Thursday, 27 February 2014

AND SO IT BEGINS



Hello everyone.  Welcome to our blog!  I apologize for the delay in getting it up and running, but as expected, the process of connecting to the internet has been a long and tedious one.  We are still struggling with the difficulties, and time,  required to upload a photograph, so for now you will have to do without pictures. 

 

We are doing very well.  We have already been here just over a month and feeling quite settled. Australia was a lot of fun.  Our initial plan to travel south down the coast to Melbourne was aborted pretty quickly once we learned of the heat wave (42 degrees) that was heading to the Melbourne area.  Instead we headed north to Newcastle and Forster. Incredible beaches and great play in the big surf. We spent one day dragging the kids through the wineries which Sean and I really enjoyed.  We did eventually make it down to Melbourne after the temperatures cooled, and had the opportunity to go to the Australian Open.  We spent one day watching some great tennis. We did struggle a little with Anna initially as she refused to enjoy anything for the first 4 days.  However, she quickly realized she was missing out and turned herself around.

 

We arrived on Tanna Island on Jan 25th, after spending a very busy 4 days in Port Vila.   Island life seems to suit us, as we are very much embracing the slower pace that is required here.  The weather has been very hot and humid, affecting some of us more than others.  Sean seems to hardly notice it whereas I tend to wilt in the afternoon heat.  It has taken us a month of feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the new things, but we have now established our daily routine.  One goes to work at 8:00 a.m. and usually is done by around 3:00 p.m.  The other goes to the market, preps meals and homeschools the girls from 9-12.  The latter is probably the more challenging job.  The girls have been quite good but are hard to keep focused at times.  French is definitely suffering.  Math and language arts have been the bulk of the school focus.   Art is by far their favourite subject, and I have to say I am impressed with their work.  Little artists if you give them the right canvas! 

 

Anna is revered by the young girls in the neighbourhood who show up at the back door at around 3:30. They have just returned from their school and they just want to play outside.  Anna is so great with all of them, and pays particular attention to the youngest ones who seem to be hanging off her most of the time.  She has already changed so much;  very helpful with the meals and washing up, always wanting to bake, much more tolerant of the slight discomforts.  She and Sasha still fight but not as frequently.  I think they recognize the need for an ally and count on the other more.  This experience has already brought the family closer together and we spend lots of time just playing games or, imagine this, talking. 

 

Sasha has been amazingly adaptive.  She just goes along with all of it.  As long as she has Anna, she is fine.  She doesn’t like to initiate contact with others but if Anna is there, she is full on energy and play. She too has become much more helpful around the house.   She looks like a local as she climbs the trees no problem, and swings from everything.  I think she grounds Anna.  The two of them laugh a lot more together, and have shared some pretty amazing experiences already.

 

Anna had an amazing day 2 weeks ago.  I took the girls up to the maternity ward so they could see the newborn (2 hours old) that I had assisted doing the C section on.   Anna had packed a little bag of clothes, some soap and a towel and a bib in a bag and taken it with her to give to the family.  They were very appreciative.  When I asked the family if they had named the baby girl yet, they asked if Anna would name her because she had brought the baby a present.  Anna didn’t know what to say but was very sweet and obviously very touched by their incredible gesture.  The family then decided they would name the new little baby Anna, after our Anna.  You can imagine how happy it made her feel.  Very special moment for her.

 

The food has been great but we are starting to run out of our Bon Marche treats.  We eat a lot of chicken, eggs, sweet potatoe and fruit.  Nothing but white bread. Last week,   we were taught how to make a traditional meal laplap by Kathleen, the housekeeper.  It was fun to make, but definitely requires some getting used to. It uses island cabbage which is a little disgusting (slimey) and ground manioc root  wrapped in banana leaves.  The combination is then cooked over an open fire.  

 

We do a lot of driving whether it is to a nearby beach, or  our weekly trip to one of the various dispensaries on the Island. The roads here are notoriously bad, meaning it is rare to get into 3rd gear, but lately have been no problem in terms of rain and getting stuck.  I have a new respect for four wheel drive and am often awed by what we can go over.  I can’t imagine what it feels like to crack 30 km per hour, and think that most locals would be horrified by the experience of being on a highway.  A smooth road seems like an impossibility these days.  We did however break the record last week by picking up 11 passengers on the way to a dispensary visit.  Anna and Sasha have been striving to get more than 13 in the truck, which was said to be the most ever.  They were pretty happy when a group of 11 young school girls needed a ride.

 

The swimming, beaches, and sunsets are amazing.  Loving the play in the waves.  We haven’t had much snorkelling because of the big swell that is fairly constant.  It will come once the wind and the swell settles.  The ocean water remains quite turbid making visibility an issue. Having said that, we did have an amazing day 3 days ago when we snorkelled out past the reef and saw huge turtles swimming beneath us.  Sasha and Anna both did great, particularly in light of the fact that it was the first time they were snorkeling in deep water.  They were thrilled to see the turtles, and didn’t seem to notice that we were quite a ways off shore.  Very cool.

