Sunday, March 24, 2013

Entering the age of friends and sleepovers

Over the past few months we have been blessed to get to know a few more families who have kids the age of our girls. Awhile back I started doing English Playdate with one of my students children. They have been close aquantainces for over a year but thanks to these classes are even closer now. Then another student who actually works with me in the hospital started bringing her kids to the play date. And our pastor has three little girls who are the same age as my youngest two.

This has been a whole new experience for me as a mommy.

I always loved having a ton of kids around all the time growing up and knew someday I wanted to give my girls the same experience. I have three sisters and one brother and we basically all were allowed to invite a friend or two over on the weekends. You can only imagine our house when we all did, and it did happen. Last weekend we got our first taste of having friends over who had kids and it was a blast. They have three boys, 13, 6, and 2. Seriously the cutest little boys ever and really good kids as well. We put our brand new kiddy pool up on the roof (any of you not from Mexico roofs here are just flat and most of them have barriers or walls so you cant fall off). Us parents grilled, drank a few beers and just hung out while the kids had a blast in the pool. Then this weekend we baby sat for the couple that has three little girls (4yr old, and twins that are 2). They stayed the night and it was so fun to watch them all play. They did great and Issac and I were not as wore out as everyone expected. Actually it didnt seem like that much more work. Thankfully my hubby is an awesome papi and helped me out a lot, I was far from alone with the six kids. And now next weekend my girls are going to stay the night with the other couple who has an 7 yr old girl and a 6 year old boy. Seems to me that we have entered into a new phase of parenting. I mean my girls have stayed whole weeks with grandma, nights with our good friends but they are like an Aunt and Uncle to them, and even once with the same friends where they are going next weekend, but still I feel like this is going to be happening more often. Im actually good with it as long as my husband keeps up the awesomeness that is him. We actually make a great team and I love when that is put to work. Plus this means sending our kids for sleepovers and rest time or date night for us.

Funny thing is I feel like all this is so "normal." Why is that funny you might ask. Well even after five years and feeling that I have reached the "official acceptance phase." of my so called culture shock, I still have my moments. Just last week I drove home crying over the fact that a coworker basically had to slap me in the face to get me to accept something that is just so deep in the culture here that its not changing tomorrow or in the next few years for that matter. (the coworker was being helpful but it was a hard blow for me.) Anyway the point is after going through those random reminders that I'm not where I grew up and that things and people are way different here, its nice to be reminded that some things are still "normal."

Three cheers from good friends, spring, and changes.

How about any of you parents out there, do you agree that this is sort of a new phase in our lives as parents. I think another point to add is that the baby is now potty trained so life is already a lot different and smother. Hope to hear from you, I am really trying to do better on my blogging and now that I gave up a lot of my teaching hours to my hubby I will be able to do just that. So those who were dedicated followers before I hope I didn't lose you and those who are new please stay tuned.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

A fish out of water

So I was recently teaching one of my English students and we are doing a lesson called fish out of water. She read an article to me out loud and then we discussed it. She then asked me about my experience moving to Mexico. It was the first time in a while that I had thought about it. The article talks about phases. I wanted to post the article and say thanks to all you bloggers out there who were there for me during the regression stage. My student asked if I cried a lot during that stage and I said yes, but I also laughed a lot to. I was still happy to be here with my husband and my friends online were an excellent outlet  I especially want to thank Leslie from http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/. You helped me move from the regression to acceptance phase. Thank you for helping me see the light and helping me to see the good in Mexico and remember that everything back home wasn't perfect.  Here is the article its actually quiet interesting, I would love to hear some of your experiences in the different phases. I can say Im a citizen of the world. (yes I know that sounds cheesy but after reading the article you'll get it. lol)


Culture Shock: A Fish Out Of Water by Duncan Mason

Introduction:
1. Kalvero Oberg was one of the first writers to identify five distinct stages of culture shock. He found that all human beings experience the same feelings when they travel to or live in a different country or culture. He found that culture shock is almost like a disease: it has a cause, symptoms, and a cure.
Body:
2. Whenever someone travels overseas they are like "a fish out of water." Like the fish, they have been swimming in their own culture all their lives. A fish doesn't know what water is. Likewise, we often do not think too much about the culture we are raised in. Our culture helps to shape our identity. Many of the cues of interpersonal communication (body language, words, facial expressions, tone of voice, idioms, slang) are different in different cultures. One of the reasons that we feel like a fish out of water when we enter a new culture, is that we do not know all of the cues that are used in the new culture.

