These are just some funny tips that we've been receiving from people who have lived in Australia. Enjoy!
A rubber is an eraser.
A cooler is an ESKI.
The weather in Melbourne swings wildly (kind of like Denver). It can be 80 degrees one day and 50 degrees the next.
You will find graham crackers in the "International food" section.Eggs are on the regular store shelves. Not refrigerated.
You will, one day, master the daunting task of navigating the 'shopping trolleys' (carts) that have all 4 wheels swiveling.
Pay attention to the unique sport of surf lifesaving.
The teachers at my kids' school had beer with lunch on Fridays!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Moving On
Well, hello and welcome to the first entry of the Sweany Australia Thoughts & Happenings Blog! I'm hoping this medium will be one of the many fun and easy (and inexpensive!) ways for Andy and I to stay in touch with everybody throughout the next 2 years. This is my first blog experience, so we'll see how it goes.
I feel that I must preface this entry's thoughts with the fact that I spent approximately 2 quiet and contemplative hours this morning finishing the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. For those of you who have read this book, you will understand why this entry will probably one of the most, if not the most, serious entries you might encounter from me. For those of you who haven't read this book, I highly recommend it to all females. It is probably a little girly for most of the guys I know.
A friend of mine said to me last night, in a very drunken state (which for me I usually equate with as close to total honesty as you can hope to get from most adults) that he respected mine and Andy's decision to go ahead with this move to Australia, but that he also wanted me to know that he was, "...moving on." This phrase was stated multiple times actually, and multiple references to how he and his life would be, "...moving on while we were gone" were offered for my thorough understanding. I was quite at a loss for words and finally responded, "I got it. Really, I got it."
Initially I was saddened and hurt by these words, but as I considered them further later on in the evening and today, I found myself thinking, Why do I find the idea of his moving on to be saddening or hurtful? Aren't we all, ideally, moving on all of the time, no matter what we're doing? Isn't moving on something that we should constantly be striving for in our lives?? And what can we really do to stop it? Absolutely nothing- the world and universe move on constantly- I just happen to be positioning my body in Australia for the next 2 years. My heart, my thoughts, my feelings will be with me, obviously, but they will also be scattered around the globe, with everyone I care and think about, as they are right now.
Am I struggling with our decision to move? Yes- particularly as the departure date (August 23)continues to approach. Yes- particularly when I wonder, "Is there something wrong with me that I can voluntarily move myself so far away from everyone I love?" Yes- particularly when I worry about the health and wellbeing of all of my family and friends during the time that we will be away. Yes,yes, yes...
And no. No- because I'm going with Andy, and we made this decision together, and we're going together, and it is a wonderful opportunity, and we love to travel, and we love to see and experience new things and meet new people. No- because I can't wait to live there and feel what it is like. No- because it will provide an opportunity for many people who might not otherwise have traveled to Australia the opportunity to come see us and this amazing part of our world. No, no, no...
So, here's to moving on.
Cheers!
Christy
I feel that I must preface this entry's thoughts with the fact that I spent approximately 2 quiet and contemplative hours this morning finishing the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. For those of you who have read this book, you will understand why this entry will probably one of the most, if not the most, serious entries you might encounter from me. For those of you who haven't read this book, I highly recommend it to all females. It is probably a little girly for most of the guys I know.
A friend of mine said to me last night, in a very drunken state (which for me I usually equate with as close to total honesty as you can hope to get from most adults) that he respected mine and Andy's decision to go ahead with this move to Australia, but that he also wanted me to know that he was, "...moving on." This phrase was stated multiple times actually, and multiple references to how he and his life would be, "...moving on while we were gone" were offered for my thorough understanding. I was quite at a loss for words and finally responded, "I got it. Really, I got it."
Initially I was saddened and hurt by these words, but as I considered them further later on in the evening and today, I found myself thinking, Why do I find the idea of his moving on to be saddening or hurtful? Aren't we all, ideally, moving on all of the time, no matter what we're doing? Isn't moving on something that we should constantly be striving for in our lives?? And what can we really do to stop it? Absolutely nothing- the world and universe move on constantly- I just happen to be positioning my body in Australia for the next 2 years. My heart, my thoughts, my feelings will be with me, obviously, but they will also be scattered around the globe, with everyone I care and think about, as they are right now.
Am I struggling with our decision to move? Yes- particularly as the departure date (August 23)continues to approach. Yes- particularly when I wonder, "Is there something wrong with me that I can voluntarily move myself so far away from everyone I love?" Yes- particularly when I worry about the health and wellbeing of all of my family and friends during the time that we will be away. Yes,yes, yes...
And no. No- because I'm going with Andy, and we made this decision together, and we're going together, and it is a wonderful opportunity, and we love to travel, and we love to see and experience new things and meet new people. No- because I can't wait to live there and feel what it is like. No- because it will provide an opportunity for many people who might not otherwise have traveled to Australia the opportunity to come see us and this amazing part of our world. No, no, no...
So, here's to moving on.
Cheers!
Christy
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