It's interesting to live in someone else's house. Especially someone who you have never met but think you would be good friends with if you did. It's like the house is tailor-made for us down to the A and K Scrabble mugs (the couple who usually live here are Alison and Kevin). It's fun to see what other people have in their kitchen that I would never think to get or food/condiments I would never think to buy and realize "Where has "X" been all my life?" Here are a few examples.
1. Rice cooker: Why have I been making rice in a pot all these years? Rice cookers are easy and you can leave them and do other things and not worry they are going to boil over everywhere or that you are going to inadvertent grave sin of lift the lid too early - all is taken care of by this cute little pudgy appliance. AND I made coconut rice the other day in it and it was amazing. The kids had thirds and told me how good it was without prompting.
2. Coconut Milk: I would never think to buy coconut milk because when would I ever use it? Inadvertently, you can use it in coconut rice which is amazing! Also in chocolate cake and I'm sure in other things and it's so easy to just put in regular milk. Why haven't I had this around?
3. Sun-dried Tomatoes: Sweet manna from Heaven - did everyone else know these were in a jar that you could open like pickles? Adding these to a meal and BAM - instant awesomeness. I hope they have them at home too cause they are my new favourite thing.
4. Sauces: We have always loved sauces but here there's all sorts of different sauces we would never get. They have 5 different kinds of vinegar. Keith now puts pomegranate molasses on meat which is awesome. We had mango ginger curry. They have salsa verde which I knew I liked but didn't realize came in a jar. Basically we are having a love affair with sauce and it's awesome.
Basically I'm saying trying on someone else's kitchen, like trying on someone else's shoes is fun. Everyone should try it. You might find something new you never knew you always wanted.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Royal Melbourne Show
Today we went to the Royal Melbourne Show which is at the showgrounds not far from our house. We realized this several days in to hearing fireworks every night and being baffled at why Australia seemed to end their days with a fireworks show. Now, feeling silly, we realize that we're just close to the fair. One of the dads at the park told Keith that today would be a good day to go since the footy finals were on and loads of people would be at home watching that. So after Emily's nap we headed out to the showgrounds. The kids were very good as Cian did not want a repeat of last weekend where we made it almost the entire way to the Zoo and then his behaviour was so horrible that we turned around and went home with him crying all the way. That severe lesson seemed to have hit home as he was amazing today.
We got to the showgrounds at 3:45pm and there was a reduced price after 4pm so we were waiting around til 4 which worked out amazingly well since a woman came up to me on her way out and gave me 8 kid ride tickets for free (I have to say Australians in general have been lovely!) so when Keith came back from buying our after 4pm tickets we had admission tickets and some ride tickets for everyone.
First stop was the Cars guys cause I knew they had Lightening McQueen and Mack the Truck and I knew our little Cars lover would be happy to meet them which he was. We then walked into the My Backyard pavillion where they had the ugliest roosters I have ever seen. Ours was named Ronnie and Cian was as gentle with an animal as I have ever seen him. The kids loved running around to all the different chicken coops and seeing the ducks and turkeys and seedlings it was great fun. Then we happened by the Animals of Oz pavillion where there was a grazing wombat. I think wombats might be my new favourite animal - they are ridiculously adorable. The guy had a baby crocodile which my kids were much more interested in and, of course, Cian's favourite...the snake. We pet some lizards but thankfully the snake handler was taking her time getting close to us and we managed to get out of there. We then saw the widest variety of cows I have ever seen (and the cutest too) and we pet some giant sheep just before they were sheared. I will also have you know, my knitting friends, that knitting was well represented and I have taken pics of the yarn-bombed tractor (super cute). We also went to the Animal Nursery which was huge and there were tonnes of goats running around and baby piglets, ducklings, ponnies, rabbits - basically an animal lovers dream and the kids were in heaven. Cian went on a couple rides and then we put Emily on a ride and she was hooked from the first moment. She was no longer sitting in the stroller while Cian had all the fun. A ride monster has been born.
With our late entry tickets Keith and I got rides too. I went on a combination Tilt-a-Whirl and roller coaster. I hadn't been on an adult roller coaster in a while and it was really fun. Keith and I both went on the log shoot (seperately as parents of young children sometimes need to do - kind of lame but fun). Keith climbed a rock wall (so awesome) and I went on another spinny fun ride with death drops. You know that quote where they say (and I'm going to butcher it now) "Take time in the pursuit of happiness to just be happy" I think it's easiest to really do that when you are spinning around on a ride in the sky in the middle of a fair. Everything else just melts away and you can scream and laugh and just be. We also oggled at all the other crazy rides that we were both way too chicken to ever attempt. There was a fresh food pavillion that had all sorts of different foods and products to try and we had supper there too.
When we came back out the sun had set and all the neon lights lit up the rides. There were vendors blowing big bubbles everywhere and the pop music was starting to swell and my kids were looking around like they had entered a brand new world. I love that sense of wonder and amazement in kids.
We topped off the night with the death-defying motorcycle guys and a big fireworks display. It was beautiful and very well done considering they do fireworks every night. It was fun to watch Cian on Keith's shoulders with his eyes glued to the sky. Emily liked them too but she was so tired at this point she mostly wanted to cuddle with mommy which was ok with me.
We pushed our little sleepyheads home in the stroller. Emily asleep almost immediately and Cian bobbing his head all the way home, exhausted from all the fun. He was so joyous the whole day. Sometimes I rag on how hard my kids can be when their behaviour is bad but I have to say today they both got it right - there was some sort of cosmic alignment. Today was a wonderful day.
