The day I saw my mom off at the airport in Portland, Maine, my adventure took a turn for the worst. I suddenly felt like a lonely and lost puppy. I realized that I hadn’t planned the rest of my trip (so I didn’t know where I was going next) and I didn’t know anybody in the eastern half of the United States (so I had no clue where I was going to stay). I had the day in Portland to figure out my next steps. A plan was what I needed. A plan was what I made.
Incidentally, an amazing children's book! Go read it!
One thing I’ve learned on this trip that I never really got before is the value of networking. Exhausted and desperate in my motel room in Portland, I put out a generic plea for help, and my friends came to my rescue! Over the course of the day, I had both my route and my next few days’ accommodations figured out. Before I could set my plan in action, I had an observation shift with a doctor in Portland who does a lot of acupuncture with her patients. It was an amazing day—I saw lots of patients (all of whom received acupuncture) and then got to receive a treatment myself during lunch! I sure must have been exhausted because I fell asleep and woke myself up snoring in the community acupuncture room, which was full. How embarrassing! Sleeping on the job… Not very good, Erica! I realized that I have probably been pushing myself pretty hard on this journey of mine and that some serious self-care is in order when I get back to my home coast. I also realized that I do not want to practice acupuncture, as much as I love it. I couldn't help noticing that having acupuncture as a tool in a doctor's tool belt means that you use it a lot, often at the expense of all the other tools. It's the other tools that most interest me, and I would never want them to go by the wayside. All in all, a really great experience and valuable lesson.
That night I stayed with some friends outside of Portland who are friends of a classmate of mine. They were awesome! They were a wonderful young couple who are soon expecting a baby. The fellow of the couple works as an EMT for the military – very interesting guy! We had intense discussion about the health care situation in the United States (always a terrifying topic for me, naïve Canadian that I am) and after letting me listen to their developing baby’s heartbeat, they put me up in their soon-to-be baby room where I slept oh-so-soundly. Zzzzzz. They also hooked me up with a relative of theirs who lives in Chicago and who, they said, “would love to show me around.” Chicago phone number in-hand, off I went to Boston!
I managed my drive to Boston without losing my nerve, and there I stayed with a fella from couchsurfing who used to play soccer for Liverpool! Since it was his day off (and since he was a super nice guy), he took me out on the town and showed me some of the Boston highlights, including Boston Common, Quincy Market, Harvard University (snobby!—I couldn’t get in to see the library. You need a Harvard ID!), and Benjamin Franklin’s grave. We walked the freedom trail and had a picnic on the waterfront. We had a drink at a bar, watched some sports, and went home. The next day I was off to Rhode Island! It all sounds so exotic, but it was really only about two hours from each place to the next.
Providence! Providence seems like a nice city – lots of old architecture, for which I usually go a little bananas. I toured the old town, ventured around Brown University, and then headed out to road trip down to Newport for some beach action. Newport seems like a pretty nice little summer spot. Being there made me feel extremely poor. I felt like I was swimming in a pond that was way too big for me. Economic status is something that has been very much on my mind since being on the east coast, since there just seems to be so much money over here! And to make it worse, there are the tolls!
Canadians—a thing I didn’t know about the USA that might be good to know if any of you are thinking of road tripping is that the States really love their tolls! There are so many tollbooths! Also, most bridges have a toll. Everywhere you go, it’s toll, toll, toll, toll, toll! I’ve had it! If I needed a reason to go back to Canada, I think I found one. Going over one bridge took all my cash and then I asked if there were any more tollbooths because I was out of cash(!) and the man looked at me as though he was thinking, “You must be joking.” I had to go to an emergency ATM to take out more cash just for the right to drive on the freeway! Unreal! All of the tolls, all of the constant traffic and stress over here has left me with the overall impression that the east coast loves to drain me (and everyone else who is poor) of resources—mental, emotional, and financial! No thanks! Get me back to the west!
