After spending our Saturday looking at apartments in our area, we saw one place that we were all quite happy with. It's very close to Gus' school, still close to the beach, a wee bit bigger than our current place, and plenty of storage space for camping equipment, my bike and other assorted things we've picked up over the past year.
We're moving in over the weekend, and I can't wait. I've been feeling completely overwhelmed over the past week trying to get everything ready for the move (disconnecting/connecting utilities, changing addresses, packing, dealing with old and new property managers). I haven't spent nearly enough time on thesis work, and have been spending way too much time watching episodes of Gossip Girl (what?!? as if I could focus on anything more serious than GG over the past week) and eating ramen noodles (sadly, my comfort food of choice these days).
One worthy (non-rental-related) thing I did get around to this past week, is a tour of a supervised injection centre in King's Cross (the Cross used to be one of the seedier suburbs of Sydney, but is quickly being gentrified). MSIC (or the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre) has been around since 2001 and during that time they've dealt with about 3,000 overdoses that occurred on site. It's sad to think about what would have happenned to those people if they hadn't had access to MSIC. The tour was fascinating and I found the community's support for the service very inspiring. If you're in the area and you're interested, they run tours for the general public once a month. I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Awww, come on
Remember in my last post, how I was all boasting about being recharged and refreshed and ready to get back into my research. Well, I think I jinxed myself. My first week back post-holidays went like this:
Day 1:
Unpacking, laundry, groceries. Asleep by 7:30pm, exhausted by the flight.
Day 2: Awake at 5am (because crossing the international date line will do that to you)
I was looking forward to my first bike ride in three weeks. I packed up my basket full of the books and papers I had barely cracked open during holidays, dropped Gus off at school, and started off to Uni. It was hard going, and I attributed this to my previous three weeks of sloth and gluttony. On my way up the first hill though, another cyclist passed me (one of those hard-core, lycra-wearing ones, typical in Sydney) and yelled at me "Your back tire is flat". I looked back and sure enough, it was really low. So, I stopped at the nearest gas station to put some air in the tire, except that when I unscrewed the cap, any remaining air came out and the little air thingy retreated into the tire. Aaaargh! I tried to get it back out, but it was beyond my abilities. Also, since this was my third flat in my back tire over the past couple of months, I figured it was time to bring it into the bike shop to get looked at (my bike skills being limited to pumping air into the tires).
I ended up walking the remaining 5km to the nearest bike shop and left it with the bike guy, who - between the aussie accent, aussie terminology and bike terminology - was totally incomprehensible, but I did manage to figure out that I could pick it up after lunch. Afterwards, I walked to the nearest bank machine to pick up some cash, only to type in my pin wrong enough times that the machine wouldn't let me try anymore. I then walked to the bank to sort out my pin and get some money. By that time, the day was pretty much a write-off.
Day 3: Awake at 5:00am
This started out as a good day. My bike was back in working order (something was wrong with the rims, maybe? ...again, I couldn't really understand what the guy was on about). I met with my thesis advisors, and got some feedback for some upcoming ethics review boards I have to submit an application to. All was good. I was back on track.
When I got home, I picked up our mail from our neighbour and found a letter from the property manager indicating that the owner of our apartment was planning to move back into our apartment and that we had 4 weeks to vacate. The letter had been sent two weeks before, meaning we now had two weeks to find a new place to live. Yikes!
Day 4: Awake at 4:30am (because stress and crossing the international date line will do that to you)
Instead of working on ethics submissions, as I had planned, I spent the day begging our property manager for an extra two weeks to vacate (which we got, thank god!), and looking for a new place to live. In order to stay on budget, it seems we may need to make a choice between picking another small apartment within a few blocks of the beach (as we are now), or getting a slightly bigger and better apartment a little farther away - 1-1.5 km from the beach. It will be a tough decision, because I want both: a bigger place that is close to the beach.
Day 5: Awake at 6:30am...yay, I'm finally back to a normal sleeping pattern.
We looked at four places this morning, one of which we all quite liked, then off to a bbq, cause that's what you do in Sydney. Things are looking up. Fingers are crossed!
Day 1:
Unpacking, laundry, groceries. Asleep by 7:30pm, exhausted by the flight.
