Nursing in New Zealand, Part 2

Recently I've really noticed the difference in the training that nurses get in America vs. New Zealand. I honestly don't know enough about the nursing schools here to even compare the inital training. But as far as "on the job" vs. "formal" training of certian procedures, there's some serious differences.

IV insertion or "cannulating"

In America, we were sent off as 4th semester nursing students to torture pregnant women admitted to the Labor and Delivery units. A woman in her 9th month of pregnancy will have 50% more blood in her body than the rest of us, so the idea was that the nursing students had big juicy veins to aim their shaking, wobbly, first-timer needles at. Since most of us only got to do this once or twice during the semester (oddly, women about to give birth don't like being practiced on), we all learned on the fly at our first jobs. Have you ever had a nurse just dig and dig and dig around, unable to find your vein? Yeah, she's probably new and practicing on you. Thank you for your participation.

In New Zealand, cannulating is a BIG DEAL. You are not taught how to cannulate in nursing school. After you've completed your nurse training and are hired somewhere, your new job will send you to a cannulation course, and only if your job requires it. I suppose to non-medical professionals this may seem prudent. But it's bizarre to meet 40 year vetran nurses who just learned how to put an IV in last week. It was even mandatory that I do the cannulation course with my 5 years of cannulation experience, because I was certified in a different country. Wild.

PICC (Peripherely Inserted Central Catheter) Lines

This is another thing that American nurses (at least where I trained) kind of learned on the fly. I mean sure, we learned all the rules and contraindications and things during our orientation, but it was fairly informal. There may have been a packet of information involved. I forget.

In New Zealand, you must attend advanced classes for PICC line certification, and this is to use and maintain a PICC, not to place one. Once again, the amount of excitement around venous access in this country seems a bit over the top, although I suppose I can get behind the PICC line education a bit more. As things stand right now, I'm not even allowed to flush 10ml NS through a PICC line, even though I've been using, maintaining, and removing them for years in America.

Kaikoura, NZ

Suturing

To my knowledge, the only American nurses who can put stitches in are RNFAs and NPs. Someone correct me if Google has given me the wrong information on this. I've never known a nurse who was trained to suture.

In New Zealand, A&E (Accident and Emergency) nurses suture. No biggie. Theres a 2 hour course involved. You clean the wound, administer the anesthetic, and you put in the stitches. There are all types of stitch patterns. Who knew? You learn on pig flesh, and then if you're me, you get to "practice" on drunk guys who get punched in the face. After 10 supervised suturing sessions, I'll be on my own. Sweet as.

Casting or "Plastering"

Once again, I don't know any nurses in the States who put on casts. I'm pretty sure it is legally allowed, but most hospitals have a designated person or team who has had advanced training in this area. At my hospital, we had an orthotech who handled all of the casting, as well as most of the traction and a few other things.

In New Zealand, nurses put on plenty of casts. Orthopedic surgeons are still the ones managing compound fractures and anything that will need setting, bolting, plating, etc. But your run of the mill greenstick fracture is a nurse's job to cast. We can also order the X-ray. My cast or "plaster" traning was 3 hours long and included fingers, hands, arms, legs, ankles, and feet. It's definitely a learn-as-you-go mentality. (Don't let this put you off- a nurse will never plaster your broken arm without checking and rechecking the positioning, and likely having someone watch her the first several times as well!)

Marlborough Sounds, NZ

Drug Double Checks

Every single IV medication has to be checked independently by two RNs. Antibiotics. IV fluids. Saline. I know. Pick yourself up off the floor and thank God that there's half as much documentation to do, because you'll be running after someone 24/7 for a signature. Im eternally grateful I'm not working on a busy surgical floor with this rule in place.

Where's That? What's This?

Where's the Dilaudid? The Phenergan? The Soma? Drugs that I used every single day (every hour of every day?) at work are nowhere to be found in New Zealand. Phenergan used to be around, but apparently they used it more freuquently, at my work anyways, for it's anti-histimine properties. Who knew it had those? Regardless, its been banned now because of it's extravasion tendencies.

