My White Picket Fence

As I wash the dishes from dinner and peer out the kitchen window at my kids playing with their father, I feel happy and proud to be the woman I am and of the life I chose. Just beyond my incandesently happy family is the white picket fence meant to provide safety from whatever roams beyond. It also reminds me of the decision I made long ago. The shock and terror of the memory suddenly wakes me from my sleep, and I shake away the frightening image of that white picket fence. The white picket fence lifestyle that so many people crave, is the white picket fence I fear. Rather than representing security, I feel caged. For me, each post represents a place I have been and a place I want to go. They represent the person I am and the person I want to become. In my dream I chose the life of husband and kids early, and had to leave behind the hopes and dreams of a girl who has always been a nomad. A girl, who always runs to a barrier, slows, thinks, and hops right over. A girl who wishes well those she once knew, and greets those who are meant to inspire further.

I have left one of my white picket fence posts in every country I have lived and traveled, with the most recent left where I lived in Spain. One has been left in the Dominican Republic and many others left in European countries before. I want a yard for my future family to play in, but if I cannot live within the fence, how could they? That is why I am building my own, a fence that will not cause fear and hinder exploration, but encourage it. I want their fence to be the one I build around the world. In Nicaragua, my next post shall be.

Like anything else, a fencepost must have support in order to stay standing tall. I want to give that post the support when I am working in Nicaragua. I believe it is important to understand how very fortunate developed countries are in their technological advances. Practicing healthcare in Nicaragua will give me the chance to go back decades in medical history to using touch and plain knowledge of the body. My understanding will be tested and improved in the time I practice there. The basic practical approach to healthcare administration will improve my confidence and care upon returning to Marian University and patients of the United States. I believe practicing healthcare where it is free and resources are limited will allow the pure practice of medicine and nursing to be used to their fullest potential, something that will benefit me for the rest of my career and life.

Furthermore, I want this experience to further open my mind to serve the underserved. I have long felt that sense of global responsibility the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization are trying to expose. This opportunity will let me act on that responsibility to provide a service and learn at the same time. I want to get back to the roots of healthcare and it seems as though the only place someone can go is to the place where only the roots are available. My service to one individual in Nicaragua will benefit the entire community and preserve the integrity as a whole. I want to serve as many people in my life as possible and my exploration of Hispanic/Latino health and basic healthcare will provide an opportunity for a healthier life for each and every patient and their family. I also hope this experience will help me see the people right here in the United States, and even closer to home in Fond du Lac, those who are underserved and give them aid.

In practicing nursing, I believe it is very important to understand the culture of your patient. My experience will increase my cultural awareness and benefit my practice of nursing to all, not just the people of Nicaragua. Cultural sensitivity and awareness are essential in giving the best care possible to any patient of any ethnicity or cultural background. I have knowledge of the Hispanic and Latino culture as well as the language ability to communicate well. All I desire is the chance to practice and prove my worth as a nurse internationally and my ability to provide care in even the poorest of conditions. Who I help and what I learn in Nicaragua, will support my fencepost long enough for my children to dig it up and move it further.

Living with Wanderlust

It is 10 in the morning Madrid time and 3AM back in Wisconsin. I have 2 hours before leaving the hotel to meet up with the rest of my group to leave for Salamanca. I hope these new people are just as diverting as Kelsey from the flight over. I met Kelsey over an armrest struggle. But lets go even farther back in my travel day.

