Forums > Social Chat > So...England, Australia, or New Zealand?

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
Hello,

Having lived in London for five years I can say its lovely but I can also say it is shit!

It depends on what you personally would like to achive from the trip Mike! Do you want to see nature? Are you mad about London? Are you itching to go meet Malcolm? Is Perth calling your name? etc...

I personally would be torn between New Zealand and Oz because I haven't been to either and would love to visit them. BUT England is a lovely place too with mad people and lots of variety.

I think you could make six lists... One for good and one for bad for each place. It will give you a basis for judgement and you will probably end up seeing where you should be just by mapping out your thoughts on each location.

I personally believe that you have places at certain times that you 'should' be in. I think the coincidences are there but only if you find them only if you seek what you should do... what place holds what you need.
I know you think of things in a very logical manner and are very concerned with your work/schoolwork but instead of thinking of education and work think of you and what would be beneficial to YOU under which circumstances.

If money is an issue and you dont want to be broke all the time I suggest you stay away from London. Its killer!

Well this is all I can do! I hope I have provided some help.
At the end of the day Mike you will find YOUR way. Seek it and you shall find what is coming for you. Stray and you might be caught by the current.

Love and hugs,
drome

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
Drome, you are right. School is important to me. BUT...

On my rotations abroad, my goals are as follows:

1) Have fun.
2) Have fun.
3) Experience a culture that is different from my own.
4) Have fun.
5) Learn how medicine is practiced in countries with socialized medicine.
6) Have fun.
7) Meet some HOP people.
8) Have fun.
9) Build connections with healthcare professionals in other countries.
10) Have fun.

Oh, and in case I didn't mention it, I'd like to see if I can't have some fun in the process.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
Mike, you were right

quote:

---

(Watch...the Aussies and Kiwis are going to want me to go to England and the Brits will be split between Australia and NZ )

---

I am a Brit. But I live in Australia. So I want you to come here...

I will write more helpful stuff a little later.

It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.

What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
Well I am happy that that is out of the way and that you are getting your priorities straight from the start!!!!

Anyhow... I think that you should go to the place which facinates you the most... You said you want to go see culture...

In london you will find that the world comes to you. BUT the sorrounding environment is not so pretty that is if you stay in the city. BUT the countryside is nice here too

I think that closer to the time it will be apparent where you want to go. Go reasearch and check and see...

Although tedious I can gaurantee the list idea will give you quite a lot of insight into what you want form the experience and where you can go find that 'fun' that you speak of!

Hugs love and respect for the lightning man,
drome

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
come here come here come here come here come here come here come here come here come here......

oh
sorry
thats probably not helping hey.....
`

Currently on the right side up of the world.

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
ENGLAND PRO:
Populous European country
Good public transportation/easy to get around
Great scene (nightlife)
Beautiful countryside
Not a horribly long trip
I haven't been there since I was 8.
ENGLAND CON:
Expensive
Crappy weather
Beautiful Downtown London
"British Cuisine."

NEW ZEALAND PRO:
Beautiful country
Relatively inexpensive
Exotic species and cool sights (geothermal stuff)
Friendliest people EVER.
NEW ZEALAND CON:
3 million people, 20 million sheep.
Public transportation is inconsistent from city to city and getting around the country is tough, given the country's size.
Not so sure about the scene (nightlife).
Weather can be inconsistent.
Very long trip to get there.
I was there when I was 17.

AUSTRALIA PRO:
Relatively inexpensive.
Bustling, populous cities.
The outback is beautiful.
Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabys, etc.
Gorgeous weather.
The most beautiful women of any English-Speaking country I've ever seen.
Seems like there's a good scene.
Good public transportation within cities.
AUSTRALIA CON:
Travel between cities essentially requires air travel.
Very long trip to get there.
Fire bans seem to happen with some frequency during the summer.
I was there when I was 17.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
We dont get as many fire bans in the southern parts of Australia (Melb) except for in the height of summer. I think there were only about 5 total fire ban days last summer in my part of the country.

So much fire, so little body hair...

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
>Good public transportation/easy to get around

You're having a laugh right?

I have the luxury of using british rail regularly as I don't drive. Rarely do i catch a train that isn't late, today being no exception when I travelled through London on my way home from uni.

