{bats eat bugs. they don't eat people}

"bats eat bugs. they don't eat people. bats eat bugs. they don't fly in your hair.

bats eat bugs. they eat insects for dinner. that's why they're flying up there"   

 I have been singing this song for the past 2 days. It is a song I learned at Camp Hertko Hollow right before coming to India. It is a silly camp song that we sang one of our first nights at camp around the camp fire. I started singing it again this past weekend when we were doing some hiking through bat infested caves.

I'd like it to be known that I do not like bats- really I don't much like anything that flies- they creep me out. I've hated them since I was a small child and there was one in my bedroom and that hatred continued as I grew up and they would swoop down towards your head while you were in the pool at night. I know they have a great purpose of eating insects, which are something else I hate, but I would rather live my life avoiding bats. So, this past weekend when we voluntarily went through caves where you could literally smell and hear the bats I had a minor panic attack internally. This is when the camp song popped into my head... I would sing it to myself trying to calm my nerves over the thought that there were most likely bats above my head or right around the corner. It gave me something to focus on besides their screechy cries.

I made it through the cave without any bats in my hair or bites, but I continue to have this song playing on repeat in my head, like a broken record. It is a catchy little tune. And I'll admit I kind of like it; it reminds me of the amazing time I had during my week at camp.

I decided pretty early on in Pharmacy school that I was going to pursue a diabetes concentration. Going into the concentration I knew very little about the disease but as my courses have progressed and I have had more experience with it I have learned it is something I am very passionate about. That passion has only grown over the years. While choosing my rotations my top choice that I wanted more than anything was to be able to go to Camp Hertko Hollow. And the day our schedules came out I was ecstatic that I was going to camp.

Camp was even more than I expected. We were fortunate enough to have been approved for a grant this year to be able to use ipads and had an amazing system which allow us electronic medical records for each of our campers. The program was designed by a great guy that I met, Mark Gentry. His program allowed us to document our campers blood sugar readings, their carb amounts, insulin amounts and any type of glucose that was given. It allowed us to see what each of the campers specific insulin and carb ratios were within each of their profiles. It was a great way to communicate with the physicians as well and allowed them to view the trends for our campers throughout the day. Overall I can't say enough about the system, and the developer himself isn't half bad. Things like Mark's company Digital Health, and his program make me excited about diabetes and the ways in which technology is going to help us better treat and control it.

 I met so many great people at camp. I not only loved having the experience with diabetes and getting to use my knowledge and expertise but I think the people I met made my week even better.

I had a blast being able to experience camp life, bonding with my fellow pharmacy classmates as well as my campers. I met some amazing people while at camp; making great connections. Going to camp only makes me more excited for what the future holds. My passion for working with patients with diabetes has only continue to be confirmed through my experiences in Haiti last summer as well as camp this summer. I love being a (soon to be) pharmacist and the ability to be able to help those in need.

So not only did I learn that bats eat bugs and that they don't eat people. I was reminded of how much I have to look forward to and strive for with my future career choice. I already find myself thinking about how I want to go back to Haiti next summer to help with diabetes clinic as well as spend at least another week at camp. It sounds crazy but I think I might have to make both happen.