My first flight from Appleton to Detroit went off without a hitch. The second flight from Detroit to JFK, however, was delayed due to the plane not being ready. So we switched up for a bigger plane and switched gates, understandable. The delay was about 1.5 hours, which is where our problem comes in. When I got to JFK, I had about 30 minutes to make it from terminal C to terminal B. You would think that wouldn’t be that difficult to get to, no. I had to wait for a shuttle to take me to the other terminal which took about 15 minutes. I got to the gate and saw that there was a large pack of people in front of the doors to get on the plane, so I went to go to the bathroom. Huge line and only 1 working stall. I didn’t feel right about the situation so I left and went back to my gate. I went to stand in line and came to find out all those people were looking for extra seats on the flight…my seat. I got checked in and taken to the plane. As I was being seated they counted up any remaining seats, there were none. I probably pissed off a lot of people in those 10 minutes, but I am not done yet. The flight attendant who seated me had to twist someone’s arm to get them to move to their own seat. Apparently she wanted an aisle seat, well so did I, and I got it. Just after getting comfortable, the same flight attendant came to the other woman and I asking if we wanted to move to a spot with more foot room. I said yes, but the other woman didn’t seem too thrilled. The woman next to the difficult woman said she would move, so we did. We get to our new seats and I meet Kelsey. Kelsey is from the Carolinas and going on a class trip touring Spain for a international business class which turns out to not be a class at all, just a trip for credit. Well, we bonded over the woman in the back freaking out over the aisle seat and Val, the third in our trio row, telling us about the woman freaking out over the armrest she couldn’t move. Val was quiet for the 6 hour flight, but Kelsey and I talked about our schools, families, and boyfriends…well her boyfriend (I still have no attention span for my own.) And whenever we saw a cute guy on the plane up and about we smiled and laughed. I think one noticed because he proceeded to show off his manly muscles right in front of us shamelessly. I laughed and called him a cocky douchebag. What can I say, I call em as I see em.

It was nice making a friend even before getting to Spain. It shows promise for the next four weeks. Kelsey reminded me of my friend Mary. She was easy to talk to and gave the feeling of a life-long best friend even before knowing one another’s name. I didn’t want to go to sleep because I didn’t want to lose time talking with her. But all good things must come to an end. We got to Madrid and Kelsey and I exchanged full names for facebook, hug and go our separate ways. I left her at the carousel waiting for her luggage (I hope it made it.)

After about an hour of asking directions I stumbled upon my hotel shuttle as it begins to leave and hail it down. Driving through Madrid, it doesn’t seem too different than window shopping towns in the States. Then again, I wasn’t driving through Madrid proper. I won’t get to see Madrid proper this time around. Just like I will not see Paris again, or London, and not even Scotland and Ireland for the first time. Oh well, another trip at another time, but I WILL get there. The people who know me best know I can’t stay in one place for too long. I have wanderlust, a rare yet treatable situation. Although there is no cure, people with this situation often leave without notice, divert their path, and turn in different directions with no notice. Once in a while we come across another wanderluster and we spend our time together telling tales of wander and wandering together. We wanderlusters have something rare when it comes to friendships though. When we go our separate directions, we know it could be the last time we ever see one another, but our relationship doesn’t suffer.It is like we press pause and if we ever wander into one another again, we just press play. My best friend, like myself, is a wanderluster. She knows no bounderies and will go where the wind takes her, or rather, the pirate ships. She is also a bohemian. I am a bohemian by birth, but she has taken on the ways of the culture more than I have. I still have quirks from my religious upbringing hanging on for dear life. As much as I try to break free from them, they make me who I am. Us bohemians have been called gypsies and hippies as well. What people don’t seem to understand is though we live differently than they do, we turn out just as happy and fulfilled, if not more. We live by the rule of valuing the journey much more than the destination. We travel our forged paths gaining skills that will make the next journey more prosperous. We learn from our own mistakes and not the mistakes of others. We learn by doing. We learn by living.

Salamanca

Salamanca is in Castilla Y León in Spain. The city is about 50 miles from the Portugal border and 124 miles from Madrid. In addition to its monuments like the Casa de las Conchas, a palace from the late 15th century and Palacio de la Salina built in 1546, it is home to the University of Salamanca.

The University itself was founded by Alfonso IX de León in 1218 making it the oldest university in Spain and the 5th oldest western university. The University educated some of the most distinguished men of early times such as Diego Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the writer of Don Quixote, Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, the man who led the Spanish in the fall of the Aztec empire, and even Christopher Columbus lectured there after his discoveries.

