Hit the Road

Yet again, I can report a few eventful days. Monday morning, after enjoying a night's sleep in a real bed, we set off for the Sydney area to visit friends. We arrived a little after 11am and had the chance to chat and play with their daughter (who, for the record, reached out because she wanted me to hold her. That definitely made my day) before eating a tasty lunch.

After lunch and a cuppa (cup of tea), Jesse and I headed to Parramatta to make a stop at an immigration office there. The officer we were assigned for the visit seemed very nervous; she spoke quietly, and covered her mouth when she talked, so it was difficult at times to understand her, but we were able to confirm what our next steps should be in the visa process, and that we don't need to take them for several months yet.

Having received that news, we stopped at the Koorong bookstore, a Christian bookstore in the area. We had a great time browsing there, and picked up a few Christmas presents for each other :) A couple of hours later, we were finished with our browsing, and headed for the Hope Wesleyan Church and a pastors' barbeque with the NSW district. I met some of the other pastors and their wives, and it was a good time of fellowship with a meaningful prayer time as well. Jesse and I ducked out just after 9 and made the 2 hour trip back home, making a stop at McDonald's halfway to procure caffeine for the driver :)

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning presented an opportunity for me to tidy up around the house a bit. Jesse started a couple loads of laundry, which I finished after he left for work, and I was able to collect some of our camping things, and just generally organize the house. My jewelry had been spread all over the dining room table (as it was in a ziploc bag with some exploded makeup, and had a shiny mauve tint to it as a result), so I wiped that off and put it into a jewelry box. I'd been wanting to put that away for some time, so that was good.

We went out for lunch, as we hadn't been grocery shopping (and still haven't; I made pancakes with our final egg for breakfast this morning), then Jesse napped and I got ready for my interview. I realized during this process that the only full suit I'd brought with me was my black suit, which was going to be (a) really uncomfortable given the temperatures, and (b) impossible to match shoes with, as I'd only brought close-toed brown shoes with me, and didn't think black flip flops (thongs to the Aussie) appropriate. I settled on brown pants with a colorful dress shirt, so that I could wear the right shoes. Sheesh.

We drove to Newcastle to meet with the recruiter. Since my current visa allows work, but not for more than 6 months with any one employer, I'm essentially applying for temporary work. The interview went well (we'd already discussed many things over the phone), and now it's just left to wait and see what they can find for me. It likely won't be until the new year, which is fine with me, as there's still plenty to do around the house. A few people have asked me if I'm bored yet just being at home; I'm not. There's plenty to do, and I like being able to tackle it with a relaxed pace.

After the interview, we swung by the hospital in Newcastle to visit a friend from Jesse's soccer team's wife and baby. The baby was born at 28-29 weeks gestation, and he's a little over 2 pounds. We got to see him in the NICU; he's so tiny, but has all the features he should. His mom thinks his toes look plastic :) He's doing very well, particularly for his size, so that's encouraging.

We headed back home in time to change before Jesse's soccer games, and then drove to Rutherford for those. I worked on thank-you notes to try to bring the pile down somewhat.

So, there you have it; two full days, but good ones. It's nice to be home for a few days now, to recouperate!

Good Onion, Mate

When I would tell people I was planning to move to Australia, once they'd wiped the shock off of their faces, one of the first ways they would respond was something to the tune of "at least there's not a language barrier" or "how are you ever going to learn the language?" We'd enjoy a good laugh. The fact of the matter is, though, that down here, Jesse and I are the ones with an "accent." Some of the kids in the youth group claim that Jesse has "lost" his accent, but I still have mine. I'm pretty sure they've just gotten used to the way he talks.

Throughout our engagement, Jesse complied a bit of an "Australian to American" dictionary for me, with everything from phrases that will be useful to phrases to steer clear of. We enjoyed a laugh the other night over how much the Aussie phrase "good on ya, mate" ("good for you" is the closest I can think of, but it seems to connote "way to go" as well) sounds, to an American, like "good onion, mate." Of course, most readers will be familiar with the use of "mate" which can be used in any sort of situation - don't remember someone's name? "G'day, mate." Have friends from your cricket team? They're your "cricket mates." "Accidentally" foul someone on the other soccer team? "Sorry, mate."

After being thanked, most people will say, "it's ok" or "no worries." When greeting someone, it's "how ya going?" as opposed to "how ya doing."

I was shopping yesterday, searching rather unsuccessfully for additional thank-you cards at the shops downtown. As a result, I decided to go back to the craft store where I'd bought yarn and buy some blank cards there. When I walked in, the clerk who'd checked me out just a few minutes beforehand was at the register.

"Hey again," I said.
"Pretty well thanks," she said.

I smiled to myself and headed to the card rack; my saying "hey again" sounded a lot to her ear like "how ya goin'", with perhaps slightly less vowel movement at the end. So funny.

Having been here for a year already, Jesse has most of the phrases down. I'm working on finding ways to train myself to use them. In the interim, I try to say things like "hello" and "how are you," which appear to be universally understood. I still clearly sound like I'm from somewhere else regardless of what phrases I'm using, so at least I'm trying.