Moving along...

Tomorrow will make 7 days that I have been in Montana...a full week, and though it seems like forever (seriously), I know that I am going to make it.

On Friday, things finally started to come together at my rotation. The people who work on the 5th floor of the hospital (the med/surg floor) are starting to recognize me, and therefore saying hi and smiling at me. This is all I need! I don't need to make best friends here - I've already got some of the best friends a girl could hope for...but it is so nice to be able to make small talk at work! Also, my preceptor's nurse, Janet, whom initially was incredibly intimidating, has really warmed up to me and I really like her.

My preceptor is still so hard for me to figure out. She is not incredibly touchy feely, and I sort of got the feeling that I was in her way all week. I can't blame her...having a little 24 year old in a short white coat (the sign of a student, when I graduate I'll have a long white coat) follow you around for 40+ hours a week must be annoying, but then she totally shocked me. On Friday, at the end of the day, as I was packing up my stuff to go home, she said "look, I wanted to tell you that I am very impressed with how you are doing. When I ask you questions, you know the answer a lot of the time...how do you know so much?" I was dumbfounded. I kept waiting for the "but," like "but, your physical exam skills are lacking," or "but, you really need to focus on learning cardiology," but there was no but....she was just paying me a compliment. I was on cloud nine, to say the least.

So, for all of my whining and self-pitying over the past seven days, I'm finally feeling good about being here in Havre. Perhaps the funniest thing about Havre so far is that all of the people I've talked to who live here seem to dislike it as much as I do. Honestly, when people find out I am from Oregon they sympathize with me for having been sent here. It cracks me up...just tonight while doing laundry in the buildings laundry room on the main floor, a woman in her fifties made small talk with me and was talking about how much she hated Havre and that there was nothing to do here. It makes me feel less terrible for not giving Havre much of a chance.

I did do a bit of exploring today - I drove to Beaver Creek park about 10 miles south of here, and spent some time reading a book in the sunshine. The park was really crappy, actually -- just a man-made lake surrounded by a dusty road and some picnic tables scattered here or there. I took a couple of pictures that probably do ti more justice than it deserves, but at least I got out and enjoyed some sun.

Tomorrow: groceries, homework and cleaning the apartment.

Hope you are all well!

Jen