I love travel. It is a privilege to visit other cultures and far away lands. Still, it’s hard work and I’m exhausted. Around my fellow, weary Americans in line to get our passports stamped, I heard a lot of grumbling. One lady yelled, to no one in-particular, “This is the most inefficient airport I have ever been in.” (She had been randomly flagged for additional screening, which must have been the final insult to prior injury.) I somehow doubt she’s seen many non-U.S. airports. RBD and I mused the 3 hour wait in Joburg to get her passport stamped in an un-air-conditioned arrivals hall without food, water, or bathroom might have caused an international incident. But travel is hard. It’s stressful. Sometimes we lose our cool. It requires comfort with being uncomfortable.

Sadly we part ways here. No further travel is planned for 2025. I will be on rotations till September 2026, so jetting off somewhere exotic seems unlikely. I have limited time off for the foreseeable future.

I wanted to do a post after every rotation but am not sure how to structure it. I just don’t know how to be candid and not get expelled from school. Or violate HIPPA laws, which set standards for patient privacy. It’s unfortunate. If you have any thoughts on the subject, let me know.

The public would be better served learning how medicine is delivered. Specifically how terribly it’s delivered for large swaths of the population. However, a code of silence permeates the medical field. We don’t talk about the things we see, which I think does a disservice to us and patients. Our silence allows an inefficient, confusing system to perpetuate. People would come to the ER and say to me, in wide eyed disbelief, “I had no idea.” My immediate thought was always, “Well, how could you?” This was before The Pitt.

My first rotation starts on Monday, September 8th. As of now I have no idea where I’ll be. The faculty are keeping it a secret till later this week, I suspect so the kids will have less time to complain about their assignment. I understand the reasoning, in an over-bearing-parental-sort-of-way. I still find it petulant and annoying.

Thanks to my traveling companions RBD and DEG. RBD is our Executive Producer, through her all things are made possible. DEG, of course, our steadfast Production Assistant, schlepping bags and hauling camera equipment for many trips now. Their tireless work behind the scenes helps make this travelogue a reality.

Thanks to our Platinum sponsors, Bounty Three-Ply Extra Absorbent toilet paper (now with extra tensile strength) and The Country of Iceland. They want you to know visit as often as you like, but don’t you dare think about immigrating.

Lastly, thanks to you all. I appreciate your time and attention. I am grateful to be allowed to share my love of writing, photography, and travel with a wider audience than just my mother.

Please drop me a line and let me know how you’re doing. I look forward to when we meet again.