Tempus fugit

I AM: once again not sleeping when I should be, having only recently got home.

Had a nice evening at Katie's with 'the girls', and very girly it was - wine, ice cream, 'When Harry Met Sally', berating boys' organisation skills...

Also, a great tutorial on advanced life support (resuscitation to you and I) from an anaesthetist who somehow allowed the other students to nominate me 'the smart one'. Silly man. However, it was very useful, and taught in a handy makes-it-stick-in-my-head kind of a way, which is great as we have to do practical simulations using our new knowledge on Monday.

Had another busy week which has astonished me with the speed of it's passing. I might have only spent two of the last seven evenings in my own house... :) Heading to Barossa Valley tomorrow to sample some of the local wine - this may end badly given that I can't hold my drink, but we shall see! I plan to sleep it off in the car on the way home. That'll work. Yep.

Next week is of course going to involve birthdayness, which i'm greatly looking forward to. There is a vague plan for cocktails and dancing, which I need to make somewhat more precise and elaborate in the next few days, but i'm hoping it will be lots of fun. The week also has to involve some running or otherwise utilising the gym membership I've forked out for, hopefully some squash, perhaps another childish movie, and catching up on sleep. Sounds like a plan to me.

For now, my main preoccupation is with how to cram in as much time and fun with my new found friends as possible. I've become much better friends with the St George's guys who are here with me, which is lovely and I really hope it continues once we go home. But also, and perhaps more pressing right at the moment, I have made some wonderful friends here that I'm rather reluctant to leave. I feel very fortunate to have been warmly welcomed in general, but in particular to one well established group of fabulous individuals. They have included me in their regular things, welcomed me into a birthday, and all round made me feel like one of them. They've been doing it for weeks, and i'm still amazed by their generosity and openness. This evening, one of their number (who is on placement outside Adelaide, and so only met me for the first time last weekend), invited me along with them all to her house for a 'catch up weekend' they're planning, entirely out of the blue. How lovely? Now, of course, I'm sad because I probably won't be able to go. It's the last weekend i'm here, and would be an absolutely perfect way to round off my Australian adventure, and I can't go and join them.

I'm not fond of my fast approaching departure date. I hate leaving in general, and this time is highly unpleasant, because I know that in all likelihood I won't be able to come back, at least not soon enough to keep up with these people, this situation. I have to leave them, and I probably have to leave them forever. I didn't forsee going home being this hard.