3. Psychologists tell us that there are five distinct phases (or stages) of culture shock. It is important to understand that culture shock happens to all people who travel abroad, but some people have much stronger reactions than others.

4. During the first few days of a person's stay in a new country, everything usually goes fairly smoothly. The newcomer is excited about being in a new place where there are new sights and sounds, new smells and tastes. The newcomer may have some problems, but usually accepts them as just part of the newness. They may find themselves staying in hotels or be with a homestay family that is excited to meet the foreign stranger. The newcomer may find that "the red carpet" has been rolled out and they may be taken to restaurants, movies and tours of the sights. The new acquaintances may want to take the newcomer out to many places and "show them off." This first stage of culture shock is called the "honeymoon phase."

5. Unfortunately, this honeymoon phase often comes to an end fairly soon. The newcomer has to deal with transportation problems (buses that don't come on time), shopping problems (can't buy favorite foods) or communication problems (just what does "Chill out, dude." mean?). It may start to seem like people no longer care about your problems. They may help, but they don't seem to understand your concern over what they see as small problems. You might even start to think that the people in the host country don't like foreigners.

6. This may lead to the second stage of culture shock, known as the "rejection phase." The newcomer may begin to feel aggressive and start to complain about the host culture/country. However, it is important to recognize that these feelings are real and can become serious. This phase is a kind of crisis in the 'disease' of culture shock. It is called the "rejection" phase because it is at this point that the newcomer starts to reject the host country, complaining about and noticing only the bad things that bother them. At this stage the newcomer either gets stronger and stays, or gets weaker and goes home (physically, or only mentally).

7. If you don't survive stage two successfully, you may find yourself moving into stage three: the "regression phase." The word "regression" means moving backward, and in this phase of culture shock, you spend much of your time speaking your own language, watching videos from your home country, eating food from home. You may also notice that you are moving around campus or around town with a group of students who speak your own language. You may spend most of this time complaining about the host country/culture.

8. Also in the regression phase, you may only remember the good things about your home country. Your homeland may suddenly seem marvelously wonderful; all the difficulties that you had there are forgotten and you may find yourself wondering why you ever left (hint: you left to learn English!). You may now only remember your home country as a wonderful place in which nothing ever went wrong for you. Of course, this is not true, but an illusion created by your culture shock 'disease.'

9. If you survive the third stage successfully (or miss it completely) you will move into the fourth stage of culture shock called the "recovery phase" or the "at-ease-at-last phase." In this stage you become more comfortable with the language and you also feel more comfortable with the customs of the host country. You can now move around without a feeling of anxiety. You still have problems with some of the social cues and you may still not understand everything people say (especially idioms). However, you are now 90% adjusted to the new culture and you start to realize that no country is that much better than another - it is just different lifestyles and different ways to deal with the problems of life.

10. With this complete adjustment, you accept the food, drinks, habits and customs of the host country, and you may even find yourself preferring some things in the host country to things at home. You have now understood that there are different ways to live your life and that no way is really better than another, just different. Finally you have become comfortable in the new place.

11. It is important to remember that not everyone experiences all the phases of culture shock. It is also important to know that you can experience all of them at different times: you might experience the regression phase before the rejection phase, etc. You might even experience the regression phase on Monday, the at ease phase on Tuesday, the honeymoon phase on Wednesday, and the rejection phase again on Thursday. "What will Friday be like?"

12. Much later, you may find yourself returning to your homeland and - guess what? - you may find yourself entering the fifth phase of culture shock. This is called "reverse culture shock" or "return culture shock" and occurs when you return home. You have been away for a long time, becoming comfortable with the habits and customs of a new lifestyle and you may find that you are no longer completely comfortable in your home country. Many things may have changed while you were away and - surprise! surprise! - it may take a little while to become at ease with the cues and signs and symbols of your home culture.
Conclusion
13. Reverse culture shock can be very difficult. There is a risk of sickness or emotional problems in many of the phases of culture shock. Remember to be kind to yourself all the time that you are overseas, and when you get home, give yourself time to adjust. Be your own best friend. If you do these things you will be a much stronger person. If you do these things, congratulations, you will be a citizen of the world!



Monday, February 4, 2013

Clearing the air about Canada

Since my last couple posts I have gotten a lot of questions regarding my plans for Canada. I think its because it appears I'm making longer term plans for down here. Which I am but without giving up completely on Canada  The thing is this road to Canada isn't going to be a short one nor an easy one. In the mean time I plan to spend my time wisely and "work as unto the Lord". This means help my work to make changes for a long term betterment, get some schooling, invest in my future of my children, get a perminant residency so I don't have to pay immigration every year,  and use my infonavit to buy a house in Mexico,

Last week I received my letter from CARNA that says they accepted my application and I need to go take my test. CARNA is the collage (board) of nursing in Alberta. To be exact here is the email minus personal details.

