The End

Now that we're back in Albuquerque, we have yet to work on our paper, poster, and oral presentation about our stay in Farmington. Looking back at the objectives we listed in our very first post, we did at least address everything written there. FET is well on its way to becoming more widely spread in schools throughout the state and the country, but of course, the first step is Farmington. There is little, if anything, in need of improvement in the FET program--except that the team of 2 is severely understaffed. If anyone reading this post, instructors especially, but also desk-job employees or full-time students, is interested in incorporating the Full Engagement Training--for a healthy body, mind, and spirit--please let us know. Either leave us a comment or send us an e-mail at missionfarmington@gmail.com.

Implementing new policies with Red Apple Transit is going to take some time and appears to be a project within itself. We're hoping to establish an additional transit route in the opposite direction of what is in place now. That way, instead of having to sit on a bus and wait an hour to get to a particular destination that's closer if you went the other way down the street, you can sit on a bus that travels the shorter path. What logic. 

Only after this major concern is addressed would the committee have any time to talk about discounts for women in WIC or families on food stamps. Again, e-mail us if you're interested in learning more.

The job/health fairs were successful because they happened. We organized these events with 13 vendors in the first, and 19 vendors in the second. They gave out tons of free information in the form of pamphlets, brochures, and oral word, along with freebies like coupons and small prizes. Our BA/MD group raffled off two first-aid kits and an adorable, squishy, stuffed monkey.  You would've loved that monkey if you attended the first job/health fair.

The most sincere Thank You to all the vendors, public attendees, and to everyone who helped us to organize and promote the job/health fairs.

Randomosity

Do you know how it feels to go 20 days without flossing?

I do. It's disgusting.

 When my parents came up to Farmington with me the day I moved into the hotel, my mother stuck my Ziploc bag of dental floss and cough medicine in a random drawer of a bedside chest I rarely use. I happened to look inside the drawer one day in search of the phonebook (which wasn't even there) and was overjoyed to finally find my floss. I swear my teeth felt more loose than usual as the bacteria clustered between them and ate away the enamel. Yum.

In other news, the movie "Cars 2" was not as great as the original, but still okay. As a group, we recommend waiting for the DVD release and renting it then.

In other, other news, "Blue Moon Diner" has an old-school feel of which I am very fond.

In yet other news, we're going to cook dinner for some important members of the community tomorrow night; it's our way of saying, "thank you." Wish us luck; none of us are skilled chefs.

How It All Went Down...

Yesterday's Job/Health Fair started off--and ended--much more smoothly than expected. Z, S, and I departed from our hotel together and met up with J at Sycamore Park Community Center about 9:40 AM to hang up signs at the front of the center, inside the gym, and along Murray. We had neglected to bring our own duct tape, so we borrowed a silver-gray roll from the community center to tape our poster to a telephone pole. It did not survive the duration of the Job/Health Fair. Duct tape stinks.

Close to 11 AM, Z and I were struck with the idea of going to the Copy Center near Big K-Mart and printing more mini-flyers to post on car windshields and hand to people in the streets of Downtown. Well, we ended up printing 240 copies, passing them out to people in the parking lot of Big K-Mart and posting it on random cars' windshields. We then targeted Safeway and did the same, and next Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart, however, a security guard drove up in his Jeep to scold me for breaking a "Wal-Mart law": no flyer posting in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I was unable to escape before he drove up to me, as my Ninja skills are a little out-of-practice.

But lucky us: we had passed out most of the flyers by the time I was caught.

Z and I proceeded back to the community center, where J and S were holding down the fort. J told us that a spurt of adult customers had come and gone shortly before we arrived, which was good news. But alas, that was the only spurt we were going to get that day. Those who came in afterwards were elementary and middle school-aged kids who really had no interest in Medicaid/Medicare, the BA/MD Program, or gym memberships. Sigh. So many cool give-aways neglected. Ah, well.

We feel pretty badly looking back now, since throughout the event, we passed out water, Sun Chips, and trail mix granola bars to all of our nineteen vendors--except the EMT giving Ambulance Tours outside. OMG! In the burning hot sun he suffered, explaining the many intricacies of Ambulances' technological features and wearing long black pants the whole time...dehydrated.   :-(    We apologized profusely afterward, but he was in good spirits and had his own H2O.

Remember: Water = Life.  Drink Life.

Have it with you everywhere you go.

That's both practical and philosophical advice, mind you.

The Job/Health Fair ended early, in an effort to avoid wasting vendors' valuable time, but no one seemed all too disappointed. They knew we had worked hard to organize it, and apparently it's a HUGE challenge to encourage the public to attend a free and educational event, filled with spectacular prizes and full-of-potential opportunities for both health and employment.

The four of us had lunch at The Deli Factory, which was surprisingly tasty. The artwork on the walls was awesome. One painting in particular caught my eye. It speaks to me, stirs me:  The Accolade by Edmund Blair Leighton. 

You know you're tempted to look it up now. Do it.

Important Message

Keep in mind everyone:

Tomorrow, Monday, June 27th, is our Job/Health Fair at the Sycamore Park Community Center from 11 AM - 2 PM.

