A wonderful Christmas Holiday with family and dear friends.
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, 2011
25 September, 2011
Heidi is drumming for Desmond Tutu. She invited me to come and watch both her playing, but also to witness the man himself in action. It was an honour to attend this event, and hear Heidi's soulful drumming.
Gandhi Peace Walk at Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa
2 October 2011
A dear friend, Vafa, invited me to walk for peace. A 5km and 10km walk/run on a sunny Sunday makes for a wonderful day to gather at Sea Point in support for peace. Archbishop Desmond Tutu attended the event in full support and initiated the walk by leading the first few meters.
We managed to walk the full 10 kms and have Heidi join us for the end of the stroll.
Another wonderful day in Cape Town spent with dear friends while supporting a great cause.
R :-)
Heidi is drumming for Desmond Tutu. She invited me to come and watch both her playing, but also to witness the man himself in action. It was an honour to attend this event, and hear Heidi's soulful drumming.
Gandhi Peace Walk at Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa
2 October 2011
A dear friend, Vafa, invited me to walk for peace. A 5km and 10km walk/run on a sunny Sunday makes for a wonderful day to gather at Sea Point in support for peace. Archbishop Desmond Tutu attended the event in full support and initiated the walk by leading the first few meters.
We managed to walk the full 10 kms and have Heidi join us for the end of the stroll.
Another wonderful day in Cape Town spent with dear friends while supporting a great cause.
R :-)
Front Porch Visitors - March 16th, 2012
Friday, March 16th
My second day in Red Lake, all alone at my home-away-from-home, my parents hit the road just the day before, and I'm trying to make my way through some medical directives to learn about my new position. The one and only visitor today was my landlord's son-in-law.
As we were chatting away, he became very quiet and says to me, 'come here, quick!'. Thinking that whatever he just witnessed would run away, we tried to stay quiet the whole time as we walked over to the front porch. A female deer, lifting her head to see us observing, then she returned to her feast. The buck, standing in the neighbour's back yard, next door. The two of them disregarding us even as the son-in-law walks to his truck and drives off. I decide to keep them companion, and sit outside on this warm and sunny March day. Periodically they would look up to see if I have changed my location, but when content they would return to picking at the ground.
These supposedly wild animals seemed very comfortable with me around. No flinching and showing little signs of nervousness while I was hanging out only meters away. I guess when one lives with nature in return nature embraces all. Plus, my theory makes for great pictures :-)
Enjoy !
My second day in Red Lake, all alone at my home-away-from-home, my parents hit the road just the day before, and I'm trying to make my way through some medical directives to learn about my new position. The one and only visitor today was my landlord's son-in-law.
As we were chatting away, he became very quiet and says to me, 'come here, quick!'. Thinking that whatever he just witnessed would run away, we tried to stay quiet the whole time as we walked over to the front porch. A female deer, lifting her head to see us observing, then she returned to her feast. The buck, standing in the neighbour's back yard, next door. The two of them disregarding us even as the son-in-law walks to his truck and drives off. I decide to keep them companion, and sit outside on this warm and sunny March day. Periodically they would look up to see if I have changed my location, but when content they would return to picking at the ground.
These supposedly wild animals seemed very comfortable with me around. No flinching and showing little signs of nervousness while I was hanging out only meters away. I guess when one lives with nature in return nature embraces all. Plus, my theory makes for great pictures :-)
Enjoy !
Friday, May 11, 2012
Taking a Chance
Moving to a new country
(temporarily) comes with a list of different feelings and emotions,
but most would suggest that feelings of excitement ranks at the top. In
my case, the past 2 weeks have been hectic to the point where my weekends
became sleeping marathons. On April 30th I decided to call AHPRA in an
attempt to negotiate (and speed up the selection process of) a new date for collecting my Australian nursing
registration in person. I have been led to believe (for the past year) that this was a common practice and comes with
minimal complication.
Since 2010, I have spent enough
time and energy (not to mention the amount of paperwork I notarized and mailed
in) to keep me on edge since the very first day I submitted my application to
the board. Nevertheless, my paper work cleared
and I received an in-principle registration.
This requires me to present to the AHPRA office in person at a date provided. Knowing that a 'request for extension' is a
possibility, I started my adventures in Red Lake both excited and relaxed about
everything else.
But not so fast! On April 30th,
lady #1 on the phone was happy and excited while she informed me about
"Extensions are very common at AHPRA and I'm sure this could be arranged
for your registration." "But let me transfer you to the person
managing your file"
Renata: “Wait, I have a person
managing my file? Since when!?
During this phone call I was on
gchat with Dan, providing him with play-by-play information on this nail biting
telephone conversation. As I was talking to lady #1, I typed to Dan:
"HURRAY ! I can get my registration extended!!!"
"I'm staying in Red Lake for the summer!" "You HAVE to
come and visit me!!!"
Then, lady #2 came on the phone
stating without any hesitation: "I'm sorry, your pick up date cannot be
extended for this particular registration." "You have to present
to the Brisbane office by June 14th or else your application will be
withdrawn."
Renata: "Could I maybe speak
with your manager?"
Lady #2: "Nope. No one
will be able to extend this date for you." "I recognize that
you have other commitments but I cannot help you further." "I
will send to you a formal letter stating what we have discussed."
Renata: (silence) while typing to
Dan: "HOLLY crap, they cannot extend the date!!!!!" "I
think I'm moving to Oz!" "Are you ready for a roommate?!"