We got to the showgrounds at 3:45pm and there was a reduced price after 4pm so we were waiting around til 4 which worked out amazingly well since a woman came up to me on her way out and gave me 8 kid ride tickets for free (I have to say Australians in general have been lovely!) so when Keith came back from buying our after 4pm tickets we had admission tickets and some ride tickets for everyone.
First stop was the Cars guys cause I knew they had Lightening McQueen and Mack the Truck and I knew our little Cars lover would be happy to meet them which he was. We then walked into the My Backyard pavillion where they had the ugliest roosters I have ever seen. Ours was named Ronnie and Cian was as gentle with an animal as I have ever seen him. The kids loved running around to all the different chicken coops and seeing the ducks and turkeys and seedlings it was great fun. Then we happened by the Animals of Oz pavillion where there was a grazing wombat. I think wombats might be my new favourite animal - they are ridiculously adorable. The guy had a baby crocodile which my kids were much more interested in and, of course, Cian's favourite...the snake. We pet some lizards but thankfully the snake handler was taking her time getting close to us and we managed to get out of there. We then saw the widest variety of cows I have ever seen (and the cutest too) and we pet some giant sheep just before they were sheared. I will also have you know, my knitting friends, that knitting was well represented and I have taken pics of the yarn-bombed tractor (super cute). We also went to the Animal Nursery which was huge and there were tonnes of goats running around and baby piglets, ducklings, ponnies, rabbits - basically an animal lovers dream and the kids were in heaven. Cian went on a couple rides and then we put Emily on a ride and she was hooked from the first moment. She was no longer sitting in the stroller while Cian had all the fun. A ride monster has been born.
With our late entry tickets Keith and I got rides too. I went on a combination Tilt-a-Whirl and roller coaster. I hadn't been on an adult roller coaster in a while and it was really fun. Keith and I both went on the log shoot (seperately as parents of young children sometimes need to do - kind of lame but fun). Keith climbed a rock wall (so awesome) and I went on another spinny fun ride with death drops. You know that quote where they say (and I'm going to butcher it now) "Take time in the pursuit of happiness to just be happy" I think it's easiest to really do that when you are spinning around on a ride in the sky in the middle of a fair. Everything else just melts away and you can scream and laugh and just be. We also oggled at all the other crazy rides that we were both way too chicken to ever attempt. There was a fresh food pavillion that had all sorts of different foods and products to try and we had supper there too.
When we came back out the sun had set and all the neon lights lit up the rides. There were vendors blowing big bubbles everywhere and the pop music was starting to swell and my kids were looking around like they had entered a brand new world. I love that sense of wonder and amazement in kids.
We topped off the night with the death-defying motorcycle guys and a big fireworks display. It was beautiful and very well done considering they do fireworks every night. It was fun to watch Cian on Keith's shoulders with his eyes glued to the sky. Emily liked them too but she was so tired at this point she mostly wanted to cuddle with mommy which was ok with me.
We pushed our little sleepyheads home in the stroller. Emily asleep almost immediately and Cian bobbing his head all the way home, exhausted from all the fun. He was so joyous the whole day. Sometimes I rag on how hard my kids can be when their behaviour is bad but I have to say today they both got it right - there was some sort of cosmic alignment. Today was a wonderful day.
Monday, 23 September 2013
The Monkey
In our house we have a different bathroom set-up to what we're used to. The set-up for both bathroom is that the toilets are separate from the actual "bath"room. The upstairs is beside the room with the shower and the tub and the downstairs one is beside the washing machine and laundry sink. This is similar to a lot of European homes and works quite well.
In the downstairs W.C. when you close the door there is a black chimpanzee sticker on the wall that stands about 3.5 feet tall with a sign that says "Laugh now but one day we'll be in charge". It's the best bit of whimsy in the house in my opinion. It also is extremely convenient because instead of asking the kids if they need to go potty we can say "Go visit the monkey." This is infinitely more fun and the kids think it's awesome and are more interested in going.
From upstairs I just heard Cian say "Dad you set up the game....Monkey I MISSED you." All sorts of awesome.
In the downstairs W.C. when you close the door there is a black chimpanzee sticker on the wall that stands about 3.5 feet tall with a sign that says "Laugh now but one day we'll be in charge". It's the best bit of whimsy in the house in my opinion. It also is extremely convenient because instead of asking the kids if they need to go potty we can say "Go visit the monkey." This is infinitely more fun and the kids think it's awesome and are more interested in going.
From upstairs I just heard Cian say "Dad you set up the game....Monkey I MISSED you." All sorts of awesome.
Friday, 20 September 2013
Fall Into Spring
Sitting here in my sunny bedroom I am looking outside to the daffodils on the porch and the buds on the trees and feel weird about how summer turned into spring...like life in reverse.
We have been in Melbourne over a week now and things are starting to feel less strange. The kids still seem to get up early but then I remember with the opposite of fondness that they were early risers at home too so it's not shocking that has continued.
On Monday we went into the city and got bank cards and cell phone plans and other mundane "life" things. We happened upon a band called Woodlock busking when we were walking down Bourke Street - check them out on YouTube, they were pretty good and all four of us liked their stuff. The kids were spent by the time we got to Target but we did pick up a couple things there (and I am happy to be in a city with Target even though I went halfway around the world to do it).
