Week 1

October 19th-25^th

It has only been one week, but this is already feeling like home.

Top things worth mentioning:

Learned/learning to Drive: 

Left side of the road, on the Right side of the car. Surprisingly, it has come rather easy. Other cars on the road really dictate where you should be. So as long as you follow what everyone else is doing, you do fine. It’s really when there are no other cars that it gets confusing.  The family had bought this car specifically for me to use. They formally only had one car. They told me before I got there that they were going to buy another car, and I had hoped that it would be a dumpy used one so that if I dinged it up it wouldn’t matter as much. But no, they got a very nice Hyundai i30. It has back up sensors that beep to tell you when you’re going to hit something. This as proven very useful when I have needed to parallel park. 

My Trusty Steed

The Townsend Family
My second night in town I went to the Townsend's. This is the family I lived with on my last stint in Sydney. And they are just as lovely as when I left them. I ate dinner with them (Homemade Big Macs-which were delicious). And it was awesome to hear about and see the changes that they have made since hosting students. They are all taking a massive trip to Europe/America in December/January, so I got to hear about where they will be visiting. 

Braedon and Michelle, cyber-stalking their sister/daughter who is abroad in Europe

School Routine  
Danielle came with me on Monday to show me how to do the drop off’s and pick ups for both boys’ schools. It’s all pretty simple stuff. For Lachie, it’s walking him to the classroom and waiting for the bell to signal morning assembly. The mornings at his school are a bit of a madhouse. I’ll post pictures sometime and hopefully I’ll be able to capture the chaos that it really is. Harry’s school is much slower paced. Fewer children. His routine is pretty simple too. It’s just a matter of signing him in and putting his lunch, backpack and water bottle all in their proper places. 

Wesley Institute
On Wednesday I went to Wesley, aka the school I studied at last time. I had lunch with Ella and Blake at Lashings. Lashings is a delightful burger place that I have been craving off and on again for the last 1.5 years. The real menu item that has me hooked is chips (fries) with chicken salt. And of course Solo (A lemon soda that we don’t have in America). After Lashings we went back up to campus and sat in the design room and waited for their class to trickle in 1 by 1. Each more confused that the last as to why I was there. They all felt like they had gone back in time to 2012. It was awesome to see them all! It’s funny how we’ve been separate for so long and yet we are all basically the same. I will say that they all looked older, more mature. I wonder if I look any different from 2012?

Cafés

Café’s are everywhere. There is one just a few blocks up from our house. As it turns out, this is a café that I went to when I was here last time. Meaning I was 3 blocks away from my future home and I didn’t even know it! Anyway, drinks here are different, and it takes getting used to. If you want a milkshake, you need to order a “Thick-shake”. A “Milk-Shake” here is really just flavored milk. It’s very good, but it would be kind of a let down if that’s not what you wanted. Home brewed coffee isn’t very popular here. They mostly just have instant coffee at home, and will go to a café for a properly made late, cappuccino, or whatever. This is a bit of a switch for me, as I’m coming from a family that can go through multiple 14 cup pots before noon. 

The Cafe up the street

Having a dip

The Pool

Luckily, this family has a pool. A really nice one at that. Not only is it fun to swim in while the boys are at school, it is an awesome afternoon activity for them when they get home. The pool provides hours of entertainment for them. You know those GEICO commercials where they say GEICO customers are happy and then ask: How happy are they?! Well I would suggest adding “Happier than a 6 year old in a swimming pool” to that campaign!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

October 16^th-20^th, 2013

I left Portland on October 16^th, but did not arrive in Sydney until the 18^th. The 17^th did not exist for me. Huzzah for time travel!

I left PDX and traveled to LAX where my connecting flight would be. After two shuttles, getting lost, walking in circles, cursing under my breath and hiking for what seemed like ages, I found my way to my gate. (Honestly, I’m pretty sure the LA in LAX stands for Lucifer’s Architecture, because that place has to have been crafted by the devil himself). I had some time to kill so I grabbed some dinner at one of the many little food courts around. Let me just tell you, the international terminal at LAX is quite an interesting place. Passing the different airlines and people groups you start to feel a bit like you’re on “It’s a Small World” at Disneyland.  Your own personal walking tour of the nations. Even the food selection seems to be divided by region.

My flight got delayed a few times. We finally were able to board (about 1.5 hours late). I had an aisle seat and the spot next to me was vacant. SCORE! But just as I started to feel the natural high that comes along with having ANY sort of personal space on an airplane, a flight attendant came up to me and asked me for a favor. He said that there was a woman a few rows back who was, as he put it, a bit on the bigger side, and she would not be able to fit in her seat. He kindly asked if I would be willing to trade on account of the empty space next to me. Internally, I was thinking: “ARE YOU CRAZY?! THIS IS A 15 HOUR FLIGHT, OF COURSE I’M NOT GIVING UP THIS SPACE!!!” But I heard my mouth say, “If it will make her life easier, sure.”

