The End...?

We are officially back in the USA. Our Australian Experiment has ended, for now. Does that mean this blog is completely done? No. Does it mean I won't post very often? Yes. For now it will remain on hiatus, unless I find something relevant to our dual citizen-ness to post. Was the experiment a success? I conclude there were positive results. We came back with more passports than we left with. 

We are adjusting to being back; we have been back for three days. The weather is crap compared to Sydney, but the air is currently much cleaner and not full of smoke. We are making progress on our jetlag, but we're not there yet. So far, we have spent time with family and seen some friends. It's been nice. It seems like some things have changed, like traffic patterns at familiar intersections, or a few people have had kids or bought homes, and now when we drive by the Capitol building, we think, "That's where the impeachment hearing is happening. Right now". The core stuff is mostly the same, though. 

The same technology that helped us keep in touch with our USA people is now what helps us keep in touch with our Australia people. A work colleague of Michael's predicted we will move back to Australia in 5-7 years. I suppose time will tell.

To be continued... ?

Live, Learn, and Pass Stuff On

Through selling some of our furniture online, we met this woman who finds cheap or free furniture and items online and then gives them to various charities, like women's shelters, animal shelters, etc. in the area. She was happy to take a lot of our random stuff - cat carriers, household and kitchen items, and even our crib. She's very sweet, but also loves to talk-talk-talk, and if you have time to listen, she would probably tell you her life story. I think we've heard half of it in our three encounters with her. 

She has already told us that some of our items have gone to good use for people who really need them. One of our cat carriers went to a man who has one leg, another went to be used for these two rescued kittens at a vet's office. Our crib will go to a charity that has a small storage space where they keep such items to be used by people who are being relocated to/from temporary housing from shelters. Our grocery cart is going to a woman who is starting over after being in a women's shelter for several months. A lot of the stuff we got second-hand is now being passed on to other families - we had our turn in the cycle and now it's somebody else's. We have already put several items out on the curb that have been taken quickly, to my surprise. I didn't know if anyone would take our old cat-feeder that was half-full of dry cat food and it was gone in an hour. 

Bon Voyage, Cats!

The cats have been picked up by their relocation company, and now all evidence that they lived here has disappeared. I'm not even sure if Penny has noticed their absence since she has been home from daycare.

Speaking of which, her last day is tomorrow. She's actually become quite the little ringleader of the little posse at times there - the three girls and a slightly younger boy. Her teacher told me today, she started "flying" around the room and all the other kids had to do it too. We are really going to miss her very homey daycare setting, and I can only hope that she will feel like she belongs just as much in the new one. 

I'm still having issues with the online forms for our shipping crate, so hopefully that will get sorted out soon. Moving overseas is full of boring paperwork and communications tasks.

We only have two sleeps left before we leave on a jetplane. 

Transitioning from AUS to USA.

It's a strange time to live in our apartment. Every day, furniture disappears. Today, Penny went to where our food cabinet used to be, asking for a cookie, and she was so confused that the whole cabinet was gone - frantically looking for a handle on the side of the kitchen counter. Our fridge is gone. So is the washer. It's really bare bones here now. And yet, still having a couch, TV, and bed, it just feels like there's probably the right amount of furniture here now (minus the appliaances), and we were probably just way beyond full before. I'm not cooking anymore, since we can't save anything. It's mostly take-out city and peanut butter sandwiches. 

We had a fun going away party on Saturday, and there were a lot of little kids running around. I think we did The Good Weekend Quiz with a record number of participants. It was really fabulous all around, and surprisingly, I did not shed any tears. 

We have said most of our goodbyes at this point, and we are just doing the final things like canceling utilities, donating the last furniture, and packing our final bags. The cats get picked up tomorrow to start their journey before us. They will stop for a day in Doha, to time their arrival to be a day after ours. 

I played my last ultimate frisbee here yesterday, and Mike will likely play his on Tuesday. It has been a big part of our lives and how we were able to make so many wonderful friends, and even find places to live. 

I'm trying to process the transition. One big part of our lives is ending and another is beginning. I'm excited to go back to the familiar, friends, and family, but at the same time it's a new phase for our family, which is kind of contradictory. Overall, I'm very grateful we have had the opportunity to live here and become citizens. 

Bluey

If you have young kids, you should watch Bluey with them! I think Mike and I enjoy the episodes even more than Penny. They're so simple and short, but always have such a positive takeaway message. 

Tying Up Loose Ends

The shipping cube has come and gone, and now we are left with the dregs of our belongings in the apartment, along with the last appliances and pieces of furniture we are going to sell. I have taught my last day, and have one more day to babysit for our friend (plans changed, since it was going to be last week). We have a going away shindig on Saturday, and I have a local frisbee tournament on Sunday. And then, we just have the last few days to do boring things like cancel utilities and handle that kind of thing. Penny will still be in daycare a few days next week while we are tying up all the loose ends. 

It feels like the right time to go, even though we have having to say a ton of goodbyes. We are looking forward to a family Thanksgiving when we get back!

Our Final Sculpture by the Sea (as locals)

We went to Sculpture by the Sea on Saturday afternoon/evening. The weather was perfect temperature-wise, but windy. It was still crowded, but public transport was more manageable than it can be earlier in day. Penny had fun riding in the hiking backpack, wandering around some of the sculptures in the grassy area, and then swinging at the playground. It was probably our least favorite in that we weren't really blown away by any of the art this time, but it was still a nice outing. 

Halloween and Getting Ready to Move

Halloween came and went. Penny actually got to go trick-or-treating-lite. Mike put our adult-sized zebra costume on her and took her around the block to the four houses who were giving out candy. Kids also wore costumes to her music and movement class, and they danced to some Halloween songs. It's not a big thing here in Australia, so in a way it was a good small taste of the holiday for a little one. 

It's a gorgeous, sunny spring weekend here in Sydney. We had our usual weekend breakfast sandwiches and coffee/chai from the local cafe. 