We have been doing a lot of "life set-up" stuff so in that way it does feel a bit like spring. We're looking at enrolling the kids in swimming lessons at the Rec Centre down the street. We've almost finalized Emily's music lessons for October and looking at kindergarten for Cian in January. Right now they seem to be doing a lot of "adjusting" to life in Melbourne which has translated to some pretty bad behaviour so hopefully that all settles out before these classes start. It is nice to spend more time with them though and I can still feel the vestiges of this past year in how clingy they are to mom. I haven't been around for them so in some ways they are also adjusting to having their mom back. I have no regrets about that I just think it's the other cost of board exams on top of what the Royal College took from our bank account. In that way it's nice to have this new Spring together. A fresh start full of new experiences and possibilities.
We have been in Melbourne over a week now and things are starting to feel less strange. The kids still seem to get up early but then I remember with the opposite of fondness that they were early risers at home too so it's not shocking that has continued.
On Monday we went into the city and got bank cards and cell phone plans and other mundane "life" things. We happened upon a band called Woodlock busking when we were walking down Bourke Street - check them out on YouTube, they were pretty good and all four of us liked their stuff. The kids were spent by the time we got to Target but we did pick up a couple things there (and I am happy to be in a city with Target even though I went halfway around the world to do it).
We have been doing a lot of "life set-up" stuff so in that way it does feel a bit like spring. We're looking at enrolling the kids in swimming lessons at the Rec Centre down the street. We've almost finalized Emily's music lessons for October and looking at kindergarten for Cian in January. Right now they seem to be doing a lot of "adjusting" to life in Melbourne which has translated to some pretty bad behaviour so hopefully that all settles out before these classes start. It is nice to spend more time with them though and I can still feel the vestiges of this past year in how clingy they are to mom. I haven't been around for them so in some ways they are also adjusting to having their mom back. I have no regrets about that I just think it's the other cost of board exams on top of what the Royal College took from our bank account. In that way it's nice to have this new Spring together. A fresh start full of new experiences and possibilities.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Queen Victoria Market
The weather yesterday was gorgeous and we decided to try out public transit into the city centre. This was remarkably easy. Our homeowners had left us 2 Myki cards and you just swipe them and away you go. Melbourne central station is only 2 stops away from Kensington station so it was an easy commute and was also really fun for the kids to ride the train.
Keith's main concern was to check out the 2 main game stores in the city (shocking right?) so we checked those out and he'll try out the Magic tournaments at both to see what he likes better. At least he knows where they are now. We also had lunch at a Malaysian restaurant near one of the stores and Em was a huge fan of banana roti (this is not a big surprise since bananas are her favourite).
We explored the Queen Victoria Market (http://www.qvm.com.au/) which is HUGE. We didn't get through all of it. There's lots of stands with toys and clothes under the canopy portion; a food court in the centre square and the more permanent-appearing areas housed the vegetable market, meat and fish, cheese and wine. They had free wine tastings and they were quite generous so I was a fan of this market from the start. For all of our cheese-loving friends I have never in my life seen so many cheese stores with different kinds of cheese. It was unbelievable. We bought vegetables which were a significantly better deal than the grocery store and wanted some fish for supper so headed over to the fish market. Sunday late afternoon seems to be the best time to go because the market closes at 4pm so they start selling all their fresh stuff for cheap. The fish got put on trays on the counter and they start auctioning them off. I got a big platter of tuna fillets for $10 and when I bought it the whole shop yelled "SOLD" - it seemed to be kind of ritual at the end of the market day and was pretty fun.
We took the train back to Kensington station and we let Cian use his own kid's Myki card which he was pretty excited about. I picked up a bottle of wine on the way home called "Raven's Park" in honour of the birds in our neighborhood that Keith loves so much. We had a lovely meal of BBQ tuna and asparagus. Slowly we are starting to find our new normal. It was a beautiful day.
Keith's main concern was to check out the 2 main game stores in the city (shocking right?) so we checked those out and he'll try out the Magic tournaments at both to see what he likes better. At least he knows where they are now. We also had lunch at a Malaysian restaurant near one of the stores and Em was a huge fan of banana roti (this is not a big surprise since bananas are her favourite).
We explored the Queen Victoria Market (http://www.qvm.com.au/) which is HUGE. We didn't get through all of it. There's lots of stands with toys and clothes under the canopy portion; a food court in the centre square and the more permanent-appearing areas housed the vegetable market, meat and fish, cheese and wine. They had free wine tastings and they were quite generous so I was a fan of this market from the start. For all of our cheese-loving friends I have never in my life seen so many cheese stores with different kinds of cheese. It was unbelievable. We bought vegetables which were a significantly better deal than the grocery store and wanted some fish for supper so headed over to the fish market. Sunday late afternoon seems to be the best time to go because the market closes at 4pm so they start selling all their fresh stuff for cheap. The fish got put on trays on the counter and they start auctioning them off. I got a big platter of tuna fillets for $10 and when I bought it the whole shop yelled "SOLD" - it seemed to be kind of ritual at the end of the market day and was pretty fun.
We took the train back to Kensington station and we let Cian use his own kid's Myki card which he was pretty excited about. I picked up a bottle of wine on the way home called "Raven's Park" in honour of the birds in our neighborhood that Keith loves so much. We had a lovely meal of BBQ tuna and asparagus. Slowly we are starting to find our new normal. It was a beautiful day.
