Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Boxes
Well, it's starting to really sink in. I have boxes in my jeep. They are still empty. But the goal is to start packing up this weekend. I'll be out of the flat by the end of the month. It's really hard to think that I have accumulated all this stuff in the past 3 years. I moved back to the US with just 2 bags, and moved out a kitchen table and some camping equipment when I drove from Colorado to Massachusetts. For the 3rd time in 8 years, I'll be downsizing. My goal is to give away more than I store. Though, I can never part with books, or coffee makers, or certain shirts which I have maybe only worn a few times, but have some memorable event linked in...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
3 Months
3 months, and counting.
3 months from now I will have arrived in Johannesburg.
It is all a little surreal still at this point. Wait, it is VERY real, and very exciting, but still I can't believe that I am really going to get to do this.
Things are coming together nicely. I'm going to be applying for my visa the first week of April, and then I should be all set.
I'm most anxious about my schedule and the exact expectations of me during the first month or so. I keep conjuring up visions of being on call my first night at Bara. Granted, I've been on call quite a few nights this month, and am pretty comfortable being on call here. But there is an element of security to being on call here. I have an attending available by phone. There is another pedi resident in the Pedi-ICU, who is available to consult with. There are other med-peds residents in the hospital who I can bounce ideas off of, if needed. Granted, I haven't need to use any of them this month.
But for some reason I envision being on-call for pediatrics at Bara that first night, and admitting children with congenital HIV infections who are malnourished, who are septic, dehydrated, who I can't get an IV on, and I imagine that there is a power outage and I am working all alone and there is no translator, and I have no idea what the hell to do.
Essentially, I am writing my own "Worst Case Scenario" book on a daily basis when I think about the entry shock when I arrive.
Enough blogging right now, I need to go see where the hell I dropped my self confidence, and then start reading on how to manage congenital HIV infection in septic, malnourished children with....
PS-I known I'm being a bit neurotic. I know I'm going there to learn this stuff, but that has never stopped me from freaking out about looking stupid in front of others. I was that kid who never slept before the first day of school. I'm sure the night before starting kindergarten I was likely up late studying my colors.
3 months from now I will have arrived in Johannesburg.
It is all a little surreal still at this point. Wait, it is VERY real, and very exciting, but still I can't believe that I am really going to get to do this.
Things are coming together nicely. I'm going to be applying for my visa the first week of April, and then I should be all set.
I'm most anxious about my schedule and the exact expectations of me during the first month or so. I keep conjuring up visions of being on call my first night at Bara. Granted, I've been on call quite a few nights this month, and am pretty comfortable being on call here. But there is an element of security to being on call here. I have an attending available by phone. There is another pedi resident in the Pedi-ICU, who is available to consult with. There are other med-peds residents in the hospital who I can bounce ideas off of, if needed. Granted, I haven't need to use any of them this month.
But for some reason I envision being on-call for pediatrics at Bara that first night, and admitting children with congenital HIV infections who are malnourished, who are septic, dehydrated, who I can't get an IV on, and I imagine that there is a power outage and I am working all alone and there is no translator, and I have no idea what the hell to do.
Essentially, I am writing my own "Worst Case Scenario" book on a daily basis when I think about the entry shock when I arrive.
Enough blogging right now, I need to go see where the hell I dropped my self confidence, and then start reading on how to manage congenital HIV infection in septic, malnourished children with....
PS-I known I'm being a bit neurotic. I know I'm going there to learn this stuff, but that has never stopped me from freaking out about looking stupid in front of others. I was that kid who never slept before the first day of school. I'm sure the night before starting kindergarten I was likely up late studying my colors.
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