So this is my first blog, coming four weeks into my stay in London, because I've been waiting for something substantial to write about. Right now I'm on a nine hour bus ride to Scotland and the view of the English countryside from the M1 is nothing to rave home about, so I find myself thinking back on this past month and really how much I've experienced so far...
Besides exploring the unique neighborhoods all around London and attending classes, I've been on clinical placement for three weeks. I'm happy to say that it is going well since I was assigned to a new mentor who is really making my experience valuable. The patients on our ward are either waiting to be placed in a nursing home or waiting to pass away, so our nursing duties basically entail administering medications, bathing patients, and delivering meals. It's quite routine now, but on my first day I actually cried a little in the bathroom because of a very poignant initial experience. Within an hour of my first shift starting, a patient on the Liverpool Care Pathway passed away (The LCP is a legal pathway set up with the doctor, nurse, and family member to ensure the comfortable, planned passing of a loved one). After shutting the door once the physician declared him dead, no one entered the room for three hours - not even to close the man's eyes. He was a stroke patient, so his face symmetry was altered, his tongue was hanging out of his mouth, his body was slumped over and crooked, his legs were twisted, and his hands were curled in fists out to his side. I asked my nurse when she would be doing the post-mortem care and my question seemed to act as a reminder because at once she and the health care assistant went in the room to care for him. I'm not sure if it was because he was in such an awkward, uncomfortable position, or because his eyes would not stay closed no matter how hard I tried, or because I had never been working when a patient passes away, or because everyone seemed to forget about his care once he died, but I found myself crying in the bathroom.
I've realized that the nurses really are very caring, they just have too many patients (about 10-12) to perform the same patient-centered care that is expected in America. Coming from working in an inner-city emergency department where patients abused the ED services as well as their call lights, I was stuck by the quality of life of patients on my ward. The function of the call light is not impressed upon the patients, and many continent patients who need help walking are neglected.
With no TVs, newspapers, or social interaction, the patients lay in bed or sit in a chair, but either way they are left to stare at the ceiling. I've actually met 9 patients whose mental function and alertness has notably and sadly decreased throughout the three weeks I've been on the ward with him. Where one man (being treated for an infected leg ulcer) used to recognize and appreciate me as the only person who entered his room, bringing him Fortisips (nutrition drink) and rearranging his pillow to be comfortable, he now just asks me when breakfast will be ready - even though the kitchen is preparing dinner. Nurses in America assess their patients at the beginning of and throughout every shift, document every aspect of the patient's activity and status during their shift, and are really concerned with rehabilitating the physical and mental health of their patients. Nurses in the UK are equally as concerned with these duties of patient-centered care, but so far I've observed that they do not have the time to complete them to the best of their ability. One good thing I will say about the NHS is that they are much more conscience of infection-control. To enter a patient's room, one must wear gloves and a plastic apron. Wrist watches cannot be worn because it inhibits proper handwashing technique and nurses do NOT wear their uniform to and from the hospital. In fact, when I think about it, it is rather gross that we must bring our dirty scrubs into our homes.
I went to Bournemouth last weekend. It's a city south of London, so we got proper fish n' chips on the beach and took a helium balloon up 500 feet to have a stunning view of the coastline. I feel so lucky to be living at the KCL Hampstead residences. Hampstead is gorgeous (especially in the autumn), in an extremely affluent and safe neighborhood north of London. As I spend around 2 hours on the tube or bus everyday, I feel like a London public transportation expert and not like a tourist at all. All my classes are with already-practicing nurses, which makes me really appreciate the fact that most of the students at Hampstead are first-years from the UK - they are resources on basically anything and we can learn/joke about cultural and language differences.
I am seeing Kevin Spacey in a play tomorrow and a film in the London Film Festival later this week before going to Kent (just outside London) for the weekend. As everyone usually says, I don't want to ever go home - I'm having such an amazing time. I know I would definitely live in the UK, I'm just not sure yet if I would work as a staff nurse with the NHS... As my clinical on that ward comes to a close and I start on another ward, I'll keep you posted on my experiences with universal health care and my upcoming trip to Dublin.
~Laura Goergen, BSN '11, King's College London
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Last Days in Israel
Hi Folks, I am sitting in the airport thinking about the past two weeks. The time flew. Just late night we were all sitting in a neighborhood "joint" and believe me it was a hole in the wall meat grill, multiple Israeli salad place with all 6 of us, the four students, Vered Kater and me. We laughed a lot as they recalled their trip to the Dead Sea, with Vered making sure that she had everyone cover themselves with the therapeutic mud. But again I am getting ahead of myself. I met the students at Vered's house, remember Vered is the Penn MSN grad who is the "leader" of the nature outings. The five of them had just returned from Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum. We talked about their experience at the museum, their tears at seeing and hearing the exhibits and stories of survivors. Vered then told us her story as a child survivor who had been hidden at the age of 6 weeks. We all sat in the warm sun and processed the two week experience.
Although I hate to use a well worn phrase, it was a bonding experience, unlike what is possible at Penn during the daily activities of the school year. Over the past 12 years I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing their stories, and exploring what brought them to nursing, especially for the second degree students. We get a chance to talk about what nursing means in the US and how it is different or the same in Israel. Last night we said our goodbyes and today they are off for 10 days of traveling and for one student a chance to spend time with family. I am off to board my plane, see you at Penn shortly. Great pictures are coming.
~Dr. Barbara Medoff-Cooper, Faculty Program Director
Although I hate to use a well worn phrase, it was a bonding experience, unlike what is possible at Penn during the daily activities of the school year. Over the past 12 years I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing their stories, and exploring what brought them to nursing, especially for the second degree students. We get a chance to talk about what nursing means in the US and how it is different or the same in Israel. Last night we said our goodbyes and today they are off for 10 days of traveling and for one student a chance to spend time with family. I am off to board my plane, see you at Penn shortly. Great pictures are coming.
~Dr. Barbara Medoff-Cooper, Faculty Program Director
Monday, May 11, 2009
Second Week in Jerusalem
This is an exciting time in Jerusalem. The Pope landed today on the roof of the Mt.Scopus Hadassah Hospital and the students were there to watch the event. But I am jumping ahead of myself.
Last week went well. They had many experiences with different pediatric populations ranging from the Pediatric intensive care unit to the oncology unit. By Thursday afternoon they were ready to play. Ariella spent the weekend with her Aunt Uncle and a slew of cousins. For Dan, Amy and Colleen, they were off to Tel Aviv to stay with friends and enjoy the beach.
Sunday morning, bright and early, they were all loaded up in a car by Vered Kater, a Penn alum and faculty member, and were off to the south where they hiked at Ein Gedi, and then to the En Gedi Kibbutz for a visit with a masters prepared nurse on the Kibbutz ( a graduate of the new masters program at Hadassah) and of course mud baths in the Dead Sea. When next seen they were exhausted by excited about the day.
For the next three days they are spending time with Dr. Anita Noble, a nurse midwife and Hadassah faculty member. Mt. Scopus has a very different population of patients than En Kerem, with many more Arab and less immigrant families. It is also the branch with a higher rate of infant births than En Kerem.