Saturday, 14 September 2013
I Will Bake Cookies Like my Mother and my Grandmother Before Me
I'm baking cookies tonight because what is a Mennonite girl to do when she moves to a new place...BAKE!
Today was our day to try to recover from jet lag so we mostly relaxed at home. We went for a walk to the grocery store which is conveniently located at the end of Stock Yard path. Here is some pics and video of that path - http://tramwalks.viawalking.com.au/kensington-newmarket-saleyards-and-maribyrnong-river-melbourne-walks-via-melbourne-trams/ It's nice because the path is right behind our house and goes all the way to the grocery store so we don't have to worry about road traffic with the kids on the way.
We got home from the store and outside our house was a Pack and Play for Emily and a basket full of toys and books from our homeowners mom. It was so lovely. It is so nice to be able to show our kids how there are so many amazing and generous people in the world. That is a major reason why I wanted to do this adventure with them; to show them that "Down Under" can quickly slip into "down home" with a chocolate chip cookie and some kindness.
Today was our day to try to recover from jet lag so we mostly relaxed at home. We went for a walk to the grocery store which is conveniently located at the end of Stock Yard path. Here is some pics and video of that path - http://tramwalks.viawalking.com.au/kensington-newmarket-saleyards-and-maribyrnong-river-melbourne-walks-via-melbourne-trams/ It's nice because the path is right behind our house and goes all the way to the grocery store so we don't have to worry about road traffic with the kids on the way.
We got home from the store and outside our house was a Pack and Play for Emily and a basket full of toys and books from our homeowners mom. It was so lovely. It is so nice to be able to show our kids how there are so many amazing and generous people in the world. That is a major reason why I wanted to do this adventure with them; to show them that "Down Under" can quickly slip into "down home" with a chocolate chip cookie and some kindness.
Hawaii
I was going to detail what we did in Hawaii. The Polynesian Cultural Centre where the kids were having a rough day but enjoyed the luau (and Cian loved the New Zealanders doing the Haka dance!). Or shaved ice on Waikiki beach watching the surfers (Cian definitely wants to surf when he grows up). Or Cian following a couple old-biddy sisters dutifully following his map and identifying the birds in Waimea Valley. I could tell you that by the powers of Facebook and editing that it looks like a perfect trip but there were definite difficulties with jet lag, screaming toddlers and bad behaviour from tired, overwhelmed kiddos. Keith and I weren't perfect either - we frustrated easily and longed for the vacation where we actually would get a break and many times caught ourselves planning a future Hawaii vacation without small kids.
I might talk about the vacation more in the future but I don't really want to blog about it at the present time except for this piece of it.
The late afternoon the day before we left I took the kids to the beach just me and them. Keith stayed in the condo to clean and nurse his inevitable sunburn. Those couple of hours I really PLAYED with my kids. I didn't think about anything else. I didn't "phone it in" or half-ass play with them thinking I would rather be doing something else. We played in the surf and raced down the beach and I full-out tackled Cian in the sand at a dead run. We played long jump and "Save the Bucket" (where we saved the sand buckets from the ocean). We buried mommy in the sand and surfed the waves as they came in to shore on boogie boards. Those couple hours with my kids in the setting sun fully engaged in nothing but their playful, developing selves - that was my favourite part of my vacation. The luau and palm trees and beaches were lovely but those moments with them were the true gift I was hoping for on this vacation. It's a bittersweet reminder of how hard this year has been for the four of us and how few moments like that I have had with them and how I hope to have so many more this year.
Mahalo.
I might talk about the vacation more in the future but I don't really want to blog about it at the present time except for this piece of it.
The late afternoon the day before we left I took the kids to the beach just me and them. Keith stayed in the condo to clean and nurse his inevitable sunburn. Those couple of hours I really PLAYED with my kids. I didn't think about anything else. I didn't "phone it in" or half-ass play with them thinking I would rather be doing something else. We played in the surf and raced down the beach and I full-out tackled Cian in the sand at a dead run. We played long jump and "Save the Bucket" (where we saved the sand buckets from the ocean). We buried mommy in the sand and surfed the waves as they came in to shore on boogie boards. Those couple hours with my kids in the setting sun fully engaged in nothing but their playful, developing selves - that was my favourite part of my vacation. The luau and palm trees and beaches were lovely but those moments with them were the true gift I was hoping for on this vacation. It's a bittersweet reminder of how hard this year has been for the four of us and how few moments like that I have had with them and how I hope to have so many more this year.
Mahalo.
Friday, 13 September 2013
First Days in our New Digs
You've got to love homeowners that tell you to "Help yourself there's spirits in the cabinet". Sitting here in our new place drinking a Rum & Coke and reflecting on the start of our time here.
We arrived in Melbourne after 20 hours of flying plus a 5 hour layover in Shanghai. That might be the worst travel plan I have ever made and I, unfortunately, inflicted that poor planning on my family. I say poor planning because the actual flying time from Honolulu to Melbourne is approx. 9.5 hours. However, without really looking at the flights I had booked I had inadvertently signed us up for the circuitous route of Honolulu to Shanghai/Shanghai to Melbourne. Why such a route exists without warnings of "This is a terrible idea - don't book this crazy long flight" I have no idea. Regardless, the flights had been booked and we couldn't change them.
