Map

The one thing this very vague drawing of a map did help me to see was how the nurses have to work to get babies from the room to the neonatal unit in a timely manner in the event of an emergency. I hope to add some more detailed pictures soon of this mapped out drawing to provide the details that would have been nearly impossible for me to draw. However there are three hallways of rooms available for mothers. Some rooms are specifically for delivery while the others are for waiting and recovery. The nurses station is located in the center of the floor with the hallways behind it and the nursery and neonatal unit directly in front of it. Hallway 1 and 3 are typically the rooms used for delivery because of the convenient entrances to the neonatal unit. The doors that separate the neonatal unit and the rest of the floor will all open automatically in the event of and emergency allow the nurse to spend more time running to the unit and holding the baby properly with both hands. This map was able to give me a better perspective on the type of route that nurses and babies take when something goes wrong. It helped me to understand the flow of the system more properly. I think it is really neat how doors open automatically for the nurses and it alerts other the neonatal nurses to be prepared. They will usually have their hands and arms already washed and they are dressed appropriately with gloves on and ready to handle the emergency. Such an exciting job!

Cultural Artifact

The cultural artifact that I am choosing to write about is extremely important to the church. I think one of the best and most obvious cultural artifacts in the church would have to the bible. I mean how much more cultural can we get than the bible, and it is dated back many years so I would think it classifies as an artifact. The bible is so important to the Old Hickory Church of Christ, as it is many other churches throughout the world. It is the basis for Christianity and the beliefs of the people within the church doors. The bible is full of texts that can be and have been interpreted in many different ways making many different denominations and beliefs about church, but we are all striving for the same goals, and that goal is to live peacefully on earth, avoid sin as much as humanly possible, forgive, and strive each day to get to heaven. The bible as an artifact is really quite interesting because it not only classifies because of its age, but it is also an artifact in the sense that the words within the bible are so meaningful and some of the most commonly quoted texts in the world. I love the idea of being able to have such a strong artifact for my project.

The YMCA

Interestingly enough, the YMCA seems to be the culture that has been close to me over the past few months since I have began working out their. It is odd to think of the YMCA as being a cultural, and even more off to think of it as a culture that I am involved in. One thing I would like to point out is that I will only be reflecting on the YMCA in Donelson, TN.
I have noticed lately when I go there that there seem to be a lot of elderly people. They are almost always wearing the same color shirt leading me to believe that they participate in classes together. I looked around the YMCA to try and find some evidence of this and learned that the YMCA has a program called silver shoes which is specifically for senior citizens. I decided to watch about twenty minutes of one session to see if it would be something my grandmother my be interested in doing. I noticed that the class does not seem to be as strength based as it is neurologically based. The instructor leads the seniors in balance exercises as well as simple exercises like lifting two and three pound weights, lifting the weight of their legs, and even and simple as being able to to pinch the ends of a clothes pin together. All of the seniors had smiling faces. They were able to  laugh and enjoy one another's company while benefiting themselves with a small workout. I think it is really good for them to have this kind of activity at least two times a week to keep their brains and bodies mobile.
After the session many of the seniors go into the lobby, which is designed kind of like a coffee shop, to continue their talking and drink coffee or tea. I was able to go and talk with a few of the participants and each of them had very positive things to say about silver shoes. One lady told me that it just felt so good to get out of the house and be able to come and talk with others that are experiencing some of the same difficulties that she has. I never would have thought that I would be looking at the silver shoes club and the YMCA as a culture but it really is. They all where matching shirts, usually in an old pair of white tennis shoes, and they all have smiling faces. Its a healthy environment for an older bunch.

Cultures I am interested in studying

One of the main cultures that I would like to study would be the oncology department at Vanderbilt medical center. This center is actually called the Vanderbilt- Ingram Cancer Center. I am very interested in oncology and always have been ever since my mom was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. I think I could study this by going and talking with some of the oncologists in that particular center to try and learn more about the process of finding and diagnosing cancer. I think that it would also be helpful for me to talk to chemist about the study of medicines involving cancer treatments. It is very neat to me that I could study all these things in the same place.  I would like to learn what steps are taken by this particular clinic after the diagnosis has been made. I guess my main question would be. What are the main steps taken in making a diagnosis and where do you go from there? Each hospital and each doctor have different opinions, and I think it would be unique to learn how the process is done at this particular center.

The other idea that I have would be to study Tennessee Volunteers Football. I have been in love with football my whole life and especially in the past five years or so I have become very interested as I have learned and began to understand the rules more clearly. I could study this by traveling to Knoxville and possibly talking with some of the coaches and players.Also studying the recruiting boards and blogs of the people who are inside Tennessee Football. I think talking with the magazine company inside Tennessee would be helpful also because they dedicate a whole magazine to the University of Tennessee Sports. I want to know more about the recruiting process and what goes in to picking the individual players that we are choose. What separated Tennessee from all of the other college football teams? Although some forms of these questions I could answer on my own, no one really knows exactly what is going on with this set of coaches in Neyland Stadium.

Observational Writing

I had to type my double entry observational notes and then take a picture of my screen in order to get these on here because I do not have a way to get new pictures on my computer at this time. What surprised me? I was really surprised by how many things go on when walking down there greenway that I have never taken the time to notice. It is very rare that I stop to pay attention to my surroundings. I found it very fun to pay close attention to the items that people had chosen to wear. Like the man who wore jeans and sandals to go running with his dog. I was also surprised to see the wild foxes on the greenway. What intrigued me? I would be very intrigued to know how many wild animals I have missed by not paying attention to my surroundings. I also became very intrigued about how many miles are ran, walked, or biked on the greenway each day. I was also very intrigued by all of the different kinds of activities go on. I usually tend to only notice the bikers and walkers, but there are people who fish, some roller skate, and some even ride scooters. What disturbed me? I cant really say that much of anything disturbed me on this trip to the greenway. I can say that at time I am slightly disturbed by the people that are on the greenway. There have been reports of robberies and other suspicious activities happening on the greenway so one always needs to make sure that they are making sure of their surroundings. I am somewhat disturbed about the fact that the greenway is not lighted. I think that because of some people perception of what time it gets dark, it would be a smart idea to have the greenway lit in the even that people are still riding, running, or walking after the sun goes down. Overall, these observational notes have made me more aware of my surrounding when I am on the greenway.  I noticed things I have never paid attention to before at a place I visit about three times a week. It made for an interesting day.