If we can through all of the security surrounding the Pope, we are going to the Herzel museum this afternoon, an interactive museum which tells the story of the Israel’s 19th-21st century history. Tonight the Penn students are being picked up by the Hadassah students to celebrate Lag B’Omer which is celebrated with bon fires, eating of course and music.
The formal part of the trip is almost over and it was clearly worth all of the planning, paperwork and nagging for paperwork to be completed (Shaina that is for you- you did a great job rounding up the necessary documents).
Think that is it. Signing off as it is time to go to the museum. Barb
~Dr. Barbara Medoff-Cooper, Program Director
Last week went well. They had many experiences with different pediatric populations ranging from the Pediatric intensive care unit to the oncology unit. By Thursday afternoon they were ready to play. Ariella spent the weekend with her Aunt Uncle and a slew of cousins. For Dan, Amy and Colleen, they were off to Tel Aviv to stay with friends and enjoy the beach.
Sunday morning, bright and early, they were all loaded up in a car by Vered Kater, a Penn alum and faculty member, and were off to the south where they hiked at Ein Gedi, and then to the En Gedi Kibbutz for a visit with a masters prepared nurse on the Kibbutz ( a graduate of the new masters program at Hadassah) and of course mud baths in the Dead Sea. When next seen they were exhausted by excited about the day.
For the next three days they are spending time with Dr. Anita Noble, a nurse midwife and Hadassah faculty member. Mt. Scopus has a very different population of patients than En Kerem, with many more Arab and less immigrant families. It is also the branch with a higher rate of infant births than En Kerem.
If we can through all of the security surrounding the Pope, we are going to the Herzel museum this afternoon, an interactive museum which tells the story of the Israel’s 19th-21st century history. Tonight the Penn students are being picked up by the Hadassah students to celebrate Lag B’Omer which is celebrated with bon fires, eating of course and music.
The formal part of the trip is almost over and it was clearly worth all of the planning, paperwork and nagging for paperwork to be completed (Shaina that is for you- you did a great job rounding up the necessary documents).
Think that is it. Signing off as it is time to go to the museum. Barb
~Dr. Barbara Medoff-Cooper, Program Director
Monday, December 8, 2008
Scotland!
This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to spend 3 days in Scotland! I got to visit my friend Erica Olsen in St. Andrews, which is on the coast and is a beautiful little town. I also got to visit Edinburgh, go inside the castle there, and meet up with my friend Eliza Becker.
It was really, really cold in St. Andrews - and all of Scotland. Apparently we were vising on the weekend of an Arctic Plunge across the UK.
This cathedral in St. Andrews used to be the largest building in all of the UK, until it was ruined during the reformation.
Edinburgh! The city is built on an ancient volcano, so the rock is very dark and there are random rocky hills and sharp ravines. Beautiful and strange place.
I went to church at St. Giles Cathedral, another beautiful place that has been there for so long - I believe it was being built while Mary Queen of Scots was on the throne, and she worshiped there.
Flatmates and the lovely Scottish sunset.
Overall Scotland is a place I would absolutely love to visit again...
~Julia Borghi
It was really, really cold in St. Andrews - and all of Scotland. Apparently we were vising on the weekend of an Arctic Plunge across the UK.
This cathedral in St. Andrews used to be the largest building in all of the UK, until it was ruined during the reformation.
Edinburgh! The city is built on an ancient volcano, so the rock is very dark and there are random rocky hills and sharp ravines. Beautiful and strange place.
I went to church at St. Giles Cathedral, another beautiful place that has been there for so long - I believe it was being built while Mary Queen of Scots was on the throne, and she worshiped there.
Flatmates and the lovely Scottish sunset.
Overall Scotland is a place I would absolutely love to visit again...
~Julia Borghi
Friday, December 5, 2008
November in a Nutshell
Nov 1 – Oxford
Jessamyn and I took the Oxford Tube coach from London to Oxford. Unfortunately it was really cold and rainy that day, but at least we were prepared! The coach station in Oxford was right next to an outdoor market where people were selling food, homemade goods, and crafts. One man was selling gloves, hats, and blankets made from sheep’s skin. Although they felt amazingly soft, it was a little weird because I felt like we probably passed that sheep’s brother in a field on the coach ride there. From the market we walked to the tourist information center to get a proper map. It took way longer than necessary to get there and we even walked right by the center once! We obviously needed that map! Right across from the center was Balliol College, one of the many that makes up Oxford University.
From the center, we walked to the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology. It was basically a bigger version of Penn’s museum. We spent about an hour in the Greek/Roman/Egyptian section looking at hieroglyphics, gem carvings, and sarcophaguses. They even had sections of a tomb in place, although you couldn’t go inside. We made our way up to the portrait gallery and decided we’d had enough after about 25 minutes. I think after all of the places we’ve visited, it’s easy to get “museum-ed out”. From the Ashmolean, we walked to Carfax Tower and climbed the 99 steps up the spiral staircase to the roof. We had an amazing view of the city and it was really neat to see everything. On the side of the tower are the two “quarter boys” that ring the bells under a clock at every quarter hour.
After Carfax Tower we visited Merton College where we ran around on the college green, probably against the rules. The campus was really pretty. There was red ivy everywhere and the leaves on the trees were turning yellow and orange. From there we walked to Bodleian Library where we had a tour of the building. We learned that it was the first official building for Oxford University and that Oxford is the third-oldest university in the world (behind Bologna and Paris). There was a room built for governmental meetings that was used by members of parliament. Jessamyn got to sit in the head chair. In the library there was a tube system where students would request books. The student would write their request on a piece of paper, stick it in a glass tube, and send it down a chute (just like at the bank drive-through!). The tube would get to the underground storehouse across the street in less than 19 seconds. Pretty impressive for something built in the 1800’s!
On the way to Christ College we saw the Sheldonian Theater, All Soul’s College, and the Radcliff Camera. At Christ College, we visited the chapel and the great hall which was used as the dining hall in the Harry Potter films. It’s actually the students’ dining hall now! I learned that Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland), John Wesley (founder of Methodism), and William Penn attended school there. We went to Chequers pub for dinner and dessert and then to Red Lion pub where I tried a new kind of cider. It was still raining when we got the coach back to London.
Nov 2 – Cambridge
We woke up early again to take a coach from London to Cambridge. It was a nicer day; sunny and warmer. We first went to King’s College (my sister school!) and walked around the green and by the river. We couldn’t go into the chapel because it was closed for Sunday services. We walked through the campus and to Clare College. Clare College was founded by Elizabeth de Clare who was married and widowed three times by the time she was 27 years old! Clare College has the oldest bridge along the River Cam. We walked around Trinity College which is the largest and richest college in Oxford and Cambridge. AA Milne (Winnie the Pooh) and Sir Isaac Newton both attended Trinity. Apparently the apple tree by the front gate is a descendant of Newton’s apple tree. There is a large stone statue of King Henry the 8th above the front gate. His gold sword had been replaced with a wooden chair leg because students kept stealing the sword!
After a break for lunch at Tullie’s, Jessa and I went punting down the river Cam. Luckily we had a tour guide for this, so we didn’t have to worry about steering the boat ourselves! From the river we saw Queen’s College and the Mathematical Bridge (all parts of the bridge are based on mathematical aspects of the circle), King’s College, Clare College, Trinity Hall, Trinity College, St. John’s College and the Bridge of Sighs (modeled after the one in Venice), and Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin). We learned that Magdalene College would have been the richest college in Oxford and Cambridge because they owned a large piece of land in London that they rented to a man. That man illegally sold the land that he rented, so Magdalene College couldn’t get the land back. Today, the land is now Covent Gardens!
