Minnesota

Our overnight flight was on Alaskan Airlines, and I was quite impressed with the service (more so than my previous flight with Alaskan, from New Orleans to Anchorage in 2011). During our red eye, we were fed several snacks and the flight attendants were very friendly. The plane from Honolulu to Seattle seemed relatively new too, which always helps. After a short layover in Seattle, we were off to Minnesota.

We were actually leaving paradise, but hey, the slogan is nice!

Erik had been scheming with his brother, Max, who was the only person who knew we would be visiting Minnesota. However, Max was not arriving until much later in the evening and we were arriving around noon. We had to figure out how to get out to the small town where Erik's parents live and we had no idea where anyone would be or what they would be doing. Erik had worked on this plan before we left Australia and had arranged to Skype with his Uncle Brian at a specific time. His uncle lives in the Twin Cities and we could manage to get there via public transport. Once we arrived at MSP and collected our bags, we hopped on the light rail and headed toward the closest stop to Brian's house. From there we walked about a mile with our bags in the snow (and cold, though fortunately it was only about 20 degrees F that day!) to Brian's house. We arrived about 15 minutes before the Skype time and we knocked on Uncle Brian's door. Unfortunately, Brian was not answering, so we decided maybe he wasn't home yet. We paced outside the house to keep warm (and one point Brian's neighbor came outside and invited us inside his house to wait!) and kept checking Skype, but Brian was never logged on. At that point, Erik decided to call his Uncle Brian. He answered immediately and apologized for not being able to get on Skype, as he had a new computer and he could not get it to work. Brian was also apologetic that Erik was having to make an expensive phone call from Australia! Erik stated that he could come downstairs to the door to let us in and he would show him how to use Skype on his new computer. Brian was quite confused and obviously very surprised to see us when he came to the door! It was the first of many surprises over the next few days. Brian was kind enough to drive us out to Erik's hometown, but we still had trouble finding Erik's parents. Eventually, we caught Jill (Erik's mom) at home and surprised her (though she thought Erik was actually his brother Ben until she saw me), and later surprised Dan (Erik's, dad, whose reaction was the best!). Every new person that came out to the house was surprised to see us, and it was a fantastic way to start Christmas celebrations.

The house Erik grew up in. Love the way it looks in winter!

This was our first Minnesota Christmas since 2009 (we spent 2010 in Colorado with Erik's family, 2011 in Thailand, and 2012 in Wilson's Prom), and it was the first time we had seen snow since early 2011. We got to participate in cutting down and decorating the Christmas tree and we were able to join in the annual broomball game as well. Our timing worked out so that we got to spend Christmas with both Erik's mom's side of the family and Erik's dad's side of of the family. We even had the chance to see a few of our friends who came out to the broomball game on very late notice that Erik and I were in town, which was awesome! Overall, our big surprise was a success and we really enjoyed seeing our Minnesota family.

Cutting down the Christmas tree!

Some sort of cross country ski race between Max and Erik.

Fierce competition at the broomball game!

On Christmas Day we headed off to the airport again for a flight to Maryland, where we would finally get to meet our new nephew and we would see my side of the family!

Goodbye, MSP! Can you see the CBD in the back of the photo?

'Round the World in 5 Weeks

When we first started dating 10+ years ago, Erik and I discussed the possibility of taking time off from study/work to travel around the world. Our trip would involve numerous stops in multiple continents and would take place over about a year. Instead, we took a trip around the world in 5 weeks! This trip was not intended to replace our 'round the world itinerary, and perhaps one day we will have the chance for that big trip, but in order to visit our families for Christmas AND our holiday destination, it required traveling the circumference of the entire globe. 11 flights, 3 trains, 1 bus, and several private cars were used during our 5 weeks of travel. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting details about our trip, so stay tuned!

One of the many stunning views we witnessed in the air!

Permanent Residency

Some of my neighbors must be reading the blog, because just after I posted about the lack of Christmas lights in our 'hood, three houses in a row started showing off holiday decor! Needless to say, it was a nice surprise, and it helped to encourage a little Christmas "spirit" on my end.

Over the course of the last year, Erik and I have been taking the necessary to steps to ensure that once our visa ends next August, we will not be kicked out of the country. We want to have options - either staying in Oz or moving back to America, and we did not want to leave that decision in the hands of the Australian Government. We could have applied for a visa similar to the one we are currently on, however, we decided to go a bit further and apply for a permanent residency visa. 

