I was noodling around here today and realized that for all intents and purposes I hadn’t posted since like 2006. As little as I’ve been around, the SDMB will always have a soft spot in my heart; I started posting here when I was 18 and the pack of people that were around from around 1999-2003 managed to shape my early adult life in all kinds of fun ways.
I finished grad school a few years ago and went into speech therapy. I do geriatric rehab, which is a lot of stroke rehab and dementia work. I love it, but it’s absolutely made my sense of humor darker. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to see the world, and this was the year- I returned to the US in November after 9 months of backpacking. I’m in the middle of relocating to Boston. Life is good, and I’m very lucky.
I’m new here but hello! I’ve been interested in backpacking but too afraid to do it. How do you learn more about it? What do you carry in your backpack?? it sounds so exciting. Glad life is going well for you!
Nifty! Is the law market as insane in Canada as it is in the US? I have buddies that have really been flailing for work.
A lot of cognitive rehab depends on how far advanced the disease process is. For someone in early stage, you get them used to stuff like keeping a schedule and calender, keeping a journal, organizing all of their information in one place, seeing if they can manage their meds independently, that sort of thing. Further on, you work on maintaining their safety- for example, locking a wheelchair before standing up. It’s pretty individualized.
No, it’s awesome, go! Start in an English-speaking country if you’re really freaked out by the idea- if you’re American, go to Ireland or Great Britain and get your feet wet, then go somewhere else that interests you and build from there. International travel is really well established in all kinds of places; you’d be surprised how much English is spoken in, say, Laos.
Your first time backpacking doesn’t have to be some multi-country odyssey into the middle of nowhere. Lonely Planet guides to areas are a great way to start, and to find youth hostels I used hostelworld. I actually was more of a suitcaser, but I carried a lot of clothes, some medicine, and toiletries at all times. I usually had a book or two that I would exchange. Depending on how long you go for, you don’t really need much. And if you go for a week or two for your first time, see if you have a friend who wants to go as well. There’s nothing wrong with taking a tour, either, especially if you’re nervous about traveling.
But if traveling is something that you want to have happen, do what you can to make it happen. You never know what’s around the corner, so go buy some tickets already.
BRAINS… um… That’s really none of your business and I’ll thank you kindly for staying out of my personal affairs.
Can’t wait to grab lunch.
Bricker- I was mostly in Australia, I stayed there for 5 months. But also New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, China, Austria, France, Spain, and England. I bought a ticket around the world, so you have to broadly keep going East or West until you reach your starting point. If I was going to re-do I’d spend a lot more time in Asia. Everywhere was amazing, though.
I had to check. Yes we did both post in one thread: one that you started looking for a Halloween Colorado dopefest. I remember the shock that someone paid enough attention to me to remember my location.
Welcome back! I hope you enjoy Boston. I’ve enjoyed my trips there, but I’m glad I live here.
I recognize your name! Welcome back! Are you moving to Boston proper, or Boston suburbia? I live in Boston suburbia… though actually more like a suburb-of-a-suburb 45 minutes away from Boston.
Pull up a chair and start posting again. The place hasn’t changed all that much.
