And the Fun Continues.....

Part Two:

Before we get started on my latest travel adventures here is a quick geography lesson: Borneo is the world’s third largest island, but is divided among three different countries: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Apparently, they even filmed a season of Survivor here. During my trip I’m only visiting Malaysia and Brunei. Nothing against Indonesia, but it would’ve been a little too much to accomplish in 2 weeks.

Remember how I commented that I got a good deal on a flight to Kuala Lumpur? Well, the nice thing is that Kuala Lumpur is the hub for Air Asia, an Asian budget airline. Thanks to Air Asia I have been able to fly around Borneo for little cost (about $30 - $50 roundtrip) from city to city rather than take bus transportation. However, because I booked these great deals a few months ago and hadn’t really had time to research where I was going or what I was doing, I am back tracking a little bit. Oh well. My first stop was in the little touristy area of Kota Kinabalu for a few days.

I found a cute boutique hotel for a reasonable price (thanks tripadvisor.com) and settled in. As much as I really want to be just fine staying in a hostel saving money in a dorm type room with 8 or so other strangers sharing a common bathroom, I just can’t. Actually, I’m not sure if there ever was a time that I would’ve been okay with that. It’s just that the coming and going of travelers in the room at all hours, no personal privacy, the random hooking up of the couple in the next bunk, the need to lock up your belongings or chain them to you, and the drunk person in the bathroom just does not appeal to me. To all those who do enjoy/tolerate the hostel experience, I salute you, but I’ve worked that private room and bathroom into my travel budget for sure.

As I had just a few days in Kota Kinabalu and only one full day, I opted to take the white water rafting tour. Many of the other options I had done variations of before or just wasn’t all that interested. But white water rafting…well that was a first. And it was so much fun!! After signing my life away on some release form, putting on my life jacket and helmet, I was ready. I figure the release form would never hold up in court as my handwriting was completely illegible (more than usual, thank you) due to completing it out while driving on an extremely bumpy road in a minibus with no suspension whatsoever. When we arrived the guide diplomatically or some variation of that divided us up by who looked most alike. There was a family so they had a boat together, then he assigned the couple from Hong Kong and the couple from Korea to be together and then that left the rest of us white people. My boat ended up being a couple from the UK, a couple from Sweden, and me. The guide immediately recognized my superior rafting skills (must have been all the dragon boat racing I did) and assigned me to the front. Little did I know that the being in the front is like standing on the bridge of that huge water ride at Six Flags: you get SOAKED. If I wasn’t getting water dumped onto my lap from the rapids, I was getting splashed in the face with friendly water fire from surrounding boats. See when we had arrived at a calm part of the river, members of the boat (me excluded, I was like Switzerland) would engage in splashing each other. Only thing is that when the other boats retaliated their aim was off and the water landed on me and not the jovial guy from the UK behind me.

We did have a guide with us, but other than taking up space, he really didn’t offer that much assistance as we were regularly getting stuck on huge rocks. I’m not sure how much he even paddled and it’s a good thing those rapids were a grade 3-4 because that allowed us to paddle a little less. We all thought the guide would’ve well, guided us more during our trip but he didn’t. When we were paddling we struggled to stay in rhythm with one another. If only we had the dragon boat drum as our cadence. Anyway, as we were going through one turbulent rapid our guide fell out of the raft and the guy from the UK yells out, “Bloody Hell, we’ve lost our teacher!” I just laughed and was thankful it wasn’t me. The guide caught up with us and the crisis was averted, but our boat paddling was still out of rhythm or maybe we were just all highly uncoordinated.

Following Kota Kinabalu, I flew to the little country of Brunei. Oh Brunei, how you bore me!! It was a tough decision on whether or not to visit Brunei. (Yes, I realize for many of you that my travel destinations are never on your list to visit and you can really thank me now. I took the travel bullet for you and went to Brunei so now you never have to go. And you’re welcome. ) On one hand I was so close and it would be another country to add to the passport, yet I knew there wasn’t much to do at all once you got there. It definitely is not set up for tourists and there was little to no information online from travelers, etc. to help guide my adventure or lack thereof. The decision was made when I found out how cheap it would be to fly over there even though upon arrival it’s not all that much cheaper than the States. I justified adding this stop to my travels because going to Brunei was about the same cost as it would’ve been to buy malaria meds. Yes, some recommend that you take malaria meds while in Malaysia Borneo but there are just as many who feel they aren’t necessary or aren’t worth the risk due to potential side effects. I figured I wasn’t going trekking nor really into the jungle so I decided to take my chances and opted out of buying the malaria meds. Besides you’re supposed to take the meds at least two weeks before you leave and well, I made the decision not to get them about 2 days before. They wouldn’t have been completely effective anyway. And while my mom and grandmother are probably freaking out reading this, I can tell you that I’m halfway through my trip and I’m wearing the occasional long sleeve shirt and pants with bug spray containing DEET and I haven’t even seen a mosquito. So I thought Brunei over malaria meds was a good decision, but I was so wrong. Which is worse - malaria or Brunei? It’s a toss up?

I had read that there were about ½ day’s worth of sites to visit in Brunei and well, if you walk fast like me then, it’s only about 2 hours. The best part of the whole trip was a water taxi ride I took to visit the water village. There are approximately 22,000 people living in the water village and most of the houses have plumbing, electricity, internet, and even cable. They’ve got several of their own mosques, schools, and even gas stations. My water taxi driver was helpful in explaining his life in the water village. One of the nice things about hiring my own water taxi driver versus taking a tour is that we could go and see whatever I wanted. We also went down the river and saw skyline views of the sultan’s palace and eventually a number of proboscis monkeys. I even had the opportunity to see a mom and baby proboscis monkey playing in the tree. Unfortunately, my camera did not catch all of the action. So the water village was my main activity while in Brunei for 48 hours. Other than that, I spent a significant amount of time in a coffee shop and when it started pouring I headed back to the hotel and watched a movie in my room. There wasn’t even any good food to try or things to buy! So the point of these last two paragraphs is that you don’t need to go to Brunei – ever.

