Cultural Exploration

Prompted by a class I'm currently taking, I've been thinking about my cultural heritage. This always kind of irks me, because for a "white-washed" multi-gen American my heritage is A. as varied as the microbiome of a bathroom floor and B. largely unknown. I have no particular lineage with which I closely identify. I have no language, customs, traditions, or dogma derived from my ethnicity. So with what am I left? Where do I go from here when asked to explore my culture?

I look to the culture I have made for myself. It is more nucleus, more central. It consists of my family, my hometown, the people with whom I grew up, the beliefs and traditions I have created for myself, the society around me, and the heritage I am just now beginning to explore. 

A picture of a picture: family portrait, 2005.

This is my nuclear family. It consists of my dad, my mom, my maternal grandmother, and my maternal aunt. My mom's family grew up in Anchorage, which is why my grandma and my aunt were in closer proximity than my paternal family, who live in Colorado. My close relatives are part of my culture.

Piggy bank from my childhood

This piggy bank represents a few things about my culture. It's style is from the 1980's and is from Japan. These figurines were popular during this time, the decade during which I was born. More than this, however, it represents my growing up and cherishing a few things that I have had for a long time. It reminds me of my mom, who values passing items down as heirlooms and putting meaning towards certain objects. Sentimentality is part of my culture.

Three necklaces and a ring I've worn since 2007

The necklaces depicted here represent my belief system. I was raised Protestant Christian and was very into my faith throughout high school. Yet when I attended (a Lutheran) college, my beliefs were challenged and I was able to reconsider what I was told to believe and instead fashion a set of beliefs that were truly mine. The ankh ("key of life") is from Egyptian hieroglyphs and is a symbol for various aspects of life. The cross here contains an Irish triple spiral, which has been adapted to symbolize the Holy Trinity. It was a gift from my dad when I was a teenager. The birch tree pendant represents nature, a fundamental part of my belief and value system. This was more a part of my innate understanding of the world than any other religion or philosophy. It is why I am studying naturopathic medicine; nature was my first teacher and my constant friend. The ankh, the cross, the tree, and personal religion are part of my culture.

My birthstone

This is an opal and gold ring that belonged to my maternal great-grandmother. It is the only possession I have from that far back in my lineage. My great-grandmother moved to Seattle from California and raised my grandmother in Queen Anne. My ethnic heritage on this side of the family is a bit of a question... my grandmother's father's information is not well-known. I hope to track his records down somehow so that I can investigate that part of my lineage. Undeniably, however, the Pacific Northwest is part of my culture.

Newspaper from Minnesota

 Of course, my culture is shaped by being a "Millenial." I helped shape the internet into what it is today; my teen years relied on hotmail, I had to wait until I had a collegiate email address to get Facebook, and I voted in this (above) and the previous election. Obama and the Obama generation is part of my culture.

23andMe Family Tree

In fact, part of the brilliance of this modern era is that it is possible, through DNA analysis and various internet resources, to not only piece together one's family tree, but use DNA comparisons to find potential cousins across the globe. I have found lineage that traces back to Albany, NY in the 1700's... a heritage about which I had absolutely no idea until I mapped it out and started investigating grave stones via a user-driven internet database. Indeed, I have found a distant cousin in Minnesota through the creation of this family tree. The Internet is most certainly my culture, as is the Oothoudt family line.

Tokens from Japan

 My culture is borrowed. I grew up learning and living Japanese. I traveled to Japan twice in elementary school, then studied there for a semester in college. On the one hand, having no direct Japanese relatives I cannot claim this culture to be my own. On the other hand, it is the closest to any culture I have that has been passed down to me in language, traditions, etiquette, and food preparation. Yes, I have acquired some of these aspects through American culture, but I find that not having ceremonial dress in particular makes American culture lacking. There is no equivalent to a tea ceremony or a kimono in American culture. Japan is part of my culture.

Another aspect of this culture is the immersion program culture. I grew up in a very different and unique schooling situation. It sets me apart from my fellow American colleagues; those students who went through the Japanese Immersion Program share distinct similarities in our educational and childhood experiences. Japanese Immersion is part of my culture.

Sacred objects

These two pictures represent my innate culture. "Spirit" is a concept that has transcended the various faiths I've claimed; it's the universal foundation I've always understood and cherished. It's meaning is not limited to a godly being, nor an ethereal one, but it can also describe the liveliness of one's character.

