It's Halloween, oh how I miss those days of dressing up and candy and not doing real lessons in school. Holidays are such a good break from the day-to-day and I think celebrating holidays really reminds you to stop and not continue through life with the days passing fast. Celebrating holidays marks where you are in the year, and adds a little something to an ordinary week.
There are many school now apparently that are banning Halloween costume parades, and nighttime trick-or-treating seems to receding as people become more frightened of the people on the streets than they are of the costumes that kids wear. I know that bad people exist, and it is certainly a small risk letting your kids run around the neighborhood, high on sugar, but c'mon, we can't live in a paranoid, enclosed world. One of the great things about trick-or-treating is the sense of community it enables. Neighbors that you may never have met otherwise open their door to you, you have at minimum momentary exchanges, which is more than may have happened otherwise, and you see all of the kids your age that exist just in the surrounding area. It's great. What a shame if that all goes away because people perceive the world as more dangerous. I'm not sure that it is, who knows, but I know that it would be sad to make the next generation think that it is too.
Well, it's Friday...again. That seemed to come around pretty fast actually. Rob and I bought a car (thanks Tony and Trixie!) and are taking it for a road trip this weekend on the Great Ocean Road. It should be great, and I plan to become an expert on driving on the left side of the road by the time we're back.
Have a great Halloween and weekend, I hope someone has a Reece's for me!
Treats, not tricks,
Sandra and Rob
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thongs, etc
Well, it's been a good week, but a tough one. I had an unexplained case of food poisoning that is never much fun. Rob took good care of me though. On the plus side, I got my absentee ballot in the mail, and another vote for Obama is on its way. I will take it to the US Consulate here in Melbourne today, where they speedily express it to the U.S. Very convenient.
Rob is working really hard, and has lots of different things going on at work. He's learning a lot about what is going on with the national economy, environment, and government, and no doubt contributing a lot too. I have been writing endless follow-up thank you letters and seeing who wants to interview me next. But it's not all work and no play for the Burleys! Tonight we start the first in a series of beginner golf lessons. Now, I happen to think that golf is a pretty boring sport (and I really apologize to all those who love, I'm sure it can be great). I probably think it's boring because I'm so bad at it. I tend to like things I excel at :) However, we decided what the hey, there's a gold course across the street, people seem to love it, let's give it a try. So, don't expect any national championships from either of us, but we'll at least learn which end of the club to hold. Only kidding, it's the one with the rounded bit of course.
Actually, I'm not being fair. Rob knows how to play and is pretty decent already. I have no interest and talent, and therefore have far more to learn with this sport. Perhaps tonight I will uncover a long-hidden gift and surprise the world!
This weekend we are driving The Great Ocean Road, one of the best drives in the world apparently. Ferries to Tasmania were all booked, so we are saving that for another time. It's always chilly there, so we may as well go when the B & B's deem it cold enough to have fires going, and make it a cozy holiday.
On an Australian note, I have had another reason added to the list of why I am a bad Australian (mentioned to me by a born and bred Aussie). Apparently, I do not own enough thongs, as I only have one pair. Now, don't get all het up over this disclosure! This is lesson number two. Thongs are not what we in the U.S., England, or other countries might think of them as. They go no farther up your body than your feet. Thongs are flip-flops, an important thing to know here. So, when my friend this weekend said she liked my thongs and asked where I got them, I could have spared us all some embarassment had I known that she was referring to the choice of my footwear. A good thing to know indeed.
Over and Out,
Sandra and Rob
Rob is working really hard, and has lots of different things going on at work. He's learning a lot about what is going on with the national economy, environment, and government, and no doubt contributing a lot too. I have been writing endless follow-up thank you letters and seeing who wants to interview me next. But it's not all work and no play for the Burleys! Tonight we start the first in a series of beginner golf lessons. Now, I happen to think that golf is a pretty boring sport (and I really apologize to all those who love, I'm sure it can be great). I probably think it's boring because I'm so bad at it. I tend to like things I excel at :) However, we decided what the hey, there's a gold course across the street, people seem to love it, let's give it a try. So, don't expect any national championships from either of us, but we'll at least learn which end of the club to hold. Only kidding, it's the one with the rounded bit of course.
Actually, I'm not being fair. Rob knows how to play and is pretty decent already. I have no interest and talent, and therefore have far more to learn with this sport. Perhaps tonight I will uncover a long-hidden gift and surprise the world!
This weekend we are driving The Great Ocean Road, one of the best drives in the world apparently. Ferries to Tasmania were all booked, so we are saving that for another time. It's always chilly there, so we may as well go when the B & B's deem it cold enough to have fires going, and make it a cozy holiday.
