Finally Feels Like Home

Yes, we finally got our sea shipment on Wednesday! Most of the stuff is unpacked and put away-- the result of 4 days of hard work. I'm always reminded of why I dread moving every time I have to pack and unpack. But there is a certain amount of comfort being surrounded by your familiar things-- a feeling of home and permanence. Now I feel like we've actually moved to Australia and I'm not just visiting. I have to say one of the things I missed most of all of our things was having a decent set of knives; given all the cooking I do.

We received our shipment on Wednesday, and Mike left for the U.S. on Friday morning. The kids also started their 2 week Spring Holiday on Friday as well. We were lucky to get our stuff when we did. They originally told us the earliest delivery date was this Tues-- while Mike was gone and I was home with the kids by myself. They miraculously had a cancellation after Mike wrote a "I'm very disappointed with your lack of effort after I took the time to plan ahead" email. We had a few things broken, some property damage, and 3 guys at our house until about 8:30pm. I was not impressed; but am just glad to be almost done.

We spent the weekend at home just hanging out. I've been busy unpacking and organizing, and the kids getting reacquainted with all their toys and games. We also took advantage of the pool with the warm weather. We will probably fit in some outings this week before Mike returns next Sunday. Then it'll be off to the beach for 5 days! Mike will be sleeping off the jet lag on the beach...

I've actually had a few opportunities to meet some parents at the kids' schools via volunteering at school activities and attending class outings. I have yet to learn all their names though. I have learned that the Aussies take their "picnicking" seriously. We were invited to a family picnic with Lucas' class on a Sunday morning at a park. They said there would be games for the kids and to just bring a picnic lunch. I packed some sandwiches, chips, fruit, and soda-- our American idea of a picnic. As we munched on our lunch out of our cooler, we notice wine glasses being taken out, wine bottles, bottles of beer, cutting boards, sandwiches being made, cheese spreads, and large bags of chips and crackers; not to mention someone with a table and cloth napkins. Later, we found out it was the Class Mum's birthday so we sang "Happy Birthday" and toasted her with some champagne. I didn't partake in the wine (I was offered many times), but did sip some champagne. Mike was offered some beer from some Dads-- and of course he did partake (he needed to after watching ND lose to Michigan that morning). I realized this is par for the course here when we saw the same thing at an evening outing at the boys' school and at a park get together for Jonah's class after school on Friday (and it wasn't even during meal time). Mike said, "It's like tailgating!"

Another funny story... Whenever I start to feel good about knowing my way around and start to feel less like a visitor, I am reminded that my accent sounds funny here. I was at the Korean grocery about 2 weeks ago and I was speaking to the lady there in Korean about some of the food items. As I was checking out, she says, "Your Korean sounds like you haven't lived in Korea for a very long time." I replied, "Yes, I left when I was 6 and I don't get to use Korean everyday." From there I went to the shopping center to grab some lunch. I ordered a Kebab at the food court from a guy who looked like he was of Indian origin with a very heavy Aussie accent. As he handed me my change, he said, "Are you from Canada?"

National 4p- Conference and Father's Day

We just returned from the national 4p- conference in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. We had a great time meeting the 4p- kids and their families from all over Australia. It was a much smaller group than the one in the U.S. that met last year in D.C.; about a dozen families. It was an intimate group that was very welcoming. I got that same warm feeling of connection talking to the parents. I felt reluctant to say good-bye and leave the conference early today (the conference activities continues until Tuesday). Most families that have traveled far are making it a family holiday and staying at least a week and enjoying the sights of the Gold Coast. We attended a meet-and-greet Friday night, the whole day of conference on Saturday, half day on Sunday, and the afternoon at an outing at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary before we headed home. We met 2 families who live within an hour of us and whom we exchanged contact information with. We also made a special connection with a family whose daughter, Rachael, has similar relatively mild symptoms of the syndrome. Rachael is 15 yrs old and walks around very well, speaks in full sentences, asks questions, expresses herself and her sense of humor, and has started reading and writing. I had a lot of questions for her Mom, Chris. She was full of good advice and encouragement. The whole weekend was a very positive experience. We hope to attend another meeting in 2 years before we head home.
Today is also Australia's Father's Day. Lucky Mike was treated to a very special day with the kids after being presented with the kids' handmade and heartfelt cards and gifts. (BTW, Mother's Day here is also in May so I don't get another one this year. What a rip!) I think I saw his eyes mist over as he read Jonah's gift but of course he denies it. But watching ND win their first football game of the season with a shutout to start the day was the icing on the cake. (No, it wasn't on Australian TV... He watched it via slingbox (hooked up to his Dad's TV in Indiana) on his laptop.)
Last week, Jonah attended an overnight camp with all the 3rd graders from his school, which he's been looking forward to since school started. They spent 2 days and 1 night at a camp filled with all-boy fun. I knew Jonah had a blast when I picked him up and he talked, unprompted, nonstop about what he did at camp until we arrived home. Now if you know Jonah very well, you know that's a big deal. He's a boy of very few words. When I met his teacher at pickup, she said, "Jonah had a great time! He was quite in his element. I did something I never thought I would. I had to tell Jonah to stop talking and be quiet!" He said his favorite activity was kayaking. Lucas can't wait to go next year.
I also ran my 10k race last Sunday-- Bridge to Brisbane, with over 31,000 other Australian runners/walkers. It was an interesting experience. The water bottles, portapotties, the lines for the portapotties, people strewn all over the streets stretching and just relaxing, were all familiar scenes on race day. But once I started listening to people speaking with their Australian accents and the scene at the top of the bridge (on the highway) with a clear view of the city over Brisbane river quickly reminded me that this was not a familiar scene for me. I tried to take it all in, all the while making mental commentaries, since I didn't have anybody to verbalize them to. The range of emotion filled the whole spectrum through the race-- from awe at the number of people willing to get up at 4:30 for a race that started at 6:25 to shear annoyance at the number of people in my way as I tried to run my race. I was lost in the masses from the start since I did not have an official qualifying time (from a previous year) to start with the first 2 groups. I tried to dodge all the walkers, kids, parents with prams as I ran uphill the first 3/4 mile on the bridge. A couple things I noted-- 18 wheeler trucks honked their horns in encouragement as they roared by in the opposite direction across the bridge (we were only separated by temporary cement blockades); and people stopping at the top to take pictures of the cityscape. There was another huge hill around the 8k point and the unusually warm weather and humidity didn't make me enjoy the race any more. I think I saw about 4 people getting medical asistance on the side of the road. I had dumped 2 cups of water and walked through a hose spray by the time I finished the race and it was still before 7:30 a.m. Yeah, I'll probably run it again next year...

Our stuff has finally arrived in Brisbane! We'll see how long it takes to clear customs...