A way to keep in touch: Melbs

Christmas spirit is ramping up here in Palmy - 14th december! How did it get here so fast?

Every day I've been in ED as the dates get higher and each day I've been slightly surprised.

You'd think I'd have got used to the way time works by now.

Still, no Christmas shopping down as yet, and in a valiant attempt to procrasinate more, I thought I'd share some more Australia with you

***

Melbourne, after Palmy, was a massive culture shock.

In fact, Australia, after New Zealand, was a terrible culture shock.

When I went from Guatemala to Mexico during my elective, Lonely Planet warned me I would have a culture shock going from such a poor country to such a rich one. And I did. Though Guate had a lot of shopping, you learned what to expect from the shopping - everything you needed to live a pretty comfortable life, but not more than that. You can get cheese at the market, but only local cheese. You can get yoghurt - and there were 3 differnet flavours at the supermarket - and there was a supermarket, though only one - but only one brand of yogurt. You can get takeout meals, but there was only one big chain. Etc etc etc.

You don't miss the variety, and you don't notice its lack, until you come to a big city and get massive sensory overload.

!!!!!!look at all the cars and traffic lights and lights on in the evening!!!!!!

Now I should disclaim here that clearly the difference between Oz and NZ is not a Mexico vs Guate difference but a cultural difference. Still, there was a hell of a difference.

There were more people in Apollo Bay of an evening than there were in the whole of Palmy Centre in the weekend. There were more restaurants and cafes open. There was a supermarket! Open on a Saturday evening! In a costal resort! There were cafes! And no one looked like they were going to bed at 10pm!

Melbourne was, naturally, even worse.

The first night we were in Melbourne, we got there around 8:30pm, and after a shower and a change it was past 9. Tim and I completely panicked, because it was Sunday evening, and we'd not yet had dinner.

Newsflash: in case you hadn't yet realised, if you arrive in NZ anywhere on a Sunday evening after 9, you can give up any idea of nutrition for the next 24 hours.

So Tim and I had a minor panic, during which we alternately played Panic!cop and Sensisble!cop

Me: "OH GOD. OH GOD WE MUST LEAVE THE HOTEL RIGH TNOW."

Tim: "But...but it's Melbourne. I mean....something will be open, right?"

Me: "I...I guess so. I guess something might be open."

Tim: "BUT WE CAN'T TAKE THAT CHANCE! WE MUST LEAVE RIGHT NOW."

Me: "YOU'RE SO RIGHT. WHAT IF NOWHERE IS OPEN. WHAT IF WE HAVE TO EAT OUR OWN TOES? I'M SO HUNGRY!"

Anyway, then we faffed around for a bit panicking and by the time we got out of the hotel, it was 10pm, by which time the entire population of NZ is in bed.

Then we walked out, and everywhere was open.

Tim and I walked around with our mouths open feeling like country bumpkins. There were more restaurants open at 10pm in Chinatown in Melbourne on a Sunday than there are restuarants in the whole of New Zealand. I got quite overwhelmed by it all and had to freqently stop and have a sit-down somewhere quiet to collect myself again.

The trouble is, there's nowhere quiet in Melbourne.

It's teeming with people!

(comparatively)

(to, say, Palmerston North)

Melbourne as a city is absolutely gorgeous and wonderful, a Pacific-feeling city - warm, modern, multicultural, strangely exotic and foreign, and ridiculously cool. I wished I lived there, straight away.

Though after about 24 hours of it I needed a cold bath and a lie down.

This was the bridge near the Convention Centre, where I attended the Ophthalmology Conference (RANZCO - the Royal Australian and NZ College of Ophthalmologists. What a spiky name!)

And what a conference it was.

I really enjoyed every moment of it - a lot of useful information, enjoyable poster presentations, a film festival, lots of case reports and interesting ophthalmology - and great food. My goodness, the food. I have never encountered such food in a conference setting. There was an ice cream bar inside the convention building!

I told you the ice cream theme was on going.

In this kind of climate, ice cream isn't a luxury. It's a necessity.

A very hot and happy delegate. Note the conference satchel, worn fashionably over the handbag.

It was quite exciting pretending I lived and worked in Melbourne as I made my way across to the Convention Building every morning in the cool of the day (the only time it was cool) along with the business guys, the people in suits, the kids going to school. Melbourne has been voted the most liveable city on earth - and I believe it. And every day I built my little fantasy of being an ophthalmologist who worked in Melbourne and was going along to my meeting. Where I would then eat ice cream.

Bliss!

As Someone Who Lived In Melbourne, the Day would start off with a breakfast at a local cafe, where they did the biggest raisin toast I'd ever seen.

Then, I'd go off to my conference, saying goodbye to Tim, who would catch the tram to...

Melbourne Cricket Ground!

where he would entertain himself and the children (imaginary) watching the cricket for a sweet fiver (I would say less than, but the AUS dollar is so strong I've given up converting), which he enjoyed very much.

Then we'd meet up for dinner in Chinatown, which was full of eating options, as earlier described.