On an Australian note, I have had another reason added to the list of why I am a bad Australian (mentioned to me by a born and bred Aussie). Apparently, I do not own enough thongs, as I only have one pair. Now, don't get all het up over this disclosure! This is lesson number two. Thongs are not what we in the U.S., England, or other countries might think of them as. They go no farther up your body than your feet. Thongs are flip-flops, an important thing to know here. So, when my friend this weekend said she liked my thongs and asked where I got them, I could have spared us all some embarassment had I known that she was referring to the choice of my footwear. A good thing to know indeed.
Over and Out,
Sandra and Rob
Monday, October 27, 2008
Woe to a weekend past- is it the next one yet?
Another beautiful day here in Australia. Rob and I were saying over the weekend that we aren't very good Australians yet. We ventured out for a walk on Sunday in t-shirts and sweatpants (yes, very scruffy), only to find that wearing anything more than a cotton tank-top and shorts was entirely overdressed. The weather is hotter than anything we've experienced. Even growing up in humid DC in the summer, this was unexpected. Partly because it's October and that doesn't seem natural to us, and partly because well, it's Australia, and we have some things to learn. We also have on our list a) a big bottle of sunscreen to put by the door and b) a big bottle of mosquito/fly repellent to be easily accessible in the same place. Apparently the ozone layer over Australia is verrrrry thin, so we have to be extra careful. The "apply every 2-3 hours" with sunscreen is something that people take very seriously. Thank goodness we have baseball hats coming in our air shipment soon, they are more than just a fashion statement here, they're survival! And the bugs, well, that's just something that comes as part of the Aussie package, luckily the only thing we can find to complain about so far :)
Had a great weekend, just fantastic. Went to a party, saw two movies, went for a great walk to explore the beach, and discovered a huge mall, which is only exciting because they don't have them in Holland. I have to say, the movies we saw were excellent. First, Body of Lies, the new Leo DiCaprio (new here at least, I think the movies run a little behind), and Russell Crowe. This was possibly the best movie Rob and I have seen in the last three years, which is why I mention it. There are times in it you might think, uughhh, I don't want to see this (scary factor/violent factor) but actually in the end you will be really glad you put in the time. So good.
The other movie we saw was possibly the saddest movie I have seen in years. Called Sleepers, it starts Robert DeNiro and Brad Pitt, and is just the most awful, heart-breaking, tragic movie I can remember. It was an incredibly good film, very thought-provoking, but so intense and horrible. Basically, it was about the torture and rape of young boys at a juvenile detention center in upstate New York in the 60's. Who knows if it is a true story, but certainly the prison system wasn't well-regulated for years, and guards abused their privileges constantly. Sadly, this probably still happens in many places in the world, to a variety of people. This movie really made me want to do something to help the exploitation and suffering of people at the hands of those who have authority over them. I think I'm going to have to take some action to help against this, whether it's volunteer work or part of my career. I've started looking into being involved in organizations that help prevent sex trafficking, and will continue to look into ways I can help.
On a lighter note.... :)
We are ready for another weekend. This one we are taking a three day-er, and hopefully hopping on a ferry down to Tasmania. A whole new country to explore! Are there really Tasmanian Devils and do they really whirl into tiny little cyclones? I'll let you know. Apparently it is a beautiful country. Great outdoors, beauiful hiking, fantastic wine. The Aussies call it Tassie, which is adorable. I think we'll have a fantastic time.
Signing out and hoping you all have a glorious tomorrow (which is already today here, so mind-boggling!)
Sandra and Rob
Had a great weekend, just fantastic. Went to a party, saw two movies, went for a great walk to explore the beach, and discovered a huge mall, which is only exciting because they don't have them in Holland. I have to say, the movies we saw were excellent. First, Body of Lies, the new Leo DiCaprio (new here at least, I think the movies run a little behind), and Russell Crowe. This was possibly the best movie Rob and I have seen in the last three years, which is why I mention it. There are times in it you might think, uughhh, I don't want to see this (scary factor/violent factor) but actually in the end you will be really glad you put in the time. So good.
The other movie we saw was possibly the saddest movie I have seen in years. Called Sleepers, it starts Robert DeNiro and Brad Pitt, and is just the most awful, heart-breaking, tragic movie I can remember. It was an incredibly good film, very thought-provoking, but so intense and horrible. Basically, it was about the torture and rape of young boys at a juvenile detention center in upstate New York in the 60's. Who knows if it is a true story, but certainly the prison system wasn't well-regulated for years, and guards abused their privileges constantly. Sadly, this probably still happens in many places in the world, to a variety of people. This movie really made me want to do something to help the exploitation and suffering of people at the hands of those who have authority over them. I think I'm going to have to take some action to help against this, whether it's volunteer work or part of my career. I've started looking into being involved in organizations that help prevent sex trafficking, and will continue to look into ways I can help.