What's entenox? Let me tell you, what they lack in the "hard stuff" pain killers, they make up with the brilliance of entenox. Laughing gas. It's used librally here for short term pain relief during suturing or painful dressing changes. While someone in the States is getting a shot of Morphine (and all of it's side effects), someone in New Zealand is happily puffing away on laughing gas, and is safe and sober to drive just a short while later. Fantastic.

Picton, NZ

Lastly, and I've written about this before, I can't get over the relationship between the doctors and the nurses. Perhaps it's unique to where I'm working- but I'm told it's not. We're a team. Rarely do I feel like someone is talking down to me. They ask for nursing input and respect nursing opinion. They recognize that we're spending the time with the patient and are the eyes and ears. I just can't stress enough how this positively affects the outcome for our patients, and I wish some American docs would just get over it and step down (up?) to the nursing level. There's exceptions to the rule in both countries of course... but generally speaking here, it's a hugely noticable difference.

If you have any questions regarding nursing in NZ, leave a comment or send me an email. The Nursing Part 1 is still by far the most viewed post on my blog, so I figure there's nurses out there with inquiring minds!

Most importantly, I find that nurses in both countries follow the important life-rule that I've adopted since I began this line of work.

Work hard, play harder. Which I'll be doing this weekend on the northern east coast (see photos above)!

As Of Late....

This update regarding my infrequent postings is brought to you courtesy of night shift.

I have been incredibly lucky throughout my nursing career and I've never had to stay up past 11pm. (At least not at the hospital. There were of course study sessions that went well past 2am, and mid-nursing-school crisis WhatamIdoing? sessions that surely went later than that.) But I've never had to work a shift later than 11pm. Lucky.

When I got hired at the 24 Hour Surgery, they were very upfront in telling me that I would have rotating shifts including a run of night shifts every 2 months. The 24 Hour Surgery is a lot like an "Immediate Care" or "Prompt Care" center in the States, except that we are the only medical establishment open 24-hours besides Christchurch Hopsital's Emergency Department. This severe lack of overnight medical centers is of course because of the earthquakes.

Anyhow, back to me. I had gotten out of my night shifts until now because of of the variations in my job and schedule, but the time had finally come. I dreaded it for weeks. Pretty much since I saw the days in ink on paper back in May. 3 nights. 8 hours each. Midnight-8am.

I whined about it to all who would listen. I warned my husband that I would likely be an inconsolable ball of sleepless anger and fury and self pity, and that he was best advised to stay away or stay quiet. (Like, silent). I made sure to stock up on food (the only foreseeable positive thing in my life for the next 72 hours). And then I tried to sleep.

Of course I couldn't. Who sleeps during the day when they haven't yet stayed up all night? Not this girl. I managed to show up for night 1 with a 1-hour nap under my belt (but a solid 8 hours the night before). And you know what? It wasn't that bad. Work was steady, as Friday nights in emergency nursing are. When I came home, I dropped dead to the world and slept for 4 hours.

For the following 48 hours I commenced zombie-life during the day time and perky-ness at night. I have to say, although I had a 0% productivity rate during the awake part of my days, I was surprised by how easy it was to stay up all night. For a girl that has trouble staying up after midnight for a drink with friends. I impressed myself.

The last night, or early hours of Monday morning, were really slow. Like 2 patients in 4 hours slow. This is when the going got tough, the nausea set in, and my eyes felt like they were filled with gravel. But 4 hours out of a total 24 isn't a bad ratio. I'll take it. Also, working nights means working with many fewer nurses, and getting to do the cool stuff like suturing. Sweet!

So I was really hyped up about something that wasn't that bad. I'm not going to go on looking forward to my next night shift. But there won't be so much dread next time.

Anyways, a photo from our guest room when I was making the bed last night. Scott's parents will be here tomorrow!!!

Now, what are your reasons for not coming to visit??

This morning: not so much with the view. I woke up socked into a cloud. Where did the neighbors go?

 The alps, the fog, and the misty gray winter morning:

Nursing in New Zealand. Part 1.

Hi all!

