2013 In Reflection

Just one year ago I was at my parents' house with all of my family around for the holidays and making up for all the time I had lived away, but no visa decision was granted yet. Coming to Australia was all I had planned and researched since Murdoch's decision to accept me into their Vet School in April 20012. I dropped out of my last semesters of undergrad, I moved back in with my parents after 4 years away, and had given up being an "Aunty" to my ultimate bestie's baby boy all in the hopes of getting granted a visa for 5 years to move to Perth, Western Australia. Then on January 25th the unimaginable happened. Not only was MY student visa granted, but so was my boyfriend's (of now 6.5years)!  I had planned for months to land in Perth on February 1st in order to get over Jet-lag and try to get settled before vet school started on the 18th of Feb, so I was left with 5 days to pack EVERYTHING I owned into containers except for what was coming with us, and hang out with as many friends and family as possible! Let me tell you it was the fastest 5 days of my life!

And the Australian Adventure Began (will probably give the highlights out of order):

• Met a girl who came over from Queensland with her husband and 3 kids before classes started and we immediately clicked! Vet School would not be the same without you Heidi and I am so fortunate that we met! AND I miss you! Come back from QLD any day now!! 2014 hasn't even begun to experience the weird we have in store for it! Nude Calendar Fundraiser for Vet School perhaps??

• Started Vet School and am loving every second of it. Passed all my classes! :) and moving onto second year
• Co-raised (Heidi did most of the bottle feeding) a two week old kitten that was dropped off at our work - Little Man Squirt is hands-down the most interesting cat we have ever owned!

• And now its time to announce another addition - Scooter!! She is also a ginger kitty that came into Rainbow Bridge Fund (the kitty rescue/adoption centre that Brian used to volunteer at until we got to busy). She came in because she was hit by a car and her tail had to be amputated. We of course said we would watch her until her surgery healed so she didn't sit in a cage and pick at her stitches. Well…. we all know how much of a sucker Brian and I are…. and now she is a permanent addition! <3 The weirdest thing about her, is that she acts JUST like Mooki, the kitty Brian and I had to put down before we came to Australia due to her health and mental problems. Scoots is much more sane and not as skittish as Mooki was, but it is CREEPILY similar and hence why we became so attached!! She won't become FIG's (Feline Interest Group at Murdoch) mascot anytime soon and she is best left to sleep in her cubbies or cuddle the crap out of us in the privacy of our own home. She LOVES the big windows at the farm house and loves to watch the birds and critters for HOURS! She is absolutely amazing and Dude and Ting would fall in love with her if they get the chance to meet in a few years! :) Why do I always fall in love with the damaged ones? OK… If I am being honest.. we have had her for a little while now… but I didn't want to fully admit to being a full-on crazy cat lady! It took her a bit to warm up to the addition of Squirt and she had two people come to meet her for adoption but she just wouldn't warm up to strangers…. so she is ours.. She has no mothering instincts and leaves all baby kittens well enough alone… Squirt is the foster parent for sure!! OH, and she really likes our landlords even though they didn't think they were cat people, squirt and scootie have converted them :) RYAN HILL - You would enjoy her tail nub, because it looks exactly like a white-tailed deer! She flags and everything Its black at the end/top and super fluffy white underneath! Its super funny! 

• We started walking a dog, Nomsa, in the early months of 2013 and we love her to pieces! Her mom is the nicest and kindest lady I think we have EVER met! So generous and light-hearted! Apparently her son is dating one of my co-workers! :) How neat is that?!? small world! 

• I love the beach and go as often as I can - even after surviving my first jelly fish sting right on the boob! And I received yet another smaller sting on the back of my left knee not to many days ago… two of the worst spots to get stung! AND the worst part about the second sting was that there were 100s of people at either end of this really long beach and Brian and I went to the middle entrance and I get stung… just me…. but I probably deserve it because thats where I got stung last time as well… I just really really like that beach! 

• Brian and I went to go see Sir David Attenborough and it was the BEST thing I have done!!! He seriously is one of my idols! He has been to so many corners of the globe and seen so many AMAZING things! 