22 vendors from all over Farmington are expected to attend! Be sure you don't miss it! 

Continuing Friday

We talked to the Youth Conservation Corp at Rocinante High School about the BA/MD Program and college life in general. We were nervous to be approaching high school students, particularly those students who are "too cool" be attentive. Yeah, we remember those days. We know how high school students can be.

BUT NO. None of the students in the YCC were disrespectful. Not once did eyes glance away from us; the students were interactive, and they were tolerant of an obviously "winged" presentation. Several of them had already graduated and were preparing for college in the fall. We wish you all the best, and even if you are not interested in the BA/MD Program for yourself, we hope you pass on the information. Keep in mind our advice to not stress about college. It's honestly not that intimidating, and it is clear that you are all loyal to your studies. That's the key. Diligence. 

Next, we made 400 copies of mini-flyers for the next Job/Health Fair on Monday, June 27th--11 AM to 2 PM at Sycamore Park Community Center. They were posted in restaurants like Andrea Kristina's and Three Rivers Brewery & Pizzeria, in addition to the windshields of random cars lining the streets and parking lots of major department stores. We'll probably do it again tomorrow and Sunday. 

For now, my sandals are digging so deeply into my toes, I simply refuse to do it anymore. Plus, have you felt how HOT it is outside? Well, don't go through the trouble; I'll let you know that it's a tad bit uncomfortable. Stay indoors, if you can, in the peak hours of day (11 AM - 3 PM), but if you do travel, slather on plenty of sunscreen and wear a sombrero. 

Tonight, S will go out to a barbecue and volleyball game with a local Church group, while Z, J, and I go to dinner at J's home. J's mother is a fantabulous chef and is just as wonderful with her dessert concoctions. Then we'll all meet up at the Sandstone Theater to watch "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." 

Tomorrow: rock-wall climbing!

A Packed Day

We failed to mention in our last post that "Hulk," starring Eric Bana, was also an impressive superhero film. "The Incredible Hulk," with Edward Norton wasn't bad, but the one with Bana was darker and quite simply, better. 

We met with our teacher from UNM for the last time today, in regards to our homework and the community health project.  S and J decided they wanted coffee afterwards, and "Andrea Kristina's Bookstore & Kafe" was the next street over. I was instantly excited, as I had worked on homework there for nearly 4 hours last Wednesday afternoon. Seeing how it was already noon, we ended up buying lunch. J and Z got into some ridiculous, 30-minute debate about healthcare, philosophy, and ethics shortly afterward. I had heard enough after 5 minutes and ran away to explore the books and then the street outside.

We are off to visit a high school, but there is more to come....

Setting Sail and Puking Green

In other news, we did watch "The Green Lantern" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

Actually, we didn't all watch "Green Lantern" together; rather, after a night of shadowing in the ER and sleeping sporadically throughout the next day, I stole away all by my lonesome to watch it in a theater that was packed all the way to the very front seats. And yes, I do mean the seats that are so close to the screen that you get a neck-ache looking up at it.

The movie was great, though perhaps it fell a tad bit below my expectations. I felt as though the storyline was rushed. You had some, but not very much, attachment to the characters, and one of the villains in the film was defeated far too easily--his death wasn't even honorable. Seriously, have some respect for the guy and give him a defeat worth remembering. Don't make him forgettable.It seems all superhero movies nowadays are struggling to reach the level of the "Spider-Man" films, but only "The Dark Knight" has come close in quality.

My title suggests that "Green Lantern" was "puke-able," "vomit-able," "throw-uppable," "throwing chunks-able" (why do we have so many words for vomiting?!), but it was not. I just thought the title to the post was clever. "Green Lantern" worth my decision to see it at the theater, though a considerable number of people will walk out of the movies wishing they had waited for the DVD. 

I might as well take this moment to share a couple of my favorite villains of all time with you, some of which are Disney characters, including Randall from "Monsters, Inc." and Syndrome from "The Incredibles." I also liked the Australian dude with the lizard named Joanna from "Rescuers Down Under" and Ursula from "The Little Mermaid." Who is your favorite villain (Disney or otherwise)? Let us know in the comments or shoot us an e-mail at missionfarmington@gmail.com.

Now, "Pirates": not as good as the other films. As if it wasn't enough that Orlando and Keira were nowhere to be found (which we had all known about for some time now), the romances in the movie were completely irrelevant. At least Orlando and Keira made sense--it was complicated, and they weren't sure how they felt about admitting their feelings. Mushy talk. "Pirates" wasn't a foul attempt, but they need to stop here, before the series is looked upon as any other action-packed but story-empty series. The first movie was refreshing and dark, but neither originality nor darkness were anywhere to be found in the fourth movie. I have to admit that my enjoyment level had been decreasing with each additional film.

