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This day felt like we were really accomplishing what we came here for!! Very thorough teaching sessions and identified several patients for procedures starting tomorrow. So less time for didactic learning and more for hands on which is what everyone wants anyway. We can always leave the didactic materials behind for them.
The food has been amazing here. Great Indian, yummy Turkish, strong coffee and tasty beer that doesn't leave you feeling all bloated. And calm tummy so far :-). Off course we haven't taken any great chances and I'm using bottles water for everything including brushing my teeth. So it's all good. There are millions of pictures being taken too so this should be a wonderful memory for a long time.
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We're gearing up for a busier day today. Teaching sessions and identifying an OR to do a potential case on Wednesday. Today it will be Cath lab basics with the Ugandan staff. Then a mock case. Yesterday was as expected, heart wrenching especially our tour of the Pediatric unit. Yes, dying children everywhere piled 2 to a crib in a sweaty open ward concept straight out of a 1700's story book. Its like stepping back in time. But still a slight glimmer of hope for some and warm open arms from staff happy to share with us. First two surgeries went ok yesterday after some technical issues were worked out. It'll be interesting to see how tired the night staff are when we see them this morning.
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Well getting here was smooth if you don't count my cancelled flight from DC. No worries, got on an earlier flight and all was well. Better in fact since I now had time for a pleasant stopover at Heathrow. It was a cramped flight but I gotta say British Airways does feed you well. I had brekkie at Gordon Ramsey's which was fine but nothing ro write rave reviews about.. The currency exchange is the killer at 1.80$ for a English pound. So a simple brekkie cost 27USD. Gotta remember that while I'm in London for a few days.
Our hotel is spectacular. My roomie is laid back and I'm excited to meet the Mulago Hospital staff for our first multinational staff meeting. Then things will get very busy!!
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- Location:Uganda, Kampala District
I guess because it would be much too easy any other way.
So I was all excited about my work endevours for February until this last week. To back up a little... I was asked to go to Uganda in February on a medical mission with a team from my hospital. I was so excited to be asked and off course accepted immediately. I've been looking for something to mix things up lately. It's hard to imagine but I've been in this Cath Lab job for almost nine years now. That's by far the longest I've ever stayed in one job. ( refer to previous posts about nomadic genetics). Things get a little stale after that length of time. I've succeeded in keeping it spiced up with committee work and then there's the colleague interpersonal relationships that are always a challenge. But I needed this.
So anyway, doing a dozen things at work is stressful in some ways but I usually cope. This last week I had another boomerang thrown my way. In addition to dealing with a particularly busy patient load, the dynamics of negotiating with individuals who value nurses only slightly better than lint, and Council work that has gotten out of hand, our legal dept has decided they need to be involved in my upcoming TN renewal. They've never been involved before. And I really don't mind them being more involved. They are afterall only doing what they are supposed to do which is ensure the hospital is compliant with immigration standards for foreign workers. Now, I've been renewing my TN for 9 years. Suffice to say I have a pretty good idea how to do this now. Anyways, I got a letter from the legal dept telling me I need to submit a bunch of things to them...okkkkk. Thing is, they're asking me for things they don't need. So, email banter starts to occur between me and this ill informed legal assistant. Next thing you know, my office phone is ringing. It's the legal assistant who feels he needs to tell me more directly why they need these things. Again, I inform him that I'm very competently aware of what is needed but if there is some new developments in how others have been experiencing the TN renewal experience I'd be very interested in hearing. He continues to tell me that these things are being handled by the hospitals' contracted legal firm. Then suddenly tells me there will be an $800.00 fee that I'll be responsible for by using their counsel. To which my response is.... Ummm, what? "I'm not paying for legal counsel I neither asked for nor need." The advantage for professionals of this type of "Visa" is that there is no need for consular or legal counsel services. The only thing required is a confirmation of a letter of employment and one must keep your credentials current. So, this is all in the hands of my manager now. She's frustrated too since she's just hearing about this. And I've made it clear that I'm not paying this unnecessary fee. So we have a stand off coming if my department chooses not to pay this. If not I will have to decide if it's worth my while to absorb this fee. The very stubborn side of me says fuck no. I won't pay fees just to feed a lawyers pocket. The other side says... I have things I still want to accomplish here in the US. And this Uganda trip is certainly one of those things. Plus if this legal dept infringement on a process, that I've managed for years quite successfully, still leads to a successful TN then I have up to three more years of guaranteed employment... That's important in this economic climate. And with my student loans all paid, my car now paid for, and just a few thousand in credit cards, if I continue to be frugal I can be totally debt free and living by cash means only within 2 years. That's important to me. Quite honestly, If I'm forced to leave the US right now, that act will set me back financially... Once again.