After punting, we visited Queen’s College, St. Catherine’s College, Corpus Christi College, and St. John’s College. We got to go in to the chapel, walk across the Bridge of Sighs, and visit the students’ dorms known as the Wedding Cake. For dinner, we went to the Eagle which is the oldest pub in Cambridge. On the ceiling there is graffiti from the World Wars left by both British and American soldiers. Before heading home we went for hot chocolate at the Anchor, the pub where Pink Floyd first got its start.
Nov 8, 9, 10 – Paris
From Friday night to Monday, Jessamyn and I visited Kettianne in Paris. I’m definitely going to have to skimp on the details in order to fit the other 2/3 of November into one post, but I’ll write about the highlights. On Saturday we took a 4 hour FREE walking tour of the whole city. We got to see everything! We started at the Fontaine Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter, went to Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Académie Française (where they recently had a debate on the gender of the iPod), the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Egyptian Obelisk, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. Our tour guide George was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and really funny. We had such a great time! Later that night we took another tour with George to Montmartre. We saw the real Moulin Rouge, van Gogh’s house, the oldest surviving windmill in Paris, the oldest (and last) vineyard in Paris, and Basilica Sacré Coeur. From the basilica, we had a great view of the entire city all lit up. It was beautiful. We also got to see the light show on the Eiffel Tower from far away.
The next two days were spent site-seeing. We went inside Notre Dame and to the top of the Eiffel Tower (which was definitely my favorite thing). We walked down Champs-Élysées and saw Louis Vuitton and Cartier and got up close to the Arc de Triomphe. We visited to Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, the Crowning of Napoleon, and Picasso’s “Les Femmes d’Alger”. We also visited the crypt in the Pantheon where St. Joan of Arc, Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, René Cassin, Pierre and Marie Curie, and Louis Braille are all buried. Somehow, we only ate crepes once (such a tragedy!) but it was so fantastic. I got bananas and nutella in mine. I’m making myself hungry! We were definitely sad to leave; Paris has been one of my favorite cities. I guess leaving wasn’t so bad, because there were free video games in our terminal!
Nov 14 – start on Christine Brown ward
We are now on our last clinical rotation for this semester. We’re on Christine Brown ward, which is mostly respiratory medicine, but there are occasionally patients for general medicine. There are usually about 3 to 5 patients with CF on the ward. They are actually the easiest to care for because they are very independent. They give their own medication, inject their own antibiotics through their porta-caths, set up their own nebulizers. I think what makes it hardest on them is that they usually have other diseases along with CF, like diabetes. The CF patients are usually in private rooms to promote reverse isolation (we are basically protecting them from everyone else). Right now there is one patient with a trach. I haven’t cared for him yet; I’ve always been on the other side of the ward. We have a lot of patients who come in with pneumonia or exacerbation of COPD. It’s been very hands on so far, but less busy than on Marjorie Warren (care of the older adult), probably because most of the patients are independent or minimal assist. During lunch time, there is a 2 hour private time for patients where the ward hallway lights are turned off. During this time, no visitors are allowed. Doctors/consultants/therapists are also supposed to give the patients privacy, but they always seem to end up at the bedside anyway. The nursing staff all gets along very well and they work well together which makes working there fun for us.
Nov 19, 20, 21 – Madrid
As with Paris, my Spain trip is going to have to be limited to the highlights. Madrid was amazing! It was so exciting to speak Spanish and finally put it to good use after all these years of learning it. I was a little rusty at first, but I surprised myself with how much I actually knew. Just reading signs helped jog my memory in terms of vocabulary and verb conjugation. The weather in Madrid wasn’t that much warmer than in London, but it was sunny! On Thursday we did another free walking tour with the same company from Paris. Our tour guide started at La Puerta Del Sol where we learned about the Bear and the Madrona tree, and took us to the monastery of the Descalzas Reales (Royal Shoeless Ones). We saw the Royal Opera House, the Royal Palace, the Catedral de Almudena, the oldest restaurant in the world, and Cervantes’ house (writer of Don Quixote). After the tour we went to El Museo Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s “La Quernica”. It was huge! They also had a lot of his primary sketches that he drew a few days before he actually painted the piece. From there we went to the Museo del Prado where we saw famous works by Velázquez and Goya.
On Friday we went to El Parque del Buen Retiro (Good Retreat Park) where we saw El Palacio de Cristal which used to house Filipino flowers. We also rented a boat and rowed around in the lake in front of El Monumento al Rey Alfonso XII. We had so much fun on that boat and took some really funny videos. The weather was incredible and it was so nice to soak up some sun rays! From the park we walked through La Plaza de Independencía and La Puerta de Alcalá. We walked down El Calle Gran Via and got some quality shopping done. For dinner, we went to a restaurant that specialized in paella. We completely finished ours. It was the best paella I’ve ever eaten, and it may be the best that I ever will eat.
Nov 22, 23 – Barcelona
On Saturday we woke up ridiculously early (after 2 hours of sleep) to catch our plane from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona was seriously the cleanest city I’ve ever seen. After Madrid where 99.9% of the population smokes, I was so glad to breathe fresh, clean air. The temperature was warmer too. The center of Barcelona is in a valley, and the city spreads all the way around up the surrounding hills. No matter where we stood, we had amazing views of the city. The only thing that was a challenge in Barcelona was that they speak Catalan. A few people spoke English or Spanish, but it was a little frustrating because I didn’t know how to approach someone. I had to assume that they spoke Spanish and hope for the best. After we checked in to our hostel, we grabbed lunch at a Place called Sandwich and Friends. While we sat we planned all of the sites we wanted to see. From there we took the metro to the funicular that brings you to the base of the hill. Then we took the Teleferic cable car lift up to the Fortress in Montjuic (Hill of the Jews). We got there at sunset, and the views down to the city center were amazing. We could see down to the coast where there were cruise liners and palm trees; it was paradise compared to rainy London! On the way down to the bottom of the hill, Jessamyn sang me “I Can Show You The World” from Aladdin on the Teleferic. It was so romantic. Ha ha ha!
Once we got back to the city center, we walked along La Rambla, one of the main streets. We found a HUGE produce and meat market in the center. They had about 5 stands each for vegetables and fruits, and several for different kinds of meat. There were two stands dedicated to candy (that Jessa and I spent a lot of time drooling over), 1 stand for mushrooms, and 1 stand dedicated entirely to chicken eggs. It was so neat! The market was really packed too; I think people were stopping by on their way home from work to get food for dinner. After we bought a ridiculous amount of candy, Jessa and I continued down La Rambla to the Columbus Monument. From there we walked to La Plaça Reial (Royal Plaza) and ate dinner in the square.
