Getting to know the Alice

We've entered week 2 here at Alice Springs after a fairly uneventful weekend. On Sunday we were invited out to lunch at a community medicine Professor's house whom I'd met inadvertantly in Sydney at a dinner. He works at the Centre for Remote Health here in Alice as both an academic and researcher in health policy/administration. I've never really had a good sense of what a career in public health would entail and as I found out, it can be pretty varied depending on your interest. I must be reaching a crux in my life again as I've been scouring the community med/ masters in public health programs in Canada and abroad to see if they might be of interest. Rural General Practice is a wonderful dynamic field, with lots of hands on, procedural medicine yet it lacks the capacity to really affect large population groups - maybe I could do both? So many choices....

The kids had a blast in Prof Wakerman's pool and lunch was an exquisite array of salads, breads and cheeses - very pleasing to the palate.We nearly overstayed our welcome trying to get the kids out of the pool and into the car. Piper was feeling a bit off since the morning so we headed back to the flat to sort out the last of the week's school work and put her to bed. Before dinner, the boys and I ran/cycled to the local park and worked out any last vestiges of energy jumping off the swings, doing obstacle courses around the jungle gyms and the fitness structures located adjacent the park. Aidan was quite impressed with himself as he was actually sweating from his forehead - something he hadn't experienced before - perhaps a sign he was really putting some effort in? On the way home Cole was keen to have a run so I hopped on his bike for the last 800 odd metres and let him rip.

Work was a bit busier yesterday - I think that's the norm for clinics in general - it was always a crazy day in Narrandera - the worried well waiting impatiently over the weekend and then in dire straights once monday arrived. The kids had a varied day, starting into the weeks work, wandering town and doing errands. I caught up with them at the park at the end of the day and had Jen run through the obstacle course with them - good fun! This weekend coming Triple J has its one night stand here in Alice with the John Butler Trio headlining and the night before there is a Cinderella ballet which we'll try to get tickets for - a little bit of culture to soothe the soul! We'll hopefully do some more sightseeing to some of the outlying gorges and waterholes as we have yet to don the swimmers and take the plunge and it will be our last weekend here!