Some of these students even established the Spanish law for life and liberty for the indigenous people in the Americas. This is notable even though the law wasn’t put into practice due to the lack of authority upon those Spaniards in the Americas, but that’s neither here nor there.

The University of Salamanca has as about 36,000 students. This student population is just below that of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The night life for the students provides the largest economic activity in the city. The city has the second highest bar to inhabitant ratio in Europe (first is Bilbao).

Old post from

Saturday, December 13, 2008
Great Expectations
I have one semester left before graduation and then it is either “Hello career,” or “Hello second degree.” Having to choose between leaving academia and continuing my education has me asking a question I have been asking for 4.5 years: Why is it expected for a young adult to choose a major/career so early in life? It’s true that some people grow up knowing what they are going to do or they figure it out somewhere along the way, but for those who don’t have the luxury of knowing, why must the world pressure then to choose?

At this point, the pressure from family and the University, through financial aid, to choose what I want to do for the rest of my life is overwhelming. I personally have not had enough exposure and experiences to make that decision. When I feel pressured to make a decision, I always say, “I’m only 22, I have the rest of my life to figure it out.” Usually the response is, “You are 22, and old enough to make the decision. Take the responsibility and make it.”

I think the journey in life is more important than the endpoint. I don’t understand how if you follow your heart and make good decisions, you can end up in a place you will not be happy. I have chosen to go into nursing because I believe it is the best fit for me with the exposure and experiences I have had. I have yet to start my nursing education, but I will have my zoology degree finished when I do begin. Finishing my zoology degree has been a nice midpoint between my family and I. As long as I have a degree in something, they seem to be happy.

Through my time in college, I have come to terms with the fact that I may never find that one career that will fit me perfectly. I have even come to understand that what I really want to do with my life is not actually something I can study, more, something that happens. I have come to realize that my time in college has been a way of connecting the dots in order to achieve my real goal. I guess my life after college will further connect the dots until I achieve my goals.

It's Been a While

So, I have been keeping true to my word about following the tangible path for my life. I finished my first year of nursing school and will be traveling abroad in just a few short weeks. Spain and Portugal. I decided to further my knowledge of Spanish so my language skills would be better suited for the Peace Corps and working.

Many of my friends have asked me to blog about my escapades while in Spain and I guess this is a reason I came back to blogging. I will be living in Salamanca, home of the oldest University in Spain and one of the oldest of Europe. I can't wait to get there and do everything. No doubt, there will be adventures to be had. The first of which will be to Portugal. Lisbon, Fatima, Ciudad Rodrigo...and the beach!!! Historical cities, beautiful beaches, and barely clothed men. What could be better? Second, Galicia, Castilla Y Leon. Thirdly, Segovia. Adventures!

I was told by a teacher at Marian to just ignore the piropos that would surely come my way. Look up the word if you are not savvy. Ignore the piropos- yeah right, this of course is not the way I do things. The piropo-givers of Europe need to prepare themselves for my wittiness and banter. They are in for a surprise. I think this is more of what my friends are looking for in my escapades...where the piropos lead...

So I find myself thinking about my future lately, and realizing that what I want to do with my life is really not practical. Too many things ride on chance and I hate waiting. I feel like I need to take control of my life and make it meaningful. So, in lue of the dream I am going to finish nursing school wherever I can get in, and work helping people. Given my love for travel, I think I will go overseas, maybe back to the Dominican Republic or somewhere in Central or South America. I can use my spanish there too. I have never been much of a material possession kind of girl so living with only what I need will be fine. I love getting away and living in simplicity. That is a reason I love camping. No electricity, no big comfy bed. Just you, a sleeping bag, a fire, and the stars. That is my kind of camping. But yeah, so for the next 2 and a half years I'll be studying. New opportunities present themselves every day and only time will tell where I end up. I would love to be back near home or at least back in Wisconsin at some point and work here, but who knows.