Then we had to all leave, including the cats, so a realtor could host literally a 15-minute open house for potential renters after we leave. I have also been posting some of our furniture for sale on Gumtree and Facebook marketplace. Come take our used things away... please...

Pencil to Paper

I was teaching 6th grade today, and we watched one of those current events news programs for kids. One of the stories was about how there is this one man who is trying to bring back the art of letter writing by going into schools and doing workshops with the kids. It seemed kind of sad to me, in that letter writing was a life skill that was taught to us in school. Even if people write emails more than hand-written letters, it's a skill to be able to write a half-decent message that gets your point across, or entertains, or persuades, or whatever. Kids these days learn about persuasive writing, but it's more like a monologue or a speech. I asked the kids in the class if any of them ever write for fun - whether their thoughts, stories, whatever. Literally, one girl raised her hand. I  asked if anyone ever wrote a letter (or email) to someone they know for fun, and one other girl raised her hand. 

As someone that enjoys writing for fun, and someone that has had to do it a lot in college and for communicating in different jobs, I wonder what the future of writing will look like for these kids when they enter the workforce. Maybe they're right to an extent, in that the skills people will need are changing. But, the art of writing is certainly still important, even if it is mostly for online communication and publication. If anything, it's more important when you have to carefully choose your words for short bursts of information (which I'm guessing lots of people don't put as much careful consideration into before they click post or send). Also, people still send cards for birthday and to thank people, etc... right? Am I the only one? 

Anyway, I hope that this classroom is not indicative of most classrooms out there, although I fear it could be. Lots of kids don't ever just sit with a pencil and paper for much time anymore. All I know is, Penny is (so far) one of the few that do. I hope that doesn't change. 

Making the Most of our Last Weekends Here

It was a busy weekend! 

Saturday, we went to a going-away party for an American friend at Petersham Park. This friend has been living in Australia for 12 years, and it's funny to say bye when we will be in the same country soon. He will be living on the West Coast, so we won't see him all that often, but there's a good chance we will meet up with him somewhere, sometime, in the states. We will always have a certain kinship with him, since he is a dual American-Aussie citizen, just like us. It was a super windy day, but it was a nice kid-friendly atmosphere, so Penny had lots of little familiar playmates running around too. 

We spent a lot of time outdoors on Sunday as well. In the morning, I went to see my "mums group" for the last time at Sydney Park. It was nice to see most of them one last time, and to see how all the kids are developing into their little toddler personalities. Even though they are all the same age, the are so different. 

After that, We took the ferry to Manly and met up with some friends. We managed to trade-off on a SUPboard and play a little bit of SUPball. Penny had fun splashing in the water (it's a harbourside beach, so there aren't really waves) and also enjoyed a very short ride on the SUPboard. We then enjoyed sitting on the grass with some friends afterward, having some snacks and drinks, and I got to sneak away and eat my favorite meal from 4 Pines brewery one last time. Penny was able to toddle around and play, and make some friends too.

We are in the midst of planning our pets' travel back to the states. Apparently, they are going to leave a day before us, they have a 24-hour stopover in Doha (of all places?), and then they arrive a day after us in the US. During the stopover, they get to go into a boarding facility where they have more room to roam outside of their travel crates. They will have travelled to the middle east before anyone else in our little family has.

Every day I get rid of more stuff or arrange for someone else to take furniture or kitchen items off our hands. The move is slowly, but surely, coming together.

Moving Prep Update

I'm happy to say that we secured a spot for Penelope at a small daycare center for when we move back to the US. This was my main concern, since it's hard to find a spot without being able to physically tour places in person, and with most places having waitlists. Luckily, my in-laws were able to help us check out a place. It's hard to know if it is somewhere we will stay longterm, but at least we have something for when I start work, and we can see how it goes. 

So, of the main big things I needed to organize - Penny's daycare, my work situation, and finding us somewhere to live longterm - I'm 2/3. The finding somewhere to live longterm thing is going to take some time, and we have to be a little more settled back home before we can take the steps towards finding a home to buy. So, I'm pretty happy with where we are at the moment. The next main thing to do is slowly get rid of our stuff here. 

I played frisbee for the first time in a few months last night - the first time since battling shingles. It was a tiring game, especially because we had no female subs, but it felt good to be back on the field. I know Mike and I will both miss our leagues here when we move back. We aren't sure how much we will continue playing back in the DC area. It will depend on how many of our friends are still playing, and how hard it is to work it into our different work schedules and locations, and Penny's schedule.  

Penny is starting to say a lot of command phrases, like "sit down", "lie down", "hold it", "got it", "eat it", etc. It's interesting to see how her language development evolves. She continues to enjoy her daycare here, music/movement classes at the local community center, and playing in all our small local playgrounds. She is blissfully unaware of all the changes that are about to take place in a month, even though I talk to her about them occasionally. She is currently crazy about The Wiggles, eating mini pancakes, helping put laundry in the basket,  and giving any visitors cups of tea from her tea set. 

The Ghosts of Octobers Past, Present, and Future

This October has been relatively boring, when I look at our recent posts, partly because I was sick for several weeks, and partly because we have a toddler and little getaways are trickier than they used to be.

Looking back at old October blog posts from a few years ago...

2014 - Driving the Great Ocean Road, Skydiving over Wollongong, Mixed Nationals Tournament in Townsville and Magnetic Island

2015 - Sculpture by the Sea, Mixed Nationals Tournament in Adelaide

2016 - Mixed Nationals Tournament near Sydney, Cousin Lizzy's visit, Byron Bay, PAX Aus

We have had some busy Octobers. As our time winds down here, it's kind of anti-climactic. There's nothing wrong with that; I think maybe it's indicative of the fact that in our first few years here, we didn't know how long we would be here. So we took every chance to go to new places and explore Australia. Now, after six years of being here, we have been to every state and territory and met all of our live abroad and travel experience goals, and then some. We have made many new friends, and some of the closest ones have already moved out of the area. I wish there was some way we could have one big reunion before we go, with a lot of the ones that have left, but we will have to find some other way to make that happen. We are hoping to have a nice little send-off with the friends who are still here.

