Lucas Camilo

(Burke writing) Earlier this year we wrote about our plans for moving across the country – from Washington DC to the Pacific Northwest. It’s time for an update or our progress and latest thinking.

Back in the spring we made trips to both Seattle and Portland to look at schools for Lucas, inquire about medical services, and begin investigating the opportunities for special needs children.  Our conclusion at that time was that both places were likely well-situated in terms of Lucas’s needs, and that ultimately we could make a good home for him in either city.

Despite the fact that the first three-syllable word that Lucas learned to say was “Oregon” we’ve been leaning towards moving to the great state of Washington.  In August I made a trip to Seattle to start looking into job possibilities, and met with many friends and colleagues in the organizing field.  As Krista continues to learn and explore new possibilities in the health and healing – from yoga and yoga therapy to Chinese medicine and acupuncture – she’s looking forward to the possibility of studying once we get settled in.  Our priority for now, therefore, if for me to find a job with good health care benefits so that Lucas will have everything he needs in Seattle.  Since our current health care insurance will end once we leave Washington DC this is a necessity – we can’t move until we have a job with such benefits.

Dreaming about ducks, hoping there are more in the NW

This sets up a challenging situation where we’re more and more psychologically prepared to move but have to play a waiting game before specific plans can be made.  If I get a job in the next month we could pack up and move by November; if it takes months to get a job then we could be in DC into next year.

A month into the job search the prospects aren’t great.  Though my research and meetings have given me a better understanding of the terrain in terms of non-profit organizations, as well as new connections, thus far it hasn’t led to any specific job offers.  I’ve only applied for one job  (at a labor union local) and didn’t even get an interview.  Granted, my standards are high – I want to work for a group with similar politics and values as my own (which are far to the left), and one that engages people through organizing.  I’m interested in doing work in communications (or development) because it gives me flexibility to be with Lucas and share more care-giving responsibilities with Krista than if I were to work as an organizer or executive director again.  So, if anyone reading this has ideas or connections then pass them on…

At this point we’re both excited and anxious about the move.  The fact that this week is the 20^th anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind album has me waxing nostalgic about growing up in Seattle (not to mention feeling very old), and the hot, humid summer in DC makes us crave the mild climes of the Northwest.   More importantly, we have lots of loving family and friends awaiting us there, and we’re looking forward to starting to build a new community in Seattle.

On the other hand, DC still feels comfortable in many ways, and when it comes to Lucas’s support community, there is much that we’ll be giving up.  Of course, there are the friends – many associated with CISPES and other recent activist pursuits – who have been amazing tias and tios for Lucas in his first two years of life.  But there are also the nurses, therapists, and doctors that we’ve come to appreciate and who have come to love Lucas.  Just the other day we had a great visit with Lucas’s pulmonologist, a hilarious Greek man we call Dr. K who is always thoughtful and illuminating as it relates to Lucas’s respiratory health.  If only we could bring Dr. K, nurse Florence, his therapists Erin, Erica, and Debbie, and a handful of others along with us….

For now we have plenty to keep us busy.  I’m still working part-time for the Center for Community Change making online videos, as well as doing volunteer work for a bunch of great organizations.  Krista has settled in to teaching yoga classes, doing yoga therapy with kids who have disabilities, and taking anatomy classes at UDC.  We could happily stick around for another six months, but we’ve been talking about moving for so long now that it really feels like the time has come.  Alas, we’ll keep you posted on our progress moving forward.