We left the North Shore of Hawaii 4 hours before our scheduled flight and felt that was a lot of time since we had practiced the drive to Honolulu. However, we had never practiced in morning traffic, and we had especially not practiced it with several accidents on the morning commute. This stressed me out and I was already stressed about the travel prospects of the day. We finally got to the Thrifty's rental car place without having hit a gas station on the way but figured it was better to get them to fill it up since we were already running later than expected. We hopped on the shuttle to the airport and it was just us and one American guy who I think was military. He heard what airline we were flying and proceeded to bombarde us with a multitude of horror stories of East China Airlines. It was not what we needed to hear when we a) were stressed about running later than we planned and b) were stressed about the long flight with 2 kids under 5.
We got to the airport having tried for several days to book Emily her own seat on these two flights and failing (when we previously went to the airport no one was there for ticket sales, the travel agent number they gave me didn't work and even my mom tried from Canada and couldn't). We asked about getting her a seat and the flight to Shanghai was not full so that wasn't a problem. They were, in fact, very nice which was contrary to what the shuttle guy had said. They also seemed to have the international problem of not being able to book an infant ticket. We had this problem with Cian several times as well but since we didn't have that problem on the way to Honolulu we thought it had been fixed in the time between international infant voyages. This was not the case. It was about an hour of system issues before we got the infant ticket and they put us through the fast track at security.
Our flight to Shanghai was largely uneventful. The flight was not full so we had lots of space. Cian didn't sleep at all and Emily slept for about an hour (out of 10) and the rest of the time she was very busy. All in all, things went well.
The Shanghai airport is pretty terrible. I've been to a lot of airports in my time. Schipol in Amsterdam is lovely and probably one of the best in the world. This was no Schipol. Come on China, I know that you have a one-child policy but perhaps that one child would want to play in the airport. Even though there was no entertainment for the kids they seemed to be great entertainment for the people of China. The kids, particularly Emily, were very popular with lots of smiles, waves and photographs. I thought my dad and I were popular in China until I brought Tinkerbell with us. Salespeople came out of their stores and people asked me if they could take pictures. She was quite the celebrity.
They changed our gate and we had to do our 5th escalator with the stroller (seriously they don't need elevators in Shanghai airport? what is that about?) This flight was completely packed so no extra seat for Emily despite my offering to pay for one. They took us on a bus to the airplane where Cian waved and welcomed everyone on. This bus was magical because it made Emily fall asleep after a ridiculous amount of time awake. She was so exhausted she was still asleep when I took her out of the stroller and stayed asleep for 5 glorious hours. Cian slept that same amount of time so for 5 hours Keith and I were in heaven. Then she woke up but was exhausted and this time was not enjoyable. I finally rocked her in the back of the plane and got her to sleep. On the way to the back of the plane I saw a few empty seats so I was annoyed that someone had to sit in the row with our family. Mostly I was annoyed for them but also when they vomited continuously on descent I was annoyed for us. Anyway, we survived and made it to Melbourne.
Everytime I go through Passport control/Customs in a new country I expect this crazy interrogation and practice my answers. I think that might be a little of my OCD shining through but it is what it is. There was no such interrogation in Melbourne - they were lovely. Once outside (where we could see our breath at 15 degrees!) the taxi queue was the most organized taxi system I have ever seen in a city. It was impressive. Our taxi driver; however, was not. He did not seem to have any concept of Melbourne or how to use a GPS I basically had to program the GPS and give him instructions to get us to our townhouse.
Now we're here at Cornish Lane. Keith learned that this area of Melbourne used to be a cattle stockyard. You can tell in some of the posts in the parks and the high school looks like where they used to house cattle. Also our house backs on to the "Stock Route" bike path. For those of you that don't know the house is owned by an OBGYN registrar and her partner and she left us a lovely note with all sorts of info and maps and metro cards, etc. Her mom also stopped by in the morning to make sure we were ok and took Keith to the grocery store. She also left us a bunch of food so I was able to feed my famished kiddos right away. Based on her stuff and her library (you can tell a lot about someone by their library) I think we would be fast friends and they have been lovely. The house is also really nice. There is lots of nice furniture and finishings in the house - my parents will love it. :)
Cian was so exhausted that night since he had only had 5 hours of sleep for well over 24 hours and he climbed into bed and fell asleep mid-sentence and snored so loudly it was reminiscent of his Uncle Paul. Emily slept in the pull-out on the trundle bed like a big girl. Al's mom said she thinks she has a pack and play so that will come in handy on nights when Em isn't so exhausted and we have to put her down in a cage so she stays put. We were so exhausted I think we were all asleep by 8pm.
Our first morning Em was up by 0430 and Cian by 0530 but as jet lag goes that was pretty decent. I had booked my visa medical for 0815 downtown and figured walking would be the easiest way to get there so I navigated the one hour walk to get there and saw a lot of the city as the walk took me right downtown. At the medical I had my first ever Chest X-ray and I had to get reading material and sign a consent for an HIV test which is something we haven't done in Winnipeg for years (because a opt-in policy as opposed to an opt-out policy increases the stigma surrounding HIV). The medical part was fine except my initial BP was 145/85! When I saw the doctor he rechecked it after chatting for a bit and it was back down so that was good. He was an older doctor and wanted to chat for a while about medicine in Canada and Australia and his new amplified stethoscope. He was very sweet. Hopefully my medical processing doesn't take too long so that I can start working.
This afternoon we walked to the grocery store Keith had gone to and through Newmarket area into the Royal Park to Royal Children's Hospital where I'll be working. Just to get a sense of the neighborhood and how far walking distances are. We saw cockatiels in Royal Park which was particularly exciting since Cian and I had been reading about them.
