Day 4 - Balmain

I'll start with the boring stuff first -- today was procedure day in the dermatology clinic, so it consisted mostly of me following the registrar and resident as they cut off suspicious looking moles, seborrheic keratoses and the like. I was actually allowed to do a punch biopsy, which is basically a round incision into the skin. I also went to Grand Rounds, which was really boring and about some endocrine diseases. I'm starting to notice that they spell words the British way -- oedema, anaemia, etc. It's really weird. They also have different terminology. For instance, they use:

1. The abbreviation EUC for "electrolytes, urea and creatinine" instead of what we'd call a CMP
2. Urea instead of BUN (they shorten it to a "U" when going over lab values)
3. Frusemide instead of furosemide.

Once I figured those out the rest was pretty similar.

On to the date! Well, here's a picture of him since I know that Mom is probably sitting there saying to herself, "Let's see what this kid looks like!" This is us in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (across from the Opera House).

So I'll start off with a description of him so we have a good idea of who he is. He's a 25 year old Belgian guy, youngest of three children and apparently has been backpacking in some form or another since he was 15. Luckily he didn't have any issues with hygiene that I could tell, haha. He's also leaving on Tuesday so I guess this is it for us. Our future together ended before it even started...

At any rate, we met up in the suburb of Balmain. It sounds exotic but really it seemed to consist of neighborhoods with one street that had anything of interest on it. He was originally supposed to take me to some fish and chips shop that was "really good" but I guess it was closed so we went to another place that sold "eh" fish and chips. We ended up taking them to this park that overlooked the harbor.

The scary part about this park was that there were very few lights (I was starting to wonder if this is where I'd get raped) and there were giant bats flying around in the tree above me. Guys, these things had to have a wingspan of at least a foot!! Best part -- I THINK ONE OF THEM PEED ON ME!!!! Yes, friends, the night was starting off well. Shady park with giant bats. Wow...

I was pretty anxious to get back to Circular Quay because that was where my ferry to take me home was and I didn't want to miss it, so I pushed him into taking me back there and grabbing a drink or something while we waited for the ferry. He took me to a bar called Sydney Opera Bar, which is right in front of the Opera House (I'll include an incredibly rare picture of the Opera House I took -- not great quality but deal with it):

It was actually a really cool bar that I may go back to again later. At any rate, that ended our night! Tomorrow is the Rugby game with my Canadian friend, so I'm excited for that!

Date #2

Quick update -- At work today, we had a young guy as a patient (for once -- they are usually old) and he actually left me a note with his number saying if I needed someone to show me around Sydney, feel free to give him a call. Finally -- my own personal tour guide, haha! I'll give him a call later on and see what happens.

Hungry Jacks

This is a separate post, but this seems to be Sydney's #1 fast food joint... doesn't it look suspiciously like an old school Burger King symbol or whatever you call it? I think it does.

Manly Beach

First things first: I scored a date! Woo! Alas, my dear readers, it is not with an Australian but rather the Belgian guy from the aforementioned trivia night. I guess he liked what he saw and asked my American colleague for my number. We're supposed to go out tomorrow night for some food so I will let you know all about it when I get back!

Today's trip was to Manly Beach. Apparently the name comes from when Captain Phillip of the Royal Navy discovered the place when trying to create a colony in New South Wales. There he noted in his dear diary the behavior of the local aborigines: "Their confidence and manly behaviour made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place." And thus, dear friends, is why Manly Beach is called Manly Beach. Don't say I never taught you anything.

To get to Manly Beach, I had to take two ferries which ended up taking about an hour and a half. The awesome thing about it, however, was that I was able to see the Sydney Opera House in all its glory. Here is the mandatory picture of it... I promise that I will get one with me in later on, but stop complaining and take what I give you and like it.

The beach itself was pretty touristy. I don't think I heard any actual Australian accents -- definitely a lot of pasty white British people though. I didn't really explore it very much since I was mostly trying to tan, but I think it definitely deserves a closer, second look. My Canadian friend said it was a good place to get some surfing lessons so I might do that, but knowing my fear of sharks I'm not so sure... The water was slightly cold but you easily got used to it (it was about 24C, or around 75F) and definitely much more surfable than Pensacola Beach. Enjoy this picture of me and the three Americans that I will never see again, since they leave tomorrow!

