November 25, 2005

July 9, 2005

Oh, the comfort- the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person- having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.

~Dinah Craik, 1859

"Dye mon, gen mon." - Haitian Proverb

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I think my first interest in epidemiology began with my travel to Haiti. My time in Haiti, although only for 10 days, was the most life-changing experience I have ever had. The immense poverty of such a beautiful people haunts me still today. The Haitian Proverb "Dye mon, gen mon" is translated as Beyond mountains, there are mountains.

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In my Environmental Health class, one of the topics we cover is waste management. The professor asked if anyone in the class had ever been to a landfill before, and we discussed the proper "architecture" of a landfill for optimum sanitation for the community and the environment.

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Although I didn't raise my hand, I have been to a landfill- of sorts. The first day in Haiti, I traveled by tap-tap from the airport to the smaller village where I was to work. On the way, we passed a rather large, open space of land in the city. It was very unusual in that the surrounding land had buildings and streets, but this piece of land did not. There was really nothing on the land, but birds were circling and a few people were walking around on the land. It smelled like a garbage dumpster, just like you would find in any city here in the United States. "What is that?" I asked. "The city dump," the driver responded.

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There was nothing in the Cap Haiten, Haiti city dump because people took all of the trash. Even as poor as Haiti is, what one person throws out, another poorer person puts to use. There is always someone poorer, more desperate, more willing to dig through the dump to find anything of value or something to eat. I have a feeling that the American landfills my professor spoke of are quite different than the empty Haiti dump.

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When I speak to family or friends about my current studies, I am asked quite often, "What exactly is epidemiology?" To answer, I explain that the field is also called "population medicine." A physician generally deals with one patient at a time, but an epidemiologist deals with groups of individuals whose commonality might be an exposure to a disease or a disease itself. As an epidemiologist, my goal will be to study, contain, and prevent diseases. I have a special interest in health disparities in underdeveloped countries and infectious diseases, especially AIDS.

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A more honest and personal answer would probably go something like this..."What is epidemiology, you ask? Well, to me it is the country of Haiti, with no running water and an empty city dump. It is the people of sub-Saharan Africa, with no medical care to deal with the AIDS epidemic. It is a face to the numbers of devastation. It is a mountain of seemingly endless problems with no easy answers. It is what keeps me up at night..."

You Little O Family Dog

My dog Jake is the most wonderful dog in the world! He follows me around everywhere and we have a wonderful time on our daily adventures around the house, backyard, and neighborhood. He never ceases to make me smile. However, sometimes he has an interesting appetite. He has eaten some pretty funny things....

1. My mother-in-law's indoor potted begonia. Roots, stems, leaves, and flowers- all of it. And, of course, he took it to the middle of her bright white carpet floor to do it. Mmmmm!

2. A fire starter log- twice. As if we didn't learn our lesson the first time, he ate it two days in a row. Now this one was a bit dangerous, since there are all kinds of toxins in those. So....a large vet bill and a month of special liver pills later, he is a healthy boy!

3. Plastic scotch tape dispensers. And yes, it is plural for a reason. Jake has eaten at least 2 of these (or should I say I have caught him eating 2 of these), maybe more because they are all MIA at our house.

4. Cardboard birthday party hats. Yes, just to clarify- I did buy party hats for my dog's birthday- is that weird? But it was a special day because my puppy turned one! He didn't mind wearing it for a quick picture for his scrapbook, but he liked eating it even better.

5. An entire steak bone. Now, I was under the impression that most dogs CHEWED on the steak bones, so we thought it would be a nice treat for him. But Jake definitely ATE it- he consumed the entire bone. Not sure how he digested that one....

6. Cigarette butts. This is SO gross. I watch him on our daily walks to make sure he doesn't get any of these- but inevitably, I miss one every now and then....so I find out he's gotten another when he throws it up later. I guess the good news is he doesn't keep these down!

7. Butterflies and bugs. They are of immense interest to him while they are alive and he can chase them. He eats them occasionally, but only after he's been thoroughly entertained.

8. Mom's pantyhose. Apparently, Jake likes the smell (and taste) of my feet. Sometimes I will walk into our bedroom and see some hose stretched across the floor going under the bed. And sure enough, Jake is at the other end, as happy as can be with a wagging little tail.

Now, as a disclaimer.....we try VERY hard to keep our house puppy-proofed so that Jake will stay healthy. But sometimes, these things just get by...I mean seriously, who thinks about picking up tape dispensers and panty hose?!

I can't believe that I have been married for over a year now! The time has literally just flown by...but at the same time I feel as if I have been married for a lifetime. I can't imagine life without my Little O Husband.

I have found that Susan Sarandon says it best in Shall We Dance? when she is asked why people get married, since it's not for passion. She says...

We need a witness to our lives. There are a billion people on the

planet...I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a

marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things,

the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things...all of it, all of

the time, every day. You're saying, 'Your life will not go unnoticed

becuase I will notice it. Your like will not go un-witnessed because I

will be your witness.'

So to my You Little O Husband, thank you for being my witness. Thank you for caring about my good things, bad things, terrible things, and especially my mundane things. My life feels more meaningful as part of our team, the Little O Marriage. I love you more than I could ever express. You are more kind and forgiving than I could ever hope to be, and you are a constant example of the Lord's love to me. I have realized just how selfish I really am! :) But that is wonderful, because I will be forever in a refining process. Thank you for loving me and for sharing life with me. Here's to another 50 years, even better than the first!