Shanjean and Kelli's Thanksgiving Extravaganza!

I really have so much to be thankful for this year... in keeping with the theme, I would say as far as my Aussie life goes, I am oh so thankful to have found an American "mate" here, Shanjean, a Duke University Medical Student doing research here in Melbourne. Together, we have weathered the storms of awkward living arrangements, the Melbourne housing crisis, homelessness, and health care worker related culture shock. 

Even though we are quite content not in America right now, we knew we needed to properly bring a Thanksgiving holiday to Australia. After all, with English ancestry in all of us, we so have the common factor of being happy to be in our respective countries.

I now realize fully what goes into planning a Thanksgiving meal, and I am happy to report, we TRIED to go all out, but with lack of certain resources, it made for a slightly modified, better-than-the-average, Aussie style Turkey celebration!

What we wanted: 

Turkey, cooked, dressed, trimmed, and whatever else you do to the turkey made and baked by us. In two hours since it was NOT an Australian holiday and both of us had to work...

Gravy, also made from the turkey, homemade. 

Mashed Potatoes, freshly picked, mashed, and buttered to perfection. 

Sweet potatoes, only the recipe from Jean Snyders. And my favorite part of the meal...

Green Bean Casserole, keeping with the theme, homemade, with freshly picked green beans and onion...

Cranberry sauce, not from a can.

Pumpkin pie, yes- homemade crust, with homemade pumpkin as well...

Apple pie, same thing, only with freshly picked Australian Granny Smith Apples

Football: Would stream game online to have in the background and to nap to post-turkey

What actually happened:

Turkey, ordered from Rosie, the sweet African lady at the Victorian Market. A perfectly smoked, marinated to perfection turkey breast (turkey on a diet, not nearly as fat as our American turkeys!)..

Sweet potatoes: Yes, using Jean's recipe- never as good as mom's, but still, you get the picture...

Stuffing: homemade WITHOUT measuring cups, or taking into account the metric system... I think it worked....

Cranberry Spread: no, worse than cranberry from a can... but you get the idea. Had some dried cranberries on hand for those missing out on the flavor. 

Apple Pie bought from Woolworth's grocery store, heated up in pans to look like we made them... totally worked. 

Guest Appearance! My pet mice... they were also hungry, and since they can't show their face, decided scurry around the house like little rascals and make pests of themselves... oh those little shits.......

And it was all perfect! And I appreciate all our friends who came to the occasion and pretended they were celebrating Thanksgiving too! 

Also, would like to throw out a special tribute, to a special man- My Grandpa Jim, who turned 80 this week! Now for those of you who don't know his story, know that this man has given the world a great lesson on the resilience of the human spirit. He's a tough man, but a softie at heart. I am so thankful for his story, and for what his life has taught me about the true meaning of living. So thank you!

Medical Terminology/Slang

Australia vs. American Medical Terminology/Slang

Posturals vs. Orthostatics

Cannula vs. PIV(peripheral IV)

TOE vs. TEE (for Trans-esophageal Echocardiogram, who spells Esophagus, Oesophagus?!)

Gastro vs. Diarrhea

Panadol vs. Tylenol

Wee vs. pee

Mate vs. Sir

Bowel action vs. Bowel Movement

Registrar vs. Attending

Nasal prongs vs. Nasal Cannula

(Sorry for all the fecal references, part of my job!) 

Important Life Lessons 101

I am a firm believer that life experience will provide one with more lessons than any classroom can teach... so here is a list of things I have learned along the way- some good, and some- maybe not so good.

Housing Crisis: 

   Learned quickly that a flat/apartment complete with my own bathroom, bedroom set, and fantastic Australian flatmates doesn't appear magically. Therefore, many hours will be spent on gumtreee.com upon arrival into new city. 

Awkward Moments: see above. 

   Going into various stranger's homes, looking around.... but small chat does get less awkward after the 200th house....

Problem Solving:

   Dropping toothbrush, toothpaste, all contact lenses just bought from states, inhaler, retainer into hostel toilet isn't a total loss. Perhaps will meet a dashing Australian optometrist....?

