de facto redhead

Remember when I was telling you I was heading down to Kitchener to start the first part of my student placement? Well, that was FIVE WEEKS ago! How is this possible? I just finished the first week at the second (and last) portion of my required student-placement periods, so before I spend three more weeks in Toronto, gathering up more memories with friends (and sure, some more pharmacy experience too), here are some pictures that give you a glimpse into what I saw every day on my way to the hospital…

Every morning, I picked up my name tag from this pile of odds and ends on my dresser. I also always took a quick glance at my schedule for the day, to see who I was working with and where I was stationed.

I tried to get a decent picture in these things, but it just wasn’t going to happen…and it won’t happen…for anyone…ever.

Sheri and her husband provided me with room and board for four weeks, and this is their home that they so graciously let me invade. Thank you, Sheri and Matt – I had a great time with you both! (I stayed in the room with the windows on the right of the front door.)

This is the view that greeted me every morning on my walk to work. Considering I usually had to be at the hospital between 7 am and 7:30 am, you might think I was scared of the dark cemetery I had to walk through. Not so. I was more terrified of the unleashed dogs who were being walked by their owners. 

The pursed-lips look I put on when I heard the echo of a dog barking.

Almost out!

And here we are! This is the site of Grand River Hospital, where I spent a month learning about everything to do with hospital pharmacy. I was just starting to comfortably find my way from about four very specific points in the hospital (the pharmacy, the ER, the cafeteria, and the water fountain) when it was suddenly time to leave!

Kitchener-Waterloo, however, will always be the place where I discovered I can still play volleyball (I played with Sheri’s team every Monday night); the place where Sheri, Matt, his brother Mike, and I spent two nights and three days in a house with no heat (a long story that culminated in unnecessary trips to the mall and triple layers of clothing worn to bed); the place that was close enough to Hamilton and Cambridge to allow me to see Erin and and my friend Linda for multiple visits; the place in which I was introduced to Menchie’s frozen yogurt; the place where I discovered many great bakeries; the place where Vincenzo’s is (which is a grocery store I need to shop at every day of my life, if only for the desserts); the place where I saw the movies Flight, Looper, and Argo, and lost my leopard-print flannel scarf (yes, those last two events are connected); the place where I watched Beyonce’s halftime show; the place where I made homemade granola bars for the first time; the place where I cooked Susie’s pancakes for Sheri and Matt for Pancake Tuesday; the place where I finished the Harry Potter series and started The Hunger Games trilogy; and, best of all, the place where I reconnected with my long-time friend Sheri!

Yep, it was cold in there.

What will my time in Toronto bring…?

This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2013 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.