Pinch me, I must be dreaming

I love holidays. I especially love holidays when they come after a chaotic few months full of moving to a new country and adjusting to a new work environment with its initial mass confusion turned calm after some restructuring, both personal and within the clinic itself. This weekend marked the first of my four allowed weeks of vacation here in New Zealand. It's made even sweeter by sharing it with my parents. They flew in yesterday and were quickly inaugurated into the kiwi life. They had the obligatory cup of coffee with each meeting of friends, watched their first netball game, and had a dinner made with traditional kiwi produce. It's been fascinating to watch their reactions, and concurrently reopen my eyes, to the differences and idiosyncrasies of New Zealand life. Things to which I've now become accustom and take for granted, including my use of kiwi language. I look forward to this week of new discovery and rediscovery as we "ticki-tour" around the North Island, especially as it grants me a week off work.

This holiday is particularly pleasant as it comes on the heels of finding a second doctor for the clinic. Yes, it's true. Help is on the way. Wednesday I took part in a conference call and did my best to plug the town, clinic, and relaxed atmosphere of working in New Zealand. Something must have clicked, for by the end he was verbally excepting the position. He too will be a stateside locum, coming for a six month stint to experience a different medical environment. The beauty of it all, he will arrive in September, just a week before I take my next two week holiday.