Update from Victoria

Here I would like to write more about what I've been up to at Safeway pharmacy and Victoria for SPEP. I wrote two short and brief paragraphs in a previous entry that don't correctly or adequately summarize how things have been.

The day-to-day routine is relatively straightforward. I drag myself out of bed at about 8:15am, which is already a pretty good wake-up time, but the bed I'm sleeping in is quite comfortable and lately I've been quite tired, lending to my reluctance. After a quick breakfast, a short 10-minute walk and a bus ride to Tillicum Mall, I am at the pharmacy. I mentioned already that the people are very nice here. But there are very contrasting personalities. Cassandra and Susan are quieter while Yvonne, Debi, and Lou are a riot. Because everyone is so different, I fit right in (which is somewhat ironic now that I think about it). It has been very enjoyable that for once, I feel that I am in an SPEP rotation that puts me in a position to meet and speak to patients. It's not a particularly conducive environment (no comfortable interview booths like at London Drugs) but we have lots of patients that are nice, patient and interested in their own health. The pharmacists and technicians have also been very good at referring situations to me. There is also a second part of the pharmacy in the back, where they package strips of medications for nursing homes. Estela has been taking me to patient care conferences at a nursing home (which occur every two weeks) and today I also went to a senior's fair.

Safeway is also a source of food for lunch - they have a deli where they make sandwiches freshly, as well as fried chicken meal deals and the like. It's also a convenient place to shop for food after work, which I do before I catch the bus home. Then I cook dinner and get started on my homework.

Last weekend, I didn't do too too much. On the Saturday I explored downtown Victoria a little bit and discovered Serious Coffee. The Sunday, I went to Cedar Hill Rec Centre to work out, surprising myself a little bit. This past weekend, I went back to the Lower Mainland for a tiring but productive trip overall. It was the first time I had taken the ferry by myself, but I made it okay. I attended the Med Ball with Joey and we also found some time to have coffee and a delicious dark chocolate and raspberry tart at Foubourg in Kits. I also had dimsum with my parents and brought back to Victoria some seaweed and freshly steamed buns from Yaohan, as well as some Chinese food.