The one thing that is driving me crazy about moving back is trying to set up childcare for Penelope when I return to work full-time. There are still a lot of possibilities, but no one definite thing that is happening. We are fairly sure that even if we don't have something worked out immediately, we will be able to scrape together enough help for the first month or so. That's not good enough for me, but I continue to search and follow up about waitlists. Obviously, people move all the time and are able to make it work, so surely we should be able to. It's just a busy and competitive area, so almost anywhere that is worth it has a waitlist, and those could mean you have a spot tomorrow or never. I'm suspicious of anywhere that doesn't have a waitlist, but when you need a spot you need a spot I have a high standard for early childhood education, being an educator, and I would hate to have to send our child to a place that isn't great, just because we have few options. Hopefully, everything will resolve in the near future. 

I've been listening to some "This American Life" podcasts, to remind myself fondly of some of the "American-ness" we will be returning to. Even though we are kind of in this limbo state where we are preparing for this big move, and I can't process much beyond the move until it has happened, I'm looking forward to what will be next after it. We will be able to spend a lot more time with family without having to travel so far to see them. We can actually use our vacation days for vacations. We will be able to reconnect with old friends. Penelope will have a lot of playmates through our family and friends, and I think the little social butterfly will enjoy getting to know everyone.  I will have a more consistent job than I had in all of my six years here. While I pretty consistently had work here, the work was very different from day to day and I traveled all over the Sydney area. The variety was great, and I learned a lot, and now I can appreciate the idea of working at the same place every day. Like, the simple idea that I can leave an umbrella and other personal items there to use whenever I need them at my work, rather than being a bag woman and carrying everything I might need with me at all times, sounds pretty nice. 

I've been told that when you move abroad, and then move back, you go through all the same culture shock and adjusting all over again, even though it's back to a familiar place and culture. We have that to look forward to.

Shingles Update Update and Melbourne

Man, shingles takes forever to really go away. Even the worst of it has been over for a little while and I'm no longer contagious, there is still lingering pain and tingling in the nerves in my scalp and around my right eye. Sometimes, the odd sensations makes it hard to sleep. Literally, it can feel like a little worm is crawling around under my skin, and I want to scratch but get no relief even if I do. Sometimes it feels kind of numb. I'm also slowly weaning off of steroid eyedrops to make sure that my eye fully heals and has no lasting damage. The irony is, if you're on steroid eyedrops too long, those can damage your eye too. 

School is back in session, but I only taught one day this week. It was good to be back even though I got a lot of funny looks and questions from kids. It doesn't look like I was sick; it looks more like I got into an accident or a fight. 

We went to PAX AUS in Melbourne this past weekend. It was less fun for me this year, still dealing with shingles issues, and Penny having a not-quite-ear-infection (clogged ear/sinus, but not infected). I'm glad I went because we got to see a friend who had moved away, and spend short quality time with the cousins, but it was all pretty exhausting. Mike got to have a little more fun than I did, which is fair since it was also his birthday weekend. The only fun I really stole from him was his actual birthday dinner. We were all supposed to go out for lobster ramen to celebrate, but Penny was not feeling well, so he stayed back so I could go with our friend to get the amazing lobster ramen. I felt a little guilty, but he cares less about food, and got to game all day and then again after the dinner when I came back, so I don't feel that bad. Sometimes, parents have to share the load somehow, even on a birthday weekend. We kind of owe him a special dinner with all of us. 

We were all supposed to go away again this coming weekend for the Div II Nationals tournament in Nelson Bay, but after this last weekend I decided I couldn't do it - juggling Penny, shingles pain, and going away the second weekend in a row. So Mike will still go to play with his team, but I will hang back and just have a quieter weekend with Penny. 

This is not how I wanted to spend my last months and weeks here. I hope that all the symptoms go away soon. The best I can do is just relax whenever I get the chance, and less stress should theoretically help.

A couple of our regular shows are back after what seems like forever. None of them seem as captivating as they were a few seasons ago, though. I'll still watch, but we are kind of looking for that next big exciting drama/hilarious, relatable comedy. 

I can hear Penny and Mike outside, which means I have a few seconds to warm up dinner. 

Shingles Update

I'm finally starting to feel better even though I still look like Quasimodo. The symptoms have peaked and are now slowly subsiding. Even though this is not how I wanted to spend my school holidays, I'm grateful that I didn't need to miss any teaching days, and that we have been able to send PJ to daycare for a few extra days so I can recuperate. 

I don't wish shingles on my worst enemy. I think what made my case particularly bad was that before I had been diagnosed, I thought it was a normal rash, and applied steroid cream. It probably would have been a bad case anyway, but the steroids definitely inflamed everything more and increased the swelling. So, lesson learned, I'm never putting steroid cream on my face again, and only going to use it sparingly in the future. 

Shingles is the Worst

I have suddenly found myself dealing with a very bad case of shingles that affecting an area of my scalp that's about as wide as my hand, and swelling my right eye enough that I can barely open it a tiny slit. It's uncomfortable, to say the least. The whole thing can be quite painful at times. 

I'm very grateful that my two visits to the emergency room have cost less than the uber and cab rides to and from the hospital. One "good" thing about this particular health problem is that they quarantine you, so you get ushered back to your own room at the hospital pretty quickly. I've just had to pay for several prescriptions. I'm on quite a cocktail of antiviral meds, antibiotics to prevent infection, and some painkillers. I'd trade the painkillers for some better anti-inflammatory treatment, but they won't give me anything for the inflammation until I can see the opthamologist to make sure that if I get a steroid it won't actually make it worse. I don't like the idea of pumping my body with so many kinds of medicine, but when you're dealing with a highly contageous disease that could have very disastrous effects on the longterm health of your eyes, you take all the meds. 

