Spanish in Action

After traveling to Ecuador over J-term and learning some Spanish medical terminology, I have been looking for opportunities to use what I learned. Since I'm not taking a Spanish class this term I really haven't had opportunities to speak much Spanish, much less use words and phrases that are common in doctor/patient conversations. A while back I had received an email about the Decorah free clinic looking for Luther students to interpret when Spanish-speaking patients came in. So, after telling myself for weeks that I should go to the free clinic and see what interpreting was like, it finally worked out for me to go this past Thursday.

The free clinic is held at a church very close to campus. From 5:30-8pm on Thursday nights there are a few doctors and nurses who volunteer their time to see patients. When I first arrived at the free clinic I saw quite a few people sitting around the waiting room. There were also 3 other interpreters (all current or former Luther students) volunteering their services.

At first I was a little nervous about remembering the right vocab and just getting my mind thinking in Spanish again, but it sure didn't take long and things were coming back to me. I was just there to observe what the interpreters do to see if it's something I want to do in the future, so I didn't actually have to speak much. But it sure was encouraging to be able to understand what the patients were saying and feel comfortable to know that I could interpret if I was asked to.

I thought it was also really cool that some of the phrases I had learned in Ecuador, word for word, were being used by the doctors! Phrases such as, "How can I help you today?" and "Does your pain come and go?" were exactly what we had learned, practiced, and been tested on in Ecuador! It was very rewarding to see that some things in school do have direct application to everyday life.

After being in the free clinic I really think that I would like to continue in a career where I could use Spanish, whether that be a job teaching Spanish or some other job where I can use Spanish if necessary. I'm sure that after I go to Spain this summer for 9 weeks I will have a better grasp on the language and a better feel for how much I want to incorporate the Spanish language into my life. I can't wait to really put my Spanish into action.

Rough Rugged Rugby

Yesterday I had the pleasure of a free Saturday here at Luther. The women had our track meet on Friday night at Augustana College and the men followed up with their meet on Saturday. It felt very nice to be able to relax on campus and spend time with friends who aren't in track. It was a good day to not be at a track meet because there were plenty of outdoor activities going on right here.

After practice and lunch, I headed down to the rugby pitch where games were going on. Rugby is pretty popular here at Luther as an awesome alternative for anyone to get physical and have fun. I particularly was going to watch some girls that I knew, but when I got down to the pitch I was amazed at how many men of all ages, shapes, and sizes were down there running around. Apparently there were Luther Alumni Rugby teams playing along with multiple college teams. It was neat to see how many families were around with tents and coolers, just enjoying a fun day outdoors. It reminded me of soccer tournaments I used to play in where teams and families would just plan to spend the day at the soccer complex, bringing tents, chairs, food, and games.

Now this was my first time at a rugby game so I was really lost as to what was going on. Each team had about 15 players out on the pitch and they tried to advance the ball to the other team's goal line and place the ball on the ground. To me it looked like a lot of running around, pushing people down, and craziness. I couldn't pick up on any 'plays' being run, but I'm sure some strategy was involved. At certain times throughout the game, the players from both teams had to huddle around the ball in a circular 'scrum' and somehow the ball would come out of the scrum back into play. That was interesting. Another cool thing to watch was when certain players would be lifted up by 2 teammates to try and block a pass from the other team (Well, I think that was the objective).

I'm sure all of the players returned home with lots of bruises. I saw one girl just get plowed over trying to stop the opposing team. I would not want to get in the way of those big guys. They were huge! Even though it's rough, I would love to give rugby a try sometime. Just not against the boys. And not during XC or track seasons. I need to keep my body in one piece if I can help it!

Room Draw Dilemma

Yes, it's that time of year where you get to figure out who you want to live with next year and where you want to live. As a sophomore my options for next year's housing are a lot more plentiful than last year as a freshman. As an upperclassman next year I can live in either Towers (where I am now), Larsen, Olson, or Farwell halls. Both Farwell and Olson have the option of "clusters", where there is a shared common room with double rooms coming off of it.

I really love the idea of the clusters because the common room allows you and all of your friends to hang out, watch tv, and just have a good time. And whenever you want to have some privacy or just watch a different show on tv, you can always go to your room which is only 1 step away! Sounds great to me. The only problem I have with the clusters is the number of people you have to round up in order to apply for a cluster. For Farwell you need 13 people of one gender or 10 people for a co-ed cluster (6 of one gender, 4 of the other). For Olson, though, only 4 people of the same gender share the common room. C'mon, Luther, work with me here. Why can't there be a cluster that calls for all of one gender with something like 6-8 people? That would be great. Unfortunately I have more friends than could fit in an Olson 4 person, but less than the 13 necessary for the Farwell cluster. My friends and I could try for a co-ed cluster, but none of us are too crazy about having boys see us at the crack of dawn when we look oh-so-lovely. And who knows what kind of characters they might attract to the cluster.

That leaves me and my roommate,well, back in Towers. It's not that I mind living here. In fact, I've really enjoyed it. I like its proximity to Regents where I go every day for practice as well as to work and to Sampson Hoffland Labs where my bio classes are. I would just like to try something new! I would like to explore other things that Luther has to offer! But if we come back to Towers the good news is that we can stretch our legs a bit (in case I have a miraculous growth spurt) and get the few extra feet that a corner room has to offer! At least I know that wherever we end up I will have an awesome roommate to live with, which is probably more important than what room we end up in.

Spring Fever

It's that time of year again. The weather is starting to get a little warmer (well it's supposed to be; today we had snow flurries!), classes are beginning to wind down a bit, and my brain is starting to revolt against anything academic-related. The past few days have been a struggle for me to sit down and do homework. Despite having spring break a week ago which should have recharged my tired brain cells, I find myself with little motivation to do school work. It's that time of year when the bigger projects get assigned and tests are popping up all over the place. If I just had a couple little assignments to do I wouldn't have a problem getting them done. But since it's tests and group projects that I'm dealing with, I really dread the idea of sitting down for a few hours and studying. I long to be free to run around, hang out with friends, and have fun without knowing in the back of my head that I should be studying!

Speaking of running around, yesterday we had our first outdoor track meet of the season. We ventured 3.5 hours away to Central College where 18 men's teams and 15 women's teams participated in the meet. It was my first time actually racing the steeplechase at a meet and it was awesome! Thankfully we raced before noon when the sun was shining, it was a perfect 53 degrees, and the wind wasn't too strong. Splashing around in the water pit each lap didn't even feel cold; in fact I would say that I actually looked forward to the water pit! After the Luther women finished 1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th in that race, we had the rest of the day to cheer on our teammates and enjoy the sunshine. Many of us returned with very rosy, slightly sun burnt faces. What a great day to be outside and enjoy spring.

Check out this link to see a picture of me going over a barrier and other pictures from the track meet.
http://joshgerber.com/photos/main.php?g2_itemId=96

Now just how many more weeks until finals?