This is the first trip on my own and of any length that I’ve traveled with a laptop. Previous summers I’d just camp out in the internet café paying a $1/hour to communicate with family and friends. I didn’t own a laptop of my own so it never really was an option nor did I know what I missing. With the purchase of a net book this past year, I’m all about finding out who has Wi-Fi and hanging out at that location - all in an effort to stay in touch, of course. (My mom emails almost daily to ensure that I still have both of my kidneys. Don’t laugh, I’m serious. ) On this trip, thus far, I’ve spent a significant (more than I care to admit) amount of time (in all countries) at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a chain coffee shop. I’d like to support the little guy, but their internet connection is just not reliable so therefore, I support the big corporation. I think I’ve almost memorized the menu and sadly if I have to drink another cup of their coffee (blended, iced, or whatever) I think I might puke. The coffee shop staff and I in Brunei became quite close due to my stationary spot for hours. And that my friends, is yet another reason you never need to visit Brunei.

Just a quick side travel rant: Whoever thought using toilet paper as a substitute for paper towels was a good idea has never spent 5 minutes trying to remove the wet clumps from their hands. It’s an infuriating experience that doesn’t leave your hands any drier. Someday I’ll learn that I should just use my pants. SE Asian public bathrooms are just gross. Yes, that is a blanket statement, but I have traveled extensively around SE Asia so I can back that comment up. You know you’re in trouble when you can smell the bathroom before you ever see a sign for it. I do appreciate the option for a western toilet that many of the public toilets offer compared to just the hole in the floor but the gesture is all I appreciate. Many, many trips ago I learned to carry tissue or toilet paper with me wherever I go along with lots and lots of hand sanitizer. As if the bathrooms weren’t disgusting enough, there is rarely running water, much less soap to wash your hands. These governments don’t seem to support hygienic bathrooms; however, they have full body temperature scanners as you enter customs. Basically, if you’ve got a temperature you’ll have a difficult time getting in, but if you’re hands are full of germs and you’re going around touching everything – WELCOME!

Oh, and most of the stalls have this hose in there. Just imagine the hose attached to your kitchen sink to clean the dishes. This little hose is multi-purpose. You can use it an attempt to clean yourself (a cheap version of a bidet and hence the reason for no toilet paper) or clean the bathroom. I’ve never used one, but have experienced the aftermath and it’s well, disgusting. There’s water everywhere, or what you hope is water, making me grimace with every step wishing I had closed toe shoes on rather than my flip flops. These bathrooms could benefit from the reminder I saw in so many teacher restrooms in Texas, “If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie and wipe the seatie.” The whole experience is painful and you just want to go and take a shower afterwards.

Now I’m back at the Kota Kinabalu airport headed to Sandakan to visit an orang atun rehabilitation center and do some other things as well. I’m staying at some kind of lodge on the edge of the jungle and the pics from their website look very um, rustic. I’m not sure what else I’ll accomplish while in Sandakan, but I will be watching the World Cup final tonight! I’m not a huge soccer fan or anything, but it is fun to watch it with a bunch of other travelers from around the world.

Traveling - Part One: Tasmania

PART ONE: Tasmania

Today I’m celebrating my one year wedding anniversary in the most unusual way - alone, on a completely different continent than my husband. I can already hear the chorus of “awww” occurring because many of you might think that Paul is the one out of town. Yes, he does travel quite a bit, but I’m the guilty culprit in this cross-continental anniversary celebration. While he is in Sydney, working hard, I’m playing just as hard in Borneo. You’re probably thinking that this is an unusual or unconventional way to celebrate your anniversary in two separate countries by choic, and for most couples, it probably is. But for us, this is our normal. Did I mention that his birthday was two days ago and I missed that as well?

The only reason we spent last July together was because we got married and it just so happened that our wedding and honeymoon fit very nicely into my travel plans. LOL. Working in schools, whether they be in the States or Australia, allow me to travel during holiday breaks and it just so happens that Australian school children are currently enjoying their 3 week Winter break. I’m enjoying mine in the much warmer, summertime climate of SE Asia. Yes, this is my 3^rd summer in a row to be traveling in SE Asia and to be honest, I’m really over it. At this point, I’ve seen what I wanted to and bought what I needed (i.e. fake purses, bootleg DVDs) all over SE Asia, but yet I’m here. Again. In case you weren’t aware, Australia is REALLY far away from well, everything. The cheapest flights were to SE Asia and since I hadn’t spent but a quick couple of days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last summer, I decided to experience more of Malaysia and specifically Malaysia Borneo during my winter holiday. Also, I do realize that I could travel within Australia but it’s cold and expensive and neither of those characteristics are enjoyable when traveling. But, before I get too involved in writing about my experiences in Borneo, let me back up to my most recent trip: our one year anniversary trip to Tasmania.

To celebrate our 12 months of wedded bliss (well, most of it was full of bliss, but a move to the other side of the world can cause a little tension in any relationship), I booked us a trip to Tasmania. Tasmania is a state in Australia but it’s an island just south of the continent. Imagine Hawaii, but a lot closer and not tropical. Alright, so maybe Hawaii isn’t the best comparison. Anyway, most of you have probably heard of Tasmania primarily because of the infamous spinning, unintelligible, animated version from Looney Tunes. The Tasmanian Devil is an actual animal; however, it is nothing like the animated version. More on the real devils below.