On Sunday we walked from our hostel to La Rambla again. It was so different during the day, there were street markets with homemade crafts and jewelry. We saw the Liceu Theater, but we couldn’t go inside because it was closed to tours. We walked down to the Columbus Monument, and this time we took the lift to the top. We had a 360 panoramic view of the city. It was so beautiful. It was really narrow though, so it was hard to move around. From there we walked to the church of Santa Maria del Mar, and then to the Chocolate Museum where our ticket was a bar of chocolate! They had all different statues made completely out of chocolate. It is incredible how people do that. Then we walked to the Catedral, which is a cluster of churches and holy building. Of course the main steeple was under construction. Construction follows us everywhere! From there we took the metro to La Sagrada Familia, the cathedral the Antoni Gaudi started in 1919. It still isn’t completed yet (most of the windows don’t have glass in them!), and the projected finish date is 2026! From what we could see, it’s going to be really spectacular. From there we walked to La Casa Mila, another work by Gaudi. This building used to be an apartment building. We got tour of the entire building, and even learned how Gaudi designed his architecture. We also got to walk around on the roof, which was really cool. The had an apartment furnished with early 20th century décor, complete with a wall telephone, bathtubs, and children’s toys. After all of that, it was time to pack up our things and head back to London.
~Carly Tourigian
Jessamyn and I took the Oxford Tube coach from London to Oxford. Unfortunately it was really cold and rainy that day, but at least we were prepared! The coach station in Oxford was right next to an outdoor market where people were selling food, homemade goods, and crafts. One man was selling gloves, hats, and blankets made from sheep’s skin. Although they felt amazingly soft, it was a little weird because I felt like we probably passed that sheep’s brother in a field on the coach ride there. From the market we walked to the tourist information center to get a proper map. It took way longer than necessary to get there and we even walked right by the center once! We obviously needed that map! Right across from the center was Balliol College, one of the many that makes up Oxford University.
From the center, we walked to the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology. It was basically a bigger version of Penn’s museum. We spent about an hour in the Greek/Roman/Egyptian section looking at hieroglyphics, gem carvings, and sarcophaguses. They even had sections of a tomb in place, although you couldn’t go inside. We made our way up to the portrait gallery and decided we’d had enough after about 25 minutes. I think after all of the places we’ve visited, it’s easy to get “museum-ed out”. From the Ashmolean, we walked to Carfax Tower and climbed the 99 steps up the spiral staircase to the roof. We had an amazing view of the city and it was really neat to see everything. On the side of the tower are the two “quarter boys” that ring the bells under a clock at every quarter hour.
After Carfax Tower we visited Merton College where we ran around on the college green, probably against the rules. The campus was really pretty. There was red ivy everywhere and the leaves on the trees were turning yellow and orange. From there we walked to Bodleian Library where we had a tour of the building. We learned that it was the first official building for Oxford University and that Oxford is the third-oldest university in the world (behind Bologna and Paris). There was a room built for governmental meetings that was used by members of parliament. Jessamyn got to sit in the head chair. In the library there was a tube system where students would request books. The student would write their request on a piece of paper, stick it in a glass tube, and send it down a chute (just like at the bank drive-through!). The tube would get to the underground storehouse across the street in less than 19 seconds. Pretty impressive for something built in the 1800’s!
On the way to Christ College we saw the Sheldonian Theater, All Soul’s College, and the Radcliff Camera. At Christ College, we visited the chapel and the great hall which was used as the dining hall in the Harry Potter films. It’s actually the students’ dining hall now! I learned that Lewis Carroll (author of Alice in Wonderland), John Wesley (founder of Methodism), and William Penn attended school there. We went to Chequers pub for dinner and dessert and then to Red Lion pub where I tried a new kind of cider. It was still raining when we got the coach back to London.
Nov 2 – Cambridge
We woke up early again to take a coach from London to Cambridge. It was a nicer day; sunny and warmer. We first went to King’s College (my sister school!) and walked around the green and by the river. We couldn’t go into the chapel because it was closed for Sunday services. We walked through the campus and to Clare College. Clare College was founded by Elizabeth de Clare who was married and widowed three times by the time she was 27 years old! Clare College has the oldest bridge along the River Cam. We walked around Trinity College which is the largest and richest college in Oxford and Cambridge. AA Milne (Winnie the Pooh) and Sir Isaac Newton both attended Trinity. Apparently the apple tree by the front gate is a descendant of Newton’s apple tree. There is a large stone statue of King Henry the 8th above the front gate. His gold sword had been replaced with a wooden chair leg because students kept stealing the sword!
After a break for lunch at Tullie’s, Jessa and I went punting down the river Cam. Luckily we had a tour guide for this, so we didn’t have to worry about steering the boat ourselves! From the river we saw Queen’s College and the Mathematical Bridge (all parts of the bridge are based on mathematical aspects of the circle), King’s College, Clare College, Trinity Hall, Trinity College, St. John’s College and the Bridge of Sighs (modeled after the one in Venice), and Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin). We learned that Magdalene College would have been the richest college in Oxford and Cambridge because they owned a large piece of land in London that they rented to a man. That man illegally sold the land that he rented, so Magdalene College couldn’t get the land back. Today, the land is now Covent Gardens!
After punting, we visited Queen’s College, St. Catherine’s College, Corpus Christi College, and St. John’s College. We got to go in to the chapel, walk across the Bridge of Sighs, and visit the students’ dorms known as the Wedding Cake. For dinner, we went to the Eagle which is the oldest pub in Cambridge. On the ceiling there is graffiti from the World Wars left by both British and American soldiers. Before heading home we went for hot chocolate at the Anchor, the pub where Pink Floyd first got its start.
Nov 8, 9, 10 – Paris
From Friday night to Monday, Jessamyn and I visited Kettianne in Paris. I’m definitely going to have to skimp on the details in order to fit the other 2/3 of November into one post, but I’ll write about the highlights. On Saturday we took a 4 hour FREE walking tour of the whole city. We got to see everything! We started at the Fontaine Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter, went to Notre Dame, Pont Neuf, Académie Française (where they recently had a debate on the gender of the iPod), the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Egyptian Obelisk, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. Our tour guide George was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and really funny. We had such a great time! Later that night we took another tour with George to Montmartre. We saw the real Moulin Rouge, van Gogh’s house, the oldest surviving windmill in Paris, the oldest (and last) vineyard in Paris, and Basilica Sacré Coeur. From the basilica, we had a great view of the entire city all lit up. It was beautiful. We also got to see the light show on the Eiffel Tower from far away.
The next two days were spent site-seeing. We went inside Notre Dame and to the top of the Eiffel Tower (which was definitely my favorite thing). We walked down Champs-Élysées and saw Louis Vuitton and Cartier and got up close to the Arc de Triomphe. We visited to Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, the Crowning of Napoleon, and Picasso’s “Les Femmes d’Alger”. We also visited the crypt in the Pantheon where St. Joan of Arc, Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, René Cassin, Pierre and Marie Curie, and Louis Braille are all buried. Somehow, we only ate crepes once (such a tragedy!) but it was so fantastic. I got bananas and nutella in mine. I’m making myself hungry! We were definitely sad to leave; Paris has been one of my favorite cities. I guess leaving wasn’t so bad, because there were free video games in our terminal!
