Having myself a Merry Kiwi Christmas

I must admit, it's been a hard week.

For starters, at work, the other doctor is on holiday (aka vacation), so that leaves just me to handle 3500 patients who all seem want every single medicine they're on refilled before our clinic closes for two weeks.   In addition, half our nurses were off too, so double the work with half the staff.  Stressed Linz = not pleasant Linz.

In addition, since I didn't use the recruiting company for my new job in February, I have heaps of paperwork and recertification to do on my own.   Which includes Medical Registration renewal, Visa Renewal, and since I'll be in the country for a whole calendar year, an Immigrations Medical Exam and Chest Xray.  I also tried to get a NZ driver's license this week, as the Dept of Immigrations may have my passport for a month and half while my Visa renewal is processing, and I was fearful of being without legit photo ID for that long!

At the same time, it's been hard to get into the Christmas spirit.  Christmas here is, just... different.   The biggest thing I had trouble coming to grips with is the WEATHER!  Both in PA and AZ, Christmas came in the winter.   Here, it's (finally) the WARMEST time of year!  Schools are out on summer vacation, it's a more relaxed attitude- everyone's wearing shorts and jandals (sandals).  And weirdest of all, the days are LONG!   A friend told me Christmas lights aren't that popular here, because-- think of it---- if it stays light oustide til 9:30pm or so, how long will your lights on your house actually be visible?    So, for many reasons, it just hasn't seemed like Christmas.

Fortunately, the stress began to taper as I finished up my share of the Visa paperwork Thursday---all that's left is for the radiologist to read my xray and sign my form that I'm free of TB (Yes, the ACTUAL RADIOLOGIST in New Plymouth has to physically sign my form, ridiculous!!).   My last half day of patients yesterday (Xmas eve) went pretty smoothly, and I was finally ready for a well-deserved break.  The weather was beautiful, so I took advantage of it, headed to Ohawe Beach (where my first house was) and went for a beach run and a quick swim in the sea!

Definitely not my typical Christmas Eve attire!

Running on the black sand beach is like a free pedicure!   Merry Christmas to my feet!



As I try to focus on the positives of being in a strange land far from those I love for the holidays, I've been paying close attention to the beauty around me.  Remember that park I photographed when I first moved here, and I commented that "pretty roses will eventually be here?"  Well here they are, full in bloom!

The rest of the park is absolutely gorgeous, too.



On my drive home from the beach yesterday, I had to stop and photograph some of my new favorite summer flower---- the hydrangea!  About every third or fourth house here has a bush, and they're all so unique and spectacular.  I looked like a fool pulling over every few blocks to take these pics (I should get a bumper sticker saying "I brake for Hydrangeas"), but the outcome was worth it!   Just gorgeous.

I attended a local church for a very casual Christmas eve service.  It felt weird being warm and bright at 7:30 pm (not dark and maybe snowing and bundled in a winter coat and hat!).  I had Indian takeout for dinner (tasty vegetable korma, but nowhere near as delcious as pierogies!), watched a movie, and called it a night.

This morning, I got to open some presents that my nurses and lab ladies gave me!   I'm so lucky to have a caring staff. 

Chocolates, Wine, and a "Hunks" calendar.   Do my coworkers know me well or WHAT?   ;)

I had a few invites for Christmas dinners at some of my coworkers houses, but I chose to help out at the Community Christmas Dinner put on by the local churches instead.  I thought it'd be a good way to do something good and not feel uber alone today.   It was great!  I got to decorate their tree and carve the ham.   I couldn't wait to tell my dad about the ham, since that's typically a male job in the Alaishuski household.  :)  It was a nice day of being with goodhearted people and interacting with folks that were so appreciative of a lovely meal and warm fellowship on a day that's hard for those who may not have the funds or the family to enjoy a nice dinner.

I was able to spend some time Skyping with my family and a very good friend today.  It still felt so weird that it's Christmas here in NZ but still Christmas Eve in the States!    I now understand why Santa is so thankful for time zones..how else would he deliver all those presents on time?   :)

I ended tonight with packing my bags for my next adventure!  Tomorrow morning I leave for the South Island!   I'm flying from Wellington to Christchurch where I start a 9 day adventure tour, complete with glacier walks, hikes, a boat cruise and mountainbiking.    I'll be spending New Years Eve (and meeting up with a few of my friends) in Queenstown, the "Adventure Capital of New Zealand".    Fun!

So, even though the week was tough, it's ending quite nicely, with an exciting, adventurous week and a half to come.  Stay tuned for more updates in 2011!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance!  Much love to all.