Winter in AUSTRALIA 2009-2

The weather in the winter was amazing so we squeezed in lots of outdoor activities on the weekends. We spent Canada Day weekend in Canberra visiting my friend Kalinda (she’s from Ottawa and her husband is in my class). She works at the Canadian Consulate and had organized the ‘Canada Day Fun Run’, so we thought it was a good excuse to visit the nation’s capital! We also visited the Canberra Zoo and went on a tour of the Australian parliament while we were there.
Pancakes with real imported maple syrup!

We actually celebrated Canada Day in Penrith too! My Canadian classmates had a party and BBQ at their place, so we were happy to celebrate again later that week. It was no Aunt Julie Canada Day party, but it will have to do until we move back home. : )
Our running route along the Nepean River
Our new didgeridoo... :)

Brent took me to a local Penrith restaurant, ‘Danny’s on High’, to celebrate our 6 month anniversary on July 3rd. It was a pretty hilarious place and the fluorescent lighting, tacky tables and foam chairs reminded me of a Lions Club or church basement from back home- but the food was great and it was ‘BYO’, so we still had a great time.I had a week off school in July, so Brent and I decided to take advantage of some winter specials around the city. We ended up spending a long weekend at ‘Q station’ which is the old Quarantine Station that has been refurbished and made into a museum/resort in between Manly beach and a national park. We had a great time there- spent some time at the beach, had some nice breakfasts, learned some history, enjoyed the weather and went on a ghost tour around the grounds at night.

We also spent a day around circular quay, had some fish and chips in the Botanical Gardens and went to see a magic show at the Opera House during my week off.

WINTER in AUSTRALIA 2009- 1

Jules and George’s time in Australia seemed to go by very fast! (especially Jules’ 3- week visit)! The first day we arrived in Australia was spent unpacking and shopping (mostly for groceries). The girls were in bed by about 7pm that night. Our jet lag woke us all up early our first morning here and by 5:30am we were all out on our balcony putting together our new BBQ.

Brent and I planned a trip to the Hunter Valley (wine country) for Jules and Georgia’s first weekend here. Jas (another Canadian classmate) also came along. We stayed at the YHA, played lots of ‘Pictionary’ and went on a wine tour around the valley. Jules and George also got to see some kangaroos and some Australian landscapes (which they didn’t think was much different from home!).

Before Jules and George headed north on their tour of the coast, we managed to venture into the city a few times for a meal in the Rocks and a show at the Opera House. While Jules and George were touring up the coast, Brent and I worked on setting up the apartment. I jumped right back into school and Brent started the job-hunt! Brent also spent some time mastering BBQing kangaroo steaks- which was very successful!

Jules had about 6 days in Sydney after traveling up the coast before she had to back to Canada. It sounds like J and G had an incredible time snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, bungee jumping, and bush-walking on Fraser Island. During their 6 days in Sydney Brent took them surfing at Manly beach and hiking in the Blue Mountains.

We wandered around circular quay, walked around Darling Harbour, had ice cream at the Lindtt café, and ate some kangaroo steaks at James Squire (one of my favourite restaurants in the city). We also had a housewarming/goodbye BBQ for Jules the night before she left so she could meet some more Aussies!

The Opera House

May 2009

The next month or so was a bit of a blur. Georgia ended up getting a job at one of my favourite bars/pubs nearby in Penrith- and worked there a couple nights each week. We made sure to see the Stanly Cup Final which happened to be playing at the pub she worked at in Penrith on the Sunday morning.

We also took Georgia to a NRL (National Rugby League) game nearby before she left. I hadn’t been to an NRL game either so it was nice to finally get to one! The Panthers stadium is a short walk away from our unit in Penrith, so it pretty neat to be able to walk to the stadium.
George left in mid-August but managed to get to the Gold Coast for a trip with her friends from UBC for about a week before then. We were sad to see her go, but were also happy to finally have our own place to ourselves for the first time ever!
I’ll write more about our “winter”/summer in my next posting. Miss you guys!

School in Canada!

The University of Sydney encourages International Students to do some training in our ‘home country’ (primarily to gain experience) if we plan to move back after graduation. I was lucky enough to be able to plan both my rotations in Ontario- which meant 8 weeks straight of ‘school’ at home!
My family rotations were amazing, but both were incredibly busy! By the end of the rotations, I had over 75 pages of typed assignments and papers that I’d written on top of my clinical time.

My first/“urban” rotation was in Toronto with Dr. Kee. Her office was about a 5 minute drive from Beech Ave which was very convenient. Her patients were really nice, I learned a lot and got to do a LOT of procedures and physical examinations. She also took me to some fancy dinners put on by various drug companies.Brent's last meal-break as a Paramedic :)My second/ “rural” rotation was in Collingwood with Dr. Moran. Brent took the month off work and we ‘moved’ up to Dad’s place in Collingwood for the month. Brent played hockey with Dr. Moran twice/week and also spent some time biking with Dr. Moran’s son. They took us out to a few drug company lobster dinners (where Brent had to pretend to be a med student)!In between all the assignments and office work, Brent and I managed to get to Montreal, Windsor, Sudbury and Honey Harbour to visit family and enjoy some weekends away.

Just before heading back to Australia, we spent the weekend in Toronto for another family wedding at the Hunt Club. Congratulations to Dad and Norma on the wedding.



My trip back to Australia this time round was a very different experience! I have been back and forth to Australia 10 times by myself… but this time got to travel with Brent, Jules and George! Plus, the plane to Sydney was half empty for the first time EVER, so we got a whole row of seats to ourselves!