Life as a Hobbit

The relative rarity of truly entitled patients and families is such a delight.  My ward doesn't have an ice machine, and we also don't carry straws.  These would be mortal sins at any other hospital job I have ever had, and yet here nobody has ever made a big deal out of it. In New Zealand I have never had a patient scold or scream at me for pouring them "hot" (aka room temp) water.  Sure, people like their tea in a particular way, but they've been so sweet about correcting me if I get it wrong. Work-life balance has been a buzzy phrase since even before I was a nursing student (more than 15 years ago, how did that happen so fast?)  The emphasis is always on the individual, though, fix your own burnout, make sure that you balance your work and life.  I have hope that when the irreverent Gen Z nurses are in charge, their attitude towards work being for the paycheck can ripple through the culture. It’s so healthy.  Calling-schmalling. Sure, I'm drawn to hel...

    I am sometimes very caught off guard by the broad influence of American culture in New Zealand.  Case #523: I was walking along the Otakaro riverbank when I stumbled upon what I thought at first was a  hideous piece of industrial modern art.          This is my least favorite kind of modern sculpture, something that looks like it could almost be a fun piece of playground equipment but is clearly covered in enough knobbly bits and rusty nails that it isn't meant to be clambered on.  Unless you buy into a BigPharma tetanus booster conspiracy. The surface has no bright paint, no interesting materials, no evocative shapes, just an industrial abstraction of a corkscrew.      Luckily, I am a compulsive plaque reader, so I went over to study up on this bit of rusty steel getting in the way of the native plants and giving the pigeons another place perch. The first plaque reads:  A TRIBUTE TO FIREFIGHTERS  This sculpt...

Just a Thursday night with five Americans trying traditional Kiwi lollies (as I wrote before, all candy are lollies, not just hard candy). We tried to stick to short reviews, rather than mere star ratings.  The foreignness of some of these flavors and textures needed a more expressive rating system. Blue Volcanoes - Great name, terrible lolly. Carnuba wax.  Too chewy, tough and calloused.  Sweet? Brennan said it tasted of yeast, with a finish of public pool. Possibly the worst of the lot, an inauspicious beginning to the flavor journey. Green Apple and Raspberry Sherbert Fizz Generally enjoyable - good and tart.  Malic acid for the win. My flatmate Meg gave me this helpful recipe for "sherbert powder" https://www.chelsea.co.nz/recipes/browse-recipes/yummy-sherbet 1 tsp citric acid 1 tsp baking soda 1 Cup  Chelsea Icing Sugar 1 tsp jelly crystals (any flavour you prefer) Basically the same ingredients as Dip'n'Stick except the baking soda + citric acid combo make...