After the Americans left, my Canadian friend joined me... but just as she was arriving, the weather turned stormy so we ended up going back to Circular Quay (pronounced "Key") which is where the opera house is. She's been here for a month already so she took me to Lord Nelson Brewery, which is apparently one of the oldest pubs in the city of Sydney. It's also a microbrewery. I tried their pale ale... I don't know how much I liked it but I managed to drink the pint of it anyway. From there I took the ferry home and ate the dinner my host family left me. I have to say that they have been really great, and seem to treat me like family. It might be because I'm all by myself so they feel more protective of me, but either way I enjoy getting their insights and help.

Useful links:
The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel: http://www.lordnelsonbrewery.com/index.html

Karaoke!

DAY 2

Overall boring day of clinic. I didn't really see any patients since it was mostly a clinical learning day. I met "Prof", as well call him here, or otherwise known to my American med students as "The Attending". I guess Australians/my Grenadian vet school friend call their attendings "Prof" because I thought it was weird. Anyway, he's a Chinese guy who likes to make slightly insulting jokes about Americans that honestly don't always make sense. It may have been his sense of humor but I don't know... (humour if you're Australian/British).

I also met my first Australian med students! And... they were boring. One guy was the friendliest and also cutest but he has hardware (i.e. a ring, cuz he's married). Everyone else was a girl. And none were overly concerned with talking with us except the married one. Sigh. I'm striking the Aussie med students off my list because they are either married or female and more interested in studying than showing foreign students the sites. It's like American med students but with an accent!! Zing!! I'm just going to say it: medical students are a terrible dating pool to draw from. The End.

I did, however, get closer to the other American and Canadian girls so that was good. Sad that they are leaving this week, though. I am supposed to go to a Rugby game with the Canadian on Friday so I am definitely planning on having a good time then. I think the Germans and I are going out Saturday night so hopefully things will keep up.

The evening was more fun, however. I braved the bus/train system to get to a part of the actual city to meet up with US/Canadian students for trivia night at a local bar (that apparently hosts the hostel students). To get a multi-pass (an unlimited amount of trips on the ferry, buses and trains) cost me $129 for a month. I think it's worth it though, because a one-way bus ticket alone was $3.50!!!! Predictably, we lost at trivia and I'm sad to say that the two Belgian students on our team were the ones who mostly kept us afloat. The one guy was a master at flags! We had to name each flag on this one piece of paper and honestly I had no idea except Israel's. Also a trivia question was, "What is the state of California." You can bet I got that one right -- America all the way! Haha! The winning team got a $100 beer tab. Also, I drank too much of another Australian beer called Tooheys.  I liked this one all right; it tasted slightly sweeter than VB.

The funny thing about Sydney is that there is a VERY strong Asian influence. Almost 50% of our patients are Chinese or Indian. At any rate, we all ended up moving to a karaoke bar, which I think are pretty popular in Japan. It was interesting because we all got ushered into this little room with a TV and were just left to our devices for an hour to sing as many songs as we wanted. Best part was that it was just to ourselves. Sadly I had to leave early because the trains end around midnight or so and I didn't want to get stranded.

Also I have been perfecting the Australian accent. I think I'm doing much better already but it's difficult because the way they pronounce some of the words is surprising. Also I have to be diligent to not slip into my English accent. The ultimate goal to this is to get back to Florida and see if I can trick some locals. Mwuahahaha!

Tomorrow is Manly Beach, though, so I will fill you in on the exciting stories to be created! I also plan on bringing my camera so there will finally be a few pictures...

Useful links:
Tooheys Beer: http://www.tooheysnew.com.au
Manly Beach: http://www.manlyaustralia.com.au/

First Aussie Beer

I forgot to say this but Colin reminded me -- I actually had my first Aussie beer called VB when i first got here. It wasn't particularly remarkable, haha.

