Dear avid readers. In case any of you missed us here is  an End of Year sampler as it were, artfully created by Lori and Jeryn.

It’s Been a Year

“It’s been a year since you came and went….”

Recently Facebook popped up a “memory” photo of Liam and Lori on the ferry a year ago as we crossed to Victoria to deposit Liam at UVic for his first year. We then turned around and embarked on our own adventure. (“Have a good year Liam. We’re off”). Sending him off to his second year seemed a little less like abandoning him.

The words of one of Lori’s favourite Twin Peak’s songs spring to mind. Lori had asked Naomi to play it at our joint 50^th birthday party the year before but Naomi replied, “No. It will just make you cry”. While the lyrics and the tone of the song are sad and wistful, it does resonate a little as we reflect on the year passed and adapt to our new future based in Kamloops.

It was quite startling how quickly we returned to our old routines. Lori was back at work the day after she arrived in Fort St John; similarly, I arrived back one day then started working the next. Lori and the girls were initially couch surfing but, with our house-sitters away on their own holiday we were somewhat strangely house-sitting in our own house. This at least gave us the opportunity to slowly assemble our stuff in preparation for our final move from Fort St John. I’m sure many are wondering which one will be the last encore!

For me (Paul), arriving back in Vancouver in July was a strange experience. Having spent the last 3 weeks in Katherine on my own, I cut a somewhat lonely figure as I wandered the walkways of the airport en route to immigration and the exit. I didn’t have to explain my extended absence or list of purchases to anyone (but, please, I really want to) as immigration is now a computerized formality (and a far more efficient and welcoming process than Johannesburg for example). As I exited the immigration hall where many other travelers were greeted by signs, flowers and loved ones I caught myself thinking, “So that’s it then?” I walked out onto the street, hopped into a cab and felt like I was rebooting a former life.

But not really. Lori and I agree that our perspective on many things has changed over this year. We have both observed that telling our stories to friends (who have been very attentive and understanding:) has helped us process and consolidate the whole experience. When friends ask us, “What was the best….?” we both find ourselves talking about the people we had the pleasure and privilege to meet on our journey, particularly those who are still struggling with the many difficulties we were able to leave behind on the return to the comfort and safety of Canada.

A visit with a friend offered a framework for trying to encapsulate our experiences. His family uses “high-low”. Because of the context in which he asked it reminded me that a high for me was returning to Karanda and seeing how much of what I had done the year before had persisted and in fact progressed. Given the complexity of setting up computerized medical records and some of the work arounds that had to be used to shoehorn the software into the Zimbabwean hospital environment, I had expected that the system usage would have settled back to a lesser equilibrium. However, it was inspiring to see the hard work and dedication of the staff at Karanda persisting at making MOIS work for them (and the patients) and looking for opportunities to expand its usefulness further. It was here that I felt I had been able to contribute something that might have a lasting effect.

A contrasting low was the struggle to provide care and make a meaningful contribution in the government hospital in Nyanga. The hospital had little to no funding to operate and the patients had no money to pay for care. I often repeat the story of only having one bottle of propofol and thus having to choose which patient would get it for his or her operation. Despite this, the very skilled staff there endeavored to provide the best care possible. The low for me was being overwhelmed by the lack of resources and the feeling of not even knowing where to begin to try and improve things.

The personal highs for me were many and almost impossible to choose between. The one that sticks, though, was the unexpected opportunity to visit the Bungle Bungles. It had always been a place that I had seen pictures of but I had thought I would never visit because of its remoteness. It was cousin David pointing out, “But Kununurra is only 5 hours from Katherine” that provided me the opportunity and the impetus. I comment that the Bungle Bungles is one of those places, like Uluru and the Grand Canyon, that, while spectacular in photos, are mind-blowing in person.

I must add that I also find myself thinking wistfully of my regular swims at Edith Falls and the Bay of Fires. As we recently stood in Paul Lake amongst the mud and reeds Thea was moved to comment, “Well it’s not quite Binnalong Bay”.

For Lori, working with the pharmacy staff in Karanda was a high, especially as they were able to transition off paper and onto computer while we were there. The dedication, enthusiasm and good humour of the pharmacy staff (despite the heat!) was inspiring. As was the lovely thank you letter they gave us. A low for Lori came in Uganda as the pangs of homesickness coloured the juxtaposition of living so close to poverty while in the presence of such incredible natural beauty and warm, friendly people.

