30days30years

Name: Jessamy Alexander

Occupation: Vet

How we met: Jess is the ex-girlfriend of a friend of mine but long after they called it a day, we have remained friends. She’s done all sorts of interesting stuff like working on a Rabies control program in India for Vets Beyond Borders and is currently a Registrar of Small Animal General Practice at the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital, which means she works as a normal GP vet, but has students observing, assisting and working on cases with her.

Say G’day to Jess:

Sometime last year…

While at a national vet conference, the opportunity to be trained further in veterinary dentistry was presented to me. At first, I was a little uncertain. I have never seriously considered specialising – I like general practice. But the more I thought about it, the more I realise there is something rewarding about performing dentals. Ninety per cent of the time, the patients go home in less pain than they arrived in. Who doesn’t love instant rewards?

And I’d get to train in many areas – to repair facial fractures, oral tumours, orthodontics (yes, animals can wear braces) and endodontics (root canals are quite common).

It sounded like fun so I decide I was in. 

And so my regular Tuesday morning dentistry training sessions started.

Sometime last month…

People are often worried about what really happens when we take their animal “out the back” during a consult. Mostly it’s so we can get the job done faster and safer. Many pets are like young children – often badly behaved for their parents, but better behaved for the teacher.

My nurses are incredibly skilled, and we get the exams/treatments done quickly – sometimes before the animal has realised it! Mostly, though I take the animals out the back not because I am worried they are going to scream when I give them an injection – I am worried because their owners are!

Sometime last week…

On Wednesday a client presented with an old Jack Russell Terrier who had been off his food, vomiting and had diarrhoea on and off for four days. After another 24 hours and some convincing, she agreed to admit him for tests.

The convincing wasn’t because she didn’t care – she was terrified. Last year she lost one of her parents to cancer. Three weeks later her other parent was diagnosed with cancer, and died a few months later. Her daughter is currently ill. This little dog is the one she cuddles at night as she cries and tries to cope.

She’s right to be scared. It’s a type of malignant cancer, which has spread to multiple organs. After much discussion, we decide the best option is euthanasia.

Many people say this must be the worst part of my job. Mostly, it is. Sometimes, though, I’m grateful that we can farewell a beloved family member, without suffering, and with dignity.

By the time various family members had visited to say their goodbyes, I’d counselled the owners, and finally euthanased, it had been three hours. Once they left, I burst into tears. After a few minutes, I called the nurse in to look after the body. At the same time, 

I got a page from reception to contact a client about some routine bloods for their pet. I was too depleted to be chipper on the phone so decided to call them the next day. 

I went home and my fiancé cooked me dinner.

Sometime yesterday…

A big part of my job is teaching students. Their final year is “on the job” training. They have all the knowledge and just need to learn how to apply it practically. Some students start this year with excellent skills, while others still have much to learn.

As part of their training, the students start the consult, to practise their history taking and examination skills. They then present the case to the vet, who then reviews everything and initiates any treatments.

Two lovely students started one particular consultation and expressed concern about a cat’s heart. The beat is abnormal, but they have trouble describing the arrhythmia.

I go into the consult room, and auscultate the heart. 

The students have a long way to go before they graduate.

The cat is purring.

 

 

Name: Kelly Kral

Occupation: Design student, LSU

How we met: Kelly is the daughter of Ken and Nancy, who have opened their home to me in Houston, Texas twice now. The first was when I volunteered during the 2006 US mid-term elections for then Congressman Nick Lampson. The second was at Christmas last year where I spent a few glorious days relaxing from the pressures of my 30 Days for 30 Years adventure and enjoying their warm southern hospitality.

Kelly is a pint-sized pocket rocket who scored a highly coveted spot in the Louisiana State University Golden Band, which performs at all the college football games on her university campus. For those of you unfamiliar with magnitude of college football in the US, a film like The Blind Side might put it into perspective. As will Kelly’s story below:

The moment I stepped foot in Death Valley, LSU’s football stadium that can hold up to 92,400 fans, I knew this was the college for me.

