I get to start looking for a new assignment to travel to. So far, Tacoma, WA has a spot available at their VA. maybe I can slide right up there since I am already in the federal system.
I have been packing unnecessary clothing and such, doing laundry, cleaning a bit. Oh the joys. I have realized that since I have been here from October I have collected quite a few more items to my arsenal of belongings. More clothes, knick-knacks, keepsakes, photos, blah blah blah...
I am calmly overwhelmed right now, knowing I have 4 weeks to pull it all together. If I don't get a new assignment before I work my last shift here, I have 2 options: pack up and drive home to Memphis, or stay here in Palo Alto until I get a new assignment. I am still undecided since I have quite a bit of that taste of disdain for this area, even though staying can help me save more money for wherever I plan to go next. I just don;t feel like getting an assignment the day after I get back from CA to TN, and then have to drive another hideously long distance to the next job.
I shouldn't whine, I have it pretty good. I don't pay rent or utilities, which helps me out a huge deal since I have lots of debts to pay off; ie: Mom and student loans, blech. The few things that really suck about travel nursing are these:
1)You never really know for sure what you're getting in to. You don't know if the floor you got hired to work on will be a complete mess, or the nurses will be mean, etc. If it sucks, you're stuck there for at least 13 weeks. So far I have been lucky with awesome nurse managers and really friendly coworkers. Of course, there are the occasional bad apples, but that's anywhere at any job.
2)Getting to have to make a fresh start. Social life is all up to you. If you want to make friends, you literally have to go out and get them. And as I have become more seasoned at this line of work, I have realized that the first 3 people you meet that you would normally make the initiative to exchange phone numbers and hang out with usually turn out to be the people you really don't want to hang out with. I was lucky when I came here that I had my friend Corissa that I worked with in Nome here. She was a great help to have around, and it was nice to know I already had a friend.
3)Having to learn how to navigate in a totally alien area to you. Yeah, sucks. I was lucky in Nome since the town was so small and I didn''t have a car that I walked everywhere, and that everything was pretty much within a 5-10 minute walk from everything. Here in CA, it's so damn big, it had been a real effort to learn where things were. The first places to look for for me are the Safeway, Long's and Target. Sad I know, but when you need the basics, it's good to know where they are. Next town I go to I am going to have all the necessary locales mapped out before I get there. hooray fro Google Maps.
4)Looking for a new assignment when there is a time crunch is a pain in the ass. As much as I love my recruiter, it's really hard to get a hold of here when I need her the most, so frequent freak-outs are normal. I have 4 more weeks here, and I want to get out at that time if I can.
5)The packing up the car and moving thing is a large pain in the ass and I am so not looking forward to squeezing all I have here in my car and then cleaning up the apartment before my next embarkation. Knowing how much I have accumulated since I have been here is frustrating, since I now have a beaming feeling that I will have to get a roof rack for my car for the added crap to my crap arsenal. This in turn will slow down my trip and no doubt eat up gas mileage. yay.
6)Dating? What's that? I had my try at it since I have been here and the trials of it were quite disappointing. This has definitely not been the place for me to make a love connection. No big deal really, next town please....
It's not that bad, I swear. Maybe next after I get to my new destination I can post an entry about all the rad stuff that happens with my job.
Cross your fingers for me kids. Momma wants a cool new job :)
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