Coming to America 4

Moving On...Snuff, chewing tobacco, rifle practice, horseshoes, squirrel killings, pick up trucks, “Wild turkey”, razorbacks and rednecks. A little over a year had passed since I arrived in Fort Smith. I had bought and learned to drive a car, ignorantly chewed ‘a plug’ of Redman” chewing tobacco (and promptly vomited), was getting pretty good at tossing Horseshoes and shot a rifle at some tin cans . It was about all I could take. I was not cut out for this. Several of my nursing class graduates had returned to Canada, one married an American and some traveled to other cities in the U.S. When my roommate announced she would be returning to Canada, I decided to move on.

The thought of returning to The Great White North didn’t interest me at all. I had become accustomed to sunshine and didn’t want to leave it behind so, I hopped in my Chevette and headed for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (SWB). I presumed that SWB would have telephone books for most major U.S. cities (as this was way pre-internet). My research began and ended with The Yellow Pages for Dallas, Houston and New Orleans. I scribbled down the phone numbers of only those hospitals that displayed the largest ads.

The first hospital that returned my call was Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Baylor arranged for an interview, took care of my air and ground transportation to Dallas and provided a room for me at the Baylor Nursing School Residence. Following my interview, I was introduced to another Canadian nurse, who had been working at Baylor for a couple of years. She invited me out to dinner and brought me to the happening place at the time – TGI Fridays on Greenville Avenue. It was everything I had dreamed of … handsome guys in three-piece suits and cocktails in fancy glasses... Who could ask for more?  Part 5: A Friend in Dallas