In case you hadn’t noticed Lori really liked Tasmania especially being able to entertain our many visitors and to show them all the places that had quickly become our favourites.

Thea says her highs were building the mud hut, snorkeling at the Barrier Reef, visiting the Harry Potter Experience (of course) and going to the twenty one pilots concert in Melbourne with Uncle Simon and cousin Katie. Both Thea and Rachelle felt that building the hut was one of the few times they were able to contribute in a substantial way.

Additional highlights for Rachelle were the Kenyan Safari (we don’t think it was the listening to Mick Thomas sing part:), especially the baby lion cub and the small plane flight from Entebbe to Bwindi along Lake Victoria and over the lush Uganda countryside. She found it disquieting sticking out so much while we were in Nyanga and Karanda and some of the negative attention that afforded.

While we felt we were intellectually prepared for the experience, the struggle to volunteer in a meaningful way in the face of so much need in so many places was disheartening at times. Sometimes the infrastructure was so poor that we couldn’t even take the easy option and financially contribute. In Harare we tried to buy a very overpriced local soccer team jersey for Jeryn’s boyfriend, Ted. However, the store couldn’t get their debit machine to work and cash was so hard to come by that we couldn’t afford to part with that much.

In Bwindi, Lori observed that banking and micro-finance is what the community appeared to need the most. There were many who were entrepreneurially struggling to advance their lives and those around them but were being held back by the lack of a financial structure to realise those dreams. It did seem counter-intuitive that, in the face of the struggle to find shelter, food, clean water and sanitation that finance would seem the solution. However, as it was pointed out to us, if you don’t have anything to provide as collateral for a loan then you are trapped.

In Zimbabwe it was more dire. It is estimated that more than 90% of the economy is now underground or bartering. If commerce is not happening then there is no taxation and therefore government wages can’t be paid or infrastructure attended to and so the system spirals further downwards. Corruption and ineptitude and the upper levels of government and administration contribute to the collapse further.

The success (and safety) of our year away owed so much to the incredible generosity of friends both in Canada and Australia, but also those acquired on our travels. We really were very fortunate in that we were never knowingly at risk and that we remained in good health throughout. It both gladdens (and saddens) us when we hear from the many incredible people we had the privilege to meet and work with while away. The generosity has continued on our return. Our summer seemed to come full circle when Lori and I stayed at Coral and Ted’s at the end of the summer as that is where she and the girls first landed back in FSJ. Thanks to Laurie and Stephen for allowing us to consolidate our accumulating boxes in their garage, which made moving day much more straightforward. Thanks to John and Janine who looked after our house so well while we were away and shared its space and their moose meat when we got back. Thanks to Robert and Rhonda for hosting Lori. Thanks to all those who have fed us, who have listened to our stories, and who have helped us pack up and move. It was gratifying for both us to be able to jump back in with work and friends over the summer and we are both relieved that we have been “replaced” in Fort St John and that our patients are getting looked after. It also gives me great joy that the BC North Model Railroad Club has taken over the care of the train at the clinic. Thanks also to Monica in Kamloops for all her help with house-hunting. A special thanks to the piano lifters who ensured the baby made the transition safely!

What lies ahead? As I (Paul) write, Thea and I are mostly settled into the house in Kamloops though there are many boxes (mostly of books it appears!) to sort through. Lori is finishing off her stint in FSJ and will be joining us soon. Liam has made it back to UVic to start his 2nd year of Creative Writing. Jeryn is back in Guelph to start her 3rd year of Landscape Architecture. Rachelle has moved in with (very accomodating) friends in FSJ to embark on the family experiment of her completing grade 12 in FSJ. Thea started grade 9 at St Ann’s here in Kamloops. Soon after she arrives here, Lori heads further south to the pharmacy in Keremeos for a week. Come the end of September I start my itinerant career with a locum stint in Terrace. It will definitely be a transition for us, especially having been in such close quarters for a year. While it was special to be back together as a family (and with good friends) in FSJ over the summer, we have both commented that the move still feels the right thing to do at the right time and we hope to be able to contribute to more communities in this way.

