One of my classes is from 4:30pm to 7:20pm. I live in a very woodsy town with a lot of deers roaming around, plus there's barely any lit places at night (not enough street lights) so it can get dark to the point you can't see.
My home is just 2.5miles (50 min by walking and 5 min by car) from my college and I will probably have to walk home every Wensday unless the teacher let us out early since it's a 3 hour class. The last bus is always at 7:22, so that gives me about 2 min to try to make the bus, but if not I have to walk home. I should've just did the dorms.
But I'm planning on asking my teacher to let me out at 7:18pm instead 7:20pm but there's no guarantee. I can't rely on a cab because sometimes they just don't show up at all and then won't inform you that their not coming.
My brother tells me I could do it because he has been hitchhiking and backpacking across Europe by himself, but I'm still nervous about the whole situation.
Does anyone have any words of encouragement for me or how to best deal with the situation? I'm hoping that I don't have to drop the class because I need it on my application by the time I apply to the nursing program, but it looks like I have no other option.
I thought about this thread the other day. I took my kids and visited my parents in my rural hometown (actually they don't even live in town, to be technical--their house is on 5 acres with woods on two sides and fields on the other two.) I'm talking no stoplights, no police, all-volunteer fire/EMS from the next town over, nearest hospital 20 miles away -- but has a "24 hr emergency care" sign a few miles from my parents' place, no grocery store...heck no population on the town sign, just Unincorporated. It's rural!! My littler kids are amazed by those tiny lights in the night sky that Gramma has, because our sky doesn't have them.
One night we saw 3 deer in the backyard. I'm whispering, "Come here, look at this, but be quiet!!" They acted like we were at the zoo, and then the preschooler started jumping around, and they ran away
The older ones saw a bear in the road while on a walk w Grampa! He was back and forth between the road and the ditch, and then went back into the woods.
And then later that night, I heard a truck tearing down the 1.5-lane road at a good 70 mph. And that's when I thought of this thread...which brings me to my piece of advice.
If you do walk, for the love of your mother, watch out for motorists and make yourself visible!!! You could check your sporting goods store for reflective/light up gear that cyclists use.
As for pedestrian crazies, I'll second the advice to be completely aware, walk confidently with a strong stride and head up, no ear buds or cell phone out. I've done the pepper spray and wolverine-claw key things, too.
I grew up in rural parts of NC and SC. Lots of deer, raccoons, opossum, rabbits, etc. I know plenty about surviving wild animals in the dark.
Never had a problem with any of them, except while in a car. Those buggers love to commit suicide on cars.
Here's some boring, practical advice.
If you see an animal and it isn't one of your own personal pets, detour around it. That's all you have to do. Easy-peasy.
Don't approach it, don't run from it. Just walk away until either you can't see it or it stops watching you, circle back around to your original path, and forget about it.
If you are walking alone after dark - that's different. I would recommend avoiding it. Don't be the like the idiot girls in the horror movies who do stupid crap like walk home alone, after dark, with no protection, and get cut up with a chainsaw.
If you live close enough to walk it, someone in your class can drop you at home. It's not a big deal. You can probably make good friends by starting up a carpool.
Offer them gas money or the occasional free meal. You'll get a ride.
Never had a problem with any of them, except while in a car. Those buggers love to commit suicide on cars.
Yeah, I've lived most of my adult life in a rural area and nearly everyone I've known over the years, including myself, has had a car v. deer accident. Although the deer always gets the worst of it, it's pretty shocking how much damage the cars suffer.
I always wonder how deer, who are so skittish and sensitive that hunters have to wear camo and do things like douse themselves in purchased deer urine to mask their scent in order to be able to get anywhere near them in the woods, can be so completely oblivious to cars. Don't they hear them, or smell them, or something, when they're getting close to the road?
- Deer like to have you think that they eat leaves, grass, fruit, et al. Do not believe this, as their diet mainly consists of man-flesh, the tears of the vanquished, and the occasional stray nursing student.
Oh great. Rather than just NETY, now we have to hear "Deer eat the nurses' young."
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
The only time I've seen aggressive behavior in the deer population (and this is based on the horrible aftermath rather than observation) is their wanton destruction of tulips, and not the whole tulip, just the flower.
The just love to sneak into your yard and nip those tulips off, leaving the stems intact. A group of headless tulip stems is even more horrible if you are a California girl living in Colorado jonesing for some color.
We did get a fawn trapped in our yard. Poor thing was terrified and not quite big enough to jump the fence. I think the city department of knowing how to catch trapped critters came to the rescue.
The only time I've seen aggressive behavior in the deer population (and this is based on the horrible aftermath rather than observation) is their wanton destruction of tulips, and not the whole tulip, just the flower.
The just love to sneak into your yard and nip those tulips off, leaving the stems intact. A group of headless tulip stems is even more horrible if you are a California girl living in Colorado jonesing for some color.
We did get a fawn trapped in our yard. Poor thing was terrified and not quite big enough to jump the fence. I think the city department of knowing how to catch trapped critters came to the rescue.
My blackberry plants are too close to my fence and the violent destruction of the berries gives me many, many sads.
We had a group of deer run through my yard right next to my daughter when she was almost 3, and OMG it was hilarious seeing how much they startled her.
I always wonder how deer, who are so skittish and sensitive that hunters have to wear camo and do things like douse themselves in purchased deer urine to mask their scent in order to be able to get anywhere near them in the woods, can be so completely oblivious to cars. Don't they hear them, or smell them, or something, when they're getting close to the road?
I really think they're just stupid. They can be perfectly safe in a ditch or in the woods or a field near the road, the car startles them, so they run. Trouble is, they run into the road rather than away from it. My parents trained me to watch for their glowing eyes while driving at night, because if they were in the ditch they'd be darting into the road when startled.
In high school, I was driving down my road, very close to home when BAM! not one but TWO (2!) deer hit the car at once. One hit the hood and the other smashed right behind the passenger door frame. They both scampered off into the woods and I proceeded to have a panic attack.
In high school, I was driving down my road, very close to home when BAM! not one but TWO (2!) deer hit the car at once. One hit the hood and the other smashed right behind the passenger door frame. They both scampered off into the woods and I proceeded to have a panic attack.
We had one jump into the side of our MICU. Can you imagine the sight as we pulled into the sending hospital's ambulance bay with an enormous dent in the box and tons of blood and fur smeared all down the side!!
I should've just did the dorms.
NICUmiiki, DNP, NP
1,775 Posts
I don't know if getting a bike is an option for you. That would greatly speed up your commute vs. walking.