Nelson & Yasodhara

• I’m in beautiful Nelson BC now, about to start week 2 of a 2 week elective in pediatrics. Sorry I haven’t written lately, I’m reminded of my friend Sam’s blog where he states upfront “Publishing unreliably for quite some time now” – which I think is true for me as well. Oops. Uninspired, that’s all.
• While I’ve been here, I’ve been working at a community pediatrics practice based out of the hospital. It’s a small community of only 10,000 people or so, and even though the pediatrician sees patients from neighbouring communities too there are rarely any kids in the small hospital. (so far there's been 2 from last weekend, plus a couple of babies born that we saw) So it’s definitely a different experience than the busy, busy pediatrics practices with lots of hospital work that I saw in Victoria. We’ve been seeing a fair bit of asthma (I learned that Sept 21st is THE largest single day for asthmatic hospitalizations each year, about 3 weeks after the kids are back in school getting infections and then having asthma exacerbations). And a number of allergy tests (skin tests) too. It’s been okay but not my best learning experience – my preceptor is nice though.
• This weekend I went to Kootenay Bay and checked out the Yasodhara ashram – check out the beautiful picture of the Temple there at a recent Canadian Geographic article about it. It’s a 30 minute drive up the shore of Kootenay Lake and a 40 minute ferry ride across the water (which was surprisingly free though I kept waiting for someone to ask for money). It was a lovely, peaceful place and I spent a bunch of time there enjoying a tasty, healthy lunch, sifting through tons of books in their bookstore (and left with an armload) and walking the grounds to the temple. Lunch is eaten in silence and served cafeteria style. Eating with others in quiet was new for me but the silence was actually quite a treat - no need to make idle chit-chat with a neighbour nor feel lonely, instead I could sit with a couple of people at my table, enjoy the food and the view and not talk. Nice. Then I wandered out and went into the incredible temple pictured in the magazine article, and it’s just as breathtaking in person. I was the only one there. Anyway, they offer a bunch of courses and retreats and I can see myself going to one of those at a later date if/when I need to recharge my batteries for medicine (or life). To me, it felt like a place that’s different from but similar to the Haven – a place for reflection & renewal.
• Not only did I go to the ashram but I checked out some art shops (pottery, glass blowing, etc) in nearby Crawford Bay and then made my way back to a popular little coffee shop in Nelson to write a letter. Returned home to start perusing through some of the many books I bought. It was a great day.