I have officially been in Elk City, OK for a month now. Where you may ask is Elk City? It is in the absolute middle of nowhere in Western Oklahoma. I haven’t gone on too many adventures yet, but I am enjoying my job at the hospital. I’m working inpatient rehab and some days are slow and others a bit more busy which makes the time go by faster. There is a park near the hospital that has a nice walking trail that I have gone to a few times. Last weekend was my birthday so I decided it was time for some self-care. I got a massage, a pedicure, and took myself out to dinner. This past week, I was able to drive to Oklahoma City and spend the day at the zoo with a friend from Fort Worth and her son. It was great seeing a familiar face.

I wasn’t sure about doing more OT since I thought I was really set on counseling. I am still wanting to do counseling, but for now my patients are reminding me why I like being an OT. Inpatient Rehab can be very rewarding as patients typically make a decent amount of progress in a couple weeks and then discharge home or to another facility. I have been able to build rapport with some more difficult patients and have spent quite a bit of time learning about the lives my patients have lived. I recently had a patient who was a missionary with her husband in Kenya for many years. We were able to talk about Kenya and our experiences there which was really cool. 

One big struggle I have had since being here are allergies turned sinus infection and bad asthma. Fortunately, I have some great co-workers who are helpful and supportive. I have spent a lot of time in my hotel room watching Big Bang Theory and Friends. It has also been really nice having FaceTime to keep up with my family and friends while I’m here. 

I know this isn’t much of an update on my adventure, but here it is!