Home Sweet Home

My cute niece (Hi, Chloe!) has asked Julia a few times when I'm going to do a post about our house.  Here goes!

This is what our house looks like from the front curb.  It might seem strange to have the wall/fence around the home, but this is very common here in New Zealand.  It's rare to see a home that doesn't have some type of fence or hedge around it (whereas in Utah it is more common for front yards to be unfenced...if there are fences, they usually enclose the backyard area).  The building lots are quite small here, at least within city limits.  Therefore, the yards are small too, and it's normal for homes to fill entire blocks of land (homes in the front, next to long driveways leading to homes in the back, behind the front homes).  Maybe that's why the privacy fences are so common?

Here are a few more views from the outside:

Walking up the front step to the door:

Standing at the front door looking out:

Before we head inside, I'll give a quick summary of how we landed this home in the first place.  If you have read the blog from the beginning, you'll remember this, but there are a few new insights and details to note.

The family who lived in our home before us (the Hansens) consisted of a couple who are several years older than us, and at least one older child.  They tried and tried to sell the house, with no luck.  When our friend at the hospital expressed interest in finding a large home for rent (they say "for hire" here), word got back to the homeowners, and they shifted gears from "sell" to "rent" mode.  They hired a management company to oversee the whole rental aspect, wanting limited contact with us directly (although Mr. Hansen has come by a few times to pick up mail and packages).  We pay our rent through the management company, and they come by every few months to do an inspection and take photos.  The homeowner has continued to pay for gardening/landscaping services, so we haven't had to lift a finger in the yard.

The Hansens were very, very generous in the furnishings they left behind, wanting to accommodate the needs of our large family.  They even purchased some new items based on our needs.  We are so grateful to them.  We have only needed to buy a few things to make this arrangement ideal.  

Mrs. Hansen made sure that there were ample linens and dishes for our use.  The age and style of many of those items were a bit startling, but again, we are using them anyway and are grateful for them.  The abundance of ceramic cats and similar decorative items throughout the house have been carefully stored in one of the closets.  We've taken down some of the wall-hangings and replaced them with ones we've purchased which are more suited to our style, and we've bought a few pillows to add some color to the sofas and beds.  Nearly every room has curtains on the windows and glass doors.  Not wanting to remove or change them, we've tried to decorate around the existing color scheme in each room.  In some of the rooms, nothing matches, which is fine too.

In the kitchen, we bought a bright rug and a few colorful items for above the cabinets.  The color palate in the kitchen was very neutral, so we added a little burst of color here and there, without going too crazy.  Every single cupboard and drawer in the kitchen had many MANY items left behind...some useful, some not.  I'm not sure how we'll ever find a use for the very naughty Valentine's Day card from Mrs. Hansen to her husband, discovered by one of my kids.  Sometimes it would be so nice to have a delete button in the brain.....

All things considered, the house was overall in excellent condition when we arrived.  When we learned that the owners had smoked in the home and had also owned pets, we were concerned, but were pleasantly surprised to find that the smoke and pet odors were very subdued.  I sneezed pretty good for about a week (I'm SO allergic to cats...real ones...well, you could say the ceramic ones, too), but we vacuumed often and opened windows which helped clear out any residual allergens.  

Anyway...are you really reading this post to hear about my cat allergies?  I didn't think so.  Let's continue the tour, shall we?  Here are some inside views of the entryway:

The hallway heading to the bedrooms:

That last photo is Luke and Landon's room.  They have transitioned to big-boy beds seamlessly!  We'll often put them to bed, then hear them talking and giggling and switching beds for well over an hour.  They are so much fun.  Their friendship is occasionally volatile, but mostly adorable.

They like to look out their window at the lemon tree...

  

Here is the master bedroom.  The rose painting and curtains were in place when we moved in.  Although I love red, it's not my first choice for a bedroom, but we've made it work.  You'll notice that we are sleeping on two twin beds pushed together... the full-size bed that was originally placed here got moved to one of the kids' rooms after about three nights.  The comforter is king-sized and fits this double-twin setup quite nicely!

