MUCH better day today! I am a firm believer that if things are going poorly it is by far best to just have a discussion, get everything on the table, and straighten things out. Usually that solves any issues. I'm not one for holding things that bother me inside (hehe as you all know VERY WELL about me). I was very concerned about my project, that it was going South in a major way or was going to be cancelled, in which case I'd be scrambling to get a new project approved to fulfill my internship requirements. I met with Ann this morning and we hashed out the project specifics and got everything back on track. I am VERY relieved. The survey itself will be a slight bit different, it will include some family planning questions (contraception use and the like) and some questions on STD/STI's. In addition our contact at the CDC got back with us this morning and sent us the NISVS already! Super fast! We are going to start reviewing the questions on Monday.
Today and tomorrow I am working on the Hawaii State Domestic Violence Fatality Review (HSDVFR). Ann and I sat down and coded all the variables this morning, then I started building the SPSS database. She showed me the basics of how to enter the variables and get going and I went off from there. I worked on that for the rest of the day and got over half done. I should be able to finish it tomorrow morning. Then I can start entering the case studies (the data itself) into the database. This is an excellent project for me to work on in between working on my project. My project is a lot of "Hurry up and wait". Big pushes and productivity, then longer waiting while other people do their portion or we gather data from recruits. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. So in those periods of waiting this project can easily be picked up and I can work more on reviewing the case studies and transferring the data to SPSS. So I spent the day up to my eyeballs in homicides, suicides, and fatality questions about weapons, service agencies, location of injuries and fatalities, etc. I really enjoyed it. Not that people are fatalities but working with the SPSS side of things.
Lunch was also pleasant. I forgot to get pictures!Ann and I both needed postage so we walked down to the post office a few streets away. We took care of what we needed at the post office and walked around the corner to get lunch. We decided on burritos at BC Burrito on Waialae Avenue. I got the BC Plate with spanish rice, black beans, fresh salsa (medium), beef carne asada and tortilla chips. I mixed it together into a big heap of yumminess and scooped it up with the chips. I ate half and was STUFFED. I dumped the rest in my container with the last of my black bean soup and took it home. I saved half the bag of the tortilla chips to eat with the leftovers. We walked back to the office and ate there.
After lunch we went to the garden behind the building. I sat and talked to Lisa while Ann harvested. Lisa was having a bento box and gave me a bite of everything! There as miso butterfish, a seasoned broccoli, a very thin stranded black seaweed dish, a sweet egg thing like a souffle, a shredded veggie salad type thing, japanese pickles and another type of pickle. I LOVED the pickles, egg thing, seaweed, veggie and broccoli. The miso butterfish was alright. It also had a small chunk of chicken, a sausage of some sort and a bunch of rice and grain mixture. I didn't try those, it was Lisa's lunch after all! I felt like a Hobbit with first luncha nd second lunch. So we sat and talked about domestic violence stuff for another hour and enjoyed being ouside. So it was a 2.5 hour lunch, walk and discussion.
After working till the end of the day I got caught up in a conversation with Ann and Lisa. They were planning where they want to go with me to lunch tomorrow so I can try more new stuff. People here think watching my eagerness to try new things is great fun. So we are all going to lunch tomorrow, I'm not entirely sure where but I will be sure to get pictures and share. Lisa and I stayed and chatted for another hour or so, "talk story" as they say here. Just talking about our jobs and college experiences and the like. Discussing differences between life on Hawaii and Kentucky/Virginia life. It was a great time.
She offered me a ride home but I preferred to walk. It was very pleasant outside and cool. So I took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood and home. I took some photos of some of the pretty flowers and plants while I walked.
I got home and relaxed while I watched Botany Bay a 1953 movie about transporting prisoners from England to Australia (New South Wales then) under an unethical ship captain. I reheated and finished my lunch leftovers. That finished off the last of the black bean soup also. I normally haven't eaten twice a day but I was hungry tonight so I did. I eat when I'm hungry. I spent a little time chatting with Nozomi after washing my dishes. Nozomi is a housemate here from Okinawa. She is super nice. She is taking a yoga class and we discussed yoga and all the foods I tried today. I started the movie A Yank in the R.A.F a 1941 movie with a cute love story set in wartime between a pilot and WREN.
Here is a photo as the sun was going down with a few clouds in the sky. Also, this is my attack mango tree I walk under daily, you can see it is still loaded up and ready to fling mangoes on unwary passerby. I am the mango fairy at work since I bring in mangoes dropped from this tree almost every morning. Most evenings I bring more home and give to the household. None have fallen on me since my first walk to work, but I have a special bond with this tree. I enjoy seeing it on my trips to and from work each day, it always brings a smile.
So that is all for today. I am off to sleep early since I couldn't get to sleep last night till midnight.
Ke Akua pu a hui hou, (God bless you and see you later)
~Melissa
Glad you managed to get the project sorted out. The views are really beautiful, I see why you like to walk.
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