PCS Party

I should tell you now about my PCS party. Doreen Matsunaga and Lauren Harrold hosted the party. It was held Sunday evening at the Matsunaga's yard, under a tent. It poured rain all day long until about 4 pm. Then the rain stopped - it seemed like a miracle. Between 60 and 100 people turned out, others wanted to come but had to work or were off-island. There were people from all areas: USAKA, active duty military, hospital, doctors, nurses, co-workers, friends, patients, racquetball teammates, Americans, Marshallese, Filipinos, Mexicans, South Americans, and a Bahamian. I was hugged by so many patients with tears in their eyes. Guys would pump my hand and wish me well.

And, did I mention the food?! OMG, everybody cooked their best dishes. The food tables were overflowing. The desserts had to be taken indoors until the main meal was over because there was not enough room for everything on the tables at once. It was a truly humbling experience. It was all I could do to maintain my composure during the event. Even now, just writing about it makes my eyes well up.

The Adventure Ends

Well, as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." So it is with my tenure on Kwajalein. I enjoy my work, the people I work with, and the place I live. So it will be a bittersweet experience to leave the Marshall Islands.

Officially, my last work day is 06 November and I depart Kwajalein on 09 November destined for Lynchburg, VA. Until then I will be occupied with job hunting and scuba diving. I want to do so much diving that I'm sick of it by the time I leave the island.

As for job prospects, it turns out that there are plenty. Most of the positions I am encountering are in the states of Washington, North Dakota and Minnesota. There is one position in Hawaii for which I interview tomorrow. I'm not exactly clear why there are not suitable opportunities in Texas or Virginia, but that's just the market at this time.

There are some international opportunities for which I am qualified. Right now, they are recruiting for Beijing and Shanghai (China) and Singapore. I was being recruited for a position in Dubai, but after talking with one of their current physicians by phone for over an hour, I have come to the conclusion that Dubai might be a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

More will follow.