To soothe our sorrowful hearts after the Job/Health Fair today, we picked up lunch at "Hometown Hamburgers," where I was delighted to find a most delicious Garden Burger to suit my vegetarian needs. My groupmates--all of whom are carnivores--seemed to very much enjoy their own meals of hamburgers and 1/2-pound cheeseburgers. We dined under the awning of Civitan Park and frolicked on the swingsets, jungle gyms, and green hills afterwards. Each of us made videos and took pictures along the way, including videos of every single one of us recording each other. J found a slow-motion application on his phone, and S suggested I run in the fields (in heels!) so we could play around with the slow-mo option.  Result: I looked lanky and fragile to the point of comical.

Upon playing a make-believe game of croquet in the garden of our hotel, as well as allowing J to explore our abode (remember he lives at home while Z, S, and I are staying at an inn), Mr. and Mrs. Darnell treated us to a work-dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Outback was also good about finding an herbivore something to eat amongst all that steak. Lucky, lucky.

A Worldwide Phenomenon

We just realized that, in addition to readers in the United States, we have followers from Malaysia, Germany, and Canada. Thank you so much; we are humbled. 

We just had our first Job/Health Fair at Farmington Public Library, the same day as the Summer Solstice Ceremony and the weekly Arts & Crafts Fair.

So the big question is:  How did it go?

Well, it was mediocre, at best. We had an acceptable number of vendors--most of which were health-related, due to little response from employers in the city--and though large groups of kids usually accompany large groups of parents, that's NOT how it all went down this time. Most of the kids that attended the Arts & Crafts Fair, which was held in the same room as our Job/Health Fair (we split the room down the middle with an invisible line), were part of day care or kid-camp groups. Thus, parents were few. Few parents means few visitors to the Job/Health booths. :-(

The coolest part of our Job/Health Fair from a kid's perspective was probably the ambulance tour in the parking lot. Which, come to think of it, is cool from anyone's perspective, don't you agree? 

So...we have a bit of work to do for next Monday's Job/Health Fair at the Sycamore Park Community Center. But I think we'll get there. We'll have to be a little more hard-core in searching for employers to show up as vendors, but most of our work will involve encouraging the general public to attend.

Seriously, guys, there were so many prizes and raffles today, it was absolutely pitiful that barely anyone even entered, just because barely anyone attended. A ton of great information is shared at these fairs, and it's always very much worth your time to undergo free medical diagnostic tests--some of which even we, pre-med students, didn't know existed--and to have a chance to win free stuff. 

ATTENTION, EVERYONE:

Next Job/Health Fair: Monday, June 27th at Sycamore Park Community Center

If you have any questions or are interested  in being a vendor, feel free to e-mail us at missionfarmington@gmail.com.

We cannot ever try to suggest that the Farmington Public Library was an inconvenient locale. The library and its staff were absolutely wonderful. Very supportive, very energetic, and very dedicated to serving the families of the community. Thank you most especially again to Mr. Florez, Ms. Trujillo, and Byron. We are completely sincere when we say: We could not have accomplished what we did without you.

Guilt Trip and Rehab

So I just came back from the kitchen, having fixed myself a little sum'n-sum'n, and I'm a little bummed out. S just washed all of our dishes, for the second time. I've done it a couple of times, too, but I don't like it when other people wash  my dishes. It makes me uncomfortable. She's not my mom, after all, and therefore has no responsibility towards MY dishes. But this is her plan, see...her swift attack against my inherent laziness: The Guilt Trip. A classic move, but oh, so effective.  And she knows it.

Actually, I think S was just being nice. Seeing how terribly busy I was chatting my brains out on this blog, she found a way to ease my tensions by cleaning up after my sloppy self. But I shall resist! From this day forth, I Am The Dirty Dishwasher!  Armed with my Sponge of Steel Wool and Soap of Honest Cleanliness, I shall vanquish the evil spirits of Meals Past. 


At 3:30 pm, after S had gone to shadow her physician, J, Z, and I attended a City Health Improvement Council Meeting at the San Juan Rehabilitation Hospital (a homely place with employees that actually pay attention to their visitors and patients), which was not only insightful, but informative and inspiring. We learned of a few more potential vendors for our Job/Health Fairs--always helpful. Farmington, believe it or not, you have a dedicated group of people working for all of you behind-the-scenes. Do you know who the members are? Probably not. Yet, they continue to put forth their volunteering efforts. Thank you to the Council for your service.  

Mixed Emotions

Just in time for the new Friday,  it's been confirmed that Rebecca Black's "Friday" video has been removed from YouTube, due to copyright claim by the singer herself.  I noticed a long while ago that comments had been disabled, which makes sense, because there are some seriously vicious people out there. The video should've remained, though, unless it just became too unbearable for Rebecca to stand. The early to mid-teen years are not very fun--too much drama, no matter how hard you try to stay away. The advice I can give, though, is to hang with the right crowd. Find a sincere group of friends who are decent and well-grounded. Social life will not be a problem.