*Ahem* Back to my story…
My day in Newport was relatively good. I ventured out to a beach that was slightly lower key, and camped out there for an hour or so with my blanket and book. I combed the beach for shells, waded in the water, and soaked in some sun. Still, I felt like the shell of a person, merely pretending to enjoy life on the east coast. I certainly wasn't laughing and splashing like the kids with their families; nor was I cuddling with a lover on a blanket. Just me, by myself, in an unfamiliar place, once again. When I decided it was time to head back to the city, off I went, to meet my couchsurfing host for the evening: Anne. Anne works in publishing, has the most cozy and comfortable home in a charming part of Providence, and has the sweetest dog, Betty, who basically fell over after relaxing too heavily while I was petting her. Anne’s friendliness and enthusiasm was exactly what I needed and I went to bed feeling my spirits lifted.
The following day, I met with a doctor outside of Providence who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. I was greeted by a bright and cheery woman, whose enthusiasm and vivacity gave me the boost I so sorely needed. Her waiting room was filled with artwork her patients make—I loved that. Throughout the day I was treated to some real thick east coast accents: “Oim up Kwoffing wall noyt.” That accent is really fun! At the end of the day, she gave me the name of another doctor in Portland, Oregon who has a son with Down syndrome, has focused her practice around treating Down syndrome, and (coincidentally) has the same name as me! I left her office feeling excited and itching to get back to Portland as soon as possible to meet this woman and become her protégé!
That night, I got to stay with a school friend of mine in Rhode Island, who just got home for the rest of the summer. It was so refreshing to see a friendly face, and after a great night’s sleep, and after she set me up with her relatives’ contact info for a place to stay the next day, off I went to drive the three hours to Manchester, NH to meet a woman who works at Emerson Ecologics—one of the largest distributors of natural supplements in North America. I arrived in town early and went to meet her. I knew that our appointment was to be short in the first place, so when she was ten minutes late, I started to worry. After the receptionist did some sleuthing, she found out that the doctor I was supposed to meet had canceled our meeting earlier that morning. Since I was on the road, I would never have received the message (the fact that my "smart" phone is actually pretty dumb doesn’t help). She nevertheless came out to meet me. Being greeted by her confused and mildly irritated face made me feel so pathetic and like the world’s biggest imbecile. She agreed to meet me for 20 minutes or so over her lunch break for which I was instructed to go out and find myself some lunch and then return to eat with her. Like a fool, I ran down the street, ordered the most time-consuming item to prepare, and then ran back, my lunch in tow, in time to sit with her for a few minutes. I really wasn’t even at all hungry (my nerves being in overdrive at this point). She had recruited another doctor to join us for lunch, who ultimately offered me a lot more in the way of connection, so the meeting wasn’t a total loss. Nevertheless, I went away feeling frustrated and frankly angry that my visit was so flippantly received. It did not make me feel glad for driving three hours out of my way in the wrong direction.
That night, however, I was cheered once again, when I stayed with my friend’s aunt, uncle, and cousin. It was a funny evening. Everyone but the uncle went out, so it was him and me, drinking wine and eating dinner together while he told me about his history of diabetes. I really enjoyed our chat. When I settled in for the night, I ended up in an online chat with a fellow who I am going to be staying with in Minnesota (another friend of a friend). Even online, he was really funny and left me laughing for the first time in days. I went to sleep, filled with the sense of peace that comes from making a new friend.
On Wednesday, I had planned to meet with a doctor at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. We had agreed on sometime in the “late morning” and I was supposed to call him to remind him that I was on my way. While on the freeway, I did just that, and left a message that I was heading down. He called me shortly after, and this was our conversation:
“Hi Erica – are you heading to Bridgeport?”
“Yes…”
“Well, I am in Illinois!”
“Oh! Haha!! Uh…”
Turns out I got my schools mixed up, and this man doesn’t work at Bridgeport at all. I decided to check the school out anyway. I would introduce myself to whomever I could find and see what I could see and then move on to Pennsylvania later that evening.
