Snippets

I've not been on the internet in days, and I've been feeling really cranky too boot, so this is what I've got for you thus far. We'll see how long my patience with the heat in this internet store lasts; you might get more of me, you might not.

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I didn’t realize it until a few weeks back at breakfast with Caroline and Brian at Caroline’s house, but I am seeking a mentor. Trouble is, I’m not entirely sure what I want to do within the field of nursing, so it’s difficult to seek someone in that niche to talk to. Brian and Caroline gave me a few names and I will call them and inquire about conducting informational interviews. I imagine it will happen over the phone, although it would be nice to meet face to face, too. Maybe I'll get a mentor out of the process, maybe not, but it'll be good to bounce some career ideas off of other nurses.

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You know I’ve been studying yoga with the French-teacher doppelganger, but I bet you didn’t know that I have also enrolled in a meditation course. It’s 30 April – 10 May. I’m not sure if there is Internet access, so take note! I might be even more uncommunicative that week than usual.

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Yesterday I observed at a government-funded abortion clinic. It is part of the only exclusively women’s health hospital in the country. The basic procedure is the same as in America, although up to twelve weeks, the only option is manual vacuum evacuation (MVA), as opposed to also having the option to use a vacuum that uses electricity. Medical termination, where the woman takes medication in order to end the pregnancy, is not yet available, but is under consideration, according to the doctor with whom I spoke.

Abortion was legalized in Nepal in 2002, though training for providers wasn’t available until 2004. Now there are trained providers in 71 of 75 districts of Nepal. Given the constraints on women in the realms of citizenship and childbearing (the abortion folks are working on this one, too) and the general lack of respect from society, I am very impressed by the reproductive health choices they have. Dare I say it, but their access to abortion is more secure than women’s in the United States! To boot, registered nurses can be trained in the provision of abortion – I am jealous.