Where has the time gone!?!?

Well, it seems as if the last couple weeks have slipped by without any notice. What I am concerned about is that "Mother Time" decided not to let me know that time tends to go faster when you are having fun, learning a lot, and getting older. GETTING OLDER? What? Oh yes, I am getting older "officially" this week. Although I get older every day, this week involves the celebration of the day of my birth, which I always find to be sort of a silly holiday. Who am I kidding? I don't think it's a holiday at all. It's just a regular day. Why celebrate something that happened to occur 24 years ago? My poor mother, who had to spend two of her 51 birthdays either in the hospital recovering from birth or extremely pregnant. Yes, that's right - my mom's birthday is sandwiched by my brother's birthday (on the 7th) and my birthday (on the 9th). So, luckily I've grown up always having great birthday parties with my family and being able to celebrate everyone. Well, it'll be the same this year (minus my family, sadly!). I'll survive. But, I DO feel that 24 is going to be a really great year for me for sure. Even better than 23, I ask? Yes, even better than 23. But, how can it be topped? At 23, I feel like I did so many things that I loved:

• I donated 1700 hours of my time to community service and giving back to the community that I grew up in
• I graduated from college in a profession that I LOVE
• I travelled to Guatemala for the second time and Honduras for the first time
• I road-tripped with my mom cross-country to the southwestern states
• I moved to Montana to earn my Master's
• I've cultivated great new friendships and revived wonderful old friendships
• I have learned how much my family means to me (they are PRICELESS!!!)
• I finally feel like an adult
• I got accepted to the Peace Corps
• I have reduced my alcohol intake significantly
• Blah, blah, blah...if you have anything else that I am missing, let me know! I'm so thankful for all of it and for all of you who have supported me!

Anyways, enough of the gloating. I apologize. I have finally realized how happy I am and truly everything that I have to be thankful for!

Well, let's see. I guess since you are reading this, you may want an update on my life for the past couple of weeks. Well, Wednesday I went to meet with the director of the Public Health program here on campus, because I am interested in taking his "International Health" course. I remember last summer looking on their website and noticing that they offer a Certificate in Public Health for those people who do not quite have the resources or desire to earn their MPH. Well, I definitely want to earn my Master's of Public Health after the Peace Corps. I remember seeing that they had this CPH program, but I completely dismissed it, thinking that I would be unable to finish the certificate in the time that I am here. Well, I guess I was wrong. After talking with the director of the program, I could probably earn my MPH with just coursework next semester and 3 credits of practicum work (the Peace Corps). Cool! This may definitely help me out as I am applying to graduate schools later on down the road. They may say, "Hmm, this girl has been in the Peace Corps and she has already done graduate work in Public Health. Let's pay her entire graduate school." Okay, that would be sweet. I just have to know which schools to apply to. Anyways, so I am very excited about that. I will be taking an International Health Course and Environmental & Rural Health course, as well as taking 3 credits to write a Professional Paper for the CPH program. I hope to focus on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programs throughout the world, specifically those who utilize the peer education model. G.W. Bush, I hate to tell you this, but your "Abstinence Only" programs do not seem to help stop the spread of these devastating diseases. Get real. Anyways, I am very excited!

Let's see, what else? This past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I spent ALL my time in a training to certify me as an HIV/AIDS Rapid Tester and Counselor. We even got to practice doing the "real" tests - I got to prick someone's finger and draw their blood! Crazy! We didn't actually do our own testing though. After observing three real counseling sessions and being observed for three of my own sessions, I will be certified! This means that I will be able to volunteer at clinics that do HIV testing, such as the Missoula AIDS Council. This certifies me within the state of Montana, but it gives me a great background on working with HIV/AIDS patients that I will utilize with whoever I work with. One of our trainers was a soon-to-be 57-year-old woman who was the cutest ever! She gave me a great lesson in, "You cannot judge a book by its cover". Less than ten years ago, she was a "Junkie" (her own words) and was addicted to meth and cocaine. She also said she did heroin occasionally. Well, who would have ever expected that this Grandma used to be a drug addict? At first, I thought she was kidding about her past, but no-sirree, it was the truth. It just goes to show that people are not always what we expect them to be. It also showed me that personal strength and support can overcome anything. I was absolutely amazed that she was able to turn her life around so much that now she is working to combat the exact problems she dealt with. She even had the courage to pick up a syringe and a spoon ("the works", as I learned they are called on the street) and show us how to properly clean them. This way, we are able to show IDU's (Injection Drug Users) how to at least keep themselves safe. What courage and strength it must have taken for her! If you know anything about drug addicts, you know that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pick up or see anything related to that drug. Anyways, December 1st is World AIDS Day, and I strongly encourage you to all go get tested, no matter what your background is.

Friday, I participated in the Day of the Dead Parade here in Missoula. I was part of the GUTS! group that walked in the parade. How fun! I swear that all of Missoula was there, and it was so intimidating! Since I came right from training, I did not have a costume, so I borrowed an extra mask that someone else had. Well, it broke halfway through! Everyone else was dressed up as dead people, and here I was holding up my mask to my face trying not to let my arm fall asleep. Either way, it was super fun, and I especially enjoyed the gathering that happened afterwards at Caras Park. The parade ended there, and the fire-throwing/dancing groups and the African drum/dance group gathered and did shows for everyone. The African dance group was AMAZING. At the end, the public was invited to dance. Since I love dancing (well, not slow dancing or partner dancing) I joined right in! It was a dance consisting of lots of jumping, swinging, moving, etc. Let's just say that my lungs burned for literally two hours afterward! What a great exercise and so much fun! The rest of the night was spent studying, because we are cool and study until 10:30 on both Friday and Saturday nights of the same weekend.

Today, I had a midterm that went eh-okay. I have learned a technique that counselors sometimes use is called "Shades of Gray". It helps clients see that anything below 100% does not necessarily equal failing. Ha. I think I need to employ this technique in my own life. I sometimes end up getting a 99% on an exam and think, "UHhh, I could have done SO much better". Jeez, I need to stop that or I will drive myself crazy!

Anyways, well hopefully I will have pictures for you from my birthday party this weekend. Like I said, you are all invited if you want to fly to Missoula - I would LOVE it!

Love. Peace.