Journey back to Portland

As always, packing took a wee bit longer than anticipated. ;) I finally hit the road around 5PM. It was hard to drive away from my apartment. It's been such a special 4 weeks in Baker.

I drove toward I-84, but I had one more important stop to make: Truck Corral. Wow. Talk about amazing. They have a cafe and country store, and the latter is filled with tons of souvenirs and cultural relics. :) I bought some cowboy boot earrings, a magnet, and several postcards. I wish I had had more time to linger, but I needed to get back. After making my purchases, I began my long journey home.

Doodad-lovers' dream come true :)

I drove without stopping (how my bladder managed this still surprises me) and got home around 9:30PM. It was strange driving up the hill to the co-op. I really hadn't been there for about 11 weeks, since I spent 6 weeks at home in the Bay Area before beginning my rural rotation. When I flew back to school from Oakland, I only spent two nights in Portland before heading to Baker.

The drive went relatively smoothly; I encountered some rain that poured down relentlessly for about an hour, but other than that it was smooth sailing. I employed the "Cruise-control-at -72" technique I learned from Paul. :) Sarah McLachlan and Alison Krauss kept me company on the way home. These two artists remind me of my time in Baker since Dr. Schott often listened to them in his office.

I arrived at the co-op exhausted. My car remained full of my belongings. Unpacking would have to wait. I don't think I had the strength to bring much more than my backpack and toiletries in.

The following day (yesterday), my classmates and I presented our community projects to one another. It was fun to learn about each other's clinics and experiences. This rural program is so awesome; we students are so lucky to have this opportunity to experience life in rural communities and practices! It's been quite formative for me as I'm sure it has also been for several others. After the presentations, we had a great discussion lead by Dr. Dodson about different learning issues we explored while on our rotations. Again, it was fun to share with one another and swap stories. We all laughed about how no matter what city we where in, it seemed that the grocery store was the spot to run into people that one knew--especially patients! There wasn't a single time that I went to Safeway where I didn't see at least three people I knew. At least I knew where to go if I was feeling lonely. :)

I wore my EOMA shirt that Cindy and Erin had kindly ordered for me. I also wore my new cowboy boot earrings. It felt good being robed in EOMA garb. :) I so miss the place and feel so lucky to have been there! Dr. Dodson and others said "They really have a great clinic out in Baker. Those are some cool doctors!" Amen, sister. Several others also commented on how EOMA is so "progressive, innovative, and cutting edge." I look forward to keeping in touch with my new Baker friends and I can't wait to return in January and hopefully sooner! Thank you so much EOMA, and especially Dr. Schott, for such an awesome experience. I'll treasure my time with you all. Thank you also, Dr. Dodson and the AHEC office for making this possible! This has been such a memorable rotation.

Thank you for joining me on my journey!
Till next time,
Stephanie