another country (or two)

In six days, I will return to my home in Oregon, along with the cold, the rain, the trees, the familiarity of my home. I will take a moment to reflect on the last year plus a little and say that it has been completely splendid. I came to Haiti to work in the clinic in Santo 19 on September 11th, stayed until December 7th, then returned to my Oregon. I returned to Haiti on February 12th, a month after the January 12th earthquake and I stayed until June 23rd. During this time, I was working at the clinic again, but as the director of the physical rehabilitation center for people injured in the earthquake (I am also happy to report that it is still up and running and functioning MUCH better than I had hoped for, thanks to incredible nurses and therapists like Suzanne and Erica). June 23rd until July 27th, I was at home, trying to find work in Haiti again so I could return to the country I had grown so comfortable in. Without any luck, but with many very good friends at the clinic, I returned. August 10th, my friends left for Chile, leaving me at the house and feeling very sad and unsure about what to do next. I stayed for a few weeks after they left, until August 25th. After my month in Haiti, continuing the job search, I bought a flight to Chile to visit my friends.

This is where my next trek begins. While I was in Chile, I saw almost all of the country, from Puerto Montt in the furthest South to Tacna, in Peru, and many cities in between. I ate seafood in Puerto Montt, bought yarn to make a hat in Angelmo, watched a pig be slaughtered in La Union (something I think I was always remember with sorrow...not something a city girl is used to seeing, nor completely appreciates), saw the Tatio geysers, Moon Valley, and lagoons in the middle of the driest desert on earth in San Pedro de Atacama, visited the oldest church in Chile in Chiu Chiu, saw the Morro of Arica where the Pacific war was fought and Chile gained land from Bolivia and Peru, and in the meantime, saw all my friends and got to meet truly fascinating people. Not to mention really practicing my Spanish.

My time in Chile came to an end October 24th, when I returned to Haiti. I had left most of my things there, so as not to lug them all up and down Chile. This is where I am in my travels so far, at the house in Haiti, with new doctors and new stories. Trying to make contact with all my friends before I leave next Tuesday to return back home to Oregon for the holidays and to find a job.

I'm sure there were some wondering just how I supported myself in all these travels and what I am planning to do next. The next direction in my life has many paths to choose from and I am currently deciding between: finding a job in Oregon, validating my nursing license to work in Chile, returning to Haiti with a non-governmental organization (NGO), or working in a new country. I have sent out myriad applications and am just waiting for one to say "we want you to work in such-and-such country, what do you say?" My preference would be to do international nursing with NGOs, but the problem is that almost all positions require masters degrees and years of experience, neither of which I have. I have experience in other, less quantitative skills, but that are not as appreciated by employers, I think. Thus, my current choice to find a job in Oregon. However, just as a bit of a head's-up, if I get a job in another country, I will beheading out. This seems to be my passion and what I'm good at, and I love the idea to travel, work, enjoy other cultures, other countries, other climates, but to always return to Oregon as my home base.

This is as far as I am in my life right now. 23 years old, looking for international work, practicing my languages, learning new things all the time.