The time before last when I was travelling back to university I got as far as London, then found ALL trains were cancelled till the following morning, with no replacement transport (ie bus). Luckily I knew someone living in London so managed to crash at their's for the night. The last time I travelled back once again trains were cancelled to where I was going, so I had to get a train half way after an hours wait, then get one of my housemates to drive and pick me up. Another time on the same route my train got to the first station, then they made us all get off because there was a problem, then made us wait 45 minutes for a replacement.

Another time I was going down to Dorset and there is 1 train every 2 hours. The train I took to get the connection was 30 minutes late arriving and the doors of my train openned as the doors on my connecting train closed, 5 meters away. 2 hour wait on the platform because of incompetance.

I've got loads of stories about British Rail, I won't go into them all, but England certainly does not have good public transport! Sure you can get most places using it, but give or take a few hours.

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Flid, there is NO decent public transportation in this country unless you happen to live in New York or D.C.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Shes right!

I forgot to add that the traffic system is being re-developed until sometime in 2003 (anyone know exact date?) this means that the average speed on the roads is apparently 10mph.

The tube is also a bit weird with various main interchange stations messed up in some way or another because of 'engineering works' or 'replacement lifts' etc... Plus its about 3$ to take one ride in Zone1. Busses are 1bps in Zone1 and not as reliable as you would like.

And the city is getting 'different' from my experience in it in the last 2-3 yrs getting progressively worse since the 'war on terror' began.

But london is about the experience so if you are up for an experience then come but you should live here and not 'just visit' to have the 'full-on' effect.

love and hugs,
drome

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Being a kiwi that is living in Aussie I have a good idea about both countries...(or I would like to think that I do)
I agree with you that New Zealand is very difficult to get around, if you dont have your own transport. The public transport isnt too shit hot to be honest...But the country is the most beautiful that I have ever seen, and I ache to see it again...wonderful energy as it is a very young county...
Australia is tops...beautiful people...(some at the gold coast are a little TOO plastic )
Awesome nightlife...Aussies know how to funk it up!!!Great fire scene and really great weather...
PLUS IM HERE.... come to Aussie, come to Aussie, come to Aussie

TAJ "boat mummy." VALURA "yes sweetie you went on a boat, was daddy there with you?" TAJ "no, but monkey on boat" VALURA "well then sweetie, Daddy WAS there with you"

Posted: 19th Dec 2002
can you hear it mike?

[edit] did you notice on the list? [/edit]

[ 20. December 2002, 15:01: Message edited by: dromepixie ]

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
mike... mannnnnnnn...... australialand ... mannnnnnn

brisvegas more importantly...
u havnt experienced ...{edit}.... whatever... anything.... at alll....

ill take u by the palm and take u to what is known as a BUSH DOOFF......

ull find out.....

valura u know what i meannnnnnnnn...

come come come play in my playground ill give u the keys

fond regards
mythmitch

regret nothing, learn everything

fire_light_movement

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Hey Mike,

Like you say, it's gotta be NZ or Oz for the weather, but if you come to England PLEASE don't refuse to consider cities outside of London.

FACT
London is easily the least friendly city I've been to in the UK.

FACT
London is at least twice as expensive as any other city in the UK

thats not to say London's particuarly unfriendly, but I think the atmosphere in the other large cities (by large I mean over half a million... this isn't the 'States!) is a lot friendlier and cooler and safer.

Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester are less than an hours travelling time between, and all are excellent cities.

Sheffield:
lots of HOPers
very friendly
good history
great nightlife
cheap to live
2 big unis

Leeds
metropolitan & trendy (London style)
good nightlife
2 massive universities (Leeds uni is the largest in britain, i think)
lots to do
easy access to everywhere in britain

Manchester
great vibe & nightlife
huge airport
good for shopping
2+ big universities

so there you go, my 2 cents.

Go to London if you want. You'll have a great time. But don't go thinking it's the only place worth going to in the UK.

Jo.

PS. Glasgow could be a good choice too, but it's quite a drive from London.

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
FACT : Jo has a point or five!

Well said friend of piskies!





drome

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Jo, you raise a good point. The reason I was thinking London was because I was figuring it would be easiest to arrange an internship there.

However, now that you mention it, other places with medical schools might be better. Which of the cities that you mentioned have medical schools? What about Oxford and Cambridge?