Nov 14 – start on Christine Brown ward
We are now on our last clinical rotation for this semester. We’re on Christine Brown ward, which is mostly respiratory medicine, but there are occasionally patients for general medicine. There are usually about 3 to 5 patients with CF on the ward. They are actually the easiest to care for because they are very independent. They give their own medication, inject their own antibiotics through their porta-caths, set up their own nebulizers. I think what makes it hardest on them is that they usually have other diseases along with CF, like diabetes. The CF patients are usually in private rooms to promote reverse isolation (we are basically protecting them from everyone else). Right now there is one patient with a trach. I haven’t cared for him yet; I’ve always been on the other side of the ward. We have a lot of patients who come in with pneumonia or exacerbation of COPD. It’s been very hands on so far, but less busy than on Marjorie Warren (care of the older adult), probably because most of the patients are independent or minimal assist. During lunch time, there is a 2 hour private time for patients where the ward hallway lights are turned off. During this time, no visitors are allowed. Doctors/consultants/therapists are also supposed to give the patients privacy, but they always seem to end up at the bedside anyway. The nursing staff all gets along very well and they work well together which makes working there fun for us.
Nov 19, 20, 21 – Madrid
As with Paris, my Spain trip is going to have to be limited to the highlights. Madrid was amazing! It was so exciting to speak Spanish and finally put it to good use after all these years of learning it. I was a little rusty at first, but I surprised myself with how much I actually knew. Just reading signs helped jog my memory in terms of vocabulary and verb conjugation. The weather in Madrid wasn’t that much warmer than in London, but it was sunny! On Thursday we did another free walking tour with the same company from Paris. Our tour guide started at La Puerta Del Sol where we learned about the Bear and the Madrona tree, and took us to the monastery of the Descalzas Reales (Royal Shoeless Ones). We saw the Royal Opera House, the Royal Palace, the Catedral de Almudena, the oldest restaurant in the world, and Cervantes’ house (writer of Don Quixote). After the tour we went to El Museo Reina Sofia to see Picasso’s “La Quernica”. It was huge! They also had a lot of his primary sketches that he drew a few days before he actually painted the piece. From there we went to the Museo del Prado where we saw famous works by Velázquez and Goya.
On Friday we went to El Parque del Buen Retiro (Good Retreat Park) where we saw El Palacio de Cristal which used to house Filipino flowers. We also rented a boat and rowed around in the lake in front of El Monumento al Rey Alfonso XII. We had so much fun on that boat and took some really funny videos. The weather was incredible and it was so nice to soak up some sun rays! From the park we walked through La Plaza de Independencía and La Puerta de Alcalá. We walked down El Calle Gran Via and got some quality shopping done. For dinner, we went to a restaurant that specialized in paella. We completely finished ours. It was the best paella I’ve ever eaten, and it may be the best that I ever will eat.
Nov 22, 23 – Barcelona
On Saturday we woke up ridiculously early (after 2 hours of sleep) to catch our plane from Madrid to Barcelona. Barcelona was seriously the cleanest city I’ve ever seen. After Madrid where 99.9% of the population smokes, I was so glad to breathe fresh, clean air. The temperature was warmer too. The center of Barcelona is in a valley, and the city spreads all the way around up the surrounding hills. No matter where we stood, we had amazing views of the city. The only thing that was a challenge in Barcelona was that they speak Catalan. A few people spoke English or Spanish, but it was a little frustrating because I didn’t know how to approach someone. I had to assume that they spoke Spanish and hope for the best. After we checked in to our hostel, we grabbed lunch at a Place called Sandwich and Friends. While we sat we planned all of the sites we wanted to see. From there we took the metro to the funicular that brings you to the base of the hill. Then we took the Teleferic cable car lift up to the Fortress in Montjuic (Hill of the Jews). We got there at sunset, and the views down to the city center were amazing. We could see down to the coast where there were cruise liners and palm trees; it was paradise compared to rainy London! On the way down to the bottom of the hill, Jessamyn sang me “I Can Show You The World” from Aladdin on the Teleferic. It was so romantic. Ha ha ha!
Once we got back to the city center, we walked along La Rambla, one of the main streets. We found a HUGE produce and meat market in the center. They had about 5 stands each for vegetables and fruits, and several for different kinds of meat. There were two stands dedicated to candy (that Jessa and I spent a lot of time drooling over), 1 stand for mushrooms, and 1 stand dedicated entirely to chicken eggs. It was so neat! The market was really packed too; I think people were stopping by on their way home from work to get food for dinner. After we bought a ridiculous amount of candy, Jessa and I continued down La Rambla to the Columbus Monument. From there we walked to La Plaça Reial (Royal Plaza) and ate dinner in the square.
On Sunday we walked from our hostel to La Rambla again. It was so different during the day, there were street markets with homemade crafts and jewelry. We saw the Liceu Theater, but we couldn’t go inside because it was closed to tours. We walked down to the Columbus Monument, and this time we took the lift to the top. We had a 360 panoramic view of the city. It was so beautiful. It was really narrow though, so it was hard to move around. From there we walked to the church of Santa Maria del Mar, and then to the Chocolate Museum where our ticket was a bar of chocolate! They had all different statues made completely out of chocolate. It is incredible how people do that. Then we walked to the Catedral, which is a cluster of churches and holy building. Of course the main steeple was under construction. Construction follows us everywhere! From there we took the metro to La Sagrada Familia, the cathedral the Antoni Gaudi started in 1919. It still isn’t completed yet (most of the windows don’t have glass in them!), and the projected finish date is 2026! From what we could see, it’s going to be really spectacular. From there we walked to La Casa Mila, another work by Gaudi. This building used to be an apartment building. We got tour of the entire building, and even learned how Gaudi designed his architecture. We also got to walk around on the roof, which was really cool. The had an apartment furnished with early 20th century décor, complete with a wall telephone, bathtubs, and children’s toys. After all of that, it was time to pack up our things and head back to London.
~Carly Tourigian
Monday, November 17, 2008
The End of October
The last weekend of October was a busy one! On Friday the 24th, Jessa, Nive, and I went to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The tickets were provided by the Cornell/Brown/Penn UK Centre, so they were only 5 pounds and we were able to put them towards our cultural bonus. The Royal Albert Hall was breathtaking! Inside, everything was red and gold, and there was an enormous vaulted ceiling. It really was fit for a King! The orchestra was accompanied by a (huge) choir, and organist, and a band with percussion, brass, and wind instruments. They performed Faure's Requiem and Berlioz Te Deum, which lasted about 2 hours all together. Our seats were AMAZING! We were in the front row, literally 10 feet behind the conductor! I seriously cannot believe I only paid 5 pounds. We all had such a good time. I have to say, I left feeling very cultured!