I just went and made myself a large "cuppa", New Zealand speak for a cup of coffee or tea. Context: "Hey Deb, I'm running to the cafe, can I get you a cuppa?" At my work, this is usually followed up with a 5 minute conversation about how crappy the provided coffee is (their words, not mine), and "thank God there is a cafe with real coffee across the street". (A later post will be dedicated to Kiwis' version of "real coffee".) Anyways... I've got my cuppa (tea), and am ready to tackle the topic: Nursing in New Zealand. This will be a lengthy post, so I suggest you too go get yourself a cuppa.

"What is nursing in New Zealand like?" has to be the most common question I get, second to "Do the toilets really flush the other way around?" The latter has yet to be determined, as I need someone to confirm the direction of flush in the Northern Hemisphere first. Anyways...

I don't feel properly equipped to blog about nursing in New Zealand. First of all, I've only been here for 4 weeks (tomorrow), and at my job for 3 weeks. Secondly, I don't work in the hospital so I don't have side-by-side comparisons for my 3rd floor buddies.

So I've decided to give you a run down of what my work and typical workday are like, and hopefully within this, an idea of nursing in New Zealand. First, a picture.

From Scott's recent road ride to Diamond Harbour

I have an agreement with Pegasus 24 Hour Surgery to work .8 FTE. This translates 8 days per fortnight, or 4 8-hour days per week. Pretty sweet. In New Zealand, "24 Hour Surgery" does not correlate to a surgery center like in the United States. The name, misleading to expats, is commonly understood here: 24 Hour Surgery means 24 Hour Clinic. In nurse speak, it's basically a prompt care or urgent care center.

A bit more about Pegasus: the organization is actually owned, kind of like a co-op, by over 320 General Practitioners in the Canterbury area. (Canterbury is the county, if you will, that Christchurch is a part of.) So these 320 GPs use Pegasus as a sort of extension of their offices. When patients come in with infections, DVTs, fractures, etc. they can be sent to Pegasus for outpatient treatment that is much quicker and easier than going to hospital. (No, I did not forget the "the" before hospital. It's a British kind of thing I think, but they refer to the hospital as if it were a pronoun. Just, Hospital.)

A person does not have to be a patient of one of these GPs to use our services, they can also walk in off the street, be tourists, etc. These people will encounter a $50 charge (if its not a night/weekend/holiday- then its a few hundred) for our services. This $50 (or so) will cover all plastering of fractures, suturing of lacerations, visits by doctors, etc. Hello socialized medicine, call me a communist but I see your advantages. Moving on.

So Pegasus has a triage "ER" type facility and a fracture clinic downstairs, and upstairs they have an observation unit and the Community Care nursing team. I interviewed and was hired to be in triage, however, upon learning about my Public Health nursing degree and 6 months of experience as a student in the community, I was told that I would be "temporarily" placed in Community Care, as they are extremely short staffed.

More of Scott's road ride, I can't wait to retire from nursing and buy a farm.

Being that a) I can't exactly say "no" to the only employer I have in New Zealand and b) I had no idea how healthcare in New Zealand really operated, I took the opportunity in Community Care [Com Care] as a positive thing. Sure, I envisioned myself suturing up gnarly mountain bike lacerations on fellow adventurers, but how relaxing is it to kick back and shoot the breeze with one patient at a time!? No patient transfers, rare acute pain control, rare emergency situations. I recognize that I am at risk of losing my skills (outside of drug calculations and IV starts, which I do constantly), but for the moment, I am having a very relaxing introduction to nursing in New Zealand. It's quite refreshing, actually.

So here's my day: I arrive at work at either 7:30am or 3:00pm. There are no noc shifts in Com Care, just AMs or PMs, 8 hours either way. I get a list of my patients for the day, usually 4-6 names. We have handover (report). The patients either come into the clinic, or we go out to the home. We can go anywhere in Christchurch [Chch], as well as several surrounding communities. Up to about 50 minutes driving time one-way sometimes. This can make an 8 hour day go quickly, if you like beautiful scenery, ocean views, sheep, and inner-city post earthquake traffic. I'm in the honeymoon phase still, so I like it all. Anyhow...

The most common tasks of Com Care include:

IV antibiotic transfusions (90% Cephazolin, pronounced kef-zol-in in a charming accent)

SQ Clexane (Kiwi speak for Lovenox)

Lab draws 

ECGs

Wound dressing changes

Catheterizations

Patient Assessments (done at home only. After a patient has been discharged from hospital, the GP likes to follow up immediately. If it's a weekend or holiday, or the GP is on holiday, they contact Com Care to see the patient and make sure they are safe and happy at home. The patients are usually respiratory in nature.)