Well, my U of Bridgeport experience was fantastic. I wandered in, unannounced, and just happened to fall into the lap of all the school’s deans who ushered me into a lecture on edible wild plants (grand rounds). I then sat in on two clinic shifts with two of the school’s favourite teachers, one of whom is the author of the “Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type” books, Dr. D’Adamo. I am very familiar with his books (and believe in his philosophy) but I had no idea I would be meeting him, let alone that he is an instructor there. He doesn’t usually take preceptors, but there I was, in his clinic, right off the street! The students at Bridgeport were so welcoming and kind, and the doctors were great! Patients will pay a lot of money to see Dr. D’Adamo (a student told me it can be about $900 or something like that). He analyzes a patient’s blood and uses physical measurements to determine a patient’s blood type and genotype. From this information, he provides the patient with a personalized, custom diet that is specific to their biological makeup. I got to sit in as the students presented such a diet to a patient. It was a pretty special experience to be privy to this moment in her life at which she got a sense of hope that she might actually be able to feel better. I left Bridgeport with the feeling that I had expanded my naturopathic community tremendously, and it was great (better than I realized) to be in contact with my peers again.
My Bridgeport experience reminded me about expectations. My expectations the previous day led to so much disappointment, unease, and frank misery. And my lack of expectations the next day led to a wonderful surprise!
I left Bridgeport and had plans to stay in Philadelphia, but after several hours of driving (me—just one of thousands of red dots on the packed freeway), and being tired and frustrated, I decided not to drive into the city just to leave it again first thing in the morning. Instead, I ventured west of Philadelphia to Ephrata, where I would be shadowing a doctor the next day (today). On my way to the clinic today, I saw a stream of horse’n’buggy traffic, reminding me that I am in Amish country! The doctor who I met today was great—he has loads of experience (unfortunately not a lot of patients today) and so we chatted for hours today about all things naturopathic. Lots of Amish people came in for their chiropractic treatments (some of them arriving in a minivan—how odd!). The good doctor gave me a road map of PA after I complained heavily about the toll roads. He took me for lunch, performed an osteopathic technique on my skull, wrists, and hips, and when I left, I felt nourished and happy.
And that brings me up to date. Tomorrow I am heading to Indianapolis, then off to Chicago on Saturday. I’ve decided to speed things up, as I am getting antsy to get home now. I have been accumulating an extensive list of things I need to get back to Portland in order to do, and I am realizing that this vacation of mine is also inevitably going to be followed by a recovery period (see: snoring in the acupuncture clinic). One guy I met referred to my trip not as a road trip but as a road tour! I think he is right. It is a whirlwind tour that is taking the wind out of me. I am so looking forward to once again having conversations with people who know me. These days, every person I meet I am meeting for the first time, and the old line, "Hi, I'm Erica!" (complete with big smiles and lots of enthusiasm) is growing repetitive. Still, I am also gaining so much (more than I have had time to realize, I think). Tonight I even saw my first-ever fireflies on a walk around Lancaster County, which was magical.
And more to come—
That night I stayed with some friends outside of Portland who are friends of a classmate of mine. They were awesome! They were a wonderful young couple who are soon expecting a baby. The fellow of the couple works as an EMT for the military – very interesting guy! We had intense discussion about the health care situation in the United States (always a terrifying topic for me, naïve Canadian that I am) and after letting me listen to their developing baby’s heartbeat, they put me up in their soon-to-be baby room where I slept oh-so-soundly. Zzzzzz. They also hooked me up with a relative of theirs who lives in Chicago and who, they said, “would love to show me around.” Chicago phone number in-hand, off I went to Boston!
I managed my drive to Boston without losing my nerve, and there I stayed with a fella from couchsurfing who used to play soccer for Liverpool! Since it was his day off (and since he was a super nice guy), he took me out on the town and showed me some of the Boston highlights, including Boston Common, Quincy Market, Harvard University (snobby!—I couldn’t get in to see the library. You need a Harvard ID!), and Benjamin Franklin’s grave. We walked the freedom trail and had a picnic on the waterfront. We had a drink at a bar, watched some sports, and went home. The next day I was off to Rhode Island! It all sounds so exotic, but it was really only about two hours from each place to the next.
