Why we are Down Under

WHY WOULDN'T YA?

Think of it this way. In the last months leading up to our departure, everyone, literaly everyone praised us for doing this. Sometimes with a touch of admiration or maybe a pint of envy, but always with a genuine joy for our adventure. I guess we don't have to explain ourselves. As one of our (Aussie) mates would say, why wouldn't ya?

YOU CAN TAKE THE AUSSIE OUT OF STRAYA, BUT...

Boris would probably come up with a zillion good reasons to go on a 6 month trip with the family, but at the end of the day, he had no choice; the Aussie in Melissa is still firing on all cylinders and we better all get our butts Down Under sooner than later.

OUR FAMILY

We all experience a certain numbness from the daily grind. Deadlines, demands, projects, challenges, you name it. Stress is part of life and we should all embrace it, but at some stage, we may inadvertently (really?) lose sight of the essentials. The connection we share with our loved ones. The values that make us who we are. We would be fools to ignore that these things matter way more than the next meeting at work.

OUR FUTURE

Everybody sees life through their own lens. What we - Melissa and Boris - share, is a desire, a drive to serve and care for others. Maybe that is part of our jobs in healthcare, or maybe it is simply part of us. But we cannot embrace this mission if we do not care for ourselves and our loved ones first. Caring is incompatible with fatigue or exhaustion. That realization is an everyday challenge, and balance is merely a nice word... We feel we owe it to our kids, our loved ones, our friends and our patients to be fit for the task so that we can care for them better and longer. But what about us?

Walk the talk, they say. Well, how about pulling a caravan in Australia.

G'day, mate!

Who dares to be next?

What the trip means to each of us

Melissa

Connect the children with their Aussie roots
Family reconnection away from work
Stepping back from the treadmill of life
See friends in Australia
Sharing roles and responsibilities in the family

Stanley

Learn about the history of Australia
Explore the outback
See the Australian wildlife

Miles

Discover and explore what we cannot do on a holiday
Spend time with cousins and family
Learn about Aboriginal culture
An adventure !

Boris

Time with and for the family
Discover Australia, my Love's country
No work commitments
Time to read
Listen to music and share it with the kids
School of life for the children to help them develop character
Be healthy and fit
Time to reflect on projects for the future