Hello to you all again
I've decided to start blogging again. Mainly because writing a blog makes me record things that happen, providing me with a memories of things that happened. Also because I hope for an exciting year in Darwin and I would love you to share this with me!
So my arrival in Darwin went very smoothly. I finished my last day as an ED intern on Monday, stayed at the airport Monday night, flew to Darwin Tuesday and met my car (came up on the Ghan) Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have been filled with orientation and various gatherings to ensure that we meet each other and the 'locals' (ie returning medical staff).
A few things to note straight away
1) the friendliness here: everyone has helped me, from the man in the phone shop who suggested I return there for directions if I got lost; the taxi driver who took me out to pick up my car ensuring that I understood every turn that he took so that I could retrace the route home and the hospital admin staff who go out of their way to help.
2) odd timings. Unlike in Melbourne where we worked in service to our hospital, here we are reminded constantly that we are actually public servants, working for the NT government. This is evident in the payroll forms we sign, the fact that super is a government scheme right down to the public service-like office hours. Any administration person/department of the hospital is open until 4:21pm. Quite why this is, I'm not sure, but you will see opening hours everywhere advertised as "Open 8am to 4:21pm"
3) The weather. When I first arrived I was shocked at how nice the weather was. I'd heard stories of the oppressive heat and humidity but actually Melbourne was warmer at the time. Luckily, it is currently 'cold' in Darwin. Other things to note about the weather are the fearsome storm we had the other night and our cyclone training which suggests we may well be in for a big one (Cyclone Tracey and the last major Queensland floods occurred in the same year)
4) Housing. The hospital accommodation was rumored to be ghastly, a fact passed on to me by my friends and colleagues who had previously worked here. In truth, it's not THAT bad, I have a little bed-sitter with a bathroom and stovetop. The difficult thing is the requirement to keep the aircon on all the time to prevent things getting damp and moldy. Trust me, it is very cold at night!
Well that will do for me now.
Hope all are well once again,
Anneke