The week has been eventful in many different ways. Monday morning, J and I met Ms. Liz Lastra of KOBF and filmed a 30-second PSA that should be airing soon. She recommended that we come in at least a week and half in advance of the events we wanted to announce, but of course, since we had only been in Farmington a week, the soonest we could come in was a week before our first Job/Health Fair (which I'm beginning to think should just be called a Wellness Fair). J has a habit of averting his eyes when talking to people face to face, in an effort to appear less intimidating. I have a habit of blinking...a lot. So in our first few takes, J is constantly looking side-to-side while facing the camera and I'm grinning foolishly,blinking at 50 bpm (blinks per minute). He looked like a shady spaz, I looked totally inebriated, and Ms. Lastra looked like our therapist. We tried a couple more times, and we found the one in which we all looked [relatively] normal. In reality, J is rather a debonair gentleman, and I think it shows on our approved PSA. I have no idea who what I am.

Tuesday and Wednesday, however, were shadowing days for me at Orthopedics. Talk about fantabulous doctors--these people efficient and accurate. I get to thinking about how people constantly disrespect their doctors. "Oh, that guy doesn't know anything," "Man, my doctor is stupid; I want a second opinion," and yada yada yada. It's true: doctors are just people. They like "Star Wars" (not a bad thing), they like to go home early and watch "Shark Week" with their browning cotton socks on the coffee table, they play video games, and yes, they make mistakes. But they have also jumped through innumerable hoops, overcome more tests and obstacles than Harry Potter in the Triwizard Tournament, and have succeeded with hundreds of patients before you. They will succeed with hundreds of patients after you, as well.  Respect them, please. Many of you may not realize how fantastic the Farmington physicians truly are, but we do, and you can trust us.

Thursday morning was J's shadowing morning, but S, Z, and I were able to meet Dana Childs at the 94.9 FM radio station on Main Street. We spoke with him for half an hour about the standard of health care in New Mexico and our plans for the Wellness Fair. Comments were made about Farmington's rural and naturally scenic beauty, as well as about the meaningless-ness of graduation rates in high schools, as we discussed in our last blog post. Mr. Childs is an enthusiastic character that likes to throw people off. You think you've got yourself all together, and suddenly, WHAM! He asks you something to which you have no clue how to respond without  digging yourself into a deeper hole and sounding completely inept. Now I can talk for ages, but I've always been pretty terrible with impromptu. By the way, if you happened to hear us Thursday morning, I am not insincere when I call people "sir" or "ma'am." It is a habit, but only because I have a habit of giving everyone the respect they deserve; that's how I was raised, thank you very much.  :)  Dana Childs is a brilliant mind, and that was obvious within half an hour of first meeting him. He's done his research on the needs of this area, and I was surprised to know that he is very much in the loop when it comes to the debate about health care reform. We respect you, sir, and thank you highly for having us on your show.

 Later in the morning, we met with Adam Savage of 96.9 FM (The Dog Rocks). It was immediately clear that Mr. Savage has a very different personality than Mr. Childs. He is mellow, soft-spoken, and has a natural way of making you feel at-home in his station. No, he's not the guy from MythBusters, but this Adam Savage is way cooler. Well-versed in culture, and not offended by "sir," his tattoos are both sweet and meaningful...ask him about them sometime, if you haven't heard their stories in the past. It is difficult to tell Mr. Savage's age, only because he looks and sounds so young, but he claims to be older than he appears. Nevertheless, he is young at heart, and that will always keep him youthful. He seems also to be skilled in the Fine Art of Reading People; he dissected Z's personality traits perfectly (organized, meticulous, and slightly sarcastic), before even striking up conversation with him.

At one point in the show, I noticed I was blabbing way too much and forced myself to shut up so that S could talk, as she and I were "sharing" a microphone. I don't do it on purpose, I swear; TV and radio are sort of my hidden passions, not that I'm any good. It's just fun. You should try it. 

Our half-hour talk with Mr. Adam Savage will air on Sunday morning, at either 7 AM or 7:30 AM on five different radio stations (the exact time depends upon which radio station you listen to), so on the way to Church, or the gym, or to work (for some of you), listen up to 96.9 FM. 

By the way, the pretty young woman who works downstairs at the station is SO polite. I am not often offered water or soda when I walk into a business office, but she was happy to make us comfortable as soon as we walked in. We are sorry to have not caught your name, but thank you so much for your kind hospitality.

"Gotta Get Down on Friiiday!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0    

     By now, most of the U.S. population has the seen the video for which we provided the link above, but it's just so...intriguing. 

     News then had it that Rebecca was getting tons of death threats over her song. People demanded it be removed from YouTube and that she stop singing, period. Death threats? Seriously? Come on, guys, her voice is pretty decent. And if you don't like the song, don't listen to it. That's all it takes. 

     The lyrics seemed pretty straightforward, so we're not sure why there was this huge movement to know the meaning behind the lyrics. Um...there is no meaning. It's a description of her day. What did you want her to say?

     Seven AM, wakin' up in the mornin'

     Cuz Seven is lucky, according to my religion

     Gotta eat my cereal, made mostly of corn an'

     Everybody's rushing, blurring up my vision

     Mornings like this are pretty much tradition.

     

     Gotta catch the bus, else I can't get to school

     But here come my friends in car that's cool.

I'll stop now. Rebecca's story would've been way too long if she went into the detail I did.

