South Padre Summation...

Hey so I wasn't joking when I said I'm bad at this whole blog thing huh?? Sorry about the absence! I am now in California so I guess I should give a summation of the rest of my experiences with South Padre Island....

For the most part, I had an excellent time down South ( or should I say in Mexico lol). I ended up meeting a few traveling therapists like me and began to have a social life finally. It's nice to meet people who are doing the same thing that you are doing, and thus understand everything. All the trials and tribulations...and the good stuff as well! This type of thing definitely has its downfalls but the benefits outweigh the bad times by far.

Life on the island is funny. There are the "locals" who all know each other and thus are all up in each other's business. There is not much going on in the island during the winter so what else is there to do but gossip?? And gossip they do. It's pretty funny. Then, there are the "winter Texans." These are what we would call on the East Coast the "snowbirds." These are elderly retired people who come down from all over the united states and canada during the winter to enjoy the island. Some are cranky. But most are fun to be around. There are many that party harder than I do. I saw a few smoking joints. That cracked me up. One thing I learned is that life sure doesnt have to end when you become elderly!!

So after the locals and the winter Texans, who is left? The travelers!! The island is full of travelers. I'd guess about 30. They are everywhere! I'm thinking that because these areas are so close to the border, that the facilities have trouble keeping full time staff because people are nervous to live down here. So, they have to hire travelers. It's unbelievable how many there are down there. It's like the travelers have their own little underworld haha.

Weather wasn't the greatest throughout the winter on the island, BUT, of course it was much better than being in Maryland. The wind can be so crazy down there! And the humidity is unreal - even when it is chilly out. I will not miss the island "muck" that is all over my car everyday! BUT I will miss all the wonderful people I met during my stay down there...

I have now moved on to California. I was placed in an outpatient pediatrics position in southern Cali (LA County, Palmdale) but unfortunately some of the financials haven't gone through yet. Soooo I have taken a job for two weeks in Martinez, CA, which is near San Francisco. I have to work or I don't get paid. So instead of just sitting in a hotel room, wondering when everything will get finalized, I decided to work for two weeks at least. Then, I can either go back down to Palmdale OR find an assignment here in San Fran. We shall see how it goes! I will try to be better about updating this more often :)

Paradise Island

Soooo.... I am living in South Padre Island, Texas now...don't know where that is? Look at a map and trace Texas all the way down to the very wee tip and that's where I am. Right on the Gulf of Mexico, baby. It's actually a very popular destination for Spring Breakers. I started my "second" assignment (though, really my first full 13 weeker) 3 weeks ago. I am working in Brownsville, Texas which is about 45 minutes away from the island I live on. Brownsville is a border town - meaning right smack on the border of Mexico. But essentially, it IS Mexico! My coworkers jokingly said to me "Welcome to Northern Mexico!" Everyone - and I do mean everyone - speaks Spanish there. And a good majority don't even speak English. When asked before if I spoke Spanish, I would say "I get by." What do I say now? Hell no. I don't even remotely "get by" anymore!

I work in an outpatient clinic inside a hospital. I do mostly outpatient work but occasionally I treat patients in acute care or SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility). I'm learning a whole bunch of new things there! Since my experience over the span of my career is mostly outpatient, I have no real professional experience working in acute care or a SNF. And definitely no experience in wound care. The therapists are patiently teaching me the ropes and it is ever so slowly coming back to me. But I feel like a new grad again! It's painful but definitely necessary. I'm challenging myself personally by going on this journey, so might as well challenge myself professionally as well! The extra challenge is definitely the language barrier and cultural differences. But when I leave here in 3 months, for sure my espanol will have improved, which is a HUGE bonus!

I've had a chance to enjoy island life a bit. I've sat on the beach. I ride my bike around the island (it's very small). I take walks with Buster. And I most definitely enjoy the beautiful sunsets. I live in a small efficiency condo RIGHT ON the bay. I literally walk out my back door and there is the bay. The sun sets directly behind my condo with the bridge to the mainland in the background. It is breathtaking. I figured out how to post pictures now as you can see haha...BUT... now I have to figure out how to put them in the correct part of my blog...those pics you see up top? Yeah, they go here....LOL....those are the pics of the beautiful sunset.... :)

I'm beginning to make a few friends and am settling in nicely. I DEFINITELY miss home and all the comforts of home, but I will continue on this journey and hope it brings something wonderful to my life....more to come later!

And so the adventures begin....

And so the adventures begin....I had planned to start this blog before I even left for my first assignment but ahhh....time got away from me....and here I am already on my second assignment!! So, just a recap...Before I left Maryland, I found out that I had been placed in Houston, Tx in an outpatient orthopedic setting for my first assignment. When I was halfway across the country (somewhere in Mississippi), I found out that my contract in Houston had been cancelled. Apparently, a facility can give 30 days notice to cancel out a contract with a traveler, if they have found a permanent person to take that position. That is what happened in this instance (or so I was told...but thats a whole other story...). My recuiter informed me that this hardly ever happens and has never happened to someone on their first assignment. Lucky me :)

So I continued on my trek across country, now knowing I'd only be in Houston for 30 days. I decided to only unpack the necessities from my car since I'd be moving on in 30 days and it would be way too much work to unpack everything and then re-pack it such a short time later. So, I basically lived out of my car for those few weeks I was there. The apartment was cute-ish. It was inside a refurbished Victorian house - old but cute.

During my time in Houston I did many things: I spent a day in Galveston on the beach; I went to San Antonio and walked the Riverwalk and drove by the Alamo; I ate at lots of diverse restaurants (have you ever had a Kolache? I have); and took bike rides around neighborhoods and Memorial Park.

Here are my thoughts on Houston....I appreciate the experiences I had there, but I'd never want to live there!! First and foremost, let me comment on the driving. Now, I am from the East Coast where we are all supposed to be crazy drivers. HAHA. Yeah right. East coast has got nothing on the drivers in Houston. I literally (and I am not exaggerating or being melodramatic) feared for my life EVERY SINGLE time I was on the roads. The drivers in Houston are CRAZY. I could never live that way - I was constantly on edge. You would think "oh it's the South, people are polite and courteous." HA no way. If you're ever in Houston, be careful! Also, the mosquitos were unreal as well. When I was out walking Buster, I could not stop while he went to the bathroom. I had to do a crazy dance to keep moving or I'd be swarmed by like 20 mosquitos. I left Houston looking like I had the chicken pox.

Overall, though, the weather was pleasant. I got out a lot. I saw a lot. And that is the whole purpose of this journey. It was a blessing that my contract got cancelled as I am now in paradise. I am currently in South Padre Island, TX - a small island at the very tip of Texas, near the border of Mexico. It is unreal to me that I get to live at the beach for 13 weeks. It is absolutely beautiful here. My apartment is right on the bay side. I walk out my back door and the bay is just a few feet away. Every night there is an amazing sunset over the bridge...and I can sit and eat my dinner on the patio and watch it. I'm extremely lucky!! And I plan to make the most of the next 13 weeks as I'll probably never get to live in a place like this ever again. I will be working at an outpatient clinic inside of a hospital. It's a bit of a commute but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else...I can do anything for 13 weeks. Orientation was today and continues tomorrow and Monday. I will keep you posted along the way! Oh and once I figure out how to do this blog thing (aka picture posting and what not) my posts should get more detailed :)