 

Sean managed to get a paddle board and 2 boogie sent here and they arrived last week. Paddling should be great but surfing could be challenging as almost the entire coast line is hemmed by reef. The best place to surf does have great waves, but so far too big for us. We are a little green yet for double overhead barrel waves.  

 

The medical side of things has been really exciting and challenging.  There are 2 other doctors here since Jan 2014:  Dr Wilma and Dr Johnson.  Dr Wilma is an obstetrician and her husband Dr Johnson is an ophthalmologist who also does some general surgery.  There is certainly enough work for all of us! The OR is up and running and is used almost daily for C sec, TL, and more superficial surgeries like hernia repairs, large lipoma dissections.  Dr Johnson really doesn’t do intra-abdominal surgeries unless absolutely necessary.  

  Dr Wilma does almost all the complicated maternity.  She only gets called if there is a major problem.  She does round on the maternity patients first thing and then I usually meet her on the paeds ward.  I have done several deliveries which has been great.  I love it.  Just last week I delivered a footling breech only to discover that she had twins.  SURPRISE.  The second baby delivered easily and all was well.  FUN!

I try to help with all the C-sections and she is gearing me up to do them on my own.  Lots of tubal ligations.  There seems to be a bit of a natural pairing of Wilma and I working together in the OR,  and Sean and Johnston in the OR. 

 

 Sean and I spend a good chunk of the morning doing rounds on the mens and womens ward.  We then run clinics 3 days a week reviewing patients who show up through the outpatient department or have been asked to follow up by us.  We see all sorts of interesting ailments that you would rarely see at home. The language remains a barrier but we are getting  better at it.  Bislama is a fascinating language that is a form of pidgin English.  You have to let go of the idea of conjugating verbs, singular vs plural, describing tenses.  When you start speaking it you almost feel like you are patronizing the recipient by speaking very simplistically.

 

We have also developed skills in u/s and are both relied upon to perform imaging when needed. I really love the obstetrical imaging and am constantly seeing more detail with more confidence. 

 

Johnson, Sean and I share weekly call on a rotating basis.  This is the after hours service.  This is often the opportunity where one gets to see quite dramatic things, whether it is trauma or a very sick patient that the nurse practitioners feel can’t wait until the morning.  Lots of very sick infants that often don’t survive overwhelming infections or severe dehydration.  Very sad to see but the reality here. 

 

Well, I think that is a pretty good start to the communications.  So far so good.  Time has already seemed to have flown by.  We have lots of new friends here already and feel very much at home.  Having said that, we miss all our amazing friends and family at home.  Hope you all enjoyed the read and we will post more news regularly. 

 

Please feel free to add comments and enlighten us with news from home. Also feel free to pass on the blog address to those you think might enjoy.    Big hugs,

 

Andrea

2 comments:

  1. Awesome that your blog is up.This is what we have been waiting for.
    This is Pat writing from from Aly's gmail account!
    Although you are all being very descriptive in your writing, we are still having trouble picturing you in your surroundings.
    It's so great to hear that you are all settled. I had a giggle about guys having chickens. Beth would be so proud of you!
    I can't believe how fast time is going by. Tomorrow is March 1 and it's supposed to snow this weekend ;< We leave for Costa Rica on Tues next week and when we get back it will be the last week of March!
    I hope that time is going by more slowly for you so you can really enjoy the simple life.
    Things have been all together too busy around here. Dave, Aly and Nicholas all got sick one after the other so I feel as though I've been playing nursemaid for 6 weeks. First time Aly has been down for so long (5 days) and she ended up with laryngitis, as did Dave. My fingers are crossed that I have managed to side step this round.
    My work has been crazy busy as the fiscal year is just around the corner. I have been asked and have agreed to extend my term until June 2015. I think Dave did a little dance! There are super challenging days here and there but for the most part, it's an exciting challenge.
    Don't really have anything more to report. Nothing shocking has showed up in our mail.... yet. And there's been no calls from your tenant so I am assuming that all is well.
    We plan to formally put our rental house on the market when we get back from Costa Rica.
    We look forward to more stories from Tanna.
    Stay safe. We miss you.
    Love,
    P.

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  2. Hello to all of you from the Sarrasin Clan. We are missing you all, and of course Neve is missing her dear friend Sasha.

    Time flies for us as we are caught in the rhythm of day to day routine. I'm sure it is so different than how you must be experiencing the passing of time. I imagine that time is slowing down for you as you savour the richness of each of your experiences.

    It is sooo wonderful to read your blog posts! Thank you for sharing. Such adventures! I read the posts to Neve. She cannot BELIEVE that you climbed a volcano. It sounds like you are all learning so much; about medicine, culture, the people around you, and of course about life.

    We send our love across the globe and wish you happiness as you swim in warm ocean water, wonder as you experience more of the islands treasures, and love as you do this all TOGETHER!

    Thinking of you daily...big hugs, Shannon, Marcel, Neve and Mateo xoxo

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