The process of applying for this visa was tedious and required a fair amount of effort on our part. We had to get heaps of documentation from the States regarding Erik's previous work, transcripts, and proof of graduation/degrees. We applied under his name because fortunately the state of Victoria is in need of people with PhD's who study science. Both of us had to be fingerprinted for an FBI background check and we had to have police checks in Australia as well. The hubby had to get numerous letters from employers here in Oz and had to show proof of previous and current work. Erik also had to take the English test, where he spent an entire day proving that he has sufficient English reading, writing, and speaking skills (normally he would not have had to do this, however, due to our ages, we needed more "points" for our visa, and the English test helps with that). We spent nearly an entire day getting medical exams that required bloodwork and chest x-rays. I organized these things on my own (rather than using an immigration agent) to save money, as this process is not a cheap one. Fortunately I crossed all of my t's and dotted all of my i's and on October 21st, 2013, we received an exciting email.

Ironically October 21, 2003 was our first date. Ten years to the day that Erik took me to Outback Steakhouse (an Aussie-themed restaurant for those readers who are unaware), we were granted the rights to stay in Australia permanently.

Taken over 10 years ago...just a few nights before our first date!

At this point, we are unsure as to what will happen when Erik's contract ends next August. He will be applying for jobs in the States and in Australia, and now that we have the flexibility to stay or go, we can choose the best option for us. There are many reasons that we would love to stay in Oz and there would also be advantages to moving "home", so there will be lots of big decisions to make in our house over the next few months! There are no restrictions with permanent residency, and the next step would be to apply for Australian citizenship. However, to become a citizen you have to be living Down Under for at least 4 years, and time spent out of the country (including holidays to the USA, New Zealand, Thailand, etc.) does not count towards those 4 years, so we have some time before we can think about the option of dual citizenship.

If there are any readers out there who need advice or assistance with applying for PR, please don't hesitate to contact me with questions!

Summer?!

Today, December 1st, is the first day of summer Down Under. As if the weather gods knew that summer started today, we have been blasted with a warm (85F), sunny day. Normally, Erik and I would have no complaints, as we find that temperature just about perfect, and any day with sun is a good day in our books. However, as I have previously mentioned, it is certainly hard for it to feel like it will be Christmas in 24 days when everyone is walking around in tank tops, shorts, and thongs (flip flops for the non-Aussies!). Very few houses have lights or decorations because, to be honest, it's not getting dark these days until about 9pm, so very few people would be able to enjoy those lights. We do have one neighbor who has gotten into the festive season though!

As far as 'trimming the tree" goes, I'm pretty sure that most Aussies use a fake tree, though there are a few Christmas tree farms within a reasonable drive of Melbourne that will set you back about $100 for a tree. I actually think that the risk of fire, due to the climate being so dry, is a deterrent for having a real tree in the house.

Our "tree" last year...if you can find the actual tree in the picture!

Pavlova, or "pav", a summer/Christmas tradition in Oz. This one was made by my dear friend Ellise.

I am sure that if we had grown up here, we would associate this type of weather with Christmas. Many Aussies that we know spend the time around Christmas soaking up sun at the beach and having picnics in the park with friends, which is nothing to complain about, except that is just doesn't "feel" right. Our association with Christmas is cold, snow, and snuggling up under a blanket or by a warm fire with baked goods and hot chocolate while lights twinkle outside the house. Quite a different scene, but we are trying to embrace the traditions of our new home, having spent last Christmas hiking along the beaches of Wilsons Prom. Surely there could be worse things in the world than spending Christmas at the beach?! :)

Christmas greetings projected on Melbourne's Town Hall last year.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Summer! So as you can imagine, it doesn't really feel much like Christmas here in Oz. Last week it was sunny every day with temperatures in the 80's, but this week has been slightly cooler and hasn't blessed us with quite as much sunshine. There are still Christmas decorations out and the mall is mobbed with crazy Christmas shoppers, but it does seem that the smell in the air is just not the same.

Holiday parties are in full swing, and I was lucky enough to be invited back to my temp job to join in their Christmas celebration yesterday. It was certainly a festive and enjoyable afternoon, and tomorrow night holds two additional parties in store, one cocktail-style "unofficial" party for my old job, and Erik's work party, which involves dinner, bowling, and lots of booze. Speaking of booze, there is lots of it flowing as the temperature rises, and consequentially summer is known as "silly season" here in the land down under. I think that's a term that I'd like to take back to the States. :)

In other news, I'm a bit more than 4 weeks post bike crash, and while I am back on the bike for commuting purposes I haven't felt ready to venture out on any long exploration rides. I have been spending lots of time in the pool using the jog belt but no actual running yet. I'm hoping to head out for a run sometime in the near future. No job yet, but I did finally receive my criminal background check from the FBI and I'm officially registered to teach in Melbourne! Unfortunately it's a bit too late, as most jobs for the next school year were filled in September and October, but I haven't completely given up hope. If a permanent job opportunity is not available, I will likely end up doing some substitute teaching when the school year begins, which pays fairly well and would allow for more flexibility for traveling with Erik.

And remember that break in that occurred back in September? Yesterday the last thing was fixed, and nearly 3 months later, we have our house back together again. It certainly is a good feeling and now I'm excited to start preparing for our first guests, whoever they may be. Any takers?!