Ode de Ozzies

While Luka does not technically qualify for anything in Australia, he might as well be an 'Ozzie baby' as so many of my Australian friends suggest, for it was entirely thanks to the incredible, indescribable, and amazing support, care and assistance we have enjoyed from our friends down under.  Now while most of my Australian friends remind me that having been to Darwin does not mean we have actually been to Australia, we feel the need to express our gratitude.

Truly, our whole experience has been profoundly influenced by the hospitality, support, assistance and kindness of Australian friends and strangers alike.  From the ante-natal class we attended in Dili taught by the lovely midwives Rachel and Hayley, to our constant monitoring and regular medical check-ups with the Australian Consular doctor, Nichelle - who in the end was instrumental in getting me evacuated on time to ensure a Darwin-delivery instead of a Dili one. Throughout our experience in Darwin we were met with friendly assistance, offers of help above and beyond, and hardly ever experienced a 'no'.

We were constantly amazed at the graciousness and kindness bestowed on us.  From the moment we landed in Darwin and were waved through customs, to the arrival at the hospital and the care and nurturing we enjoyed form doctors, midwives and nurses.  Add to that Aussies who offered assistance in carrying bags back and forth to Dili, renting homes, carrying car seats around the world, getting in touch with people in the Australian embassy in South Africa, the constable who came to the nursery to endorse Luka's passport application, to the Registrar in Darwin who processed his birth certificate in two days, the hospital photographer who came to photograph Luka for his passport and delivered the photos to the nursery, to the professional photographer who did the beautiful shots of Luka the day we left, to the kind person in accounts who managed my health insurance in the US, my Aussie friend in foreign affairs who laid out immigration and passport requirements, to the lovely parents we met while in the nursery.

We can hardly mention all the people who assisted us, but suffice it to say that we were constantly humbled by the extra mile that most people seemed to go to assist us (my speeding ticket notwithstanding - silly law-abiding nation!).

So, from the bottom of our hearts....to each and every Aussie (and many others residing/working in/around Australia), we cannot thank you enough for your assistance over the long six-weeks. If I ever have another emergency medical event in my life, I can only hope I am somewhere within reach of Oz. 

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...oi...oi...oi!