Growing up, I’ve gone to plenty of Texas football games. In Texas, football is the biggest sport. People go crazy over it. But I have never seen people so proud and wild about football as the fans of the LSU Tigers.

People tailgating from sun-up to sundown, chowing down on jambalaya and Cajun food, and drinking as many beers as they can. In the stadium, the fans go wild, screaming and shouting. Death Valley is sometimes called Deaf Valley for how loud it can get. I was wide-eyed in amazement of how cool this place was.

I knew the marching band was something I wanted to participate in. Little did I know how much work it would be, but also, how rewarding it would be. The Golden Band from Tiger Land is the best band in the south, and is well known around America. People worship the band here. When we march during pre-game, everyone starts clapping and cheering. You can barely hear yourself play. The rush of excitement you get by being surrounded by 92,400 people is unbelievable. It’s a feeling you never forget.

I play clarinet, and tried out the first week of college. After a hard week of 15-hour days, practices, and tests, I made the band, beating out a lot of other people for the spot. I was so proud of myself. But that was only the beginning.

The band practices everyday for two hours and then march the show we’ve been practicing for the games on Saturday. Saturday is an all-day event for the band. We get up at 7am in the morning and have practice, eat lunch, practice more, and then line up at the top of the hill to start the parade.

All the tailgaters and fans line up around us to watch us march to the stadium. Sometimes after the parade, we do a pep rally in the PMAC building, and then from there, march into the stadium to play more songs until the game starts. Throughout the game, at every touchdown, firstdown, and so on, we play songs. The student section screams out different cheers for each song.

Last season, the LSU football team had won every game of the season, making us 13-0. We got to go to the National Championship, which is the biggest college football game there is. We had to play Alabama, a big time rival.

We had played Alabama once during the season and beaten them. It was the rematch. Everyone had shirts and pins that said “Beat Bama Again”. I got to travel with the band for free to this game, held in New Orleans. There were celebrations everywhere, a mix of red, gold, and purple.

Unfortunately LSU lost. It was the first game I’ve been to where I’ve seen my team lose. It was emotional and sad, but being in the band, and supporting my school and team was one of the best feelings in the world. And just being able to go to all these games, and experience it all was worth all of the practices and hard work. And along the way, I had made some really great friends and had some really fun times.

 

 

 

 

Name: Sarah Sweeney

Occupation: Events management guru

W: getjealous.com/clarkyandsweeney

How we met: Sarah is the delightful younger sister of one of my besties, Catherine. I am constantly jealous of her. She’s got way more stamps in her passport than me and always manages to find work at the world’s coolest sporting events like Wimbledon, the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix and the Olympics.

She also boasts the unique distinction of having had a chicken carcass land in her lap at the footy after someone threw it off the second tier of the MCG. 🙂 And she takes brilliant photos while jumping in the air. Like this one.

Meet Sarah:

Inspired by Christie’s epic 30 Days for 30 Years …. here is a snapshot of lessons you will learn over 30 days of adventures on the road as a backpacker in South America.

Sorry folks, you will not be learning about adult diapers… (but if you want to read about it check out Christie’s blog Hospital 2.0 )

V’mos! Let’s go!

Exploring South America is an educational experience. Not only will you be taught about the amazing history, cultures, languages and lifestyles of the countries of this continent, you will learn a lot about yourself, both as a traveller, and as a person.

– You will learn that half an hour late is actually considered to be “on time”.

– You will learn to drink terrible, burnt Brazilian coffee from a plastic cup. And you will learn to like it.

– You will learn to eat at dodgy restaurants and to cook on a minimized budget. Two words: Tuna. Pasta.

– You will learn to haggle with locals to avoid paying a “gringo tax” because everything is more expensive for tourists. Even if the amount you are arguing over in Paraguay is 20c: It’s not about the money, it’s the principle.

– You will learn a lot (probably too much) about your travelling companions. Bowel movements, flatulence and hygiene levels will be the topic of many conversations.

– You will learn the best thing about suffering from a parasite in Bolivia, it that the hospital treatment and drugs are really really cheap.

