Utah is the driest of deserts
Repost from my last entry at live journal on 2/11/2017
It's been about 7 years since I last posted on here.
..I was 25. At that time I had just discovered 2 grey hairs on my head. It only seemed fitting to start up the journal again after recently finding another 2 grey hairs on my head. If this sequence of discoveries is any prediction of the future, I think I'll be ok with only 2 more grey hairs 7 years from now.
7 years ago I had also just started nursing school. After working as a nurse for the last 5 years I'm surprised I haven't created a blog of the crazy experiences of the nursing world, but what's the saying? "It's never too late to start"? I learned as a teenager there are no better stories than those experienced during travel, at least for me. I am excited to see what the U.S. has in store! As I start a new chapter in my life as a travel nurse, I plan to share some of my experiences with you. Maybe even get you to chuckle a little bit.
You all know by now I recently moved to St. George, Utah. When people heard I was going to Utah of course all the typical comments about Mormons and polygamy surfaced. Someone would make a joke about Mormons and laugh and with a straight face I would reply..."I grew up Mormon". Instantly they were apologizing and saying how they had no idea...then I would burst out laughing letting them know that it's ok and I love Mormon jokes! I grew up Mormon, went to church until I was 18, went back briefly in college just to give googly eyes to a hot (and utterly unavailable) missionary who was at my college ward...but after that I haven't been involved in the church. I have a lot of respect for religion and it's interesting to understand people's different view points and how it influences them, but just not my thing. It's even more interesting knowing about the LDS church and living in St. George...a city with a large majority of Mormon residents. The culture of the Mormon religion has had a huge impact on how the city is run, its rules/regulations, and even the popular "hot spots" in town. For example, since many Mormons here don't drink coffee, instead the popular thing is to get a cookie and ginormous soda from a place called Swig. It's a trend and everyone raves about how great it is...not sure how drinking a massive sugary, caffeinated coke is better for you than a tall black coffee, but this has become a BIG DEAL here. Mormons also don't drink alcohol. So the laws reflect that as well. There are 2 state liquor stores in the city, they have a limited selection and only sell beer by the bottle (not by the case). For some reason the grocery stores can sell beer by the case. I haven't quite figured out why yet. Also, the alcohol content for beer has to be less than 3.2% for places who have a "beer only" license. Places that have a license to sell liquor can sell beer with a higher alcohol content (ie. the State Liquor Store...literally thats the name). Each liquor store has a police car parked outside at all times...I think this is supposed to deter underage kids from trying to purchase alcohol. However, there usually isn't a cop even inside the car. I was certain the first time I went to the liquor store there would be protesters outside similar to abortion clinics, but instead of pictures of fetuses they would be holding signs of passed out drunk dudes on park benches (there really was no one protesting...even though they are a bit behind the times here I think they got the memo that prohibition ended a long time ago). Law also requires you to purchase food when ordering alcohol and the alcohol portion can not exceed 30% of the total bill. This is where it gets tricky as no place really calculates it. You also can only have 1 drink per person on the table at the same time. This means if you want to take a shot, the bartender must clear all drinks from the table, you take your shot, and then they can put your other drinks back on the table. All of the rules along with the limited availability really does deter people from drinking excessive amounts...well besides that patient I had the other day who was going through alcohol withdrawls and shitting every 5 seconds (no HIPPA violations here). But again, if there is a will there is a way. Today I drove 45 minutes one way, passed through a giant gorge, and crossed a time zone just to buy Korbel in Mesquite, Nevada. My brandy old fashioned sour never tasted better.
Now we get to the juicy part...polygamy talk time! Coming from Wisconsin I really thought polygamy was extinct at this point, or if it did exist it was a secret household. Well, besides that uncle I have who was once a polygamist in Utah...but all his wives left him so he's back to a solo dude...Oh wait, he's off to bigger and better things, like finding a mail-order bride from Ukraine. It's not only my uncle, but I was completely surprised to find out there are entire communities (although scarce) that engage in polygamy in the area here. They are usually part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (F-LDS), a group of people who left the original LDS church mostly because polygamy was banned and the church decided to excommunicate any members who continued to practice polygamy...I think I remember there also being some dispute about who the leader of the church should be (trying to recall from something I learned as a young mormon kid). You may have heard of Warren Jeffs from the tv show Escaping Evil: My Life in a Cult. He was the previous leader of the FLDS church who has since been convicted of numerous sexual assault charges, including rape and child sexual assault. He has been sentenced to life in prison (after the jury deliberated for like 30 minutes...apparently it was a no brainer that he was a pig). One of the closest polygamist colonies near St. George is about an hour away located in Colorado City, AZ. This is the same place where Warren Jeffs expelled up to 400 men from the group and gave their wives and children to other men for disagreeing with him (although he claims he was doing God's will). The women and female children wear old-school dresses that look like they are from the early 20th century. They also wear hairstyles that complement the dress. It also seems like every member from the community has the surname "Jessop". The first time I took care of a patient that belonged to this group I was really glad I was familiar with a bit of the culture (even though polygamy is still a bit of a culture shock to me)...they have really become creative with Mormon garments and Depends. For those of you who don't know, garments are sacred undergarments that are supposed to touch the skin directly...you can only imagine the creativity it takes to maintain this practice while struggling with incontinence (Hint: Requires a pair of scissors).
Regardless of some of the cultural differences, absolute lack of nightlife, and any sort of entertainment besides outdoor activities here in the St. George area, I must say the people have been exceptionally nice. At every store, restaurant, gas station, and the like the customer service has been exceptional. My co-workers have been willing to help out at all times, the aides don't give sas, and even many of the doctors have been respectful (nurse friends can appreciate that more than anyone!). I've met a few fellow travel nurse friends and explored some of the surrounding areas which are magnificently beautiful! I am so excited to see so much more as the weather warms up (even more...been pretty warm here already compared to Wisco). I didn't even have to wear a real jacket today! I'll keep you all updated with anything interesting I find :) Until then, goodnight.