Back to Farmington:

I had one of those nights during which I woke up at least once during every hour. I hadn't finished my homework the night before; all four of us had to cram some things in that night, largely because we had always been so busy working on establishing connections, checking out possible venues for the fairs, attending meetings with public officials. I happened to have one question left, but at 11:30 PM, I couldn't do it. Now 11:30 PM is not late in our book. That's pretty typical, and I've rarely ever gone to bed that early during the school year or even during summer school. But after my full day in the ER and the other homework I had done once I got home and took that shower, I couldn't let myself give a sloppy answer to Question 4. I went to bed at about 11:45 PM and set my alarm for 4 AM. I even requested that my mother call my phone at that time to be sure I was up. As I said, though, I woke up at 12:38, 1:27, 2:49, 3:36, and finally 4 AM. My mind was definitely clearer, however, as was my gut. Hunger pangs hit me immediately, prompting me to devour a protein bar while reading over my work. Homework checked and the notorious Question 4 answered (it ended up not being so bad), I still managed to eat a full breakfast, showered and dressed, printed my individual assignment and our group assignment using S's printer, and took a 15-minute nap. 

      I heard S getting ready all the while, too, and eventually Z showed up at our door, ready to print out his own homework.  The three of us journeyed in my car to Mr. Darnell's office, where we met J and our community coordinator and class instructor from Albuquerque at 9 AM. Until about 12:20 PM, we discussed as a group our goals for the community, the progress we had made thus far, and the plans we still needed to sort out. We took time also to analyze rates of unemployment, high school/college graduation, and poverty for different ethnic groups both in New Mexico and the nation as a whole. 

     The most startling discovery to me was that a high graduation rate means absolutely nothing. Example:

    In 2009, a data-collection study was conducted on 11th grade students in different school districts of New Mexico. All juniors took a statewide test that revealed the percentages of students who are proficient in Reading, Math, and Science.  In one city with two high schools:

                                                           High School A      High School B

           Reading Proficient and Above       54.4                      33.3

           Math Proficient and Above            23.7                      14.3

           Science Proficient and Above       26.6                       9.5

          Graduation Rate                            65.5                       92.3

    
You think that's scary?  Take a look at this:

                                                       High School A      High School B

           Reading Proficient and Above       42.1                      29.4

           Math Proficient and Above             24.5                      0

           Science Proficient and Above       35.7                       5.9

          Graduation Rate                            74.1                       76.4

All of this information was compiled by the New Mexico Public Education Department. If you'd like to see more data or know the URLs to this data, feel free to e-mail us at missionfarmington@gmail.com.

Obviously, not all of the schools in NM have the same standards. I'm lucky to have graduated from an awesome high school that gave me everything I needed and more to be successful. I don't have the statistics on-hand for my school, but I know that the teachers there prepared me well for college, and I am grateful to have been their disciple.

After all businesses and government offices had closed at 5 pm, we celebrated Friday and the end of our productive first week with a movie called "Super 8" and a dairy treat. The movie was great up until the ending, when it started getting too similar to "The Goonies" and less original. It became rushed, as though J.J. Abrams got tired of filming, and was like, "Okay, everyone, let's hurry and finish this up. It's taking too long." He assumed everything would make sense, but it really didn't. Some people missed the video during the end credits, desperate to leave for some odd reason. If you go see it, and I recommend that you do, make sure you stick around for the end credit surprise. Which is no longer a surprise...*cough cough*. 

I do have to say that there was a significant amount of swearing in the film--unexpected because the main characters are all kids, so just be aware of that. One F-bomb and the remaining curses are pretty routine. As far as my dairy treat goes, I don't think I want to consume any sugar for the next few days. Nor will I be flippant about my consumption of saturated fat. 

We spent a good 3 hours having a lively discussion about religion when we got back to the hotel, more specifically about the stories in the Bible, the Koran, and the Gita, as well as the remarkable number of similarities between them all. Cool stuff.

We have officially made our public advertisements, as well as flyers and invitations for local businesses/organizations. Farmington, be sure to check your e-mails. 

   

Day 4

     Definitely one of the most memorable days of my life. I woke up an hour and ten minutes later than I had planned. Needless to say, I had no time to shower. I know it sounds gross, but I'm not one to make a habit of such a routine. Generally. My groupmates' horror upon realizing I skipped my shower will be shame-inducing. I could easily just exclude that information from here...but I'll write it anyway. Without it, you wouldn't understand the feel of my day. 

     My roommate also had an early shadowing-shift on Thursday, but an hour later than mine. I ate breakfast alone, smacking together peanut butter, blueberry preserves, and banana slices on whole wheat bread, and washing it all down with a glass of milk. The dishes were tossed into the sink (they've been piling up lately, and of course, it's completely my fault. I'm honestly super lazy when it comes to physical labor.).  I had planned to shadow my ER physician at San Juan Regional Hospital for 5, maybe 6, hours that day, and I promised myself more sleep once I got back to the hotel. Before delving into the homework that was due the next day and the phone calls out to local businesses and radio stations/newspapers/TV stations.

