At the beginning of 2010 I did a quick 9 day trip back to the UK, alone to see my brother following his heart bypass surgery. The journey was a challenge but I confess it was more comfortable sitting in business class with the lie flat beds. The sight of me running across Dubai airport to make my connecting flight must have been something to behold and I am sure that had I still been carrying about my person the extra 69Kg's that I have lost I wouldn't have made that flight.
Funnily enough it was snowing then in the UK too but thankfully not heavy enough to stop flights or cause too much chaos.
On my return to New Zealand hubby announced that he had applied for a job in Melbourne, Australia and I heard that I was being invited for an interview for a job in Gisbourne. A dilemma ensued as we were both offered posts in differing countries and we struggled with the decision as I had been trying to break into a more senior position in midwifery in New Zealand for quite sometime and I was feeling quite defeated by all the knock backs. It was these knock backs that had prompted Chris to look to Australia. He felt that his career and mine would be better served over the ditch. We did some deep soul searching and our decision was mainly influenced by what High school options there would be once the girls got older. This meant that another move to another country became the only option.
The packing began and the marketing of the house became a drudgery. We had numerous people interested in our house but all had properties themselves to sell. As we left New Zealand one family came up with the deposit and have moved in paying a nominal rent until one of their existing properties sell in Picton. They have 3 years to complete the sale or they have to move out and we keep the deposit and re market the house. This deal put us in a tighter financial situation than we had originally planned but we did just plan to rent a house once we got here.
Living in a rental property was more challenging than I thought it was going to be. I was constantly nagging the girls about dirty walls, having angst about property inspections and being told off constantly about not keeping the gardens tidy enough. Living in suburbia was more claustrophobic than I thought it was going to be and so we began to house hunt not long after we got here.
We tried to negotiate the same deal here in Australia that we had given the people living in our house in New Zealand but it takes creative thinking and they weren't that receptive to it. Hence we became even further financially stretched when we had to take out another mortgage. Money matters took a further hit when we moved out of our rental property before the end of the 6month lease agreement and the landlord took the keys back but demanded that we carry on paying the rent. Hence we were left paying 2 mortgages and rental on a property that we didn't live in any longer. We gave the girls dire warnings about only receiving the bare minimum for Christmas and nothing extravagant. They were fabulous and put Christmas hugs and family time at the top of their Santa lists.
Chris has had his challenges with his new post(s) with his job titles too long to fit on to his name badge! My career is developing some different twists and turns but definitely looks much more promising than in New Zealand.
Looking forward to 2011:
- I shall be continuing to do some writing of online modules for Griffith University in Queensland, I feel privileged to have been asked to write two more modules.
- I shall be doing some curriculum development work with Newcastle University in New South Wales
- I am working as a research assistant with a Professor of Rural Medicine here in Shepparton undertaking a couple of research projects
- I am now also an Honorary Research Fellow with Melbourne university whereby I will be undertaking my own research project with their full support and I shall be publishing it hopefully at the end of the year
- There is also a possibility that I will be working on collecting information about chlamydia rates in rural Victoria but I have yet to have that project confirmed
My phd road probably won't start until 2012 but I have made a solid start in the field of research and after a number of years of being made to feel not good enough professionally, Australia has presented me with a number of valuable opportunities as soon as my feet hit the soil. I am never a person to turn down an opportunity and intend to run with them all and give Australia my best efforts!
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