Happy New Year from Sydney, Australia!
Happy New Year from Sydney!
Hello Friends,
We made it to Sydney, and we love it! Here is a photo of us as we were saying "goodbye" to our home for one year!
We arrived in Sydney on Tuesday (29th) just over an hour late, so that was really not too bad. It is a LONG plane ride, but we were lucky and got two seats each on the last two rows on the far right rear of the plane. I slept about 3 of the 14.5 hours. Mitch watched 5 movies! We only had a couple of challenges on the way over – first in Las Angeles we walked from the arriving domestic terminal straight to the international terminal which we thought was the obvious choice. As it turned out our plane to Sydney from LA left out of Terminal 4, so we had to back track about 20 minutes. The positive was we got in some fast paced steps that we would not have gotten otherwise. Then, I temporarily misplaced my passport for about 5 minutes! I have a new travel shoulder purse which has numerous zippered pockets. It was hiding in one that I had not looked in. So, even though I had fleeting moments of wondering if I would be allowed to leave at all, I did learn about where all the pockets are in my purse – information that will prove useful over the year.
We arrived in Sydney on Tuesday (29th) just over an hour late, so that was really not too bad. It is a LONG plane ride, but we were lucky and got two seats each on the last two rows on the far right rear of the plane. I slept about 3 of the 14.5 hours. Mitch watched 5 movies! We only had a couple of challenges on the way over – first in Las Angeles we walked from the arriving domestic terminal straight to the international terminal which we thought was the obvious choice. As it turned out our plane to Sydney from LA left out of Terminal 4, so we had to back track about 20 minutes. The positive was we got in some fast paced steps that we would not have gotten otherwise. Then, I temporarily misplaced my passport for about 5 minutes! I have a new travel shoulder purse which has numerous zippered pockets. It was hiding in one that I had not looked in. So, even though I had fleeting moments of wondering if I would be allowed to leave at all, I did learn about where all the pockets are in my purse – information that will prove useful over the year.
When we arrived in Sydney, we had quite long lines at baggage claim, entering through Australian “customs,” and passport reviews. Malcolm McDonald, the principal of Beaumont Road Primary School, greeted us as we emerged into the waiting area with a giant smile and a large Australian straw hat. Immediately, I could tell it was the start of a wonderful relationship. He assisted us with our bags and we walked to his car in the parking lot. We started our route to our new home with a pass by Sydney City Center and a drive over the Harbor Bridge! There could not have been a better way to greet us even though we were a bit jet-lagged. Then, he said, “Well, Helen made me promise that I would not take you straightaway to the school just after landing, but ‘what do you say – would you like to go?” I said, “Sure!” So, we headed to the place where I will spend the majority of my time over the next year. Here is what greeted me as we pulled up to the school!
The school is beautiful. It is on a large plot of lush green grass and big sprawling gum trees. It has several separate buildings connected by walkways and outdoor gathering spaces. One can tell that Malcolm and his school community take great pride in the school and the grounds. Enthusiastically, Malcolm revealed each building, classroom, and “nook and cranny” of the school. I could definitely relate because a principal’s school is a source of great pride – almost like you are showing off your own home! I know that I feel that way about Mortensen Elementary! We stayed about 30 minutes and then needed to get on to our apartment because Helen's sister, Eva, was waiting there for us to give us a proper introduction to our new home for the next year. Malcolm delivered us to the complex, and then promptly invited us to his home the next day for a barbeque! I was in Sydney less than 2 hours, and I had already been invited to a “Barbie!”
Helen’s apartment is located in a lovely community named Hunters Hill just on the northwest shore of Sydney. It is small, quaint, and utterly charming. Within a two minute walk there are several coffee shops, small restaurants, butcher, produce stand, bakeries, and a news shop. After Eva’s orientation of the house, Mitch and I rested for just a bit, and then we headed out to see the community on foot. We went into a small local grocery store and spent several minutes just looking at all of the items that are similar to what we know, but just different enough to make you stop and study it a bit. For example – paper towels called “Wipies.” After a couple hours, we ate some delicious Thai food at the Blue Monkey (website here):
Then, we headed back to the apartment and slept with thankful hearts for a safe arrival, a warm welcome, and hopes for a wonderful year.
On Wednesday morning, Eva picked us up and took us on a tour of the surrounding neighborhoods and gave us advice on the very important matters like grocery stores and where to buy particular things. She took us to shops in Gladesville and to a beautiful one in Baronia Park named Harris Farms Market. The produce is all locally grown and it is beautiful. We have never seen such large heads of celery, lettuce, and green onions that are approximately 2 feet long! She also took us farther north to Chatswood where we went to a very large and elegant high rise shopping mall that has everything we could possibly want or need. Of course, we will not be buying much because we will just have to worry about getting it home, and the memories of the 50 lb rolling duffle that I brought over here are just still too close!