Dear Amanda                                                                            This e-mail is to advise you on the status of your application for assessment with the College & Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA). Please keep this email for your records, as it is the only notice you will receive. Under Alberta legislation and regulation an internationally educated applicant is assessed for substantially equivalent competence at the level expected of the Alberta graduate and the registered nurse (RN) in Alberta. On review of your file, it could not be determined that you currently possess the knowledge and skills (competencies) expected of an RN in Alberta. As part of the assessment of your application, you must complete a Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment.  Your application cannot proceed until after you have completed the following SEC assessment(s):
 
General Nursing, Maternal/Newborn Health Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Mental Health Nursing

 The SEC assessment takes place in Alberta, Canada, at one of the IEN Assessment Centres of Mount Royal University, located in the city of Edmonton or the city of Calgary. Your English language proficiency has been met at this time. You have two years from the date of this e-mail to complete the SEC assessment(s)CARNA recommends that you contact the Mount Royal University IEN Assessment Centre as soon as possible to book your assessment(s), as dates are booked well in advance.
 An application is considered lapsed if there is no evidence of progress toward meeting application and/or registration requirements for two (2) years. Applicants with lapsed files must apply for re-assessment by submitting a new application and fee for re-assessment and updated documentation.  Application files will be securely destroyed after six (6) years of inactivity, (four (4) years after the date they are considered lapsed).

 This email is exactly what we were expecting and Im glad I have two years to make it up there. Basically there is no way we can afford to go there and I refuse to let my wonderful sister pay my whole way. (Yes she offered the day I got the email). First I need to study and get myself ready, but that is not the only issue. Also I cant let someone pay a ton of money on something which totally rides on how well I do on this test. Just to show you what Im looking at this is how it is explained on their website. 
What is the SEC Assessment?The SEC assessment uses a variety of methods to assess professional nursing knowledge, skills, values, judgment and critical thinking, and the ability to apply these safely, competently, and ethically in the practice setting. The applicant will be assessed in areas such as:

  • medical, surgical and specialty nursing knowledge and skills across the lifespan
  • anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology knowledge
  • pharmacology and medication administration
  • health history and health assessment knowledge and skills
  • basic and advanced clinical skills as well as use of current technology in nursing practice
  • clinical judgment, problem solving, and critical thinking skills and evidence informed practice
  • knowledge of the Canadian health-care system and current nursing practices
  • professional responsibility and accountability
  • therapeutic communication practices; nurse client interactions and relationships
  • cultural competencies
  • ethical decision making skills
  • regulation of the profession
  • CARNA Nursing Practice Standards and CNA Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses

The different assessment methods utilized in the SEC assessment identify whether an applicant currently possesses the competencies that are required to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of the RN in the Canadian health care system, or if competency gaps exist, and to what extent.
Where can you find more information about the Alberta RN competencies?The expected competencies are found in the CARNA document: Entry to Practice Competencies for the Registered Nurses ProfessionWhat is involved in the SEC Assessment?
The email you received from CARNA identified the type (areas) of SEC assessment you are required to complete.
The SEC assessment will take from two (2) to five (5) days to complete, depending on the areas of assessment required. It involves examinations, clinical judgment interviews, and lab and case management situations designed to provide you opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge, skills and ability to meet the entry to practice competencies expected of RNs in Alberta.


Again to put this in perspective we are not talking about coming strait out of school and  taking a boards exam which is on a computer and lasts 3-6 hours. This is 8 years after nursing school, 2 years without working, and 2 years working as a nurse in Mexico (which is way behind on a lot in nursing.). This assessment consist of having a written test, interviews and skill lab tests. I know after studying I will do ok but again I'm not going to let my sister spend a ton of money and risk that. My current plan is to not stress first of all. I have learned a lot about the benefits of not stressing since I moved down here. Next I am going to get in touch with the place to schedule the appointment and find out how far in advance I can make it. I feel like in about a year we may be in a place where we can save up enough if added to the possible donations from my donate for Canada button to send me up there. Also I'm starting to look more in detail about how much this thing will cost. I think I'm looking at around 3000usd. 
Yikes that is a ton of money for us. What I do know is God is amazing and if he wants us to be in Canada the money will come in at the right time and the appointment will be made at the right time. 

