Last week before Christmas
Trip Start
Aug 13, 2007
1
36
91
Trip End
Dec 31, 2008
Wellington,
New Zealand
Monday, December 24, 2007
Last week was pretty uneventful apart from getting my medical certificate sorted out. As part of our residency application, we both have to get medical certificates. This involves getting a medical from the doctor, and also a blood test and chest x-ray. The forms are all included in the immigration pack that was sent out to us. I took the forms to the doctors on Tuesday morning. The appointment took around 30 mins, and involved seeing the nurse first to record height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, as well as do an eye test and urine test. Then it was off to see the doctor and he does some more checks. All for a cost of $170
Graham, exhausted after shopping!
.I had to make separate appointments for the blood test and x-ray. Luckily there is a place on the same road as where I work, that does both so I set up appointments for Thursday during my lunch hour. The X-ray was fine, and I got to keep my x-ray. I'm thinking it would look good on the kitchen wall! I then went to get my blood test done. Unfortunately, the nurse took ages to find a vein to use, and we were stuck in a small, windowless room, so that when she did start drawing blood I started to feel really dizzy. Luckily I didn't actually faint but when she got me some water I still was dizzy and managed to throw it down my shirt. A quick walk in the fresh air and a chocolate bar later I was feeling a lot better, but a lot poorer as the x-ray cost $80 and the blood test cost $150 or thereabouts!
On Friday morning, I got a phone call from the doctors saying my medical certificate was ready and waiting. Now that's fast service as I'd only had the blood test done the day before, and the results had already been sent electronically to the doctors surgery.
On Saturday, whilst Graham was shopping, I had a relaxing day at home, cleaning the flat and catching up with 4 weeks of Travelpod. Today was another relaxing day, and in the evening we went out to Cafe Istanbul for Pete's birthday. We met his mum and mum's partner, and also his sister and his gran. They were really nice and even invited us to his mum's farm for Christmas Day. As nice as the offer was though, we are looking forward to having our first proper Christmas, just the two of us.
Tomorrow, we are both at work. I am at work until 12pm when the office closes, until 3rd Jan. Technically it's 4hrs work, but the CEO has invited anyone who is working to drinks and nibbles in his office at 10am, so I'm guessing not too much work will get done. Then it's off to the pub for the traditional Christmas Eve drinks.
We're going to be away from Boxing Day until 2nd Jan so until then, Merry Christmas to you all and all the best for 2008!
