Waking Up

I have recently changed my alarm clock to "peace train" by cat stevens. At first I was not sure if this was a good idea because I thought it might ruin the song for me, it however has made waking up so much better. Here are the lyrics enjoy or you can visit youtube and see a great performance of the song.

Now I've been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun
I've been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Something good's bound to come

For out on the edge of darkness
There runs the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train
Peace train's a holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
This is the peace train

Get your bags together
Come bring your good friends too
Because it's getting nearer
Soon it will be with you
Come and join the living
It's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer
Soon it will all be true

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train

I've been crying lately
Thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can't we live in bliss?

For out on the edge of darkness
There rides the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train

Come on, come on, come on the peace train...

Now on a beautiful note here is a picture that i love. I found it on my sister's blog. It is of me and my aunts. I really love them even if Tyler, my super rude and verbally abusive brother, is right and they don't love me. Also if you will note what a talented photographer my sister Whitney is. She is honestly good at everything. I often tell people Whitney has the golden touch because she makes everything beautiful. Maybe I just aspire to be like Whitney. Who knows maybe I aspire to be my true self whoever that might be.

The beans please

"No one has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."
-Zelda Fitzgerald

I fear I do not have much to say because all I ever do is study. The above quote in fact came out of one of my text books. I have always been a sucker for those Fitzgeralds because when I read The Great Gatsby, during my junior year of high school, I fell head over heals for Gatsby. I have always been a sucker for hopeless romantics but sadly as I have grown older I have realized that such love does not run that deep, and many hopeless romantics do not really love at all. I guess in a way it is good Gatsby expired before all of his dreams really feel apart, although I personally believe he already knew they had. However I do agree with Zelda on the above quote. I think true love runs much deeper.

Now for a funny story. I have been saving a soda pop in my bedroom because I know if I put it in the fridge someone will drink it. I have been feeling like such a glutten about it. When I told my mom she told me about how my dad used to do the same thing but instead of yummy soda pop he would hid canned string beans under his bed. Now I ask you who would want to take another persons green bean. My dad is really amazing.
As for the rest of me I am doing surprisingly well. The closer my test get the less I can sleep. I take my test in one week. I have never been so excited for a test in my whole life. I have been studying for 2 months and am going absolutely crazy. I hope that all goes well, but in the meantime I have started hating going to bed. Every night I dread getting in to bed because I know my mind will start to race as soon as those light go off. If anyone has any ideas do let me know.

-elisa

When will your hand find its self in mine?

So for some reason I have decided to blog again. Be it that we (us bloggers) feel our lives are so important or that we have no one to share our thoughts with, it really comes down to the same desire a need for a voice. So in an effort to have a voice to free my thoughts I have decided to blog but alas I fear it usually ends up the same. You realize that no one reads your blog and then you feel more alone than before but this time in a virtual world that does not exist. You might be thinking I am crazy for suggesting such things but I would like anyone who has facebook to ask yourself if you have ended a session feeling a little more empty than before you went on and looked at your friends pages. It is an interesting feeling that I think is unique to our time. Never before except if you were a celebrity or king could you actually feel like all 900+ "friends" did not think of or like you.

So before starting I would like to provide my reader with a warning: This blog will not be funny. For those of you that read Nikki Christensen's blog know just how funny a blog can be. This blog also will not be beautiful like Ashly Christensen's blog which is very beautiful (I suppose Christensen's just have talent that Bushman's lack) but this blog will be honest. For those of you that know me that is one this I have always possessed honesty to a fault. It seems to just drip from me and often stain everything I touch. So if you fear such things than stop reading now. In addition those of you who love the English Language I am sure have noticed by now just how much I manage to kill our beloved grammar and spelling. I fear this has been a problem for me for years. I remember in high school one of my English teachers simply passing me and saying that I was never going to get it... A similar experience happened yet again in College. What I am saying is I think it might simply be to late for me but I promise to help my children if you keep reading.

You also should be warned about my current frame on mind. This morning when I was in the shower I honestly was getting stressed about this whole blogging business because I though I had to write everything in reverse or my reader would not be able to read it in the correct order. I am also currently on a spiritual quest. As a result there might be a lot of church reference but I think we can all be open minded about such things. Other than that I believe I am still me at the core. Just a little older and full of millions of useless facts about all things medical. I take my boards in just 11 days and I have been studing, well trying to study 12 hours daily. For those of you that I have not talked to in the last 2 years I am in medical school and the longer I stay and the further I go the voice of Mrs. Durham, my AP English teacher, gets louder telling me it was a bad idea. But I guess now it is simply too late so I will continue and hopefully my life will be of use to others someday. I have always felt my life will be complete and I will be able to die happy when I go to sleep knowing I could not have done more to help others. So I guess that is my goal in life and all other things will fall into place. I look at my mom everyday and know her life is just this way. She has always been the most beautiful person in the world to me. Especially now that I am so stressed out my mom has been sitting by me until I fall asleep every night. Now that is love.

