Appropriate culturally-senstive holiday season greetings!

The Iron Stomach Chef competition commences - although there should be a prize of chocolate if someone can make something edible out of this. I have rice, tinned tuna, peanut butter, frozen bread, broccoli, onions, beans and milk. I can probably steal/borrow/beg spices etc from other families. Anyone up to the challenge?

Otherwise I am well. Rumginae has been - dare I say it? - quiet for the last few days. We did have a baby yesterday, though, which is always fun. And adrenaline-inducing.

Love and regards to all,
Shar

Unfortunate delay in the inaugural Iron Stomach Chef competition

... due to the fact that there is nothing in the cupboard and only milk and water in the fridge and a pineapple on the bench.

Will let you know once we have ingredients to work with!

Safe arrival at Rumginae; it is incredibly familiar already and I am looking forward to sleeping well tonight and starting work tomorrow.

Love Shar

If you don't believe in miracles...

... then you should know that I managed to catch one Qantas flight and two Air Niugini flights on Saturday, and all of them were ON TIME!

Not only that, but my luggage made it to the same place as me - which was where I wanted to be going.

But, wait - there's more. Even the fragile items in my luggage made it safely. Oh yeah - and so did I.

 

And if you still don't believe in miracles, clearly you haven't travelled on either of those two airlines recently.

 

Love to all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have nothing better to do...

Check out ABC Radio National's Religion Report next week (17th December). 8.30 am or 8pm. Or online.
It's their last one ever. (Sad face.)
Also, a lolly for the first three people who can work out what TV show I was thinking of at the time...

It's official.

There will definitely not be any room in my suitcase for chocolate. I am breaking out into a cold sweat at the very thought.
However, the up-side is that it is due to the generosity of many people who have helped fill my suitcases with hospital equipment that I am obliged to save the chocolate for my return.
I am particularly excited about having bought the materials to (in theory!) set up a phototherapy unit for jaundiced babies. By buying bits and cobbling them together, I paid $300 instead of $6000 for the fancy hospital version, so as a shopper who loves a bargain, I feel like I have done well.
In theory, I will be less isolated due to Rumginae now having satellite internet! I love theories. So hopefully I'll update this charming piece of literature soon after arrival.
Lukim yu behain.

Off again...

...it's on again!

I'm heading back to Rumginae Hospital for three weeks, leaving on the 13th of December and arriving back on the 4th of January. I am hoping to be able to give some of the doctors there a well-earned break, especially over Christmas.
I have been overwhelmed byt he generosity of people as I prepare to go away - I have so much in the way of dift and donations that I am wondering whether there will be room in my suitacse for chocolate (one of life's necessities)!

They have satellite internet at Rumginae now (phones have been down since I was last there in June) so hopefully I will be able to keep this semi-up-to-date.

The inaugural 'Iron Stomach Chef' competition begins when I get to Rumginae, find out what I have in the pantry and post it here on the blog. The person who emails me with the best recipe wins!

Shar

Saying goodbye...

Another wonderful time at Rumginae has come to an end. Apologies for not having been in contact much; phones and therefore email have been down since about 3 days after I arrived. It has been a challenging, enjoyable, frustrating and rewarding time. There are men, women and children who are alive and well only because they were able to come to Rumginae; however, there are also some that we were unable to help in spite of our best efforts. It is a beautiful, fascinating, rugged and difficult part of the world in which to work and live.

Whether or not it is a good thing, I have suddenly remembered that I do occasionally enjoy the practice of medicine... I'll let you know when I'm done practising and ready to move on to the real thing!

I'm in Goroka at the moment to catch my breath and catch up with some friends before heading home - I've also noticed that the on-call and the hours have taken their toll and I am exhausted... but in a good way.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped and supported and prayed for me - look forward to catching up.

Sharmini

Safe arrival

Arrived safely in PNG and at Rumginae Hospital - which is more or less the same as I remember it, which is nice!

First day of work today, though, so I hope I still remember how to practice medicine...

Love to all,

Sharmini

Skipping the country

My visa for Papua New Guinea came through last Friday, after many many frustrating hours on the phone to various Departments of Immigration and High Commissions.
So I'm heading off on Wednesday to Rumginae, not too far from the border with West Papua.
Hopefully I'll have the chance to update this, but I won't be able to check for messages until I get back in mid-July.
Happy winter everybody - I'm heading for the tropics!
Shar