With it being winter in Australia and extremely cold in Tasmania we got a great deal on this trip and we all know that I love a bargain! After a short flight from Sydney we were on our way to exploring this beautiful island with a population of 500,000. We stayed in Hobart, a maritime city and Tasmania’s largest, with a population of 250,000. Hobart is a lot like any little seaside town you might have seen or imagined (in my case) in New England. It has beautiful landscapes, Victorian style houses, fresh seafood, and a whole lotta charm. Tasmania is quite hilly and we were told that if they flattened all the hills out in Tasmania that it’d cover the same amount of area as the continent of Australia. Armed with a rental car, a sense of adventure, and a husband with great map reading skills (really, he does have good skills), we ventured all over the island visiting wineries, scenic rivers, mountains, other natural landscapes, and a hippie camp. (Wha?? The hippie camp wouldn’t be on your itinerary??) Over the course of 4 days we also ate, visited the world famous (or so we’re told) Salamanca markets, took a tour of the Cadbury chocolate factory, got in a little exercise by running along the water, and sailed on a replica of a ship built in 1800. All in all, it was a great, yet very cold, trip.

Here’s some more info on the Tasmanian Devil and their current health issue

Devil Facial Tumour Disease

What is Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) and

how does it affect Tasmanian devils?

DFTD describes a fatal condition in Tasmanian devils which is characterised by the appearance of facial cancers. The tumours or cancers are first noticed in and around the mouth as small lesions or lumps. These develop into large tumours around the face and neck and sometimes even in other parts of the body. DFTD is extremely unusual as it is only one of three recorded cancers that can spread like a contagious disease. The cancer is passed from devil to devil through biting. The live tumour cells aren’t rejected by their immune system because of a lack of genetic diversity among Tasmanian devils. DFTD affects mainly adults - males seem to be the first affected, then females - although juveniles as young as one can also be infected. When the disease is advanced Tasmanian devils may have many cancers throughout the body. Infected devils may become emaciated if the tumours interfere with teeth and feeding. Many females lose their young. Infected animals die within months of the lesions first appearing. For further information please visit the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program website:www.tassiedevil.com.au

Part Two: Borneo is coming soon!

Just the Four of Us

We have our first official guests from Texas in town . . Paul’s kids!! They’re here for two weeks and we've just completed our first week together. We have had the kids visit arranged for several months now and in anticipation of their arrival I did what I do best – planned a packed travel itinerary. I know that not everyone travels the way I do in a fast, exhausting pace trying to see anything and everything, but I also wanted to over plan in order to avoid hearing the whines of bored teenagers lamenting the lack of cell phones (we’re not paying the international rates), cable TV, free Wi-Fi everywhere, friends, and transportation. I knew that half of the itinerary would be scrapped; however, I also knew that if I didn’t take the initiative and plan Paul wouldn’t have scheduled anything. And I certainly didn’t want to come home from a day at work with everyone expecting me to entertain them. Unfortunately, we both have to work while they are here so that was another reason for a packed itinerary.

The kids haven’t really ever traveled abroad and even though Australia is similar to the USA, any trip to another country can be overwhelming. I guess it’s been so long since my first trip abroad of my own that I didn’t quite get the kids hesitancy or lack of enthusiasm in regards to trying things. Paul and I have traveled on numerous trips together, but we’ve never traveled with the four of us together. Actually, prior to their arrival, I hadn’t spent the night with both kids at the same time. On rare occasions the kids visited us in Dallas, but usually it was one or the other and mostly day visits with the occasional overnight stay. Visiting dad and your step-mom don’t rank high on a teenager’s social calendar. Even though I am a ton of fun ;), I don’t blame them. I never visited my dad and step-mom much as a teenager either.

In my planning, I also failed to realize how much walking we do on a regular basis around here and how that might impact others. Yes, there is public transportation available; however, Paul and I often reach our destinations quicker by walking rather than waiting for a bus or a train. This will serve as a general warning for anyone coming to visit: we live in the city within reasonable walking distances to everything and we don’t have a car, therefore, if you are with us, you WILL have to walk a lot. It’s just our reality and it was my mistake in realizing that is not the reality for everyone else. All in all, their first week in Sydney has gone well and I think they’re actually enjoying themselves.

When planning for the kids’ activities, Paul really wanted to take them to a beach. Granted we have a number of beaches in and around Sydney; however, it’s winter and it’s cold. Not very conducive to beach weather unless you’re part of the polar bear club. I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not sun and surf year round. I’m rugged up (Aussie for bundled up) with the best of them especially considering I don’t have a warm car to escape to and I have a significant amount of walking in my daily commute. Oh how I miss my car and heated seats some days.

Luckily I found a great deal for the four of us to travel north to Cairns to experience their beaches and more importantly: The Great Barrier Reef. So Paul and I each took two days off from work and in conjunction with the weekend we had a mini-vacation and a new experience for all of us. The Cairns trip happened to coincide with Father’s Day and the opportunity for Paul to spend the day with his kids experiencing an amazing part of the world. In his opinion, it was the best gift ever and it made him happy which made me happy so everyone wins.

The weather in Cairns was warm enough for most, about 75 degrees for the high, but not warm enough for me to get into the water. I’m going to blame the cold water as the reason why I had no desire to jump in; however, I’ve yet to step into the ocean since our arrival in Australia. And yes, we’ve been to a few beaches in warm weather. I’m more concerned with the sharks and other random animals that appear on the warning signs. I’ll stick to the pool, thank you very much.