The first time I went to the hospital, I had to bring PJ with me in the middle of the night because Michael was out of town for work. She was better behaved than one would expect, and enjoyed the novelty of it for the most part. She knows that I have a "boo boo" or a "hurt" on my eye, which she points out when I'm holding an ice pack on it, and she seems otherwise undisturbed by my monstrous appearance. Luckily, her daycare provider has been happy to accommodate if we want to send her for extra days. 

I can't help but think of how my experience with this disease would be different in the US. I would have had to pay a lot more for the medical care. However, we would have had more family help with Penelope. Thankfully, at least, Mike is back from his work trip.

At this point, I'm concerned that it could last several weeks or even longer. It will definitely makes it hard just live my normal life and work, see friends before we move overseas, and makes it harder to prepare for the move. Please send healthy thoughts my way!

Revisiting the Hunter Valley

Mike's work hosted a "Spring Getaway" to the Hunter Valley this weekend. They paid hotel rooms for all employees and their families (or a plus one), hosted a wine tasting event, and few nice meals. All the families scored villas, I think because then they wouldn't bother anyone with their noisy kids. We ended up with a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. It was excessive for one night a family of three, but we enjoyed it all the same. We also checked out the Hunter Valley Zoo, which is pretty small compared to other zoos we've been too, but it was just right for Penny's first zoo experience. We didn't have her stroller, so she walked around the whole place, and only needed to be carried a few times. It was a fun weekend despite being at a very "touristy" place, but it was just the right amount of time away.

Revisiting the Powerhouse Museum

We had nothing planned this weekend, so yesterday we walked over to the Powerhouse Museum after Penny's nap. They currently have a Wiggles exhibit, which was very hands-on and good for kids Penny's age. They also had some other fun hands-on experiments. Penny's favorite was an area where there was a crank contraption that kids could turn to lift balls up to the top of this board. On the board were PVC pipes and other things that the kids could move, attached to the wall with magnets, to arrange a track for the balls to then go down to the bottom, where they could enter or be placed back into the crank. 

It was a fun last-minute field trip, and it wasn't too crowded for a Saturday afternoon. Also, kids under 16 get in a free, so you can't beat that. 

Be SMART

The Sandy Hook Promise is getting a lot of coverage and shares at the moment because of their shocking commercial. I have no particular comments about the commercial, but I have two main issues with the promise. 

One - I think it's really easy for people to sign the promise and feel like they are doing something without actually doing anything. 

Two - I'm all for communities trying to be proactive to prevent violence, but I don't like any programs or ideas that could turn into victim-blaming. 

I don't know first-hand about the program they are promoting, but it sounds like it is about promoting awareness about signs to watch for. I am skeptical of a program that places the responsibility of violence on the people that the violence is committed against, and not the perpetrator. Yes, people should be aware of warning signs. In several cases though, people have been aware that a person was violent, and even tried to act. Because of the laws in place or other factors, a dangerous person was still able to gain access to weapons. Also, often the people that are victims didn't know the violent person, and they are literally innocent bystanders that couldn't have noticed previous signs. 

I think the promise walks the middle of the road so that it can get support from both sides, politically, but that's also why I don't imagine any concrete change will come from it. I'm sure people mean well if they are signing up for the promise, but that's not really the issue.


I prefer the Be SMART campaign. It actually makes people aware of a real thing they can do that could prevent gun violence or accidents - having conversations with others about gun safety. So, I would promote that over making any promise. Actions always speak louder than words. 

Games, Billabong #2, and a Ridiculous Charge

Over the weekend, we had a fun game day with friends and too many snacks. 

Sunday, I went away for a 24 hour retreat at Billabong Retreat, my second time there (about an hour and a half from where we live on on the train). It was a nice, relaxing time by the pond, swimming in the magnesium hydrotherapy pool, doing yoga, drinking tea on a comfy couch by the woodburning stove, and with someone else cooking me gourmet vegan meals. I actually used a hot water bottle that was wearing a sweater. It was awesome. 

Now I'm back and it's a normal work week. We are slowly checking items off the list to get ready for our international move. Mike got a text recently telling us about a $33000 charge on our credit card. Our eyes popped out of our heads, but then we found out it was an error on the part of the bank because they forgot to include the decimal point, and the amount was what it was supposed to be - $330. That was a nice heart attack to start off the week. 

It looks like it's going to be a pretty cold and rainy for the next few days, so we are just hunkering down and doing what we have to do. Being public transport commuters is not fun in this weather, but I just wear my rubber boots and hope for the best. 

Shipping. What a Racket.

I am in the process of planning our shipment of some items back to the US for our move. Apparently, they can be completely deceptive in their quotes and quote you one price with an asterisk on the end, and the asterisk says that there will be additional fees at the destination. Then you find out that the destination fees are nearly as much as the quote itself. And this was the company that was recommended to us by someone who used them.

Anyway, it's expensive, and I'm disappointed with their service before it has even begun. 

Luckily, Mike's work is covering some of our moving costs, but still. I'm annoyed on the principle of it. 

Nerdy Boardgame Post Alert

Mike and I have been playing the new Scythe expansion The Rise of Fenris, and so far it's really good. It's interesting because you're meant to play it as a campaign the first several times, and basically each different time you get to try one of the different expansions. Then later they can be played independently, however you want. There is also an interesting backstory, which is more complex than your average boardgame backstory. It has to do with an alternate history timeline involving Nikola Tesla around WWI. I might be biased since I never won Scythe until we started playing this way, and I have won one of the individual games now. Good times.

New Teeth

I am in the midst of getting some dental work done in the last week, and it will thankfully be done next week. Penny's and my teeth must be in cahoots because the amount she's got is currently increasing 66.6%. She is getting her next two bottom teeth on either side of her front two, and she is starting to get her first bottom molars. She's been a little feverish and pitifully whingy lately because of it, in the cutest way of course. 

