It's the beginning of a new era for me. I've begun my PhD and I've bought a folding bike named Earl! To kick it all off I tied in a trip to San Francisco to hang out with the team I worked with in Ecudador and to speak on a 'voices from the field' panel at a UC Berkley conference. This was mind boggling for me because in the space of just a few days I got to meet some of my true heroes in public health dentistry *swoon* I got to actually talk to them and get a feeling for their opinions beyond the print of the journal articles that I had read (for some reason it didn't seem right for me to get them so sign a copy of my journal... Go figure?!). It really brought home to me how phenomenal it is that America can create such think tanks where minds such as these can come together... It is a reason that I would consider returning... That and the wonderful hospitality of my friends, I was overwhelmed by their generosity and it felt incredibly normal!
From San Fransisco I managed to be in both Melbourne (to start the PhD) and Wellington (for a short conference) within 7 days... Interesting that these three cities are often compared as being quite similar in terms of life style. I reckon all three are liveable cities and there were plenty of great bicycles to perve at so I'll go with that ;-) Regardless of similarities, It was incredibly gratifying to be able to pop home for a wee bit and see some (but not all) of my favourite people on the planet. It was also nice to be home with a purpose and very settling to know that with my work/study in Melbourne then it will be much easier to nip over for birthdays, and weddings, and just because! I even managed to sneak over to go kangaroo hunting with the nephews in Canberra... Pretty cool!
Through out my time in Melbourne I have been using 'airbnb' which has worked out well. The first place had bombed out cars in the front yard and expletives graffitied on the toilet wall but the dude was a genuinely lovely, intuitive, and a great host. The second place I stayed was with Jacki, her lovely wife (a guest who was staying after her husband had written to make the booking for his 'lovely wife') and her lost girlfriend (an ex boyfriend chased her all the way from Germany to win her back, he didn't succed but the 'lost girlfriend' decided that she quite liked his lodgings and moved in after he left). The final place that I stayed was with a Australian/Indian couple. He had won her from her auzzie boyfriend when she went on an OE to India. Three kids and eight houses later the rest is history!
So there it is: my life in the last month or so. I just wanted to finish by saying that it wasn't Pepsi who came up with the idea that we have to live life to the max. Good ol' JC had that squared away a long time ago (John 10:10) and for that I am grateful every day. Not that it is roses and butterflies, this lifestyle can be lonely and frustrating at times! It's more that I feel like I'm where I should be... and for the next few months that is Phnom Penh!
