Oops!

I have been thinking about writing a blog post for ages now as it has been 4 months since my last post, by far the longest stretch I have gone without blogging since our move here in August 2011. I have an abundance of things to write about too, most notably that the hubby and I are expecting an Australian American to join our family in just 9 weeks. We are excited to embark on what is bound to be our most exciting adventure yet!

I find it extremely difficult to sit down in February and March to blog, since those tend to be the months where the weather is the best it gets in Melbourne. Longer days, sunshine, and warmth mean that I want to spend all of my free time outside and not inside typing away on a computer. Now we are well into autumn, with cool temperatures, rain showers, and shorter days on the agenda. Winter will be here in just over a month.

Signs of autumn on a sunny day

My goal is to revive the blog over the next few weeks (before our lives get flipped upside down with a newborn bub!) and share with you some of the adventures we have had over the last few months. I am most excited to blog about our trip to Vanuatu and Fiji. Sadly, just a few months after we left Vanuatu, the islands were ravaged by a very bad cyclone (hurricane). We are unsure as to what condition the islands are in now, particularly the smaller island of Tanna, where there would be very little protection from a category 5 cyclone.

Accommodation on Tanna (volcano in the background). Not likely able to withstand a cyclone.

Ironically, another place that we visited in 2014 has just been devastated by a natural disaster, as the city of Kathmandu has been hit by a major earthquake. The pictures we have seen so far are horrifying and we are hoping that the death toll does not continue to rise. Both of these countries rely heavily on tourism and both have such poor infrastructure, so we worry about the Ni-Van and Nepalese people and hope that they can bounce back from these tragedies.

Durbar Square in Kathmandu, looking much different than it does today.

Airplanes

Erik and I have spent a bit of time on airplanes during our travels over the last few years. I have developed a keen interest in airplanes with all of that travel, and not just when flying. Interestingly, all of the homes we have lived in have been located within a 15-20 minute drive of an airport. In Chapel Hill we could often see planes landing at RDU. When we lived in Elkridge, we were very close to BWI and therefore could see and hear planes landing. Here in Australia, we live near Melbourne International Airport (MEL), and over the past 3+ years we have spent many evening and weekend walks or bike commutes to and from work watching planes land and take off from MEL.

The Qantas A380 above Melbourne

The exciting thing about watching planes enter or exit MEL is the wide variety of airlines that visit the airport. In America, most airports are busy with LOTS of domestic flights and a handful of international flights. Here, it is always fun to try to see the plane's colors and/or logos to determine where it is coming from or where it is headed. With us both being first born children, we sometimes turn this into a competition! MEL has numerous domestic flights too, but remember there are only a handful of major airports located in Australia, so there are not as many flights coming in from other parts of the country as we used to see in the States.

Heading up the east coast of Australia on a domestic flight. While we are often taking pictures from the windows of planes while traveling, we occasionally take pictures of planes coming into MEL, especially if one of us is at home and the other one is on the plane!

I have an app on my phone that lists all departures and arrivals from MEL, and I can use it to look up which planes are arriving or departing at certain times and also to see if those flights are delayed. In the matter of a few hours, international flights will arrive from Air New Zealand, Emirates, Singapore, Etihad, Thai, Malaysia, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia, and Air India! Also, there are three different airlines that fly from MEL to China that we frequently see; Air China, China Eastern, China Southern. There are only 4 major domestic airlines in Australia: Qantas, Virgin, JetStar, and Tiger. All of those airlines except Tiger also fly internationally to/from MEL, and usually we can tell if it's an international flight by the size of the plane. 

One hour's worth of international departures at MEL

We sometimes try to guess the type of planes that we see in the air. The easiest to identify is the Airbus A380, which is identifiable by the 4 very large engines. It is my plane of choice when visiting the States, as I find it quieter and more comfortable than other long range planes. United has started flying the "Dreamliner" 787 flight from MEL to LAX, and I'm tempted to give that one a go just to see what the plane is like. Nerd or airplane enthusiast? You be the judge!

The Qantas A380 at MEL

Pumping Petrol

One of the things that still baffles me about Australia is the process of putting "petrol" into a car. Fortunately we rarely drive our car, so we only have to fill our tank about once every 4 to 6 weeks. However, when that time rolls around, I am quickly reminded of the differences between here and the States.

Signage at our local servo

"Petrol" is what goes in the tank. This is the same stuff that is called gasoline in America. However, "gas" in Australia is propane, or what you would use for your grill (barbie). Some cars here actually run on "gas" (also called LPG), which you can also get at the "petrol" station. Are you confused yet?! Therefore, because people are generally not putting "gas" in cars, the place is not called the "gas station", it is called the "service station". Of course Australians love to shorten words, so it is actually called the "servo".

