The 810

Come along with me on a ride for a moment (quite literally...we're talking bus rides here...)  This is how the first day of my internship started:

I got to the UTA transit station in Orem at 5:45am this morning--in plenty of time before the 810 bus would arrive to give me a straight shot to the University of Utah Medical Center.  I waited there...a few others there as well.  When the 810 came around, I pulled out my student bus pass, got on, tapped it on the card reader, and almost turned to keep boarding the bus.  But then I noticed that the card reader didn't give me a green light to board.  The bus driver quickly informed me that my pass doesn't work on "express" buses...a distinction I wasn't aware of.  [Note: I did my homework on bus routes, fares, etc, so I really wasn't expecting this.]  But bless this man's soul--he gave me a fare ticket and let me on anyway.  The fare was $8.75, but I got a free ride.  This of course did not set my day off the way I hoped... At a stop in American Fork, a woman sat by me and then she quickly put on her University Hospital badge.  Sweet mercy!  I knew that all I had to do was get off at the same stop as her, and all would be well.  Except, I had no idea how to manage getting back to Orem.  I'm not familiar with all the other available bus/trax routes.  When I walked into the hospital, I quickly went to the information desk, and a kind employee sympathized with my situation and suggested I get some cash from an ATM to pay for my return fare.  I got $10 out of the ATM, but of course wondered whether I would need exact change.  Now, fast forward to 3:30pm.  My supervisor took me to get my official hospital badge, but then I needed to buy a little clip at the gift shop.  The change I got at the gift shop gave me a perfect $8.75 for the bus ride.  As I boarded the bus at 4:25, there was a sign saying "exact change required."  At that moment, I said a little prayer of thanks.  I had the faith that Heavenly Father would look out for me as I started my internship, and this is a simple but very meaningful evidence of his protection.

Now....as for the internship itself:  First of all, I love my supervisor.  Her name is Kristin and she is full of personality, but also laid back.  She talked at me all day long, but was encouraging and made me feel comfortable there.  Talking with her about various patients, reports, etc., she liked what I had to suggest in terms of observations, treatment considerations, and the like.  That really made me feel like "ok, maybe I can do this."  By the end of next week, I will have taken on her full caseload of patients. (Yikes!)  While this is stressful, I can tell that I am really going to like working there.  The environment is great, and I'm learning to just dive in.  I was extremely tired today as I didn't sleep much last night (first-day jitters).  Falling asleep tonight shouldn't be too hard.

As for tomorrow... I think I'm going to drive. :)