Shhh...cassowary

We have probably a dozen geckos at home, our very large long-time tenant Langley included. The bathroom has the world's tiniest gecko, about the length of a push pin and about as wide as the pin. Absolutely gorgeous.

Have finally gotten an arrangement with the somewhat-local dv agency here. I don't get access to their policies and such immediately (understandable) but they've scheduled me in to volunteer for three full days next week. I'm looking forward to it. I don't get to be on my own, obviously, but it will be great to see how things look.

Comes at a great time as Kelvin and I are looking for a bit of a break from all that is family. We're also taking a few days coming up to go to Tasmania where we were married. The most wonderful place on earth, and frighteningly close to Antarctica. There are these little fairy penguins that come up on the beach at night and they are the most amazing things ever. I'm not sure if Alhena will be able to be quiet while we're waiting for them, but we'll see. I can't wait!

The dv woman (Cathy) I've been chatting to who does informal work out where we live has been giving me an interesting rundown of what her work entails. It's mostly education for the white, upper-middle class of this area. All women, all in heterosexual relationships. She's been great to answer my multitudes of questions and has many times said she thinks DVIP is training well, since I have so many questions. I think that's how she tries to politely shut me up. It has failed so far :) She always makes me tea and some strange sandwich when we meet. They are always very posh and very tasty, but I have yet to really understand what is actually on them. When I ask, her answer is always "aren't they delicious?!" Not really an answer.

I learned yesterday that the way I hang out laundry to dry is "shocking" and that I'm lucky I already have a partner, as no one would have me with my sub par line hanging skills. I am thankful that Kelvin did not require in our early-dating exams he administered. Whew!

And my new favorite commercial is a nescafe commercial that explains "had an uncomfortable one-night stand when drinking alcohol at a party? No problem! Have the host make you a sweet nescafe instant beverage in the morning, and you'll not only lose that awkward feeling, but ALSO have a wonderful long-term relationship!" So let your friends know! Too bad only Australia knows this amazing secret!

Will definitely give updates after next weeks three-day marathon of volunteering. I kind of miss having regular work. I'm pretty sure I'm the reason for "idle hands are the devil's playground".

Yay!

A~

It was about the size of a mouse, so it must have been a cockroach

 

Just a quick blog, as we have family shifts going on and I need to get back.  First, some photos, Alhena swimming on a tortoise, charming us for a piece of watermelon, eating her watermelon while dripping formula all over herself and her bedding, laughing as she tries to stick her hand in a drain on a floor, and being adorable, a kookabura (my favorite Australian bird) on our laundry line out back.

A lot of swearing in parliament these days (elections in a month) - it's like Newt and Mitt with hilarious accents and fewer language controls in the media. Except they have normal names like Julia and Tony.

Weather is cooling a bit, with most days only hitting 100 degrees. Humidity comes and goes. Our mangoes are the most delicious thing ever, and I've been eating them like candy.

Favorite local finds this week: 

Lindt passionfruit dark chocolate

Pineapple and tahitian lime sorbet

Broken bus machines so everyone gets free rides.  All day.

McDonald's makes good flat whites

Backyard rabbits that are actually jackalopes

We took Alhena swimming at the local pool last week, as shown in the photo above. She LOVED it. We were worried it would be too cold, as it was 7:30 am and they don't hear their pools here (the sun is actually capable of heating the water). It was perfect though.  Afterward we went and got her her new favorite food - beef and mushroom pie. She's part Aussie after all.

One group of my in-laws lent us a car for a few days, which has a muffler problem so it's like riding on top of a train with no earplugs.  Kelvin and I always end up with headaches, but Alhena LOVES it, and sings along with the muffler sounds.  They eventually lull her to sleep.  It's quite effective.

Otherwise, things stay busy and full. I'm getting some work done on shelter policies, they're a great excuse for getting some time to sit out on the veranda and enjoy the outdoors. Mornings and evenings here are brilliant, except for the mozzies. I just wear my tried and true hoodies, and I'm like a mosquito-fighting ninja, without even moving.

 

Holy moses bit the pharoah

I hear the weirdest songs on the radio here.  They probably exist in the States, but I think we've removed them from our history in an attempt to pretend they didn't happen.

I met Kristie's aussie doppelganger this morning.  She had a ridiculous accent; Kelvin thinks she's an American pretending to be Australian because no Australian could butcher their own accent like that.

