Well, sort of.
I am going to start off venting and move on to the positives (SUNSHINES). I just quit my job at IMI. I probably shouldn't be writing this, so I will just lightly describe my experience here. It was simply not the right fit for me. I started as an intern, and I was immediately assigned tasks that they expected me to complete without direction. It made me skeptical about their organization because internships are suppose to equip students and recent graduates with skills that make them more marketable in the job market. On the contrary, IMI basically sought after students and recent graduates for free labor. I finally quit because it was not the right fit, it was not the best environment for me to work in. For a transgender individual, and for anyone tricked into working there for free or for low-payments for the amount of work you do (organizing NATO conferences), it is not a recommended job. I wonder why noone sued them yet.
Yes, I loss a full-time time job and a good (I wouldn't even consider it) source of income. But, I feel like I made the best decision in post-grad career! I recently turned down an offer for a corporate analyst position because I didn't want to settle. From my experience at IMI, I discovered my worth and I will only strive for the best offers. Also, I do not see myself working for a for-profit organization, especially when they look down upon the organization of non-profits. So right now, I am still working at YWCA and also looking for new jobs. I am also applying for graduate programs and am considering nursing school. I will be taking the nursing pre-requisites this coming spring. I have more free time now, again. So, I will be writing more often if I find relevant things to talk about.
Now the positives.
I already mentioned a couple of positives above. I made the best decision by not settling for less than what I deserve. I have more time to write now, which I love. If asked about my ideal career, I would want flexible hours, perhaps night-time (yes, I am a night-owl), and the opportunity to help people. That is nursing, but I am still pursuing my dream of becoming a leader in a nonprofit organization advocating for LGBT and Women. I've been think a lot about this lately: I would like to establish a transgender economic and health empowerment organization in San Diego. From my experience, it will definitely be helpful to the growing number of transgender individuals in San Diego. That's on my parking lot of things to do...
Moving on to the positives. I have a boyfriend now, and no it's not Ryan, although he's been texting me lately and I've been slightly ignoring him. I am happy with my current boyfriend, and I do not want Ryan to interfere with my blossoming relationship. I would like to talk more about my boyfriend, but I can't disclose too much information because our relationship should not be written on a public blog. All I can tell you is we've been dating for almost 3 months now, and we dated for 2 months before that. I am happy with him, he makes me happy... he treats me the way a women should be treated and I am blessed.
In terms of health: I finally have a Psychiatrist. I met with her two months ago, and she was very supportive and helpful. She informed me that Kaiser doesn't recognize gender identity disorder in their insurance claim, but there is a group of individuals advocating for Kaiser leadership for it to be reconsidered. She is a representative from Kaiser Southern California, who attends meetings with Kaiser leadership about this effort. We discussed my goals, talked about myself, and overall it was an awesome experience. I didn't feel like she questioned my identity at all, and that's amazing. She is definitely sensitive to the diversity of cultural and gender representation. I will be arranging another meeting with her, and hopefully I will be one step closer to having a signed document stating that I am a woman and I am ready to move on to the next stage of becoming one biologically.
I really want to share with you my experiences at Kaiser Endocrinology. My Endocrinologist is really good to me. He is very knowledgeable and very sensitive to my personal issues. He is very understanding. It is really soothing to have someone know what I am going through, even if they do not have the same experiences as me. It is encouraging and it gives me hope to have someone so supportive, at the same time be analytical of my decisions. As a Kaiser patient, I have to pay $20 per visit and $20 for each prescription. I was taking Estrogen pills ($20), Estrogen patch ($20), and Spirolactone pills ($20) - a total of $60 for 2 months, which doesn't sound as high cost as the current market for these medications. However, I learned from my experiences at Kaiser Oakland that visiting OBGYN Nurse's clinic to get an estrogen shot is free. I encouraged my endocrinologist to order injectable estrogen instead, and I saved $40. However, it is somewhat a hassle to go to the nurse's clinic once a week, gas and waiting at the lobby for the nurse to call. I can tell you, I've had bad experiences because the estrogen shot is pretty rare in clinics, so make sure you ask your doctor to specifically order it for a location where you plan to go. I've missed a couple of shot because they ran out. I had to miss a couple because of this, and it always gets me paranoid because I feel like my boobs deflate and I become more masculine if my hormone intake is not balance (probably a myth).
Also, my endocrinologist had to cut back on my estrogen intake. I am currently on 5 ml, which is way less than what I was getting before. Before I started getting seen by a doctor, I was at 10ml a week. I wasn't getting the results I was getting until now. My breast are perky and are now to a B-cup natural. Even more good news, I emailed my doctor about possibly increasing my intake, and I will be taking 10ml a week from now on and 200ml of spirolactone. I am excited to see the results. I know it is dangerous, but we'll see... its a trial and error kind of thing.
That's all for now. More updates soon. No more dating updates for now. I am taken!
Jas
PS. I will be going to Vegas this weekend... we'll see how difficult it will be to have fun because my boyfriend is not going.
Also, ASK ME QUESTIONS!!!
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