A photo from watching races at the Christchurch velodrome. Are you non-nurses bored yet?

So after I see patients in the clinic or at home, I write "notes" related to their care. We follow the SOAP (subjective, objective, action, plan) algorithm for your nurses out there. My notes range from 0.25-1.0 pages typed. That's it. That's all my charting. Wrap your brains around that.

There's a bit of written charting we keep in their file (calling it a chart would be laughable, it's 10-15 pages max) including vital signs, contact info, referral forms and usually a modest H&P. My responsibilities, besides typing my notes, also includes phoning GPs, hospital, clinics, etc. to arrange for my patient's appointments to ensure they have good continuing care. It's really quite a lovely service to be a part of. The nurses are (mostly) happy. The patients are happy. I have yet to be spoken to in an even slightly degrading manner by a patient. Or a doctor!

So as you Enloe readers can imagine, my job is so different from 3rd floor that it's barely comparable. I will be cross-training in triage at the end of summer (March), so perhaps that will lend itself to some more side-by-side analysis. Regardless, I'll try to summarize a few things that I find interesting about nursing in NZ. (But another picture beforehand, to keep everyone else awake...)

Public Seating in downtown Chch. A punting boat on the Avon river. A glimpse of earthquake rebuild behind the tree. 

Physicians

- Doctors are referred to by their first names, just like nurses. Can you imagine this in the states?

- Everyone shares the same staff room, from nurses' aides to doctors. And they all mingle.

- Docs frequently liaise with the nurse about how to improve the patient's care.

- At least at Pegasus, docs wear scrubs just like everyone else's. No fancy lab coats. No designer jeans.

Working Conditions

- Coffee, tea, milk, biscuits (cookies), crackers, and fruit are provided at all times for staff. Full meals are provided if you work weekends (sandwich/panini ingredients or frozen meals, usually.)

- If you must work a public holiday (NZ has 11 public holidays annually compared to 10 in the States), you receive 1.5x hourly pay and a "day in lieu" of PTO. This means you get a whole 8 hours of PTO to take whenever you want if you had to work a public holiday. Queens Birthday in June? Sign me up! This actually applies to all professions in New Zealand, but most places just close on public holidays.

- If you are sick, you may use your sick time. Why would you use your PTO???

- Weekend pay is time and a half. At hospital, it's double time. Weekends and holiday time (vacations) are precious to kiwis. A major catch phrase of the whole country is "the work-life balance".

General Nursing Comparisons

- Starting IVs (cannulation, if you astute readers remember) is a big deal here. You must take post-graduate classes and do continuing education to be certified to start IVs. Doctors frequently start IVs. (3rd floor: can you imagine it? Call CHG instead of VAD!)

- DVTs and asymptomatic PEs are managed in the community. Have a clot all the way from your ankle to your groin? No problem, we'll give you SC Clexane at home daily, and you'll be on warfarin. You'll come to clinic every 1-2 days for repeat INRs, and we'd prefer you don't go back to work. Bed rest shmedrest. Just take it easy please. 

- We send patients home with their peripheral IVs every single day. PICC lines are very rare. So is the incidence of patients using their peripheral line for IV drug abuse.

- I wear a funny uniform with a striped fitted button up blouse and black pants instead of scrubs. Apparently it's "more professional". New Zealand as a country is really into uniforms (bankers, cell phone retailers, cafe waitresses, etc. all wear matching uniforms, usually with blouses, skirts/slacks, and stripes involved.) I'll wear scrubs when I'm downstairs.

- Nurses in New Zealand are far more worldly. My colleagues have worked in hospitals and clinics in Saudi, Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, India, Germany, Finland, and the UK. It's inspiring, although to them I think my "big adventure" is pretty tame.

Healthcare in New Zealand

- People can pay or have additional insurance policies that pay for care in a private hospital. This hospital stay will include a better nurse:patient ratio, and (seriously) gourmet food services. As previously mentioned, a stay in the public hospital is free.

