Manawatahi Kapa Haka

Palmerston North is home to Massey University, a beautiful campus located just a few miles from where we live.  Manawatahi is the Maori student association at Massey.  A few of our church friends are involved in this organization, and we were so privileged to attend the dress rehearsal of their Kapa Haka routine which they will perform at an upcoming competition.  The entire selection lasted a bit over twenty minutes, with singing and dancing and high energy throughout.  It was spectacular.  We were mesmerized.  This video doesn't do justice to the amazing volume and energy we witnessed, but it's a taste.  Our very best wishes to the Manawatahi Kapa Haka team on their competition!

ALL BLACKS!

I said in an earlier post that rugby is like religion here in New Zealand.  Consider us officially converted!

We decided long ago that if we ever made it to New Zealand, one of the things at the top of the "to do" list would be to go to an All Blacks rugby match.  Steve and I both LOVE going to sporting events, and although we didn't know much about rugby prior to moving to NZ, we knew that it would be an amazing experience for our family to see the All Blacks in person.  When we discovered that they were playing Australia in Wellington on Saturday, August 24th, we immediately purchased tickets.  We arranged for a babysitter for the twins (thanks Melissa!) and eagerly anticipated the upcoming match.

The big day finally arrived!  We snapped a few shots prior to taking off.  I love this pic of us loaded up in Big Red...you can sense our excitement.  Emily kept eagerly saying, "Babies stay home?!"  She was more thrilled about going somewhere without Luke and Landon than anything else.  :)

Check out our fierce Haka faces!  We're so intimidating. 

The drive to Wellington was lovely.  We couldn't help but think back to the last time we drove to Wellington, when Emily was in Utah and we were so uncertain about our future in New Zealand.  That drive felt long and weighty, but this time we arrived in Wellington in what felt like a flash and in great spirits.

Entering the stadium...

Finding our seats...second row!!  We were so close you could literally smell the sweat.  The view was often a little obstructed by players and other staffers, but it was a such a blast to be so near to the action.

It was fun and interesting to observe the players warming up.  When they would walk right in front of us, Julia tried every tactic she could think of to get their attention (to no avail).  That was funny to watch.

After the warmup and before the players returned to the field, there was an awesome video montage shown on the stadium screens, with "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons as the soundtrack.  It was so cool and really got everyone pumped up.  We found this video online...not quite the same, but pretty close to the original.

   

Cheering on the players as they entered the pitch...

We were impressed that everyone in the stadium (including the players) sang along energetically to the New Zealand national anthem...first in Maori, then English.

Of course, we all couldn't wait to see the esteemed Haka routine live.  Rachel videotaped while I took photos.  It was tricky to document while also trying to enjoy watching at the same time. :)  Not the best footage, but I think the video and photos still capture the essence and excitement of the moment.

 

There is nothing cooler than the Haka.  Period.

Here are some random shots from the rest of the match.  Not including the two drunk ladies in front of us, who (even though they were in their fifties) acted like complete idiots and dropped F-bombs all night, we had the time of our lives.  We followed along as well as our limited knowledge allowed, and I'm pretty sure we cheered and sighed appropriately. 

I marveled over and over that we weren't seeing limbs being broken or heads popping off.  I'm serious. It was sometimes hard to watch, but you couldn't look away!  Rugby players = toughest guys on the planet.

I may or may not have a rugby crush on Aaron Smith (above left).

I most definitely have a REAL crush on this handsome guy (below left).

Final score... All Blacks win!!

Accident and Emergency (guest post by Steve)

Here's a glimpse into Steve's new life at "A & E" -- in his own words.  Since many of his colleagues have shown interest in what it's like to work in New Zealand, Steve decided to cite medical terms and procedures that he deemed noteworthy.  Our apologies to those who may not follow some of the medical jargon.

So, as we were preparing and planning to come to New Zealand, we had a lot to worry about.  We stressed for months about where to live, about finding a house and car that would fit our large family, furnishings, which schools would provide the best experience and environment for our kids, passports, visas, travel arrangements, etc.  Work was an afterthought.  I never lost a moment's sleep about what work would be like.  After spending 3 years training in Emergency Medicine (IU baby!) and 9 years practicing at McKay-Dee, I felt comfortable in my knowledge base and abilities.  Work was the least of my concerns.  I mean, I've practiced medicine in Mexico, Kenya, and Wishard!  How hard could New Zealand be?  Right?  Well, I was in for a rude awakening.

