Explanation for my Absence

Okay... so I haven't written on here in a few weeks and I figured I should probably explain whats up. I talked to my parents 3 weeks ago; I can't believe it was really only 3 weeks ago! They told me that they'd been trying to get ahold of me (but couldn't because of their bum international phone card) because they wanted to tell me that my mom had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Of course I freaked out and started crying, but they assured me that she had had a clean colonoscopy and her prognosis was 90%. She was scheduled to have a hysterectomy the 7th of November. They had both heard from multiple people that endometrial cancer is one of the most treatable forms of the disease if you catch it early, which they had, through a routine papsmear. So they told me that I should not plan to come home for this, because it shouldn't be any big deal, unless I felt like I had to do that for myself.

Well, I decided that, yes, I wanted to come home both for my parents and myself. I was getting ready to leave Fallowfield at the time, so I planned a last little jaunt down the west coast of Northland, exploring the Hokianga Harbour and the kauri forests. I camped out in the Waipoua Kauri Forest at a Department of Conservation campground the night before I was to head back down to Auckland. I was very aware that this was my last night in the New Zealand bush for quite some time, so I was fully alert and intent on experiencing it as fully as possible. It rained all night, always very calming when you are in a tent. Well, if its not scary storming of course. I heard moreporks and kiwis calling from the dark outside my tent, which was an extra special treat for my last night in the countryside. Cuz you KNOW I'm not going to be hearing those in Auckland!! :)

Anyway, I headed back down to Auckland and everyone was so wonderful to me. The whole crew at the flat was of course outstanding and the people at the IEP office were just so great. And if you sent me a letter that I didn't receive before I left, they'll be sending me any mail that arrives after I left at the end of November. So I may receive it a bit late, but at least I'll get it. :)

STA travel and Frontier Airlines were absolutely fantastic about getting me home with no extra charges (except $50 to change my Air New Zealand flight). I sold my car and my phone and my tent and got rid of all sorts of other stuff that I happened to have accumulated over the course of my travels. I also visited a doctor to see to my heel finally. Thats what I get for putting it off so long, a rushed treatment at the end, but still less expensive than getting it done in the US. I got it x-rayed and they found a big, fatty bonespur on the bottom, which looks like a rose thorn. No wonder its been hurting me so much! The doctor I went to does Chinese medicine, so she worked on my foot as much as she could with electric treatments, and gave me some calcium and homeopathic medicine and told me to soak my foot in warm water each night when I got home. And to see someone after a while to make sure its shrinking. The bad part is that she told me no sports and such until its better AND had time to recover. A yearish! Oh my goodness. I can't even imagine. You all KNOW my favorite thing to do is to go walking around the lakes. This is driving me crazy. But I want to take care of it properly so it doesn't get worse and/or plague me for the rest of my life. Oh, its so hard though! I want to be outside moving around!! I should get out biking while the weather is still nice. Since I can't ski this winter, I'm going to have to make friends with the YWCA swimming pool and go there a lot so I don't get too stir crazy.

Oh! I just realized that although I know that everything worked out well with my mom's surgery, I didn't mention that to you all yet. That's why I've been able to blabber on about all this, because I know that the surgery went well and she is recovering in the hospital now. The surgeon said that from his visual inspection, it didn't look like the cancer had spread anywhere outside of her uterus, so he's not expecting that mom'll need any further treatments. We are still waiting for the pathology report, which will hopefully corroborate those observations. Mom is getting visibly stronger by the day. Yesterday, she walked all the way out to the nurses' station and back, with the assistance of the nurse and nurse's aide. Yay mom! She also has to do a sucking in breathing exercise and wiggle her toes and legs a lot. Her roomate is this hilariously crotchety old woman who pushes her nurse's call button at least every half hour and complains about anything and everything that the staff come in to tell her about or help her with. My mom lies on the other side of the curtain and rolls her eyes, since she is all to familiar with this whole scene from her work. I laughed at her about it and told her that this was just more incentive for her to get up and moving and healed up enough to be able to come home soon. That, or maybe they were just trying to provide a bit of normalcy for her after such a major surgery. Although I don't think that's the kind of normalcy she was hoping for!!

So anyway, I got back here to Minneapolis on Wednesday night, the 2 November. I am such a dork. I definitely wore my November 2 shirt from elections last year. For some reason, I just thought people would know what it was, but I got all sorts of questions. Was the November 2 thing just in MN? Because the only person who recognized it was a woman on my flight from Denver to Minneapolis. I don't know. But I was highly entertained by it, anyhow. And I finally found the kind of cute New Zealand shirt that I'd been wanting in the airport. I hadn't found any that were quite what I was looking for: subtle but still fun. This one is black with a tiki on the front in a shiny black print. So its definitely got the subtle-but-fun thing going on. I think I have quite good luck with the airport shopping. Last time I found those awesome, cute undies and got the free lingerie bag with them in one shop. In another shop I found a long-sleeve shirt that I liked on super sale. So it was an entirely reasonable price. I guess its hedging your bets that you'll find something good at the airport, but if you're willing to take the risk, you even get it tax free.

So my last time in Auckland was pretty crazy with trying to do many last minute errands and not being able to walk much because of my heel, but I had a great time with my friends, who are just so fantastic. I am so sad to leave them still!! But I am happy to be back here with my family and friends here in Minnesota, and the rest of the States for that matter, since I now have my free long distance back on my mobile again.

So, to sum things up, I am at my parents' house right now (3215 E 24th St., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 612-722-1360) and have my mobile back with the same number as previous (612-964-7067). I am planning to be around to help them out as my mom recovers from her surgery. I am also looking for a job, which will hopefully give me benefits. I'd really like to work in education, since I am also looking into teaching licensure programs (still haven't decided between elementary, special ed, ESL or some combination of those). But we shall see what I can get. If anybody knows of anything, give me a holler!

Thanks for reading my blog you guys - I always love telling people about my travels, so its so sweet of you to listen!! love, Ilana :)