bev danced a hula for all the 50+ guests. It was beautiful, and she was so graceful and looked terrific in her slim flowered Mumu. The Hula is a long standing tradition and has survived many changes in the islands over centuries. Watching Bev, and her cousin who danced too, it’s easy to see how much a unique part of this lovely land this story telling dance is.
#2. Home has become my own, not just a feeling of short term vacation rental or hotel suite. The house has come together really well. Remember all that country themed décor I worked so hard to put into the Saber Trail house last spring? Well, no county style here, but no sea shell theme either….Kathleen would harm me if I did that as a theme. But I am making it an Hawaiian theme. Found an ad for Macy’s sale (they have incredible sales!!) on Hawaiian print bedspreads and comforters. The master bed room now has a red & white floral print comforter with red dust ruffle, and red/white/black accent pillows. I love it!! The guest room will have a Black & White Hawaiian theme to it. The spread has a repetitive black geometric-type symbol on a white background. My plan is to order some B&W reprints of old Hawaii scenes from a photographer here in Hilo. They will be the wall decoration to go with the bedspread. I also found accent pillows for that room, and one has a bit of red in it. The kitchen is a red theme too in accessories, and I enjoy the splash of color when I cook. So the house is feeling like a home.
#3. My many years of teaching experience has paid off well, and I am really enjoying the faculty I work with, and the students in the class. It was never my intent to bring ACC’s Nursing Curriculum to HawCC’s program. As a result, I’ve had a really eye-opening experience watching and learning from people who do things differently. What a novel idea!! Do things some other way than ACC…..is this heresy? NO….it’s a relaxed, student friendly, reduced stress, learn without faculty ‘saying’ everything-type of doing nursing education. Lots less lecturing, and even that is supposed to be interactive. The ‘class’ is divided geographically with 22 in Hilo, and 9 in Kona. Lectures are done over HITS which is Hawaii Interactive TV System, I think. Anyway, it’s a new challenge, but one I’m getting used to and enjoying. Labs are very interactive, with Kona doing theirs over there, and our students working with us here. Same exams are given to both groups, so lots of coordination, emails, attachments, and video conferencing goes on to keep everyone on the same page. As I said, my colleagues on the faculty have been gracious and generous with time, information, and friendship. Even the administrative assistant to the Program Chair spent about 30 minutes with me early in the semester driving me around the combined campuses of University of Hawaii and Hawaii C.C. She pointed out buildings, gave me history tidbits, overview of how and where the overlap of facilities occurs, and waited patiently while I picked up my keys…..actually someone from the key dept brought them out to the car so they could chat a minute with Luann. Talk about SERVICE! My office is the back corner of a converted classroom, and Joyce has the front quarter. She has been instrumental in getting me set up with a doctor here who I like very much. She also doesn’t just tell me where something is, like the master key box, but gets up and walks me to the area where it is. I could have found it, but she also gave me some unwritten policies about use, and where to find the key to the key box on weekends if I need it. My keys get me into the main nsg office as well as my office and some other zones. Sharon is level coordinator and she has been a true gift from God. She teaches so well, and I have learned so much from watching her. So, you say, old dogs can learn new tricks, and I say, yes! Laura is the third of our little band of merry educators here on the east side of the island. She is simultaneously working on her Ph.D from UH-Manoa (Honolulu) in an online format. She too has gone out of her way to tutor me through online resources for students, library access via web, school email via web, and many other things. We’ve done lunch and dinner some over the months, and laughed and learned about families, etc. Another growing friendship.
#4. Students!! What a delight. They have adopted me and love my Texas background. But, I’m no longer in Texas so they are trying to teach me a new Hawaiian word (or two) each time we are in class or lab or clinical. That’s a real hoot!! And, of course, introducing me to new foods is another dedicated task for them. My clinical group came to the house on the last day at the nursing home, and brought lunch. Justin wanted me to ‘just try’ some thing! in a dish from the deli. So I picked up a smooth piece of whatever….a SMALL smooth piece, and then made the mistake of turning it over. SUCTION CUPS!! No, NO , and NNOOOOO!! OK, I’ll try just this small piece….sorry, Justin….octopus will never be a food I rush to get at the pu-pu table (appetizers). But the Chicken dish was delicious. Another student has come by and helped me unload some heavy boxes and even set up a small cubical-like organizer for papers, etc. She is becoming one of the student’s that I know I will continue to stay in touch with after graduation.