• We have moved 3 times since landing in February and I am hoping it is pretty safe to say that phase of our life is over! Time to settle in with the horses and kick vet school's bum!! 

• I had to sit my first supplementary exam EVER! still so weird to think about… I guess even all the top students have to fit into a bell curve… darn statistics! 

• I have seen some of the absolute coolest flowers and critters EVER!! The colors of all the blossoms are hard for my own eyes to comprehend the vividness and I wish pictures could equal what are eyes can! 

• Went camping at a rehabilitation center and I learned so much about proper bird handling! 

• Took Brian to the Perth Royal Show for his birthday :) 

• Spent my first birthday EVER in class and it was my first birthday celebrated in the "winter" (crazy southern hemisphere)

• I bought my first iMac desktop computer - I feel so adult not just having a PC laptop anymore…. actually I haven't had a working PC laptop since two weeks after landing and have used my iPad for EVERYTHING! but this desktop man…whew its a beauty! 

• I bought my first car with all of my own money (well the US government helped a bit with my student loans)

• I have driven on the opposite side of the road and I find roundabouts WAY better than 4-way stops… because MOST everyone here knows how to use them correctly… you get the occasional jackass who stops at the yield sign when they clearly are on the right and have the right-of-way…. AND perth drivers are THE absolute worst drivers I have ever encountered in my life!! seriously….

• I bought a grown-up bicycle and really need to slow down so I can enjoy riding it again!

• I was strongly vegan for most of 2013 but have fallen off with being lazy and busy… The cooking has slowed down in general and I really really really miss it! I still eat loads of fruit and salads, but my creativity has been elsewhere. I love hunting for recipes, devising new ones, or turning a dairy-meat nightmare into vegan deliciousness and I need to get back at it! 

• My hair has been mostly plastic free (I am talking about Shampoos, conditioners, and products) for 2 years with an occasional break when I have gone to the salon to get it trimmed… which is like once a year so not too bad! 

• I enjoy not having a dryer majority of the time, but once in awhile I need something washed and do not have a day for it to dry out on the line… thats always a bummer… but I swear by putting a decent amount of white vinegar in the rinse cycle and everything is way less crunchy. I have tried conventional softener but again do not like the plastic and overbearing perfumes that are used, not a fan! 

• I am increasingly getting less sunburnt with the same amount of sunblock on! :) AND 110 degrees F actually didn't feel to bad to me the other day… The only time I am super uncomfortable is if it is too hot to sleep.. I am not nice when I do not get enough sleep or get really crappy sleep! :P Brian knows this all to well and so do you mommy! 

• I got to perform MULTIPLE rectal palpations this year and it was AMAZING!!!!!!! 

• I AM LIVING THE DREAM & LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT!

From here I will just post a BUNCH of photos: Sorry in advance if you have seen some of them before….. way to many to sift through, but I hope you enjoy!!

BRIAN'S BIRTHDAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP3wzJytE2Q

AUSSIE FLOWERS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gbdU9Ddg64

Walk at The Cliffs - Oct. 11, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-vkpItO82k

Coogee Beach - Oct. 24, 2013

http://youtu.be/cNcLYfG0udg

Freo Harbor - Oct. 29, 2013

http://youtu.be/-kSiJDoMKGI

Kayleigh's Send Off Beach Party of Three

http://youtu.be/AiP4sMu39c4

Walks with Nomsa

http://youtu.be/KDdI3MvOuqk

Scooters and Squirt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83z5yYqrpLk

Boxing Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMUqOfcjVZg

Desperate To Escape

If you have any questions about the photos let me know the title of the video and I will put up a description :) Just way to many photos to talk about in each video to add to this blog, so I will only write commentary if you ask for it! :) I hope you have enjoyed my first year of my blog and I hope to continue to write as often as I can for you all! :)

Red Kangaroo

Are all Red Kangaroos red?
ANSWER: No, the females often have a blue tinge to their fur

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/red-kangaroo/

2014 In The Making: The Highs and Lows

Hey Everyone!