Fathers' Day Bagels

For Fathers' Day, we went to Smoking Gun Bagels with some friends. Everything was as delicious as the last time we were there, more or less a year ago. Penny was a lot bigger this time, so she could sit on her own little stool without help. We got her a bagel with salmon and cream cheese, and she ate all the salmon and left everything else. It was fine with me, since I got to eat what was left. Mike's gift was a pair of shorts that Penny picked out (with my help), and a mug she painted (with my help). It was a nice Fathers' Day, but it's weird when all the other fathers we would wish "Happy Fathers' Day" aren't also celebrating on the same day. Similarly, it's weird to Facetime and wish them "Happy Fathers' Day" at a time of year that it's not happening here.  

A Dream About Lightning Bugs

I'm enjoying Ben Folds' autobiography, A Dream About Lightning Bugs. It's enjoyable in a low-key way, if that makes sense. As a fan of his music, it's nice to hear the background stories about some of his songs, some of which I vaguely knew and some I didn't. At least so far, there isn't anything that surprising - his stories are pretty ordinary, but humorous. He's good at picking the details he uses to describe life events. And, like a lot of other things that I have enjoyed lately, it's a nice reminder of what life in the 1980's and 1990's was like. 

Falling Inn Love

Every once in a while, we watch some ridiculously corny Netflix-produced rom-com. Most recently, it was Falling Inn Love. Mike and I made fun of it the whole time because some of the things the characters did made absolutely no sense, and yet, we enjoyed it. It follows the classic formula and we like New Zealand. 

August Ending

We are slowly inching closer and closer to setting our move date; we are held up waiting to hear back from Michael's company, but hopefully everything will progress soon. Even though we are kind of in limbo, we are making tentative plans for when we get home, to attend baby showers and family Thanksgiving, and that kind of thing.

Otherwise, Sydney is lovely this time of year. It's still cool in the evenings, and most days it warms up into the 60's. We will be celebrating Fathers' Day this weekend, because they like to have it on a different day in the Southern Hemisphere, for some reason. 

I was just watching some videos of Penelope from a few months ago, and it's crazy to think that just in March she couldn't walk on her own. Now she can already do "complex" things with far less effort, like run, climb, use stairs,  go down slides independently, and ride her ladybug. Same with language - at the one year mark, she could say a few words. Now her vocabulary is easily over 60 words, and she can mimic a short word (or approximate, anyway) after hearing it once. She can communicate where she hurts if she falls down, and other actual useful information. She enjoys being helpful and putting things in the laundry hamper when asked, and following other simple instructions. Of course, she just as often chooses to not do what we say, and then run and "hide" because she thinks it's hilarious. She's really developing a sense of humor, an understanding of emotions, and even the beginning of empathy (although it's really hard for toddlers to still understand that other people's point of view and feelings are different than their own). 

I will be working at the same school for the rest of the term, which is good. I have known some of the kids and teachers for about four years now. It's nice to finish out my time working here with familiar faces.

Time to go because Michael and Penelope will be home soon. Happy Wednesday!

Glow revisits Tragedy

I just started watching season three of Glow. In the first episode, the characters live through the national tragedy that was the Challenger explosion. It just made me think, how small of a tragedy that seems now, in the general scheme of the tragedies the world has been facing in the last few weeks. I was alive in 1986, but not old enough to have watched or heard what happened, so I have no personal memories about how people reacted at the time. It's not to say that the Challenger wasn't a tragedy - it was a huge tragedy, and at the time, it was a unique occurrence. There is a reason it still gets referenced. 

I had a longer post that contrasted all that with reference some of the more recent tragedies that I just erased because it was a bummer. Thank you, Glow, for reminding me of a different era. In some ways, it was simpler. In some ways, it wasn't - people still had to grapple with tragedy and find a way to move on. And that idea, oddly enough, made me feel better.

Day In and Day Out

For the rest of this school term, I will be working all of my teaching days at the same school, which is always kind of nice. Seeing the same faces and getting into a groove is nice, but there's enough variety that it's never monotonous.

We are still waiting for Michael's work contract to go ahead with more planning for our international move. 

Penelope seems to be enjoying her regular schedule, which hasn't changed since February. Some days she is with me, some days she goes to Sally, her daycare, where she plays with one other boy. We still do swimming once a week, and we go babysit/play with Ed on Fridays. Michael has his night of the week he goes to frisbee, occasionally also goes climbing or works out another night, and I either go to trivia or frisbee on Wednesdays. 

Pen continues to love spending as much time outside as possible at a few different local playgrounds, she loves imaginative play with dolls and stuffed animals, and she loves to color (crayons, markers, watercolor, bath soap crayons, etc.). And, of course, she loves her busy box that Michael made - it's even been updated lately with some good music selections. We've introduced building toys, cars, and some other toys, but she just isn't as into them. She still gets into a lot of stuff and tries to climb a lot, but I think she's been making more reasonable decisions lately and isn't always trying things that are too risky. Usually. She has started asking questions by changing her inflection and putting her hands in the air in a confused gesture. Like, when she's watching Sesame Street, and there's a skit where Ernie hides, Pen holds up her hands and says, "Ernie?? Ernie?!", with increasing concern.  

We have no big plans for the upcoming weekend, but I'm sure we will get up to something.

Return of the Little Plastic Things

Both Coles and Woolworths have promotions for little collectible items right now, so we find ourselves collecting little useless things again. They aren't entirely useless, since we have a kid who can play with them, so at least there's that. There are some people that are trying to boycott these deals, because they want to discourage the unnecessary use of plastic. I agree with these people in principle, despite the fact that I find myself collecting. This is partly because if all the chains near you have some kind of collectibles, you can't boycott, you need to buy food. And, a novel free toy for our collection seems like it's fine, considering that they have already been made at this point. I know, I'm part of the problem. I can't be perfect in every way. 