Wednesday evening was delightful. Malcolm came to pick us up to take us to his home for a barbeque. His wife, JoAnn is lovely, and had prepared some lovely appetizers. Joining us were some staff members of Beaumont Road Primary School. We couldn't believe how welcoming and cordial everyone was. We talked about everything under the sun! They all kept asking us many questions about our opinions about American politics, about why there are not more focused and effective efforts on gun control, what will happen in the presidential election, and of course, my views on how to run an elementary school! They talked about the bush fire dangers in the area, and how fire drill procedures are very important. We all just kept talking and sharing, and before we knew it, it was close to midnight. It was a very happy night and made me know that I have come into a very positive and caring culture of people who love children and each other. Malcolm is obviously very proud of his staff, and rightly so - they are wonderful people.
So - Thursday was the day that we had to bite the bullet and take the car out for the first time. We had several reasons that we couldn't put it off any longer - first we needed to get a new cell phone service and next, we needed to check on the wireless internet router. In addition, we just needed to start practicing driving around the area that will be our home for the next year. Mitch is the driver, for now - my plan is to let him get it under his belt, and then I will take it on next week. So, we went down to open the garage where the car is parked, and we couldn't get it unlocked. There is no automatic door opener. We kept trying to several minutes, and finally decided to call a locksmith - back inside to call Eva for a recommendation. "Buffalo Lock Smiths" arrived within an hour and got us in - it just happened that a cable decided to break right while we were trying to get in. Finally, off we go. We had seen a phone store at the large mall, and we were determined to get there and back in time to get ready to catch a bus into the city for our water taxi which we had reserved to watch the 9:00 fireworks over Sydney Harbor. After a couple trips and getting lost more than a few times, we made it home with new cell phone numbers and on-line capabilities. We commented that we are rather slaves to our on-line world. It does not appear that people here are so attached to the social media world as we are. Perhaps that is something that I will learn while I am here - how to stay in touch with family and friends without it infringing upon my efforts to establish strong human face to face relationships. Should be an interesting journey.
New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbor was amazing. We were on a Water Taxi watching the Harbor Bridge from the water. We met some lovely people on our taxi, and commented that each of them has their own story about what brought them to join us for the "bringing in" of 2016. We ended the evening with thankfulness again for the opportunity that we have for 2016. Best wishes to everyone for a wonderfully blessed and happy new year!
On Wednesday morning, Eva picked us up and took us on a tour of the surrounding neighborhoods and gave us advice on the very important matters like grocery stores and where to buy particular things. She took us to shops in Gladesville and to a beautiful one in Baronia Park named Harris Farms Market. The produce is all locally grown and it is beautiful. We have never seen such large heads of celery, lettuce, and green onions that are approximately 2 feet long! She also took us farther north to Chatswood where we went to a very large and elegant high rise shopping mall that has everything we could possibly want or need. Of course, we will not be buying much because we will just have to worry about getting it home, and the memories of the 50 lb rolling duffle that I brought over here are just still too close!
Wednesday evening was delightful. Malcolm came to pick us up to take us to his home for a barbeque. His wife, JoAnn is lovely, and had prepared some lovely appetizers. Joining us were some staff members of Beaumont Road Primary School. We couldn't believe how welcoming and cordial everyone was. We talked about everything under the sun! They all kept asking us many questions about our opinions about American politics, about why there are not more focused and effective efforts on gun control, what will happen in the presidential election, and of course, my views on how to run an elementary school! They talked about the bush fire dangers in the area, and how fire drill procedures are very important. We all just kept talking and sharing, and before we knew it, it was close to midnight. It was a very happy night and made me know that I have come into a very positive and caring culture of people who love children and each other. Malcolm is obviously very proud of his staff, and rightly so - they are wonderful people.
So - Thursday was the day that we had to bite the bullet and take the car out for the first time. We had several reasons that we couldn't put it off any longer - first we needed to get a new cell phone service and next, we needed to check on the wireless internet router. In addition, we just needed to start practicing driving around the area that will be our home for the next year. Mitch is the driver, for now - my plan is to let him get it under his belt, and then I will take it on next week. So, we went down to open the garage where the car is parked, and we couldn't get it unlocked. There is no automatic door opener. We kept trying to several minutes, and finally decided to call a locksmith - back inside to call Eva for a recommendation. "Buffalo Lock Smiths" arrived within an hour and got us in - it just happened that a cable decided to break right while we were trying to get in. Finally, off we go. We had seen a phone store at the large mall, and we were determined to get there and back in time to get ready to catch a bus into the city for our water taxi which we had reserved to watch the 9:00 fireworks over Sydney Harbor. After a couple trips and getting lost more than a few times, we made it home with new cell phone numbers and on-line capabilities. We commented that we are rather slaves to our on-line world. It does not appear that people here are so attached to the social media world as we are. Perhaps that is something that I will learn while I am here - how to stay in touch with family and friends without it infringing upon my efforts to establish strong human face to face relationships. Should be an interesting journey.
New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbor was amazing. We were on a Water Taxi watching the Harbor Bridge from the water. We met some lovely people on our taxi, and commented that each of them has their own story about what brought them to join us for the "bringing in" of 2016. We ended the evening with thankfulness again for the opportunity that we have for 2016. Best wishes to everyone for a wonderfully blessed and happy new year!
Comments
Post a Comment