We stayed in a holiday apartment about a block from the beach which allowed ample opportunity for the kids to lay out and enjoy the beach. Paul and I also explored the beach and the little town. Unfortunately, the weather in Cairns did not work in our favor. It was EXTREMELY windy all four days. While sitting on the beach the wind would whip the sand around causing you to find sand in your ears and eyebrows hours later. The strong wind ended up deterring the kids from the beach in the afternoons and we spent time surfing the internet, reading, and watching repeats of the previous night’s world cup games. (The games are shown live in Australia at 9 pm, 12 am, and 4:30 am. I’ve become quite knowledgeable about soccer. In fact, Paul and I even braved the cold weather and went to an outdoor viewing site to watch a game broadcast live at 4:30 am in Sydney.)

The main point of our trip and most people’s trip to Cairns is to visit the Great Barrier Reef. The kids had never gone snorkeling before nor seen a reef. Unfortunately, the wind also negatively impacted our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Well, at least the wind negatively impacted my day. With really windy days there are really big waves in the ocean which cause major sea sickness. I don’t get car sick or anything like that; however, I always took Dramamine to fly with Paul and I do much better taking it when we’re out on a boat in really rough waters. Within 10 minutes of our boat leaving the marina, I was miserable and I knew I was in for one of the longest days of my life. It was a 2 hour boat ride out to the reef and I tried to put on my big girl face and hang in there, but it was tough. Although, I wasn’t nearly as bad off as some individuals who were working their way through the barf bags. I stayed away from them because just being around them started the whole gag effect. I realize I’m a frugal person, cheap really, and it sucks to feel crappy when you’ve spent a significant amount of money on an activity. Paul and the kids weren’t phased at all so it didn’t negatively impact their experience which was important.

I signed Paul and the kids up for the snorkel and discovery dive while I was just signed up for the snorkeling. There was supposed to also be a semi-submarine option in our trip but with the wind being as strong as it was they couldn’t bring the sub that close to the reef without knocking into it and well, that just wouldn’t go over well with nature conservationists. Due to the lovely wind we also only got the opportunity to snorkel/dive at one location rather than two. If it hadn’t been for the great time Paul and the kids had, I would’ve been very disappointed. I’ve traveled and snorkeled in some cool places so the whole experience wasn’t really about me but really an attempt to create some great memories for them. They all did a discovery dive with some enjoying it more than others and we all snorkeled. We saw a number of things including rainbow fish, parrot fish, clown fish, beautiful coral, a huge clam (the boys stuck their hand in it), a shark, and an octopus. All in all: mission accomplished.

So here we are, the four of us sitting at the airport in Cairns waiting for our already delayed flight. Anyone looking at us would assume that we’re a family and I guess we are. You’ve got two teenagers with headphones in listening to their iPods, a dad bent over a computer answering emails, and me. It all appears normal enough, yet, it just doesn’t feel normal. I feel like the outsider looking in, the odd man out. I’m the newest addition to this group and I’m just not sure where I fit in. Yes, this is my family, but I guess I’ve never really thought of us in that sense. In my opinion, I’m just the one married to their dad.

I’ve always been part of a family, but it’s really weird for me to consider myself as having a family. I’m not so sure I even embrace that concept yet. I guess I don’t feel like it’s my family to have. I’m just a part of a pre-existing group. For so long the words “family” to me have been defined by my parents, siblings, niece and nephews, etc., but now the term is different - if I want it to be. Yes, I realize that Paul has kids, but my day-to-day life doesn’t require me to view Paul as a dad. He’s just Paul, my husband who has two kids. I’m always kind of taken aback when he is in that “Dad” role because I just don’t see it on a regular basis. Paul is a great dad, but his role as dad doesn’t require me to be involved so I am a little removed from this part of his life. When people ask if I have children, I always say “my husband has two kids or refer to them as Paul’s kids.” It’s not that I don’t want to claim them, but I don’t know exactly where I fit in or again, if they’re mine to claim. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I don’t need to fit in anywhere, but rather just be. I do have a tendency to over analyze things.

There isn’t a significant (statistically speaking) age gap between me and the kids and they don’t need another parent so I guess I’m more or less considered like a big sister to them. I’m not necessarily sure if I see myself in that role, but I think that’s how they see me and that’s fine. We have a good relationship and get along well and I’m fortunate for that. More importantly they have a good relationship with their dad. I’m sure the distance (both physically and emotionally) helps our relationship as well. They know and are constantly reminded that we want them to be a part of our lives and we’ll do what we can to support that endeavor. We can all talk openly about whatever topic (even if considered taboo in other families) and I don’t feel like I have to filter too much of myself or my opinions which is good seeing as how I struggle with filtering myself, in general. I seem to be more up to date on the current trends/interests than Paul does so that allows me some credibility with the kids. However, during their visit I’ve realized that I’m not nearly as lenient of a parent as Paul. Luckily for the kids he ends up making most of the decisions.

It’s hard to navigate a blended family - I should know as I’m a product of one. I came onto the scene really late in the kids’ life and having friends married to guys with younger kids there are pros and cons. They were 13 and 14 when we began dating and are now 16 and 18. Coming into their lives so late requires me to be little more than a bystander when it comes to big decisions and that is VERY difficult for me especially as some of decisions play a role in my life as well. I try really, really hard to see it all from the kids’ perspective, but I’ll admit that it is difficult. So much of my world is all about me because well, it can be. Yes, I do consider myself selfish on occasions, but I think that is a result of choices that I have made in my life to allow me to be that way. Others have made different choices or have different circumstances that don’t allow them that same option. I don’t consider myself a selfish person; however, I do have different priorities than my parenting friends.