- New Zealand covers the cost of accidents for everyone. If you American readers come visit me (hint, hint) and break your leg parasailing or forget which side of the road to drive on and crash your rental, your visit to the hospital, treatment, medications, and follow up care are free. Completely.

I think that sums it up for now. If you've not fallen asleep, congratulations! In the time it's taken me to compose this, the weather has gone from calm and cloudy, to windy and stormy, to sprinkling rain, now to sunny and windy. This, I understand, is what Christchurch is known for. I'm going to get out and enjoy the sun while it lasts. 

A last photo, one of great importance:

Look what I got! Look what I got! Thank you, mom!!!

13

I just had my last day at work. This was my first nursing job, my first "career" job, my first awesome paycheck. I have to say though, as last days go it was the most anti-climactic of all the lasts. I got some love from the doctors, and my one awesome buddy brought me a box of chocolate and some other goodies. I'm thankful for goodies.

While I was at work, Scott spent most of the day dismantling, transporting, and relocating the chicken coop. Yep, the girls moved out today. He sent me play by play texts. And he gave them extra treats for me this morning. I know it's completely silly, but that totally made me feel better. (If you're judging me, just unsubscribe now. Spontaneous irrational emotions are part of my charm. I can't change, I've tried.) I've been fretting for weeks now about when the girls actually moved out, and maybe dealing with some guilt (irrational side again, I know they're just chickens- doesn't change anything)... so last night I conned Scott (after a few beers) and a buddy of ours to take a "family portrait".

Fellers Family Photo 2012. Too bad I'm not sending out Christmas cards.

That turning point, all sails set for New Zealand... (long post)

"How are you with cannulation?" She asked.

 Does she really want to know how proficient I am with placing a nasal cannula? How hard can it be?

"Do you mean a nasal cannula?" I asked.

"No, no. Cannulation." Well that cleared it up.

"IV cannulation" she said.

"OH! Starting IVs! Haha! Got it. I'm pretty good. I don't really have trouble starting IVs!" I said. Close one.

"OK. Lovely."

And that's how my interview went with Louisa from the Pegasus Health 24-hour surgery clinic. It started off with a plan for her to call me at 9am NZ time on Tuesday (my Monday). All weekend I planned to talk to her at 1pm, the standard 4 hours time difference I'd gotten used to over the last several months. Thank goodness Scott reminded me of daylight savings time. The interview was now at noon. 12'oclock noon while I was on vacation with my husband. I wanted to be somewhere quiet, with good cell reception.

Unfortunately, my parent's house in Benicia has the worst cell reception of all time. Like, worse than in a deep-sea submarine off the coast of Iceland. So their place was out for an interview spot. Coffee shop? Too loud. Library? Not supposed to talk. So oddly, we settled on inside the car, on the top level of a 6-story parking garage in Emeryville. At $2/hr no less. It wasn't until after the decision was made and the interview was underway that I realized the bay area has about 15 flying vehicles in the air at any given time (noisy), you're never less than 5 miles from a freeway of some kind (noisy), and everyone honks at each other (noisy). And if you've ever been part of an overseas phone interview, on a cell phone no less, you know that the reception just isn't the same. And I was on speakerphone with a panel. And they have Kiwi accents. And they're asking me about cannulation. Oh man.

Other highlights of my interview with Louisa, who was truly delightful:

- My fumbling through scenarios at a snail's pace, sweating in the hot car on the HOT November day that it was, sweat dripping from heat stroke and my actual pending stress-induced stroke
- Forgetting the name for Nitroglycerin ("That sub-lingual med. You know the one! N.... Nii... uhh... Nitro! That's it!") Pressure at it's finest...

- Asking the other interviewer to repeat every single question she asked because I couldn't understand her beautiful whispering accent

- Rambling about the benefits of computerized order entry when they don't have it

- Louisa and my other interviewer laughing (at me, I think) quite a bit and saying "lovely" a lot

An hour and a half later ($3) with a nearly dead cell phone and a nearly starved husband, my call ended and I felt good. Confused, but good. And 30 minutes after that... I felt great!

