A Year in Sydney

The day we left for Canada, coincidentally, also marks my one year expat-iversary (credit to Florida Girl for coining that term!). We've all three of us made major adjustments in our lives, and I like to think we're the better for it. For my part, I've had to adjust to the fact that I'm no longer an equally (financially) contributing member of the household. Something I'm still a little sensitive about, and I realized just how sensitive when Vic recently wondered out loud if I could be considered his dependent for tax purposes. This statement was not taken well, in fact he's pretty lucky there was nothing within reach that could be easily thrown across a room.

Related to that last item, is the fact that we're definitely not as flush with money as we used to be, and we're living in one seriously expensive city. Of course I knew going into this that it would be a lifestyle change, but I was kind of looking forward to living more simply. Back to basics, as they say. The reality is that I don't think any of the three of us have actually pined for things that we weren't able to buy in the past year. And surprisingly for me, the hardest part has been worrying about other people's perceptions of us, living in our tiny little apartment with our Ikea furniture. I think there may still be some learning on my part when it comes to that aspect of my life!

But here's one thing I'll definitely be taking away from this experience: Being new to Sydney, we've had to rely on the generosity of people we barely know (but are getting to know). These people have invited us over for a meal, shared child care, celebrated birthdays with us...and it's meant the world to us. So now I know, something as small as an invite for coffee can be a huge gesture, and I'm hoping that I will remember that next time I meet someone who is not on familiar ground.

So I know this post is getting rather long, but I can't let a one-year expativersary go without making a couple of lists. Here goes, with Things I Love about our New Life in Sydney:

1. Cappucinos, lattes, flat whites.
2. Living a short walk away from the beach.
   
3. Waking up to the laugh of a kookaburra.
   
4. My new flexible 'work' arrangement.
5. Being in school again, learning new things and honing my research skills.
   
6. Sydney's natural beauty (beaches, rocky cliffs, palm trees... need I say more?)
   
7. No snow and no need for mittens, tuques, big down coats or long johns.
8. Fresh local fruits and vegies 365 days a year.
9. Gus' new school, which is small and quirky (e.g., the kids sing ABBA songs at their weekly assembly), and where the teachers are fantastic.
   

and Things I'm Still Not Used To and Could Do Without:

1. Bugs that are way too big and insist on coming into our apartment (i.e. massive cockroaches and huge huntsman spiders)
2. Aggressive Sydney drivers who hate cyclists.
   
3. No screens on the windows combined with the lady who insists on watering the native plants around our apartment building every day, twice a day equals mosquitoes in our apartment (note to lady: they're native plants, meaning they can survive the hot sun!).
   
4. Cold winter nights.
   
5. Missing everyone, family and friends, tremendously.
   

I put together those two lists on the fly and it's gratifying to see that the pros outweigh the cons. I'll leave you with some pics of our beach. Lovely.