My focus this year is to stay focused and on the things that really matter. Which is what my inspiration board is all about. And just as a reminder the first thing on my board says:" Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind an straining toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heaven ward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things and if on some point you think differently, that to God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
The second and third are my family. These things are my focus. 

My pastor said something that struck me as wonderful the other day. He mentioned helping someone push a car. If you have every pushed a car you know it gets easier as the car gets moving and although its almost impossible to push a car around a corner when its stopped its not to hard if you are already moving. He compared this to how it is with God and doing things with our lives. The moment he said it I felt like its how Im going about things right now. Im just running and waiting on god to push me to one side or the other when its time. I don't plan on sitting still, meaning I'm going to start studying and looking to where the money will come from, and in this I hope God will push me in the direction he wishes. On the other hand its also important to say I also know my hope and strength are in God alone. Meaning if we go or if we stay will not determine my happiness. 

I do request prayers for God to give us wisdom,  peace, and understanding. He has been very plentiful in this with me in the past and I know he will continue. Your prayers and thoughts always help. 

Thanks for reading. 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Good bye tienda

I was just cleaning out the drafts on my blog site and came across this little Joy. Made me laugh and also glad Im in a totally different place in life. This was written only a year after I moved to Mexico.

Interesting...

So the owner of my building is aparently off to the states to try and make some money for his family. Aparently he went broke building this place. He had to close his store and we will be paying rent directly to his wife. So they cleaned out the store yesterday. I watched from my window as they halled everything to their van. Yesterday evening when my husband came home he went in to chat with them a bit. He wishes he hadnt. Ok we all know these litle tiendas have to be crawling with roaches. But we buy what we need and move on, its not like we are living there. This particual tienda was one of the cleanest and neatest Iv ever seen. There was no product on the floor everything was up on shelves and the floor was mopped with bleach more than once a day. My husband said when he went in to chat he was so grossed out. The owner was even taking the curtains down and had to shake them out and bugs were falling off of them. My husband shuddered as he was telling me which made me glad I didnt see it. Like I said we all know but who wants to actually see it. So we sprayed our door and window frames

Bienvenido 2013

Quick Spanish up date:
Out of curiosity how many of you read the title Bienbenido Dos Mil t(d)ece   and how many read it Bienvendio two thousand thirteen. I'm finding it more natural to read and think in Spanish. My goal this year is to grow my vocabulary and stop making stupid conjugation mistakes. Often times I try to speak faster than my brain can keep up and I make mistakes, when I logically know better. Not sure if that makes sense to you but that is the case.



FM2 renewal vs Residency
So this year our plan is to get my Permanent Residency here in Mexico. To apply for this instead of an FM2 renewal is basically the same. Every year there is a different basic procedure at the immigration office. This year they no longer let just anyone enter and and get a number (ficha) Now you have to wait in a line which trails down three flights of stairs. Once you reach the desk they tell you if you are missing any documents and which area you will be going to when you reconcile those documents. If you have to return to the same desk that day you do not have to wait in line again. Although waiting in line on stairs for 40 min sucks it actually all moves a lot faster than before. So even though they haven't reached customer service they are at least reaching efficiency. I filled out my form, got pictures taken and wrote my letters at the little office on the corner which does all things necessary for documents. While I did all this with my two oldest girls my husband was waiting in the line on the stairs with the youngest. He came back with a form saying we needed to pay 1,000 pesos. They told us this was going to be the only fee and as you can imagine it was not. We paid the fee at the bank and went back to turn in the papers at the desk. The webpaged showed I needed to show at the window one day before they took their holiday breaks so needless to say I didn't make it until after Jan 6th to go see what the trouble was. This is when they gave me the form to pay 3,850 pesos in order to receive my documents. Sadly enough we believed them the first time they said we would not have to pay more and didn't have enough to pay for it. Now we are waiting to save up the money so we can go pay the fee and turn in the receipt  Ill let you know once that happens to see if I get my card that day or if I have to wait for them to process everything. 


Life
Im loving it, we are making great improvements at the hospital. My English classes are taking off and as always I have a lot of fun doing them. Our schedules are still pretty packed but its in a good way where none of us including the girls are overly stressed but also are not sitting at home boared. To be honest Im loving life. God has provided left and right and any dreams I thought were ruined because we had to move have been exceeded. My girls are growing up bilingual and bicultural. I am becoming bilingual. My husband is at home with my girls so they are getting a strong base of knowing how wonderful they are and getting daily time with Papi. I am working as a nurse and making a difference in a small way. I also still have plenty of time to have fun, play games and excessive with my girls in the evenings. Some evenings papis gone and we have girl nights, those are lots of fun. As always I still miss my family and hate that my girls wont know them better but skype helps us a lot in that aspect and Im hoping one of my little sister is planning on making a yearly trip down to see us. Also my mom should be coming again within the next year. 