      I ran, with 30 minutes left on the clock before I had to leave, back to my bedroom to dress somewhat professionally, tied up my hair, and debated for literally 5 minutes whether or not I wanted to even bother wearing my high heels to the ER. I could've just showed up in tennis shoes. In the end, I dropped a pair of sneakers in a plastic bag and strapped on my heels, just to be sure I made a favorable first impression on my doc.

     I ended up arriving at the hospital, with 3 minutes left, to find out that even at 7 AM, all of the front Staff Parking Lots were full. I followed a green Mustang to the back lots (if you were in the green Mustang, thanks! You don't know that you helped me, but in fact, I very much appreciate your presence at my time of need). I was probably 1 or 2 minutes late to my shift, because I ran in my flamenco dance heels to the Emergency Department--an activity that is incredibly unsafe and not advocated in any way. 

     It turns out that my doctor was the coolest guy ever. Easy-going, down-to-earth, and readily approachable, this guy is a genius with mystery-solving skills faster than I can comprehend. Bam-bam-bam..."Let's do this, the patient said this and this, so I'm going to give them this thing and that thing, this term means that," etc.  I could listen to him forever, just because his behaviors were so amusing and so altogether inspiring. The other physicians and nurses working with him that day were wholly accepting of my presence, and took time out of their own work to show me around, as well. Not when a patient needed urgent assistance, of course, but when there was a free moment, and there were many free moments that day. I had heard negative things in the past about "how nurses can be," but the nurses I shadowed voluntarily interacted with me, as I stood to the side of each room to avoid getting in anyone's way. I soon changed into my tennis shoes to keep up with my doctor, a pretty tall guy, as he booked it to from patient Room 6 to his computer and then to Room 18. He introduced me as "Doctor-to-be," and I felt myself blush every time the patient looked in my direction with a look in his/her eyes of both gratefulness and respect.
      I was an authority figure to the patients, and I tried to behave that way, saying little, looking serious, making eye contact with my doctor as he spoke about certain conditions or complications with his patients. It seems like all of my life is about acting, and it was no different in the hospital setting. You see, I know very little about lots of things, meaning I know pretty much nothing in general. I'm no good at estimating, guessing, or forming an opinion on any topic. My common sense swells and wanes, depending on time of day, time of week, and my mood. The other factors I haven't quite figured out yet. The only way I get by is through pretending I know what's going on. Somehow, when I act, it comes together eventually and I end up learning the things I had pretended I already knew.

       This is not to say that my physician didn't teach me well--I learned more from my physician about working in a hospital, at least in the ER, than I would ever learn from a textbook in school. That's probably the case in  many situations for many people. Hands-on learning is priceless. He was awesome, and I didn't hesitate to ask him questions when I reasoned it was appropriate. I stayed at the hospital for the 9-hour shift, and I've got to emphasize: it was BOMB. The day had been pretty "mellow," as there were no major traumas to witness, but that was a positive factor for me, as it allowed me more time to actually talk to my physician. I'll be doing the night shift soon. 

         In the meantime, Z attended a City Council Meeting with the Mayor to introduce the group and our project. Now Mayor Roberts is guaranteed to remember us, even though we had met the day before for the Grand Opening of the skate park. Immediately afterwards, he shadowed all afternoon, and then joined his physician for a personal dinner. I understand that both the food and the home were unforgettably magnificent!

           J and S both shadowed in the morning, and in the afternoon, they attended a meeting with Ms. Nobis, who passed along a list of vendors for the Job Fair side of our upcoming Job/Health Fairs. By the time I arrived from the hospital, they were already calling vendors to advertise our fairs and gain support. They are both so sincere and efficient in their efforts, I'm lucky to have been assigned to work in their group.  I had several contacts from the local media in my e-mail, but by that time, most everyone had gone home. I did visit Ms. Natalie at the community center for a brief time to pick up some advice about organizing the events.

           I showered to remove any accidental traces of "ER-ness," and the rest of the night, each of us locked ourselves in our rooms to finish the school homework assignments due the next day at 9 AM. I was pretty cranky most of the night and wanted nothing to do with anyone. I've gone more hours with less sleep before (the story of a pre-med student's life), but for some reason, I couldn't handle it this time. I did what I could with my homework (that's a story of it's own) and then promptly passed out. I can only imagine how Z felt after returning to the hotel from his dinner at 10:20 pm, and then tending his homework. Blecch.

Day 3

  Have you ever heard anyone pronounce the word "Wednesday" as "Winds-dee"?  If you have, it was probably an old woman, right? Reminds me of those nasty 200-year-old witches in spooky fairy tales--the pronunciation does, not the old ladies. The witches chant "Winds-dee" over and over again as they stir a cauldron-full of green bubbling poison with a huge wooden spoon. Then my mind drifts and I repeatedly hear "Beware the Ides of March!"

  Two of us shadowed physicians this morning, while the other two worked on both homework and our group project. Numerous e-mails and phone calls were made to radio stations, newspaper editors, and magazine publishers around the city, and I have a gut feeling that most will respond positively. One already has. Thank you, Mr. Scott Michlin!

