Kia ora, I am sitting in the Gisborne airport waiting area. Actually it is a bit difficult to write. I am curious about the people here. I want to look at them. They look interesting, leaving, saying goodbyes, chatting with each other, some with distinct maori mokos and pounamus, tattoos and necklaces. So many stories!…
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KIWI, KIWI, KIWI
We have been in NZ for a year. One whole year! It is not a joke when people say time flies. It does. The kids have grown, learned to speak English and, more importantly, learned to mingle with kids from different cultures, politeness and hopefully gained confidence in themselves. I have started to feel like…
ALWAYS BE POLITE
Kia ora, It has been a while. Life, work has been on fully. We have enjoyed the joys of winter, or rather chased after them. For us the perfect winter is cold and snowy. Here you admire the snow peaks of the Southern Alps from afa, through greenery and drive up the mountains to finally…
PAIN AND SOUL MANAGEMENT
Kia ora, It is the deepest winter here, how funny! Temperatures may drop to below zero at night but they rise quickly to very comfortable plus degrees. Our heaviest winter clothes generally have no use in these conditions. We have learned the art of layering (do not forget that merino layer). Even the local meteorological…
SCRUBS AND SELF REFLECTION
Kia ora, it is mid-winter here. The light is currently dimmed by a thick grey fog. What a sight! We bought an extra heater to the bedroom. These kiwi homes are incredibly cold! I have been wondering about hierarchy and professional self-esteem. I come from a work culture where hierarchy is almost a word from…
Settling in under ti koukā
Greetings again from the other side of the world! The land of million shades of green and almost as many in blue has welcomed me. New Zealand is full of wonders, natural beauty. It is untouched in many parts, but also very much shaped by humans in extremely short time as first humans, the maori,…
ROSTER WORRIES WITH GREEN RELIEF
Christchurch, NZ Kia ora my friend, I meant to only write about medicine and working in a different country but it is impossible. The lush green and blue life surrounds me on my way to work and back home. On my day-off mornings I wake up with an almost intolerable eagerness to go out, see,…
INTRODUCTION
Kia ora. I am Reetta. A curious human being, mum, doctor and deep inside, always, a dancer. This blog is actually a set of random, illustrated letters from New Zealand where we currently live with my family, husband and two kids (3&6 years). We come from Porvoo, Finland. We left our lovely 1780-built pink wooden…
THE FIRST LETTER
Christchurch, NZ Kia ora, Aotearoa. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Wonderful as in how the word forms softly in your mouth and wonderful as in mysterious? It means the land of the white cloud. By now I have noticed that it is even more under the blue skies. Exciting, faraway, intriguing New Zealand, Aotearoa. Humans in…