So here are somethings I have been loving as of late I thought you might enjoy.

1. a quote: "I will love you in reality and dreams" -Noah and the Whale (I believe the lucky person who this quote makes me think about knows just who they are.)

2. a video: be ready it is amazing. It is called "shape of my heart" by yet again Noah and the Whale.

3. for those of you that a wondering what medical school does to you I think this picture is a fair description. Not in a negative way.

Just a little something else I thought you might enjoy!

As it turns out I think this video might be a better depiction of me.

Year One Over and Done

Hello friends! It has been a little while and here I am alive and done with my first year of medical school. Can you even believe that? I can't! I can honestly say this past year has been one of the hardest and most amazing of my lifetime. As many of you know, I have gone through a lot but I can now say with confidence that it has all been worth it. This realization came upon me the other night when I woke up after my fever broke (in case you didn't know, I am currently recovering from Swine Flu). When I woke up, every thing I have experienced raced through my mind and I realized without a doubt that it was all worth it. I would have done it all again a million times over if it meant getting to know all the wonderful people I have had the privilage of getting to know this past year. People like Marius, Gheta, Flourine, Teo, my Romania girl, Jeff, Emily, my family, Sara Wilson, Trenton, Lindsey, Alex, my kids at cancer camp, and ultimately, myself. In fact, I think the price I have had to pay for all that I have gained has been very small indeed. But the strange thing is, at the time it seemed like the greatest price in the world. These are my thoughts at the moment, and I hope someone can find some greater understanding in them...what really matters though, is what we do with what we learn--and only time can tell what results these lessons might bring. Well enough of my blabbering on about the woes of med school and the life of a med student.
I have some lovely Haikus that my best friend Nikki wrote for my Mother and I earlier this week in order to help us heal:
I.
Sneezing Bushman girls
Worry Capitol friend, both
Vomiting, pleading

II.
Still incredulous
Angriest virus around
Swine Flu despair, quick

Needless to say Nikki is a very talented lady.

So now for closing I would like to include a little movie... Please do not think I am an egoist but it is a little something I put together during the school year. I took these pictures everytime I felt like I was not alive to remind myself that I in fact was. I supose it was a last stitch to remind myself that despite the isolation of medical school I am alive and that inspite of myself I am an artist. So please do you best to enjoy! Know I love you all and wish I could be with you more often.

as always elisa

Upon Request my Life

Hello all of you out there that have nothing better to do than read about my life! This is my blog, which I will now be updating periodically due to some requests. (I just hope you Romania girls know how much I love because I am morally apposed to blogg’in). As it turns out, for some reason, people think that my life must be interesting because I am in medical school but I will be the first to tell you that is a farce, unless of course you consider hanging out with text books and people just as nerdy as yourself exciting. Don’t get me wrong I really do love it! All I am trying to say is that shows such as “scrubs” have really made it seem much more exciting. So I fear dear friends who read my blog thinking Elisa’s life must be exciting because she “doing things with her life” will most likely be asleep by the end of this entry and lets hope you never read this blog again.

It all began with a white coat ceremony! That is a ritual they do in medical school where they give you a white coat at a pre-graduation like ceremony in hopes that when you encounter patients they will see you in your white coat and believe what you say is true. I personally am very grateful for the coat due to my youthful appearance. I need all of the believability I can get.

Next I ran away from life to DC. While there I stayed with my most amazing friend Nikki Christensen. We have been best friends since the 7th grade when I first met her while she was wearing a pair of jean overall shorts. Truly an amazing out fit… speaking of it I have always been mean to suggest bringing it back. If anyone has the nerve it is for sure Nikki. Needless to say, as you will see from the pictures, Nikki is now much more stylish than I will ever be. I just really love her and for those of you that do not know her you are truly missing out. While in DC we had the most wonderful time with a beautiful bike theme. It all began when Nikki picked me up from the airport on her bike upon which she pumped me and my bags back to her apartment. I could not stop laughing the whole time. We had a lovely time riding our bikes to all of the monuments and Roosevelt Island. It was exactly what I needed. Nikki was truly the best hostess in the world and she saved me quite simply from going crazy. It appears that she always does that for me. Although the trip was just drenched with lovely things like home cooked meals from Nikki best part was when she cried when I left. And then she called me crying a few hours latter from the lawn. I don’t think I will ever have a friend that loves me that much again. Oh yes but one more thing while we were there we happened upon the most amazing Jim Henson exhibit! I truly am such a sucker for the Muppets. And what made it the best is that everyone was so happy to be there. At the end of the exhibit there is a film playing of clips of his work. I sat on a bench between and old man and a young girl that were grinning from ear to ear. And it struck me that although Jim did not cure cancer he truly did make the world a better place simply with puppets! What a wonderful way to change the world!

Washington Monument

Lincoln Monument

Good Old Mark!