The grouping of items represent the traditions and ceremonies I have created for myself. I was never taught these things; my parents never instilled in me a profound respect for nature, a love of Native flute music, or the desire to burn incense as an 8-year-old. I have loved the mysticism of stones and the power of prayer and energy and intention since I was a child. Especially now, at a time where I am learning that it is important to recognize and honor one's daily ceremonies, I have given more respect for these things that have come naturally to me. I am happy to be in a community where it is not foolish of me to admit that I wear this bracelet (in the photo) on my left wrist when I am anticipating doing energetic body work on anyone in order to enhance the energy that flows through my hands. I am happy that I am in a place where it is easy to learn how to cleanse recharge stones under the moonlight and how to create sacred spaces around one's home. This sense of spirituality is, again, so innate that to ignore or downplay it would be doing a disservice to myself--it would mean being dishonest with my soul. My culture is a collective of traditions and ceremonies that I have pieced together like a patchwork quilt, coming from not one but many sources and have made my own.

blended culture

Though I've been married for just four years, I've been paired for nearly eleven. We are our own culture. We are a family that, whether we know it or not, has already begun traditions and established values that will be passed on to our children. We both have begun exploring our lineages, in order to better understand what we will offer our children; to help them anchor their places in this world. We both share the feeling that we don't really know our roots or our culture, and in fact Nick's perception of his ethnic heritage has already changed through the DNA testing and subsequent family tree investigations. Ultimately, our children will learn our culture from us--whatever we decide to pass on to them as they grow up. My culture is shared.

Here I am: Scandinavian, English, maybe Polish? maybe something else? all-around American. I should make the distinction, too, that I am Alaskan, which provides more cultural context than the bloodlines listed above. Alaskan life has provided me with a vast deal of my culture. 

I have short hair. This represents, among other things, the freedom I've had since childhood to choose the way I look (even if that means radical decisions and tomboy appearances) with my parents' full support. My parents raised me to be pretty balanced in respect to gender stuff and/or because I was interested in everything, I never let the "boy-girl" lines keep me away from reading dinosaur books, playing with trucks, playing dress up, or with dolls. It was all fair game and I was facilitated with opportunities to explore all aspects of learning, play, and interaction. I was able to play sports and do dance recitals, get music lessons, shoot guns, and get dirty playing outside and swimming in the lake. My culture growing up involved valuing unbiased learning and living opportunities, supported by my parents. My culture now is largely the same.

 This was a fun introspective little project that I would like to expand upon in the future as I continue to explore and discover what I consider my "culture."

Thanks for reading!

What I'm Eating: Nutritionless Cashew Cheezy Sauce

I visited a dear friend in Minnesota over the weekend. One evening we threw together a meal on the fancy nachos/tacos theme. For mine I used refried and cooked whole beans for the filling, an avocado and some salsa. However, I wanted that "cheese" component that is so traditional to taco-making! Long story short, we didn't go to Whole Foods so I didn't have access to nutritional yeast, Daiya, or any other form of acceptable (palatable) cheese-substitutes. Experimentation resulted and luckily it was successful. Here's the recipe:

No Nutritional Yeast Cheesy Sauce:

Cashews
Water
White Balsamic Vinegar (or another vinegar of your choosing--this, however, is a key component)
Garlic powder
Paprika
Fancy salt
Lemon (optional)


Take a rough handful of cashews and put in blender. Add water to about the same level as the cashews. Keep extra cashews and water on hand to adjust the consistency as needed. Add a solid pour of vinegar to the blender. A splash of lemon juice would have been nice, had I had it. Add a generous amount of salt (high quality real/kosher salt or, preferably, Himalayan pink salt). Add at few good shakes of garlic powder. Finally, add about 1 tablespoon of paprika. This was a happy accident in my case, but it worked out well and I believe it is the key (along with the vinegar) to the good flavor of the cashew sauce.

Blend together until a uniform consistency is achieved. Taste test and adjust ingredients as you wish. Use as a dip and/or a sauce!

1st Year of ND program DONE!

Well, I cannot say I believed it would happen but it has: I am done with my first year of the Doctor of Naturopathy program at Bastyr University. This means I am only 3 years away from becoming a doctor, a primary care physician, trained in a wide variety of healing modalities that work with the body and its own healing tendencies and abilities.


