Lone Stranger

You mean like do what we say (don't go abroad) and not as we did (go abroad) "trust us?" Yeah. Right.

Really? On what grounds should the instructor be a foreigner? Neither the professional organizations of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) nor the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) will bear out your advice. If you can go beyond your racist say-so and point out professional basis I would be more than happy to consider it.

LOL! I'd pretend just for the pleasure of hearing someone dish that out well! The skill and eloquence needed for that is a downright rarity even in the motherland!

No, you didn't at all , I know what you mean, and I agree with you entirely .

It may not be intentional. One of the coping mechanisms of cultural transition is adopting the speech of the native culture. Sudden exposure to the home culture/language can be tricky since it requires an adjustment of mindset. When a person like that is caught offguard, the switch may not be so easy so they need a couple of secs to consciously reset. (But I doubt anyone ever forgets the native language. If they say they have I'll bet they're faking it. )

Drop by the IDP Education Australia on the 2nd Floor of the Pioneer House at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Greenbelt One (right across the street from Starbucks and KFC and just above 40 Winks furniture store). Go up to the counter and ask for them. Specify the Academic since that's what you'll be taking. They're pricey though but a lot better than the eye-ruining knockoffs you'll find at the PRC street.

The British accent thingie you're referring to is called the RP (Received Pronunciation) and about the only place it exists and is insisted on in the Philippines is the stage (try Repertory Philippines). The IELTS does not test for accent. It does test for pronunciation. The acquisition of an accent is much more than the pronunciation of a few select words. Accent will include pacing/cadence, intonation, choice of syllabic stress, etc. It also requires substantial familiarity with the accent pattern of a given area (shades of Pygmalion/My Fair Lady), which is why much of English spoken by Filipinos comes out sounding somewhat American but not quite. To make a long story short, don't bother with accent. Work instead on using English as often as you can with the objective of acquiring fluency, improving unconscious control of grammar, gaining a good repertoire of words and having a good command of the same. You'll know you're making progress when you start having your nightmares in English.

Yeah sure, why not? I will withold the name of the hospital, of course, given the politics of this biz. But lately I been doing duty in the DR and been racking up a noble amount of assists, catches, and records. And this I will tell you: it's rough. At no point in my life have I ever gained such an appreciation for the difficulties experienced by women in childbirth. Had me asking myself why the blazes anyone would want to have kids at all. This experience compounded by the general effects of antihypertensives murdered my libido. I am hopeful, however, that I will get used to the DR experience and regain the lost S-drive.

Date of exam? Location? Manner of fraud? Confirmation/Investigator?

I have heard no such rumor anywhere and would like to verify your source. Suzanne, if you don't mind.

please take it with a generous dose of salt, rep. you can imagine the tremendous pressure and anxiety filipinos suffer when they face the prospect of taking an efl proficiency test. it's a hoop we have to jump through and the general impression we imagine around that time is the english spoken in continental u.s. must be flawless. after it's done and we finally land, and hear 'de language as she is spoken' ... it's a relief!

You're there and settled in. But since hindsight's 20-20, what things would you have done or paid more attention to in the Philippines to prepare you better for the U.S. experience?

You sound exhilirated. Could you tell me what opportunities you'd identified and how you'd been pushed to your true potential?

pat, have you ever spent time in the philippines? one of things you may have difficulty adjusting to will be the urban environmental conditions. pollution levels are high, smog thick, very high population density and so on and so forth. this is especially true of the schools in old manila (pwu is one). it's a big jump you're thinking about and it might not be a bad idea to come visit after you've formed an initial first foray plan. oh, and finally, locals often tack on an extra year to get the exams (local board, english proficiency - ielts or toefl ibt, and the nclex - although i think you can skip the first, the second, and focus on the third). 26? you're very young. you have lots of time to study.

"impacted?" say what? oh, and it's spelled philippine (one l, 3 ps).

she could actually be telling the truth. the one close to national book store closed down and didn't bother to stick their new address to the window. i was referring to the new (it looked new...) one farther down the road close to ue(?)

ouch! i was not above wandering out of walgreens at 1 a.m. in a wet and blustery night on the streets of san fran happily digging into a pint of butter pecan... even the sales lady had to smile when i turned down her offer to bag it and asked instead for a spoon. cooking? ah, i'm a mean cook and saved myself a packet by buying bulk, cooking it up, popping it in the fridge, and reheating. that's what i like about the u.s. the appliances are there just waiting for you. oh, oh, oh, not to forget: hot water! hot water straight out of the tap! (will wonders never cease?) plumbing? yep, got that in the bag too. i've had the distinct pleasure of asking for things that not even the shop assistants knew existed. ok, two years and counting...

thank you, fellas! your feedback is helping me (and i'm certain to cascade the info to my second courser classmates) answer the tough questions of life. i know it's a calculated move and that there are no easy answers. the important thing tho was finding out whether there was enough leeway in terms of saving up. this is important in view of the major (major!) lifestyle changes that come with taking up nursing. besides it's getting late in the day for some of us (ok, ok, i'll speak for myself if there' s no show of kindred hands! ) and i'm one of those looking forward to knocking off while there's still time and energy to have fun.

I would think the car is important. I was there Christmas and the distances between everywhere was vast by Philippine standards. Standing at a bus stop on a cold day with only the leafless tree branches, the granite sky, and the crows to keep you company will almost certainly make you want to hop aboard the soonest flight back to good ol' Pinas. One lonely lil bus per hour, and that ends at 7 in the evening. No more joy after that. I been there and I would definitely work in the cost of a car. (Besides, the gut-felt rumble of a V8 is such a turn-on ).

if i always saw it half full, would i qualify as an optimist? kidding aside, thank you for input. it's a bit sketchy tho...

sounded comically ironic, didn't it? but many second coursers from managerial/supervisorial positions seem to take the switch to nursing quite well. i often take the chance of asking them about it. the doctors-turned-nurses usually recount the frustrations (local) and cite risks (overseas) of being a doctor abroad. those from other fields don't speak as much as evidence the enthusiam of learning the nursing ropes. it's a marvel to watch these people! p.s. when i grow up i wanna be a nurse too!

don't mind if i answer that for him: i think it translates to "without borders" so it's anywhere.

that's the problem, doc. you've got to learn to read and not resort to kneejerk reactions that are based on your gut and not on the text. all irrelevant, doc. the topic is not patriotism but where people are headed: into the philippines or out of it. fact remains: you went out. bitoy was considering going back in (to study). you need glasses, doc, because uber never said that. you did. oh, and finally, bitoy asked for advice. uber responded. you shussed uber. who asked you? uber didn't.

i have been to c&e bookstore in recto, manila today (june 24, 2006)and they were selling stacks and stacks of nursing books. vans waited outside to cart more books in. no doubt about it, here in the philippines everyone and their uncle wants to be a nurse. big question for nurses already in the u.s. : are you able to save? is the work worth the pay? forgive me for being so straightforward but is your lot better than what it was back in the philippines?