Over the past several months I’ve continually talked to my mom about being a second wife and a step- mom and she’s provided insight and opinions. Most importantly, she has let me know that each family has to determine what is best for them and take that route and all you can do is what you think is best. My family won’t and doesn't have to look the same as everyone else and that is something I have to come to understanding. I may not share the same memories with the Paul and the kids, but we’re making our own and that is important too. I guess what is more important than me feeling like I fit in is that I know I’m accepted and wanted within our own little family.

Cockatoo Island 6/5/10

Holding On

Recently, I joined a beginners Intro to Circus Skills. This was done in an effort to get out there, have a new experience, and meet new people. The commitment of a class also requires me to leave work at a decent hour and helps to fill my TV free and when he is out of town, husband free evenings. I’ve completed two lessons so far and let’s just say that I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon. The class is held in a huge warehouse with a rig on the ceiling holding all types of equipment to help students become aerial circus stars. Just think Cirque du Soleil. Over the course of the class we’ll be learning trapeze, aerial hula hoop skills, aerial silk, regular hula hooping, juggling, and acrobatics. (www.aerialize.com) Sounds like I’m highly qualified for the class, huh? In my defense there were no prerequisites but there probably should’ve been, like I don’t know maybe upper body strength, at least some upper body strength. Have I mentioned that I don’t really have any upper body strength??

The studio also has other classes including Chinese pole climbing and stilt walking. I could’ve used the stilt walking class about 12 years ago . . .not much use for it now. For those of you who don’t know I was the mascot for my high school my senior year. We were the Texans and I was the Long Tall Texan and had to walk on stilts in western wear. Honestly, I wasn’t that good on the stilts because I was just too fearful. During windy Friday night football games I refused to get on them for fear of falling over. Also, I was also concerned with standing too close to the sidelines because if a player came out of bounds then I just wasn’t fast enough to get out of their way. The decision for deciding the mascot wasn’t based upon tryouts, but an election instead. I may not have been great on the stilts but I did have a lot of pride and school spirit. Who knows, maybe next session I’ll take the stilt walking class and redeem myself.

Anyway, enough of embarrassing high school moments. This blog is focusing on my embarrassing adult moments. So I go to my first circus class all excited and nauseous/nervous and I’m acing the first hour. The first hour was a name game (important to know everyone’s name in case you need to yell at them to move before you fall through the air and land on them unexpectedly) followed by a warm up. I was so proud of myself thinking the whole time, “I’ve got this and I’m going to be just fine.” The first hour ended and that’s when the fun and games were over. Our next task was the aerial ribbons. You know the ones….girls climb up, wrap themselves into the fabric, and do all this amazing acrobatic stuff causing you to ooh and ahh. I was stunned. Was this not the first class?? What happened to the name games? I’m awesome with names! I kept thinking let’s go back to the names – I’m successful at that. Instead I repeatedly attempted to mimic the instructor and several students (so highly advanced that they must have taken a class before or are just freaks) by wrapping myself into the fabric and hoping that I’d miraculously ascend towards the top. The instructor kept telling me, “It’s easy . .just hold your body weight.” Ugh!! Does she have any idea of the amount of body weight I’m carrying?!?!? Within five minutes of the second hour, I felt absolutely defeated and wondered how/if I would make it the remaining seven classes. Memories of being the fat kid in elementary school trying unsuccessfully to climb the rope in gym class came flooding back to me. I was crying on the inside but really trying to laugh it off. Remember, this whole endeavor is really an attempt to make friends. To make matters worse about that time Paul ended up walking into the gym. I know many of you are thinking how sweet of him to be there to support me and all that stuff. Well, I was mortified. (They should at least have the “parent window” with blinds like the dance studios do instead of just letting anyone in.) First off, he was there WAY too early, but was curious and had been really kind and rented a car to take me home so I wouldn’t have to ride the bus. The thing is that it’s one thing to make an ass out of yourself in front of complete strangers, but to have your husband there watching it???? No thanks. I may have chosen to spend my life with him, but that doesn’t include my most embarrassing moments too. So there I am making pssst noises and doing a head nod towards the door the whole while attempting to be nonchalant and pretend like I don’t know him and he’s just sitting there .. aloof. Great time for him to be clueless as I’m having my own internal emotional meltdown. Eventually, after several dirty looks, he got up and left. Finally, after repeated attempts and mild fabric burns I was able to hold my own body weight in the fabric and I hung there proudly . . .about one foot of the ground. Others around me were advancing to backward flips and other weirdly named tricks, but I just held on and the fat kid inside me cheered.

This past week we focused on the aerial fabrics again and I might have improved . . .a tiny bit. We also tackled hula hooping and learned some tricks. I realize that I am an okay hula hooper (I kept my hoop up for over 5 minutes!) and am pretty proud of myself. To encourage our practicing at home the school sells hula hoops (for $30!! I told you Australia was expensive.) and all the students were buying one. I was completely pressured into it, but at least I got to pick my own colors for tape to wrap the hula hoop. I’m sure I won’t get any weird looks taking the hula hoop home on the bus. Maybe the other passengers will think I’m a highly talented hula hooping street entertainer. Sounds like a good story to me!