So, a lot to stress me right now. I'm hoping it all works out cuz the flip side will be painful but then again, positive things sometimes come from painful circumstances.
If this is not resolved, I'll be having an apt belongings sale in the coming weeks. If it is resolved I'll get to have a once in a lifetime experience where I get to make a real difference and even get my picture in the papers... Internationally! That would be a
Nice feather for a boy from Labrador.
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So, I decided to post more to LJ and now I can't seem to do that from my computer via the web and all of these client programs seem buggy. Anyone else having such a problem? I can update on my phone but this is somewhat tedious!
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So, what's new? Well, I don't have any great concerns outside of the ones everyone has. Work is work. It's challenging every day and mostly fulfilling. The job hunt hasnt officially started yet. I have a grand master plan which may or may not come to fruition. Bottom line is resume distribution needs to happen soon so I can determine if there are any interesting opportunities out there. That's supposed to happen through this Fall. Next is my apartment. As in, I need to take a big breath and go through with giving notice to leave it. That scares me some. But the goal is to be ready to leave DC in March. If I find a job I want. Otherwise I'll stay put for a while longer. It's exciting and scary at the same time. Exciting because this plan is supposed to keep my career interesting. Frightening because there is a "starting over" feel to all of this. And quite honestly, even though it seems like I'm in the drivers seat, it still scares the heck out of me. And I think I know why... This is the part about blogging that's useful... I think all this change scares me because it reminds me of the nomadic nature of my father. Yup, this unsettled feeling feels like what I saw in my dads possible discontent with his life. And to make things worse or to confirm my fears, my sister recently compared my travels to the wanderings of my father. Now, few similarities exist between my dad and me. For starters, he was a construction laborer all his life. I'm a medical professional. But I think my sister was referring to my seeming discontent which I think she too saw in my father. So am I genetically nomadic? I really don't think so. I've always thought I was exploring life because I have always had a desire to do so... Not because I'm unhappy in my current situation. But I sometimes wonder. So, yeah, one day I'm crazy excited about the prospect of being in control of my carreer, looking for new opportunities for growth and on other days I thinking I must be insane to attempt this... Specially when the economy is in the toilet. So I'll continue to struggle with this.
I'll have to admit, I was partly inspired to write today because I ran into another LJ person this last weekend! Crazy, right! I took a week off last week and road tripped to Toronto via Ypsilanti and looped back to NYC before heading back to DC... That can be another entry. Anyways, I went to NY to see one of my favorite bands... Blue October on the tail end of this 1600 mile trip. . During the concert I did spy a cute couple a few bodies away. After all was done these guys came over and I got to meet Kevin and his boyfriend! Kevin is or was kevbot on here. He recognized me, which always surprises me, and told me he knew me from LJ. We hadn't met before to my knowledge. Crazy! But crazy good. So take that FB!! Anyways that got me thinking about how much I miss prose. So here I am.
Dating? No. But I have my share of delicious encounters. And for the most part I'm satisfied with that. I recently found out that someone I've been very good friends with for many years was rather devastated when I moved to the US to be with Bill. He hadn't told me that before... And I wouldn't imagine he would, I would have done the same. So, that knowledge does make me, I don't know...wonder? I have no regrets but something has stirred my wooden heart knowing this. My history has taught me that going backwards in time to 'what it's is not a good idea. And this feels like a what if. So, I love him dearly, as a friend. And at this point in time I value that more than anything. So, outside of being intrigued by a few handsome men, nothing is stirring inside of me that could be defined as 'I could fall for him' feelings. Though, truth be known, fun, adventurous, no strings encounters are beginning to wear a little thin on me.
