Aussie Odyssey

Wow.

Three-and-a-half years ago, I sent an email home to a handful of folks to let them know I had made it safely to Australia; it had the same title as this week’s installment. Now, I’m sending an email to a couple hundred people to let them know that my Aussie Odyssey is coming to an end.

Boy, where do I even begin?

How does one find words to describe this adventure? Since January 2002, I have lived 10,000 miles from home in the Land Down Under. Not only did I start a new career and move to a new city, I moved to a different *country* about as far away as you can get. It takes a 30 hour day, three planes and several sleeping tablets to get home. Somehow I muddled through; cobbling something together from scratch that resembles a normal life: new friends, new routines, even a new language (If any Aussie ever tells you they speak English, don’t believe them. Provided you can understand what they say in the first place. But I digress.). But in the background of all this has been that tug of *home*. Of friends I’ve known longer than a few years and of family I only get to see once a year. I have missed far too many important birthday parties and my nieces, nephews and friends’ children are growing up very quickly.

In other words, I really, really miss home.

With that said, I’m also not entirely looking forward to leaving: Oz is a pretty neat place to live. I have made some wonderful friends here in Australia; people who mean a lot to me and whom I will miss terribly when I don’t see them every day. I’ve gotten very used to asking for toMAHto sauce to go on my chips, and I have become practically addicted to meat pies. And rugby is a pretty cool sport. And the Aussies have their priorities right: they work to live, instead of living to work (admit it: how many of you worked more than 40 hours last week?). From 9-5, they will give you an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Heaven help you if you need someone at 5:01pm, though – at that point, they’re all at the pub having a pint.

And I think it’s my turn to buy a round.

The biggest question asked of me lately – other than when I am coming back here – is if I am excited about going home. My response is, well, mixed. I’m happy to be going *home*, but sad to be leaving Australia. As you would expect, I have become attached to this place.

Kinda like gum stuck on the bottom of your shoe…

I’ll be back with everyone in 2 weeks – just before I head off to NYC to do Trauma Surgery at Harlem Hospital. (If anyone knows anyone in New York who might have a spare room, couch or closet they would like to rent out to me for the month of July, please let me know soonest!) I’m going to start sending these updates out every other week from now on; I expect to be a lot busier in the States doing my rotations. Plus, without the Aussie’s to pick on, the emails will only be about me.

And that would be rather boring.

And with that, it’s the weekend. I’ll relax in Sydney and repack my bags about three times before I fly out Monday afternoon to Washington, DC. Not to mention scraping the bottom of my shoes…

As always, Love to All and keep working on your 101 List!
Bryan