On a lighter note.... :)
We are ready for another weekend. This one we are taking a three day-er, and hopefully hopping on a ferry down to Tasmania. A whole new country to explore! Are there really Tasmanian Devils and do they really whirl into tiny little cyclones? I'll let you know. Apparently it is a beautiful country. Great outdoors, beauiful hiking, fantastic wine. The Aussies call it Tassie, which is adorable. I think we'll have a fantastic time.
Signing out and hoping you all have a glorious tomorrow (which is already today here, so mind-boggling!)
Sandra and Rob
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Musings on a Culture
What a multicultural city. Today I went for a walk on my lunch hour (which is whatever hour I deem that to be as I have yet to find formal employment). I walked around a big lake near our apartment, and I swear it could have been an ad for the UN. Or maybe Mastercard, or even more likely HSBC which loves to portray itself as truly global. Anyway, I digress. I saw an Asian woman doing Tai Chi, a be-suited Muslim man praying to Mecca, and passed the Australia-Egypt-Israel Peace Grove. I thought all that was pretty cool. I added to the intercultural mix of course by being a foreigner myself.
It's very interesting reading the history of Australia's immigration, which is relevant to every single person living here, even the aboriginal people who it is said had to come from somewhere else. Apparently Australia wasn't part of Pangea (according to Bill Bryson, who by the way wrote a fantastic book on Australia). There are so many people from all over, even though in some ways it feels like a very homogenous society. We'll see what our thoughts are as we really get to know it. In Holland, which at first glance feels very homogenous, after a while one realizes the vast immigration that happened 10 years ago, and the problems the country has had with people acclimating to Dutch culture.
On more personal news, it's the weekend in a few hours and we are really looking forward to it. It's been a busy week for both of us. Rob has been working incredibly hard, and I've been begging people to give me a job. Not begging, that's the wrong word. Interviewing. Are they different? So we are ready for the weekend. It's supposed to be hot, hot, hot so I dare say we'll end up at the beach one way or the other.
Have a great one
Sandra and Rob, from one day in the future
It's very interesting reading the history of Australia's immigration, which is relevant to every single person living here, even the aboriginal people who it is said had to come from somewhere else. Apparently Australia wasn't part of Pangea (according to Bill Bryson, who by the way wrote a fantastic book on Australia). There are so many people from all over, even though in some ways it feels like a very homogenous society. We'll see what our thoughts are as we really get to know it. In Holland, which at first glance feels very homogenous, after a while one realizes the vast immigration that happened 10 years ago, and the problems the country has had with people acclimating to Dutch culture.
On more personal news, it's the weekend in a few hours and we are really looking forward to it. It's been a busy week for both of us. Rob has been working incredibly hard, and I've been begging people to give me a job. Not begging, that's the wrong word. Interviewing. Are they different? So we are ready for the weekend. It's supposed to be hot, hot, hot so I dare say we'll end up at the beach one way or the other.
Have a great one
Sandra and Rob, from one day in the future
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We've Come to the Land Down Under
Yes, it's not such an original title for a blog, but amazingly I cannot get that song out of my head. Why? How many other songs pop to mind when you think of Australia? I know of no such songs that discuss kangaroos or koalas or barbeques, and with shame I have to say that before coming that is really my entire impression of Australia. Obviously Kylie Minogue and various overused sayings come to mind, but my knowledge and ideas about Oz were fairly limited before coming. Hence, the song my great (and only) way to kick off this blog.
We've been here for three weeks now, and love it. We arrived the day before Grand Final Day, which is the superbowl of Aussie Rules Football. Went to a fantastic party and played in the halftime kick, which I have to say Rob and I did pretty well at considering we were barefoot (everyone wore sneakers, we wore flip-flops, hey, we're in Australia!) See the corresponding photos.
Obviously we have a lot of new impressions of Australia, and I would love to tell you about them, but this is all oerwhelmed by my amazing prowess at picking winning horses that I must brag about here. We went to the Spring Racing Carnival which is a fantastic multi-week event where various horse races take place at tracks around the city. Everyone dresses up (mostly nicely, but there are always a few who interpret things differently) and flocks to the sunshine with picnics and blankets surrounding the track. Our good friends Alex and Mel were down from Sydney, and amazingly Tony and Trixie from The Hague (whose brilliant idea the races were in the first place), so we formed a merry little band along with some of their friends and started in on the champagne. And sunscreen. The Aussies take their sunscreen very seriously. I can just about see my mom noddingly approvingly. They had a campaign a while back called Slip, Slop, Slap, which promoted sunscreen use and apparently was pretty effective (thank goodness, before that it was melanoma city here). Slip, Slop, Slap means slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat. Great advertising. And people do for the most part. They even had a sunscreen booth at the entrance which was packed with participants. Good for them.