And I find myself strangely looking forward to a winter…….

PS Wishing Twin Peaks a highly successful tour in Australia. Check out their dates here..www.twinpeaks.ca

Waterfalls and Water-fails.

The Northern Territory has a plethora of beautiful waterfalls that change dramatically in volume from the wet to dry season. We spent 2 days in Litchfield National Park, enjoying the various waterfalls and pools and marveling at the cathedral, tree piping and magnetic termite mounds, the latter resembling haphazard tombstones. Mataranka, an hour south of Katherine, has relaxing thermal pools, and Edith Falls, 60 km north of Katherine, provides a stunning setting for swimming at the upper and lower falls. It is strange for us that the water temperature at the waterfalls is so pleasant for swimming when we are used to braving much colder water when swimming outdoors, e.g. Horseshoe Lake in Jasper. Indeed, the outdoor pool in Katherine is almost uncomfortably warm for swimming laps. The Katherine Hot Springs have replaced Binalong Bay as our excursion once Paul’s work day is over. It is great being able to walk to the springs and the water there is friendlier than the ocean. However, we have to share the springs with many more people and the scenery, while pleasant, is not take-your-breath-away like Binalong. However Nitmiluk Gorge is only 30km away and we have enjoyed a sunrise cruise along the Katherine River as well as a hike along part of the rim.

The girls and I booked a cultural experience one morning in Katherine. Trying our hand at painting under the direction of Manuel, an Indigenous artist, we gained a much greater appreciation for the skills and techniques involved. Our efforts at lighting a fire the traditional way were ineffective whereas Manuel started a fire in less than a minute. We also failed at throwing a spear with a woomera. Although Manuel’s parents had come from Arnhem Land, he has never been there himself and it seems very unfair that the girls and I have. The interesting morning ended with the girls cuddling wallaby joeys that had been rescued by the couple who organize the cultural experience. The girls also spent a morning doing some weaving at an Aboriginal-run art gallery. Whereas when we did weaving in Uganda we used purchased raffia, Dorothea taught the girls using pandanas leaves she had dried and dyed in the traditional way. It is reassuring to see that some of the Aboriginal traditions and languages are persisting but distressing to see that, as in Canada, Aboriginals rank lower than the general population in measures of health, education, and income. In his book The Great Race David Hill describes the separate expeditions by the Frenchman Nicolas Baudin and the Englishman Matthew Flinders to map the entire coast of Australia. Baudin was incredibly prescient for stating to King, a governor of the English colony, “To my way of thinking, I have never been able to conceive that there was justice or even fairness of the part of Europeans in seizing in the name of their governments, a land seen for the first time, when it is inhabited by men who have not always deserved the title of savages or cannibals that has freely been given them; whereas they were still only children of nature and just as civilized as your Scotch Highlanders, or our Breton peasants, etc., who, if they do not eat their fellow-man, are just as objectionable.” In 1802 he predicted that assimilation would not work and the marginalization that is present today confirms it. I don’t have any answers but we have at least tried to support the Aboriginal-owned businesses while we have been in Katherine.

War memorials in Australian towns and cities are well maintained and visited. However, in the Northern Territory, there are many actual sites pertaining to WWll. We did not get to the war museum in Darwin but did go to the Bombing of Darwin experience on Stokes Wharf, which gives a very vivid representation of Feb 19, 1942 – the day Darwin was first bombed. Well vivid for everyone except Lori who didn’t realise her VR goggles weren’t working except right at the end. Darwin was bombed on 64 occasions and even inland sites such as Katherine were bombed. En route between Darwin and Katherine there are several WWll air strips. The war cemetery at Adelaide River an hour north of Katherine is the fourth largest in Australia. We were moved viewing the grave of the sole Canadian soldier buried there as well as those of other soldiers and civilians killed during WWll. Katherine itself was basically taken over by the military in WWll and the hospital moved and expanded to over 800 beds. The site of the officer’s mess hall later became a family home and is now a National Trust site. There continues to be a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base near Katherine, named after Archie Tindal, the first RAAF member killed on the Australian mainland by the Japanese in WWll. We often hear the F/A-18 Hornet jets training overhead and the Air Force members are distinctive in their blue camouflage when they are running errands in town. My great uncle Wilfred Schrempp was posted to Australia as a communications technician in WWll. I am keen to find out where exactly he was stationed as no relative still living seems to know for certain (I have to request his records in writing from the office in Ottawa so will do that when we return.)

