Lights go on again.: Stranded

So our RFDS trip which was only supposed to be a weekend, got stretched out for days due to bad weather. Who would have thought.. heavy rain in the desert. Hahah.
We were flown out to Mungaranie, about an hour and a half long plane ride away from Port Augusta. OMG saw an emu on the side of the road heading to the airport by the way. Holy crap, that was definitely the highlight of my day... Got so excited at the time, and excited now just thinking about it HAhahaha.. a real emu! Only in Australia hey?
Anywho, what I thought was supposed to be a town, turned out to be a 'town' comprising of one pub and a hotel... And nothing else. Haha, not even kidding! Population of ten people. I didn't even know such a thing was possible.

The pub was super quirky, heaps of collections of stuff everywhere, even people's hair. Apparently people cut off a ponytail and stick it up on the ceiling. Legit pony-tails. Hats, shirts, underwear.. pretty much anything that people can to staple to the ceiling.. Even pubic hair. LOL. ew.
We opened up our 'clinic' in the dining room of the pub, set up a few chairs for people to sit on while we look into their mouths. Ofcourse, due to limited resources and lack of equipment we could only do a screening exam, a gross clean if necessary and simple fillings (chemical curing material instead of the light curing or metal filling materials).

The experience was so good. I would recommend it for any student within the health profession really. Its good to get out there and realise how much help these people actually need. The people we saw were so appreciative of the services we provided. With such limited access to health care and with the distance between them and any sort of major town, they are really thankful for any kind of help they can get.

My favourite bit of the trip.. The STARS, people. The STARS. It is like nothing I had ever seen before... So beautiful. I remember looking up at the stars in Ballarat once when I was younger, maybe 15 or 16, and thinking that it was so beautiful. But it was nothing compared to seeing the stars at night from the desert. Crazy beautiful. Millions upon millions of stars... The perfect place to be with your loved ones. And that was exactly what I felt. Felt like bringing Simon so we could lie on the ground, look up at the stars and just talk about ridiculousness. Felt like bringing my mum and dad so they could see it with their own eyes ;) I got so excited when I saw that I jumped up and down and ran around going 'OH MY GOODNESS HOLY MOLY WHAT THE HECKKKK I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES, SO BEAUTIFUL'.. and everyone else was like 'what.. they're just stars'. They said they had all seen this view many times before. Looks like I've missed out on alot of the world. haha All the more reason to get travelling once I graduate! :) One lady that saw me running around told my tutor that watching me get so excited was a priceless moment for her and she would never forget it. ahhaha I make such imprints on people ;)

The road home was crazy though. The Mungeranie station air strip was a dirt track, so the plane was unable to fly until it had been tested and cleared by the owners of the strip. We waited for days, waiting for the rain to clear and to give the airstrip time to dry out. All the roads were closed too so we couldn't drive out. Literally stranded. Had to call up the ADH to cancel my patients for that week.. Don't think they would have been to happy lol. On the day we were told we could fly back, they said it still had not dried up enough as it had rained over night. So we ended up asking a few people we had met at the pub if we could hitch a ride with them to the next concrete airstrip in Maree. They were kind enough to agree and so we sat in the back of their van... So legal. So safe. A road trip that would usually only have been a couple hours, turned into six and a half. The roads had only been opened that morning and it too was still wet. The 4WDs had to go pretty much 20km/hr for most of the way because it kept getting bogged in the mud. Crazy ride back.. Still can't believe we made it back lol. I was thinking of Wolf Creek the whole time. LOL. sigh. scary times. Why did I watch it while I was there...

Anywho, got back safe and enjoyed my trip so all is good :D
Swotvac week this week, and just one Viva examination and I'll be done.
Vivas are not so bad, I think I've gotten much better at them lol. Just smile and wave boys... Just smile and wave. Goodluck everyone with your exams. Holidays arn't too far away! Picture time.