Welcome to the Leper Colony
So - you went to Africa with all the best intentions.
Was it your first trip? For me, the first trip to practice nursing in a Low Income Country was/is still the most memorable, and even though I have made five subsequent trips, I rely on things I learned when I came back form the first one.
And when you returned, you were surprised to learn that nobody understood. Surprised in fact, to learn that some people now think you're a modern-day leper. And, not only do they not value what you did, but you have become fair game for political grandstanding by shameless politicians who are being whipped by Fox News.
ugh.
None of this is helpful. And so, I have some advice for you. But first, you need to step over the orange squiggle on the floor..... the one set out by the US Customs service at immigration in EWR.
First, acknowledge that what you did was heroic. It really was. You stepped out of your comfort zone. I read that you worked for the CDC in Nevada. For me, I have always appreciated the behind-the-scenes workers in the national Public Health infrastructure. And you augmented the meticulous deskwork of finding contacts and recordkeeping that goes with epidemiology, by getting out into the field to provide bedside care to those who were actually experiencing the illness, gaining experience that the rest of us will now use if we ever need to confront this illness. Hip Hip Hooray!
Re-Entry Shock
Next, a story. My first book about Nepal was published a couple of years before the Haiti earthquake, but when that catastrophe occurred, I got a small surge of interest. Why? because my book dealt, in part, with how I felt upon returning to the USA. A nurse who went to Haiti put it this way: "I did all these things when I went there, I know I saved lives. Why do I feel so terrible about it?"
The answer is, "re-entry shock." we are told to expect culture shock when we go to a place like Sierra Leone, and the whole idea is exciting and stimulating. But when we come back to the good ol' USA, nothing seems the same. The day-to-day procedures for grocery shopping, getting chores done, going from place to place - we now question the ostentatious materialism of the USA and no longer take things, not even the simple things, for granted. This is what is known as re-entry shock. So - my next bit of advice is to read up on re-entry shock. My favorite piece is an interactive online workshop from The University of the Pacific in Stockton California
It was written to help students re-adjust after spending junior year abroad, but it's just as applicable for anybody who gets beyond the tourist bubble. That means you, Kaci.
West Africa and Haiti
Haiti was the first modern-day catastrophe to take place only a two hour plane ride from Miami, and the USA disaster relief authorities seemed to have a policy of shuttling medical relief personnel in and out after about two weeks. This same strategy is not possible for West Africa. The threat is different, and the required skill set for cultural adjustment is different, even when the medical skills are ones that you have used for years.
Be Prepared - the Motto of the Boy Scouts
If you look at the actions of the US federal government and NGOs in every disaster since the attacks of nine-eleven in New York, the cumulative effect has been to build up the cadre of nurses and doctors with experience in disaster relief. This is a good idea, since after all, we are waiting for an earthquake in California, a Hurricane in the Gulf, or a volcano in the Pacific Northwest. In that respect, what you were doing in West Africa was calculated to pay off way down the road if and when the USA gets the next threat to global health. Kaci - you gained a lot of street smarts in West Africa - and I am appalled that Governor Christie is not able to see that. Was Sandy so long ago that Christie can't remember the need for relief workers?
Media relations
Kaci, you did great at media relations. You stuck to the facts and stayed on message. You were a model for nurses everywhere, in the same way that Nina Pham was when she had her post-hospitalization news conference. I appreciate the degree of restraint that this took, because it was a sharp contrast from the uninformed fear-mongering speculation of Fox News and other so-called journalists. If I was prevented from taking a shower for three days, or forced to use a porta-potty even though there was plumbing less than a hundred feet away, I would have been angry, and probably said things I regretted later. Bravo for your composure. And like Nina, you deserve to have time to resume a normal life without being hounded by the media.
Writing a book
By all means, write the story of your experiences. It's sometimes the only way to process things. For me, I could not come to grips with things until I wrote a series of emails. I hate to tell you, but the American public does not really want to hear too many of the details. They are not ready. The average non-nursing reader is not able to deal with a medical story unless they know it will have a happy ending. They want Three Cups of Tea, or Half The Sky - and too many graphic details do not go down well. it takes a long time to learn to convey things in a way that the general reader can digest. I've written my second book, and I'm still not sure I am at that point. Nurses need to be able to tell their story.
Going to "The County"
And about Fort Kent, Maine. I love that little town. It’s just across the Saint John river from Canada. Like the rest of Aroostook County, Maine, Fort Kent has a fine sense of community. I read in the Bangor Daily News that your closest neighbor will be about a half-mile away. I can’t think of a better place to unwind after time in West Africa.