Hi everyone,
I know we are in the second month of 2018, but since I have not been able to post this earlier so I still want to say "HAPPY NEW YEAR" to all of you who read my blog and follow me on social media. I hope you are well and happy.
I am very sorry that I have not been able to write as often as I want, and I was slow to respond to your message or email. Please do not hesitate to leave comments or to email using the contact form, no matter how busy I am, I will still read them and will try my best to reply as soon as I am able to.
This blog post will be a short recap of my life in 2017, what I have been doing, my struggles and also some of the sweet memories from the year that just went past.
David and I started 2017 by travelling down to the South Island, you can find the story about it here. We like the trip so much so we decided to come back in winter. My friend and her husband came from Indonesia to visit me in July, and we decided to do a road trip in RV for nine days in the South Island together. We started from Christchurch - Lake Tekapo - Lake Wanaka - Lake Te Anau - Milford Sound and ended the journey in Queenstown. I will write a dedicate blog post about it latter, but below are some of the photos from the trip.
I know we are in the second month of 2018, but since I have not been able to post this earlier so I still want to say "HAPPY NEW YEAR" to all of you who read my blog and follow me on social media. I hope you are well and happy.
I am very sorry that I have not been able to write as often as I want, and I was slow to respond to your message or email. Please do not hesitate to leave comments or to email using the contact form, no matter how busy I am, I will still read them and will try my best to reply as soon as I am able to.
This blog post will be a short recap of my life in 2017, what I have been doing, my struggles and also some of the sweet memories from the year that just went past.
David and I started 2017 by travelling down to the South Island, you can find the story about it here. We like the trip so much so we decided to come back in winter. My friend and her husband came from Indonesia to visit me in July, and we decided to do a road trip in RV for nine days in the South Island together. We started from Christchurch - Lake Tekapo - Lake Wanaka - Lake Te Anau - Milford Sound and ended the journey in Queenstown. I will write a dedicate blog post about it latter, but below are some of the photos from the trip.
2017 was a tough year for me, as after passing the NZREX I have to find a job as a house officer in New Zealand hospitals. Unfortunately, there were very limited position for NZREX doctors to apply. So to increase my change and to gain more experience I applied for observer-ship in various hospitals.
Being an observer allows me to be in the hospital, working in the small team of SMO, house officer and registrar. It is an unpaid position and reserved only for those who will sit NZREX or has passed the exam.
I completed a four week observership in Tauranga Hospital in July to August 2017. When I was there, there was a vacancy for PGY1 and I had a job interview, however I was not successful to secure the position. Coming back from Tauranga, I applied for some other positions in all over the country , but again there was no luck. So then I did another observership in Middlemore Hospital for six weeks. Then again a two week period in Waitakere Hospital followed by another six week observer-ship in Tauranga Hospital.
Have not been working for almost a year, and had to pay for accommodation and petrol while doing my observer-ship has put our financial state on a stretch. At the same time, David was involved in a business contract that was unfair that cause a great loss on our side. So by the end of the year we almost had no money. I did some casual jobs whenever I had spare time while continuing my observership, so I almost had no day-off since August 2017. I went down to Tauranga in November for my last observer-ship, with no money in my pocket. I stayed in the Rbnb that I have booked and share the room with another doctor. On the second night, the host of my Rbnb asked if I want to work in the motel during the weekends, as they knew that I desperately needed some money, so I said yes straight away and very happy with the opportunity.
I am grateful that even in my difficult time, I still finding things to thank for. I met so many nice people who are very generous and kind. These people brought joy and encouragement for me to continue pursuing my dream. I learned new skills, and had great experiences working in different industries.
Being an observer allows me to be in the hospital, working in the small team of SMO, house officer and registrar. It is an unpaid position and reserved only for those who will sit NZREX or has passed the exam.
I completed a four week observership in Tauranga Hospital in July to August 2017. When I was there, there was a vacancy for PGY1 and I had a job interview, however I was not successful to secure the position. Coming back from Tauranga, I applied for some other positions in all over the country , but again there was no luck. So then I did another observership in Middlemore Hospital for six weeks. Then again a two week period in Waitakere Hospital followed by another six week observer-ship in Tauranga Hospital.
Have not been working for almost a year, and had to pay for accommodation and petrol while doing my observer-ship has put our financial state on a stretch. At the same time, David was involved in a business contract that was unfair that cause a great loss on our side. So by the end of the year we almost had no money. I did some casual jobs whenever I had spare time while continuing my observership, so I almost had no day-off since August 2017. I went down to Tauranga in November for my last observer-ship, with no money in my pocket. I stayed in the Rbnb that I have booked and share the room with another doctor. On the second night, the host of my Rbnb asked if I want to work in the motel during the weekends, as they knew that I desperately needed some money, so I said yes straight away and very happy with the opportunity.
I am grateful that even in my difficult time, I still finding things to thank for. I met so many nice people who are very generous and kind. These people brought joy and encouragement for me to continue pursuing my dream. I learned new skills, and had great experiences working in different industries.
I also started looking for casual jobs on backpackerboard.co.nz. I applied for some nannying and au-pair possition and a family of five replied to my application. After a few emails and skype conversations, they offered me to come to Paihia and work as an au-pair during the summer. So here I am now in one of the most beautiful place in New Zealand.
A few people ask me why do I want to work as an au-pair, well honestly why not? All my family is in Indonesia, so it is very nice being able to be part of another family here. I love working with children, and I love travelling. As an au-pair I get free accommodation and food, a bit of pocket money. I also get to live and explore some of the best places in the country. Moreover, the timing was perfect as I needed a holiday after my very busy year in 2017.
Now I am fully re-charged and looking forward to the next adventure where ever life leads me.
A few people ask me why do I want to work as an au-pair, well honestly why not? All my family is in Indonesia, so it is very nice being able to be part of another family here. I love working with children, and I love travelling. As an au-pair I get free accommodation and food, a bit of pocket money. I also get to live and explore some of the best places in the country. Moreover, the timing was perfect as I needed a holiday after my very busy year in 2017.
Now I am fully re-charged and looking forward to the next adventure where ever life leads me.
I realised that sometimes life does not go like what we want, everyone struggles with their own problems. Money, jobs, health, relationship, there is no perfect life. One thing that I learned since I was little, is not to compare your life with someone else's. Everyone has their own time, their own path, so live your life and do the best with it while always find a way to enjoy it. As it is a short journey, and we never know how and when it will end. You can make your own happiness.
I wish you all the best in 2018. Live, learn and be happy.
Imelda
I wish you all the best in 2018. Live, learn and be happy.
Imelda
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