So, every few days, we acquire new "Lion King" Ooshies or more Little Shop Items. I suppose the key in the future would be for them to revert to trading cards, or other items that are made of different materials (as long as they aren't terrible quality, like the cardboard Christmas items that Woolies gave out).

While it might seem ridiculous that we collect these, as a biproduct of just going to the store to buy the things we need anyway, there are people who are selling and buying them online to complete their collections for big bucks. If we find a rare one, I would have no qualms with making some money off of it.

Anyway, happy collecting, folks!

Throwback Tuesday

Yesterday I taught third grade. There was a girl that looked incredibly familiar, and it took me half the day to figure out why. 

When I first moved here, and I was working at a long daycare/preschool, there were these half-Chinese/half-Caucasian twins that had two dads. When I checked the class roll again, I realized it was the girl twin I hadn't seen in about five years. 

I have been teaching in Australia long enough that the preschoolers I had are now showing up in my primary classrooms. The girl didn't remember me, which didn't surprise me, but it was weird to feel like I knew so much about her that she had no idea I knew. I also texted my friend who also taught her, and she was super happy and excited to hear an update. It's funny, the girl was exactly the, same temperamentally and personality-wise, just with more language and writing ability. She was still kind of quiet, yet social, and she was a copy-cat. Back in preschool it had been copying every activity her brother did. In third grade, she was copying the other kids at her table, writing her own zombie comic book after they had already started making their own. It's funny how some personality traits don't change, and it makes me realize that in five years, Penelope is going to be so much bigger and cognitively developed, and yet, still the same. 

Second Thoughts and Converging Timelines

Michael and I both had a moment this week where we questioned whether we really want to move back to the US. Despite the constant shootings that don't happen in any other developed countries (because all of them passed reasonable gun control laws after they had shootings), the government continues to do nothing to make people safer. Because of this, everyone is on edge. Michael's company's head office had an armed intruder reported, and the office was evacuated. It ended up being a false alarm, but since there have been so many other shootings in the country this year, anything could become a situation at a moment's notice. A car backfired in New York City, and that sent a crowd of people running, panicked, through Times Square. Is that the kind of paranoia that we want to bring our daughter into? Do we want to leave our lovely free healthcare? Do we want to go through all the effort of moving our cats overseas? 

The thing that gets me about all these people that are against gun control laws, is their argument is that they won't work. Well, first, the research in countries and states that have different forms of gun control shows that they do work - they do have fewer deaths caused by guns. Second, if someone is so sure that the laws won't work, they should be open to having them, if only to prove that they don't work. It's like saying, "I'm so confident that I'm right, that I won't allow you to prove me right". 

Moving on...

Are we just focusing on the negatives because we just read too much negative news coverage? Maybe. I can't help the fact that I want to be informed, but I can read and watch less of it while staying in the know.   

The plan is still to move. The whole point to move is to be able to spend more time with family and friends after almost six years of being away, and that hasn't changed. There are also lots of aspects of living in the US that we miss. Nothing will ever change the fact that it's our home, no matter much it seems to have changed since we left. 

But preparing to move back, we can't help but feel less American than we used to, and more Australian. That's probably because we literally are more Australian, but hopefully we aren't any less American. Not that that's actually a thing. Having a different views and culture in our background is the essence of being American, or it used to be anyway. At least we can always move back down under, if we miss the way of life. 

I guess one way to look at it is that the US started unraveling after we left. Maybe when we go back, the universe will right itself. Like, maybe we were never supposed to move to Australia, so us moving caused some dark timeline to start. Now that we go back, the timelines will converge back.

Mini Milestones

Today was the first time at swim lessons where Penelope was actually able to blow bubbles in the water. It might seem like a small thing, but it's a concept that takes little ones a really hard time to get, even if they see an adult do it fifty times. They literally have never had to blow air out of their mouths for a specific purpose, just like they don't know how to spit or blow their nose yet, so it is actually a skill to be mastered. Up until this point, the would just dip her open mouth into the water. She got really excited when she saw that there were bubbles and that she was actually making them, and then it was all she wanted to do for the rest of the class. 

Penny is the only one that hasn't missed a class yet this term, so she has actually been practicing all the skills regularly, and therefore seems to be more comfortable than a lot of the other kids doing the most of the activities. Although, she also is over-confident, so she thinks she can do whatever she wants and not listen some of the time. I wonder where she gets that, haha. A double-edged sword, it is.

My Favourite Cover Lately...

Let me tell you about the one person I knew who shouldn't have had a gun...

We had a nice weekend, getting to catch up with friends. 

Sadly, we heard about the news of more recent domestic terror attacks in the US. It's really disappointing that gun control legislation that passed in the house is actually physically sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk, and he will not bring it up for a vote in the House. 

I know a few gun owners. Most of them are law-abiding people. I say most because only one of them was not - he was paranoid and should have never owned a gun. He had never been caught for a crime before, so he passed whatever background check there was in the state of Virginia at the time. Literally, he thought the government was tracking his toll smartpass, kept the handgun in the glove compartment of his car, and occasionally talked about what he would do if someone made him angry on the road one day. He called it, "The power of God in your hand". Also, he was hooked on pharmaceutical drugs that probably affected his decision-making at times. I was not his friend, but knew him as an acquaintance through others. Believe me, I wish I had not known him or any of this. Anyway, I have not heard what became of him in the last 10+years. I hope he got help for his mental issues, and I hope he no longer has a gun, or access to drugs, but I have no idea. There is literally nothing I can do about it. That is a problem. I know I am not the only American that knows about some random unhinged person that has access a gun. And so, we wait. 

Sorry to be a downer, but current events are a downer, and we should be unhappy about them and make something change. Even those that don't believe gun access is the answer should fighting for access to better mental health care, doing research, helping strengthen their communities, and/or combatting hate. Too many people have thrown up their hands in the air too many times; they are now part of the problem. 

More Fleabag

I know I already recently mentioned how much I love Fleabag, but I just thought I'd fawn all over it some more because we watched more episodes and it got even better. Every episode, I find it interesting that they somehow manage to never have a single character say her name out loud. 