Who am I? A sucker for a man with an accent, THAT'S who! So I switched seats and was ushered to a middle seat next to a baby. Immediately regretting my decision, and mentally waving my fists to the heavens, I took my seat. The baby was asleep, but I knew that wouldn’t last the whole 15 hours. 

Just before take off, the same flight attendant came back to me and said that he had found a window seat in an exit row and if I would like to switch after take off. I said yes, because if I wasn’t going to have my aisle seat for easy stretching access, I was certainly going to have a seat with a view/side to lean against for sleeping. After take off he came and got me and helped me shuffle all of my carry-on belongings for the 2^nd time.

When I got up to my row, I was a little disappointed. For although the seat was in a position that would define it as a ‘window seat’, there was no window. There was a window on the exit door, but from my seat I could not see out of it. It was just a wall. And where my leg room would have been, the emergency door jutted out into the plane. This bulbous plastic form is what contained the inflatable slide that would be used in an emergency water evacuation. Even though this was less than ideal, I still preferred it to the middle seat next to the baby. The flight attendant brought me champagne and snacks as a token of appreciation for giving up my seat. It was all quite the emotional roller coaster, and all in the span of 40 minutes. Later, before landing he would bring me a duty free bag containing 2 fancy business travel kits and a Calvin Klein fragrance sampler, as further tokens of appreciation. 

The rest of the flight was pretty normal. Watched a couple of movies (The Croods and ¾ of Epic), ate a couple of meals. I slept quite a bit which was nice. I went through immigration and customs and finally picked up my luggage. I made my way out to the pick up spot where Danielle (the family mom) was waiting for me. I was worried that I wouldn’t recognize her, or that she wouldn’t recognize me in all my griminess. She took me to the house where I unpacked, showered, ate lunch and FaceTimed Mom and Dad so they would know I was alive. She gave me a little tour of the neighborhood and soon enough it was time to pick up the oldest son, Lachlan.

After we picked him up we went out to the shops to pick up a few things and had some afternoon tea at a café. (For future reference, morning and afternoon tea just means snack. Very seldom is there actually tea involved). After the shops we went into the city to pick up Mark (the dad) and the youngest son, Harry, from day care.

On the way home they took me over the Harbour Bridge and I got to see my first glimpse of the Opera house. When we got home Mark made the boys some pizza and Dan ordered Thai for us adults. The boys went to bed and I stayed up to watch television with Dan and Mark. But finally at 9pm I had to call it quits. It had been quite a busy day and I needed to get some sleep.

Next time I post I’ll give you an update on how my first week goes!

Australia: Round Two

For those who do not know, I am about to embark on Australia Adventure 2.0

I originally created this blog when I studied abroad in Sydney a little over a year and a half ago. (I could have made a separate blog. But I didn't want to. Plus, in case you missed it, you can relive that entire semester!) I was meant to go back to Australia in July/August of 2013, however those plans fell through. It is a long story, but I think it was for the best. Life has a funny way of falling apart before falling back together. Anyway, with that trip now canceled, I had to work on other ways of getting myself back to the beloved sunburned country. 

Around this time last year, my friend Sarah and I were discussing what our futures held. We were both college Seniors and the world was looking like a daunting place.  As we sipped on our Pumpkin Chai’s and gorged ourselves on pazookie (I say gorged in the most lady-like way), Sarah told me that she was considering being an Au Pair. 'Wow! What a cool idea! I could totally do something like that, and best of all, I could do it in Australia!' I thought to myself.

So with that seed planted, I went about my life. At this point the other trip was still on. But once that was canceled, I remembered that conversation over half-baked cookie dough. I ended up making a profile on Aupairworld.net. It’s basically online dating. People who want to be Au Pairs make profiles, and people looking for Au Pairs make profiles. You can search for each other based on location, language, age, and other factors. Au Pairs say a bit about themselves and why they want to Au Pair, and families say a bit about themselves and what they need from an Au Pair. If you like what you see, you can send messages to each other and get the whole thing squared away.  

It sounds weird, but it’s not weird. So get off my back. 

...Anyway, so I made a profile, probably sometime in March. I talked to many different families, but nothing ever sorted out. Either on my end it didn't work out, or on their end it didn't  I was holding out for a family in Sydney, as I really wanted to go back to visit friends as well as get to do things that I may not have gotten too the last time around. After several misses with different families, I finally found the right one. They live in a suburb of Sydney, rather close to where I studied. They have two little boys who are 4 and 6 years old. I’ll be responsible to care for them when they are not at school, along with doing some light house work. Basically, live with them and be a part of the family. 

I will arrive in Sydney on October 18^th. I hope to post here often, so check back for updates on my second Australian adventure!

P.S. I got to have a wonderful last American weekend down in Southern California. I was there for a wedding, but this was a great opportunity to see some of my best friends before fleeing the country. Words do not describe how awesome my friends are! They are the kind of people who make me awesome cakes and give me “plane survival” kits.   Friends like that make it a little tough to leave.

Olivia dyed her hands blue for this cake!

Natalie knows mouth wash is a highly coveted item for long plane rides

Natalie, Olivia, Me. Acting sophisticated and color coordinated.