I also tried Bundaberg rum on the plane because the guy from Perth recommended it. It's a dark rum so not exactly what I like best but doable.

Links:
Bundaberg Rum: http://www.bundabergrum.com.au
VB: http://www.vb.com.au/

No worries!

DAY 1

The day began with me foolishly trying to do my hair and look presentable. By the time my 20 minute bike ride was over, my hair had flipped out and I was sweating profusely. Needless to say, my plan to seduce unwary Australian male medical students was already off to a bad start. The final nail in the coffin, however, was the simple fact that I don’t work with any Australian medical students! Wtf mate?! That was one of the main draws – easy prey to fall victim to my charming American accent and sultry looks! Alas it is not to be, my friends.

Instead I met a bunch of German students (two guys, four girls) who were all very friendly. We exchanged phone numbers so that if any of us are doing anything, we can call each other. They are not working with me, however, so I’m praying that they remember to contact me… I may have to be proactive and call them.

As for the actual Dermatology service, I work with a registrar (which is apparently the Australian name for a resident who is working in their specialty) who is Lebanese and a resident (I guess what they call doctors who haven’t specialized – guess it lasts 2 years?) who is Chinese. Both speak with Australian accents and I’m pretty sure the Lebanese guy is actually from Australia. Not sure about the resident, though. I’m going to have to ask more about the training stuff tomorrow. There are also apparently two female medical students working there (a Canadian and an American) but I only met the American. I’m sad to report that they both leave at the end of this week and that means I will be the ONLY medical student on the service! My plan to make easy friends is getting foiled before I even get started!

The hours aren’t too bad… I work clinic only, and that is Monday and Friday afternoons and full days on Thursdays and Tuesdays (9:30am – 5pm). I get Wednesdays off. I also am basically a shadow of the registrar and don’t actually see patients on my own.

A few major differences I’ve already seen comparing American v Australian:

1.  They don’t wear white coats here (I guess they are considered unsanitary because doctors don’t wash them enough). This means it is difficult to tell the status of everyone (maybe not a bad thing)
2.  The Aussies seem to depend a lot more their GPs (general practitioner – or your family doctor) than they do in the States. Also they are not allowed to directly refer themselves to a specialist, their GP does that
3.  Z’s apparently don’t exist (e.g. organisation)
4. Australians seem to love this stuff called Weet-Bix. I got fooled by the title “biscuit” and thought it would be delicious and sweet. It’s not.  Basically it’s a bar of wheat stuff that you break up and eat as cereal. I’m not sure what the appeal is but I bought some anyway.
5. Tea >> Coffee. In the break room there is a ton of tea you can make but no coffee. That’s cool because I like tea. 
6. They don't have paper towels in the bathrooms. Instead there is this endless roll of cloth that you pull down when you need a dry spot. It's a little weird but I guess more sanitary. I'll try to take a picture of it tomorrow so you can see what I'm talking about.
7. They have American TV shows here like House and Dexter.
8. They really do say "no worries" a lot here
9. I paid $3.50 for a coke. :(

The other funny thing is the conversation I have with Australians about where I’m from. It usually goes like this:

Aussie: “Where are you from?”

Me: “America.”

Aussie: “Where in America?”

Me: “Florida.”

Aussie: “Where in Florida?”

Me: contemplating how to answer this because I’m damn sure they don’t know where Pensacola is “Uhh…do you know where Tallahassee is?”

Aussie: “… No.”

Me: “Orlando?”

Aussie: “Yeah!”

Me: “I’m like 6 hours away from there.”

I’m not really sure why they want to get into the nitty gritty of where I’m from exactly, since I’m pretty sure that they don’t know where that is and probably only have a vague idea of what Florida even looks like (at least, the blank expressions on their face when I say, “Panhandle” suggest that). Still I suppose it’s nice that they try.

When I was biking home, I got lost and started to freak out that I would never find where I was supposed to go. Luckily I made it home alive, or I guess you wouldn’t be reading this right now. /Cool story bro.

  

Useful links:

Weet-Bix in all its glory: http://www.weetbix.com.au/