Tree climbing

Remember when you were a child and you like to climb trees. I never thought about actually climbing a tree with ropes and rappaling down. Yesterday I had the great opportunity of trying it out with a friend of mine. It was such a rush and amazing to get to the top of the tree. Similar feelings to rock climbing, yet different because when you get to the top of the tree you have branches to sit in and chill out. There are even people that bring hammocks and sleep out in the tree over night. I think I just found a new sport that I need to buy equipment for.

HAAA!!!

Approximately 7 weeks left to go before I am officially laid off from the fire world. It's slowing down and getting boring. May be leaving for Idaho this week to get on some of the big fires up there. Who knows though because things change daily in this line of work. I still don't know about school. I was feeling optimistic before, but as the weeks go on and I hear nothing about my placement I start to think about what I will do next. I have no where to live and no job come november, so if I am not in school the question is where do I go? If anyone has any great ideas let me know. I'm still praying I will be in Denver by January, but things never go as planned in my life. I'm afraid I will take off to another foreign country for the winter if I am not in school. Not that traveling would be a bad idea, but I'm broke and I need to fight my traveling addiction. I need intervention cause I'm already looking up flights for far away places. I'm ready to finish my nursing so I can move to the destination of my choice and buy a house. I can always go back to Archaeology, but I know where my true passion lies. Help I'm going mad!

I'm a bad blogger

A couple of firefighters from New Mexico and I at a fire in the Boise National Forest.

I haven't had much time or interest in posting anything for so long. I thought I may try and post something for those who care. This summer I have been living near Moab, Utah working as a Wildland Firefighter. It's been a hell of a summer and I'm ready for it to be over. I am waiting to hear if I can start my nursing clinicals in January. I really hope that it works out because I'm ready to finish and start having somewhat of a more stable life. I know that this doesn't sound like me, but I've been living in my truck for over a year now and I starting to feel like a need a home.

I went to Telluride, Colorado this weekend to do some mountain biking and I officially have found the place of my dreams. I have been there one other time and immediately fell in love with the place. My hopes of moving there were crushed when I found out how expensive the place is. After visiting for the second time I am now determined to find a way to move there. I camped in the most incredible spot in the San Juans and went mountain biking. I think that the San Juans are by far the most incredible mountains I have been to. My new plan is to hopefully finish nursing school within the next year,move to Telluride, get a job at the hospital, meet a rich man with a house in the mtns., and become a ski bum. Until then I'm living in my truck in the Abajo Mtns. until about the end of October and fighting any remaining forest fires that should come about.

Some inspiration for the day.

With enough determination, no goal is out of reach. Determination carries you past seemingly insurmountable obstacles and makes things real that were once considered impossible.So how do you create and maintain sufficient determination to take you where you want to go? How do you keep the power of determination working for you? To maintain your determination, you simply must remember it. For as powerful as your determination can be, it is nothing more than a concept in your mind. As long as you can keep that concept of determination at the front of your mind, it will work for you. As long as you can remember, with passion and with clarity, the what, why and how of your determination, it will carry you forward. When the challenges come, remember that you are determined and you will be. Though your determination won't solve your problems for you, it can keep you going long enough for you to solve them yourself. What things in your life do you truly wish to change, to improve, to create, to accomplish, and why? Sincerely answer that question, and you'll discover plenty of determination within yourself. Keep that determination in mind as each moment goes by, and you'll accomplish whatever you choose to accomplish.

What's next

After spending 6 weeks in India I have arrived home safe and sound. I've lost 8lbs from a sickness I acquired while there, but I'm feeling better now. It has been quite an adjustment being back and I'm having many mixed emotions. The culture shock coming back to the States was worse then actually being in India. I feel I have somewhat recooperated and am now ready to start the next journey in my life. My whole perspective on life and what I plan on accomplishing in mine has completely been altered from my experience. Well I guess not completely, but I definetly have some new ideas as to what I would like to do. There is a dual masters degree program at University of Washington that I plan on applying for in the Fall. I would be able to enter directly into a masters in nursing program even though I have not quite finished my BSN. I would spend one year finishing my RN, and a second year focusing on Public Health. I am also able to add my own component of study to the degree; which I plan on focusing on medical anthropology. I would love to continue working in International Health Care. The program is rated #1 in the nation and so I really need to beef up my application in order to get in. It's also a very expensive program so I need to get residency and hopefully get some scholarships. Until then I am studying for the gre, learning more spanish, trying to gain more health care experience, and make some money to pay off some debt. Tomorrow I start a three week contract job with PIII, Associates, an archeaology firm in Utah. They have some short term projects and were kind enough to hire me on as an archaeologist to help finish them up. After I finish my work there I will be starting a job in Southern Utah working for the BLM. I'm going to be working as a wildland firefighter on an engine crew of 4 males, 1 female (me). I have absolutely no experience fighting fires, but I always wanted to try it for a summer. I was hired on for my EMT as well as my archaeology experience. There are archaeological sites everywhere in this area and they need to make sure prescribed fires aren't harming them.

