To USA and back again

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The first half of October has flown by. I left Dhaka on October 4 for a quick trip to Minnesota. All the new Regional Medical Officers and Health Practitioners for Department of State are offered the Comprehensive Advanced Life Support Course (CALS) within the first or second year on the job. As luck would have it, the course was developed in Minnesota so off I went to home territory. I was able to arrange for free weekends on both ends of the course to squeeze in a quick, but wonderful, chance to be with my family.

CALS is a compilation of curricula including elements of Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Adult Trauma Life Support, Pediatric and Neonatal Life Support and includes elements of Obstetric emergency management as well. The course is a very intense, team-based approach to dealing with stabilization of very ill or injured patients in relatively remote settings. It was designed for doctors, nurses and ambulance personnel in rural settings, and the course content and style lends itself very well to the more remote locations that we all work in – where high-tech back-up and emergency care is NOT a phone call and ten minute ambulance ride away. The course included a full day in the animal lab where life-saving airway management, central intravenous access and cardiac resuscitation skills could be performed on anesthetized sheep. All the content and skills are very important and have been used by State Department Practitioners to save lives in a number of remote world-wide locations. I appreciated the chance to take the course, and the bonus opportunity to meet many of my colleagues from around the world. Sharing stories, triumphs and challenges with others makes the experience I am having in Dhaka, Bangladesh all the more valued.

Aside from the excellent professional week I spent in Minnesota, I can say that being “home” for the week was a special treat. Minnesota shows off its finest weather and colors in early October and Minneapolis became a beautiful kaleidoscope that evolved before our eyes the week I was there. I stayed at the townhouse that Laura and I have purchased as a home base in Minneapolis. Oldest son, Paul, is currently renting that from us. It lies along one of the beautiful parkways that meander through parts of Minneapolis and it will be a very nice place to headquarter over the coming years when we get back to Minnesota. Laura spent both weekends with me and it was great to be together. Dealing with some house issues back in Willmar remains a challenge in the current economic times, but Laura is doing a great job with that. She is very busy wrapping up her Master’s degree, finishing some research work, and working at Ridgewater College in Willmar. We both really look forward to being back together again in January in Dhaka.

We spent time with all three of our adult children. Paul and fiancée Carly are busy with wedding planning for next summer, and Carly all the more busy with the start of medical school in September. She is studying at U of Minnesota – Duluth and we are very proud of her. Paul laments that the stage is now set for another generation of dinner-table medical talk! Paul remains happy and busy with the transportation engineering firm he has worked with for several years in Minneapolis but will be able to begin some telecommuting and spend 1-2 days per week in Duluth with Carly. Mark continues his work in technical support with Epic Systems in Madison, WI. Epic is the nation’s largest electronic medical records and business management firm. Sounds like Mark has enjoyed playing some great golf this summer and will henceforth leave me in the dust when we play together. Mary continues at St. Olaf College in Minnesota where she is thriving. She happened to have a concert with the band while I was in Minnesota that we enjoyed. She is looking forward to joining us in Bangladesh for the next several summers.

I spent a quick day in Willmar that included a short-but-very-sweet reunion at Family Practice Medical Center. I am so proud of the great work that is done there in caring for patients and families and in negotiating the always-challenging environment of private practice. An evening dinner with dear friends from Calvary Lutheran Church was a great chance to catch up on local events and friends and to share stories of the adventures I am having in Dhaka. The time in Willmar was way too short, but we look forward to return trips from time to time. Willmar has been a wonderful home for the past 24 years and will always be full of happy memories.

So after a whirlwind trip, it was time to get back to Dhaka. The combination of flights spans 22 hours, with a 6 hour sleep stop in Bangkok and several transfers filling out the schedule for a 34-hour trip. I am now past the jet lag, have gotten caught up at work and spent a very pleasant weekend with the moderating weather. It was remarkable to drive back from the airport here and see that things here look familiar. Familiar, friendly faces at the house, at the Embassy and around the community all made the return to Dhaka feel good. So, now it’s back to work!