Anyways... What's the future hold?? A little more, no a lot more weight loss... Fun with job hunting reports... And who knows what else.
Is that... Ironic? I made a resolution today. But let's back up some... I worked a little overtime today, yeah, it's only Monday and I'm already doing overtime. But self imposed, I do admit. And short, just four hours. Seems like a good time to take advantage of such things with aspirations of summer travel and frolic. I like these short work spits. Four hours and I'm done. So the day started well. Then I went to the gym. And had a wonderful workout. and then the resolution... I would complete 30 consecutive days or training, sensibly but with no doubt determinedly. I was feeling at the top of the world. I ran a little late with my workout so I went out to the meter to put more coin in. Good citizen right? Well, seems I didn't see the sign that said no parking between 4-630. So, when I went to my car at 4:05 there was a pretty ticket for $100. Yes 1-0-0 dollars. Aren't I a lucky boy. I got into my car, cussed a whole lot, felt my blood pressure rise, then I went and had a salad. Why not right? And now I'm sitting at my favorite coffee shop slurping a latte and watching the shenanigans of a homeless lady who keeps trying to steal the magazine basket next to the coffee bar. She's quite hilarious.
Watching her, In an instant, my anger lifted. My life is not so bad. Hell, it's downright regal compared to that chick. I have a nifty smart phone to blog with and I will earn more money for four hours overtime than some people make in two days in this city, probably including the Barista who made my yummy drink with a smile. So anger really isn't an option. The parking ticket is my own fault. It could have been worse, the ticket also had the "tow" box checked. That would have been a whole lot more money.
So, introspection sometimes works. I feel much better. I worry too much.
And I'm still gonna kill it with that 30 days of gym time! Here I come 38 manly waist!
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So I seem to do entries that are summaries of the last 3 or 6 months. I guess that's the way it is. So what's most immediate? Well, life seems to keep getting more expensive. Notice that? My paycheck doesn't seem to stretch as far as it once did. It doesn't help when your rent goes up by 150.00 a month. It doesn't help when your electric bills come in for winter usage and rapes your wallet. It doesn't help not having a roommate. And it doesn't help when you have expensive taste. But I do have a job- at least for another year. Then what, right. I still haven't answered that question for myself. Work has been rough lately. I try to keep it in
Anyways, I do need to come up with a plan this month. I like living on
So, fun...I went to Fort Lauderdale this last weekend with my friend Smiffy. It was simply a winter get away and man was it needed. It was perfect weather, sunny, 80, cool at night. Good food, Lot's of pretty people and I got to visit Miami for the first time. South Beach is a beautiful place and I could have spent millions of dollars there. I can see why the rich and famous call it home. As it was, I almost spent $9000 on a painting. I came so close to closing a deal...I had sweaty palms and palpitations. I can see why high end spending can be so addictive. I mean I'm no Lindsay Lohan but OMG, it was a crazy moment for me. I almost bought a Romero Britto. I adore his work! And seems I can't be satisfied with just a poster print...no I needed to lay my eyes on a Swarovski crystallized piece. Anyways, I soothed my need for art ( a very unexpected need) with a purchase in Ft. Lauderdale of a piece of photography by a gentleman named Robert Duetsch. The photo is of
I need to get my ass into gear with training for Highland Games. I have my first games of the year booked in San Antonio for April 2. I'm super excited but super afraid that I won't be physically prepared strength wise. I mean, what I am achieve is what I achieve but I really did have high hopes for breaking some of my personal records. So we'll see how March goes workout wise. I need to obsess over workouts more than ever before. And I still have 20 lb to lose. That's gonna be tough.
Well, that's all I wanna post right now. I know, not very seep and meaningful but it's a start to returning to these posts. I plan to do more, but don't we all.