  

    When we were finally all together, we attended the Grand Opening of the Sycamore Park Community Center SKATE PARK! Awesome. I was a little disappointed that Tony Hawk didn't show, but he's a busy man. Maybe he'll come next time to celebrate Phase 2, and eventually Phase 3, of the skate park project. Natalie Koehn said a few words, as did the Mayor of Farmington, Tommy Roberts. The latter especially acknowledged our mentor, Mr. Dan Darnell, and all of his hard work towards seeing the project reach completion. Well-deserved recognition, if you ask us. Members of the Red Coat Society and kids who used the skate park (some of whom had originally suggested the idea of making one) gathered around Natalie as she cut the ceremonial red ribbon. One of the kids was bestowed the honor of cutting the ribbon, as well. I considered crashing the photos by shoving someone else aside and taking a spot next to Natalie, but it was just so hot--I had no energy to run before the pictures were taken.

     After chatting with some new faces, the four of us dashed to the Chamber of Commerce to confirm a meeting with Ms. Dorothy Nobis for Thursday. Then, off to the library, where we met two angels. Ms. Flo Trujillo  and Mr. David Florez took us in with arms so fully open, the rush of love and sense of miraculous-ness didn't even sink into our brains until our meeting was complete. We are so fortunate to have been put into contact with them. Byron and Melanie are other employees at the library who helped us with logistics and plans for the big event that I am about to announce. 

LISTEN UP EVERYONE:

     On Tuesday, June 21st, Farmington Public Library will be holding, in addition to its Arts & Crafts Fair, both the Summer Solstice Ceremony AND the Farmington Summer 2011 Job and Health Fair, hosted by Yours Truly: the FFF. The Fair will run from 10 AM to 1 PM.

      The place is going to be teeming with activity, and since June 21st is the longest day of the year, everyone will have plenty of time to enjoy it all. Mr. Florez joked that the library would "blow up" that day, at which point A was reminded of the song "Blow," by Ke$ha and promptly began to sing. Z now has it stuck in his head. 

      The Job and Health Fair's focus is to appeal to low-income families or simply unemployed individuals. With employment, these individuals can earn enough money to purchase healthy groceries instead of eating cheap and nutritionally deficient fast food, as well as be provided with adequate health insurance/coverage. That being said, the Fair is open to EVERYONE, and it is important to us to share general information about health with as many people as possible. All kinds of specialized physicians and other health care providers will be in attendance, and we encourage anyone and everyone who reads this blog to come check it out. The day will certainly be memorable. 

      If you can't make it to the Job and Health Fair on Tuesday, June 21st, we'll be holding it again at the Sycamore Park Community Center on Monday, June 27th from 11 AM to 2 PM. 

      The remainder of tonight was spent making flyers, researching for homework, and figuring out a slogan for the fair. We managed to come up with the following:

                          

                       The Farmington Summer 2011 Job and Health Fair
                                   "Work Out and Shape Up"


        Cheesy? Perhaps.
        Clever? Indeed.

        J joked our slogan sounded like something his parents would tell him: 

                  "Work out and shape up, J! Come on!"

       The rest of laughed until we realized how true it was....   

       Well, it works for now.

Day 2

     J shadowed his preceptor this morning, while Z, S, and A ventured to Farmington Public Library, located pretty much in the exact geographical center of the city. The combination of curves and jarring flat surfaces composing the building's design made it one of the most intriguing buildings we had ever seen--definitely Number 1 on our list of Intriguing Libraries. :)

      

        Inside, I was excited to find a cardboard cutout of Luke Skywalker and life-size figurines of Spider-Man and Superman. Unfortunately, photography was not permitted inside the building, so the pictures that would've been at the very top of this blog were never taken. We did, however, get our very own library cards and promptly attempted use them to find a good movie or CD. We reasoned we didn't have time to enjoy any films or music these days, though, and left empty-handed. Still, our library cards are pretty.

         We inspected the library's potential for holding the job/health fair we plan to host in the 3rd and 4th week of June. Its capacity is certainly large enough and the location "central enough" to draw in residents from all parts of the city. From, there we returned to the hotel to do some paperwork and waited until J had completed his shadowing. The rest of our day was spent cruising through the neighborhoods near the community center, as well as down Bloomfield Highway. We stopped at a "7-2-11" convenience store to understand the prices and types of products available to the residents of that area.  After setting out to see the "Waste Management" site for no particular reason, the driver became a little too curious and decided to turn down a one-lane dirt road to who-knows-where. In the middle of this drive, however, the driver panicked and realized that one of the huge Waste Management trucks could be traveling in the opposite direction, towards our car. We stopped in the tiny space in front of a gated driveway of a home that declared it would tolerate "NO TRESPASSING." 

      Two dogs in the front of the home barked incessantly at our car, and there was little to no room to turn  around. Shrubbery on our left, and dogs, a fence, and driveway lights to our right, we had no way to escape without breaking the car, the lights, the fence, or us. The demon dogs continued to bark, mocking the stupid humans that trusted me the driver to deliver them to safety. Z saved the day by climbing out of the car, telling the dogs to shut up in French (though the dogs ignored him), and directing our driver in 63 small reverse-and-then-pull-forward movements. The car was scratched by the unkempt shrubbery, but we managed to turn the car around and escape. We have this on video. 