Throwbacks

In light of the latest embarrassing namecalling between American politicians, particularly most of it being caused by one politician, I just thought I'd post this throwback from only three years ago. 

And in the wake of another shooting at an event in the US, this. If I sound like a broken record about things, it's because nobody else living around the world understands why the US doesn't change something.

Fleabag and the like

We are enjoying the show Fleabag these days - another great show with a female protagonist. In fact, all the current shows I'm watching have female protagonists: The Letdown, The Handmaid's Tale, Dead to Me, and Big Little Lies. Mike is also very happy that Veronica Mars is back. I love Kristen Bell, and The Good Place too, and I would probably love Veronica Mars, but it's one of the shows Mike binge-watched without me, at a rate at which I was never able to catch up. 

Winter is just such a nice time to curl up on the couch with a blanket and watch a show or two in the evening.  Happy weekend, everyone!

World Citizens

We have been granted dual citizenship at a time where many citizens' and residents' loyalty to the US is being questioned, particularly the patriotism of a select few congresswomen. The situation is completely ridiculous and I won't go into the racism rabbit hole in this post, and about how the president continues to conduct himself below the minimal standards of his position. Not to mention the fact that the president goes around accusing others of not being patriotic for trying to improve the lives of people in their home country, but he happily accepts election interference and money from foreign governments. The last I checked, the US was founded on the ideals of freedom of speech, assembly, press, etc., and exercising those rights is anything but un-American. But I digress.

What I do wonder is this: would the people that side with him also accuse my family of not being "patriotic enough" because we have chosen to have citizenships to two countries? To those people, I'd probably ask if they have ever traveled or lived outside of the US for more than just a short holiday, or if they feel a connection to another culture in addition to the good 'ol American way. The beautiful thing about America is that, from the beginning, it has been a melting pot of cultures. 

Having the opportunity to call two countries home does not make us any less American. We still stand for the Star-Spangled Banner and pay our taxes. And even long before I took the pledge to become an Australian citizen, I already belonged to another subculture within the US - that of Philippino Americans. Belonging to a subculture doesn't make anyone less American. We are very lucky to also be citizens of Australia - another multicultural Democratic country. There are lots of similarities between the two countries. Choosing to live in a different country for a period of time doesn't mean that you don't love America. It gives you a different perspective, and might even enforce your love for American ideals. 

It shouldn't matter if you were born in the US or outside, if your ancestors lived on US soil or not, if you have attained citizenship, you have full citizenship. Period. The last I checked, there aren't degrees of citizenship. It's honestly quite scary to live in a time where the people in power use the idea of patriotism in an attempt to weaken Democratic institutions. 

At the end of the day, I can only control so much. I am grateful for my dual citizenship. I am lucky to call two wonderful countries home. 

The 1:5 Ratio

A simple search on Amazon shows that there are over 100,000 titles available about parenting. There are over 200,000 about teaching. There are so many different philosophies behind why to do this or that when raising and educating kids. Everyone has their own idea based on how they were raised, taking what resonated with them or sometimes trying to do the polar opposite.

What we do with Penelope is a combination of things. I use some strategies I've learned working in the classroom and other kids' programs, some we've read about, and some are us just being creative and seeing what works. I'm not poring over parenting books and research most of the time, I just might read an article here or there. At the end of the day, like in teaching, it's trial and error to find what works best for your kid in your family environment. 

Two of the most important values I have for Penelope's growth and development are effective communication, and the desire for her to become "capable" (which others might call developing independence or self-efficacy):

Effective Communication
I see this as the most important thing a parent/caretaker can help a child develop. Helping a child develop his or her vocabulary and social skills sets them up to be successful in almost every other conceivable way. Even if a child is not old enough or has not developed verbal communication skills yet, talking and reading to them throughout the day will help them get there. The more the child is able to communicate their needs to those around them, the less frustrated they will be, and the more confident they will become in their abilities. This also makes the parent/carer's job easier and less stressful. Win-win.

Capable
I want Penelope be and feel capable. To be capable, we work on physical skills regularly, like swimming, climbing, balancing, fine-motor etc. Over months and years, she will learn her own strengths and abilities, and improve them. From these improvements in abilities and trying different activities, she will develop the sense that, "I can do it", hopefully more than, "I can't". We try to emphasize a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset, with language and example. In the long run, we also have the goal of teaching household chores, money management, and other life skills. 

Part of both of these values is positive phrasing. In order to communicate with a child and to help them develop healthy self-esteem, I make an effort to phrase things as positively as possible for Penelope. That might seem obvious or silly to some, to concentrate on saying, "Please walk" as opposed to "Stop running!", or "Food stays on your plate" instead of "No throwing food!". But, if you add up the number of times a week you say "no" or "stop" or "don't" to a toddler or preschooler, it could literally add up to hundreds. That's a lot of negativity for one person to hear. If I, as an adult at work, heard criticism that often, I would think that everyone hates me and I was close to being fired. Building up the ratio of positive things you say to a kid, vs the number of negative things, could make a huge difference in their development of how they see and think of themselves as a "good" or "bad" kid over time, and how they think other people feel about them. I've heard the 1:5 rule - for every negative thing you say to a kid, try to say five positive. I don't know if it's based on any research, but it's probably a good target to shoot for. 

Anyway, sorry to bore you with the least exciting post ever. But, if you have a kid or work with them, maybe I've given you something bigger picture to think about. Whether you agree with me or not, I'd be interested to hear in the comments what other values (I'm not talking about religious values, just over-arching principles) parents choose to focus on when making decisions about how to parent.  

Things to Miss

Now that we are starting to make plans to move back abroad, I'm starting to notice all the people and things I'm going to miss about living in Sydney. Some of our closest friends while living here have already moved away, but there are still some oldies-but-goodies we see around. Here are some of the other things I will miss...

