Yeah that pretty much describes my situation right now. That was what a friend texted me back after i told him that I had been turned down by a second hospital for a job. I guess a quarter of the country is unemployed so I shouldn’t really feel too bad about it. And I have the ability to work in other areas like consulting and also the ability to work intermittently in the US. But still, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. One of my friends at work in AZ who’s always asking me if I have a job yet, summed it all up for me last time I was there: “so basically, you’ve just been on vacation for the whole year…” I said yeah, I guess so. But to be fair, I was in full time ulpan for the first 4 months then in doctor’s ulpan for the next three months, then I worked in AZ right when COVID started for two weeks, came back and was in isolation for two weeks. So that’s eight months, and that all didn’t start until two months after we arrived (we arrived at the very end of June, and toured the country and tried to get established before school and ulpan started in sept.) So that accounts for 10 months total. So there’s only been two months, three by now, that I’ve literally been doing basically nothing. Which, yes, is enough.
I have been working one day a week at an Israeli biotech startup company, and have been negotiating with another company to work another 1-2 days a week there as well. And while my intent was (and still is) to work as a practicing cardiologist here, I guess it’s just been really tough with the economy and the virus. Last week, in fact, the medical association here was talking once again about the doctors going on strike. And although it was never my intent, there are a lot of doctors (and lawyers, and other professionals) here who commute back and forth permanently, working in the US two weeks a month or something like that.
Anyway, I’ve been using the time to write, spend time with the family etc. So as much as I have angst over the situation, it really has been a blessing of sorts, giving me time I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Not many people in the middle of their careers have time like this, and while it was not exactly my intent, I am trying to remain cognizant of the blessings that a I have been given.