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Dunno Mike! Oxford is hard core of the hardcore!!!! you sure you wanna go there???

Love n hugs,
drome

PS: aussie aussie aussie
PPS: OZ OZ OZ OZ OZ ZOZ ZOZOZOZOZ etc...

Follow the yellow brick road darling...

Not enough time to explore the country of England. Do that one later!

dromy of the ommmy

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Drome, I'm getting the sense you don't want me to go to England.

There'd be a backrub in it for you!

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 20th Dec 2002
Mike,

Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield & Glasgow all have at least 2 big universities. Each university will have a large medical school.

Oxford & Cambridge are the elitest establishments. Their names would look fantastic on your resume but it will be hard to get a place in their schools. Also, the nightlife there probably isn't as hot as bigger cities (that's just a guess though).

I had several American friends (including a fairly foxy girlfriend :-) at Sheffield University so I know they do exchanges, but I'm sure that applies to any major uni.

good luck mate,
Jo.

Educate yourself in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 21st Dec 2002
Jo, it actually wouldn't make much of a difference where I did the subinternship. It's more about having done a subinternship abroad than whether it was at Leeds or Cambridge. Similarly, getting a subinternship at any of those places would be about equally difficult/easy. Since I wouldn't actually be applying for a degree program at any of those schools, and since I'm coming out of a top-ten med school in the U.S., I can pretty much go anywhere that someone around here has a connection to. See, it's politics.

What I'm learning right now is important, though. If I am going to spend a month in England, I want to give some serious thought to where I am going to be spending it. If I can get a cool place like Sheffield or something, then I might pick England. If I get stuck in Oxford or Cambridge, then maybe I want to consider OZ or NZ.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura

Posted: 23rd Dec 2002
Who knows Mike...

this pixie is thinking of relocating and if you wanna come see me it will have to be in the land down under cause thats where the wind is blowing at the moment.

I hope that I can get my backrub there too...

Love and hugs,
drome

JUGGLEwithyourmind!

Posted: 26th Dec 2002
I'm british, living in Oxford, and have visited NZ. Not able to comment on Australia.

As far as the London/Other UK city question goes, even though I'm from Liverpool originally, the only real issue here has to be the money. If you can afford London, make it London.

It's a huge tentacled parasite that sucks vast amounts of the energy and talent and most of the money out of the rest of the country. So that's where you'll find a lot of the energy and talent. It's where you'll find over 10% of the people, too. It's one of THE great cities of the world. Apart from the palaces, parks, galleries, clubs, concerts, theatres... it's got more than a hundred hospitals and 12 medical schools.

It's also of course a key city in US history, though the same could be said for others, especially the big ports like Liverpool and Bristol, gateways to the Atlantic.

The deal with London for me is get in there, get what you want, and get out again. While you're there you'll get what it's about. Like a tidal wave.

The rest of the country has warm people, some stunning landscapes, a host of cities and otwns each with it's own distinct culture (Starbucks is a different colour in Nuneaton ;-), and it could be argued that they're actually in a different country from London. Which I would personally consider a nicer country.

But then I'd personally consider New Zealand to be an fuller and truer representation of this Nicer Country. If you want to be among positive, friendly, helpful, patient people, if you want to get little twinges of astonishment at the general everyday level of decentness in people, NZ wins.

If you want to be able to go out of a morning and scare yourself utterly stupid before breakfast for under $20US, NZ's also hard to beat (well it worked for me). If you want landscapes that easily give the Rockies a run for their money, NZ can do that. If the budget is tight, or you want to splash out regularly, nowhere in the UK can compare with NZ on cost-of-living. basically, NZ is not just 'relatively inexpensive' compared to the UK, it's ridiculously cheap.

Don't know about the condition of the socialised healthcare system in NZ, but do ber in mind that the NHS in the UK, whilst I'd rate it as our most valuable national treasure, is in a terribly rackety state at the moment, and the debate isn't over whether it needs a radical (fundamental)overhaul, but over the nature of that overhaul. Which, depending on your needs, makes it either a Great example, or a Terrible one

Nuff rant.

mikeyB

p.s. Oxford's about as expensive as London, it's basically a leafy burb 60 miles out. 2 hospitals, a Med school, two Unis. But you might as well do London really.