Thursday, 17 DEC, 10th Week of Locum Tenens New Zealand

4 min readDec 17, 2020

Hello from New Zealand still! I’m realizing I am “mid-way” in my time here and have the usual mixed feelings. I tried to stay a few more months beyond March, but it seems my medical license situation lasts for 18 months-but only allows 12 months of work- so I am trying to split it up. So I will come home in the spring with the possibility of returning in October for another 6 months before the license expires. We’ll see! Lucky me to have that option- the work is a lot, but I am not complaining! Seeing my world from a distance has been amazing. New Zealand talks a lot about news in England and other countries in a way that is new to me. People here do not understand why the U.S. is such a sad disaster, and are so fascinated with the latest U.S. news. I get daily news updates from the patients while I frantically try to manage their concern. Then I come home and drink wine. “All sorted”, speaking New Zealand.

BUT -I did have time to take a trip last weekend to one of the Port Hills Tracks in the hills above Christchurch. I drove in pretty clueless about the way, because maps are two-dimensional, so was a bit surprised by again VERY winding, curvy, narrow roads to find my path. After this I feel like an amazing mountain road driver. Love my little Kia!

The winding roads are meant to be shared with mountain bikers. I did not know this. SHIT. So you never know if you’ll round a hairpin curve to a pack of 5–6 bikers. No bike paths. They are on the road, pumping their way up the hill. Interesting death defying ride for us all. But worth it. A definite learning experience- all brain pistons firing the whole time. Gotta be good for me.

I stopped for a mango smoothie at a cute stone cafe on a hill and saw a pack of about eight 12 year old bikers shooting super fast down the steep hill in front of me onto another road — right in front of a passing van that was painted with flowers. It looked like the van didn’t even flinch. I about had a heart attack. “Do your mothers know what you are doing???@!!” Life in New Zealand.