Let me first say that Palmerston North has been great.  Our ward has been very welcoming.  We love our house and neighborhood.  The kind people from the hospital have been outstanding from the very beginning.  Christine (recruiter) found the perfect house for us and made sure that it was furnished and ready.  That made the transition here so much easier.  Everyone was very understanding and helpful as we were trying to sort out Emily's visa, and ultimately, it was the involvement of the hospital administration that finally pressured immigration to release her visa.  We are very thankful for their help and assistance.  Our first couple of weeks here were spent settling in, meeting with immigration, filling out paperwork, going to orientation, and discovering this beautiful area.  After Emily eventually arrived and our family was back together, I was anxious to finally start working.  I was excited to work in a different environment, in a completely different health care system, with new challenges and opportunities to learn.

That enthusiasm lasted for about 30 minutes.  The very first patient that we saw on my first day of work was a young girl with congenital abnormalities who presented in respiratory distress.  I watched Dr. Cheri as he searched and searched for IV access before skillfully placing an IV in her hand, then started resuscitative measures and quickly admitted her to the peds team.  I realized immediately that nurse/doctor roles and expectations were going to be different here than in the States.  Overseeing the stabilization of sick kids, or adults, wasn't enough...the physician was expected to be placing the IVs, pushing the meds, controlling the airway, and admitting the patient.  I hadn't place an IV in kids in years.  I had gotten spoiled by working with truly excellent nurses and techs who made my job so easy.  We just expected that they would start IVs, draw labs, order EKGs, warm patients, etc.  I probably got a little too comfortable, or maybe a little lazy, after working in the same efficient hospital for so long.

The nurses, hospital staff and other doctors here have been great, and I am really starting to appreciate working in a different system.  The first few days, however, were very, very challenging.  Everything is different.  Medications have different names, or are not available.  When I started asking for zofran, or dilaudid, or lortab, all I got were blank stares.  Afib with RVR isn't treated with diltiazem, but with amiodarone, or with beta-blockers.  Pain meds are limited to morphine or fentanyl, and codeine or tramadol; consequently, we don't see many drug seekers.  Nurses won't push propofol.  It gets a little comical when I'm trying to sedate a patient to reduce and splint a fracture.  Labs are reported with different units.  My first patient here that had diabetic ketoacidosis had a blood sugar of 33, and I had to think about whether to give her glucose or insulin.  I had to find a computer (there are five in the department shared by many providers) and google a glucose conversion tool to discover that she had a blood sugar of 590!  We are sending patients home all the time with troponins in the 20s and 30s.  We don't have a cath lab.  When patients present with an acute ST segment elevation MI, we are giving them thrombolytics and admitting them to medicine.  Those are just a few examples.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  It was overwhelming at first.  I felt like an intern and wondered if we had made a mistake by coming here.  It is really sad when you are tempted to self-medicate, but don't even know how.

Thankfully, my feelings of being inefficient and inadequate have either subsided, or at least become less noticeable.  I am actually really enjoying work now.  Some of the same things that frustrated me initially I now see as positives.  I am enjoying placing IVs, and ultrasound-guided IVs.   I'm using the ultrasound all the time here, but I never had time to use it back home.  I have more time to spend with patients, either getting a more thorough history, doing procedures, or, heaven forbid, just chatting.  I enjoy working with the residents, or house staff.  They don't have nearly as much formal teaching down here, so they appreciate any teaching that you can provide.  Not working nights has been great.  We work fewer weekends.  We actually have "office days" were we get paid to work on CME, read ESPN, prepare lectures, read ESPN, administrative stuff, read ESPN, and sometimes read something not related to sports.  Not too shabby.

I'm now about two months into this adventure.  Despite the changes, frustrations and lack of college football talk in the ED, I am very grateful to be here.  I told Mindy that I really feel like this experience will prove to not only enrich, but prolong my career.  I am excited to learn and study again.  I'm learning new things and gaining new skills.  I'm being stretched clinically and enjoying the opportunities to teach.  The people have been terrific.  I've also come to really appreciate my colleagues and ED back home.  I feel so fortunate to work at McKay with truly amazing people in such an excellent hospital.      

Pumped Up Kicks, New Zealand Style!

Rachel wanted to play soccer for her high school team, so she approached the coach, who asked her if she had played in the States.  When Rachel replied "Yes" the coach basically welcomed her to the team!  That was it.  Within a few days, she was training and playing in games.  Crazy!  It's been a great experience for her to play in New Zealand, and a terrific opportunity to stay in shape and learn new things.

One immediate obstacle, though, was that the coach wasn't able to find a uniform to fit Rachel.  She hasn't been thrilled about wearing a jersey top that's a few sizes too big, but what choice does she have?  You can't really appreciate the largeness of the shirt in a shot like this...

...but check out Rachel in action!  How did this flying squirrel ever manage to advance down the field?