– You will learn a new appreciation for the simple comforts of home: hot showers, fresh water and your own bed.

– You will learn that every taxi driver in Ecuador is crazy. I would recommend you to tighten your seatbelt, but don’t expect there to be one.

– You will learn the importance of mosquito repellant in the Colombian jungle. Those little suckers are vicious!

– You will learn to increase you patience as nothing works as promised. Customer service and efficiency are unknown terms.

– You will learn to understand Spanish as a nurse presents and sticks a needle in your arm in hospital.

– You will learn exactly what people mean when they describe Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls and Galapogas Islands as “breath-taking”.

– You will learn that the steak in Argentina is the best in the world. The best. In the world!

– You will learn to appreciate bike brakes and knee pads as you speed down “Death Road” in Bolivia.

– You will learn the same clothes you have worn for three days trekking in Peru are fine to wear again. They just need a rinse in the river.

– You will learn to listen to, laugh at and share stories over a wine, beer, caipirinha or pisco sour.

– You will learn to categorize the company of other travelers from all over the world. You will meet many great people, travel with some, continually run into others, and flat out avoid a few.

– You will learn that the experience of swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon, is worth the risk of becoming a caiman’s (alligator’s) lunch.

– You will learn that the final destination was worth the 24/28/32 hour bus ride.

And the biggest lesson from 30 days on the road in South America?

No matter how many lessons you learn, no matter how many challenges you face, it is worth it for the ultimate feeling of freedom and adventure!!

Name: Sarah Bieske

Occupation: Journo/Mum-of-two

How we met: Sars and I used to work together and around the office she was known for two things, besides her journalistic talents – her height and her heels.

Anyone who knows Sarah has a major case of shoe envy. It doesn’t matter what she’s wearing, she always seems to have the perfect pair of brightly coloured heels to match. 

Her love of heels probably stems from her height. At five-foot-nothing she cut an unusual figure in the Geelong Cats locker room interviewing burly 6 foot 5 inch footballers as a sports journalist for many years.

She is also married to Matty, AKA Beautiful Matt, one of the world’s greatest men.

Meet Sarah:

They say life is all about choices and today, at 1.44pm, my day came down to three: eat, shower or sleep.

Sure, they all seem like pretty simple options – even a little leisurely for those of you 9-5 workers.

But let me assure you, it was a decision that would have a significant impact on the rest of my day.

Eat, and I would have spent the next nine hours trying desperately to keep my eyes open and discreetly smelling myself for any remnants of Mr Nine-week-old’s baby vomit and this morning’s Weet-Bix thrown at me by Mr 17-month-old.

Shower, and I would have spent the next nine hours again, trying desperately to keep my eyes open but also trying to hush the rumbling that had taken over my stomach.

Sleep, well, at least sleep would have helped me cope with the rumblings and the baby vomit/leftover Weet-Bix stench.

I chose to shower. It had been a day, maybe two since my last. I’m not quite sure. But those four minutes of hot water and peace and quiet were heavenly. I am now however extremely hungry and overtired.

Tomorrow I think I’ll definitely opt for sleep. You see, as a mum of two under two, I get one small window each day (well, most days) that presents me with choices similar to the above.

The rest of my day goes something like this – change Mr Nine-weeks-old’s nappy, change Mr Toddler’s nappy. Feed Mr Nine-week-old, chase Mr Toddler. Settle Mr Nine-week-old, clean up after hurricane Toddler. You get the drift.

But don’t for a second think I’m complaining. It’s just simply a snapshot of my new life – my blessed, beautiful, busy life, since becoming a mum almost 18-months-ago.

Pre-Mr Toddler, I had the freedom to come and go as I please. I could hop in the car with nothing more than my mobile, wallet and lip gloss and go wherever I wanted, for as long as I wanted. I could do the groceries in 15minutes flat. I could go out at night and not count down the hours until I had to be up the next morning. I could wear nice clothes without worrying they’d soon be destroyed by Vegemite fingers and I could wear heels, fabulous heels, without looking completely impractical.

