So Many Countries, So Little Time!: Spring 2018 Update: Return to Cape Cod

Hello family and friends! It has been way too long since I've updated you all on what's going on in my life, and I'm sorry about that. Some of you know what I've been up to but I realize that many of you don't, so here is a quick recap of my life since leaving Crater Lake last fall.

I wish I could say that it was all good things, but unfortunately that's not the case. I returned to Florida at the end of October to stay with my mom for the winter and worked for UPS and the liquor store like I had the previous winter. I also decided to use the time of relative calm in my life to focus on addressing some health problems that had been going on for about a year. I don't remember how much of this I've talked about on the blog in the past, but for those of you who don't know, about a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Basically my immune system thinks that the cells of my thyroid gland are foreign invaders, so it mistakenly attacks them, leading to destruction of the gland and continuously decreasing thyroid hormone levels in the body. This diagnosis led me down a path of wanting to know what else might be going on, and I subsequently found out that many other hormones in my body are out of balance, I'm gluten intolerant (most likely Celiac) along with various other digestive complaints, have positive antibodies for several viruses my body has been fighting off, and I might have Lyme Disease, and could have had it most of my life. That was quite a shock to me, since I've never had any major symptoms that would lead me to suspect Lyme at all. However, this slew of diagnoses made me examine how I was really feeling and I realized that it had been a while since I'd felt 100% healthy. I just kept pushing through life, ignoring symptoms or thinking that it was normal. Everyone complains about being tired or having random aches and pains, so it didn't seem like a big deal until it was brought to my attention just how much my body had to handle.

So I'm still very much dealing with all of those issues, and it certainly will not be a quick fix. Sometimes it can be extremely discouraging, but I try to stay positive and not feel too sorry for myself. Healing is a marathon, not a sprint, and I just have to keep reminding myself of that, even when I feel like my progress has regressed or I have to say no to yet another delicious-looking baked good because my body doesn't know how to handle itself around gluten. Health problems can feel isolating, but I'm lucky to have my family there to support me through this whole process.

And now onto the happier news...I yet again have a seasonal job for the summer in an amazing place, and this time I'm returning to somewhere I've been before: Cape Cod! It was 5 years ago that I was a member of AmeriCorps Cape Cod, and ever since then I've thought about returning some day. This was the year that I felt especially pulled to come back, and I also just generally wanted to be on the east coast closer to family after spending the last two summers out west. My job is with the Town of Barnstable Natural Resources Department working as a Shellfish Assistant. This entails helping the Shellfish Biologist and the Shellfish Technician with the town's aquaculture program. We grow oysters and quahogs (hard-shell clams) in order to keep a sustainable population for recreational and commercial fishermen to catch. The work can be strenuous, but the people I work with are fun and the atmosphere is relaxed. We get to be out on the water everyday to check on the shellfish, and I'm very happy to be back in a job where I work outside. There have been some ups and downs, such as some days that I don't feel as well as others, or the first few days of the season when it was in the 30s and I had just come from 80 degree weather in Florida, but for the most part I'm enjoying it, and it's great to be back at the beach. I will try to write more details about the work soon, but for now, here are some pictures from one of our boat rides last week.