Snow, snow — too much snow!!!

We had like two feet on Ash Wednesday which was also my first day at what is really my first job in Canada. Ever. Wondering how it went, maybe? Well I managed to half freeze to death trying to get my car out of drifts after work, got the back end sandwiched in a snow bank and had to call a tow the next morning to get me out. It was an awful first day of work.

To make light of what was a pretty bad situation, it has been a great story to tell the residents at the retirement community where I’m working to get them to laugh, my co-workers already have a joke to chide me with – Oh my goodness, Kalanna was brave enough to drive to work in her car! – and it made for a really rotten Ash Wednesday.

I had a spiritual director once who told me to be hopeful of Lenten growth when Ash Wednesday went down the toilet. And it did, once again. I’ll have to let him know how much God “loves” me and what a wonderful prophet he is. lol

But yes – hurray! – I got a job. Doesn’t pay as much as I hoped and isn’t the company I was hoping to call back first, but I’m finding hidden good points. Like…

They feed me all my meals while I there, including coffee round the clock and homemade baking. Yum! And…

It is a PSW – personal support worker – position, equivalent to my CNA certification in the States, putting my education of last semester to use and getting me established in the healthcare system up here. Also…

They have lots and lots of hours to offer me, practically full-time. Not to mention…

The residents are very appreciative of anything and everything you do for them. Best yet…

After my first two weeks, they are going to train me to do the evening shift for Nursing instead of the PSW shift.

All that means is that they’ll teach me to do give out meds, sign the MAR and so on. I’m already good to go with all that after clinicals last semester, but this will get me “certified” with their company and hopefully look very favorably on my resume in the long term. There was a student nurse doing that job last night, and it was a breeeze. She played solitaire half of the shift while I was running around with my head cut off trying to get people out of bed for supper and then back to bed for the night. Sheesh. Sounds nice, eh? Solitaire on top of pay raise. Sweet.

Weirdness that comes with working an evening shift: I miss the kids, I’m not sure if I like my day being sliced in this time way and I’m teaching my beloved how to cook. Life is SO wacky.

Last night was my first night alone, without a staff member “training” me, and I was pleasantly surprised to have felt so comfortable with the routine right away. Working as a lowly PSW makes me realize that I definitely want to go back to nursing school as soon as possible. I love working with people and doing the direct care, but I know that I can and should do so much more. So, for Lent this year, I’m serving up my very overdue career dues.

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Today we hopped back on the Skype bandwagon, and it has already done amazing things. For almost nothing, I can call home to the precious friends I left behind. They know I belong up here just as well as I do, but it is so good to hear that familiar voice every so often.

The best call I made today was to a good friend, a second mother, the lady who stayed with me at Mom’s graveside until the end. Until I could cry enough and allow them to lower her into the ground, she stayed when everyone else was gone. I’ll never ever be able to thank her enough for those moments, her prayers, her presence.

And today, she prayed with me for employment, she prayed with me for peace. I cried – sitting at a computer – with a headset on – from thankfulness for her and this blessed thing called the Internet.

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