I have to pass a pack test in which I have to hike 3 miles in 45 minutes, with a 45lb pack on my back. I've been hiking and climbing to try and get in shape. I wasn't too out of shape, but being sick from India really took a lot out of me. Bought some new boots for fire that I will break in working for PIII cause my job there requires hiking all day long. It's great cause not only do I get to hike to prepare myself for the rigorous job of fire fighting, but I get paid to do it.

A few pics of patients in villages. Still working on uploading the rest to snapfish.

Checking Lung Sounds on 8 year old boy from one of the villages in Himalayas.

At Than Gaon Clinic

Beer, Proof God Loves us.

I'm leaving really soon for India and will be having a stop over in Munich for a day. Germany is a beer lovers paradise and since I'm from Germany I fit in perfectly. Haven't quite decided what I'm going to do while I'm there, but I'm guessing it could include a brewery tour. I thought I may going skiing in Austria for the day, but I don't think I have time so I may just drink beer and eat brats all day. I've already been to Munich before so maybe I'll hit some of the highlights I missed last time. I may go pay my respects to my Opa (grandpa) who is buried in a nearby town. Meine Deustch ist nicht so gute weiterhin. Gern haben trink bier!

Pics of India.

A few of the local children in one of the
villages I will be working in.








Where I will be sleeping



Herbs used in Traditional Indian Medicine

Broke, but still traveling.

So, I've been road trippin for the last two months and I'm still jobless. I'm so broke and figured the most logical thing to do would be of course go on another adventure. First, I started off by leaving my job in Mexico to do a one month EMT course in Jackson Hole. It was an awesome experience and I met some crazy, insane, fun people (friends for life). After Jackson I went up to Montana and visited some friends in Bozeman, Missoula, and Whitefish. Thanks to Mark, Kate, Jess, and Bryan for letting me be the girl on the couch. I went up to Fernie, Canada after Whitefish to do some skiing. It was by far the best snow I've seen this year. I've skied about 13 resorts and the snow has been horrible everywhere. That just means next year will the best year ever (or I'm going to keep telling myself that). After Montana I went on a girls ski trip in Colorado. Thanks to our sponsors Mel, Dickie, and Joe we were able to ski, sleep, and eat for free. I had such a blast and can't wait to make it an annual trip. Then I went to Tahoe to do some rock skiing with some old EMT buddies. Thanks to Kelly for letting us invade her space. Now I'm back in Utah for the moment. It feels like Spring and I've never seen Utahs Mtns so bare in my entire life of growing up here. Since the snows not great I decided I was going to flee the country. I started researching different opportunities and I found an internship in India doing clinical rotations with some Indian doctors. I applied for the internship and just found out that I got it. I will be leaving in a few weeks and I'm still in shock that I'm actually leaving. I will be in Northern India close to the Himalayas. For four weeks I will be doing rotations with numerous doctors in various clinical settings. I start out in a big city hospital and then I move up into some small villages that don't have access to medical care. The basis of the internship is to learn traditional medicine and how I can incorporate it into Western medicine. I'm really excited to learn how to use herbs, yoga, averyuda etc.. for healing. I'm a firm believer that there are some natural methods that can help disease. Not that I'm completely against Western Medicine, but I think there are other ways of treating disease besides stuffing pills down everyones throats. Now I'm just trying to find a flight to New Delhi and gather medical supplies. If anyone wants to donate to my cause it would be appreciated. I can always use BSI. Anyways, this is a really long blog, but I never blog and Kate said I had to.