    The rest of our day was not as exciting, but still productive, as we returned to the hotel to work on some homework assignments and of course more paperwork towards our project. Most of our contacts had left their offices by then, so we were left at a standstill for the day.

      
 

Day 1

      Our first day in Farmington, New Mexico couldn't have been any more productive, nor any more enjoyable. Three of us awoke in the hotel sparkly-eyed and blood pumping. So much official business and only one day to cram it all in.  Go, Go, Power Rang-ers!

     Z (I will address everyone by the first letter of their first name, if you don't mind), S, and A drove to San Juan Regional Hospital at 9 AM for a 9:30 orientation about proper dress, behavior, and policies/rules involved in shadowing physicians at the hospital. There, Z, S, and A met up with J, whom they hadn't seen in several weeks and who was sporting a savvy haircut. 

    The four of us were instructed in a private room by a very hip, approachable younger woman who seemed to know much  more about life in the hospital than we could even imagine that we knew. She mentioned certain dress code regulations that I had never even considered, but all of which made perfect and sudden sense.   Example: nail polish is only acceptable in a hospital setting if you're not working in a hands-on fashion with patients, or if the nail polish is permanent and/or unchipped. If nail polish begins to fade and chip, it is no longer "wearable" and should be immediately removed to avoid transfer to patients via wounds and ingestion through the nose and/or mouth during a particular procedure. Acrylic nails are strictly prohibited, as they do a noteworthy job of transferring germs from patients to staff and vice versa.   

       And, though this is has very little to do with shadowing  physicians, I personally learned that big purses are NOT "convenient."  You drop one thing, particularly car keys, inside a big purse and you will not...I repeat, you WILL NOT find it unless you stop, put the purse down on a bench, and rummage through all of the contents. You will find the business card of someone you don't remember ever meeting and then debate for 2.5 minutes whether or not you want to keep the card or throw it away. Eventually, you will decide to keep it, in fear of losing what may become an important contact.

       J then left to meet with his preceptor, while Z, S, and A toured a small section of the SJRH. One word: stunning. A healing garden behind the hospital completes the ambience of spiritual peace. We decided that the new wing of the hospital looked more like a hotel rather than a hospital.

       After a break for lunch, we met with Mr. Dan Darnell for a whopping 4 hours. The man has incredible amount of energy and patience, and anyone lucky enough to work with him has been automatically blessed to achieve their goals in this city. His passion for helping the residents of Farmington is even more evident than the inevitable breakouts I get every time I plan to do something in front of an audience.. Mr. Darnell introduced us to several important team members and contacts, like Ms. Dorothy Nobis (President/CEO of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce) and Ms. Natalie Koehn (the bubbly recreation supervisor at Sycamore Park Community Center). We followed Mr. Darnell as he led us in a thorough tour of the streets and neighborhoods near Sycamore Park Community Center. 

      By the time we were finished, S and A were anxious to change out of heels and dress pants into flat sandals and jeans. A wore gladiator sandals for the first time ever (!). J's mother invited us for a dinner of tortillas, beans, ground beef, "hot" sauce and salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Dessert was fresh-from-the-oven angel food cake, strawberries, blueberries, and light vanilla ice cream, the first two ingredients of which Z, S, and A bought on the way to J's house. 

    It's worth noting that Nutrition Action magazine lists the guava fruit as the #1 Fruit for good health, based on nutritional values per unit mass.  We advocate that everyone go out, buy, and consume guava. Right now. Stop what you're doing and...go...now.

      At long last, the saddening time for "Good Night" was upon us, and three of us drove back to our hotel for a continued discussion of our project and then bed.  The day had been full and satisfying til the very end.

Introductions

Hello, Farmington and Hello, Curious Internet Surfers!

      Welcome to our journal of adventures in Farmington, New Mexico. We are The Fantastic Farmington Four, setting up tent in the midst of this eclectic mix of urban and rural postcard-scenery for the month of June. As pre-medical students at the University of New Mexico, we are looking to ease--and preferably solve--some of the health care issues of the city, mainly those involving policy change of some sort. After doing some research about the area, we've decided to focus on the following goals for our community health project:

1. Hold a job-and-health combination fair at the Sycamore Park Community Center and Farmington Public Library

2. Encourage implementation of the FET (Full Engagement Training) Program in additional schools, expanding from McCormick Elementary School and Bluffview Elementary School.

3. Persuade Red Apple Transit to provide bus-riding discounts to lower income families, such as those with an income level below a certain amount (the "certain amount" is to be decided upon under discussion of the proposal with the City Council)

        We have the support of the Mayor Pro Tempore and several physicians of the area, and we anticipate frequent communication with Farmington residents.  Please let us know if our health project is in need of additional foci or replacement foci.

        The Farmington Four encourages any feedback from any visitors to the site. We are here to serve the people of this city; please tell us how we can best do so.