Now the kids are in bed and Keith and I are enjoying the living room especially since we found out that we have central heat and aren't FREEZING (it was zero degrees when we woke up and we have spent the entire day around 11 degrees inside which has been chilly). Yay heat!
We arrived in Melbourne after 20 hours of flying plus a 5 hour layover in Shanghai. That might be the worst travel plan I have ever made and I, unfortunately, inflicted that poor planning on my family. I say poor planning because the actual flying time from Honolulu to Melbourne is approx. 9.5 hours. However, without really looking at the flights I had booked I had inadvertently signed us up for the circuitous route of Honolulu to Shanghai/Shanghai to Melbourne. Why such a route exists without warnings of "This is a terrible idea - don't book this crazy long flight" I have no idea. Regardless, the flights had been booked and we couldn't change them.
We left the North Shore of Hawaii 4 hours before our scheduled flight and felt that was a lot of time since we had practiced the drive to Honolulu. However, we had never practiced in morning traffic, and we had especially not practiced it with several accidents on the morning commute. This stressed me out and I was already stressed about the travel prospects of the day. We finally got to the Thrifty's rental car place without having hit a gas station on the way but figured it was better to get them to fill it up since we were already running later than expected. We hopped on the shuttle to the airport and it was just us and one American guy who I think was military. He heard what airline we were flying and proceeded to bombarde us with a multitude of horror stories of East China Airlines. It was not what we needed to hear when we a) were stressed about running later than we planned and b) were stressed about the long flight with 2 kids under 5.
We got to the airport having tried for several days to book Emily her own seat on these two flights and failing (when we previously went to the airport no one was there for ticket sales, the travel agent number they gave me didn't work and even my mom tried from Canada and couldn't). We asked about getting her a seat and the flight to Shanghai was not full so that wasn't a problem. They were, in fact, very nice which was contrary to what the shuttle guy had said. They also seemed to have the international problem of not being able to book an infant ticket. We had this problem with Cian several times as well but since we didn't have that problem on the way to Honolulu we thought it had been fixed in the time between international infant voyages. This was not the case. It was about an hour of system issues before we got the infant ticket and they put us through the fast track at security.
Our flight to Shanghai was largely uneventful. The flight was not full so we had lots of space. Cian didn't sleep at all and Emily slept for about an hour (out of 10) and the rest of the time she was very busy. All in all, things went well.
The Shanghai airport is pretty terrible. I've been to a lot of airports in my time. Schipol in Amsterdam is lovely and probably one of the best in the world. This was no Schipol. Come on China, I know that you have a one-child policy but perhaps that one child would want to play in the airport. Even though there was no entertainment for the kids they seemed to be great entertainment for the people of China. The kids, particularly Emily, were very popular with lots of smiles, waves and photographs. I thought my dad and I were popular in China until I brought Tinkerbell with us. Salespeople came out of their stores and people asked me if they could take pictures. She was quite the celebrity.
They changed our gate and we had to do our 5th escalator with the stroller (seriously they don't need elevators in Shanghai airport? what is that about?) This flight was completely packed so no extra seat for Emily despite my offering to pay for one. They took us on a bus to the airplane where Cian waved and welcomed everyone on. This bus was magical because it made Emily fall asleep after a ridiculous amount of time awake. She was so exhausted she was still asleep when I took her out of the stroller and stayed asleep for 5 glorious hours. Cian slept that same amount of time so for 5 hours Keith and I were in heaven. Then she woke up but was exhausted and this time was not enjoyable. I finally rocked her in the back of the plane and got her to sleep. On the way to the back of the plane I saw a few empty seats so I was annoyed that someone had to sit in the row with our family. Mostly I was annoyed for them but also when they vomited continuously on descent I was annoyed for us. Anyway, we survived and made it to Melbourne.
Everytime I go through Passport control/Customs in a new country I expect this crazy interrogation and practice my answers. I think that might be a little of my OCD shining through but it is what it is. There was no such interrogation in Melbourne - they were lovely. Once outside (where we could see our breath at 15 degrees!) the taxi queue was the most organized taxi system I have ever seen in a city. It was impressive. Our taxi driver; however, was not. He did not seem to have any concept of Melbourne or how to use a GPS I basically had to program the GPS and give him instructions to get us to our townhouse.
Now we're here at Cornish Lane. Keith learned that this area of Melbourne used to be a cattle stockyard. You can tell in some of the posts in the parks and the high school looks like where they used to house cattle. Also our house backs on to the "Stock Route" bike path. For those of you that don't know the house is owned by an OBGYN registrar and her partner and she left us a lovely note with all sorts of info and maps and metro cards, etc. Her mom also stopped by in the morning to make sure we were ok and took Keith to the grocery store. She also left us a bunch of food so I was able to feed my famished kiddos right away. Based on her stuff and her library (you can tell a lot about someone by their library) I think we would be fast friends and they have been lovely. The house is also really nice. There is lots of nice furniture and finishings in the house - my parents will love it. :)
Cian was so exhausted that night since he had only had 5 hours of sleep for well over 24 hours and he climbed into bed and fell asleep mid-sentence and snored so loudly it was reminiscent of his Uncle Paul. Emily slept in the pull-out on the trundle bed like a big girl. Al's mom said she thinks she has a pack and play so that will come in handy on nights when Em isn't so exhausted and we have to put her down in a cage so she stays put. We were so exhausted I think we were all asleep by 8pm.