We also began trapeze skills and concentrated solely on the hangs. If I had monkey bar experience in my past then I probably would’ve been more successful, but we all know that fat kids don’t hang out on the monkey bars. You know, gravity and all. Actually, I didn’t do all that bad and I’m looking forward to improving. . . hopefully. I figure I can’t be any worse than I already am. I have taken an outdoor trapeze class in the Austin Hill Country with Paul a couple of years ago. I might have shed some tears that day on the platform, but this trapeze wasn’t nearly as tall nor was it outside in the wind so I felt much more comfortable. I’m not sure what circus skills we’ll learn this next week, nor does it really matter. Whether it be taking a silly class or moving halfway around the world, these days I’m doing all kinds of things that are pushing me out of my comfort zone. Some days are definitely better than others and I just have to remember to hold on.

The Daily Grind

Alright, okay, I’ll do it. As I sit trapped in this huge metal structure 35,000 feet in the air with 9 more hours till we land I have no more excuses. I have no reason why I shouldn’t use this time to FINALLY write a new post on my blog. I know, I know I’ve been missing in action for quite a while, but I’ve been a busy girl. Of course I have to justify my absence and my excuse is that I have rejoined the land of those receiving paychecks. Vacation mode of living in Sydney has worn off and I’m back to the daily grind. I have been working at my new job for the past four weeks and I LOVE it. It keeps me extremely busy and I’ve embraced the hectic, long days. (My daily public bus commute is a blog in itself.) It’s easy to become immersed in work when you don’t have much of a social life. I’m definitely not complaining though. I’ve got a great job with an awesome office suite (so cool!!) and the best thing about my new job is that I’m already on holiday break. Tough life, right?

I’m working as a School Psychologist in an all-boys private elementary school. I thought I’d miss working with girls more, but when I think about it, most of my students in Dallas were boys as well. I’m sort of a pseudo celebrity at my new school. The boys that I’ve met are often in awe of the fact that I’m from the States. I kind of like my D-list status. One kid I met immediately wanted to know all about the gun laws in the US (a little odd) while others are usually just interested in talking about video games, movies, or TV shows. Some boys have been appalled at my lack of knowledge on rugby, cricket, or other sports and are set on teaching as much as they can. I attempt to listen but most of the time just end up nodding and smiling. Sports just aren’t my thing. (FYI, at the school sport participation is compulsory for ALL boys. I feel bad for the non-coordinated ones.) I enjoy talking to the boys but have to really strain sometimes to understand them. Like all kids, some talk REALLY fast (Yes, I know I’m a fast talker as well.) and I have to listen closely to gather what they’re saying with the accent and all. We’re a pretty diverse campus so I have to listen to much more than an Aussie accent. Just this week I was informed that a bubbler is a water fountain. Cute, right?

Speaking of accents, one of the most common and annoying observations I’ve heard lately is, “Wow, you have an American accent.” or “Has anyone ever told you that you sound like you’re from the States?” I want to respond in a not so nice manner as the comment has become bothersome, but instead I just smile and explain that the reason I have an American accent is because I am American. Funny how those accents work.

I’ve really tried to tone down my use of ya’ll so I don’t sound so foreign or whatever, but it’s hard. One thing I haven’t been able to reduce the use of is “mam and sir”. I use that ALL the time when talking with parents and students and I have for years. It’s automatic regardless of age and I don’t even think about it. Some think it’s cute although I don’t want to be cute in the way I talk. I’d rather be cute in the outfit I’m wearing. Anyway, I have some co-workers who are really intrigued/disturbed by my use of “m’am and sir”. I’ve explained that it’s just a sign of respect and nothing else but they really don’t get it. I’ve become quite sensitive and self-conscious about it and maybe I should try to drop it altogether, but I really just want to be polite. Australia is a much more informal country than the US. For example, as a staff member in schools I would always address teachers by their last name when speaking to them directly and especially in front of students. I would also address parents by Mr. and Mrs. So and so as well. Here everyone is addressed by their first names and it’s quite a transition for me. The students do use last names when addressing teachers but they’re the only ones. Maybe I should just play by their rules, but I’m not ready to give in quite yet.

The school is extremely diverse and many of our students are English Language Learners. The school emphasizes celebrating all nationalities and just last week we had a Greek Day celebration hosted by parents and family members. There were Greek dances and a special lunch was made available for students and staff. For each country’s celebration day they fly that country’s flag alongside the Australian flag. There was a request put out there for an American flag and I immediately volunteered to purchase it. It’s my patriotic duty, right? I don’t know how much time I spent agonizing over which American flag to buy (embroidered, vinyl, cotton, etc.) before I finally purchased one. I didn’t want to go too small or too cheap but nothing better than their Australian flag either. I can’t be completely tacky about it. It really was a difficult decision and a matter of national pride as I alone have to represent the USA at school. I can only imagine what kind of stereotypes I’m reinforcing. I never said that I’d be the best representative, but by default, I’m the only one. Ideally we’d hold our American celebration on the fourth of July, but that’s our winter break and we’re out for holiday. (Yep, I’ve already got that trip planned too. Paul and I are headed to Tasmania for a long weekend to celebrate our first anniversary and his birthday and then I’m off to explore SE Asia . . again. It’s a big area and that’s how I’m justifying traveling there for the 3^rd year in a row.) I’m thinking of maybe doing something in November focusing around Thanksgiving but I haven’t quite made up my mind. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could actually cook and contribute to a Thanksgiving dinner at the school. Unfortunately, I have no cooking skills and no desire to even attempt to acquire some. I still show up at my grandmother’s house every year without having cooked anything (it’s in everyone’s best interest) and with Tupperware to take home leftovers. What could I possibly contribute without literally leaving a bad taste in everyone else’s mouth?? I’m domestically disabled and a lost cause. Anyone have any suggestions for a Thanksgiving type activity for the school or maybe another American holiday we could celebrate?