Providence! Providence seems like a nice city – lots of old architecture, for which I usually go a little bananas. I toured the old town, ventured around Brown University, and then headed out to road trip down to Newport for some beach action. Newport seems like a pretty nice little summer spot. Being there made me feel extremely poor. I felt like I was swimming in a pond that was way too big for me. Economic status is something that has been very much on my mind since being on the east coast, since there just seems to be so much money over here! And to make it worse, there are the tolls!
Canadians—a thing I didn’t know about the USA that might be good to know if any of you are thinking of road tripping is that the States really love their tolls! There are so many tollbooths! Also, most bridges have a toll. Everywhere you go, it’s toll, toll, toll, toll, toll! I’ve had it! If I needed a reason to go back to Canada, I think I found one. Going over one bridge took all my cash and then I asked if there were any more tollbooths because I was out of cash(!) and the man looked at me as though he was thinking, “You must be joking.” I had to go to an emergency ATM to take out more cash just for the right to drive on the freeway! Unreal! All of the tolls, all of the constant traffic and stress over here has left me with the overall impression that the east coast loves to drain me (and everyone else who is poor) of resources—mental, emotional, and financial! No thanks! Get me back to the west!
*Ahem* Back to my story…
My day in Newport was relatively good. I ventured out to a beach that was slightly lower key, and camped out there for an hour or so with my blanket and book. I combed the beach for shells, waded in the water, and soaked in some sun. Still, I felt like the shell of a person, merely pretending to enjoy life on the east coast. I certainly wasn't laughing and splashing like the kids with their families; nor was I cuddling with a lover on a blanket. Just me, by myself, in an unfamiliar place, once again. When I decided it was time to head back to the city, off I went, to meet my couchsurfing host for the evening: Anne. Anne works in publishing, has the most cozy and comfortable home in a charming part of Providence, and has the sweetest dog, Betty, who basically fell over after relaxing too heavily while I was petting her. Anne’s friendliness and enthusiasm was exactly what I needed and I went to bed feeling my spirits lifted.
The following day, I met with a doctor outside of Providence who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. I was greeted by a bright and cheery woman, whose enthusiasm and vivacity gave me the boost I so sorely needed. Her waiting room was filled with artwork her patients make—I loved that. Throughout the day I was treated to some real thick east coast accents: “Oim up Kwoffing wall noyt.” That accent is really fun! At the end of the day, she gave me the name of another doctor in Portland, Oregon who has a son with Down syndrome, has focused her practice around treating Down syndrome, and (coincidentally) has the same name as me! I left her office feeling excited and itching to get back to Portland as soon as possible to meet this woman and become her protégé!
That night, I got to stay with a school friend of mine in Rhode Island, who just got home for the rest of the summer. It was so refreshing to see a friendly face, and after a great night’s sleep, and after she set me up with her relatives’ contact info for a place to stay the next day, off I went to drive the three hours to Manchester, NH to meet a woman who works at Emerson Ecologics—one of the largest distributors of natural supplements in North America. I arrived in town early and went to meet her. I knew that our appointment was to be short in the first place, so when she was ten minutes late, I started to worry. After the receptionist did some sleuthing, she found out that the doctor I was supposed to meet had canceled our meeting earlier that morning. Since I was on the road, I would never have received the message (the fact that my "smart" phone is actually pretty dumb doesn’t help). She nevertheless came out to meet me. Being greeted by her confused and mildly irritated face made me feel so pathetic and like the world’s biggest imbecile. She agreed to meet me for 20 minutes or so over her lunch break for which I was instructed to go out and find myself some lunch and then return to eat with her. Like a fool, I ran down the street, ordered the most time-consuming item to prepare, and then ran back, my lunch in tow, in time to sit with her for a few minutes. I really wasn’t even at all hungry (my nerves being in overdrive at this point). She had recruited another doctor to join us for lunch, who ultimately offered me a lot more in the way of connection, so the meeting wasn’t a total loss. Nevertheless, I went away feeling frustrated and frankly angry that my visit was so flippantly received. It did not make me feel glad for driving three hours out of my way in the wrong direction.
