Well Here I Am

Looks like I made it! Getting close to finishing up my first month at Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA. It's definitely been a long road. After graduating, it seemed like I would never be hired. In fact, I took a position at a school district working with students with medical needs to hold me over and pay the bills. Turns out it was a great experience. I got to work with a lot of students who have mental and physical handicaps. I learned a lot about them and about me. Plus it gave me the opportunity to complete one of my goals this year, travelling the world. I visited Luca and Zsofi in London, Eva in Brighton, Jenny and Jana in Vienna, took a day trip to Slovakia, worked three camps in Hungary, and ended my trip with a weekend visiting Levi and Csenge (and their awesome familiy) in Budapest-including a trip to the famous Lake Balaton. My love for travel was set ablaze once again and I was ready to come back home, get a job, get experience and pay off loans so I could once again travel the world.

Lo and behold (not really sure what this 'lo' business is all about, but anywho) I made the cut of 25 new hires out of 1100 applicants at Washington Hospital. A true answer to prayer. Now I am learning, being challenged and stretched every day. Washington does 8 hour shifts; that means 5 days a week. To be honest, I'm not too keen on working 5 days a week; but for now I will embrace it and realize I am incredibly blessed to have a great job in this terrible market.

So what's next? That's the big question. Not even sure what this next year's theme will be. (If you cocked your head sideways to that one, I theme my years, starting about 5 years back. I find it helps me with goals, keeps me motivated, and well it's just fun. Working backwards from this very year: The Year of New Beginnings, The Year of Completion, The Year of Adventure, The Year of Mystery, all spawning from the Year of Shaun.) So what is next? I haven't quite decided yet. I do know that it will be a year of a lot of work. I have a lot of experience to obtain, a lot of student loans to pay off and a reputation as a an excellent nurse to build. But I still have a couple months to decide.

Looking forward 2 years down the road it's wide open. I could cut down to part time to allow frequent travel. Or I could move out of the country for awhile, possible working for an international organization doing nursing or who knows what. I just know that I need to experience the world. I've seen so little, yet that little piece of the world has captured my heart and I want more. So I'll continue to chip away at my language learning, continue learning at my job, and continue dreaming of endless adventures awaiting the day I step away from familiarity and routine. Until then, keep dreaming.

The Year of New Beginnings

2011: The Year of New Beginnings. I'm finally done with that giant hurdle called 'school' (at least for now), I've tackled the NCLEX and have emerged with my nursing license. Now I sit in a place of uncertainty. As I scour the state for anyone willing to hire a 'new grad' I have no idea where I might end up. It might even have to be out of state. Yet even through the countless applications that seem to get me nowhere, I know that I will get there one day, and that I will look back on these times in awe. I also have another item of adventure within my grasp, a short jaunt to Ukraine to encourage some people there and to help out with whatever may be needed. Planning a trip to Eastern Europe without a steady-paying job is a risky venture, one I have yet to fully decide one way or the other. Also, there is the possibility of getting an interview or even hired, completely clashing with these plans. I suppose it's a good dilemma to have--either go travel the world doing what you love, or land a job. I would like to accomplish both; and in fact, those are my two main goals for this year. I also tossed out a resume to the local school district for a health-related position: another mystery whose end we know not. One thing is certain through all of this, and that is that the Full Life is still being strongly lived and it is what I will continue to do, jobless or full-time, across the world or at home, on a rock wall or just hanging out with people I care about. The Full Life--it's about to get a whole lot fuller.

2009 in retrospect

But a few days remain for the year 2009; a year never to be lived nor experienced again. Every year I learn more and more about life, about myself, about what really matters amidst the craziness from day to day. I have more of a grasp now more than ever on who I am and what I want out of life, but feel as though I only live up to that a mere fraction of the time. I realize more and more how crazy life really is, how many variables come our way and how there is really no way to plan out your life. All you really have control over is who you decide to be and be that person no matter where life takes you. I used to think I could figure it out--plan it like a good book. The problem I encountered was that I wasn't the only author to my story, and I couldn't control what other people wrote. All I could do was respond.


I've planned many things in my life, many of which have born fruit, and many more which have crumbled beneath a shoddy foundation of poor motivations. But I learned so much from all that and continue to learn from the things and the people that are part of my life. The good thing is that I like who I am becoming and am excited about the mystery of life ahead of me. God has shown me that even the things I think impossible for my life are some of the very things in store for me. Life to the Full is easy to say, much more difficult to live; but I will continue to strive after a full life despite the roadblocks and insufficiencies of myself.

Untitled

I haven't written in so long I feel as though I've forgotten how to express my thoughts. But I will make an attempt anyhow. I'm at an interesting place in life right now. In another week I'll be done with school for 2009 and heading into my last year. 2010 is pretty much layed out for me. It is in fact the Year of Completion (if you didn't know I'm finishing up the Year of Adventure); and that really makes me think. In 2011 I'll be heading into a completely different stage in my life. I'll have a "real" job (hopefully), I could be living anywhere in the US depending on the job market, and it kind of means that I have to grow up. But what does that even mean? What does that mean for me? Life really could go in any direction. I'll be at a point where really anything is possible.