Socialism:

   There are no more tears in the pyxis room at work. Everyone helps out. And no, that crazy lady in the hallway fingerpainting with her poo isn't just YOUR responsibility. 

Nutrition:

   It's not ok when you are homeless to eat lolli's for meals. Will result in nutritional deficiencies, leg cramps, and exhaustion.

Homelessness:

   Even Lonely Planet messes up sometimes with recommendations. Because the hostel they say "everyone stays here for weeks because it's so homey" may not be that hospitable. A park bench may be safer than some beds. And syphilis can be just as airborne as swine flu.... 

Patient Population:

   Neurological patients are the same universally. Inappropriate. Getting yelled at in English is one thing, or Spanish. But Italian and Greek may be different. Especially when other patient's can translate. "Um nurse, that patient just told her to go get stuffed..."

Accents:

   "What part of Canada are you from?" 

   "The Southern part. South Dakota. you know, the United States?"

Skin Care:

   A hole in the ozone layer does result in much higher levels of UV exposure. Never leave home without sunscreen.

New Life Motto:

   Work to live, don't live to work. 

Public Transportation:

   ... Is a game... and inefficient. Walking is much more time friendly.

Aging:

   As a result of walking everywhere: Swollen feet, sore muscles!  Must get TED hose... 

To be continued....

New Levels of Bravery... or Pathetic?

So moving to a new city of 3.3 million is a little more of a daunting task than my South Dakota mind had grasped upon leaving the midwest. I mean, you have to find friends, accommodation, a "usual" coffee place, a place to cut your hair, etc. It's not as if you land in a new country, go home to a furnished, organized flat in the most beautiful part of town, close to your work, because you don't have a car....

Haha, so goes my life in Melbourne... I wish I could report I had a home, a usual coffee place, and a great hairdresser. Haha what I have found is this city is pretty damn amazing- anything goes- people don't judge here (except for the homeless woman who asked for money while I was on my run, and when I say no, she told me I needed to wash because I was smelly...). 

Week 1 in Melbourne consisted of flat hunting... yeah that's about all it entailed. It came to the weekend, and my two friends in the city were working, so I decided I would try something new.... go to the bars alone.

I have nothing against people who go to bars, movies, restaurants alone. However when I do see them sometimes I ask them join me, because sometimes even bad company is better than no company. Luckily I felt comfortable enough in Melbourne to experiment...  if it was a disaster, then I would just never show my face again...

New travel tradition: Christen the town by going to the Irish Bar. There are plenty of Irish Bars in Melbourne, so off to the finest Irish Bar in Fitzroy, a funky suburb of Melbourne. I immediately spotted a Bulmer's - a sure sign- ordered it, and quickly scanned the place for the perfect place to plant my feet... "no spots at the bars... no open tables... I will have to join someone else's... ok... this is awkward... just walk over.... ok I'm here, talk to me!" I realized I was the only one in the bar not nearing retirement, and the men at the table by me looked at me strangely. So I did the only awkward thing I knew how to do, and pulled out my travel journal. I acted really busy ( I wasn't) and chugged the Bulmer's and sped my way out of there. 

As soon as my feet in the outside pavement, I started laughing at myself... "that was soooo awkward." But I was determined....

Next place: Wine bar down the street. Got good vibes walking by. Lots of people inside. Spots at the bar. Perfect!

I quickly ordered a wine- A New Zealand wine for luck- sat a table by the bar, scanning the crowd. There were couches and people working on laptops, so I figured the journal was more appropriate now. 

By the end of the first glass of wine, the bar was filled with couples. Yes, it was date night (Friday!) and I was the creepy girl in the corner. What the hell though, I will just have another glass of wine... 

By the end of the second glass, no one was looking approachable, unless I wanted to get advice on dating in Melbourne. Apparently I was not approachable either... time to move on! 

Last bar of the night. It had a lot of people, and I could just blend in... or stick out like a sore thumb. I walked in, marched right up to the bar and ordered my Bulmer's.... and waited, and waited.... scanning the crowd.. .maybe I'll just have to go talk to them. 

Finally someone looked approachable. A nice engineering student from RMIT. I wish I could say there were fireworks, or butterflies... instead it consisted of some nice conversation about record players, engineering, and really bad music. 

