Free Republic

I walked home at the end of my second shift deep in thought. If the Weasel’s behavior was any indication, I was in for an arduous three months. The Annoying Little Chihuahua of Discouragement that had stalked me for days began to nip at my ankles. Screw this, I said to myself, shaking off the imaginary dark cloud that hung over me. I’m not going to let that little fink wear me down.I took a deep breath and looked up; it was then that I noticed, for the first time, the genuine black cloud- a very angry and large black...

Starting my first shift at the Indian Hospital was an exercise in uncertainty. I did not know what to expect. Having worked for the better part of a decade at my previous hospital, I was pushing myself out of the comfort zone that inevitably forms with staying in one place for a long time. After encountering a bloated carcass and being nearly drowned, struck by lightning, and beaten to death by hailstones, I walked into the Emergency Department of the Indian Hospital with a vague sense of unease. Seeing the layout of the department, it occurred to me that this...

Ever the optimist, I began to rationalize as I unpacked my things and settled in to my new, if temporary, abode in IHS housing. So what if my initial impressions of the reservation were not what I expected? What did I expect, anyway- A John Wayne movie? I had yet to really explore the natural beauty of the place, and with the exception of the obnoxious MD with whom I shared the house (as noted previously), the people seemed rather nice. The house itself was clean and had air conditioning. The topographical features were pretty amazing, too. On that front,...