Some say it's a small world but I say the world is huge, and I want to experience it. I've gotten but a small taste of the world beyond the "bubble" and I want more. I really love where I live right now, but I don't want to stay here forever. There's something inside of me that wants to go; but where? And it's not an easy thing either. The Bay Area is the highest paying area in the country for nurses, by a lot. But I don't want to get stuck at a "great job" making way more money than I would know what to do with (although right now a couple bucks would be nice :) and finding myself going after a piece of the "American Dream". That just doesn't seem like me. Ideally, I could work a year here, pay off my student loans, and then I'm free to do whatever I want (within the limits of the natural laws of course). But what do I want? That's the kicker. Do I want to find a wife, have kids....that seems both terribly amazing and frightening. Do I want to travel the world (yes), but how, where, with whom (proper use of whom?), for how long? I look around me and a lot of people my age, even a lot younger than me, have their lives "figured out". I feel like I'm a little late to the party, but then again, I don't really want to have my life "figured out" yet. There's so much to see, so much to do, to experience.

So that's where I'm at. Finishing the Year of Adventure (still have a few more before year's end), going into the Year of Completion, and then stepping out into the unknown world of the Year of New Beginnings. It's exciting, it's amazing, it's scary, and it's definitely full.

Chillin in my flat

So I am able to stay at the guest house, which is a three room flat three floors up. And I am the only one here. It’s incredible. I’ll be sleeping in the big room which has two bunk beds, a couch and an eating area. All this for $15 a night. This is an undeserved blessing from God. I was a little nervous about coming to Budapest because I didn’t know, well anything. So I’m pretty stoked. I’m going to tour the city a little, get some food and go to the young adult church service tonight. And maybe I’ll take a nap too!

In Budapest

So its (let me think for a minute) Sunday and I’m in Budapest. I decided to go with the Ohio team and hang out with them their last day. We got in town around noon yesterday and it was hot! We checked in to the Marco Polo hostel, which was very nice. Us three guys were in a triple and the ladies in a quad room. We went to look around the city and a couple hours later the winds picked up and the temperature dropped considerably. We were joking around that it was going to rain on us and we would sing “Grace like rain”; and then that’s what happened. It was pretty amusing. We ate at a really good pizza place, which was really warm as well (it was freezing outside). He headed out to the Danube to take a peak, and then went to McDonalds (yes McDonalds) to get some hot coffee. Then we headed back to the hostel and hung out till about 1am. We watched all of the videos from the previous weeks and pretty much laughed all night. I think being with the Ohio team has been one of the most encouraging parts of this whole trip. We fed off each other’s energy. I don’t think I’ve laughed this much in a long time. Just thinking about some of the things, like the puppet skit, the talent show, riding in the van packed 15 full singing worship songs, it all makes me smile. Another cool thing, just before we left for Budapest from Dorcas, someone gave Dr. Eger (the head of the Ohio team) a 5000 forint note (about $25) to pay my transportation cost. And then at pizza they covered me with their team money. It was a real blessing. I don’t know where I will stay tonight, at the hostel or at the Calvary Chapel guest house (nicer and cheaper). I just talked to Bruce here at the church (I’m waiting for the service to start) and he will find me after to see if I can stay. It’s interested being all alone here in Budapest. It’s exciting. I have to figure out a lot of things such as housing and transportation to the airport at 5am! I found out this morning that my phone alarm doesn’t work because it can’t track the time. So I woke up at 9:50, with check out at 10. With a shower I was only 2 minutes late! So I might have to pull an all-nighter Monday night just so I don’t miss my plane. We’ll see. Pray for that whole situation. It’s been a really good, fulfilling, encouraging faith-building trip that has and will continue to change me. But it’s not quite over yet. See everyone back home soon.

Coming to an End

Well, it’s the last full day here at Dorcas camp. It has been an amazing week getting to know all the students and volunteers. We taught a lot of English, learned some Hungarian, listened to some really inspiring testimonies, sang a lot of worship songs, did a ton of skits, played signs, mafia, blitz, foci (soccer) and much more. I’ve been really encouraged by how the students have connected with us and want to hang out with us during their free time. Even the ones who know only a little English try hard to make conversation and ask about our lives. God has used Dorcas camp to change the lives of hundreds of people and I can see those results and also the work that is being done now. I don’t feel like I’m halfway around the world. I’m used to not being able to understand conversations right next to me, although I am picking up on words and phrases more and more each day. The great thing about the body of Christ is that I feel at home away from home. I’m going to miss the people that I have been serving with here. I feel that a big part of my purpose here was to encourage the other teams along with the campers, and in that I have been immensely encouraged as well. There has been a lot of laughing and a lot of smiles with nothing lacking but sleep. Pray for the rest of our time here. We all leave Saturday after breakfast. I’m not sure if I’m going back to Mikepercs with Russ or heading to Budapest with the Ohio team to hang out with them for the day. My plane doesn’t leave till Tuesday so I have a few days. It would be nice to be in Budapest already for my flight home and not be three hours away in Mikapercs. I’d throw up some pics but the internet here is incredibly slow, but hey, I’m glad to have it.