Well, my best friend here just left for home. I dropped her and another friend of mine off at the Gavelston Port, about 5 hours away. They both were so unhappy here and I'm glad they could go home. Nicole is off to Spain and Nicola is off to Britain, on a cruise! Weird enough, it was the cheapest way for them to get home. I spent yesterday driving them to Gavelston and we stayed at a hotel, ordered in fabulous pizza (Dominoes is really stepping up their game) and watched Matilda. This morning we had coffee by the coast and went wading through the ocean water. There are so many water birds there it's insane! It was so hot and muggy there, and I came back to Kendalia to an awesome surprise of 57 degree weather, sunny, and windy. I'm typing this outside trying to soak in the cold and keep it with me always. Or at least until December when I go back home.
The past week has really sucked. I did have a great time going to see an IMAX movie about rehabilitating orphaned elephants and orangutans. Now I really want to play soccer with elephants (an awesome enrichment game if I do say so). Otherwise, work has been hard, long, and stressful. Apparently it's only going to get worse. Because so many interns have decided to leave before fulfilling their commitment, everyone is having to work a lot harder, and I even been put on clinic shifts, feeding and cleaning the animals. I'm glad to help out but I will be even happier to be done with it. I came here for the veterinary experience I don't want that to suffer. The worst was when I had PM phones. We have a 24 hour hotline and one intern per night is assigned to take any calls throughout the night. Instead of waking up for an occasional call, I had over 14 in one night, spaced out quite nicely to ensure just as I was falling back asleep I would be woken up again for someone calling about a bird or raccoon. I'm glad I could help the animals, but I'm sure I didn't get more than 2 hours of sleep that night. I'm playing catch up as it is.
Well, sorry for my not so happy rant. I did take a nice walk below gate with Nicole before she left, so I will be sure to update soon with some pictures of the animals. Miss you all very much, especially Minnesota. My body is just waiting for the day I can be back home in the north again.