Over my birthday I got to explore Lake Chapala for the first time and I can assure it will not be the last.

Inspiration board
So This year instead of writing resolutions I decided to take a good idea from my sister and make an Inspiration board. As I was telling my husband about it he asked if I could put his goals on half of it. I was so excited about that idea that of course I would do it. As we talked we realized we had the same goals for the year. With that in mind I decided we should just make a family board. I used a picture divider that came in a frame, it had six  5x7 spaces. The first space we put a verse that we decided would be or spiritual focus this year it reads, " Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind an straining toward the gal to win the prize for which God has called me heaven ward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things and if on some point you think differently, that to God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Our second goal is to strengthen or relationship as a couple and parents. It has romantic words and sticker and a big number 2. Next comes a picture of the girls with a sticker that says everyday life. We want to remember every day to pay attention to them and talk to them. If you don't have kids this may seem obvious, but those of you who do know that sometimes parents can get caught up in their own lives and forget to slow down enough to sit and really listen to their kids. Especially when hey are still so little, but I truly believe this is very important. Our fourth goal is to become better stewards of the resources and money God give us. We are trying to pray more about our finances. Also we have goals to start savings bonds for each girls for collage this year. Next is that my husband and I both want to further our education in some form.  Last is our Health and dieting. We are both hoping to eat better and exercise  This is a necessity. For example today on our walk to church we tried to race and I didn't run far and was so out of breath it was sad.
The best part about all this was that the Sunday morning I got it done our paster was talking about priorities and I felt like God was letting us know quite clearly that he liked the goals we had made. Its amazing how God speaks to us and so clearly if we only keep our hearts and minds open to him.
We are also doing a "good things Jar" Anytime something good happens this year we are going to save it in this Jar. Every year we talk about our favorite thing from the year before but I feel that we leave a lot out. Also my girls are going to be in on it so if they say its something that needs to be put in the Jar it will go in.
Well I wanted to put a pic of both the board and the Jar but its not letting me send it from my phone. Maybe on the next post

God is good, always has been and always will be.

Its been awhile, there has been some changes

Hey there trustee readers. I apologise for how long its been since I wrote. A lot has happened and for the better. My family has been continuously blessed since the last time I wrote.
I had in the past wrote quite a few posts about how my job in the hospital was not going quite as planned. To be honest there was one or two people constantly trying to block any efforts I made to help make the hospital a better place. In October I became so feed up with it that I decided I must leave the hospital. I looked for other jobs and when nothing was forth coming we made the decision for my husband to go back to work full time and me stay home with the girls and focus on growing my English students. I wasn't supper excited about the prospect but I figured if it was what God had for our lives I would roll with it. What I was sure of is that God did not expect me to live in constant frustration and under the thumb of someone else. The Quality team at our hospital got wind of my plans and the next thing I knew I was in their office being asked some strange questions. I didnt realize until later but my answers were part of a "study" they were doing on me and the coworker who was hasseling me. They used our answers as evidence that I should be moved to the Quality care team and seperated, as far as chain of comand goes, from those people who were blocking me. They offered me the option and I jumped on it. My hours are not changed therefore I am able to keep all the English Classes I had before and my husband was able to keep all his Spanish evening classes he was giving. So instead of making a change that would lower our income a bit we made a change that didnt change our income at all. On top of it all I still have job security, and am happier about what I am doing with in the hospital. I love working as a nurse an it has always been so much a part of me that I feel imensly blessed that God has provided me this oportunity. Also I think I need to add that my husband is a saint for staying home with my girls so I can work. We relaized its just not worth it for both of us to work because the second income goes strait to day care. Pluss its so much better for the girls to be home if its possible. He is amazing and doing an excellent job as a stay at home dad. He does do classes in the evening but my house is (almost) always clean and dinner is (almost) always made at home. At the hospital its only two months later and i have already been able to implement some of the change that I had been trying to do for the past year. 

