WISH YOU WERE HERE? When I started the assignment, I didn't know what to expect. I learned a thing or two.

As a travel nurse, I'm convinced I have the best job imaginable. I can work anywhere in the country, as long as I have the right state licenses, and if I'm lucky I'll learn something at each stop. Just before the holidays, I finished a 6-month assignment in Bakersfield, Calif. I'd been to the state for fun and conferences, but I'd never considered working there until my agency presented a hospital opportunity. My California stay was no vacation, but I took a lot away from the experience.

• The sun sets in the west. Everybody knows what sunny California's like, right? Surf's up, Beach Blanket Bingo, Hollywood, movie stars and swimming pools. I worked the 3-to-11 shift, like some kind of vampire. If you've never experienced the adventure of the evening shift, you may think it sounds like a third-world hospital (as opposed to 11-to-7, which is truly another planet). The 3-to-11 staff can run a couple of rooms, and they're not just doing one particular job. They're multi-taskers who do more with less even more than the day staff. They don't know what "short-staffed" means. They act like it's normal.
• Old dog, new tricks. I found I actually prefer 3-to-11. I don't much care for early mornings. I like working with fewer people and using a wide range of skills. And I just enjoyed the crowd I worked with.

These young men and women (they were all younger than I) were the most fun and yet most professional people I've worked with in a long time. Not once did I hear them say something wasn't their job, or complain about working past breaks or the end of their shift. If yours was the last room going, they often dropped by to help you finish up. No one played the blame game when a case wasn't properly prepared.

That kind of teamwork makes you even more willing to support the team, and I felt richer for the experience. I hope that management realizes the value of these evening stars.

• Black sheep of the family. When I set out for California back in June, I didn't know what to expect. What kind of weather would the next few months bring? Did I pack the right clothes? How do they treat rent-a-nurses there? Generally I can tell within a week of arrival if I'm going to like an assignment at a new place. It's only a temporary contract, 13 weeks at a time, but there's a lot to be said for a good relationship with co-workers, wherever you are.

As it turns out, they treated me like family. Like a long-lost relative, at least, an eccentric aunt from a distant branch with a southern accent who peppered her speech with colorful sayings. You can't fool everyone, though, and children are especially sharp at seeing through to the truth.

On my last night at the hospital, I brought a patient to recovery and went to the nurses' desk to give my report. There was a little girl sitting there, next to the surgeon I'd just worked with. I think she was a co-worker's daughter. Before I collected my things and headed back to the OR, I said, "My, aren't you a cute little girl!"

She looked back at me for a moment. Then she said, "You're scary."

What could I say? I looked back at her and replied, "Yes, darling, I am. And don't you ever forget it." I thought the surgeon was going to fall out of his chair laughing.