Monthly Moments | December

Hi guys!

Goodness, December has been a big one! This month has been a lot more hectic than I had expected it to be, but I've managed to fit in a whole heap of fun as well. Here's a little peek at what I've been up to for the final chapter of 2018.

New Zealand
In the first week of December my sister and I jetted off back to our homeland, the Land of the Long White Cloud! We've been staying with our Grandparents and were joined by our parents about a week after we got here, so it's been really wonderful to be all together again. It was also the first time my sister and I have flown together as just the two of us so that was quite cute. Unfortunately I spent a big chunk of my time when I first arrived organising paperwork for upcoming placements and my visa for India next year which has been quite the headache! We did fit in some exploring, walking and lots of good food as well though.

ED Placement:
As part of my study requirements for next year I have to complete two elective placements, one in the emergency department and one in an area of my choice. I organised to complete the ED section at the local hospital while I'm here, both because it was convenient but also because most of my family have worked or done nursing training in the same hospital, so it seemed only right to continue the tradition!
I struggled a bit mentally with having to go back to placement not only so soon after finishing my massive final exams, but also missing out on precious family time while I'm back here in NZ, but there were definitely positive aspects to the experience as well. My placement required me to do 72 hours of work over a two week period, so I chose to pack it all into some really long days in order to get it out of the way. It was actually quite nice to have some structure and purpose in my days while in the middle of my holiday period, and a lot of the staff who used to work with my family got enjoyment out of meeting me. I also got to wear the same colour scrubs as the doctors do, which made me feel pretty special. Only one year to go until I'm wearing doctor scrubs for real! All in all, it was a fun and exciting experience but I'm happy to be properly on holiday now.

Tramping Trip
After smashing out a solid six days in a row of 10-12 hour shifts in the ED, it was time to escape! My parents, sister and I strapped on our packs early the next morning and headed up Mount Taranaki on the track to Lake Dive Hut. I'll write a full feature on it sometime soon, but it was really lovely to explore a new hut on my familiar old mountain. It took us a bit less than four hours to get to the hut, and another very wet four hours in the rain to get back the next morning-Christmas Eve! Spending time with my favourite people in the great outdoors is just the best way I could imagine to celebrate this special time of year.


Christmas
To round out a year of hard work and busy days, we had a wonderful quiet family day to celebrate Christmas Day. I often struggle with keeping my expectations and anxiety in check when it comes to Christmas, and sometimes end up feeling a little deflated and sad when the day comes around, however this year I hadn't had a second to create any expectations with all the busy days of placement and tramping! I was more than happy to just have a simple day together and am just so grateful to be able to spend time with my special people back in my home town. I seem to spend less and less time with my family as the years go by, but I only value it more and more.

With that thought in mind, I'm off to put my feet up and have a glass of wine and roast dinner, and no doubt have an entertaining discussion about our butterfly hunting expedition tomorrow (#justfamilythings)
What did you get up to in December?  I hope your Christmas was as lovely and peaceful as you could have hoped!
Kate x