2006/ 2007 the time goes on....

A year is coming to an end… for me a bit (10 hours) earlier than for most of you…

And another year is about to beginn ....

I did calendars for a couple of friends with Sheepy, my dear companion for almost three years now. And I display a collection of pictures from various places to picture the beauty and variety of my year 2006.

When I look back I have to say it was a great year and I m grateful for so many things.

I passed the federal exams (Staatsexamen), which was probably THE milestone.

My family is doing well. My grandparents are still alive - struggling with smaller and bigger problems while aging. They are not as energetic as they used to, but they are still around and that is great. My mother is very busy, getting more and more qualifications. My brother just started studying in Munich.

I had a great time in Switzerland and befriended myself with surgery that I haven’t liked so much as a specialty before. I did have an interesting rotation in Mannheim and it was good but also difficult to catch up with everything that happens/ has happened there since I knew my time was so limited until I leave again. And here I stand/ sit typing in Australia…

I have met great people throughout the year. And I am very glad about having made so many new friends in Switzerland, but also in the States and back in Heidelberg/ Mannheim. As well as I’m thankful for all my “old” friends and colleagues, who kept in touch and made my life complete.

I know staying in contact is often hard. Even a quick note is not always doable. Thinking of someone and letting him or her know that he/she is part of our memories, our wishes and hopes is a god we often fail to verbalize though it is such an incredible strengthening statement to make and make the other one feel loved.

I started reading a book called “the five people you meet in heaven” by Mitch Albon and I want to include a quote out of it: “The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.”

2007 can not become a better year for me. I hope it will be as great as 2006.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

A special baby

Today I wanna tell about Joshua.

Not only that our names have the some beginnings, but his birth was a bit like mine. He had the umbilical cord tight around his neck …

But let’s start with from the beginning. Wednesday after Christmas I was going in for work again and Kate was “my” pregnant woman for today. Her partner Julien was a nice bloke. We were chatting for like 2 hours while Kate was in labour and a bit funny in the head due to all the nitro gas she inhaled for pain relief. She wanted to have an epidural anaesthetic when the pain worsened but obviously the anaesthesiologists were too busy with emergencies and when they arrived she was too advanced in the birthing process. So only nitro gas and Julien’s hand to squeeze for her.

Becky the midwife explained a lot and when the head started to show I was allowed to assist in helping the baby to “develop”. When the head came, we saw it was kinda purple-ish and Becky reacted very quickly: Kate was told not to push anymore and clip, clip, snap. The cord was cut and we could turn the baby so that the shoulders and the rest of the body could get out.

And then the big shock for the parents. Nothing dramatic. The baby was alive and crying. But it had bits and pieces.

So far Kate and Julien were thinking they’ll have an Isabelle. Everything was bought in pink for the baby’s arrival… And no name for a boy! Kate was asking three or four times: “Are you sure it is a boy?”- But there was no doubt.

We were joking, fooling around and thinking about possible names (seriously [like Luke, John] and not so seriously [Hercules]). Julien sent a text to his mother in law they named the baby Mortimer Bryan…She called back immediately asking “What the **** were you thinking…?”

I saw all three of them today again. Kate has been recovering and they chose a name for their baby surprise…. JOSHUA.

Christmas Lunch

This year, I spent my first Christmas abroad- Out of Germany, missing out on sitting with my family under a (real) green Christmas tree/ Tannenbaum. I was in Australia with a light bulb installation that functioned as our Christmas tree. It wasn’t the same feeling and spirit as at home but nevertheless I felt like being among friends and enjoyed the day.

I was wondering what to expect. I knew it is quite unlikely to celebrate Christmas at the beach in Tassie, but I would not have expected that we would have a WHITE CHRISTMAS!

Summers here are pretty rough. With winds that change rapidly so that it is quite likely to experience temperature drops of 10°C in just 30 minutes.

Well, Christmas Day was cloudy and rainy in Hobart and about 9°C. That meant snow in the mountains. The mountains draw an impressive skyline when I look out of my window. A massive wall with an altitude of more than 1200 meters….

White Christmas yes …

But actually I was about to tell you about one of my favs: food. Yeah, ‘cause lunch @ Christmas Day is all about socialising, eating and drinking.

We were 14 people at Andrew’s house. Family and friends. Aged from 17 till 80. And everybody was bringing something along. I was meant to take care about the starters, but I missed the changing of opening hours over the holidays and I had to improvise a little.

However, I like cooking with what I have, and the fridge was full anyway. I did double-decker water crackers with a layer of a dip out of broccoli, garlic, pepper and cream cheese and some little fruity- gouda kebabs (I was told it is all about meat, so I tried to add something half-way healthy J …). And people liked them.

