Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Company and Rediscovery

I've started writing weekly articles about Australia for the Triblocal of Oak Park, IL. You can find my postings on the Oak Park Entertainment section: http://www.triblocal.com/Oak_Park_&_River_Forest 
(just incase you're really bored). But for now: 

Moving far from loved ones is often hard and stressful. You miss them, they sometimes resent you, you miss them, they occasionally miss you, you miss them, they finally admit they miss you a bit, you find out your new town doesn't carry your quirky favorite snacks (like Kraft mac and cheese spirals), and guess what, you then also miss Kraft mac and cheese spirals and strawberry frosted poptarts.

The upside is that your loved ones have a cool new place to visit. Bob and I have a month ahead with visitors a plenty. After having nary a soul for months, we are to be swamped with 5 guests in a month. April shall be the month of craziness and fun!

Dennis, my sister-in-law's boyfriend arrived on Saturday. As Bob and I have been in Sydney for eight months, many of the daily sights and sounds have become normal, and unfortunately overlooked.

It's been great having Dennis around. Not only can he whip up an awesome pizza, but he gives a new sense of appreciation for where we are.

On his first day, we did what we do to any new arrival - walk their ass off. If you land after your 14.5 hr flight and go to sleep - you are in a world of trouble as jetlag will hit you like the fist of a boxing kangaroo. Walking through the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bob and I got a fresh appreciation for Australia's great plants, the glistening Opera House, massive Harbour Bridge, the local pubs, and even the haunting bird call of a currawong.

So we're looking forward to the month ahead, with many days of great rediscoveries, of why we moved here in the first place.

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