I was going to wait until I finished my "New Years Post" but I realised that its already two weeks into January and that post still isn't close to finished so I will tell you all my news now:

On Wednesday January 8th, 2014 I took my first supplementary exam EVER. It was a shock to say the least. Once that shock subsided and I focused on my studies I realised even with moving so many times this year some of the material actually sunk in. I didn't have to start at square one and that maybe relearning all this NeuroPhysiology at a slower pace would be a good thing. I am confident that I will see neurological cases in my future career and it was really good for me to get a second chance at the material. Even with that said I never want to sit a supp exam ever again! To much pressure and my future on the line… not a fan…. Whether I was ready or not, I took the exam and to my surprise I PASSED!!! I actually got in the 70s which is really good in Australia! :) The worst thing about the supp is that no matter how good I did, I am only awarded a 50%. So even with my midterm that was in the 80s and with my original final (46%) I would have ended up in the 60s for a final grade; however now my transcript says Unit Pass with a 50%… ehhh!! If I would stop moving so much and would have gotten in the 70s the first time around on my final I would have been looking at a Distinction for my final mark in the class! OH well… I AM STILL IN VET SCHOOL AND CAN MOVE ON TO SECOND YEAR WHICH IS AWESOME-SAUCE!!!! :) :) :) Upon reflection, out of everything I have done and have gone through this year I am really surprised I only had to sit one supp exam! Worst school year of my life in terms of my performance and I can't wait to kick some Vet School butt!!

The news of my passing the supp exam came one day later, Thursday the 9th. Thursday started off as bad as any day could…. with the passing away of Piggles The Kow Spotted Kat! For anyone who doesn't know, I brought home two, one-week old kittens who had been found in a field and turned into my work. The smaller black one I named Pepper and am pretty sure it was a female, and the black and white fat boy I named Piggles. They were so small and their umbilical cords hadn't even fallen off yet!! OH and I am pretty sure they were born on Christmas or right around then. Piggles was immediately good at suckling and always wanted to eat (every 2 hours that is), but tiny Pepper didn't really have a good suckle reflex. It took a bit of work and she finally figured it out but she would only eat a few mL and then be done where as Piggles ate at least double what she would. After a few days of no sleep, constantly making sure their bed was warm, I came home from an 8 hour shift on New Years day to watch Pepper take her last breath in my hands. It was the most precious yet devastating thing I have ever experienced in my life. And to think the first time using my Vet School stethoscope was to hear the last 10 heartbeats of baby Pepper… It was so unexpected! I knew she was small and weak, but I just didn't see that coming that day… A very sad ending to a new year. Brian and I drove to our favourite hang out, walked for a bit, cried and said our last goodbyes and put her to rest. The next day and a half Piggles constantly searched for his sister and was so distraught! nothing would stop his whining and searching until the magical tank top! I had Piggles on my chest to bottle feed him and after he was done eating he snuggled up to my heart and while I was holding him he slowly sank into my tank top between my "TaTa's" as my aunt and mother call them! He stayed there for hours and just slept!! It was the first rest he had gotten in days! However, it was now January 2nd and my exam was on the 8th, so I handed Piggles off to a coworker so I could rest and study! :) So as soon as my exam was finished I rushed to my work to see Piggles once more… It was incredible how much I missed such a tiny little being!! <3 Upon retrieval he had gone severely down hill, He had to be tube fed a few times because he stopped suckling after his stomach became blocked and he had developed a pretty severe ataxic shaking (most likely cerebellar disease) and he was SOOO thin. :( I took him home to try my hardest to give him a fighting chance. I drove immediately to one of the bigger pet stores in town and had to get a wallaby/small kangaroo type nipple which is really soft rubber and really long and thin type of teat. By the end of the night Piggles was making huge improvement and actually got a few good suckles out of the new nipple. After checking on him every hour throughout the night (not actually waking him, but moving him back to the warmth) because he kept crawling to the door of the kennel he was in and purposely go away from the heating pads, but he was so sick that he was not yet producing sufficient body heat on his own yet! By 5am I had to tube feed him again, and by 8am he was taking his last breath in my hands. Again it was one of the most heart wrenching things I had ever gone through and Brian was at work, not by my side unlike last time :( Piggles and I went through this together. Squirt (AKA: Little Man) was also there from around 730 trying desperately to get Piggles to make a whimper, he was licking him so much and trying to toilet him, but my little piggie just couldn't fight any longer and it was weird, I think Squirt knew when it was about to happen because he gave Piggles one really cute rub and lick on the head and left my bedroom. It was then that Piggles took a big sigh, one last breath and was gone. Brian got off work, and we went to go place Piggles to rest with his sister. In all of this, I am such a proud momma of Squirt and I know my aussie bestie, his other mommy (mommy #1) is proud as well. Squirt was such an amazing foster father to those two little babies. He was fascinated with toiling them and making sure they were alright when they cried. I know his ultimate goal was to get some of the bottle milk (which is FREAKED out for when he first saw the bottle again) but he contained his jealousy and wants, to take care of their needs! It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen out of a 3 month old UN-NEUTERED MALE CAT!!!!  He must have remembered the agony of nappie-rash that he suffered since he didn't have another kitty to clean him and humans can only do so much with cloth and baths for a kitten. Oh I mean diaper rash for all my North American readers :)