I also had oysters for the first time in my life. I haven’t been eating any seafood for the longest time of my life. Just “discovered” seafood 3 years ago and am sushi addicted now… So I eat raw fishy and fish-alike stuff, but having a look at the oysters made me have a strange feeling in my stomach. I picked a small one and tried it with lime. The flavour of lime was so strong that I hardly tasted anything but the lime. The consistency was … uuuhm … bit strange. I tried again another oyster- this time I had a bigger one with lemon. Not bad, but I was done with them - at least for this time.

The main course included: turkey, ham, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes as well as pumpkin and carrots, a salad of something sorghum-like, cole-slow, potato salad and a very scrumptious salad of spinach/ ruccola with avocado, mango, bacon and nuts.

After like half an hour of time to digest, the desserts were served. Ice-cream cake, fruit salad, a hazelnut-dough cake with raspberry filling, crustas and a vodka based pudding (grandma Babcias specials) as well as traditional ginger bread and fruit cake were dished a long with nuts, self-made rum pralines and “Vanillekipferl” that I could contribute.

It started by 13:00 and the last guests left the house by 18:00. I was soooo full. I don’t remember when I ate that much in such a short period of time…

I only had some juice and tea for the rest of the day. In fact, I went jogging and went to the gym on Boxing Day. And only after that (around 2 p.m. the next day), I was able to eat again – Tuna and crab sushi!!!

I experienced a little bluesy break-out and Feeling of homesickness when I read the Christmas cards from Adina & Todd and Opened the gifts I took with me from my Family and Mona & Dwayne. I realized how Far away from home I really was. I know it is Only for a limited period of time, but Emotional “Reality” can be harsh and cruel and I miss Home in many ways.

The rainbow is a sign for luck and hope. May the one we had on Christmas Day stand for

A new year full of joy and a healthy successful future - I don’t need to find the gold pot…

Off to the Happy Holiday Weekend

Hello once again from Hobart.
Slowly I m starting to settle in a little.
Caz my friend from Launceston (I met her two years ago at the Council Meeting of AMSA in Adelaide and a year later in Heidelberg) was in town for a couple of days.

My first week is over and I already got heaps and heaps of new images and ideas in my head.
Well let me start workingwise:
A lot of things are different to surgical theatres I used to be in in Switzerland or Germany. Hygenic standards are defined in another way. For example do people not change their boots over here. They enter the operating area with their regular shoes and maybe (only maybe) will they cover them by pulling over something like a little shoe bag...
Another gimmick are the hats to cover the hair. In that season they have imprints of christmas trees, poinsettas and stuff...
On the other hand the regim of i.v. access seems to be stricter. I am used to desinfected and just swipe, but here they work with a sterile set ...

Anyway. I started on the "labour ward" yesterday. And saw 4 babies, 3 mothers and 3 fathers and lets hope not more fathers were involved in that process :-).
The first baby had an assisted vaginal birth (vacuum cap, called kiwi cap). The second came all natural and the twins were born with c-section.
This morning I watched another c-section, and than I got in scrubs myself and assisted with two more.


Later in the morning, well actually noon time- we had a little Christmas Lunch with doctors and the midwifes from the antenatal clinic. People are so nice and I always was welcomed freindly. Everybody was supposed to bring a plate- and fortunately I was told that it's slang and means you have to bring something to eat- otherwise I might have shown up with an empty plate and fork and knife ;-)
In fact I was doing German Christmas cookies called "Vanillekipferl" and they were yummy and praised ... Everything was very delicious- from watercrackers and cheese to turkey, Quiche, sushi, salads, .... and cake and cookies of course....

Today there is also a Christmas Dinner and I think I will go ...

Working

I flew to Tasmania not knowing where to go, when to be somewhere etc. And even I tried I only figured that out in late morning of my supposed first day at work which was shortened by that ;-)

The Royal Hobart Hospital is a public hospital providing it services basically to everybody. A lot of people with health insurance tend to go to other hospitals.
My tasks are as divers as the people. There a topic related clinics everyday and I sit it with doctors do some diagnostics (clincs are for example: high risk pregnancies, post natal, infertility, pregnancies in women with former history of psychatric issues, alcolism, drug abuse, ...)

It is very interesting to see the mothers and those to-be's ... Australia pays like almost 3000 Euros for giving birth to a child so obviously that might encourage people to take care about increasing the birth-figures... But do we need 22-yr old mothers of 5 ?!

Well more soon, I ll start at the maternity ward tomorrow and will be there for 2 weeks...

Tasmania

Yesterday I kept on rolling and arrived after another 2 hrs flight in Tasmania.

