Finally getting settled. Now what?
Trip Start
Aug 12, 2011
1
9
Trip End
Ongoing
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Move went well. We finally got a final date set for October 12, so John came to the house and guided the movers as to where things would go. They were supposed to return the next day at 8am to do the unpack, so we were up early at the apartment, ready with a plan as to how to deal with the kids while keeping them out of the movers way. As soon as we got here, I started unpacking all their toys in hopes of keeping them occupied. Then that was done, and still no movers. So I started on the kitchen. Basically by 11am John got in touch with them and there had somehow been a misunderstanding - no one was scheduled to come unpack. In yet, they still had all their mats down to protect our floors. Huh? So fine, we had a VERY long day of unpacking, then headed back to the apartment to sleep since the girls beds weren't set up yet. So, we repeated the getting up early and down here in time for the movers to arrive to finish the unpack. They were supposed to be here at 8:30am...finally got here at 11am! aaarrrghh! By then there was basically nothing left to unpack! John had assembled everything already, and I had unpacked everything except the den! Not impressed. Whatever. We are here now, and settled.
We have spent the last 2 weeks just settling in, finding the perfect place for everything, and getting to know our neighbourhood. We literally live just a few houses away from the beach. I'm in heaven! And the house - it is so incredibly perfect for us. I am so grateful for all of it. The house has tons of storage, so I am in heaven getting us uber organized, I'm certainly in my element. Our last house in Calgary, we moved in when I was pregnant and very sick, then dealing with a newborn, then pregnant again, then adjusting to the chaos of having kids so close together. So it never got organized and set up as I would have liked, not even close. So now that I'm out of the fog, and moving in, I am getting us super organized, and loving it.
There have been some stunning days now that it is spring. Some days have been 31C. Like Sunday for instance, then Monday morning was about 20C, then by lunch it was down to 10C!!! Needless to say, I feel like I'm living in Calgary all over again with these drastic changes! At least the pressure headaches don't come with it! Last week was beautiful, so the girls and I spent almost every day at the beach! It's so easy with it being this close. We can just wander on down there, hang out as long or as short as we want, then wander on home. It's beautiful. And our beach is so quiet all the time! I love it! And... and... I have actually sported a bikini again! Ga! I wasn't sure if that would ever happen again, but, as Sally calls it, I'm on the Australian Lifestyle Diet ;) So, yay!
Tonight I went for a nice long walk by myself after dinner. On my way back, the sun was going down, so I stopped and enjoyed the view for a bit before strolling home. Pure bliss. It reminded me of the part in the movie City of Angels when all the angels would gather at the beach to watch the sunrise and sunset. It's just such a magical moment. And I get to see it, every night now if I want :)
Tomorrow my new car arrives! Yay! I got a Toyota Kluger (SUV). I'm not sure why I am so excited though. I haven't driven here yet. And just thinking about it freaks me out. I swear I just about killed the kids and I just crossing the road today! I still look the wrong way before crossing! I mean seriously! How am I supposed to DRIVE?! The weird thing being - usually after we have been here for a couple of weeks, my brain switches to right hand driving. This time, I think I'm just freaking myself out and therefore my brain is holding on to left hand drive. So, just gotta bite the bullet and do it, drive like a granny, and just force myself to get used to it.
Ellie, my baby, had her 2nd bday last week! I can't believe she is TWO! Sydney called her Baby Ellie today, and I have to remind her too, that Ellie is no longer a baby! :( I'm both happy and sad about it. Sad that I am officially out of the baby phase, but relieved at the same time. As much as I love the baby phase, I hate it at the same time. Now I have so much more freedom in my day - with neither of them napping, we can go out and do stuff all day. No more only having a brief hour or two to be out before nap times! So yay for that! And, before I decided to have baby #2 so quick after baby #1, those that had theirs close together said that once the youngest turns 2 (maybe 3, depending on personalities), then life will be easy. It never hit me until a friend pointed out that I had survived the crazy period. And so I did. That realization made me very proud, but sad at the same time. So weird how emotional it is to be a mother.
Differences here:
Language: instead of saying "a high of.." for temperature, they say "a top of..". sidewalk = footpath, slide (at a playground) = slippery dip, counter top = bench, bathroom/washroom = just flat out "toilet" (as with so many other cultures, but I always find it so... blunt? crude? gross?), Sprite/7-up type drinks = lemonade, sweater = jumper, movers (house) = removalist, "passing" (in your car) = overtaking, island (for pedestrians on a road) - safety refuge, grocery store/all stores = shops, hours of business = trading hours, "to go" (at a fast food restaurant) = take away, livingroom = lounge room, gas (for a car) = petrol, apartment = unit, and of course instead of cell, it is mobile. This is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I will think of more ;)
Food: no such thing as "cream" for your coffee here. Not that people drink "drip" coffee anyway. Everyone is all about the lattes. ALL about the lattes. If you want just a straight up coffee, then you'll probably get an instant coffee. Yuck. I don't mind a latte as my second cup, but as my first cup, it's just way too much milk, and just doesn't have enough kick to it. Sorry, but true. So, I bought a "normal" coffee pot a week after arriving. Some things I don't mind doing as the locals, but don't mess with my one cup of morning coffee. It's bad enough that I need to put milk in it instead of cream! Anyway, enough about that. A lot of food here tastes different - for instance chicken. Not better not worse, just different. Actually, I take that back. It is actually kind of more flavourful here. So better here. And yogurt! Yum! It is SO good here! Wine - it's actually a bit tough to find non-Australian wine unless you go to a major liquor store. And, kind of a bonus in the "ease" part - they are all screw top lids. No more fussing with a wine opener!
Other stuff: hard to find a sunscreen here that is over +30. I find that interesting. And yes, we might have central ducted heating in our house, but OMG... if it is 10C outside, the heat is on constantly - as soon as it turns off it instantly starts getting cold. That's what happens in houses that have basically zero insulation and single pane glass windows. Amazing. I was literally IN the house the other day wearing fleece lined pants, my UGGS, and my thick Lululemon hoodie. It was FREEZING. Not sure if the building materials aren't available here, or what, but I'm surprised that they don't have better insulation here - to keep the heat OUT in the summer, and heat IN during the winter. Will look into that further.
Ok, this was supposed to be short. And it turned into a novel. Sorry folks... so much going on, so much to say! Think I might start doing really quick updates from my iPhone during the day as I think of things!
