061

Back in the pharmacy after a much needed and well-deserved break. To my surprise, I had a very good day because Gregg wasn’t there to ridicule and squash my self-esteem. In fact, it was very much the opposite today. Since Gregg is on vacation, a floater RPh came in to cover. He introduced himself as Gamal and instinctively I asked if he was Arabic and sure enough he is AND he added that he’s Egyptian! I think my eyes lighted up right there and then. Of course I shared with him how I went to Egypt the summer before and what I did there. Any free moment I had, I would drop as much Arabic I could member and Gamal would just laugh, I am pretty sure he was thinking, “who does this Asian girl think she is speaking my language?” I would like to think his incredulousness quickly turned into admiration because he even commented how good my accent was. Aaaw yeeyeaaah.

My ego inflated even more as the day progressed especially after this conversation.

RPh: On the phone talking to someone, “Yes, thank you Gameel” Hangs up the phone and turns to me, “Do you know what that means?”

Me: Gameel? Yah, it means beautiful.

RPh: I bet you got called that a lot while you were in Egypt.

I just laughed and this picture ran through my mind.

With my confidence reaching o infinity and beyond, I decided to be more assertive today. Whenever the tech would call for a consultation, I would just walk on over to the consultation window and do my intern thang. I was making calls like crazy while printing and filling. I was a multi-tasking machine. I had a new experience today too! AN ANGRY CUSTOMER! A customer called in today to see if we had an item in in stock. Unfortunately, I could not find his full list of prescription under the name he was providing me. I told him I would call him back because I was taking awhile (CVS computers are very slow). Even after searching and asking for help, I couldn’t find his prescription in the system. I called him back asking if he had called at a different pharmacy. With a huge exasperated sigh, he said “I’LL BE OVER IN TWO MINUTES”. At first I felt like an ant embracing its untimely demise under a large shoe but then I told myself, “NO, ANTOINETTE. YOU ARE DA BOMB TODAY!” Sure enough, in about 10 minutes, the customer came into the store and the tech calls my name, “Antoinette, you are being requested” I strut over (more like politely shuffle to the register) and offer my assistance to the customer. To make a long story short, he went by a different name in the system, the misunderstanding was resolved and we became best friends forever. He got his meds that he needed and he did not yell at me at all! The power of effective communication!

060 milk challenge

Over the course of my college career, I have noticed that I have become bloated and unpleasant whenever I consume milk products. And when I do, about an hour later I am running to the bathroom atop the porcelain queen in super saiyan mode. You could say that I have built up a mild case of lactose intolerance. I drank milk all the time when I was younger and it baffles me why it is such a problem now. If the enzymes required to break down lactose existed before, I am pretty sure they lie dormant somewhere in my body. A genetics book could explain this phenomenon but I'd rather experiment. This past week I have been chugging down milk in order to induce the enzyme lactase to reform in my body. It hasn't been so bad because I gradually drank milk in small quantities this past semester. This one time I ordered a small mocha, forgetting that they put milk in it, and within the hour, I ran out of the lecture to the bathroom. The funny thing is, my professor was talking about lactose intolerance at that point. I made sure to draw an illustration next to my notes for memories' sake.

Raging diarrhea is not fun. BUT, this past week has not been so bad. Not one day of diarrhea, just a few burps here and there. I think this experiment may be a success.

059 Ana Laura

The picture to the right is of my pequeña, Ana Laura, taken from her Facebook. She is currently studying abroad in Argentina.

When I first met her, I thought to myself, "We have nothing in common - I don't know how this is going to work out". It also didn't help that her boyfriend (at the time) painted a tainted image of me because we shared a class together and claimed that I was sooooo "bossy". Whatever. I would hear of complaints that this girl would never make it to her tour times, events, etc. As her Grande, I felt partially responsible for the lack of commitment to the job and told myself that I would talk to her about quitting. But I changed my mind because I felt I wasn't close enough to really have the right to say these things to her and I am very glad I didn't.

A chicken pot pie, broken gifts, many "MVIB's", and three years later, this lady and I share something very unique that I would never have imagined.

Despite her small stature, Ana Laura is a force to be reckoned with. Strong, intelligent, beautiful, dramatic, and a dreamer are some of the words that can describe her. I may not always agree with some of her life decisions but it always seems to turn out for the better and in the process, she has grown into a more mature woman that I could ever aspire to be. I wrote her a letter in one of my journals while I was in Egypt that I wanted to post up on this blog, but I can't seem to find it. In the letter, I wrote to her saying how I was so proud of her and that everything she has gone through is a beautiful struggle that is a testament to her character and growth.

Ana Laura is one of those people who you can't forget. And if you do, you're missing out on one of the greatest adventures of all.

058

About a week ago, I spent an afternoon at my friend's ranch. One of the many highlights of the day was jumping off some rocks into a cool pool of water that coursed its way through their family's land. The experience was something out of a book, like A Separate Peace, but without anyone dying. It was so surreal.

After returning to campus, even though I was physically at school, my mind was still back in Oakdale, where I had just spent a great day with my friends. My mind was replaying the day's events of walking through a herd of cows, jumping into freezing water, flying kites, and simply enjoying nature. It's sad for me to say that I once thought places like this did not exist anymore and I could only read about it in books. I don't mean to say that there is not enough nature around for me to enjoy. What I mean is that this day was a very intimate experience shared among a group of 18 friends and only us, no tourists, no outsiders, simply friends.

At times where I was walking by myself, I would think, "God, this place is beautiful. You made this. Thanks".

That day was the best way to start off my spring break. I don't know if I'll ever have the opportunity to go back but I sure would like to come back.

Credits to Yvonne Mai for the photograph. BOY'S CLUB! :o)