I’ve been in Houston for a little over a week now. I am still getting used to the fact that I am not here visiting family…no, I actually live here. It’s been fun driving around the city by myself. I am quickly learning the major routes and the areas to avoid at all costs. There is definitely traffic at all times of the day, but it’s not so bad. The heat is intense but expected. I have quickly learned to blast the cold AC as soon as I get into the car.
I love having my grandpa and so many aunts/uncles/cousins here. I miss everyone back home but it helps to have family here. Everyone goes to the same health club so I get to see them often. Just today I spent the afternoon at the pool in the sweltering heat with my aunt Veronica and then we worked out together. On Friday night, Andie invited me to the Astros game. It was a fun night but unfortunately I don’t know any of the players on the Astros team. For that reason we had more fun talking and drinking beer than actually paying attention {don’t ask me what the final score was}.
Astros Game
Fireworks after the game
To rewind, this past week was super busy! The weekend I arrived was spent organizing my room, going to IKEA and getting settled in. On Monday I started my internship and spent all week getting used to my new routine. It was a struggle to get used to waking up at 6 am, I was tired all week. I’ve also had a terrible headache all week. I think it’s a combination of the move, heat + humidity, and allergies.
My internship is off to a great start! There are 12 of us that were accepted into the program and we all get along great so far. About half of the class have already completed one year of grad school. They are all a great resource to ask questions about the grad classes. My first class started last Monday. It’s based on the nutrition care process and meets Mon-Wed from 9 am to 12 pm. On Thursdays and Fridays we have our internship portion from 8:30-5. The first 5 weeks are the orientation phase. We are all assigned to the same hospital where we are learning the ropes of the nutrition care process. It was definitely overwhelming when we started learning how to read the patient medical charts. Everything is electronic, which is nice, but it takes time to learn where to find specific information. We have 9 page templates called nutrition care plans. The plans are very thorough and much of the information is obtained by interviewing our patients. Every week we are assigned 1-2 patients and have to complete the entire care plan. After these initial 5 weeks are over I have a 2 week break. Then the fall semester starts and I will be taking 3 classes and going to my internship for 32 hrs/week.
Right now I feel a bit overwhelmed with the program. I am excited, yet nervous. Do I really know how to do a nutritional assessment on a patient? Do I have sufficient knowledge to make nutritional recommendations? Will I remember everything I learned in school? I don’t know the answer to these questions. What I do know is that I’m as prepared as I can be and the rest will come with experience. I just need to remember to take it one day at a time.
PS- This blog is going to become less food-focused and more life-focused. I’ll still post about food of course, but I don’t know how often I will be able to bake! I want to use this blog as a way to stay connected with everyone in Minnesota. I am not going to post links on Facebook anymore, unless I post a recipe. Make sure you sign up for emails updates if you want to know when I post things.
