I'm back!

Well, we moved into our new place, waited a while to get our phone line installed, then waited some more to get our ADSL installed. We were finally connected to the internet last week after a long absence. It was hell without the internet at home!

A lot has happened over the past month. In a nutshell, the place we were originally going to rent fell through, and we found a new place, quick. We moved into a 2-bdrm apartment a few blocks from the beach and very close to Gus' new school. Gus started school and is enjoying it. Gus had his 7th birthday and we had a little party for him at the beach. Vic started a new job with a contractor who does residential building. But, the guy is a jerk so Vic is still looking around for something new. Our most recent big news is that this weekend Vic got us some wheels (a mitsubishi magna wagon).

I'm plugging away at my thesis proposal, and it goes in fits and spurts. It's been a harder transition than I thought. I went from working in the govt where I was kept busy with e-mails, meetings and a lot of other non-epidemiology related tasks. Now, I spend my days reading, thinking and writing, trying to meet my own self-imposed deadlines. Some days, I feel so lucky to have such an amazing 'job'. And, other days, I feel completely lost, craving the structure that I used to have in my old life in Ottawa.

Today, we checked out the 'Powerhouse Museum'. Gus has been missing all the old museums we used to go to in Ottawa, and we thought this might be a good replacement for the Science and Tech museum. Unfortunately, except for an appearance from R2D2 and a storm trooper, it was not a hit. It was a little on the boring side and not very interactive. We spent just a couple of hours there, then went to Paddy's Markets - an indoor market where you can get anything, cheap, from electronics, fruits and veggies to t-shirts, sunglasses and purses.

It's 29C today, so Vic and Gus have now gone to the beach for a quick dip to cool off. Here's some pics of our day:

Vic and Gus are Here!!!

Yay! Vic and Gus made it to Sydney safe and sound and really, really tired! The first day here, I showed Gus the wonder of Tim Tams, he tried out vegemite (thought it was salty but not too bad) and we walked down to the beach. By 5:30pm, Gus was out cold, we could barely keep him awake to get some pjs on and get a few bites into him. By 7:30pm, Vic was out too.

Today, we visited Gus' new school. Before we got there, Gus was pretty worried about the fact that the school requires uniforms (he thought there might a tie involved), but once he saw them he was happy again. He especially likes the hat, which he's showing off in the pic above.

The Scoop on Tim Tams

OK, so Tim Tams are these rectangle-shaped biscuits (they don't call them cookies here) that are covered in chocolate. Right now, they're my favourite thing about this move to Australia. They're pretty good just on their own, but they're even better when you bite the ends off, then use it like a straw to drink your coffee, then throw it in your mouth before it completely falls apart. mmmmm, like a little slice of heaven right here in Sydney.

Here's a little aussie video to demonstrate the whole thing:

Gus' New School

On Thursday, I visited Gus' new school. I was reassured by what I learned about the school. I think Gus will really enjoy it. It's a small school, with all kinds of special learning activities, like Maori culture classes once a week, Spanish lessons and a Dance/Song/Drama program. I think Gus will especially like the drama program. He's a creative kid with a flair for drama! That's him in a picture my sister took last Christmas (I'm still without a camera, so I stole it from her blog!).

I spent this past week ramping up to full-time studies. I'm trying to focus my research aims and key questions, so I spent a lot of time reading other people's research to find out where the gaps are. It felt positively decadent having the time to read through journal articles!

Today (Saturday), I checked out Paddington Markets. Paddington is a swish suburb of Sydney, sorta like the Glebe in Ottawa but fancier. The Markets were full of tempting, nice things that I had to refrain from, now that I no longer have a cush govt job! Instead, I picked up some Tim Tams on my way home and I'm nibbling on them now. mmmm, tim tams.

Moving to Sydney

We're doing it! We're moving to Sydney...I'm doing my PhD at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Vic is going to do his carpentry thing, and Gus is going to be a 'school worker', as he puts it.

I got here last Saturday, July 25th, ahead of Vic and Gus to find us a place to live, scope things out and get started at school. Vic and Gus will join me on August 19th.

This pic is UNSW, my home away from home for the next few years.

It's been a busy first week. I've been making my way through the university bureacracy, looking for a place for us to live, and getting over a severe case of jetlag. I've discovered the yummy joy of Tim Tams, had coffee at Gloria Jean's, and watched the flying foxes chitter at the Botanic Gardens. A very nice way to end my first week here.