We've had an eventful few days!  Our real estate agent grabbed Kelvin by the shirt and pushed him out of the office when Kelvin asked why our house was in such bad condition.  I double-checked with Kelvin - this is not normal Australian business practice :)  Our nephew has just been put in a motorized wheelchair - it's nicer than any of our vehicles, except possibly Mary Ann's miata.  A remarkable feat of engineering.  I'm thinking about getting one through the end of my pregnancy.

There's a woman I've become connected with who does some unorganized DV work in the communities around where we live.  We actually met by accident; she came to admire Alhena and asked questions when I revealed my foreign accent.  We haven't spent a lot of time together at this point, but we have plans to have me around as she does some of her work.  We've talked a lot about support for immigrants/refugees/non-whites.  In the informal network she works within, she has a lot of flexibility in what and how she works with these populations, but she has talked about a lot of similar frustrations that we face.  Australia doesn't have a lot of undocumented individuals, but there are huge populations who aren't even thought about (according to her) in the more organized DV agencies in Queensland. 

I'm meeting with her this afternoon, as it's Valentine's Day, and she and her comrades have a history of getting together on Valentine's Day to discuss women's issues and the construction of heterosexual relationships.  She hasn't talked yet at all about non-heterosexual relationships, or about male victims of violence, so I'm not sure how those pieces fit into what she does.  Talking with her makes me feel blessed that a whole agency exists (DVIP) that tries to attack the many prongs of violence and can help support each of us as individuals as we try to come together to work within the anti-violence movement.  I'm interested to learn from her how she and her connections deal with racism as it impacts survivors.  While she can name that those who are marginalized are in dire need of services, she doesn't speak of it in the direct conversation of racism that we might.  But it's hard to know context, since PC language and anti-racism work isn't something that has the history in Australia that it has in the US.

Enough of work-related thoughts :)  I just was feeling very proud of DVIP for the complex and intense role it plays in advancing the anti-violence and anti-racism movements!

The heat remains, although Kelvin has made a lot of headway in cutting our grass which has reduced some of the humidity.  It was long and thick, and kept Alhena and I inside due to my paranoia about being eaten by aggressive brown snakes.

Alhena loves the watermelon here, but insists on having her own adult-sized piece with rind and all.  Anything else gets immediately thrown, with disgust, to the floor.  I have a pic of her eating it, but haven't put it onto my computer yet, so will get that up next time.  She also pulls herself up to standing all the time, and is ready to walk.  She's just waiting for her leg muscles to catch up with her expectations.

The McDonald's I'm sitting in (as the ONLY place for free wi-fi in an entire city of more than 2 million people) is about 18 degrees Fahrenheit.  Which you would think would be a relief, except that we are of course dressed for 110 degree weather and humidity, so it's a bit like talking a cold shower outside in Alaska in January.  But at least we're in the 21st century.

This is suddenly very long, and all of you should be working rather than reading my ramblings :)  After all of the many hours I have spent at DVIP, I think of you all often.  I hope things are going well and you are taking care of yourselves and each other!

A~

"I think I see giant apes living in there"

Title is Kelvin's apt description of my mother-in-laws tropical gardens.

Our arrival in Australia brings 110 degree heat and humidity that the locals can't remember having experienced in the last few decades. Everything's green though, which is not common on this desert landmass. We have frangipani flowering our yard and mangos ready for picking. We picked most to keep the flying foxes (gigantic bats) from gobbling them all up in the wee hours of the morning.

Spend a lot of time hearing from locals - family, friends and strangers alike - about what is happening in the US. Fascinating variety of reports. My favorite so far has been that due to America voting Obama in, all Americans are now homeless. All of us. Yes. Correct.

Having a bit of a time adjusting to food costs in Australia. My favourite examples:

single serve container of yogurt, $3.50

12 oz bottle of water, $3

single meal of vietnamese noodle soup, $18

The advice we've been given? "Only eat what's on special at the shops". Like white bread and 65% lean ground lamb, which tastes like death. Mmmmmm.

Alhena loves the laughter of the kookaburra in the mornings, and thinks the plants are marvelous. The heat hits her pretty hard, so she sleeps a lot when we're out wandering about. She loves the watermelon here, but is still deciding if mango and passionfruit are her thing. She loves the magpies that live at our house too, and helps Kelvin feed them cheese. Because nature always provides magpies with a regular supply of cheese.

The only free wi-fi anywhere that we can find is at McDonald's, and runs as though they are channeling dial up from 1991.  Interesting problem in 2012.

Oh, and a tarantula the size of a giant's hand has taken up residence in my jeans that were hanging on the line. Yay!

Wishing you all well, and hoping winter remains mild.  Photos of Alhena will follow soon.    :)

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So, I haven't actually left the country yet, but I am just making sure the blog works!  YAY!