Currently we are pretty busy but in a good way. We actually have some really good friends who are like family to us. They love my girls and help us with them. This is a huge change for us and we love it, not sure what Im gonna do when they have to leave us in a year or so. My schedual is that I go to work in the office from 7am to 230pm Monday through Friday, during the week I have English classses every evening until about 6 or 7 depending on the day but the classes after 5 are at my house so Im still with my girls. I then do Nursng supervisor work on Sunday evenings which is great because Im still getting to practice the application side of nursing and not just theory. My husband has about four steady spanish students that keeps him buys most evenings but he is always home in time for us to have a couple hours together before bed. I honestly couldnt be happier about the way things are going for us. 
After the accident we had to sell our truck to pay for our debts so we are now with only one car. Really it doesnt affect us to much but as far as going to the church we were going to, it wasnt possible anymore. We recently found a small church (which is the way we like it) within walking distance of the house. So on Sunday mornings I walk with the girls to church. About halfway through my hubby strolls in from his Spanish class and I leave close to the closing to get ready for work. He then walks home with the girls. Its funny how things seem so imposible until you actually have to do them. 
In novemember my sister came down for vacation and I applied for my Perminent Resedency which are both for other posts. Now that I have caught you up I need to go do some reading and get caught up on all of you. 

These are happy and exciting times for our family and I am thankfull for any prayers that have been made for us. My God is always good even when times are hard and in times like these I can reflect on the harder times and see more clearly how he pulled us through. 

Blessings
Amanda

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Whats up Canada

So I had a patient come into the hospital the other day who is Canadian. This is the second time Iv seen him and the last time was about the time I posted my last blog saying we were going to try and start the process. The first thing they said to me was, "Your not in Canada yet." I actually laughed and then said no, we are only the in the first stages of paperwork. Then I came to realize I had been asked a lot lately and only answer. "No there is a lot of paperwork." This week I remembered that I write a blog to help inform people so I decided I might as well explain a little better the step I'm on. So the Collage and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta received my application and responded with a perfectly clear list of the items I lack. Here is the basics of it. The red is what I'm doing about it. 

Please note that the following requirements are outstanding:

·       Verification of nurse registration for RN/LPN license in Missouri and verification from Mexico. Crapola was my initial answer. My work didnt require this and said my US lic was sufficient up until about a month ago. At that point I started the process. Right now Im waiting on my appostilled Diploma from the Secretary of State in MO. I recently recived and informative and helpful email from them also. I hope to be getting it back in the next few weeks. Then I will bring: (Should I translate this???) Let me know if anyone reads it and wants it translated. I can do it no problem just feeling like it may not be necessary.
En caso de ser Extranjeros con Estudios en el Extranjero, los requisitos son:
1.     Copia legible de la cédula personal con efectos de patente de nivel licenciatura por ambos lados.
2.     Copia legible de la CURP.
3.     Tres fotografías recientes tamaño infantil en blanco y negro con fondo blanco, en papel mate con retoque.
4.     Original y copia legible del comprobante de pago de Derechos Federales, con la cuota vigente al momento de presentar la solicitud. El pago puede realizarse en cualquier institución bancaria a través de la Hoja de Ayuda
5.     Copia certificada ante Notario Público del documento migratorio, que compruebe su legal estancia en el país para el caso de extranjeros.
6.     Original y copia legible de la resolución de revalidación de estudios de la especialidad otorgada por la SEP.
7.     Original y copia legible del Diploma de Especialidad, debidamente legalizado por el Servicio Consular Mexicano o apostillado en el país que lo expidió. En caso de que el diploma no esté en español, deberá presentarse con su traducción por el perito autorizado por el Tribunal Superior de Justicia.
8.     Para poder realizar este trámite es necesario realizar        cita, de lo contrario no se le podrá atender en ventanilla.

·       Nursing education transcripts from your school of nursing for your practical nursing program and general nursing program. Well I mailed the request off when I mailed the original application. Im wondering if I mailed it also for my practical program now but I know I sent it to the RN one. I guess if I the LPN one doesnt show up when the other does Ill mail it off. Or maybe I should just request another one just in case. Not sure on that one yet. 

We require the total nursing practice hours you worked as an RN, to be documented on the documentation of nursing experience form.  On the application form you included the hours worked as an LPN in the total number of nursing practice hours.  Please complete the attached form showing the hours as an RN and return to CARNA.
The hospital I worked at outsourced this type of information and was a major pain to get. But that form was filled out and mailed to Canada yesterday. 
On receipt of all documentation, your file will be brought forward for assessment. Please note that during the assessment of your application, you may be required to provide additional information or documentation.Whoo hooo how could I ever forget it. ;)