January 2023 - The Zinn Diaries

As we hope you know by now, Skyler is a travel ICU nurse and usually works out of state. That’s me! Colton used to work full-time at a local hospital as a telemetry tech interpreting cardiac rhythms in their cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). When an opportunity to travel in Florida came up in late 2021, I convinced Colton to quit his full-time job and go with me to soak up the Florida sunshine. After returning to our home base in Illinois in May 2022, we realized that it wasn’t beneficial for Colton to return to work. Believe it or not, it’s perfect for us! Here are the nitty-gritty details of how it works, what he does, and why I love it!

1. Colton handles the day-to-day chores around the house.

I haven’t taken out the garbage in almost a YEAR! Colton does the routine cleaning, including the kitchen, living room, dining room, and our bedroom. I deep-clean the bathrooms, mop floors, and change decorations for each season! Aka, I get to do the fun stuff!

2. He does all of the grocery shopping and the majority of the cooking.

Turns out, Colton is a FANTASTIC cook. Ever had a cheese toastie with paprika butter? Or a grilled cheese if you live outside of central Illinois? Colton can give you the recipe; you’re welcome!

3. Someone is always home to take care of our animals.

While we don’t have any dogs who need to go out regularly, we do have two cats who tend to fight and want endless attention. My mother-in-law adores coming to check on her grandcats, but it’s so much easier that Colton is always home with them!

Colton doesn't work but he loves our pets!

4. Don’t want to do an annoying task or errand? No problem.

I’ll be honest that I REALLY hate talking to insurance agents. And calling the plumber to fix things. And dropping off packages at the post office. And quarterly meetings with our financial advisor. And taking down the Christmas tree. Essentially, if it’s an errand or task that I dread, Colton cheerfully takes over!

I swore up and down this week that I was going to call our insurance agent this week to improve our dental coverage. He said he was happy to do it, but I was determined to take something off his plate and I’m very comfortable on the phone, so why not? Flash forward one week when the agent is scheduled to call me, and I’m throwing a hissy fit that I don’t want to talk to “these darn people again!”

Can you guess where this is going?

Colton took over, and I have zero guilt. We split responsibilities very evenly, and he has my back every time.

Colton likes to work on projects around the house

5. We never have to ask for vacation time!

Okay, this might be the best perk! I love scheduling monthly trips (yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds), and he usually comes along when it’s a destination that interests him. Since he isn’t obligated to pick up shifts at his as-needed job, his schedule is open for me to plan international trips as I please! I renew or begin another travel contract every three months, so I simply have to put my vacation time in my new contract, and off we go! Flexibility is a high priority in our lives, so Colton’s open schedule has been super convenient.

colton doesn't work, he goes on vacation

Hold on: if Colton does all of that, what do YOU do?

Do you think I’m slacking yet? I assure you that is not the case! I work at least 36 hours weekly (3×12 hr night shifts), but I usually pick up extra shifts to hit 60 hours each week. While working, I live in an apartment in St. Louis where I manage my own cleaning, grocery shopping, errands, etc.

The time of year and other life commitments determine who commutes that week. Most frequently, I drive the 3 hours back home to spend my off days with Colton, family, and friends. We enjoy working on house projects and inviting people over when we are both there! Colton comes down to see me if it’s more convenient for our schedule that week. His hard work and cheerful spirit have been a blessing to me as I explore travel nursing, and I couldn’t do this without him!

Travel nursing looks different for each family. Colton doesn’t work, but our setup wouldn’t work for everyone! If you have more logistical questions, feel free to leave a comment below or message us on social media!

starting Florida nursing contract — Skyler starting her travel nursing contract in Kissimmee, Florida, in January 2022

I grew up in an English-speaking American household where learning Spanish and other languages was encouraged, but I didn’t know a single person who actually spoke Spanish! When I became an adult, I realized that my region was not particularly international and that many people spoke multiple languages. My mom taught me how to ask where the bathroom was, “Donde está el baño?” That’s as far as I got with Spanish!

Fast forward to January 2022.

As an experienced travel nurse, I decided to try my hand at finding a contract in Florida for the winter. Sunshine, beaches, and the absence of frigid cold called my name! I got lucky and found a contract near my parents’ house in Kissimmee, Florida, outside of Orlando.

I didn’t know (yet) that Kissimmee is nicknamed “Little Puerto Rico” because of a huge surge of Puerto Rican migrants the area has received since 2015. I haven’t been able to find an accurate number for 2023, but there are over 300,000 Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin living in Central Florida.

So yeah, I was outnumbered!

It only took a week to realize that I couldn’t communicate with most of my patients and had no clue what my coworkers were discussing at the nurses’ station in rapid Spanish. It was time to take some steps to help myself!

I became seriously interested in learning Spanish, which was sink-or-swim in that ICU! Can you imagine me popping my head out of rooms, calling down the hallway to my coworkers, “How do you say ‘toothbrush’ in Spanish?!” I was motivated to learn out of necessity; I had to communicate somehow! My Latino coworkers were incredibly kind to me and patiently interpreted for me on a daily basis.

Skyler learning Spanish — Skyler studying Spanish, January 2023

I spent six months in that hospital figuring out how the basics of Spanish grammar worked, how to introduce myself, and how to say important nursing phrases like, “Don’t touch that” and “I’ll be right back!”

Unfortunately, I had to move on to another contract.

Once I left Florida for a Midwest contract, I stopped using my Spanish skills on a daily basis and fell into a boring routine of studying the same words I already knew. I didn’t get my stride back until three months later, during the summer of 2022. I decided to dive headfirst into self-immersion, and I haven’t looked back!

I would love to take another contract in a Spanish-speaking region such as Arizona/New Mexico/Texas/California/etc. Right now, I’m finishing a contract in St. Louis, Missouri, and then hopefully spending the summer in Spain to continue learning Spanish!

If you have suggestions on contract locations for my Spanish practice, I’d love to hear them! If Spanish isn’t your thing but you still love to learn, check out my article, “Why Nurses Should Never Stop Learning – My Favorite ICU Resources”

Resources I Am Currently Using to Learn Spanish

Lingoda – I’m halfway through the Lingoda Sprint challenge as of this post date! Live Zoom classes five days per week.
Duolingo – Daily Spanish exercises and vocabulary drills
Pimsleur – 30 minute audio lessons for when I’m driving or need to be learning Spanish hands-free
Watching Spanish TV shows on Netflix with English subtitles – Highly recommend “Cable Girls/Las Chicas del Cable”!
Reading children’s books in Spanish – Currently working through Cuantos de la Selva by Horacio Quiroga

Skyler trying Lingoda for the first time

My Husband Doesn’t Work Full-Time (and I love it)