Saturday, February 25, 2017

So nasty

I rushed to move into this apartment. I don't know what condition the former tenants left the place in before I came in but when I moved it it wasn't terrible so I was willing to move in when it wasn't 100%.

I'm rather regretting moving in, or moving here....

I'm dealing with COCKROACHES!!!!

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

These things gives me the BIGGEST heebies and I'm dealing with them in my bathroom and kitchen primarily - and yes I understand this as they like the moist environments and with the kitchen there's always the microscopic (I keep it pretty clean) bits of food.

They were supposed to "bomb" my place today while I was at work today and when I came home I found my cupboard doors open which means that they did but when I came home and went in to my bathroom to use it, there was one.... just crawling around.... ewwwwwww...... ya, I squished that mother ***er!

Then later I made some tea on the stove (I haven't bought a kettle yet) and I put the tea bags in a container after I had used them and when I came back to throw them out about an hour later there was one on my stove!!! Ya I killed that one real fast too!!! ICK!!!!

Then don't you know I go to open my silverware drawer and there's one in there!!!! ARGGGGGGG Of alllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the places for them to be!!! Now I have to wash all my silverware, because there is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO way that I'm using them with the possibility that that sucker has been on the stuff that will be going into my mouth! Yucky yucky yucky!!!!!! That one I killed the fastest I think.

Holy frig I'm sickened out by these! I don't know how ppl can handle these in their place. I've also ordered cockroach killing bait and as soon as that stuff comes in (Monday), that stuff is going
E V E R Y W H E R E !!!!!!! No joke. Goodness these things creep me out big time. I hate them!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

I haven't forgotten I've just been busy

So I know I haven't been posting a whole lot, it's not that I haven't had much to say. Oh the contrary. I've been so busy with my residency. And with moving into my apartment. And of course with EVERYTHING, things have gone wrong and tipsy turvy.

So for my residency we do 15 weeks where we have 24 hours on the unit with a preceptor and 12 hours in the classroom learning various things that are pertinent to our respective residency routes. Mine is newborn-peds (YAY!!!) - but I'm also having a smidgen of time (a week exactly) on mother-baby (ie post-partum).... this area I'm ok with b/c at least at that point mom has already had the baby and so less to do with mom and there's stuff to do with baby. That I can handle! L&D has too much mom and not enough baby - plus too much complication potential.

Then I get to have a week of NICU then two weeks of PICU and then a week of something (TBA) then two weeks of Peds then the rest are TBA. Then once we are in the last week, our academy director/facilitator has a discussion with all the unit directors (ie managers) about us academcy nurses and how we performed and whether we would be a good fit for their unit and it's basically match day because we're expected to decide on our top 3 choices on hospitals and units that we want our home unit to be after wk 15 for the rest of the year (or permanently as I believe it).

So it's kinda crazy how this is going to go because there's only me and another girl in my route because the third girl failed her NCLEX exam and had to drop out of the academy. I just hope that there's plenty of jobs, and not just one that is between her or I getting. The information that I have to learn includes EKG and PALS - hopefully it's not too complicated and overwhelming. Oh the things that I will learn....

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

77 degrees vs. 25cm

So what do those have in common you wonder? Obviously me, but besides that little. The 77 degrees refers to the temperature in the state in which I reside. OMG the weather is awesome! Once we arrived, we come to find out that 25cm of snow hit our city back home!!! Boy did we leave in time! I guess that's a blessing in disguise.

But thing quickly started falling apart. When we got to the border the customs guy took my paper work and asked "what would you do if you don't get approved?" - my response was that I would be "fucking screwed" - I was honest. In hindsight, too honest. I didn't have my filter on. I was nervous and forgot who I was talking to! Ooops. Either way, he let me through and told me to go through to the side and park and go into the building and wait to be called by an agent in the building. Okay then!

Not fun considering I had little tyke with us who is almost eight and has a patience level of about 5 seconds. Plus in the building it states that you are not permitted to utilize ANY electronic devices, and so she couldn't even use her nintendo DS to keep her occupied or anything, or a cell phone. And remember that these ppl can find any reason to deny me entry. If they find my child irritating or me or my husband unappealing in any fashion, I could be denied my visa! So I had to some how keep her calm. Easier said than done! I managed it long enough for me to be called.