#5. Added a new member to the Jeffery family. Yep, I got a puppy! He’s a darling small mix of Shitzu & Silky Terrier. Brown, black eyes, 8 lbs, and a year old. One of those great faculty members I mentioned above has connections at the Wiamea animal shelter, and they got him as a rescue dog. I don’t know all the history, but it’s obvious he was left alone a lot of the time. He wants lots of cuddling, and tummy rubs. But he also has not been socialized to strangers, so he growls and barks to show who’s boss when new people are trying to meet him. If they persevere and maybe even bring him a treat or at least let him smell them first, then he settles right down. I named him K’noole. One of the first streets I saw here was spelled Knoole, so the good old phonetic education I received in elementary school kicked in immediately, and I pronounced it Kah-noo-lee. Nope….not right! It’s really sounded out as Keno-o-lay. But I still say Kahnoolie in my head as I travel along it heading to work. Thus, puppy has been tagged as K’noole, or Noolie for short. My sister came up with the short version. I like it. He is responding to this new name finally, and not the old name he had….Yoda. It was because he has ears that make him resemble Yoda. Anyway, he is a great guard dog…too great. Since he can watch the entire front of the house and the length of the street from the floor to ceiling windows in our living room, he makes sure that cats, mailmen, neighbors, other dogs, and imaginary threats all know who’s house this is, and that they better steer clear. Or else!!! At 8 lbs I’m not sure what ‘else’ would be, but just the intimidation factor alone should count for something.
Well, enough for this posting. Hope your Fall is going as well as mine, and if I don’t get another post up before the 25th, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Aloha,
Janene
HOW CAN THANKSGIVING BE 3 WEEKS AWAY?????
It’s raining in Hilo as I write this blog entry. I’m told to buy several umbrellas, not the wimpy small ones, but big honking tent-type umbrellas, for the ‘rainy season’. OK….I can do that. Actually the rain cools things off, comes in intermittent spurts with some just pouring down, while others you can’t tell it’s even raining until you step out into it. I got to the grocery store today under very overcast skies, and just got the many bags into the house when the bottom dropped out. Great timing…..Go Me! I can gage the intensity in part by whether I can still see the Hilo Bay and large hotel complex from my living room. If they are all gray and indistinguishable, it’s a gully washer on the way fur shur!!
So, despite the onset of rainy season, I’m sitting here wondering where time has gone!! I got here on August 7, started work on my birthday the 16th, and have already done mid-semester clinical evaluations for my group at the nursing home, Hale Anuenue. Great place, by the way. So, Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away. My brother and sister-in-law, Kirke’s younger brother, are coming for the holiday. HOORAY!! It will be a fun visit and a chance to show off my new home town that I have grown to love.
But seriously, what have I accomplished in this short fast time?? Let’s see…..humm.
Well, #1. I have made a really good friend who has been ready and enthusiastic since I landed at the Hilo International Airport. Bev is one of those truly great friend who will go anywhere, do anything, and help a friend get acclimated to the new world order here. She recently held an Open House to officially house-warm her Vacation Rental apartment that I stayed in when I arrived. During the party, her cousin….did I mention she is a cousin to 98% of Hilo and Hilo area folks?....did an Hawaiian chant, then a blessing in Hawaiian, and then sang the Queen’s Benediction before we ate. Then later she sang native songs with two neighbors accompanying her on ukuleles. THEN…. Bev danced a hula for all the 50+ guests. It was beautiful, and she was so graceful and looked terrific in her slim flowered Mumu. The Hula is a long standing tradition and has survived many changes in the islands over centuries. Watching Bev, and her cousin who danced too, it’s easy to see how much a unique part of this lovely land this story telling dance is.
#2. Home has become my own, not just a feeling of short term vacation rental or hotel suite. The house has come together really well. Remember all that country themed décor I worked so hard to put into the Saber Trail house last spring? Well, no county style here, but no sea shell theme either….Kathleen would harm me if I did that as a theme. But I am making it an Hawaiian theme. Found an ad for Macy’s sale (they have incredible sales!!) on Hawaiian print bedspreads and comforters. The master bed room now has a red & white floral print comforter with red dust ruffle, and red/white/black accent pillows. I love it!! The guest room will have a Black & White Hawaiian theme to it. The spread has a repetitive black geometric-type symbol on a white background. My plan is to order some B&W reprints of old Hawaii scenes from a photographer here in Hilo. They will be the wall decoration to go with the bedspread. I also found accent pillows for that room, and one has a bit of red in it. The kitchen is a red theme too in accessories, and I enjoy the splash of color when I cook. So the house is feeling like a home.