- The cafes and bakeries- and breakfast and coffee and tea and pastries - are so good. 

- The annual events - like Vivid, Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney Festival, Night Noodle Markets, The Sydney Tea Festival, Chinese New Year Lanterns, The Royal Sydney Easter Show, etc. 

- The public transport. Some people from here will complain about it, but that's because they've never lived in the 95% of the world that has less reliable transport and crappier weather some times of the year. 

- Speaking of the weather, the weather. It's pleasant to be outside for the vast majority of the year. The sun might be killer, but you adapt to actually wearing the dopey bucket hat and reapplying sunscreen twice a day, and seek out shade whenever possible (like, even to walk a block). I don't even mind that the seasons are backwards anymore. 

- The water. Beaches. The harbour area. Water sports and activities are so accessible in this city. Sailing and boating aren't only for rich people here. There's a reason so many Aussies know how to surf and all the kids learn to swim as part of the public school curriculum. 

- The wildlife. There are beautiful tropical birds, giant fruit-eating bats, big blue tongue lizards, and then all the weird monotremes and marsupials outside the city. Don't even get my started on the beautiful sea life too!

- Our whole family going to the doctor for free.  'Nuff said. 

- On the same note, the paid family leave is better here than in the states (where there is none mandatory by law). It was really nice to not have at least the first 18 weeks covered after having a baby. I like that it's expected that most people who have babies will take about 6 months to a year off, without any guilt from employers or friends/family. It's just accepted that of course a family wants and needs time to get off to a healthy start. 

- No need for checks. Checks were phased out years ago. If you need to give someone money, direct bank transfer is easy, safe, and doesn't cost anything extra. Whenever I need a check for something back in the states, even if it's a canceled one for routing/desposit purposes, I just think it's so archaic and stupid. Join the 21st century and quit using checks, people. They're completely unnecessary and a waste of paper.

I'm sure there is more and more that I will add to the list. This is just the beginning. On the converse, there are lots of things that I miss about the US and am looking forward to having again. I think I will just never be 100% satisfied in one place or the other, now that I've lived long enough in both places. 

Winter School Holidays

Even though the vacations are over, it's still school holidays in New South Wales this week. Penelope still goes to daycare for two days, so I used those days to do a lot of chores, errands, "personal care", and some hobbies. I got my hair trimmed and my nails done, since they were all looking a little mangy. I played frisbee again for the first time in a month. Etc. I even went to the pool to swim in the cold, which is so much better in Hawaii at the moment. I cooked yummy home-cooked things. I made a trip to the hardware store. 

As the week comes to a close, I still have to babysit. Then we have a quiet weekend, and the next school term starts back up. Mike is doing his usual work stuff, and he has been helping a friend's small event-running business with an app. Penelope was happy to be back at family daycare. She continues to climb all over our furniture and learn new words every day. 

I'm loving the third season of Stranger Things, tolerating The Handmaid's Tale, and just starting Big Little Lies.

We are slowly starting to prepare for our move back to the US, but the checklist is very long, and we are only at the beginning.

Hawaii Family Reunion

Our family reunion in Hawaii was really great. We spent half of the time in Kauai and the other half on Maui. There was a good mix of adventure (kayaking, hiking, swimming in a waterfall, snorkeling with big green sea turtles, SUP, and riding in a helicopter) and relaxing by the pool or on the beach, and having a glass of wine in the evening with cousins. We ate out, surprisingly, only a handful of times during the trip. One of our best meals was fresh-caught tuna from my cousins who went deep sea fishing. 

The actual family reunion weekend was full of gorgeous weather, lots of good food, and some traditional Philippino party activities. Michael was happy to hangout with my cousin's 18-year-old son, who wanted to surf and boogie board as much as he did while everyone else chose to relax more. Penelope enjoyed all the wind chickens and roosters EVERYWHERE on Kauai, dipping her feet into the water over the edge of the kayak, munching on corn-on-the-cob, running around in the shallow end of the resort pool, and seeing all the cousins and learning their names. It was really nice that we could all be together, since it was the first time I have ever been with that many of my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. in one place. 

Apparently, we weren't the only ones on vacation. The actor who plays Howard on The Big Bang Theory was coincidentally staying at our resort. I would have never recognized him or paid any attention, except a few cousins are fans of the show and they fangirled a little bit. He seemed pretty normal and was just hanging out with a group of friends or family members and sipping a drink by the pool for most of the afternoon one day. I guess if we can vacation similarly to someone who makes bank from being on a popular TV show, we have nothing to complain about.. 

Now that this two-years-in-planning trip has come and gone, the next big thing for us will be moving back to the US towards the end of the year. It's a little bit hard to believe, and setting up all the logistics won't be easy. 

An Expensive Mistake

We have been back from our WA road trip for almost a week and a half, and we are prepping to go on another trip. This time it will be to Hawaii for a family reunion. 

In the time we have been back, we had to get our passports processed in priority time. Since we booked the Hawaii trip thinking we would be traveling as permanent residents, we forgot about the fact that as soon as we received citizenship, we would need to have valid Australian passports to leave and enter the country. If we had just postponed our ceremony until after the trip, we could have saved hundreds of dollars. The things you don't think about until you become a dual citizen. Anyway, at least we have our passports now and they are good for the next ten years. 

Penelope has been learning a lot of new words and skills in the last few weeks. She is really cheeky and we have to keep a close eye on her. She loves to climb, balance, and jump on precarious structures. Hopefully, she will enjoy Hawaii as much as she enjoyed our Western Australia trip. 

Wild West Photo Dump

Pinnacles

Meeting a quokka on Rottnest Island.

Coral Bay

Hamelin Pool (stromatolites)

Desert lookout

Hamelin Pool (stromatolites)

Nature's Window

Biking Rottnest Island 

Hamelin Pool 

Eagle Bluff 

Walking back from Eagle Bluff 

Pinnacles

Hiking at Nature's Window 

Quokka selfie at Rottnest Island

Pink Lake