Paul and I wandered over to the local footy oval on a Friday night – still 25 degrees at 7:30 pm. The games were free-flowing and exciting to watch. While the teams were not very mixed racially, we were pleased to see that no team had obviously inferior gear on contrast to our experience of watching soccer in Zimbabwe.  It was fascinating to hear the Indigenous players conversing in their own language.

In just over 5 months in Australia we have been to mass in 11 different churches ranging from cathedrals in Bunbury and Darwin to a corrugated iron church in Adelaide River. People have been very friendly, twice we have doubled the congregation, and one priest even congratulated Paul and I on our anniversary (apparently I look like one of the teachers at one of the schools).

We have delved into the Australian music scene a bit. Our friend Sue introduced us to the music of an undefinable band The Northern Folk (her nephew from Albury is one of the members). It is an 11-piece group with sassy sax, brash brass, and exquisite harmonies (thenorthernfolk.com.au). When we were in Echuca, we listened to some songs of Isaiah Firebrace, a teen from Moama who won the 8^th season of the X Factor Australia in 2016 and was Australia’s contestant in the Eurovision 2017 competition. No that is not a typo. Australians have been so engaged with the Eurovision contests that their country was given a spot. Isaiah has an appealing look and sound and we hope this is just the start of an exciting career as he could be a mentor for other Aboriginal youth (His father is Yorta Yorta and his mother Gunditjmara). While we missed out on a Jimmy Barnes concert in Launceston and did not manage to see Mick Thomas perform on Australian soil, we were very happy to hear Colin Hay (from Men at Work), Debra Conway, Joe Camilleri, and Mental as Anything perform in Darwin. The concert was sponsored by APIA and we were a little chagrined to learn it is the Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency. That was a reality check we didn’t need. On that same trip up to Darwin Lori discovered a new way to gracefully enter the water (not).

Next on the music agenda is listening to the new album from My Friend the Chocolate Cake (www.MFTCC.com). Thea is still heavily into KPop (Korean Pop), which Rachelle does not appreciate. Since the girls went to the twenty one pilots concert in Melbourne we have been listening to more of their music; this group and Ed Sheeren are two artists we all enjoy. While I remain unashamedly mired in the 80s, I do think Ed Sheeren has almost single-handedly redeemed the current decade’s musical contribution. Shania Twain, and other country music, is popular here in the Northern Territory. On a home music scene, I have not progressed much on the ukulele. However, we are thrilled that Thea has been able to continue with flute lessons from the amazing teacher in Launceston via Skype.

While we arrived too late for the fresh mango season, I am loving the frozen and dried mango we buy at the weekly Saturday market. I am a bit like Bubba and the shrimp: mango chicken, mango muffins, mango pork, mango on my cereal, and I had an amazing tropic burger at the Lazy Lizard Tavern – mango, feta cheese, beef patty, and rocket lettuce. Most innovative, tastiest burger I have eaten in years. Then just when I thought I had tried all permutations and variations of mango, I discovered mango and macadamia nut popsicles – sensational.

In some respects, Katherine has a similar vibe to FSJ – a relatively young demographic, a certain pride in being at the extreme of climate, and an agricultural/ranching community in the surrounding area. We toured the Katherine School of the Air one day, which meets the educational needs of students on remote cattle stations and islands of the Northern Territory as well as children of Northern Territory families travelling or working overseas. Coincidentally one of the teachers at the school had spent 4 summers working on ranches near my home town of Pincher Creek. Paul teases me about how I strive to find someone that I know in common with any new person I meet but this instance seemed particularly unlikely.

Paul’s back and leg pain are gradually resolving, although the day shift followed by three 10-hour night shifts was very tiring for him. He feels he is too old to do night shifts and was relieved that he wasn’t scheduled for any others when the latest roster came out. He no longer needs his walking stick, is able to walk more fluidly, and finds that he simply gets tingling and a mild ache in his leg when standing. He is finding the Katherine ER staff excellent to work with and appreciates having other docs around to bounce thoughts off and that transferring a patient out tends to involve a laconic discussion with an agreeable specialist in Darwin rather than the sales pitch that he often has to make when trying to convince reluctant specialists in Vancouver, Prince George, or Edmonton to accept a patient.