Day 2: Awake at 5am (because crossing the international date line will do that to you)
I was looking forward to my first bike ride in three weeks. I packed up my basket full of the books and papers I had barely cracked open during holidays, dropped Gus off at school, and started off to Uni. It was hard going, and I attributed this to my previous three weeks of sloth and gluttony. On my way up the first hill though, another cyclist passed me (one of those hard-core, lycra-wearing ones, typical in Sydney) and yelled at me "Your back tire is flat". I looked back and sure enough, it was really low. So, I stopped at the nearest gas station to put some air in the tire, except that when I unscrewed the cap, any remaining air came out and the little air thingy retreated into the tire. Aaaargh! I tried to get it back out, but it was beyond my abilities. Also, since this was my third flat in my back tire over the past couple of months, I figured it was time to bring it into the bike shop to get looked at (my bike skills being limited to pumping air into the tires).
I ended up walking the remaining 5km to the nearest bike shop and left it with the bike guy, who - between the aussie accent, aussie terminology and bike terminology - was totally incomprehensible, but I did manage to figure out that I could pick it up after lunch. Afterwards, I walked to the nearest bank machine to pick up some cash, only to type in my pin wrong enough times that the machine wouldn't let me try anymore. I then walked to the bank to sort out my pin and get some money. By that time, the day was pretty much a write-off.
Day 3: Awake at 5:00am
This started out as a good day. My bike was back in working order (something was wrong with the rims, maybe? ...again, I couldn't really understand what the guy was on about). I met with my thesis advisors, and got some feedback for some upcoming ethics review boards I have to submit an application to. All was good. I was back on track.
When I got home, I picked up our mail from our neighbour and found a letter from the property manager indicating that the owner of our apartment was planning to move back into our apartment and that we had 4 weeks to vacate. The letter had been sent two weeks before, meaning we now had two weeks to find a new place to live. Yikes!
Day 4: Awake at 4:30am (because stress and crossing the international date line will do that to you)
Instead of working on ethics submissions, as I had planned, I spent the day begging our property manager for an extra two weeks to vacate (which we got, thank god!), and looking for a new place to live. In order to stay on budget, it seems we may need to make a choice between picking another small apartment within a few blocks of the beach (as we are now), or getting a slightly bigger and better apartment a little farther away - 1-1.5 km from the beach. It will be a tough decision, because I want both: a bigger place that is close to the beach.
Day 5: Awake at 6:30am...yay, I'm finally back to a normal sleeping pattern.
We looked at four places this morning, one of which we all quite liked, then off to a bbq, cause that's what you do in Sydney. Things are looking up. Fingers are crossed!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Back to reality
I just had three of the best holiday weeks ever. It was so nice to see everyone again and it was great to be able slip back into old conversations with friends just as if it hadn't been one whole long year since we last saw each other. We started our trip in Montreal and made our way across Ontario, ending up in Niagara Falls. We got to see so many people (although we still managed to miss some of our favourites because of our/their schedules). I had lofty ideas when I packed and I brought my yoga mat, some thesis work and picked up a new pair of running shoes, but barely managed to get in much time on any of those three tasks (yoga, studies or running). Instead, I ate a lot, drank too much and slept in every day. It was the perfect way to end our first year in Australia and start my second year of my PhD refreshed and ready to get on with it.
So, after a long, long flight (thank god for those Qantas personal entertainment systems, on which I managed to watch every chick flick that's been released in the past year...don't ever rent He's just not that into you, but do rent Confessions of a shopaholic), we got back to Sydney this morning. We made Vic walk in the door first to make sure the huntsmen spiders hadn't taken over our apartment during our absence, and once he gave the all-clear we were relieved to drag in our luggage and start unpacking.
It's nice to be home.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Intant coffee and non-dairy creamer
Oh yeah baby, we're in North America, sipping on instant coffee with non-dairy creamer (two things that would be very hard to find in Sydney) in a hotel room in NYC.
We arrived in NYC last night, only to find out that after 21 hours of travel, the last leg of our flight (from NYC to Montreal) was cancelled. And when the airline rep started to give us our options, which involved waiting 24hours for the next available flight to Montreal or flying to Cincinatti, staying overnight and connecting to Montreal in the afternoon, I had a total breakdown that went something like: I can't (sob) take (sob) this ("this" being the thought of one extra minute more in a plane or an airport), and Vic had to take over the negotiations. After researching car rentals, buses, and other airlines, we ended up with a slightly better flight that gets us in Montreal later this afternoon.
