settling in....?

This placement is shaping up nicely. I finally have a timetable so I know when to go in (and when to skive, heh heh) and I'm starting to remember everyone's names now, and the registrar sends me to buy coffee when there's nothing to do! (Good coffee too, yum.) ALSO finally getting used to the Kiwi accent - they pronounce their vowels very oddly! Given that my understanding of speech is mainly based around the vowels, and lipreading, this has proved difficult to say the least, but it's looking up.

The timetable goes like this:

Monday

8.30 -10.30: Ward round

12.30: marrow meeting (basically looking down a microscope at all the cells, cancerous or otherwise)

Tuesday

8am – 12.00: bone marrow transplant clinic (and the marrow biopsy clinic runs alongside this so I should have an opportunity to stick a needle in someone's back at some point.... :S really not keen on the prospect I have to say!! I saw one today and it made me sweat nervously just watching. Ugh

1.30 – 5 – general haematology clinic (because the whole of NZ is about the size of a regular UK trust, the doctors have to be pretty general, hence Prof Carter does both oncology and bleeding disorders, whereas in the UK the two sections tend to be separate.)

Wednesday

11.30 micro meeting

12.30 – 1.30 journal club (where we discuss any exciting new studies... and free lunch is normally provided. Boom.)

Thursday

8.30 – 10.30 – ward round

10.30 – 11.30 MDT (multidisciplinary team meeting) and case discussion of tricky cases

1.30– 5: clinics again! But I am hoping to just go to the medical student teaching instead and make friends :)

Friday

8.30 – 11 Venous thromboembolism clinic

11.30: x ray review

1 – 2: journal club (more exciting new journals and again free food! huzzah!)

There you go!

To family and other fine, upstanding members of the public: I will be attending everything! Yes!

To everyone else – I will be skiving the afternoons! Yes!

(Not sure which I will be doing yet... The registrars on the ward have pretty much encouraged me to skive by writing me a list of coffee shops and cocktail bars..)

I returned this afternoon to find Cat and Tess in my hostel! While I am not glad that they have had such a terrible time (see Cat's blog for details: http://beta.offexploring.com/cashton/blog), I'm very glad to have some Newcastle medical faces about :) We've just been for some excellent, all g-f cakes at Meow, with a pot of tea for the girls and coffee for me. (Am determined to make the most of being in the caffeine capital of New Zealand.)

We're off out for cocktails later – at Emma's erstwhile workplace – and tomorrow there is a rugby game on so we shall be watching that at the stadium! How exciting! I've not really explored Wellington properly yet (apart from comprehensively mapping the good food shops) so it'll be good to get some official tourist things in. Particularly looking forward to Te Papa (“our place”) Museum of New Zealand, which has an earthquake simulator and a giant squid. (I have already been to see these for an hour on Wednesday night, but there is a LOT to do there so I look forward to returning!)

Other details of Welly life:

This hostel is good but I may still move to a smaller one (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Worldwide-Backpackers/Wellington/5199/reviews ) after a recommendation from someone here.

I have also finally scored an extra blanket – HURRAH – rendering the hotty botty unnecessary. Starting to sleep fairly well now that I'm settled, though still exhibiting early morning waking... oo- er!!

Totally going back to the farmer's market on Sunday; this time they have a game stall! BOOM. Have decided to sample as much wine as possible here – the Marlborough Pinot Noir that I bought on Wednesday was absolutely spiffing. I had half a bottle without realising because it was so drinkable, and so GOOD....mmmm. Must get some white fish as an excuse to get a Sauvignon Blanc...