Thea is relieved to be finished her distance education courses through SD 60. This option worked well for her and she had very supportive teachers. She plans to fill in the rest of her days putting together two videos pertaining to our trip. Rachelle had more difficulty completing courses because hers were more content-heavy and she learns better as part of a group (and not with her parents as teachers!). Schoolwork aside, she kept us entertained along the way with her handstands in freaky places (I usually couldn’t watch) and her canny imitations of accents, particularly the ones on Tasmanian TV commercials. They have coped remarkably well with living out of a suitcase, although they are very fed up with their current clothes despite a few additions and deletions along the way (often inadvertent on Thea’s part: two hosts have graciously forwarded items of clothing she left behind to Katherine.)

The girls and I have only I week to go in our gap year because we are heading back to Canada a bit sooner than Paul; he is staying on until the end of June. We are pleased to have a final visitor, a long-term friend who is flying up from Adelaide. We are all looking forward to being “home” even though we are actually home-less. As well we are all looking forward to catching up with friends and family as we try to reset ourselves back to a routine in the northern hemisphere.

Back Out in the Outback
 

We made the most of our remaining days in Cairns. I walked through its beautiful botanical gardens with two other spouses from the conference. The girls and I really enjoyed Hartley’s Crocodile Experience and learned the difference between salties and freshies while Paul attended his last day of the conference and participated on a panel about anesthesia procedures in rural settings. Our flight to Darwin was our last within Australia (I took a total of 14 domestic flights over the 4 months) and almost our last car rented (in 4 months we drove a total of 10 unfamiliar cars). It was HOT and still humid, although the dry season had officially begun! It is so different to the dry heat I was familiar with from living in Echuca and the dense vegetation is so different as well. Rather than eucalypt, one smells frangipanni and other tropical flowers. With their fronds lifted overhead on their branches, the pandanus trees look to me as though they are cheerleaders.

While Cairns seems mostly about tourism plus some sugar cane production, Darwin appears much more a working city – fruit growing, uranium mining, LNG, military (Australia, US, and occasionally other countries), with some local tourism as well as tourism to Kakadu National Park and points beyond. There are no old buildings in Darwin because 80% of the structures were wiped out by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. The present architecture incorporates a lot of primary colours, well suited to the climate. Compared to Melbourne, the people are much more likely to greet you and much more likely to wear white than black. I can’t pin the vibe down. There is a cosmopolitan element rubbing up against a frontier element –  high heels/dress shoes vs bare feet/Blundstones. Similar to Tasmania, the TV ads in the Northern Territory aren’t known for their subtlety.

It is striking how heterogeneous the population is, especially compared to the homogeneity of Tasmania where the local Aboriginal population was exterminated and fewer immigrants flow in. Darwin is home to Chinese (most recently dating back to gold mine days but there is evidence Chinese and certainly Indonesians arrived before European explorers), Indians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, etc. The percentage of the population that is Indigenous is much greater in the Northern Territory. It is distressing to see how marginalized they are. In Darwin, it almost appears that there are two parallel societies, somewhat reminiscent of our brief exposure to South Africa without the underlying threat of violence. While some individuals must cross between the two societies, it disheartening to see the wonderful Aboriginal designs appropriated for all manner of gifts being sold in stores that do not directly employ Aboriginals (and I have naively purchased such gifts both in Canada and in Australia).

We took a 2-day tour from Darwin, spending the first day in Kakadu. We saw many species of birds on a cruise that traversed part of the South Alligator River, named by a cartographer who had been working in the Americas and assumed the animals he was seeing were alligators, when of course they were crocodiles. On the second day, visiting Arnhem Land (an Aboriginal land that also warrants a name change as it is named for one of the Dutch explorer ships, which was named after the town in the Netherlands) was a highlight for all four of us. I even enjoyed wading through the water and climbing up to see some rock art (but was relieved not to acquire a leech although Paul was not so fortunate). We were interested to hear from our guide that more Aboriginals in the Northern Territory have retained their languages and spiritual traditions compared to those in other states of Australia. It was also refreshing to visit Injalak Arts Centre (http://injalak.com ) in Gunbalanya that directly benefits the many artists who work there in different media, including print-making, and provides an opportunity for collaboration with textile workers in Cambodia.

