PART 2: My Career and Language Barrier

Welcome back for no 2. Did i say i graduated and went looking for a job? Actually i lied, or my mind was faster than my brain, i had not graduated, i was done with all my school work and was writting the last paper, my thesis! Demn that thesis was stressfull!. I had decided i will take a month, sit home and get that thesis done, but this woman loves money,..well, who doesnt? So i did my online application for ICU and anesthetics and booked myself an interview!

I got well dressed, put up some make up and some lipstick!. No, its not what you are thinking, i didnt even know a guy was gonna interview me! You crazy head! What you thinking? And no it wasnt red lipstick! I walked in again and recited my cv, then sat looking at this man, who figured i got good Finnish from what i had just said that he started asking serious questions, like what my goals are and what i can bring the the table! Njambi!.😨, weringie ne rwa nyarere( its up to you!). 

Knowing a language does not necessarily mean you can speak it! My hearing and understanding were actually way better than i thought! I was watching lots of Finnish cartoons, and i had paid for extra Finnish lessons! So i picked up what i thought i heard and actually answered all that in English. I told him, i understand better than i can talk but i think i could do the job since i would understand what i am doing and since i have studied for this job, i know its just a matter of time and how else will i learn the language, if am not exposed to it! I was as determined as a turtle trying to cross a fast traffic road!. I left his Office a Shaken girl cos he actually never said anything much, he was like, 'i will get in touch'. We all know what that means!

I sat on the bus home thinking, 'what were you thinking liz?' And i had a dull day the next day! And a dull weekend until the phone rang on monday and it was him! Offering me a chance, even though he warned they will see how it goes with me! I kind of missed that sentence and celebrated, i was so excited! You would have thought it was the lawyer who had called saying, 'The case is over! The divorce has gone through'!!.

And so i started my job as an Anesthesia Nurse, it was quite scary to be left with patients sleeping under and surgeons working on them but i did it! Thanks to two  of the most amazing workmates i had ever had Heljä and Eila. They taught me Finnish every spare moment! They listened to my phrases and corrected them! And we laughed so hard when i missed the double kk and ii and the word freaked out some patients cos they meant something totally different! Yea! I once told a patient i was going to remove their face😂😂 and used the word ass like the Finns use it to swear!! That patient almost flipped!!😂. 'Voisitko siirrä sun perse tännepäin .hahahahah! Sori!

My weeks or probation went well, months to years, I got comfortable, applied Icu and got it! And I work perfectly well in Finnish! And here I am now, in Saudi Arabia, with all these patients speaking Arabic! I can do the simple phrases! Alhamdullilah! So far so good! Who knows, one day I might work with the Amazon tribe who have no concept of words or time and we shall just be tapping and clicking out our tongues and getting the job done!

... Oh yea.. I did graduate😃