After taking a cab to New Town, I was welcomed by Andrew's mother. She showed me around the house and town.
I took little puppy dog Diezel for a walk and started to explore my surrounding after having shopped some groceries and having cooked my first meal in Tassie.

A lazy evening with a dvd and in the morning I was jogging. Thinking or numerous runs somewhere not familiar to me with Damaris and Isabella....



After having had a shower and finally shaving after like 6 days, I took the metro (which is a bus) to get into Hobart and find my way to the hospital where I am supposed to start working tomorrow... I am a bit nervous about it, but also looking forward to a new challenge...


The pic was taken in my new neighbourhood and obviously there is some serious competion and effort for getting the "Christams light Award"

Arrival in Australia Sydney

Heyya from down-under

and thx for all the emails! Well, I arrived quite relaxed in Sydney on Thursday. the flight from SanFran was quite a relaxed one. Since I didnt sleep on my way to San Fransisco, I had a hard time to stay awake at the airport, did some stretching, situps and stuff... no-one was watching anyway... I was surprised how little crowded the airport was.
I got in the aircraft and don t remember the take-off... That fast I was gone.
I had a nice man from Oregon sitting next to me who kept me entertained after awaking. He was flying into Australia to spend the holidays in Papa Neuguinea where one of his daughters lives as missionary with her husband and 7 (!) children... uups

Sydney itself was interessting to see... As European I always had a hard time to imagine how you can get and feel the Holiday Spirit... There were Christmas trees and decoration all over and sheepy found a new friend - a Christmas fairy...



Actually I was also hoping to get some tan on Bondi, Mainly or somewhere else but it was pouring.
Instead of beach time it was movie time: I never heard of SHORTBUS before but I can only recommend that film. Very sexualy explicit - so dont go watching if you feel offended by nudity. But an awesome atmosphere created and I was amazed...

Thx Brenton :o)

Travelling

Hello from San Fransisco Int`l Airport...

After 11 hrs I arrived safe and sound here.
Security was funny today: they took a copy from my laptop and ran the probe through a labratory to see wether I was handling drugs, explosives or whatever ... Do I look that criminal? I was the only one as far as I could see that was brought to the special room for running that test...

And here in the US I had to fill out all the visa papers, stand in line and get my lagguage, go through customs just to re-check my lagguage and wait for my connecting flight... so much drama...

Well I m trying to stay awake. I wanna sleep on my way to Sydney. Arrival time is 7:50 a.m. and I m trying to get there without being jetlagged.

Listening to some Girls Alound and Evanescence songs (yeah odd mix I know...) and playing around with my laptop which was broken and I just got it back yesterday!

I already had something to eat because they didnt feed us so well... A Chinese fast food combo...

Till very soon xxx

Count-Down is ticking

Yesterday I recieved my first Christmas presents - yeahh.... cause I ll be gone over Christmas - boooh (a referrence to Will & Grace btw)


Actually not really the first, since Jose had a neat Littman Cardio Stethoscop for me last weekend, but the first that are meant to be taken with me to Tassie.
Thanx Mona and Jim!

I m kinda rushing through my flat today, trying to get everything in order and be prepared for my first little departure: Tomorrow I m leaving in order to see my family... Hard-core Christmas preparations here :-)

HAPPY NIKOLAUS!!

I found the new Josh Groban CD in my shoe today!


Add:
Wednesday nurses and collegues from my ward, we went to the Christmas market in Mannheim. A lovely experience! Though very rushy and THANK YOU Mascha for driving so fast - I could get my train last minute ....

Being home was very nice as well... especially my grandparents miss me and my mom always tells me they are doing so much better when I m around... It was once again a food festival and the Helmut Lotti concert was quite a contrary experience to my other concerts in this year ;-) but I have to say it wasnt bad- I just felt sooo young in this audience...

COUNTDOWN

more nights for me to sleep in Germany ... and then I am heading off to AUSTRALIA...

I am getting more and more excited now. My flights are booked and confirmed. United Airways - the cheapest tickets I could find- but would you think the shortest way?! uhm NO - flying via San Fransisco almost 2000 additional airmiles...
Not good for my green eco kharma but neccessary for my financial kharma I guess...
I had my last day at work last week and did my Christmas Cookies baking session for this year. 4 doughs, 2 days - less than last year but I wont be here for so much longer... and maybe I ll baked some more in the Australian summer.



And I am on my good-bye tour now: having spent an evening with Don and Ellie on Friday
and having had a fun weekend: Adina came to see me and we had dinner guests over, on Sunday we went to a little christmas vernissage with a tombola.



Yesterday then Moritz, Antje, Janina and me went to SAIGON - a very contemporary styled vietnamese restaurant in Mannheim ... .

I am a bit of a lazy bumm today but trying to get everything prepared...