If you have been doing the math, it has been three months since I last updated this blog. Last time you heard from me, I was working remotely in NC in the middle of the night, waiting on my visa for Myanmar for Doctors Without Borders mission (MSF). Well, at the end of October, I was told by the head of mission that the government was still not approving visas and everyone working remotely EXCEPT me, would be going to Thailand to wait. Effectively, my plans for the next 12 months were cancelled, with nothing on the horizon. 

To say I was devastated was an understatement. My mental health was already hanging by a thread due to the night shift hours, isolation of the pandemic and the limbo of waiting for my visa for months, and this sent me over the edge. Thus, you did not hear anything from me. I retreated for some much needed healing time.

For the next 2 months, my MSF recruiter would put my name in the hat for missions, I would wait patiently, only to be told they picked someone else with field experience. I was left wondering how I could get field experience without having a first mission. Luckily, my old job at Planned Parenthood needed someone to fill in due to the holidays and for people out sick with COVID scares. I was able to scrape almost full time hours, but was still only planning ahead mostly week by week and my insurance was due to run out in February.

By the end of December, I had basically given up and told my recruiter I was done. She also said there was nothing else in the next 6 months she could put me up for and recommended I find something full time in the states. My old job at Planned Parenthood was no longer available and all the open jobs did not match. I was really starting to feel desperate. However, I started doing meditation and I kept hearing from my Higher Power that the universe would take care of me. I got a surprise paycheck from MSF in December and I continued to get shifts from Planned Parenthood.

Near the Christmas holiday, my recruiter emailed me and said she had put my name in for a position in South Sudan at the MSF academy as a clinical instructor for nursing students and nursing instructors. She basically told me not to get my hopes up because there were several other people interested in the position. She told me she was going on holiday until January 10th but had a colleague checking her email to keep me updated on the status. She also told me that the person who was reviewing applicants wouldn’t be back from holiday until January 4th. This was the most information I had been given compared to previous missions.

Well, on January 5th I received an email asking me to interview that coming Friday on the 7th. He is the founder of MSF academy and said I was a good fit, but told me he wanted to be transparent that they were interviewing one other person for the role. Not to toot my own horn, but for some reason I shine with job interviews! My nerves melt away and my Perkins charm comes through. I sometimes have an out of body experience and look down in awe at this person I barely recognize, schmoozing it up with the interviewees. So I actually wasn’t all that nervous. An hour after the interview I received the email that I was chosen for the 1 year placement in South Sudan.

Since then there has been a whirlwind of activity trying to get everything ready for leave. I still have several shifts with Planned Parenthood for the month of January. They told me the visa situation was very different from Myanmar and they could be ready for me in 10 days! I told them the beginning of February was the earliest I could be available. I am going to be able to fly to Maine for a short trip to see my mom and family up there. I was hoping for longer and to drive, due to this COVID variant, but I’m happy to be able to go at all.

I have not told Grammy yet about the trip. I will be going tomorrow to let her know. I printed out the wikipedia page of South Sudan so she can read up on it. Unfortunately, the timing is not great because her favorite nurse is retiring to the beach tomorrow. She cared for my Gram during the COVID quarantine months and would send me photos and updates. She took care of Gram when I couldn’t and treated her as family. She is the type of nurse I want to train and she is leaving big shoes to fill. My gram is acting like her last day will be her death day. She told me to take her dresser because after “the boss leaves” who knows what will happen with her stuff. I am trying to convince her she needs the dresser until she dies.

Nikki and I postponed a New Year’s weekend to Asheville due to a COVID scare for the end of this month, so we will be able to spend 4 days there with Nina. Everything seems to be unfolding exactly as it should. I am going to miss these two so much. I am trying to get in special hikes with Nina at the Eno River before I go. She better live through this year! Luckily we have the best dog walker that will take care of her when Nikki has long days at work. She really is like a third mom to her!

I already have contacts in South Sudan and they are sending me photos of the living quarters. I will have my personal mud hut called a “tukal”. It has limited wifi, but the main living quarters are better. We use a latrine at night but there is running water for showers, although they do not have warm water. I get 5 weeks of annual leave and they really want us to take the full amount. Every 3 months I can leave the country (South Sudan does not let tourists in so no one can visit me.). Every 6 weeks I will go to the capital, Juba for R+R for 4 days. MSF has a house that has hot showers, private rooms with their own bathrooms. They will also pay for a hotel if I want alone time. It seems magical! It is everything I always dreamed of. I cannot believe it is coming true!

I will keep up my blogging while I am away. I actually can have an official MSF blog. So you all can keep in touch with me through this. I am going to revamp this website to include the new Perkins Letters. Nikki wrote this sweet contract for me, since she is horrible with communicating when we are apart. She is not a phone person. I look forward to our emails or letters when I’m away. It reminds me of the letters my grandparents sent to each other. I’m so excited y’all!