Ramblings of a Jetlagged Nomad

Just call me miss procrastinator. I flew in a week earlier than originally intended because I needed to finish up some continuing education courses to renew my dental hygiene license. Every two years I am suppose to have at least 25 units under my belt. Before I arrived I only had four units and I needed to finish the rest before the 21st of May.

Every year the California Dental Association (CDA) puts on a gigantic convention that features the cutting edge of dental technology at the Anaheim Convention Center right near Disneyland. Thousands of Dentists, Dental Hygienists, and Assistants fly in from all over the world for this session.

Conventions are anything but boring. I have learned some new tips on how to give painless injections, how to manage difficult patients, how to be a better clinician chair side, and how to screen more efficiently for oral cancer. Maybe I am a geek but I enjoy lectures and can’t wait to get into Dentistry School. Conventions also serve as a place for me to see familiar faces like my hygiene colleagues and dentists I have worked with in the past.

I have been in class on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. I count today as my first day of vacation mainly because I got a chance to sleep in and recover from being jetlagged. Everyone is right about how nothing really changes when you are away. The usual morning traffic gridlock on route 91, everyone’s hectic schedules during the week, and people in general haven’t changed except that maybe they had more kids while I was away. Other than that it is the same game that continues.

Traveling and being away from my comfort zone has opened my eyes to see that I could really be anywhere I want to be. The world doesn’t seem so big anymore and the possibilities are endless. The concept of feeling at “home” is still foreign to me. I guess I am still searching for where I belong. Until then I’ll be wandering.