Our first morning Em was up by 0430 and Cian by 0530 but as jet lag goes that was pretty decent. I had booked my visa medical for 0815 downtown and figured walking would be the easiest way to get there so I navigated the one hour walk to get there and saw a lot of the city as the walk took me right downtown. At the medical I had my first ever Chest X-ray and I had to get reading material and sign a consent for an HIV test which is something we haven't done in Winnipeg for years (because a opt-in policy as opposed to an opt-out policy increases the stigma surrounding HIV). The medical part was fine except my initial BP was 145/85! When I saw the doctor he rechecked it after chatting for a bit and it was back down so that was good. He was an older doctor and wanted to chat for a while about medicine in Canada and Australia and his new amplified stethoscope. He was very sweet. Hopefully my medical processing doesn't take too long so that I can start working.
This afternoon we walked to the grocery store Keith had gone to and through Newmarket area into the Royal Park to Royal Children's Hospital where I'll be working. Just to get a sense of the neighborhood and how far walking distances are. We saw cockatiels in Royal Park which was particularly exciting since Cian and I had been reading about them.
Now the kids are in bed and Keith and I are enjoying the living room especially since we found out that we have central heat and aren't FREEZING (it was zero degrees when we woke up and we have spent the entire day around 11 degrees inside which has been chilly). Yay heat!
Sunday, 8 September 2013
The First Day
We woke our children up at 3:30 am and Cian wanted to crawl back into bed. Once the kids figured out we were going though they were wide awake. We got to the airport at 4:30am and had the loveliest ticket agent at Alaskan Airlines. She went above and beyond and I was very nervous and had 1 hour of sleep so this was a very good start. She got us seats together and managed to find a seat for Emily and so we could carry the car seat on the plane for her. Carrying the car seat is annoying and cumbersome but it is beyond worth it on the plane I can't even describe to you. Also, the Joovy caboose was a great purchase. Even though the manouverability isn't totally fantastic, both kids love being in it and therefore trips through the airport are a lot smoother. The first 2 hour flight to Seattle was heaven. The kids were good - they even slept for a bit. Other kids were crying which gave me both empathy for the other parents and tremendous relief it wasn't my kid.
The flight to Hawaii was awful. Keith had slept a bit on the first plane and the night before so he was better equipped to deal with a non-car seated Emily (the flight was totally full). She could not sit still and was hyper and crazy cause at this point she had been awake for several hours. She didn't really cry but wouldn't take a bottle or sleep. Major kudos need to go to Cian because he was amazing the entire flight. He did not make any noise and was, in general, completely awesome. He played with his toys and the iPad and was delightful. The cast of characters around us on this flight however was another difficulty. The people behind us were lovely but the woman sitting in front of Cian was a mean, old woman who I believe is the natural nemesis of children. She really had nothing to say about my kids since the little one wasn't screaming and just making our lives hell and Cian was awesome but her dislike of children in general was palpable; however, Keith felt nothing. We also had this little Fijian boy who sat across from us with an older female relative of some kind. The kids had played with him in the airport and then he was across from us on the plane. First of all, we're pretty sure that child was over 2 and not in a seat. She had told me he was 2 in the airport and then told the flight attendant he was over 2 and then changed her story that his 2nd birthday was a few weeks away. Secondly, I don't believe she brought ANYTHING for him on a 5.5 hour flight. They don't provide anything other than peanuts on that flight and I didn't see him with a snack, drink or toy the whole time. My children however had toys packed and he was forever coming to our row to try to take toys from my kids. My kids love to share so they of course would give him the toys. He then didn't want to give the toys back and the adult with him was asleep most of the flight and just yelled at him when she was awake. He also liked to sit in our row when one of us was up. It was not enjoyable and heartbreaking for that little kiddo.
We landed in Honolulu and took a shuttle to the car rental place. In total I think it took us 2 hours to get the rental car but we actually have a happy rental car story. When I finally got to the front of the line the guy helping me was super lovely. We had rented a mid-sized car and he actually gave us a Crown Vic which seemed better cause we have a lot of stuff. When I went to pick up the car from the garage Keith didn't have Cian and he had told us he had to go to the bathroom a few times so I guess he really had to go and the Thrifty's manager had taken him cause Keith was with our stuff and Emily and I was renting the car. I guess Cian had endeared himself to the Thrifty's manager because he helped me move out the Crown Vic to help us load up our stuff. Well, our well laid out system that we had organized in a mid-sized trunk at home did not work in the deep pit that is a Crown Vic trunk. This was apparent to the manager before we really loaded anything so he decided to upgrade us to a minivan for the same price. This now has endeared him to me for life. He was very concerned about us being comfortable. So he brought out this new Dodge Caravan that easily fits both the kids, all our stuff with plenty of room and the kids LOVED it. He also let me use his phone and gave me directions and was, in general, a lovely guy.
We drove up to the North Shore which is a gorgeous drive. The kids of course fell asleep immediately in the car (what's wrong with sleeping in a plane!) and Keith and I enjoyed the scenic drive. The condo is lovely - just what we need with lots of space. We got some groceries and got the #1 Fish Tacos on the North Shore which were outstanding. Emily and I also shared a Lilikoi smoothie which was very tasty. The kids were exhausted by 7pm and so were we but despite the flight it was a really lovely day.