The kids and staff at the school are great and I’m really enjoying being an involved member of the campus. I’m working on setting up a pen pal type program with my campus and my niece and nephew’s school in Texas. Hopefully, that’ll all work out because I really do think it’d be a cool opportunity for all the kids involved. Just a little info about the Australian schools: The Australian school year runs the calendar year and its split up into four terms. Basically it’s year round school with 9-10 weeks of school followed by a 2-3 week holiday break in between with 8 weeks off for Summer (in December and January). I get about 15 weeks off a year and that’s perfect since I love to travel so much. The nice thing about this schedule is that you work extremely hard for 9-10 weeks and then you’re rewarded with a substantial break. Gotta love school schedules and I’m sooo glad I’m back in one.

Even though I have these two weeks off I wouldn’t have normally have been able to just hop on a plane and come home. Tickets are just a wee bit expensive. Fortunately, Paul’s company bought our tickets as part of a reward for him exceeding his sales goals this past year. The plane tickets were part of a trip to Cancun. I’ve got to get back to work and won’t be going to Cancun but Paul will attend. Due to our varied work and travel schedules, I’m in Texas on my own for these two weeks and will literally pass Paul in the air on my return to Sydney. He’s flying to Cancun and we’ll reunite at the end of April. Basically we’re spending the month apart. Yes, it’s odd, but it’s nice that we both encourage the other to do what they would like.

I’m a lucky, lucky girl to have a husband like Paul. He completely understands how much I miss my family and friends and what an important role they play in my day to day life. He’s seen and willfully been a part of my repeated efforts to get involved and meet new people in Sydney and although it’s working, it’s a slow process. I know he wants me to be happy so he’s all for my trip home even though it will involve time away from him and a significant amount of shopping. (It’s CRAZY expensive in Australia! Can you blame a girl for wanting a deal when she shops?) Now that I’ve gone back to work I can’t really talk to anyone during the week either. The amount of hours that we’re all awake and available to talk are pretty much non-existent. If we could all talk while we’re at work then it wouldn’t be such a problem, but we can’t and that is what makes it difficult. That pretty much leaves me with Saturday mornings or Sunday mornings to make calls. Unfortunately, Paul and I usually have activities planned for those times as well. The technology is great for cheap calls; however, finding the time is what makes it tough.

As if trying to see family and friends in a two week time span wasn’t stressful enough, I also added a short trip to Costa Rica into the mix. My friends, Brenda and Erik, moved there in December and since I’ve never been I thought it’d be a great adventure to check it out and visit with them while I’m on this side of the world. I realize heading to Costa Rica isn’t exactly a hop, jump, and a skip away, but when you live in Australia it is.

Although I’m VERY excited to be coming home and visiting family and friends I realize that it’s emotionally not in my best interests. I’ve only been in Sydney for 2 months and I was finally getting settled . .working, making friends, finding my way around, and setting up a home as our shipment FINALLY arrived. I’m worried that my return to Sydney won’t be as smooth as a transition as I’d like and I’ll be in a homesick funk since I don’t know when I’ll be home next and that is what really upsets me the most. Luckily, Paul won’t have to listen to me whine about Texas when I get back to Sydney since he won’t be there. The good news is that I’ve got to immediately return to work and with that distraction I hope to be too busy and exhausted to think about anything else. I do like my life in Sydney and am extremely blessed to have this opportunity, but I’ll never stop missing home.

Well, it’s bound to be bed time somewhere in the world so I’m going to attempt to get some sleep. Looking at my insane itinerary over the next two weeks this is probably my only opportunity. I haven’t rebounded back in to my unhealthy relationship with TV so I do have time to write this blog and I’m vowing to do a better job with it. Although my life isn’t crazy exciting I know there are many unique cultural experiences I need to be sharing so expect an update soon.

Sweet-As

No you didn’t read the title of this blog incorrectly. It’s supposed to be “Sweet- As” and it’s a Kiwi saying instead of "cool" or "awesome". For example, "Being unemployed for the first few weeks was sweet-as, but now I’m just ready for a paycheck." And I’m talking about the Kiwis of New Zealand, the name for citizens there, not the very delicious, yet curiously furry fruit. Last week, I wrapped up my four day adventure in New Zealand. (Yes, I realize that I’ve been home for a week and haven’t written this until now, but this blog and I have a love/hate relationship.) And yes I know four days isn’t nearly enough time to see the amazingly beautiful country of New Zealand or meet any hobbits, but it was all the time I had this trip. I had to take advantage of Paul’s company paying for the hotel room and sadly enough it was only for a few days. I’ll be back eventually, probably in a camper van and driving on the left side of the road. Well, I probably won’t be driving and that would be safer for all parties involved. On a side note, I have yet to see the inside of those little campervans, but am really curious as to where all the passengers sleep and have a kitchen, etc. There are a ton of them in New Zealand and Australia with backpackers and they’re like clown cars. The doors open up and backpacker after backpacker come piling out. Oh, although I might not have seen the inside of the campervan, I can tell you that they don’t have showers on board. Take one whiff of a backpacker and it’s evident.