That night, however, I was cheered once again, when I stayed with my friend’s aunt, uncle, and cousin. It was a funny evening. Everyone but the uncle went out, so it was him and me, drinking wine and eating dinner together while he told me about his history of diabetes. I really enjoyed our chat. When I settled in for the night, I ended up in an online chat with a fellow who I am going to be staying with in Minnesota (another friend of a friend). Even online, he was really funny and left me laughing for the first time in days. I went to sleep, filled with the sense of peace that comes from making a new friend.
On Wednesday, I had planned to meet with a doctor at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. We had agreed on sometime in the “late morning” and I was supposed to call him to remind him that I was on my way. While on the freeway, I did just that, and left a message that I was heading down. He called me shortly after, and this was our conversation:
“Hi Erica – are you heading to Bridgeport?”
“Yes…”
“Well, I am in Illinois!”
“Oh! Haha!! Uh…”
Turns out I got my schools mixed up, and this man doesn’t work at Bridgeport at all. I decided to check the school out anyway. I would introduce myself to whomever I could find and see what I could see and then move on to Pennsylvania later that evening.
Well, my U of Bridgeport experience was fantastic. I wandered in, unannounced, and just happened to fall into the lap of all the school’s deans who ushered me into a lecture on edible wild plants (grand rounds). I then sat in on two clinic shifts with two of the school’s favourite teachers, one of whom is the author of the “Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type” books, Dr. D’Adamo. I am very familiar with his books (and believe in his philosophy) but I had no idea I would be meeting him, let alone that he is an instructor there. He doesn’t usually take preceptors, but there I was, in his clinic, right off the street! The students at Bridgeport were so welcoming and kind, and the doctors were great! Patients will pay a lot of money to see Dr. D’Adamo (a student told me it can be about $900 or something like that). He analyzes a patient’s blood and uses physical measurements to determine a patient’s blood type and genotype. From this information, he provides the patient with a personalized, custom diet that is specific to their biological makeup. I got to sit in as the students presented such a diet to a patient. It was a pretty special experience to be privy to this moment in her life at which she got a sense of hope that she might actually be able to feel better. I left Bridgeport with the feeling that I had expanded my naturopathic community tremendously, and it was great (better than I realized) to be in contact with my peers again.
My Bridgeport experience reminded me about expectations. My expectations the previous day led to so much disappointment, unease, and frank misery. And my lack of expectations the next day led to a wonderful surprise!
I left Bridgeport and had plans to stay in Philadelphia, but after several hours of driving (me—just one of thousands of red dots on the packed freeway), and being tired and frustrated, I decided not to drive into the city just to leave it again first thing in the morning. Instead, I ventured west of Philadelphia to Ephrata, where I would be shadowing a doctor the next day (today). On my way to the clinic today, I saw a stream of horse’n’buggy traffic, reminding me that I am in Amish country! The doctor who I met today was great—he has loads of experience (unfortunately not a lot of patients today) and so we chatted for hours today about all things naturopathic. Lots of Amish people came in for their chiropractic treatments (some of them arriving in a minivan—how odd!). The good doctor gave me a road map of PA after I complained heavily about the toll roads. He took me for lunch, performed an osteopathic technique on my skull, wrists, and hips, and when I left, I felt nourished and happy.
And that brings me up to date. Tomorrow I am heading to Indianapolis, then off to Chicago on Saturday. I’ve decided to speed things up, as I am getting antsy to get home now. I have been accumulating an extensive list of things I need to get back to Portland in order to do, and I am realizing that this vacation of mine is also inevitably going to be followed by a recovery period (see: snoring in the acupuncture clinic). One guy I met referred to my trip not as a road trip but as a road tour! I think he is right. It is a whirlwind tour that is taking the wind out of me. I am so looking forward to once again having conversations with people who know me. These days, every person I meet I am meeting for the first time, and the old line, "Hi, I'm Erica!" (complete with big smiles and lots of enthusiasm) is growing repetitive. Still, I am also gaining so much (more than I have had time to realize, I think). Tonight I even saw my first-ever fireflies on a walk around Lancaster County, which was magical.
And more to come—
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