Yes, I continue to use the British diphthong; it's perfectly literate, and acceptable, and, I like it.

I was partway through my training in Great Britain when I found that, as a registered nurse, I could go on to become an anaesthetist in the USA. This fitted my plan to learn, save money and become a physician. So, here I came.

First, since my school secretary was unfamiliar with USA mores, my six years of studying World History were deemed inadequate to meet the one year of US history requirement. This was to achieve RN reciprocity in Ohio. I got a job in the OR at Cincinnati Childrens’Hospital and went to the Walnut Hills High School at night to study US history. It was quite fascinating and I gained unexpected insights into the school system.

The instructor was also the football coach and his efforts to drag three team members through the course were ludicrous. They were the architypical dumb jocks, nor did they exert any efforts, but, they did pass and then graduated. I was horrified. Of course, I later learned what a very fine educational system we have; especially since the high schools have to work with all comers.

After passing the Ohio State Boards I went on to anaesthesia school at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre PA.. I was so lucky as it was more like a genuine praeceptorship than a school. There were four in our class and we had an outstanding education; so that when we took the national boards in anaesthesia, we did very well.

After graduation, I moved back to Cincinnati and Ted and I were married. We moved to Texas and I worked at Methodist then moved to Pasadena. After the divorce, I moved again .. first to Deer Park and then to Porter, where we still live. Me and the dogs, that is.

How fortunate I was. To find a job that I greatly enjoyed and to practice it for most of my life. Few are so blessed

Anaesthesia administration is very stressful; it needs to be, with people's lives in your hands. There is no other field that I would have entered except to practice it as a physician.