Secret Santa and the inevitable delays of overseas moving

It's been quite a week. Both fun, scary and sad things have happened. I will not say much about the scary thing because I'm trying hard to suppress that memory. Let's just say that I thought I was going to die on the NZ roads. That's one colleague I won't join in another road trip! She's a public hazard! For those that think I'm exaggerating, I've got 3 people backing me up in this.

Enough about that, on to the sad thing, so I can finish with the fun thing! My stuff has arrived in NZ, but it will probably take AT LEAST 3 weeks before it'll arrive at my house. That was a real bummer, for I had hoped I'd have everything before the end of the year. Good thing I have this amazing colleague (no, not the same one) who tried hard to cheer me up (thx Maria!). Anyway, I received all the documents today for Customs and MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), and they won't start checking, opening, fumigating, and whatever it is they do with my stuff, before they get these documents back. Fortunately I can email the documents back to them(there's a scanner at work), so that everything will go more quickly.

Last but not least, the fun thing, called Secret Santa! At work just over 40 colleagues entered in this fun game. Everyone who entered had to fill out a small questionnaire, asking about favourite songs, food, flowers, etc. Then everyone was appointed a Secret Santa. It was a week filled with presents, fun, secrets, mystery and paranoia, all thanks to Secret Santa!

Belgium's "War of the Worlds"

OK, I know. This hasn't really got anything to do with me being in NZ. But it just illustrates how silly my little home country is, and makes me even more happy to be down here...

A fake news report announces that Flanders has seceded from Belgium — a reality-TV stunt that angers many, but highlights real national tensions (By JAMES GRAFF)
Posted Friday, Dec. 15, 2006
The news flash came right after the evening news on Belgian state television Wednesday: the Flemish Parliament had voted for Flanders' secession from the Kingdom of Belgium. Over the next hour and a half, the trusted TV anchors fielded a spectacular special report: They cut to live footage from the Royal Palace, where an emotional crowd had gathered to protest for the survival of their country. A reporter in Kinshasa, capital of the Congo, commented on rumors that King Albert II had fled to the former Belgian colony. A crowd waved Flemish flags behind the live reporter at the Flemish Parliament. The ring road around the capital, Brussels, was blocked, NATO headquarters on red alert, and police controls thrown up along the border between Flemish-speaking and French-speaking regions. A parade of prominent politicians and public figures opined on the grave development, and there was even a report of julbilation among Catalans keen to separate their region from Spain.
And it was all fiction, the culmination of two years of secret planning by television journalist Philippe Dutilleul and his colleagues at the French-language public broadcaster. The ensuing panic didn't quite approach that created by Orson Welles' War of the Worlds — acknowledged as the model for the Belgian prank — but more than 30,000 phone calls flooded the broadcaster's switchboard, and the channel's website crashed as concerned viewers sought confirmation. The reason for the hubbub, of course, is that although the events described in the fake "news" broadcast had more than a dash of melodrama, they were eminently believable.

For those who want to read the whole article, go to: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1570141,00.html

I had a few responses of people telling me that I'm early in setting up my X-mas tree. I would just like to say, that this means I'm adjusting already. A lot of the Kiwi's have set up their x-mas tree already, some of them before I did. Besides, St Nicholas doesn't come here (or so I thought), so I didn't think I had to wait after 6 December...

I've had two very interesting days of training in Motivational Interviewing this week. I will definitely be using those techniques with my clients! I've read about MI before, but untill now I haven't been feeling very confident to actually use it. Beside the training I've had some orientation, and I've finally been contacting clients and reading their files. At least I feel like I'm really working now!

Some more news: I'm gonna buy a car! I've been so used to having a car in Belgium, and the wind and rain doesn't make it easy for me to NOT have a car here. It will give me some more freedom of movement as well. Being able to drive around in the area and visit some places during the weekend, or just being away from home and Invercargill. That'll be great! I'm buying a second-handed car from a colleague, a dark blue Mazda Familia. I've made a test drive this week, and it's a very nice car to drive.

St Nicholas day, 6 December 2006

You are NOT going to believe this! St Nicholas has found me in NZ! I mean it! He normally doesn't come to this part of the world, and yet he has been here, and brought me some candy and even a present! More than this, he delivered both at work and at my home! The present, a decoration for my christmas tree, was sent to my workplace, and had been sent from Dunedin. Strange... Thanks St Nich!

X-mas decorating

Dreams are possible

After a wee bit of trouble my money (before still on my Belgian bank account) has finally arrived on my NZ bank account. It's fun to see how your money suddenly almost doubles just because it's in another currency. Unfortunately it's not doubled in value, but at least I got a good exchange rate.

I spent most of my day with the Forensic Team today. For the first time in my live I visited a prison! It looks very much like it does in movies. It's a bit different than in Belgium though, if I remember the stories correct from those who visited prisons in Belgium. You just have to write your name in the register, and you're in. I didn't have to show any ID or anything! Ofcourse, I did come along with people they knew, so it might be different when you're a regular visitor.
When we had picked up one of the team members from the airport in Invercargill I saw a sign I also spotted after I had brought my father to that same airport. It states: "You are entering a 'dreams are possible' city!" Very appropiate for me don't you think? There's actually a sign just like that when you enter Invercargill from the road coming from Dunedin:"Welcome to the city where dreams are made possible!" I totally forgot about those signs untill I spotted the one at the airport this morning.

It seems I'm still not going to see any clients next week. :-( I've got one full day of general orientation with all the new hospital staff, two full days of training (motivational interviewing) and half a day going to Gore (a small town not too far from Invercargill) to meet the mental health team there. And because I've been off sick for two days, I still have to get some "orientation talks" with a few of my own team members.
I did start reading the files of my future clients, and I've tried to reach a few of them today to schedule an appointment, without success... Hopefully I can still schedule someone for Friday afternoon when I call them next week.
Orientation's been great, but I'll be glad to really get started!