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November 5, 2004
November 5, 2004—Dreams and Realities
Wow, right when I was getting ready to start typing, the fire alarm in our building went off so we all had to run outside. It was just a drill, but we had to evacuate all 4 floors. Everyone, please let me stress the importance of actually not just walking out of the building and standing in front of the doors, waiting for the all-clear. If there really was a fire (it happens at the Med-Science building—next to my building—at least once or twice a month), you NEED to be at least 500 feet away from the building. 500 feet seems far and it is, at least across the street, not just to the next building. If there really is a fire, the fire trucks must be able to get through and if you are in the way, you can hold the trucks and firefighters up and they need to get in the building, make sure all the floors are clear, and help get anyone else out that is still in the building. Our drill today was an absolute joke. There are a lot of students in the building and they just all migrated outside, standing and looking at everything going on. I am on the Safety Task Force and I had to make sure everyone was evacuated off the 3rd floor. By the time I walked outside, everyone was just standing around, not paying attention to what was going on and I yelled out that everyone needed to move over to the grassy area. Well, for about a minute everyone looked confused, moved about 50 feet further and stood in the street! So, again, I shouted out that everyone needed to move to the grassy area and keep the roads clear. I was amazed that everyone was just standing around!! I work at the School of Nursing and they should know the importance of fires and how dangerous they can be. These are intelligent people here. So, please please make sure you take precautions and not just evacuate, but get the hell back. Your life is so much more important that losing your purse or having to stand out in the cold for a bit. Yes, it was very cold outside today, a whopping 42 degrees, but we are all still alive. Don’t be embarrassed about shouting out to the crowd that everyone needs to move back. You might save a few lives and keep the streets clear for the fire trucks and emergency crews. Also, never ever ever go back inside the building after the alarm goes off, no matter what. If there is someone that needs help or in a wheelchair, flag down an emergency worker and tell him or her about it and they will take care of it. They don’t want to have to drag out two bodies. I’ll step off my soapbox now, but you just have no idea how important these few steps are.
Alright, today is my last day at work and it is very emotional. Funny that we had the fire drill at the same time! We joked about it later. I’m getting sent off with a bang! But anyway, I had a wonderful goodbye party on Wednesday and my faculty gave me 200 dollars worth of gift cards for Wal-Mart. I have been so blessed to work here these last few years. I’m going to miss it a lot. I have to go make all my final good-byes later this afternoon and I know I’m going to get teary with a few people.
I talked to Joey’s step-mom last night for a little bit and I’m going to call Joey tonight and talk to him. He’s been doing pretty good still in school. Reading has been a little hard coming, but he’s still making progress. Brannen and I had a really good learning system set up for Joseph and Joey was doing great, but Scott and Kathy teach differently and it’s so hard for Joey to learn a new teaching system. He’ll catch up though, I have no doubt about that. I just feel bad for him because I understand the frustration he feels.
Well, it’s time for me to say goodbye temporarily. We’re heading out tomorrow morning as long as everything is in running order and all that good stuff. I will try and update on the road if I can. We’ll be in Utah for about one week, then down to Las Vegas for a couple of days, then on up to Oregon. It’s gonna be a blast and I can’t wait to get started. I’ll talk to ya’ll soon! Take care!
Rachel—On The Road Again
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