This year has been intense--unlike anything I've ever experienced and could hardly even imagine. In a list, here are the courses I have completed this year:


Anatomy (3 quarters)
Living Anatomy (3 quarters: intro to physical exams and finding anatomy on living people)
Gross Lab (3 quarters: cadaver dissection)
Physiology (3 quarters)
Biochemistry (3 quarters)
Plants in Ceremony (weekend elective)
Histology
Research Stats and Design
Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Naturopathic Medicine in Historical Context/Clinical Theory/Global Context (3 quarters, each with a different focus but overall learning about the history of and philosophies behind naturopathic medicine)
Hydrotherapy/Physiotherapy (with Lab)
Embryology
Myofascial Analysis
Botanical Medicine 1 (I'll take 5 quarters of this series)
Neuroscience (with Lab)


12 credits Summer Quarter
18 credits Fall Quarter
24 Winter Quarter
23.5 Spring Quarter

Total: 77.5 credits 

This is not to mention the "extracurricular" activities I attended weekly including Dr. Love's numerous tutorials for anatomy, working at the Bookstore, participating in the Doctor Mentor program in which we get to talk to a real-life ND about his real-life practice, going to yoga on Fridays, occasionally trying to go for a walk/jog outside, and doing a little photography when I could. 


Fortunately for such an intense program, I have been blessed with 100 or so new, wonderful, caring, inspiring, brilliant, motivated friends. Our corp of "First Years" feel like a tight-knit family and even teachers have mentioned how connected we are, which doesn't happen with every class. We are a class that will raise hell, combine forces, and let you know how we feel and what you should do about it. We organize, start groups and projects, we innovate. We are incredibly diverse, coming from so many different life journeys, countries, states, professions. I think our youngest member is 22 and our oldest is old enough to be a mother to some of us. We have quiet students, awkward students, loud students, students who in Aleyamma's mind look like celebrities, we have students who are dating other students, students who you wish you were dating, students who you want to be around all the time and learn her/his wisdom. We have students in our class who are already natural healers and some who need practice. We are a supportive group, a loving group. We have spirit! We organized a whole themed week for finals this Spring Quarter, wearing something specific each day. As students we love to chat, gossip, share tips and news and recipes, hatch plans, and think about our futures. We truly want to get to know each other better. We study together and support our classmates who need help (as long as we know she/he needs it!). I have never been so inspired by a group of people around me, and I am so very thankful to be in this class. I literally could not have done it without this group of amazing people. 


My professors have been a mixed bag, as they would be in any given school. Doctors Love, Fredrickson, Aleyamma Thomas, Brinton, Paul Karsten, Modell, Jessica Bean, Masa, Neary, Biery, Littleton, Greg Yasuda, Kate Broderick, Christy Lee-Engel, Rubinstein, Pamela Snider, Dazey, K., and many others I'm forgetting to name here. Some where absolutely amazing teachers and some were not, but all were part of my first year experience that I hope to never forget. 


I mustn't forget to mention all the support our class received from the upperclass students. Starting in Summer Quarter the 2nd Years were there for us, guiding us along. For our first Gross Lab midterm exam in Fall Quarter, the 2nd Years put supportive signs on all of our lockers saying "_______ is a superstar!", put up a banner in the hallway wishing us luck, and decorated the hallway ceiling with balloons and streamers in anatomy-appropriate colors (to represent arteries, veins, nerves, and lymph). They handed out stickers before the test and cheered for us and gave us medical gloves filled with candy after we were finished. In what other medical program can you imagine this happening? It didn't stop there, either. During the rest of the year the "older students" (as I sometimes say, not necessarily referring to age) were there for advice, test prep, and many were our invaluable TAs and tutors.


Bastyr itself--again, like any school--has its ups and downs, its craziness and its amazingness. Our school changed its colors from green to (basically) maroon and gold, which is still causing an opinionated stir among students. The cafeteria has had trials and tribulations with adding a meat station, really expensive sandwich station, upping the prices of food without disclosure, making amazing gf/v food somedays, making none the next, and being bombarded with student opinions and protests. The President (who has the coolest glasses and the best speaking voice) has done seemingly done his best to reassure the students that our tuition dollars are not going towards the new campus in San Diego, and that there will be new protocol for the declaration of Snow Days.


I have gone through many changes throughout the school year, and I know my transformation and growth have only just begun. I've pushed myself to my limits and far beyond and I've made it through. I hope to be stronger, more prepared, more balanced and thus healthier next year. I hope to reconnect and grow spiritually. I seek to start to become an adviser, a practitioner (after all, I only have one year left before entering the clinic!). My deepest hope is that the next year is ever so slightly easier than the last. Please? Just a little?


If you are still reading, I thank you for listening to my brief (trust me, it's brief) synopsis of the most amazing year of my life. I hope you are someone, near or far, who will remain by my side and help me complete this program and then enter the world as a healer. Take care of yourself, love your gut and your liver, smile, play, move, and show the world your love.


Namaste.