So we're now enjoying the luxuries of hotel living, the highlights of which involve cartoon channel and sugary cereal at the breakfast buffet for Gus, relaxing with a book for Vic, and a long hot shower and free wireless for me.
We're almost there and can hardly wait to see our siblings, parents, grandparents and friends. See you soon!
We arrived in NYC last night, only to find out that after 21 hours of travel, the last leg of our flight (from NYC to Montreal) was cancelled. And when the airline rep started to give us our options, which involved waiting 24hours for the next available flight to Montreal or flying to Cincinatti, staying overnight and connecting to Montreal in the afternoon, I had a total breakdown that went something like: I can't (sob) take (sob) this ("this" being the thought of one extra minute more in a plane or an airport), and Vic had to take over the negotiations. After researching car rentals, buses, and other airlines, we ended up with a slightly better flight that gets us in Montreal later this afternoon.
So we're now enjoying the luxuries of hotel living, the highlights of which involve cartoon channel and sugary cereal at the breakfast buffet for Gus, relaxing with a book for Vic, and a long hot shower and free wireless for me.
We're almost there and can hardly wait to see our siblings, parents, grandparents and friends. See you soon!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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:
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:
- Cappucinos, lattes, flat whites.
- Living a short walk away from the beach.
- Waking up to the laugh of a kookaburra.
- My new flexible 'work' arrangement.
- Being in school again, learning new things and honing my research skills.
- Sydney's natural beauty (beaches, rocky cliffs, palm trees... need I say more?)
- No snow and no need for mittens, tuques, big down coats or long johns.
- Fresh local fruits and vegies 365 days a year.
- 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.
- Bugs that are way too big and insist on coming into our apartment (i.e. massive cockroaches and huge huntsman spiders)
- Aggressive Sydney drivers who hate cyclists.
- 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!).
- Cold winter nights.
- Missing everyone, family and friends, tremendously.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Mystery Illness
We're a healthy bunch, our little family of three. It's actually something we take great pride in, as if it's something we've achieved through our lifestyle choices (which is highly unlikely and much more likely the result of good genes and a whole lotta good luck).
We've been especially lucky with Gus. He skipped all of those ear infections, various strains of flus and other random illnesses that raged through his day care and schools. In fact, before last week we've only ever had to take Gus to the doctor once (aside from the usual routine check-ups and immunizations) when he was just an infant. It was because of a mystery red patch that appeared on one cheek. Our family doctor was confounded by it, as was the other doctor in her practice who checked Gus out to see if he could figure it out. We were prescribed the usual course of antibiotics, and the patch mysteriously went away, came back a second time and went away again, always remaining one of those mystery illnesses that most kids experience at some point.
And just to make sure we don't gloat too much about our good health, , we are now going through mystery illness #2. About two weeks ago, Gus developed a red bump on one of his toes. Vic thought it might be a bug bite, I was thinking that it might be a wart or a blister. When Gus complained about it, I told him to throw a band-aid on it (band-aids having fixed so many minor Gus-injuries in the past). This time though, the band-aid solution didn't work. The red spot got bigger and became more tender until it covered a good portion of the front of his toe and we decided it was time to find out what that spot was. Vic took him to a nearby walk-in clinic, the doctor declared it to be a staph infection, we were prescribed a course of antibiotics and told to keep an eye on the red spot. If it grew bigger or failed to get better, we were instructed to take him to the children's hospital.
Yeesh - maybe because we're so not used to illness of any kind, we were checking Gus' toe on the hour and while it didn't get worse, it also didn't get better. Saturday morning, we went into the children's hospital with Gus to get it checked out a second time. Luckily (for us), we were one of the only ones not suffering from swine or some other flu, so they shuttled us out of the waiting room quick and we were seen by this great nurse practitioner. She first ruled out a few non-bacterial possibilities (extensive history and x-rays to make sure it wasn't a foreign body or some kind of fracture), swabbed the red spot and made sure it would get plated up right away, and then went on to prescribe a more aggressive antibiotic. We're to follow-up with a doctor this Tuesday and in the meantime keep an eye on the toe to make sure it doesn't get worse.