Louisa called my recruiter, Kristin, and confirmed that she would be offering me a position at Pegasus Health's 24-Hour Surgery in Christchurch. Kristin called me immediately, and started gushing about her love for the city and the area (she lives in Christchurch herself) and encouraging me in regards to the state of the city after the earthquake. I also learned that I would be cross-trained in a few different specialties, all which are super interesting to me, AND I would be working four 8-hour shifts per week. And that's considered full time! Talk about a place that understands the work-life balance. I love New Zealand! I told her that Scott and I would take the evening to consider the offer while the official paperwork was being drawn up, but I already knew the answer.

Christchurch - The Garden City

Christchurch was our favorite city we visited while in New Zealand. Queenstown was of course, amazing, but very touristy, and also prone to major snow during the winter. We also loved a town named Alexandra, but both agreed it would be too small for our settling. Christchurch is on the coast, about 1/3 down the eastern edge of the south island. It is the largest city on the south island, and was the location of the famous 2011 earthquake. The city center suffered the most damage, but as a result, neighborhoods close to the city center have popped up with new restaurants, bars, and shopping. There are huge botanical gardens and parks everywhere, as well as phenomenal mountain biking, most of which we have barely even had a taste of.

Enjoying Christchurch Cathedral, days before it fell. Pegasus is in the square, almost right behind us to the right

Botanical gardens in the city center

Yes, this is a small fraction of our city park

Another small sample from Hagley Park in Christchurch

Tourists punting down the Avon River, in Christchurch city center!!

This is just a suburban green-way, a common "park" across the street from regular neighborhood houses.

What happened to Nelson and Wellington, you may ask? Nelson was always our first choice. It unarguably has the most fantastic mountain biking, and Abel Tasman Park is obviously beautiful. There aren't really drawbacks to Nelson other than it is so attractive to native New Zealanders that they really don't need to hire from outside the country (aka: me). Simple as that. And after our permanent residency is secured (8+ months from now), we could still move there. We will see.

As for Wellington, the more time we spent researching it, the more confounded we became. It is beautiful, on the water, with great mountain biking. But it is on the north island, and we just want to be on the south island- where we fell in love with the country. Of course Welly is a short plane/ferry ride from the south island, but that makes spur of the moment trips almost impossible, and pricey. It's also pretty secluded down there on the southern tip of the north island, so even if we did want to travel out of the region, there's not really anything but countryside for miles. Don't get me wrong, I have no evidence that Wellington isn't one of the greatest places to live, and I still can't wait to check it out. But as for fulfilling our dream of living on New Zealand's south island, we just felt it was important to keep things how we imagined them: Southern.

Some how Dunedin got cut off the bottom of the list, it's the southern most east (right side) heart

Christchurch is on the beach, just over an hour from the south island's premier ski-field (Mount Hutt), an hour from the rainforest, under 2 hours from the hot springs, 5 hours from Nelson, and 6 hours from Queenstown (both destined to be favorite long-weekend getaway destinations). It has a college, plenty of culture, and a median age of 34. The weather is actually quite a bit milder than Wellington- with there being less wind and rain. Christchurch is quite a bit cooler than our hometown of Chico though, with average summer highs in the 70s, and winter days in the 30s and 40s. There's far less rain in Christchurch than in most places in New Zealand (making bike riding particularly attractive) and there is an above average amount of sunshine per year compared to the rest of the country. Lastly, it has the major airport of the south island - so we expect lots of visitors!!!

Enjoying the beaches of Christchurch before flying away (and spending the next 2 years thinking about this place)

Hamner Springs : 1.75 hours north of the city

Mt Hutt (not me- I don't ski!): less than 90 minutes away

Scott riding in Christchurch- see the local spectator on the right?

The bike wife... biking. (aka: yours truly)

A little waterfall in the rainforest, est: 50 minute drive west out of Christchurch

Lake Tekapo: 3 hours (max) south of Christchurch

Mount Cook: 4 hours south of Christchurch

Somewhere on Hwy 73, about 2 hours west of Christchurch... after the rain!

Castle Hill, outside of Cragieburn Natn'l Forest - also about 2 hours west. That's me up there!