That weekend (the last weekend of October) Jessa and I went to Bath. We woke up very early and took a coach from Victoria right to the center of Bath. It only took about 2 hours to get there, and we had a great view of the countryside. There are a lot of cows in England! We first checked in to our room at the YMCA hostel. We had our own room, but we shared a bathroom with the rest of the girls on the hall. We had a great view from our window. After we got settled, we walked to the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is a row of connected townhouses built in the 18th century in a semi-circle. Now, these 4 floor houses sell for 4 million pounds each! Number 1 in the Royal Crescent is now actually a museum. It has been restored to the exact way a house in the Royal Crescent would look in the 18th century. Everything down to the silverware was authentic. We first walked in to the dining room which was set for dinner. The table settings were beautiful! There was a screen in the corner of the room that men stood behind when they had to use the bathroom during dinner. Obviously, in the 1700's there wasn't any running water, so the men just went in a pot, rinsed their hands in a basin of water and sat back down to eat. It was a little more complicated for women, who had to discreetly excuse themselves to their bedrooms and get a servant (or two) to hold their massive dresses. The next room was the study. There were news paper clippings from the time period, but they were really hard to read. I can't believe they've lasted this long! There was also a globe on the desk, which I thought was pretty cool. One of the workers in the house pointed out the hidden door at the back wall where a toilet bowel was kept. Gross! In the hallway, there was a small wooden end table with some drawing encased in glass. When we walked by it, Jessa tripped on the table and set an alarm off. I was laughing so hard! We thought someone was going to come yell at us, but no one even said anything. Upstairs, we saw the sitting room. It was so neat! There was an old harpsichord in the room. On the inside, there was a large piece of painted silk covering the hammers. The wallpaper was so cool. It was silk fabric with velvet designs on it. It was a fabulous lime green color! I'm not sure how they even got it to stick on the walls, because it's so thick. The last room was a woman's bedroom. The bed was a huge canopy bed. It looked so nice and fluffy. The dressing table had a mirror, wash basin, and hairpins from the 18th century. Another worker told us that because there was no running water, it was hard for people to bathe. They used to just wash from the wash basin with a sponge about once a week. They relied on powder and perfume to cover their smell. People didn't really wash their hair either, so they wore powdered wigs. I can't tell you how happy I am to live in the 21st century! In the hallway, there was a costume box full of dress up clothes. Jessa and I put on silk masks, hats, and lace collars. I can't even begin to tell you how dumb I looked, but it really was funny. There was a little boy who was also playing dress up. He was all decked out in pearls, lace, and pink silk and was posing for his mom. I couldn't stop giggling! The last room in the house was the kitchen. We saw old mousetraps (which probably were more effective than the modern day mousetrap!) and kitchen utensils. By the fireplace was the dog wheel. They used to put a little dog in the wheel and make him run. That would turn the spit, so the meet would rotate in the fire. The dog that used to live in that house is now stuffed and in a museum somewhere! Anther worker told us about sugar as an indication of status. Sugar was very expensive back in the 1700's. The more sugary food a host was able to provide for his guests, the more rich he was. The head cook of the house actually worked as the "sugar police", keeping a close eye on the block of sugar and locking it up when it wasn't needed.
After the Royal Crescent, we walked through the Circus to the Fashion Museum. The Circus is a row of town homes much like those in the Royal Crescent, but they're in a complete circle. It's pretty neat! In the fashion museum, we saw all types of outfits from the 1800's to present day. We got to see different types of men's and women's daywear, formal wear, and swimsuits. There was a whole section just on women's underwear! Jessa tried on a corset and a wire skirt. It took forever to get them on! I put on a hat that looked like something Captain Jack Sparrow would wear. Seriously, we were so attractive. From the Fashion Museum, we walked to the Roman Baths. I had heard a lot about them, but it was definitely not what I expected. We first saw the open-air bath from above. It wasn't originally open, there used to be a vaulted ceiling, but it collapsed. The water in the open bath is green because it is exposed to sunlight, which makes algae grow. We also got to see the Sacred Spring from above, which is the bath built specifically for the King. For awhile, we were inside the building where there are ruins from some of the original baths and the outside forum. We also got to walk in rooms that used to function as saunas. Most of the baths were warmer than the main bath. People would go from the saunas to the indoor baths to relax, and then to main bath to swim. Back then, men and women used to bathe together! When we got outside again, we sat on the side of the main bath for awhile. It was weird how warm it was, and you could see steam coming off of the top! It was nice to relax by the side of the bath, although it would have been really neat to go swimming in it! On the one side of the bath, we could see the natural hot spring that supplies all of the baths. I thought the water would be warm like the main bath, but it was actually hot! The water also smelled like an old water fountain, so there must be a lot of iron in it.
From the Roman Baths, we walked around the main part of town. We got some good views of the Bath Abbey, but we didn't go inside. There were candy and glass stores everywhere! We got to sample a piece of fudge in a chocolate shop. Let me tell you, I was in heaven for the 30 seconds it took me to eat that. As much as I like it, Ocean City fudge pales in comparison to the piece I ate. For dinner, Jessa and I went to Sally Lunn's. Sally Lunn's house is the oldest house in Bath. Apparently, Sally took refuge in Bath after fleeing from Huguenot France and opened a bakery. We had a nice piece of the famous Sally Lunn Bun with our dinner. No wonder Sally is so legendary! After dinner, we went to a bar called Huntsman (yay!) where we tried Blackthorns cider with blackcurrant syrup. It was so good! In England, it is really hard to find things that are grape flavored. Instead, everything is blackcurrant. There's blackcurrant jam, blackcurrant tea, and blackcurrant water (Ribena). Even the purple Skittles are blackcurrant! I am seriously going to miss blackcurrant in America. Looking back, I can't believe how much there is do to in such a small town! We walked from one side of Bath to the other in about 20 minutes. That night we turned the clocks back for Daylight Savings. We got a much needed extra hour of sleep.
The next morning, we met for the MadMax tour. Although there was no rain in the forecast, it rained anyway. I should be used to that by now. Luckily, we brought umbrellas, but I was in no way dressed appropriately for rain. Of course I wore my cloth sneakers and extra long jeans… perfect for dragging mud around! The MadMax tour is definitely one of my favorite things we've done so far. We were in a small bus with 11 other people from all over the world. 4 people were from Australia, 2 were from Alaska, 2 were from Holland, 2 were from the Republic of Ireland, and 1 was from Japan. Our tour guide was from Bath, and he was so friendly and knowledgeable! The first stop was Stonehenge. Our tour guide gave us some background on Stonehenge before we got there. The audio guides provided at the site were also very useful. There is still no proof as to why Stonehenge was built. The most relevant theory is that it was used as a calendar. As the earth rotates, the sun shines through the stones landing on the center stone. The sun shines moves right to shine through the next set of stones at the beginning of each month. During the summer and winter solstice, the sun shines from one station stone on the edge, to the center stone, and lands on the other station stone on the opposite end of the monument. There is a stone on the edge of the monument called the slaughter stone. According to legends, sacrificial slaughters took place on this stone, staining it red. In actuality, there is a mineral in the stone that turns red when the stone gets wet.
Next we drove to Avebury where there is another megalithic stone monument. These stones are even larger than those at Stonehenge and you can touch them! Apparently, the stones have a special energy that can supposedly heal sickness. We actually saw two people rocking on their hands and touching their forehead to the stone at every rock at the monument. One problem we at Avebury was the fact that there were sheep everywhere. Everywhere we stepped was a landmine! The rain definitely didn't help either! On our way to the next site we saw the Cherhill White Horse. White horses were carved into the sides of hills in the chalk that underlies the soil around the 1700's. You can see these horses from miles away. The horses were carved at a 45 degree angle so that the proportions of the horse are correct when you look at it from the ground. We also saw a crop circle! It was so crazy. A lot of people believe that cop circles are caused by aliens. Although that's probably not the case, crop circles are really something to marvel at, since they appear over night. It is almost impossible for just a few people to carve these complicated, perfectly symmetric designs into the ground in the dark in only a few hours. It's almost as if there's no explanation for them! We also saw Silbury Hill, which is the largest man-made object from prehistoric Europe. It was built almost 4800 years ago, and is basically a mount of white chalk. It looks as if it was covered with dirt and grass almost as soon as it was completed. It took longer to build than Stonehenge, but they still have no idea as to its purpose.