In the end I allowed myself to be sad for one whole day, but after that its about celebrating their short lives. I loved them and did all I could for them. I know their lives were better with me than dieing together cold in a field where their mommy left them. Maybe she knew something we didn't and left them on purpose, but I had to give them my best. And I will do it over and over again. :) Saving their lives, even if for a short time, gives so much meaning to my life and my time on this planet.

Veterinary Medicine is where I belong.

 MY GORGEOUS BABY PEPPER FINALLY SUCKLING!! Look at her go!

 Oh so tiny babies!

It must have been super comforting because I worked almost an entire 4 hour shift with him in there! 

"WHAT YOU LOOKING AT?!?"

Go home, your drunk squirt ;) 

White-Lipped Tree-Frog

You are all lucky! I just got done with work and just in time to fit in my animal of the day blog before it hits midnight! 

How do these frogs send a message?
ANSWER: They make a loud bark that sounds like a dog.

http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=229

I MISSED A DAY!! Double Down Monday!

Hey! I worked 4pm-115am yesterday and slept all the way until I went to work because it was to hot to do anything else... so today you get a special treat! Two animals for the price of one (FREE - in true university living spirit) 

LONG-NOSED POTOROO

What animals eat Potoroos?

ANSWER: Dingoes, owls and  foxes

http://www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Long-nosed-Potoroo-Fact-Sheet-2012.pdf

SALTWATER CROCODILE

How long do Saltwater Crocodiles live?

ANSWER: up to 100 years

http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=64

Goliath Stick Insect

Can this stick insect fly?

ANSWER: Only the male cane. The female is too big.

http://www.bugsed.com/fact_sheets/goliath_stick_insect.html

Royal Spoonbill

Why do they have a beak in the shape of a spoon?

ANSWER: It works like a tongue so they can find food more easily

http://mobile.perthzoo.wa.gov.au/animals-plants/australia/australian-wetlands/royal-spoonbill/

Pyjama Nudibranch

 

Why are they so colorful?

ANSWER: Color usually means danger and nudibranchs are toxic

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/invertebrates/nudibranch/

Ulysses Butterfly

Why is only the top side of their wings blue?

ANSWER: So that when they close their wings they blend into the surroundings.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterfly/activities/printouts/ulyssesprintout.shtml

Jess! You can follow the link above and they have print-outs of the butterfly that Baby Brian could color :)

Tiger Snake

How venomous is a Tiger Snake?

ANSWER: Very - they're the fourth most venomous land snake in the world

http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=117

Tomorrow at 930am I will start my phsyiology supplementary final exam and then I can finally enjoy my summer full-time!!! My brain needs a break before next semester starts!!