We're back to checking the toe on the hour (which Gus is getting a little tired of) and I've even thought about taking pictures of it so that I could better tell whether it's getting worse or better. Next illness, I'm hoping for some good old fashioned chicken pox.
We've been especially lucky with Gus. He skipped all of those ear infections, various strains of flus and other random illnesses that raged through his day care and schools. In fact, before last week we've only ever had to take Gus to the doctor once (aside from the usual routine check-ups and immunizations) when he was just an infant. It was because of a mystery red patch that appeared on one cheek. Our family doctor was confounded by it, as was the other doctor in her practice who checked Gus out to see if he could figure it out. We were prescribed the usual course of antibiotics, and the patch mysteriously went away, came back a second time and went away again, always remaining one of those mystery illnesses that most kids experience at some point.
And just to make sure we don't gloat too much about our good health, , we are now going through mystery illness #2. About two weeks ago, Gus developed a red bump on one of his toes. Vic thought it might be a bug bite, I was thinking that it might be a wart or a blister. When Gus complained about it, I told him to throw a band-aid on it (band-aids having fixed so many minor Gus-injuries in the past). This time though, the band-aid solution didn't work. The red spot got bigger and became more tender until it covered a good portion of the front of his toe and we decided it was time to find out what that spot was. Vic took him to a nearby walk-in clinic, the doctor declared it to be a staph infection, we were prescribed a course of antibiotics and told to keep an eye on the red spot. If it grew bigger or failed to get better, we were instructed to take him to the children's hospital.
Yeesh - maybe because we're so not used to illness of any kind, we were checking Gus' toe on the hour and while it didn't get worse, it also didn't get better. Saturday morning, we went into the children's hospital with Gus to get it checked out a second time. Luckily (for us), we were one of the only ones not suffering from swine or some other flu, so they shuttled us out of the waiting room quick and we were seen by this great nurse practitioner. She first ruled out a few non-bacterial possibilities (extensive history and x-rays to make sure it wasn't a foreign body or some kind of fracture), swabbed the red spot and made sure it would get plated up right away, and then went on to prescribe a more aggressive antibiotic. We're to follow-up with a doctor this Tuesday and in the meantime keep an eye on the toe to make sure it doesn't get worse.
We're back to checking the toe on the hour (which Gus is getting a little tired of) and I've even thought about taking pictures of it so that I could better tell whether it's getting worse or better. Next illness, I'm hoping for some good old fashioned chicken pox.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Boomerang, anyone?
A couple of weekends ago, we spent a Sunday afternoon celebrating Canada Day with the Canadian-Australian club on a floating restaurant at Darling Harbour. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and as always, it was so comforting to hear the sounds of Canadian accents. At our table was a woman who had been in Sydney for 24 years. She had this very romantic story of meeting an Italian guy and sailing from Italy to Australia where they ended up staying and raising a family. At one point in the conversation, I told her about how we're heading back to Canada soon for a visit and asked her if she had any tips for Australian souvenirs to bring back for our friends and family. Without hesitation, she told us that on the first visit back, you must bring back all the Australian kitsch that you can stuff in a suitcase.
Heeding her words, yesterday we went to Paddy's markets to load up on boomerangs, cane toad wallets and kangeroo furs. We were totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff, and ended up with gifts for only a fraction of the friends and family we're planning to visit. We're thinking about going back for a second run, so all you Canadians out there, here's your chance: if you're at all interested in a koala backpack or kangeroo claw backscratcher (we saw one, and it's just as gross as you would imagine), now's your chance to let us know.
Here's some pics of Gus being a goofball for the grandparents, taken on the floating restaurant where we celebrated Canada Day.
Heeding her words, yesterday we went to Paddy's markets to load up on boomerangs, cane toad wallets and kangeroo furs. We were totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff, and ended up with gifts for only a fraction of the friends and family we're planning to visit. We're thinking about going back for a second run, so all you Canadians out there, here's your chance: if you're at all interested in a koala backpack or kangeroo claw backscratcher (we saw one, and it's just as gross as you would imagine), now's your chance to let us know.
Here's some pics of Gus being a goofball for the grandparents, taken on the floating restaurant where we celebrated Canada Day.
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