Since Paul was there for work and I was there to play, I didn’t get to pick where I’d be visiting in NZ. The work was in Auckland and that was my base for exploring for the first couple of days. In doing some research on Auckland, I was a little disappointed. Although Auckland is the most populated city in New Zealand, there just didn’t seem to be much to do there beyond the city. Auckland is not in the top 10 places to visit in New Zealand much less for the North Island. It’s located on the water and has several smaller volcanic islands around it. Upon arrival, I checked into the hotel, a casino no less – woo hoo!, and headed to visit the little town of Davenport. It was around 5 pm and the town and everything in it was closed. (Have I mentioned how most retail shops in Australia are only open from 9 am – 5 pm? Thursday nights are their late shopping nights. They’re open till 7 pm . . . those rebels and their late hours.) Sadly, there were great shops to go in and check out but all I could do was window shop. However, window shopping is much nicer to my unemployed bank account. I spent the rest of my time sitting on the pier and watching the sail boats in the water. They were absolutely stunning against the Auckland skyline. Hanging out on your sailboat, on a summer evening after a long day at work looked just about perfect. I think I need to find a friend with a boat. Well, I guess I shouldn’t get picky on who I’m attempting to befriend on this side of the world. I ended the night by checking out the nightlife with Paul and his co-worker. I can now safely say that there isn’t much of a nightlife in Auckland. Even though it’s their biggest city, there just aren’t that many people.

The next day I took another ferry out to a further volcanic island and took a 4WD tour to the summit and walked around the crater. Although currently considered dormant, the pumice rock still had several hot pockets. The volcanic island is currently in the process of eradicating all pests (i.e., rabbits, feral cats, rats, mice, etc.) and will then reintroduce native species. Well, prior to boarding the ferry, I received a detailed packet instructing me to check my shoes, clothing, and bags, for insects, rats, and mice. I read this, and then looked around thinking seriously?!?!? If I’ve got a rat or mice or huge insect in my shoes, clothes, or bag then we’ve got WAY bigger problems then a concern me about bringing it to the island. Honestly, who is roaming around with a random mouse in their bag, even by accident? That’s just gross.

Later that evening, I decided to experience a little bit of Kiwi culture and attended a local theater’s play. It was called “I heart camping” and it was considered an “unromantic comedy” mocking New Zealand’s love of camping. It was hilarious and I had a great time, but when I attempted to share some of the funniest moments with Paul he just didn’t seem to get the jokes. Maybe it was my horrible attempt at a Kiwi accent. ­­

People keep asking me if I can tell the difference between the Aussie and Kiwi accent and I can’t. I try, but they all sound the same to me. I can’t even truly distinguish the difference between an English accent and an Aussie one. Don’t I get a little bit of a break. . . I’ve only been here a month.

New Zealand is known for its crazy adventure sports. If you want to bungee, skydive, hang glide, paraglide, heliski, kayak, whitewater raft, etc. then this is your place to do it. Obviously, the insurance requirements aren’t nearly as stringent there as they are in the states because there is no way some of these adventure activities would be occurring. People have even made up crazy (yet fun) activities and tourists just pay to do them. Folks, this is where I come in. I am not even slightly interested in bungee jumping or skydiving, but throw me in a large inflatable ball with some water, zip up the hatch, and roll me down a large hill and I am a happy, although soaked, girl at the bottom. This experience or contraption is called the ZORB (www.zorb.com) and it was invented by two bored Kiwis. I’m not so sure if they were bored or just smoking something when they thought of the ZORB, but regardless, it was AWESOME. (If you happened to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympics then you might have seen people lit up hopping around in huge inflatable balls. Those would be ZORBs. And even though I broke up with TV, the closing ceremony was a cultural event and is okay to watch. I decided to break up with TV so I can make up the rules.)

The ZORB has two options, one is with water where you just slosh around and the other is without water and you are harnessed in. Paul and I both failed to pack bathing suits as we just didn’t see the ZORB experience in our future, so we threw on some dirty clothes and jumped in the inflatable ball. We opted to ride separately as I really didn’t want his toe in my ear or other random body parts flying about as we bounced our way down the hill. Paul went first and the only way to get into the ball is to jump through this tiny hole. When Paul jumped in and got stuck, I just giggled. As he wiggled through, it reminded me of that Winnie-the-Pooh cartoon when Pooh gets stuck in the hole to his home because he ate too much honey. (I think my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh moment is when he taps his forehead and says, “think, think, think.” He was probably thinking, “What would Christopher Robin do?”) Unfortunately, I giggled too soon because I was the next Pooh bear to get stuck as I tried to enter the inflatable globe. And no, it wasn’t so funny then. The poor guy working the ZORB ride at the top of the hill probably gets tired of seeing people’s butts all day as they get stuck. Or maybe he mocks everyone’s attempt in a blog.

FYI – Here is a short video of me going down the hill in the ZORB. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-z6MONYalA

The next day we set out on a jet boat ride on a river. Sounds innocent enough but with 180 degree turns while going 40 mph, there was definitely a need to hold on. We got extremely wet on that adventure too even though I wore a huge raincoat type thing which was extremely attractive. Although we didn’t buy the tour company pics at the end, it was awesome to see us as we launched off the wave 10 ft in the air. The whole jet boat ride was sweet-as and I highly recommend it.

Oh, I failed to mention how we made it from Auckland to the other parts of the North Island that we visited about 4 hours away….we rented a car for our first formal attempt to drive on the left hand side of the road. Actually, I was just the passenger that tried to stay quiet and be supportive and Paul was the driving expert. He did really well as he reminded himself aloud on several occasions, “left, left, left.” I giggled then too, but it worked, except for that one time. Early Saturday morning we exited our hotel parking lot and turned right into oncoming traffic. Luckily there wasn’t too much traffic and the drivers saw us and slowed down until we got to the correct side. All in all, my brief visit to New Zealand was great and we even avoided a head on collision! Can’t wait to go back!