Dan: " :-) "
Once I felt defeated enough to stop
asking further questions I hung up the phone. My heart beating in my
throat, excitement and disappointment racing through my body. Who
to tell first: Mom and Dad? Dan's parents? All the lovely people at
the clinic? My friends who were planning to visit me in Red Lake? Or
search and listen to ABBA - Take a chance? (it is common for me to think of a
song at the exact moment a significant event has occurred).
Uncertain and confused, I decided
to slowly follow the above list in order and break the news as best as one
could. I first chat with Dan, making sure that he does in fact wants a roommate
on such short notice. His answer was: "Yes!"
This was followed by a call to my
parents. As expected they were shocked, then concerned, and lastly, they asked
me to sleep on it and call them back the next day to discuss further.
This would give them a bit of time to realize what just happened.
So, I called them the next day to discuss in further detail. I used
the weekend to sleep off the steam this news has created. By the end of
the week, enough time has passed to address my situation from every angle and
break the news to the people at the clinic.
The feeling of letting people down
is a dreadful experience, but from me, this was only the beginning
and escaping the facts was not an option for me. By the time you read this
blog post, family, friends and everyone at the clinic have received the
news. I’m moving to Australia.
Just on a side note (more like
story), in the last week or so I started getting Chinese take-out on my
Fridays, to mark the end of a work week. Fortune cookies in the past have
never been on par with my life goals but reading them has always brought me pleasure. On this particular week, my fortune cookie
read:
"Take
that chance you've been considering."
Though
my fortune came after all decisions were made, these words did ease some of the
tension I have been experiencing. Not to
say that my fortune will make packing, saying good-bye, and starting over again
any easier, but it sure was something lovely to receive at the end of a hectic
week. I find the 3 activities listed in
the previous sentence are tough to overcome and funny enough, they never seem
to get easier, regardless of practice.
Red Lake
has been a wonderful place to get to know, and the people I will miss
dearly. It is unknown what’s in store
for me now, I just hope Red Lake will be part of it someday again soon.
R :-)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Book Review - The Soul of the Caring Nurse
This book was lent to me by my current landlord in Red Lake. Her son was presented in this book, but after reading his interview I kept reading from the very beginning. This book offers personal stories from nurses and breaks down their professional work into skills and experiences gained in the field. However, the introduction what grabbed me the most. And here it is...
Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, self-centered
Love them anyway
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives
Do good anyway
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies
Succeed anyway
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow
Do good anyway
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable
But be honest and frank anyway
People love underdogs, but follow only topdogs
Follow some underdogs anyway
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them
Help people anyway
Give the world the best that you have and you may get kicked in the
Teeth
But give the world the best you have anyway.
-Author unknown
Found hanging in the lobby of one of the orphanages where Mother Teresa ministered
This is probably the best summary of what I consider as my life and professional philosophy, but there is much more that needs to be done. I have a long journey ahead of me.
How does this poem make you feel, regardless if you are a nurse, in the health care field, or something completely different. I am curious to hear from you all.
Share you thoughts:
Anyway
People are unreasonable, illogical, self-centered
Love them anyway
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives
Do good anyway
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies
Succeed anyway
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow
Do good anyway
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable
But be honest and frank anyway
People love underdogs, but follow only topdogs
Follow some underdogs anyway
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them
Help people anyway
Give the world the best that you have and you may get kicked in the
Teeth
But give the world the best you have anyway.
-Author unknown
Found hanging in the lobby of one of the orphanages where Mother Teresa ministered
This is probably the best summary of what I consider as my life and professional philosophy, but there is much more that needs to be done. I have a long journey ahead of me.
How does this poem make you feel, regardless if you are a nurse, in the health care field, or something completely different. I am curious to hear from you all.
Share you thoughts:
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Road Trip to Red Lake with the Mares'
Soon after accepting a post with the Red Lake Family Health Team, mom, dad, and I got planning a road trip to northern Ontario. Never before I or anyone from my family has been as far north in the province, so our imaginations were running wild when discussing what we were expecting to see on this journey. Moose, beavers, and northern lights were the top three hopes to capture with photography. Snow and cold was expected during our northern drive, so when we were experiencing sunny and warm conditions it made us smile from ear to ear.
Downtown, Red Lake
(in the distance you can see the 'ice road' on the lake)
Our journey from Guelph to Red Lake
View Guelph to Red Lake, Ontario in a larger map
The Big Nickle, Sudbury, Ontario
Bushplane Museum, Sault St Marie, Ontario
After a 13 hour drive from Guelph, we stopped for a sleep in Wawa, Ontario.
We saw 2 deers just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, but still no moose.
Kakabeka Falls, Ontario
...and after approximately 28 hours of driving, we arrived to Red Lake, Ontario
The 'ice road' on Red Lake
The Giant Colon - March is colon cancer awareness month !!!
During our journey, as Murphy's law suggests, we did not see moose nor beavers. But the northern lights did come out for us the last night mom and dad stayed with me, as they were planning to drive home the very next day. One lucky night, only a 30 minute show. What a spectacular nature show!
Mom and Dad hit the road nice and early on Wednesday morning. The house, where I am staying currently, became silent and empty. And it stayed this way for an entire week. Next week I start work, and looking forward to meeting the staff at RLFHT.
Cheers for now,
R :-)
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