Greetings from Norfolk Virginia!
Getting here was certainly entertaining, but now that I'm here, I'm loving it! Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
On Sunday afternoon Alex and I set off for Chicago to stay with our very understanding friends (I say "understanding" because they are housing and feeding my dear husband for 4 nights while I travel about). On Monday morning Alex drove me to O'Hare airport amidst a good deal of traffic and blocked back roads. The fact that it was 6am didn't seem to make for lighter traffic, but merely served to enrage the good people of the greater Chicago area. Once I was dropped off I thought it would be smooth sailing from there, but in typical "Tamara" fashion I forgot something. (Did I mention that of the two hotels I've stayed at this far during the interview process, I've left behind two items. Basically, I've left something behind at each hotel I've stayed at).
Unfortunately, this wasn't a matter of leaving behind a shirt or a phone charger. No, I left my driver's license at home. If you're not familiar with the TSA (Transportation SecurityAdministration) they can get grumpy about such matters. Luckily, I've been trained for such an event and was prepared with my APA membership card, my library card, my atlatl membership card, and a picture of Dexter and Tula that I carry with me ("mmmm...yeah, nice cats"-Grumpy TSA agent). I also had my social security card and my student id which also helped the process along. So, after getting pulled aside and questioned heavily I was permitted to board the plane.
The flight into Norfolk was absolutely beautiful. I saw what I initially thought was a huge whale in the ocean that turned out to be a surfaced submarine. That, along with various other cruisers and carriers speckled the Atlantic Ocean near the Naval base. This is what Norfolk looks like:
The Veterans Hospital, however, is housed in Hampton, about 20 minutes north of the Naval Station. My hotel...another 20 minutes north of that. And while it was a $60 cab ride, I like to think of it as more of a tour, complete with crazy-haired cabbie tour guide with a real passion for smoking. (This "tour" of the greater Norfolk region is not to be confused with my later tour of the Hampton area by the Music-man singing cabbie). Below you'll see the red star which indicates the Naval Base. The VA is just north of there right on the bay near the Dot that says Hampton.
On Tuesday (today) I had my interview at the Hampton Veteran Affairs Medical Center. The Medical Center sits on 80-acres of water front property and is at a point where the James River, Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean all join together. It's an absolutely beautiful location and I was blown away by both the rotations offered as well as the sincerity and authenticity of the people. They interview people individually, so I was able to sit in among the group of 5 psychologists on the training committee.
A couple of highlights from the day 1) The Neuropsychologist was a hoot, and happens to be Greek. 2) The hospital has robots. For serious. I was getting the tour and a Robot bee-booped past me and I said "Are you really not gonna comment on the fact that a robot just walked by?" It turns out the robots, that sort of look like Daleks, are filled each morning at the Pharmacy and then wander the halls distributing meds to the appropriate departments. They kind of look like this:
The third notable moment of the day-two of the psychologists got my Dr. Who reference!
Following my interview I decided to see what Hampton had to offer. Touring about Norfolk would have been preferable, but it was a little too far south than I cared to pay for. Hampton was quite nice though and I got my first taste of some real southern food.
and stopped in at the Hampton Historical Museum to learn all I ever wanted to know about the great town of Hampton.
Did you know: The Native Americans who lived here were known as the Kecoughtans?
Did you know: Blackbeard and other pirates were common in this area? (That's me with a black beard replica)
Did you know: Crabbing is a HUGE industry here? So much so, it was the local high school's mascot bitd (that's back in the day for you non-hip folks. I like making up acronyms as I go).
Did you know: Eating nothing but cereal for two nights in a row is a real bummer?
Tomorrow my flight leaves at 5:30am EST. I'll shoot to get to the airport at 4 am, which means I need to leave here at 3 am, which means I need to get up at 2:30am (that's 1:30am for you Iowans). It's going to be brutal. But, by 9:37am (CST) I'll be back with Alex in Chicago. As much as I love to travel, it's definitely not the same without him. All through lunch I was texting him the details of what I was eating, and he'd write back "Mmm..Brunswich stew is the best," or "It's actually just country ham, they're calling it Virginia ham to make you feel special."And he of course sent a picture of what he was eating (NY style pizza...mmm..). So, tomorrow I get back to Chicago, interview in Chicago on Thursday, drive down to St. Louis and interview there on Friday. A long road ahead, but Alex will be with me so it will be more fun!