They play two halves here, like in Utah, but they are only 25 minutes each!  Rachel is used to 40-minute halves.  She rarely sat out during her last season, so she would get very tired over the course of the game.  Here, she feels like she is just getting warmed up, then the game is over!  Rachel doesn't think kiwi soccer is as aggressive, and maybe the shorter time on the field has a lot to do with that?  One thing she does like better about playing in New Zealand is that she got out of school for a whole day to play in a tournament.  It wasn't a regional or championship-type tournament, just games with some of the local schools.  That was fun.  Her team doesn't have a great record, and the season is almost over, but it's still been a great experience for her.

One other interesting thing to note... when Steve went to this game to take photos, he was puzzled that there wasn't a single other parent on the sideline watching the game.  Maybe it was just an abnormal day, but that is certainly not what we're used to.  In fact, when Steve pulled out the camera with the big zoom lens attached, he noticed that some young guys across the field started posing and acting goofy.  He later realized that they thought he was a photographer for the newspaper!  Ha ha.  He humored them by snapping this shot.  

A few more pics of Rachel in action...

...and a pretty rainbow shot from our house later that evening.  Fun times in New Zealand!

Napier

I have to begin this post by sharing this photo from our visit to Napier.  It's significant for a reason.  Any guesses?

This is the first photo of our entire family together since arriving in New Zealand!  And it only took a month to get it!  I need to remember to hand the camera over to people once in awhile, because I really love seeing all eight of us in one photo like this. 

I mentioned in my post about Big Red that we had gone on an "inaugural" road trip.  We hadn't really planned to go anywhere that weekend.  Steve was heading off for a meeting at the hospital on the Friday before the kids started school on Monday.  Even though there were still things to get done in preparation for school, we decided at the last minute to head out of town, just for one night.  So, after Steve's meeting, we loaded up Big Red and took off.  I'm so glad we did, because Napier was amazing!  It's one of our favorite places in New Zealand so far.

It took just over two hours to get there, and Steve kept trying to pump us up about finally getting to use the new tent we brought all the way from Utah... (silence throughout Big Red).  No, that's not true...just silence from the passenger seat.  I don't know why, but even though I absolutely love tent-trailer camping, we haven't tent camped in years, and I haven't been very excited about it...especially since it's still winter here (although obviously not the kind of winter we are used to!).  

Since we got a later start, we pulled into Napier at dusk.  We found another Holiday Park, and inquired about campsites.  The price list showed that a tent camping site only cost $35 -- bargain!  Then, the clerk informed us that that price was for two people...each additional person would add $20 each.  That makes for a pretty expensive campsite!  I think the nice gal at the desk felt a little sorry for us when she saw our reaction, and offered us one of the cabins for the same price.  She must have seen me winking and pleading with my eyes from behind Steve's back. :)

This cabin was wonderful, even nicer than the one we had rented in Taupo, complete with a kitchen/eating area and two bedrooms with plenty of room for our family.  The bathroom facilities were just around the corner.

In true Holiday Park fashion, there were awesome amenities for the kids.  We can see why people come to these parks and stay a whole week!

We had scarcely unloaded our bags before the kids started begging to swim (I took these photos of the pool area the next morning with better light).  That front pool/splash area was gorgeous, but ice cold.  The other pool behind was only mildly heated.  The kids tolerated it, but no-way-Jose was I going to swim, especially since it was already dark and the outside air was pretty chilly, too.  I used to love cold water.  I've turned into such a wimp!  

We couldn't resist having the kids pose at this sign as we headed out...

This is a quick shot from the front seat heading down the main road into town.  One of the kids exclaimed, "I feel like we are in Hollywood!"

We made our way to the water, excited once again to get a view of the ocean and the gorgeous mountains in the distance.

We discovered a side road which led to a scenic lookout above the town.  The view was stunning.  Rachel and I both took a ton of photos.

On the way back down the hill, Steve happened to glance over and see what he thought looked like a waterfall through the trees.  Upon closer look, we discovered this serene park with a gorgeous waterfall as a backdrop.

Not sure what was up with Emily, but she wasn't in a very smiley mood.

We can't pass by beautiful flowers without pulling out our cameras.  Perhaps the fascination will wear off?  Probably not.

We made our way about 15 minutes out of town to an area called Cape Kidnappers, named for an incident that occurred when Captain Cook entered the area in October of 1769 and one of his servants was taken by some of the local Maori.  

Back in Napier, we were impressed by the extensive play areas along the beachfront.

The kids decided to monkey around a bit on our way to get ice cream.

We almost loaded up to leave after ice cream, but had to squeeze in a few more moments on the beach.  The beach didn't have traditional grains of sand, but various-sized pebbles...different, and beautiful.

It was sure hard to resist the urge to drop those pebbles down Emily's perfect coin slot. :)

I got down on my tummy for this shot... I love how the individual pebbles are more visible.

Here's Luke proudly displaying a treasure he discovered.

Farewell to Napier!  We'll be back soon.