After Avebury, we drove to the National Trust Village of Lacock. Since the National Trust owns the town (sold to them by the Tudors on the 1950's), every resident rents their house from the Trust. Our guide told us that is it very hard for someone to move to Lacock, since priority for housing is given to people that have connections to Lacock. There has been no building for the past 200 years, so you feel like you've gone back in time when you're walking around. Lacock was actually used for scenes in the original Pride and Prejudice movie. We also saw the Abbey that was used in the first two Harry Potter movies, and the house that was used as Harry Potter's parent's house. We walked along the street that was used for Hogsmeade in the upcoming HP film. In the middle of town, there is a small stone hut called the Blind Room. There are no windows, just a rock slab for a bed and a hole dug in the ground for a toilet. This is the room that excessively drunk people would be locked in for the night to be taught a lesson. I sat on the stone bed, and even with a little light coming in from the open door it was really freaky. Seems more like torture than a punishment! For lunch we ate at the George Inn. The George Inn was built in 1362 and has a dog wheel just like there was at the Royal Crescent! It's not in use, obviously, but it was neat to see that dog wheels were a common thing back in the day. Jessa got fish n' chips and I got Cottage Pie. Anything in pie is usually good, especially when it's homemade!
From Lacock we drove to Castle Combe, right in the middle of the Cotswolds. A long time ago, the town was a woolen town with a lot of weavers. We saw the house where the master weavers, the Blanket brothers, lived. As you can guess, that's where the term "blanket" came from! Castle Combe only has a population of about 200. That's 1/3 of the size of my high school graduating class! I can't imagine living in a town with only 200 residents. Everyone has to be related! In the middle of town (there are only 4 roads) there is the Centre Cross. This used to be used as a market area where people would buy their meat and produce. The cross was significant for two reasons: firstly it was to mark the central location for buying and selling. Second, it was to remind the vendors to be honest because God could see them. From Castle Combe, we drove back to Bath. When we got back, Jessa and I walked to Pulteney Bridge. The bridge looks a lot like Ponte Veccio in Florence except it's not covered with jewelry stores. We got there just as the sun was setting, and it was so beautiful. We went to this restaurant called Garfunkel's for dinner. Because Jessa and I have such stellar eating habits, we got huge desserts for dinner instead. They were so good! I planned to eat the sandwich that I brought on the way home, just do that I ate an actually dinner, but that never happened. I'm glad I'm setting such a good example as a nurse! Ha ha ha!
~Carly Tourigian
That weekend (the last weekend of October) Jessa and I went to Bath. We woke up very early and took a coach from Victoria right to the center of Bath. It only took about 2 hours to get there, and we had a great view of the countryside. There are a lot of cows in England! We first checked in to our room at the YMCA hostel. We had our own room, but we shared a bathroom with the rest of the girls on the hall. We had a great view from our window. After we got settled, we walked to the Royal Crescent. The Royal Crescent is a row of connected townhouses built in the 18th century in a semi-circle. Now, these 4 floor houses sell for 4 million pounds each! Number 1 in the Royal Crescent is now actually a museum. It has been restored to the exact way a house in the Royal Crescent would look in the 18th century. Everything down to the silverware was authentic. We first walked in to the dining room which was set for dinner. The table settings were beautiful! There was a screen in the corner of the room that men stood behind when they had to use the bathroom during dinner. Obviously, in the 1700's there wasn't any running water, so the men just went in a pot, rinsed their hands in a basin of water and sat back down to eat. It was a little more complicated for women, who had to discreetly excuse themselves to their bedrooms and get a servant (or two) to hold their massive dresses. The next room was the study. There were news paper clippings from the time period, but they were really hard to read. I can't believe they've lasted this long! There was also a globe on the desk, which I thought was pretty cool. One of the workers in the house pointed out the hidden door at the back wall where a toilet bowel was kept. Gross! In the hallway, there was a small wooden end table with some drawing encased in glass. When we walked by it, Jessa tripped on the table and set an alarm off. I was laughing so hard! We thought someone was going to come yell at us, but no one even said anything. Upstairs, we saw the sitting room. It was so neat! There was an old harpsichord in the room. On the inside, there was a large piece of painted silk covering the hammers. The wallpaper was so cool. It was silk fabric with velvet designs on it. It was a fabulous lime green color! I'm not sure how they even got it to stick on the walls, because it's so thick. The last room was a woman's bedroom. The bed was a huge canopy bed. It looked so nice and fluffy. The dressing table had a mirror, wash basin, and hairpins from the 18th century. Another worker told us that because there was no running water, it was hard for people to bathe. They used to just wash from the wash basin with a sponge about once a week. They relied on powder and perfume to cover their smell. People didn't really wash their hair either, so they wore powdered wigs. I can't tell you how happy I am to live in the 21st century! In the hallway, there was a costume box full of dress up clothes. Jessa and I put on silk masks, hats, and lace collars. I can't even begin to tell you how dumb I looked, but it really was funny. There was a little boy who was also playing dress up. He was all decked out in pearls, lace, and pink silk and was posing for his mom. I couldn't stop giggling! The last room in the house was the kitchen. We saw old mousetraps (which probably were more effective than the modern day mousetrap!) and kitchen utensils. By the fireplace was the dog wheel. They used to put a little dog in the wheel and make him run. That would turn the spit, so the meet would rotate in the fire. The dog that used to live in that house is now stuffed and in a museum somewhere! Anther worker told us about sugar as an indication of status. Sugar was very expensive back in the 1700's. The more sugary food a host was able to provide for his guests, the more rich he was. The head cook of the house actually worked as the "sugar police", keeping a close eye on the block of sugar and locking it up when it wasn't needed.
After the Royal Crescent, we walked through the Circus to the Fashion Museum. The Circus is a row of town homes much like those in the Royal Crescent, but they're in a complete circle. It's pretty neat! In the fashion museum, we saw all types of outfits from the 1800's to present day. We got to see different types of men's and women's daywear, formal wear, and swimsuits. There was a whole section just on women's underwear! Jessa tried on a corset and a wire skirt. It took forever to get them on! I put on a hat that looked like something Captain Jack Sparrow would wear. Seriously, we were so attractive. From the Fashion Museum, we walked to the Roman Baths. I had heard a lot about them, but it was definitely not what I expected. We first saw the open-air bath from above. It wasn't originally open, there used to be a vaulted ceiling, but it collapsed. The water in the open bath is green because it is exposed to sunlight, which makes algae grow. We also got to see the Sacred Spring from above, which is the bath built specifically for the King. For awhile, we were inside the building where there are ruins from some of the original baths and the outside forum. We also got to walk in rooms that used to function as saunas. Most of the baths were warmer than the main bath. People would go from the saunas to the indoor baths to relax, and then to main bath to swim. Back then, men and women used to bathe together! When we got outside again, we sat on the side of the main bath for awhile. It was weird how warm it was, and you could see steam coming off of the top! It was nice to relax by the side of the bath, although it would have been really neat to go swimming in it! On the one side of the bath, we could see the natural hot spring that supplies all of the baths. I thought the water would be warm like the main bath, but it was actually hot! The water also smelled like an old water fountain, so there must be a lot of iron in it.