One of the many beautiful glacial rivers - this one in southwest NZ

We are super excited, but we have SO much to do. On tap for tomorrow: gathering as much information as possible together for our visas, including several letters verifying that my relationship with my husband is real and true (seriously). If anyone finds themselves with extra time on their hands... feel free to pen us an endorsement!! More on the extensive visa application process next time!

Roller Coaster Life

So much has happened in the last week, it's overwhelming. I am sitting here at my in-laws house, typing on my second brand new Macbook Pro computer of the week. We're supposed to be in wine country celebrating our belated anniversary, and hopefully will be there soon. It's been a whirlwind weekend of mostly ups, with a few downs... and right now we're halfway though a vacation, but here I am posting on my blog. Let me explain:

Up: We are in the bay area for a wedding, which was Sunday evening, and it was lovely. A high school friend of mine got hitched at the Chabot Space Center in Oakland, CA (super cool!). On Saturday, I had the privilege of spending the day with a family friend learning how to make real Mexican food. See, in New Zealand they lack two major components of a happy life: good beer and good Mexican food. I've got some good base knowledge on one now, and we're actually hoping to learn how to brew the other.

Up: Also on Saturday I bought a Macbook Pro, which will be our computer, our TV/movie screen, and our major form of communication while we're in NZ. I've been planning this purchase for about a year, but finally pulled the trigger since we're almost there.

Down: Yesterday, unfortunately, I found out that I wouldn't be considered for a job that I've been chasing in Nelson for the last several weeks. Although this came as a disappointment, I wasn't actually that shocked, since it took so long to get an answer. Regardless, it's not worth ruining a perfectly good week ahead of us.

Up: We spend the night last night in San Francisco, figuring it would be our last night enjoying the city for quite some time. We went to Bourbon and Branch, a super cool speakeasy in the city- the real deal. We registered online for our reservation, and were given a password which had to be spoken at the door to be let in. And this was no average bar- the entrance to B&B is on a busy street corner in SF, but it's just a sturdy looking door with no sign, no address, no markings. You knock, they open it a crack and ask the password. Don't forget yours! I highly recommend you check this place out, if your of the sort who enjoys good whiskey, and a bit of mystery.

We enjoyed a great place for dinner who's name escapes me (maybe from all the bourbon consumed prior to dinner...) and we actually turned in a tad early- I blame Daylight Savings.

Down: Fast forward to this AM and the reason I am typing this novel on my second Macbook Pro. Our beloved (bedraggled?) Subaru was broken into last night while we were out on the town. The thieves helped themselves to my computer, of course, as well as Scott's extremely high end road bike, one of my mountain bike wheels (but not our mountain bikes), and his gear bag full of bike clothes. After a mini-breakdown, I composed myself while Scott sorted things out with SF's finest. In the end, everything will be fixed and replaced with very little monetary cost to us- but we're losing a day of our anniversary celebration doing paperwork.

But, one last thing. One eensy-teensy last thing. Being on board this weekend roller-coaster of ups and downs, life threw us one last very high up (and more paperwork)...

I got a job offer.

And I took it.

The paperwork just got signed and sent. The immigration lawyers are already contacting me. We're moving to Christchurch, New Zealand sometime in December.
Buckle your seat belts, and stay tuned....!

Image Via

*note: ups and downs do not reflect a damn thing related to today's presidential election- I just noticed the coincidental color coordination. Good luck to both criminals candidates.

This is the moment we've been waiting for...

I don't know why it's taken me so long to write this post. The first BIG moment, of a few pending big moments, finally happened last Tuesday. I had been neurotically emailing the NZ nursing council, as well as my job agency, to find out if there was anything I could do to ensure the processing of my registration.

A note: I had been well informed that it could take several months to get one's nursing registration finalized. My agent, Kristin (won't be forgetting that one), had told me of her ongoing nightmare with a client in San Diego who had been in the process for 8 months, and the NZNC were still hounding her for additional information before processing. Although the NZNC website states 20-40 working days, I gleaned from Kristin, as well as my immigration lawyer and internet horror stories, that this number was a myth or a lie.

I actually received an email back from the NZNC on July 23 stating "Kristen, we have received all the information we need and your registration should be processed within a couple of days". Honestly, this was enough to hold me over for a month. They sounded happy. No more sacrifices were necessary to tame the beast.

