A couple pics of my new digs. Enjoy



Waiting for the Ferry in Prince Rupert!  I was an hour early.





A baby deer living on Lisa's friend's land.  It licked my hand!!  Bambi is so cute!




A local bakery approximately 13 kms out of town.  Makes delicious cinnamon buns and of course coffee.
Its a local delight.





The hospital and the view from the emergency entrance.  Its too picturesque to qualify as a hospital setting.
This is the inlet where whales can be spotted!  I can't wait to see one.




The resus room...




My digs for the next two months.  I have been place in a PMQ (privat military quarters).  I'm living in the reminiscent housing of the military base that used to be active on this island....apparently there is still a submarine listening station on the island...have to check it out!




Tow Hill hike.  Tow hill is an old volcano that errupted a long time ago and these are the trees living on it.  The picture of the blow hole rocks are old lava formations I think.



Crabs I ate!  Yum Yum...

Rock formations at the Blow Hole...at the base of Tow Hill.  The sound of the ocean is amazing here!

Lisa cleaning the jeep after crabbing in the ocean...Salt water is bad for cars.  Its fun driving on the beach in a jeep.  Its pretty cool!

Working in Haida

Tomorrow I will have been here one week.  I have spent most of that time working.  Having 13 beds at our disposal I find they are rarely filled.  I work in a glorified Minor Treatment area with the occasional abdo pain and the transient ill patient who is promptly transferred to a better equiped facility.  This facility simply cannot manage long term high acuity because the lab can only process certain results, no CT scan services, etc...Its different.  I keep looking out at the forest that is just behind the building and expect a yetti to jump out with a gunshot wound or something!  Give me something to do!  Could you imagine a yetti in Emerg!  Or maybe the enchanted car from Harry Potter with massive arachnids chasing it!  On that note I had quite the large spider hangin out with me in the shower yesterday.  I figure because I have such a serious aversion to mice I have to be ok with spiders.  Needless to say the spider met a watery end. 

I am in a continuous state of awe each time I leave my government issued accomodations.  The ocean the sun the rain.  Its glorious.  The world is a clean place here.  This is a place for healing.  Your soul's frayed edges can mend themselves here.  There is something in the air...its mystical.   

Getting a demonstration in Cambodia on how to properly eat locusts!  Mmmm...

Hangin in Prince Rupert

So here I am in some lovely guest house near the ocean, waiting to take a ferry to my final destination of masset.  I wasn't quite prepared for the cold rainy weather, quite the opposite of winnipeg right now.  So much for getting a tan this summer.  I am already acutely aware of a much more relaxed pace.  I just spoke with cousin Lisa (who is living/working on masset), who says she went home for lunch....I'm speechless, home for freaking lunch!  I'm lucky when I get a blasted lunch break at HSC!  With my Karma I inherently get a Red Romeo in action as soon as I bite into a sandwich!  (Red Romeo is a CPR in progress patient coming in with the paramedics). 

I'll try to upload a couple more pics of south east asia in the next couple of days.  Off to see more of Prince Rupert!  Lovely day to you all.

-Caroline

Terrace BC

I can see how a drive on the yellowhead in November in the middle of a blizzard might be harrowing.  I on the other hand, have had a most wonderful drive into Terrace, BC!  The sun was shining, the snow capped mountains loomed in the distance, the rushing glacial rivers following the road the whole way here have made the drive a specatular one!  Also the surprising absence of vehicles on the road and a couple of well placed jokes by radio's Stewart Mclean have been most helpful in keeping me out of traffic trouble!  It was glorious!    I am sitting in my hotel room gazing at misty mountian peaks.  Its amazing to think that only one month ago I was riding my bike through Cambodia, visiting ancient Hindu/Buddhist temples!  Incredible...Life is good.

hey mom can u see this picture?  did i successfully download a pic?  Just so you know this is me having a yoga pose moment at Angkor Wat.

Just a quick moment of Praise!

Turns out things really do work out in the end.  I'm heading into the last leg of the trip and got the email that I have officially got my BC nursing license.  Yahoo!  All obstacles removed.  Just gotta get to that ferry.  Battling a virus whilst driving has also been gross...nothing like a goobery sneeze while driving!  (For those of you with weak constitutions sorry, i'm an emerg nurse after all)  What's life without a few good illnesses!  I am continually thankfull that no one has ever tried stabbing me in the eye with a butter knife!  On that note have a wonderful day and chat again soon.

-Caroline Derksen

Made it through edmonton and now to Prince George!

I am genuinely amazed at my driving abilities these past couple of days.  Normally I go on a two hour drive and I'm ready to fall asleep!  Today it was edomonton to Prince George!  What a beautiful drive...and a long one.  My favourite part was being sandwiched between two semitrailers during the one spat of rain on the trip!  I survived and enjoyed an entrance to Prince George with the sun shining and the last room available in town just for me!  (ok maybe there were a couple, but it was slim pickins).  Not much to report, just drivin".  Listening to tunes, audible books.  Learning while I drive.  Very exciting.  Until next time.

-Caroline

Moosomin

You  may or may not be wondering what is up with the red queen dress stuff.  Well that was this past fall.  An idea that sprung up out of winter boredom, in an effort to create something and thereby find meaning in my life.  To quote Mrs.  Lynde "Idle hands are the devils play things!"  It was with this philosophy in mind that I started that project.   Needless to say the endeavor has shown me my great lack of patience for things that take a lot of time to make.  I also have no sewing experience....so this project though very much on the radar is on hold while I spend this year travelling all over the world.

It all started with selling that confounded house in the west end.  What a liberation.  Back to renting, back to peace and quiet.  I love it.  My appartment is just lovely.  Squirrel free, mouse free, free of drunk HSC regulars passed out in my back lane!  The change did me good.  Off I go...

I will write more about my southeast asian adventure later.  For now I will start with my trip out to Masset, BC.  In an effort to make in there in a timely manner I've left winnipeg already and have holed up in a cheap motel with free wifi.  The main draw/feature of this town would have to be the railway line running through my room!  It will be a nice night of resting for the long drive ahead.   Nothing like a long drive to make you sleepy.  I don't know how other people deal with long distance driving but I was already nodding off in Portage La Prairie!  I'm looking forward to getting started on my audible books...hopefully they don't lull me comatose!

Good night dear friends, sweet dreams until tomorrow.
-Caroline