From the Roman Baths, we walked around the main part of town. We got some good views of the Bath Abbey, but we didn't go inside. There were candy and glass stores everywhere! We got to sample a piece of fudge in a chocolate shop. Let me tell you, I was in heaven for the 30 seconds it took me to eat that. As much as I like it, Ocean City fudge pales in comparison to the piece I ate. For dinner, Jessa and I went to Sally Lunn's. Sally Lunn's house is the oldest house in Bath. Apparently, Sally took refuge in Bath after fleeing from Huguenot France and opened a bakery. We had a nice piece of the famous Sally Lunn Bun with our dinner. No wonder Sally is so legendary! After dinner, we went to a bar called Huntsman (yay!) where we tried Blackthorns cider with blackcurrant syrup. It was so good! In England, it is really hard to find things that are grape flavored. Instead, everything is blackcurrant. There's blackcurrant jam, blackcurrant tea, and blackcurrant water (Ribena). Even the purple Skittles are blackcurrant! I am seriously going to miss blackcurrant in America. Looking back, I can't believe how much there is do to in such a small town! We walked from one side of Bath to the other in about 20 minutes. That night we turned the clocks back for Daylight Savings. We got a much needed extra hour of sleep.
The next morning, we met for the MadMax tour. Although there was no rain in the forecast, it rained anyway. I should be used to that by now. Luckily, we brought umbrellas, but I was in no way dressed appropriately for rain. Of course I wore my cloth sneakers and extra long jeans… perfect for dragging mud around! The MadMax tour is definitely one of my favorite things we've done so far. We were in a small bus with 11 other people from all over the world. 4 people were from Australia, 2 were from Alaska, 2 were from Holland, 2 were from the Republic of Ireland, and 1 was from Japan. Our tour guide was from Bath, and he was so friendly and knowledgeable! The first stop was Stonehenge. Our tour guide gave us some background on Stonehenge before we got there. The audio guides provided at the site were also very useful. There is still no proof as to why Stonehenge was built. The most relevant theory is that it was used as a calendar. As the earth rotates, the sun shines through the stones landing on the center stone. The sun shines moves right to shine through the next set of stones at the beginning of each month. During the summer and winter solstice, the sun shines from one station stone on the edge, to the center stone, and lands on the other station stone on the opposite end of the monument. There is a stone on the edge of the monument called the slaughter stone. According to legends, sacrificial slaughters took place on this stone, staining it red. In actuality, there is a mineral in the stone that turns red when the stone gets wet.
Next we drove to Avebury where there is another megalithic stone monument. These stones are even larger than those at Stonehenge and you can touch them! Apparently, the stones have a special energy that can supposedly heal sickness. We actually saw two people rocking on their hands and touching their forehead to the stone at every rock at the monument. One problem we at Avebury was the fact that there were sheep everywhere. Everywhere we stepped was a landmine! The rain definitely didn't help either! On our way to the next site we saw the Cherhill White Horse. White horses were carved into the sides of hills in the chalk that underlies the soil around the 1700's. You can see these horses from miles away. The horses were carved at a 45 degree angle so that the proportions of the horse are correct when you look at it from the ground. We also saw a crop circle! It was so crazy. A lot of people believe that cop circles are caused by aliens. Although that's probably not the case, crop circles are really something to marvel at, since they appear over night. It is almost impossible for just a few people to carve these complicated, perfectly symmetric designs into the ground in the dark in only a few hours. It's almost as if there's no explanation for them! We also saw Silbury Hill, which is the largest man-made object from prehistoric Europe. It was built almost 4800 years ago, and is basically a mount of white chalk. It looks as if it was covered with dirt and grass almost as soon as it was completed. It took longer to build than Stonehenge, but they still have no idea as to its purpose.
After Avebury, we drove to the National Trust Village of Lacock. Since the National Trust owns the town (sold to them by the Tudors on the 1950's), every resident rents their house from the Trust. Our guide told us that is it very hard for someone to move to Lacock, since priority for housing is given to people that have connections to Lacock. There has been no building for the past 200 years, so you feel like you've gone back in time when you're walking around. Lacock was actually used for scenes in the original Pride and Prejudice movie. We also saw the Abbey that was used in the first two Harry Potter movies, and the house that was used as Harry Potter's parent's house. We walked along the street that was used for Hogsmeade in the upcoming HP film. In the middle of town, there is a small stone hut called the Blind Room. There are no windows, just a rock slab for a bed and a hole dug in the ground for a toilet. This is the room that excessively drunk people would be locked in for the night to be taught a lesson. I sat on the stone bed, and even with a little light coming in from the open door it was really freaky. Seems more like torture than a punishment! For lunch we ate at the George Inn. The George Inn was built in 1362 and has a dog wheel just like there was at the Royal Crescent! It's not in use, obviously, but it was neat to see that dog wheels were a common thing back in the day. Jessa got fish n' chips and I got Cottage Pie. Anything in pie is usually good, especially when it's homemade!
From Lacock we drove to Castle Combe, right in the middle of the Cotswolds. A long time ago, the town was a woolen town with a lot of weavers. We saw the house where the master weavers, the Blanket brothers, lived. As you can guess, that's where the term "blanket" came from! Castle Combe only has a population of about 200. That's 1/3 of the size of my high school graduating class! I can't imagine living in a town with only 200 residents. Everyone has to be related! In the middle of town (there are only 4 roads) there is the Centre Cross. This used to be used as a market area where people would buy their meat and produce. The cross was significant for two reasons: firstly it was to mark the central location for buying and selling. Second, it was to remind the vendors to be honest because God could see them. From Castle Combe, we drove back to Bath. When we got back, Jessa and I walked to Pulteney Bridge. The bridge looks a lot like Ponte Veccio in Florence except it's not covered with jewelry stores. We got there just as the sun was setting, and it was so beautiful. We went to this restaurant called Garfunkel's for dinner. Because Jessa and I have such stellar eating habits, we got huge desserts for dinner instead. They were so good! I planned to eat the sandwich that I brought on the way home, just do that I ate an actually dinner, but that never happened. I'm glad I'm setting such a good example as a nurse! Ha ha ha!
~Carly Tourigian
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Work Week Pictures
Ready for work!!
Everyone at the hospital wears a specific coloured uniform; student nurses have the (stunning) turquoise dress. I also have a white "tunic" with turquoise piping that goes over turquoise trousers. When I go to observe procedures in the "theatre" (operating room), I get to wear scrubs. I'm missing my Penn Nursing uniform and my Dansko clogs.
I usually leave my house around 7am and arrive at John Radcliffe Hospital just as the sun is rising (7:30am, although we're turning the clocks back this weekend so it should be a little lighter!)
This is the ward I'm on - the Cardiac Day Case Unit (CDCU ). There are 9 beds, and each nurse cares for 2-3 patients - plus there are various assistants around to help out - it's quite busy!
I worked 4 shifts this week and I learned so much - but I'm exhausted. And I have to write an essay all weekend - plus get together with 3 or 4 girls for lunch or dinner - and I have frisbee practice - and I'd like to sleep. I'm not sure why I was thinking that coming abroad would be less busy than going to Penn... !
~Julia Borghi
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