A gas tank in Australia

The things I've described so far are just formalities, so while it may get a bit confusing, those differences in terminology do not actually affect the process of filling up the tank. The next two oddities, however, can be annoying.

Most servos are not equipped for us to pay at the pump. Therefore, we have to pump the petrol, wait for it to finish, then walk inside to pay. I cannot remember the last time I had to walk into a gas station in America to pay! Also, while pumping, there is no latch to lock the handle while the tank is being filled, so people actually have to stand at the pump and hold the handle the entire time. I really miss the handle lock in winter when it's cold, rainy, and windy outside!

Look mom, no hands!!

I haven't even mentioned the fact that petrol is in litres here due to the use of the metric system, so we have to do a complex conversion to try to figure out miles per gallon if we want to look at the mileage like we are used to in the States. On the bright side, our local servo has free air for our tyres (yes, tires are spelled differently in Australian English!), which almost makes up for all of those other crazy differences.

3 Years in Oz

On Friday, August 15th, we celebrated our 3 year anniversary of living in Australia. We reminisced about arriving at the airport and walking outside to colder and cloudier weather than we expected. We also thought back to our taxi ride to the house where we would live for our first month in Melbourne, where the driver actually got lost and could not find the house. Sometimes that day seems much longer than 3 years ago, given how settled we have become in this country. It also seems like ages ago that I wrote about our 2 year anniversary of living Down Under, where I revealed how we ended up in Melbourne in the first place.

I read a blog post last week from another American expat who listed some things that she thought of when she arrived in Australia, and it inspired me to come up with my own list. Here some things I thought to myself (or out loud!) during our first few months of living abroad:

1. That is NOT bacon, it's ham!

We have since discovered "streaky bacon", which is more like American bacon.

2. A hotel doesn't actually have rooms?

You will only find a bar/restaurant inside this "hotel"!

3. How can it possibly be so cold in the house?
4. An entree is just an appetizer...and it costs how much?!

"Mains" (or "entrees" in America) would be listed next on the menu

5. There is a Target! (Followed by disappointment that Target is NOT nearly the same as the US Target)
6. What is a milk bar?

A milk bar

7. What is the difference between a pot, a schooner, and a pint?

Note that a "pitcher" is called a jug!

8. Why is there barbeque sauce on my pizza?
9. An eraser is called a "rubber"?!
10. The mall closes at 5:30pm?

These are typical shopping centre hours. A lot of times they open at 9am or later and some are open till 9pm on Friday in addition to being open late on Thursday.

11. The grocery store closes at 8pm?
12. What is rocket and why it is on my sandwich?

Commonly known as arugula in America

13. I have to walk into the gas station (servo) to pay for my "petrol"?!
14. Tea = dinner. Tea = a mid morning break for snacks. Which one is it?
15. I can't just order a "coffee"?

It was so, so confusing in the beginning. Now I have learned to embrace the coffee choices!

16. What is beetroot and why is it on everything?
17. What is a serviette?
18. Why is there a lemon in that Corona?
19. Which button do I push on the toilet to make it flush?

A fabulous idea that more Americans should adopt!

20. Sultanas are raisins, rockmelon is cantaloupe, capsicum are peppers, coriander is cilantro, biscuits are cookies, scones are biscuits, lollies are candies, crisps are potato chips, and chips are french fries?!
21. Pies have meat in them, and they are not eaten for dessert?

It actually tastes better than it looks!

22. What is a sausage roll?
23. A baby (bub) sleeps in a cot, rides in a pram, and wears nappies while sucking on a dummy?!
24. I have to put money in the cart (trolley) at the grocery store in order to use it?

Better make sure you have a $1 or $2 coin for grocery shopping.

25. Why does my beer cost $10?

Note the diagram above that shows the size of the $10 beer, which is equal to about 12 oz. On a more positive note, there is no paying tax or tip on top of this price.

Birds in Buildings

My Australian friends seem surprised when I explain that it is unusual for birds to be found inside buildings in America. Unless my memory is a complete failure, I'm pretty sure it is not common to see birds inside places such as schools, shopping malls, and grocery stores in the US. We are not talking about "open air" buildings either...these are structures that are not exposed to the outdoors with the exception of doors and windows that generally remain closed.

Birds frequently visit the school building where I work. I suspect that birds get into the building when doors and/or windows are opened, and from there they decide to stay. I have thought perhaps that this has something to do with the fact that a lot of buildings in Australia do not have screens on the windows.

This bird made it into an office that is inside of another office!

A bird on the indoor running track, which is right next to the school cafe area, called the "canteen".

In our local mall ("shopping centre" in Australian English), there are heaps of birds. There is a tree inside the mall that I am sure is home to more than one bird.