The home has two full bathrooms and a half bathroom.  The first bathroom pictured is the hallway bath, and we jokingly call it our 6th bedroom.  It is enormous!  You could definitely put a twin bed in here, right? :)  The huge bathtub is a pain when bathing little ones, but an absolute dream for mommy after the littles have gone to bed.  Aaahhhhh.  There is also a very large shower behind the door, not pictured.

Here are the other two bathrooms, the guest and the master:

We spend most of our time in the living room/lounge/kitchen area.  It all sort of flows together.  It's spacious and bright and open, and the kids have plenty of space to play and stretch out and run around. Since we don't have central heating, the fireplace has gotten lots of use, especially during our first few weeks when it was still the middle of winter.   If you close the doors leading to the hallway areas, the living areas get toasty fairly quickly when the fire and fan are on.  When it's time for bed, we quickly hurry down the chilly halls to our beds, where electric blankets/mattress pads provide warmth and comfort.  That's the kiwi way.  Even though this is a newer home and the windows are all double-glazed, it has gotten pretty darn cold around here at times, although paling in comparison to a harsh Utah winter.  We are heading into spring now, with great anticipation!

I had spot-cleaned several areas of the carpet on the day I took these photos, hence the darker spots (for those of you who happened to notice!).

This next area is the lounge between the living room and kitchen.  It also serves as our home gym.  I brought several of my favorite exercise DVDs to New Zealand, hoping that they would play, since some US discs don't play in the local DVD players.  Luckily, about 80% of my DVDs are playable on this player!  Now, I just need to actually use those DVDs about 80% more than I've been using them!  It's hard to squeeze in workout time between eating pastry and Tim Tams.  :)

On to the kitchen/eating area...we are glad that there was an empty wall just big enough to fit our new (nearly-one-hundred-year-old) piano.  We don't love that the table and bar stools are placed on top of carpet, but we're too cheap to buy area rugs for underneath.  We are trying to keep the carpets clean, but it has been a challenge.  The carpet is very low pile, almost industrial style, so that helps.  Whenever I scrub a spot clean and my towel comes up covered with pet hairs, I feel less inclined to care so much.

We love the bright and well-lit kitchen.  We also love the spacious pantry with a huge countertop, which makes preparing lunches so much easier.  Between sending lunch and snacks to school every day, and rarely eating out, this kitchen has gotten tons of use already.  It's a great space and much nicer than many of the other homes we looked at.

If the fridge looks smaller than what we are used to in Utah, it is...this is only the refrigerator portion.  There's a large chest-style freezer in the garage.  Since the trash bins are in the garage next to said freezer, I thought I'd add that kiwis are very environmentally conscious, and they take recycling seriously.  In our part of Utah, recycling is optional and you actually have to pay extra to have your recycling picked up.  Here in NZ, besides the weekly trash pick-up, we have paper/plastic recycling pick-up every other week, switching off with glass.  You can always tell when someone has had a "spirited" few weeks based on the amount of glass bottles in their recycling bin!  More often than not, the bins are overflowing (but who am I to talk about vices, since our plastic recycling bin is always chock full of empty soda bottles).

Here is the laundry room.  It's at the opposite end of the garage.  I'm used to having the laundry room inside the house, but this room is so open and bright that I don't mind walking through the garage over and over on laundry days.

  

We have an electric dryer in the garage, as well as a clothes line outside.

A few more shots of the backyard...

The girls took some pictures of one of our many fun bubble-blowing sessions on the patio...

We have been treated to some beautiful sunrises and afternoon rainbows, viewed right from our front yard:

I think that about covers it!  We feel incredibly fortunate to be living in this beautiful home in such a nice neighborhood.  Hope you've enjoyed the home tour!

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!