Lesson of the night: Be careful who you meet when you are desperate for company.

And the adventures of the South Pacific continue everyday! It's a beautiful life.... 

The End of an Era...

well kids, another day has dawned, another era has ended in the traveling world of Kelli and Kelli.

Haha, before we get too sappy here, let's remember the fun we had, and all that lies ahead....

My New Zealand chapter ended on Thursday, not regretfully, but with some tears, some consideration that "what if I just got a job here and lived here." Now we all know that would be a terrible idea, being that the ultimate goal, the big GEM was always Australia, and I have to go....

SO HERE I AM!!!! Not to assume that I don't want to be here. It just took getting on the plane to realize it is where I am meant to be. I am grateful for every single second I had in New Zealand, woudln't have done ONE thing differently- even the fines listed below.

So the chapters close, for now, but are never done, because as we all know, people may be in your life at one point, and just when you think you will never see them again, they appear.

Now begins the true test of my love of the South Pacific! We all know I can holiday out here and adore every moment- but can I live, work, and be a PRODUCTIVE member of society?

I think the answer is yes!

I will let you know how that goes on Monday... or perhaps my new co-workers will....

I fought the law....

And the law won....

Getting in trouble in the country is a rather unique experience. There's no anger, no begrudging- just a "hey, here are the rules, you broke them, pay our infringement fine, and then please go on your merry way. And hey, enjoy your holiday!"

List of unnecessary fines incurred while in the country:

Border control infringement fine of $200. Offense: Failure to remove or finish consuming half eaten chicken CROISSANT from LAX. 

Waiheke Scooter fine $105, loss of mirror and light indicator. 

NZ Tourism Toll Fine of $26. Failure to stop and pay toll fee. Wait, we didn't know we HAD to stop and pay the toll fee at the non-existent toll booth. They really had cameras? 

Speeding ticket: Pushing 79 in a 50 km/hr zone. Just trying to get to Queenstown. Despite the speeding, it still took us 14 hours to get somewhere when it takes the locals 8.5....

Rental Car fine: unknown. Returning our shitty Toyota Corolla named Candy not full of gas. We were pressed for time, almost missed a bus... 

Parking ticket fine: $40....Wellington, NZ... offense: not being able to read.... 

All important, and expensive lessons in the journey of travel and life. Thank goodness for the oh so strong American dollar, as these fines end up not hurting the bank account too much :/ I think New Zealand is trying to tell us to leave, but I think I am in love anyway :)

WWOOF-ing

Despite being born in an agriculture and farming state, I know my level of knowledge in both those fields is rather pathetic. Imagine the shock my mother had when I said I was working on an organic farm for the week in New Zealand....

Bob and Jennie Crum own an organic blueberry farm just outside of Renwick, NZ in the South Island. Kelli and I looked into WWOOF-ing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) for A) the experience B) to learn more about organic farming and C) to be in New Zealand longer....

Throughout the week, we have:

- Shelled walnuts for 4 hours, making them more marketable at the local farmer's market

- Moved "biosea" - a natural ingredient used to enrich soil fertility so the use of chemicals is not needed

- Shoveled sawdust onto blueberry plants- blueberry plants will prosper in acidic soil

- Raked up grass, also placed back onto the blueberry plants- nothing goes to waste

- Weeded out the blueberry plants- no competition for these guys!

Other experiences:

- Cooking, a foreign concept to me, the Crums provided us with a nice "blueberry cottage" with all the ingredients to make any meal, my first creation: Lentil burgers (I forgot an ingredient, but they were edible anyway..)

- Baking: We wanted to show our hosts what we learned, so we made blueberry brownies from scratch.... they were almost as good as mom's....

-Vineyards: We are in the wine capital of New Zealand, Marlborough.... also known as 'heaven' to wine-o's. 

- Biking, is a common past time in these parts

- Political science: Bob is a political buff and soaks up information like a sponge. And since he's from America, he has a lot to discuss with us about American politics!

I guess the point of this is to teach not that one should support the organic industry for any other reason than they preserve soil for use for generations, rather than ruining soil with the use of chemicals. We all have an obligation to take care of our earth, and keep it healthy.....