The flight to Hawaii was awful. Keith had slept a bit on the first plane and the night before so he was better equipped to deal with a non-car seated Emily (the flight was totally full). She could not sit still and was hyper and crazy cause at this point she had been awake for several hours. She didn't really cry but wouldn't take a bottle or sleep. Major kudos need to go to Cian because he was amazing the entire flight. He did not make any noise and was, in general, completely awesome. He played with his toys and the iPad and was delightful. The cast of characters around us on this flight however was another difficulty. The people behind us were lovely but the woman sitting in front of Cian was a mean, old woman who I believe is the natural nemesis of children. She really had nothing to say about my kids since the little one wasn't screaming and just making our lives hell and Cian was awesome but her dislike of children in general was palpable; however, Keith felt nothing. We also had this little Fijian boy who sat across from us with an older female relative of some kind. The kids had played with him in the airport and then he was across from us on the plane. First of all, we're pretty sure that child was over 2 and not in a seat. She had told me he was 2 in the airport and then told the flight attendant he was over 2 and then changed her story that his 2nd birthday was a few weeks away. Secondly, I don't believe she brought ANYTHING for him on a 5.5 hour flight. They don't provide anything other than peanuts on that flight and I didn't see him with a snack, drink or toy the whole time. My children however had toys packed and he was forever coming to our row to try to take toys from my kids. My kids love to share so they of course would give him the toys. He then didn't want to give the toys back and the adult with him was asleep most of the flight and just yelled at him when she was awake. He also liked to sit in our row when one of us was up. It was not enjoyable and heartbreaking for that little kiddo.
We landed in Honolulu and took a shuttle to the car rental place. In total I think it took us 2 hours to get the rental car but we actually have a happy rental car story. When I finally got to the front of the line the guy helping me was super lovely. We had rented a mid-sized car and he actually gave us a Crown Vic which seemed better cause we have a lot of stuff. When I went to pick up the car from the garage Keith didn't have Cian and he had told us he had to go to the bathroom a few times so I guess he really had to go and the Thrifty's manager had taken him cause Keith was with our stuff and Emily and I was renting the car. I guess Cian had endeared himself to the Thrifty's manager because he helped me move out the Crown Vic to help us load up our stuff. Well, our well laid out system that we had organized in a mid-sized trunk at home did not work in the deep pit that is a Crown Vic trunk. This was apparent to the manager before we really loaded anything so he decided to upgrade us to a minivan for the same price. This now has endeared him to me for life. He was very concerned about us being comfortable. So he brought out this new Dodge Caravan that easily fits both the kids, all our stuff with plenty of room and the kids LOVED it. He also let me use his phone and gave me directions and was, in general, a lovely guy.
We drove up to the North Shore which is a gorgeous drive. The kids of course fell asleep immediately in the car (what's wrong with sleeping in a plane!) and Keith and I enjoyed the scenic drive. The condo is lovely - just what we need with lots of space. We got some groceries and got the #1 Fish Tacos on the North Shore which were outstanding. Emily and I also shared a Lilikoi smoothie which was very tasty. The kids were exhausted by 7pm and so were we but despite the flight it was a really lovely day.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Nervous
It's about 3 hours before I have to get up to go to the airport and I am not tired because I am nervous. I have traveled a lot in my life so far but this trip is anxiety-provoking. People keep reminding me that I have lived in Africa so living in Melbourne should not be that difficult but somehow this far of a journey is daunting. Also, we've never done this big a trip as a family of 4 and since we are moving for a year it's hard to scale down the stuff. I feel like we have made a valiant effort on this front but still, it's a lot of stuff.
A lot of people ask me about traveling with kids. I'm no expert by any means but I have traveled a lot with Cian and I suspect we we will travel a lot with Emily as well. The biggest difference I have noticed between traveling when it was just Keith and I and traveling with the kids is...nervousness. I think that's where a lot of my nerves stem from at this point. You want them to be safe and happy and not too crazy on the plane and to enjoy their destination. You don't want the hassles of customs and extra paperwork but especially you don't want any of the constant catastrophes that run through your head as "what if" scenarios to actually happen. My mom reminds me that I'm her kid and therefore she worries about me as much as I worry about my kids (I believe you Mom). It's truly hard to remember that traveling used to have a carefree ambience sans children.
Anyway, I hope this post made sense as I'm in a bit of a packing haze. I'm sure I'll update from the gorgeous beaches of Hawaii. A scene that got me through many an afternoon studying for the Royal College exams (at least I no longer have to be nervous about those!)
A lot of people ask me about traveling with kids. I'm no expert by any means but I have traveled a lot with Cian and I suspect we we will travel a lot with Emily as well. The biggest difference I have noticed between traveling when it was just Keith and I and traveling with the kids is...nervousness. I think that's where a lot of my nerves stem from at this point. You want them to be safe and happy and not too crazy on the plane and to enjoy their destination. You don't want the hassles of customs and extra paperwork but especially you don't want any of the constant catastrophes that run through your head as "what if" scenarios to actually happen. My mom reminds me that I'm her kid and therefore she worries about me as much as I worry about my kids (I believe you Mom). It's truly hard to remember that traveling used to have a carefree ambience sans children.
Anyway, I hope this post made sense as I'm in a bit of a packing haze. I'm sure I'll update from the gorgeous beaches of Hawaii. A scene that got me through many an afternoon studying for the Royal College exams (at least I no longer have to be nervous about those!)
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