Firsts and feelings

I’d like to talk about DACA and the border and immigrants; because in Weslaco where the official language is Spanglish, these issues come up more frequently than they did at home. Still, they will have to wait until after I have visited Mexico. I’ve been waiting to have someone that has been before be available to go with me. (I heard “Now you be careful down there” too many times to trust myself alone.) However, that may not happen for a few weeks, after the nurses and midwives aren’t in such high demand. According to Hannah, a nurse here, “the birth storm is coming”! It’s not surprising either. September is a popular time for birthdays.

I had a very busy weekend, complete with a childbirth class and a visit to a family who had added a new member just 24 hours earlier. With that business sucking up my blog writing time I’ve told this week’s story in the form of a worksheet:

Time I felt the most appreciated: The nurses and midwives had a little appreciation ceremony for the “queens behind the scenes” (aka the office ladies). We each got a title and explanation, and they called me the “Queen of Willingness”. 

Strangest thing I’ve heard all week: “Oh good! You can help me blow up the cervix balloons” — Jennifer CNM (Certified Nurse Midwives)

Strangest thing I’ve seen: a road sign that read, “Watch out for Pelicans”

Craziest thing I have tried: It’s called a Raspa, and they are a big thing here in Weslaco, TX. The first one I had was a pretty normal dessert, flavored shaved ice and ice cream mixture with almonds and coconut shavings mixed in. The second one was a “Pick-a-dilly” and it was cherry flavored shaved ice…with chunks of pickles mixed in. It’s exactly as disgusting as it sounds.

Farthest outside my comfort zone I’ve gone: I attended a Buddhist meditation group with Jennifer and Andrea, another nurse here. The second place answer is: having a newborn suck on my finger.

Most fun I’ve had this week: A few of us drove to South Padre Island for the afternoon. The beach there was pretty different from the Delaware beaches I’m accustomed to but it seems to me that a sunset is gorgeous anywhere. Driving there, I thought it was crazy how the sand dunes had been blown all the way across our lane in a few places.

Warm water, calm waves, soft sand, and our work a few hours away…it was heaven.

Things that haven’t changed: I’m still 95-100% sure I will not go into any medical professions. It’s nice having a more immediate interaction with a career instead of just seeing it on a list of majors.

Things that I’ve decided/realized: If and when I ever have children I want to do it “the natural way” like Holy Family provides. I can’t stand taking medicine, so I doubt an epidural will entice me. I imagine some moms are laughing now.

Something that made my heart race: Though only for a few seconds, I got to hold a newborn baby! He was barely a day old and so incredibly tiny (biologically normal size, but I was still in shock).

It’s not until I’ve written it all down that I realize how adventurous my week has been. No, I didn’t scale a mountain, but through choices and invitations and chances I did a ton of things I’ve never done before. It makes me so overjoyed, honestly, to see myself living one of my favorite mottos:

“Great things never came from comfort zones.”

So…as cheesy as it is, ask yourself, “when was the last time I did something for the first time?”. If you can’t think of something, then what are you going to do today or tomorrow to fix that? You don’t have to check something off the bucket list, just try a food whose name you can’t pronounce or do a friend’s hobby with them.

 

Still, there were low points too.

I don’t know how much loneliness and solitude play a role in the life of the average college freshmen. I do know that if you graduate high school and take a gap year on your own, or possibly even with a group, and move far away, they will most likely affect you, like they unexpectedly affected me.

I miss my mom when: the online recipe say’s it’s “easy” but the tears welling up in my eyes aren’t just from chopping onions.

I miss my dad when: someone asks a question and I think, “my dad would know” but I just stumble through my thoughts.

I miss my friends and boyfriend when: I can’t talk to them, or worse do anything with them,…also sometimes when I am talking to them.

I miss my puppy dog, Tequila, when: I breathe.

If you’re living in a new place, what do you miss most? What little things did you take for granted and want back now?