Inside our local shopping centre. Lots of bird noises come from that tree.

These two birds were just walking in and out of the shopping centre using the automated doors!

I often seen birds in the grocery store (which is inside the shopping centre), flying above the aisles. I have been trying for weeks to take a picture as proof, but the birds fly away quickly! Today there was a bird on the ground in the nut, seed, and dried fruit aisle, but just as I got my phone out to take a picture, he walked under the shelves. The amazing thing is that no one seems fazed by the birds in the grocery store!

The bird was right in the middle of the aisle, I swear!

When we lived in America, Erik and I once had a bird make a nest in our clothes dryer vent, but that was as close as we came to having an encounter with birds inside buildings. American friends, surely I am not forgetting birds in buildings? Please correct me if I am wrong!

'Merica

Seeing the sunrise means the LONG flight is soon coming to an end!

Last month I was fortunate to be able to take a trip back to our homeland! I had a work-related conference, so school paid for some of my trip, which made the journey more economical. I spent 4 days in Indianapolis before heading to Maryland to hang out with my family and a few friends. I got to spend the last 24 hours of my trip with another friend in LA. Over the course of my 2 week holiday, I tried to take advantage of my favorite things about "home". Here's a list of things that Australia just cannot provide.

1. Chipotle. Always at the top of my list! Australia has tried to mimic Chipotle with a chain called Guzman y Gomez, but it is not the same. Along with Chipotle, I indulged in Mexican food a few times. We have tried numerous Mexican restaurants in Oz, but none compare to good Mexican restaurants in the States.

A burrito bowl. Chicken, rice, black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce. YUM!

A less expensive (and more delicious!) margarita

Fish tacos at a Mexican restaurant in Redondo Beach

2. Wegmans. An amazing grocery shopping experience. Of course Australia has fresh food markets that can definitely compete with Wegmans, but it's nice to have fresh produce and groceries all in the same store. Plus the checkout people are so friendly, and they provided me with coupons!

3. Maryland crabs. A summer tradition. Washed down with Yuengling, of course!

4. Ocean City, Maryland. Another summer tradition. My "summer home" for 3 years during college.

Beach access on 39th street, where my parents own a condo.

Not a bad spot for a quick workout.

The Ocean City boardwalk, a great place for people watching!

There was a tropical storm off the coast while I was there, attracting lots of surfers.

5. Jimmy John's. Love the "unwich", what a great idea!

6. Embassy Suites. A hotel chain with huge rooms, full cooked to order breakfast, and free happy hour?! Why would you stay anywhere else?

7. Five Guys. A great burger!

8. Seacrets. I don't think there is a bar like this in the world. Chairs and rafts in the water and sneakily potent drinks. This is a recipe for disaster but also makes for amazing people watching!

THE drink to have at Seacrets. A "pain in de ass". It WILL sneak up on you!

Tables and chairs in the bay is a great way to spend the day!

9. Cheap booze. A margarita in Melbourne will usually set you back about $16. Free margaritas at the hotel happy hour taste just as good, if not better. A delicious margarita at a Mexican restaurant might cost about $6 in America.

Homeless people with a sense of humor in Indianapolis

10. My dad's French toast. I've never tasted better!

No matter how hard we try, Erik and I cannot replicate "Steve's French toast".

While it was awesome to be reunited with these places and "things", the best part about being back in the States was spending time with family and friends.

Mom! This was taken at Kountry Kafe in Westminster. They have the BEST tuna melt!

Tandi and I on the Hermosa Beach pier.

My adorable nephew, Bryce! He has already mastered the "selfie"!

Mo and I at Seacrets

My flight back to Melbourne ended up getting delayed by a few hours, so once I checked my bags, I spent some time outside the terminal breathing in my last moments of warm summer air. Once in the airport, there is no fresh air access for about 20 hours on this trip, so I stayed outside as long as I could! It is always a bit emotional going into the terminal knowing that I am about to leave American soil and fly to the other side of the world, but this time I was excited to head back to Oz to see Erik, who was back in Melbourne working. We are lucky to live in an era where air travel is relatively affordable, and each time Erik and I travel, whether back to our "home" or to another part of the world, we feel fortunate that we have those opportunities. Until next time, America!

The flying 'roo! 

The Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX has just undergone an upgrade, so I enjoyed checking out the new surroundings once I finally went inside the terminal.

A 16 hour flight is always made more comfortable by a good meal and a hefty glass of wine. I love that Qantas gives out the whole bottle rather than just pouring a glass. This beef curry was one of the best airline dishes I've ever had, though I realize it does not look that appetizing in the photo!

Back over Australia on a clear winter day. Almost back "home".