I had everything they could want and some extra. BUT and it's a  really big BUT the offer letter that the company supplied, I knew was going to be the issue. We had asked the company to revise it because it was missing information - specifically the contract information required for the visa. Because for TN visas in particular, I can only stay in the US for a maximum of three years at a time. As such, my letter must indicate that there is a definate end date because the expectation is that I will return back to my country and share the information I have learned, with my fellow colleagues/nurses. The problem was was that they were unwilling to stipulate that and so we tried to bypass this by indicating it in a personal letter addressed to US customs and border protection. The agent appeared as though he was just going to flat out refuse me entry but then gave me the chance to try to contact my recruiter. I tried. I really tried. But no one would return my damn call. WTH!!!! Then he took my stuff into the back room and talked to his supervisor/manager who then came out while I was on the phone and got upset with me because I was on the phone in the area that was clearly marked EVERYWHERE that you cannot be on any electronic device and I was silently shitting my pants because I didn't want to say anything perceived to be negative to this boss! Thankfully the other agent who was working on my case spoke up indicating that he had given me permission to use my cell phone! So once I was off the phone (I was trying to get a hold of the recruiter again), I was called back up to the desk by the both of them....

And told that although the terms weren't indicated, that they were going to give me a year visa and that that would give me the chance to fix the discrepancy or that I would have to return home... or find a new employer.

I guess I'll have to put it in those terms to my new employer. We'll see whether they'll be more willing to change their tune once I start the residency and all.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

The time has come

For things to change.... a LOT

We FINALLY got word that my visa stuff got approved and so things have started to move quickly!

We told the family yesterday that I would be moving on monday - four days from now! And why should I not be surprised but they were not happy for me. To be honest, I think that they were shocked. They were upset that I was going by myself and that I would be leaving little tyke and hubby here in Canada and going and living by myself in the southern US.

Now I'm in a bit of a panic to get everything done - my medical records to take with me (done today!), I also have to pack (still have to start that - heck I still have to get boxes!), get my prescription meds done for the next 6 months (at least then I won't have to feel pressured to find doctors where I will be working/living. This turned into a nightmare and maybe I'll write a whole post on it, we'll see! Man, my life is never boring!

Tomorrow I have to go to the DMV to go get my driver's abstract because when I return to Canada then there will be a history of my driving record, otherwise I will have to start ALL OVER AGAIN and I have a pretty darn good driving record if I do say so myself! Because as soon as I go to the DMV in the state where I settle (which is required in the first 6 weeks) I have to surrender my Canadian license to the DMV.

Tomorrow (which is now today because I had to continue writing the post on the next day) I went and got money exchanged and paid child support of Big boy who lives in home town, that should be interesting experience once I move and have to pay it - maybe it'll be hubby paying it on my behalf - we'll see. Right now I have to pay it once a month by a certain date and pay it directly into their account and so I just go to the bank and get it done. At least that's one thing checked off my list of things to get done before I leave!

Then I had to go procur some boxes! Of course for free! Who doesn't like something for free?! I do, I do!!! Well my mom works in a grocery store and she taught me a long time ago that they have the best boxes for moving - for free!!! If you go and see the produce ppl, ask them for apple boxes in particular - they are built stronger and have really nice lids. Then my next choice would be banana boxes - as long as they have lids - if not, I leave them. The thing about banana boxes though is that on the bottom there is an area in the middle where there is no bottom - so you kinda have to do a bit of arts and crafts if you're willing to take these boxes - simply take other boxes, rip them apart and run a section down the middle of the box to help support the bottom of the box from the inside. Plus for larger boxes all you have to do is look to the grocery area and talk to the ppl there and ask for the bigger boxes and normally all they'll ask you for is your name and ask you to come back for them at a certain time because they'll save them for you. Either way - this is the stage that I'm at... I have to go get my boxes tomorrow morning.

Then I had to talk to my recruiter (who is the senior recruiting manager thankfully) about drafting another offer letter as there were items missing or things that I needed added to it for when I need to go across US/Canadian border monday morning. But of course, in my life, things never go according to plan and so I had to track them down again later down in the day because the letter had to be changed yet again but in the end was able to get to a satisfactory point. Hubby was able to help me with finding the rest of the information on the CBP website in order to write my own letter that supplements my offer letter because my recruiter couldn't couldn't put certain information in it. Point is is that my work wants me but won't sponsor me to stay around forever and so I must go with a NAFTA (I'm sure you've heard about this in the news lately) related visa in which it runs out at the end of three years and must be renewed if I want to stay at this hospital in this position.

So pretty much Saturday will be spent trying to get the med situation figured out - seriously, it's a shit show! And I also have to pack - EVERYTHING - I seriously haven't packed a thing yet. I also have some organizing that needs to be done. Because once I leave, hubby needs to still be a dad - I don't want him to come back here and check out of being a dad - letting his mom take over all the responsibilities of being the parent of little tyke. So these next few days are going to be very very busy! So I suppose I should go to bed and get some sleep. Those boxes aren't going to fill themselves!