Todays post a little bit different from my usual post. I will not talk about travelling or food but I want to talk about my life after the wedding in 2013.

Our second wedding anniversary is coming in a few weeks, it is probably very young for some couples that have been together for twenty years or more, but for me and David it feels quite significant. We have almost spent two years together as a married couple and I can say that it is an achievement.

Our friend asked me about the significant of being married and my first respond was it is one thing that can be explained in words but has to be understood from one's own experience. I think each person has their own expectation and different  reasons to be married, these make one's marriage experience different from others.

As for me marriage means having a team mate to tackle difficulties in life and to share the joy of life, as I always believe that happiness will multiple when we share it. Marriage comes with responsibilities, as everything we do will affect not only our own lives, but two lives or more for those who have children. So the biggest change in my life is that I am now a team player. Therefore, I think and act as part of a team.

David and I came from different backgrounds. David grew up in New Zealand, I grew up in Indonesia with different languages and cultures. However, I learnt from the very first month of our relationship, that we make a very good team,. as two are better than one.

I have learnt a lot in two years of marriage, I have learnt a lot about David and also about myself and I will keep on learning.

Every couple is unique so I think, it is really important to find what works best for your own relationship. Learning from others experiences can also be very useful. Having said that, it is important to free yourself from others' opinion that might not be suitable for you. Do not compare your relationship with others as this may result in disappointment. 

Two years into our marriage we have had joy and tears, but one thing remains, we face life together. Last year, we launched our weight-loss consultation business Lighthouse Nutritionists, we bought our first 4WD,  travelled around the North Island together, and I experienced snow for the first time. This year I finally passed my AMC examination. We also experienced some disappointments, David's grandmother passed away a few weeks ago and I lost one of my friends in Indonesia.

We are not a perfect couple, and we will never look for a perfection, but we are perfect for each other. I am looking forward to celebrating our second wedding anniversary and many more to come.

Here some photos from our wedding day in 2013.

In the last few weeks I have been busy working and preparing for my IELTS test, so our holiday preparation was a little bit neglected. However, I have managed to do a few things this week. 

Please check out my previous post about our holiday plan to Indonesia.

Starting from the most important task: David's passport, it finally arrived by courier last week. We applied through passport renewal online services. The first close-up photograph that I attached as David's passport photo, was rejected, so I had to take another photo that met the requirements: shadow free, with a white clear background. We finally did it, taking advantage of sunlight that only lasted 15 minutes before a storm hit Auckland a couple of weeks ago. We managed to get good natural light, so I was able to take the photo as required. 

New Zealand passport holders are now eligible for free visas on arrival to Indonesia, which is great news. Please check for the formal announcement attached below this post.

Next, all hotels are booked and confirmed. I was a little bit disappointed because the hotel we originally wanted to stay in Ubud is fully booked. As I do not have any experience staying in any hotels in Ubud, my only references are written reviews on the internet. Luckily my dear friend Ratih agreed to drive from Kuta to Ubud last weekend to check out four hotels that were in my short list. After visiting all those hotels she crossed out two from my list.  After considering all the pros and cons of both hotels I made the final decision to stay in Tunjung Mas Bungalow.

All flights are confirmed. I had to change our flight schedule from Jakarta to Bali. Once again Ratih helped me sort it out, yeay. I was really satisfied with the service from Garuda Indonesia Airlines who changed the flight, free of charge.

Another change to our original plan is that we decided not to climb Mt. Batur to see the sunrise, since we might experience jet-lag during our first few days in Bali. So I am organising other  activities that we can do in Ubud. I might rent a car and driver to take us around Bali for half a day. There are a few places that will be interesting to visit, such as Tirta Empu Temple, for example. Any other suggestions anyone?

One week to go, and I am so excited. Feel free to comment, make suggestions or ask questions.

I received many questions related to my experience of registering as a medical doctor in New Zealand. So I think I will share a bit of my long story here.

In March 2011, I arrived in Auckland as what they call an IMG - International Medical Graduate, a title that is affixed to every doctor who gained medical degree in different country. I have never imagined this would be the start of a long, exhausting journey. To be able to enter a New Zealand specialist program, one has to be registered in New Zealand as a doctor and have one year of clinical experience. The first step to be registered is to pass one of these exams: the USMLE step 1 & 2; AMC-Australian Medical Council exam part 1 or PLAB.

My first few months lived in Auckland went smoothly: I stayed with a nice homestay family who become my new family in Auckland, I attended a USMLE preparation course at Kaplan International and my study went really well despite the limited facilities at Kaplan-Auckland due to the Christchurch earthquake which closed the Kaplan Centre in Christchurch. 

Four months after I started my course, I begun the registration process for the USMLE that includes registering my self to the ECFMG and contacting Christian University of Indonesia, where I gained my medical degree, to release my credentials to ECFMG in America. This was a long and complicated process and took one and half years. 

By the end of my first year in New Zealand, I faced financial difficulties, I had spent almost all my saving to pay my accommodation and someone stole my credit card details which left me with additional bills to pay. I was in crisis and needed to find a job immediately, this made me step out of my comfort zone. I applied for jobs that I had never done before, to get free accommodation, and extra income, to enable me to stay in Auckland. 

There were so many things that happened in the last few years: I managed to find a job as an Au-pair that not only gave me place to stay and some pocket money, but also another family to share my ups and downs. I got engaged in 2012 after going out for a year and got married in 2013. Unfortunately, my study was not going as well as other aspects in my life. ECFMG accepted my credentials at the beginning of 2012 and I sat my USMLE exam at the end of the year, but once again I faced disappointment: I failed.

It was really difficult to find balance between study and work, so I decided to focus on working for a year which later extended to two years. Finally, In January 2015, I had a strong will to concentrate on my study to pass the AMC (Australian Medical Council) Exam as part of the New Zealand Medical Council registration requirements. I started studying from the beginning of January 2015, for at least ten hours per day while working part-time and from March 2015, a month before my exam, I dedicated all my time to study. My hard work finally paid off when I passed in May 2015.

Here some useful link for IMGs who want to work or continue their study in NZ:
New Zealand Medical Council
Eligibility requirment for NZREX clinical
Australian Medical Council MCQ
Kaplan Medical - USMLE course
USMLE course in Auckland
IELTS course with ELA

I will be glad to answer any questions about study schedule or useful materials for USMLE or AMC-MCQ.
​Also read my post about my experience preparing for NZREX here.