The council actually sent my registration to my agent, per my preference, so that she could get the ball rolling on the job hunt. On July 31, she emailed me a congratulatory email, stating that this was one of the fastest processions that she had ever seen. Keep in mind that although I have been collecting information (transcripts, finger prints, letters of recommendation, etc.), I didn't actually send the final document to the NZNC until my birthday, June 11. And the date on my registration actually says July 24. In case you're curious, or willing to put up with my curiosity, that is a grand total of 31 working days not including the days it also probably took for my information to get there by snail mail. Or is it whale-mail, seeing that it was over-seas? In any case, I am grateful.

So here she is:

My mother thought it looked Irish and my dad said that it all really hit home seeing the Maori transcription at the top (it literally says Nursing Council of New Zealand in Maori). My mother-in-law and Scott both agreed that it was very impressive looking. Although I feel like this piece of paper should dance and do laundry considering how much work it took- I actually have to agree that it is a fancy little thing. A lot more impressive than my stale pale blue card from the BRN in California.

In any case, after seeing this email (the actual document is somewhere over the Pacific right now), I just cried. In all honesty, I've been wondering how it would feel to know we were actually going. I know it will still be emotional when we leave our beautiful little home here in Chico, and when we leave our wonderful friends and families behind for adventure. But back to this day. My tears were pure joy. 100%. I was all riled up, and the second Scott got home I ran down the steps full force and nearly knocked him over with a bear hug and laughter. He didn't even ask. He just knew.

From here I apply for my practising certificate (a little NZ spelling for ya there). In the days since receiving my registration I have completed a nice CV as well as an application for work in Nelson/Marlborough County (!). My agent has these and detailed references from my 'referees', and is actively on the job hunt for me as of today. Hallelujah.

The Bike Wife

What is a Bike Wife?

She could be a lot of things. She could be a wife with a house always filled with bikes. Tire tracks on her clean floors, spare parts hiding in the couch cushions. She could be a wife who encourages her partner to ride bikes. Supportive and congratulatory. She herself could of course enjoy a ride now and then, a picnic, a trip to the farmer's market. Or she could be a wife whose husband is always out on a bike ride. This bike wife may have referred to herself as a bike widow.

Although I've considered myself all of these things at one point or another, I'd like to think I've redefined the bike wife. Now the bike wife is rolling her own bikes into the house and leaving them there. She has her partner cheering her across the finish line. She doesn't just ride for leisure; she trains, she gets motivated, she strives to meet new goals. She's always out on a bike ride, even when she should be cleaning the house, paying bills, or updating her blog.

Six years ago I met my husband, Scott.

He was a bicycle obsessed, downhill racing, super cute mechanic at the outdoor store where I had just been hired. A glimpse of that smile and it was all over for me. Fast forward 3 years and all of a sudden this girl who had chosen to walk the 8 blocks to campus and who had never even heard of "upper park" owns 2 mountain bikes, a town bike, and a road bike. Together, Scott and I graduated from college, bought a house, and traveled the US and the world... partly by foot, partly on two wheels. Another year later we were married, mountain bikes present, and now after nearly 2 years of blissful (if not muddy, dusty, and greasy) marriage, we are ready for a big change!!!

Nope! Not kids!

Scott and I are embarking on what we hope will be the adventure of a lifetime. We've spent the last 9 months preparing for our move to New Zealand. From telling our folks- scary!, to taking strange tests... from selling our stuff, to getting that first interview... New Zealand has been an exciting, elusive goal... but it also seemed so far away.

Queenstown, NZ

It's no longer so far away. We haven't left the states yet, and we still have a ton of planning to do. But I decided to start this blog to keep family and friends abreast of our moving plans, our journey, and our NZ adventure. I'll try to be diligent about updating (it's hard to follow a book when the chapters are released months apart, right?) and I'll try to post the most interesting things that happen to us. Maybe I'll throw some sweet NZ recipes and funny kiwi slang in the mix. Who knows...

So until we see you again, and it won't be that long I'm sure, I hope you enjoy this chronicle of our jorney. And we'd love nothing more than to hear comments from you: family, friends, or friendly strangers. Consider this blog your update, your letter, your post card... from New Zealand!