#3. My many years of teaching experience has paid off well, and I am really enjoying the faculty I work with, and the students in the class. It was never my intent to bring ACC’s Nursing Curriculum to HawCC’s program. As a result, I’ve had a really eye-opening experience watching and learning from people who do things differently. What a novel idea!! Do things some other way than ACC…..is this heresy? NO….it’s a relaxed, student friendly, reduced stress, learn without faculty ‘saying’ everything-type of doing nursing education. Lots less lecturing, and even that is supposed to be interactive. The ‘class’ is divided geographically with 22 in Hilo, and 9 in Kona. Lectures are done over HITS which is Hawaii Interactive TV System, I think. Anyway, it’s a new challenge, but one I’m getting used to and enjoying. Labs are very interactive, with Kona doing theirs over there, and our students working with us here. Same exams are given to both groups, so lots of coordination, emails, attachments, and video conferencing goes on to keep everyone on the same page. As I said, my colleagues on the faculty have been gracious and generous with time, information, and friendship. Even the administrative assistant to the Program Chair spent about 30 minutes with me early in the semester driving me around the combined campuses of University of Hawaii and Hawaii C.C. She pointed out buildings, gave me history tidbits, overview of how and where the overlap of facilities occurs, and waited patiently while I picked up my keys…..actually someone from the key dept brought them out to the car so they could chat a minute with Luann. Talk about SERVICE! My office is the back corner of a converted classroom, and Joyce has the front quarter. She has been instrumental in getting me set up with a doctor here who I like very much. She also doesn’t just tell me where something is, like the master key box, but gets up and walks me to the area where it is. I could have found it, but she also gave me some unwritten policies about use, and where to find the key to the key box on weekends if I need it. My keys get me into the main nsg office as well as my office and some other zones. Sharon is level coordinator and she has been a true gift from God. She teaches so well, and I have learned so much from watching her. So, you say, old dogs can learn new tricks, and I say, yes! Laura is the third of our little band of merry educators here on the east side of the island. She is simultaneously working on her Ph.D from UH-Manoa (Honolulu) in an online format. She too has gone out of her way to tutor me through online resources for students, library access via web, school email via web, and many other things. We’ve done lunch and dinner some over the months, and laughed and learned about families, etc. Another growing friendship.
#4. Students!! What a delight. They have adopted me and love my Texas background. But, I’m no longer in Texas so they are trying to teach me a new Hawaiian word (or two) each time we are in class or lab or clinical. That’s a real hoot!! And, of course, introducing me to new foods is another dedicated task for them. My clinical group came to the house on the last day at the nursing home, and brought lunch. Justin wanted me to ‘just try’ some thing! in a dish from the deli. So I picked up a smooth piece of whatever….a SMALL smooth piece, and then made the mistake of turning it over. SUCTION CUPS!! No, NO , and NNOOOOO!! OK, I’ll try just this small piece….sorry, Justin….octopus will never be a food I rush to get at the pu-pu table (appetizers). But the Chicken dish was delicious. Another student has come by and helped me unload some heavy boxes and even set up a small cubical-like organizer for papers, etc. She is becoming one of the student’s that I know I will continue to stay in touch with after graduation.
#5. Added a new member to the Jeffery family. Yep, I got a puppy! He’s a darling small mix of Shitzu & Silky Terrier. Brown, black eyes, 8 lbs, and a year old. One of those great faculty members I mentioned above has connections at the Wiamea animal shelter, and they got him as a rescue dog. I don’t know all the history, but it’s obvious he was left alone a lot of the time. He wants lots of cuddling, and tummy rubs. But he also has not been socialized to strangers, so he growls and barks to show who’s boss when new people are trying to meet him. If they persevere and maybe even bring him a treat or at least let him smell them first, then he settles right down. I named him K’noole. One of the first streets I saw here was spelled Knoole, so the good old phonetic education I received in elementary school kicked in immediately, and I pronounced it Kah-noo-lee. Nope….not right! It’s really sounded out as Keno-o-lay. But I still say Kahnoolie in my head as I travel along it heading to work. Thus, puppy has been tagged as K’noole, or Noolie for short. My sister came up with the short version. I like it. He is responding to this new name finally, and not the old name he had….Yoda. It was because he has ears that make him resemble Yoda. Anyway, he is a great guard dog…too great. Since he can watch the entire front of the house and the length of the street from the floor to ceiling windows in our living room, he makes sure that cats, mailmen, neighbors, other dogs, and imaginary threats all know who’s house this is, and that they better steer clear. Or else!!! At 8 lbs I’m not sure what ‘else’ would be, but just the intimidation factor alone should count for something.
Well, enough for this posting. Hope your Fall is going as well as mine, and if I don’t get another post up before the 25th, Happy Thanksgiving!!
Aloha,
Janene
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)