I had not read enough to understand the wet and dry season in the Top End versus the usual seasons elsewhere. Lushness is still present as the wet season winds down and seeing the acres of lilies in the waterways in Kakadu and Arnhemland was like a scene from Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It is difficult to imagine the many waterways in Kakadu drying up. The dry season is aptly named: 7 months with virtually no rain. The consistency of the weather is a bit disconcerting to people who have experienced three seasons in one day in FSJ.

The 320 km drive from Darwin to Katherine was eerily similar to travelling in Zimbabwe – relatively flat, red-soil terrain interrupted by numerous large termite mounds and areas being burned off. However, the flora is much more diverse and the highway is much better maintained compared to Zim. The speed limit is 130 km/hr and when the large road trains (a semi pulling three or even four trailers) pass, one’s ear drums note the change in air pressure. There are few curves in the road, another stark contrast with Tasmania. The population density of marsupials is lower than in Tasmania and thus the road kill rate is much lower, with butterflies the most common casualty we witnessed.

Katherine began as an outpost for the Australian overland telegraph route, has a population of over 6000, with fruit and vegetable production and some cattle ranching on surrounding properties, and gold mining, and it is the nearest base to explore the Nitmiluk Park/Katherine Gorge. Katherine had its own catastrophe in 1998 when much greater than normal flooding of the Katherine River required many people to evacuate and a great deal of reclamation afterwards.

Our unit in Katherine feels very spacious, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Rather than herons outside our window as we had in Zimbabwe, here there are whistling and black kites and red-tailed cockatoos. We live less than 1 km from the free local hot springs, which are only tepid compared to Liard Hot Springs but when the ambient air temperature is 30 degrees at 5 pm, tepid is fine. A pop-up café sets up near the springs each morning and has become our ‘local’, especially for Rachelle and Thea as there is free Wifi there.  There are some trails along the river for running and cycling. The town has a 50 m outdoor swimming pool. It is funny to us Canadians that the pool is not open for lane swimming in the early morning hours in the dry season because it is too cold out (i.e. 20 degrees at 6 am). Tourism is ramping up in the dry season, with tourists of many nationalities driving Land Rovers and stocking up on supplies in town.

We are getting quite a few mosquito bites so I purchased some insect repellent that is 80% DEET just because it was available. Rather frightening when the directions read: Avoid contact with eyes, mouth, cell phones, spectacle frames, other plastics, painted surfaces, vinyl seat covers, and synthetic fabrics.’ ‘Dispose of empty container by wrapping in paper, placing in plastic bag and putting in garbage.’ Sounds like the stuff should come with HAZMAT training; I didn’t anticipate that wearing repellent was going to be one of the most dangerous undertakings of the trip.

At the time of posting Paul has completed his first two weeks at work. We were worried that Paul’s disc problem would preclude him from working as planned but he is coping so far although the 10-hr evening shifts are going to be a challenge. His mum’s expression of her leg “tiring out” from her back problems seems the most descriptive. The hospital is reasonably well staffed, with medical students and residents rotating through. He is appreciating the opportunity to work in an emergency department with other medical staff on duty as it helps the exchange of ideas, which in turns enhances the patient’s care and helps mitigate that feeling of being overwhelmed. It also helps that the NT emergency transfer service, CareFlight is very efficient and appears well resourced so that the truly sick patient who needs transfer to Darwin achieves that transfer quickly. There are the challenges of providing care where the underlying issues are the social determinants of health or lack of community supports; however, these problems present with their own local flavor peculiar to the Northern Territory and, in particular, the at-risk Aboriginal population. The hospital serves a resident population of about 19,000 (of which 85% are Aboriginal) as well as the 500,000 visitors per annum. These “Grey Nomads” (as they are semi-affectionately referred to in Australia) obviously present their own health challenges when they have need for emergency care. All these elements are part of the learning curve, as well as adapting back to shift work from the regular hours of East Coast Tasmania. Everyone has been gracious and kind as he hobbles about with his hiking stick shortened to function as a cane, even the one patient who exclaimed, “You’re not House so don’t go poking me with that thing!”