Hang-In-There Soup

There's three weeks left in my first year of naturopathic medical school. My adrenals are shot, my liver is struggling, my thyroid has most likely tipped it's hat and said goodnight. All I want to do is nap and eat and sleep. With Nick gone for a few days to a conference in Boston, I decided to make a wholesome, nutrient-filled soup that was good to my vital force and my tummy.

Here's the recipe:

Approximately 3 cups water
Organic dried local mushrooms
Organic cilantro
Organic green onions
Organic nori (seaweed)
Organic extra firm tofu (half block)
Organic miso

*optional additions: garlic, vegetable bouillon cube

Start the water in a pot and add the dried mushrooms. Mine said to simmer it for 20 min in a little bit of water, as if you were to use them in other dishes than soup, so I kind of improvised. I brought the water to a boil and then reduced it to medium and let the mushrooms cook alone for about five minutes or so. It's easier, too, if you remember to pre-chop the mushrooms before you put them in.

Add some cilantro (as much as you like), then the green onions chopped. Let those simmer with the mushrooms until the mushrooms are done.

Once the mushrooms are done, add in the cubed tofu and strips of seaweed. When the seaweed is done enough, turn off the heat (be sure it's not boiling) and add in miso to taste. Finally, salt to taste and enjoy!

Post script: After all that health, I really want a chocolate chip cookie now.

Naturopathic Med School: Update 2

It is now nearly the end of Winter Quarter 2012. By the fact that I haven't had a post since last fall should indicate how insane my schedule is right now! Class all day (from 8-6 or 7 some days) and then study, study, study. I'm always tired/hungry/sick of sitting! I want to exercise but I either have no energy or I need to study, or I would rather eat dinner at a reasonable hour.

My current course load is:

Living Anatomy/Gross Anatomy (Lecture)

Gross Anatomy (Cadaver lab)

Biochemistry

Hydrotherapy (Lecture and lab)

Naturopathic Medicine in Clinical Theory (Lecture and small group "lab")

Solving Problems in Human Physiology

Embryology

Additionally, I work at the bookstore 3 hours per week, attend meetings with my Doctor Mentor (Dr. Dodge), and Dr. Love's Brown Bag, Tutorial, and Round Table sessions. Oh, and I play hockey on Tuesday nights and do yoga in between classes on Friday.

Midterms were rough (I wonder why?!) but, with a few weeks left in the quarter, I think i'm recovering and preparing well for finals.

Many of my classmates have gone on the 5A track but i'm refusing for as long as possible. Hopefully I can stick to 4 years. In the very least, I would consider 5B, which breaks up the last two years of my program in to three.

I'm still doing photography here and there, and art, too. Life, as busy as it is, is exciting.

It's currently 10:10 which means I'm already past my bedtime (another problem.. I can't sacrifice my sleep for good grades, it seems).

Until next time...

What I'm Eating: Guacamole!

I love making fresh guacamole (and then eating it all!).

Here is how I made it today:

2 organic avocados scooped into a common bowl

fresh organic cilantro lightly chopped, to taste (for me it's a LOT of cilantro!)

a small section of onion (red, yellow, or white) diced

high quality sea salt, rock salt, or pink salt, to taste

a dash of seasoned salt

Put all ingredients in common bowl then smoosh together with a fork. Eating with organic corn chips!

Naturopathic Medical School

I have now been in Washington for about 7 weeks total. For the past 5 weeks I have been attending three Summer Quarter classes to begin my Doctor of Naturopathy program at Bastyr University. I have been taking Histology with lab, Fundamental Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Fundamentals of Research Design. In addition, I have been working at the school's bookstore three to four days per week. This all, as you can imagine, has kept me very busy.

It's been a struggle to adjust to a new schedule, after having lived a fairly luxurious life for the past two years. I was able to eat meals at home and have plenty of time to grocery shop as I needed. I could go to yoga every day and have spare time for fun activities.

Now, however, I am faced with what some would call "real life." Being at school for many hours of the day means that I have to plan meals ahead (or succumb to the incredibly high-priced cafeteria food), which is difficult when I come home and feel exhausted. I must study, workout, cook, clean, grocery shop, and do laundry in those few precious hours each day. Oh yeah, and eat! It's been a big struggle.

I look forward to the help of Nick, who is and will truly be my partner in this endeavor (he has been in Alaska for the summer working for Princess). I hope not to leave a huge burden on him, but instead to just have him help me survive!!

All this being said, Summer Quarter has been great. It's been great to get to meet some of my classmates and I've made some nice friends so far. My teachers have been mostly exceptional and I look forward to having some of them again in the Fall and in the future. I've learned a lot, especially about Chinese Medicine.

That's all for now, I must study for finals!