Now, each day, each week, each month, are basically a repeat of the same. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I love the happy singing and gurgles and squeals of excitement as I drive along in the car, even if I do have to listen to Winky Wonky Donkey on repeat.

I love watching Mr Toddler’s excitement as I wheel him into the supermarket and can’t help but marvel at his efficiency as he chucks each and every item I pass him over his head and into the back of the trolley, all while Mr Nine-week-old sleeps soundly on my chest in his Baby Bjorn.

I love going to bed at night knowing the next morning I’m going to wake up to a brand new day of cuddles, laughs, maybe a new word or two – and probably a few tantrums.

Sure, I miss dressing up and doing more with my hair than scrunching it up on the top of my head. But in all honesty, wearing trackies most days actually isn’t all that bad.

Each day might be just like the one before, but they’re the best days I’ve ever had.

 

Name: Ainslie O’Connor

Occupation: Social Policy writer

W: tilleandains.blogspot.com.au/

How we met: Ainslie and I have known each other since I was about four. We grew up in a tiny dot of a town on the west coast of South Australia called Haslam. To give you an idea of just how small of a dot I’m talking, my brother made the population 52 when he was born!  I went back there last year for the first time in 23 years (which you can read about here) and it brought back so many wonderful memories. Ainslie was part of pretty much every one of them.

She is one of those friends that no matter how long it is between drinks we pick right back up where we left off. It makes me smile to think we are still swapping stories all these years on. (Hers are always much better than mine btw. ie She met her husband Tille at a camp ground in Egypt and after knowing him for only a few days, jumped on the back of his motorcycle and toured the Middle East with him!)

Meet Ainslie:

It was day 147 of our motorbike trip, we were at the southern tip of Africa, just near the Cape of Good Hope, and I was setting up the tent that had been our ‘home’ since leaving Heidelberg, Germany. Everything we owned on this journey could be packed into two pannier bags and one roll bag, weighing about 30kg altogether.

On this day, I knew it was the last time on this trip that we would sleep in a tent, the last time that I’d blow up our thermorests, the inflatable pillows and zip our sleeping bags together. And the last time that I would arrange the inside of a 2m x 1m tent to the highest standard of comfort possible. (Yes, everything had a place and yes, I am known to be an organisation freak.)

Just for context, my German husband and I (Australian) had been living in Germany and on a whim had decided to ride home to Australia (where we planned to live) through Africa. To reach Cape Town, we had ridden through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. After about six months on the road, in spite of having an incredible adventure, I certainly dreamt of having more than one pair of trousers, two pairs of knickers, a couple of t-shirts and nothing but lip-gloss when I wanted to ‘glam-up’. But more so, I dreamt of setting up a home, a physical base.

On leaving Cape Town, we flew via Heidelberg to visit family before flying on to Adelaide. Home in Germany is something I associate with ‘Gemütlichkeit’, a feeling of warmth and comfort. The small apartment of my mother-in-law is not built for three adults, but nevertheless, ‘Gemütlichkeit’ was indeed on offer and welcomed after six months of travel. Three meals a day of traditional German food, with the essential ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ in between. There is always space for cake!

Arriving in Adelaide we spent time in my parent’s home, which in line with the Australian ideal is a home large enough for everyone to have their own space and of course, a BBQ and garden.

But still I was itching to get our own place, to make sure that I had my ‘home’. We rented a lovely little house, walking distance from the beach, plenty of space, garage for our beloved motorbike and a garden of roses and citrus fruit.

My four homes in 30 days were a small tent, a Gemütlich German apartment, a good Aussie family home and then our own little house by the sea. On reaching home number four, I felt sure that I would finally feel at ‘home’.

What I found however was that as lovely as it was, it was just bricks and mortar.

Yes it was a space that we could fill with our possessions, entertain our family and friends and share life in, but I now see that a ‘home’ for me has nothing to do with a physical place and that my fantasy was a little misguided. As long as I have my husband by my side, I can create a home regardless of where I am.