JBs' Sabbatical Stories

 I've been meaning to update this blog for a while but it's only when I logged in that I realised that my last post was back in October! Thus, I have a bit of catching up to do! PS apologies in advance for the photo placements - the software is not playing the game today! View from our house (yes, that's the sea & Rangitoto island!)   Firstly - we're not in lockdown any more! (Just in case you were wondering.) We moved from the "levels" to "traffic light" system in December, although I did get to travel to Wellington with special permission to deliver some training before that happened. The official "opening of borders" within NZ happened on 15th December, which just happened to be when we'd arranged a barbecue for my uni team! This time, (only our 2nd BBQ here) we managed not to run out of gas and it didn't rain, so much better than the first attempt. Sewing Sewing kept me sane in lockdown with everything from dresses to jacket...

So, it's been a while since I've written but then again, we haven't been up to much as we're still in lockdown in Auckland. We're currently at level 3 lockdown which equates to lockdown with takeaways and click and collect (both much appreciated!)   Jonathan started his new job back in August and is still getting used to the altered pace of life here. Nothing is as busy as we're used to and what a New Zealander calls a heavy workload seems light to us. We're slowly getting used to the idea of a work life balance although this is obviously restricted by our current lockdown. At least the new job for him is a pleasant place to work and certainly varied.   For me, work has been crazily buzy running a course for the first time (well, 4 courses in 3 locations, but laterly on zoom.) However, the weirdness of antipodean university life means that I'm coming to the end of the year and I've only got a couple more online days of zoom exams to go. I teach clini...

 Well, I realise that this is well overdue so apologise for anyone who was waiting with baited breath for the next episode! There's a fair bit to catch up on so I'll keep it brief. On 7th August, we made it to our one year anniversary in New Zealand! What a year 😆! Lockdown happened So we find ourselves in Level 4 lockdown for the first time - and are actually at home doing lockdown like the rest of the country for once. I was in Rotorua the evening they announced lockdown was going to happen so my teaching day happened via Zoom from my hotel room. I was actually closer to the hospital (100 metres!) than my students! I made it back home on a flight with only 6 people on it and was well within the 48 hours given to return home. The hotel room reminded me of being in MIQ (Managed Isolation Quarantine) and breakfast being delivered to the door was the icing on the cake!I had managed to stock up on Pineapple lumps the evening before, so it really did make me reminisce. Room servic...

 It's been a while since I wrote mostly because I've been busier at work having increased my hours. We've also had a lot on so I thought it was time for an update. After the last blog where lockdowns and tsunamis were a bit of a feature, life has been more straightforward in a lot of ways. I'm settling into my job at the university and just feel like I'm getting to know the students although many are now about to finish their courses with me. I teach the same subject (clinical assessment) but at two different levels, to 5 classes (hence my brain gets a bit confused at times!) Some of my students are newly qualified nurses who are called NETPs here (Net - P for short). Others are more experienced nurses from a very wide background and location. I have one student who flies up from Christchurch! I'm now very much in "marking and exams" season, so I'm spending more time at home marking than previously. It's a nice place to work though. My walk to ...