Next big thing was for sure going with Nikki’s family to Spring City over Christmas Break! I would go off about it but words could never express just how much I love the Christensen family. It was perfect. A highlight for sure was when Nikki was band from listening to Dolly Parton… which was a true shame because I really do love her so much.

So Craig and Susan

I love Nikki

Ladies

The most recent wonderful thing that has happened to me is for sure visiting my dear wonderful Kelly Kronk Johnson. Kelly and I just had a wonderful time running around Pittsburgh. She truly is just the post “precious” person in the whole wide world. I think what I loved best about being there was just feeling so loved by my dear Kel. I also loved seeing Frank Lloyd Wrights “Fallingwater”. It was amazing and since I am such an architecture/furniture nut I just loved every second of it. It was one of those things that were just not built up too much, which is really saying something because it is rather built up. I also had a blast hanging out with Kelly’s family! I just love them so much! Not to have favorites but I am truly a sucker for Rebecca Kronk, Kelly’s mom. Not that I don’t love the rest of you Konks but Kelly’s mom’s hugs just do me in. She is one of those people that when she hugs you you just feel so loved you want to cry. Needless to say it was just a magical visit.

Fallingwater

Baby Annett

Good Old Best friends!

Kelly's Amazing Attic

This is it!

Hello world… well in just one hour and 2 min from the moment that I started typing this email/blog I will start on my way home to you, well at least most of you. This past week might have just been one of the best in my whole lifetime. Literally this week consisted of one blessing after another. I am not sure why it happened with way but it did and I could not be more grateful. I honestly have done every single thing in Romania that I wanted two… I find myself leaving with no loose ends. Let me tell you about some of these little wonders that have happened to me.

The week started out with more Visa paper work. My dear friend Teo, who is helping Marius get to America, has been so worried about doing everything just right that we have all found ourselves spending a lot of time working on getting stuff ready for the big Visa meeting this Wednesday. On Monday while we were reviewing paper work I told Teo not to worry about helping me see my kids from last time that have been moved to another orphanage. Although this was a hard thing for me to do I realized that we had just run out of time and helping Marius was much more important at this point. The next this I knew Teo come running back in to the room and told me we had to go right now. Teo had lined up my going to Glata, the orphanage where my kids have been moved to without my knowing. She truly is such an amazing person. When I got there I could not have been more happy to see my little boy Flourin that I had worked with last time I was here. He is now 14 and comes up to my shoulder but is still the same old Frourin in his own little Autistic world. Of course when I saw him I could not help but cry as I hugged me little boy. He just looks so good and seems so happy. (I just read over those last few lines and am sorry that they have done a very poor job expressing what I felt. I wish I was a great writer so I could tell you how time stopped when I saw him but alas that is just not in the cards. Please do forgive me.) Teo also took me around to see some of my other kids and it was just amazing. I tried to thank her when we left but I just started crying but my dear Teo knew what I was trying to say. She just looked at me and said Elisa I know.

On Tuesday I got to spend the day with Marius’s older brother Inout, which was absolutely amazing. After only a day both Mindy and I totally fell in love with him. When we told Marius he was not very please and informed us that we were his friends not Iount’s. Inout truly is an amazing person. We helped him great ready for his big trip to the Visa office in Bucharest. The elders donated some clothes and Mindy and I got to pick out the rest. Needless to say we absolutely loved it and he thought we were totally crazy as we tried to speak to him in Romania. A real high light was when by accident I asked him if there was 6 million people in his town… as it turns out there is only 400. I thought he would die laughing. When we sent Inout and Teo off on the train both Mindy and I got all teary eyed. It was amazing how after only a day we loved him as much as Marius. Teo called me the next day totally exhausted to let me know that they got the Visas after a lot of convincing. When Inout found out Teo said he started dancing in the street, a beautiful moment.

On Wednesday I went to go visit one of my boys from last time in his foster home. This was also due to the work of Teo. I loved going there and I got to take a lot of really great pictures. More then anything I just loved seeing how happy he was. Seeing him there reminded me yet again that happy ending are out there.Mihai (age 15) with his 15 year old brother Alex

Last of all I want to tell you about one more of the millions of amazing experiences I have had this week…. Here goes this might be the highlight of my whole trip. Well Marius has started walking by him self now. He is so independent! He just wants to do every thing by himself and he is always so excited to show us just how much he does not need us. Today he was walking around being very careful not to fall. I was sitting there watching him on a bunch just thinking how hard it was going to say goodbye in a few minutes. When my dear little boy stepped over and put both of his arms around me and gave me a big kiss on the cheek. Simply this was one of the biggest tender mercies of my life. Marius made my heart skip about one billion beats and I knew that without I was meant to be here.

Well my dearest friends and family I must least you now but know I love you very much! And also keep praying for my girls they have two weeks left and they have so much to do. Thank you for sticking through this with me. I cannot begin to tell you how much your support has meant to me. I love you all.

-elisa thelys bushmanOur last group pictures! I love these girls! I will miss them!