Back to me then....I casually (but clearly knowingly and responsibly) placed a few bets throughout the day. $5 here, $10 there. My first bet had odds of 21 to 1. It won. (That's $105 AUS return, pretty nice). That was a long shot, but it was the first bet of the day. I bet on it because the horse was trained by the only female trainer in the race. Beginner's luck. The $10 bet was for a horse which I just loved the name of, All the Good. 47 to 1 odds, not looking so good for me and Rob. Still, it was fun to bet. The horse was placing fifth until the last few seconds of the race. Then it won. Yup, this no-chance horse zoomed ahead with a few seconds to spare and won the big race of the day. Rob and I couldn't actually believe it, and didn't really believe it until we claimed our winnings. It was a fun day for us. It would have been regardless, but that was just the icing on the cake. Called it a day shortly after that, and went home happy and impressed by how lucky we were in Australia.
Other than that life is peaceful and nice. We had our first kite surfing lesson, and have a second coming up this weekend. Rob bought a racing bike and cycles to and from work, and impressive 1 1/2 hour round trip. I of course am job hunting but appreciating the time I have do things such as write this blog. We adore our apartment and will post pictures soon. See if you can spot the planning flaw- it's great. Really though, it's an amazing place to live. Views to the sea, a balcony with a barbeque, and some pretty impressive ammenities that you'll just have to come visit us to see. And of of course, which is the main draw :)
With sunshine and sunscreen,
Sandra and Rob
We've been here for three weeks now, and love it. We arrived the day before Grand Final Day, which is the superbowl of Aussie Rules Football. Went to a fantastic party and played in the halftime kick, which I have to say Rob and I did pretty well at considering we were barefoot (everyone wore sneakers, we wore flip-flops, hey, we're in Australia!) See the corresponding photos.
Obviously we have a lot of new impressions of Australia, and I would love to tell you about them, but this is all oerwhelmed by my amazing prowess at picking winning horses that I must brag about here. We went to the Spring Racing Carnival which is a fantastic multi-week event where various horse races take place at tracks around the city. Everyone dresses up (mostly nicely, but there are always a few who interpret things differently) and flocks to the sunshine with picnics and blankets surrounding the track. Our good friends Alex and Mel were down from Sydney, and amazingly Tony and Trixie from The Hague (whose brilliant idea the races were in the first place), so we formed a merry little band along with some of their friends and started in on the champagne. And sunscreen. The Aussies take their sunscreen very seriously. I can just about see my mom noddingly approvingly. They had a campaign a while back called Slip, Slop, Slap, which promoted sunscreen use and apparently was pretty effective (thank goodness, before that it was melanoma city here). Slip, Slop, Slap means slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat. Great advertising. And people do for the most part. They even had a sunscreen booth at the entrance which was packed with participants. Good for them.
Back to me then....I casually (but clearly knowingly and responsibly) placed a few bets throughout the day. $5 here, $10 there. My first bet had odds of 21 to 1. It won. (That's $105 AUS return, pretty nice). That was a long shot, but it was the first bet of the day. I bet on it because the horse was trained by the only female trainer in the race. Beginner's luck. The $10 bet was for a horse which I just loved the name of, All the Good. 47 to 1 odds, not looking so good for me and Rob. Still, it was fun to bet. The horse was placing fifth until the last few seconds of the race. Then it won. Yup, this no-chance horse zoomed ahead with a few seconds to spare and won the big race of the day. Rob and I couldn't actually believe it, and didn't really believe it until we claimed our winnings. It was a fun day for us. It would have been regardless, but that was just the icing on the cake. Called it a day shortly after that, and went home happy and impressed by how lucky we were in Australia.
Other than that life is peaceful and nice. We had our first kite surfing lesson, and have a second coming up this weekend. Rob bought a racing bike and cycles to and from work, and impressive 1 1/2 hour round trip. I of course am job hunting but appreciating the time I have do things such as write this blog. We adore our apartment and will post pictures soon. See if you can spot the planning flaw- it's great. Really though, it's an amazing place to live. Views to the sea, a balcony with a barbeque, and some pretty impressive ammenities that you'll just have to come visit us to see. And of of course, which is the main draw :)
With sunshine and sunscreen,
Sandra and Rob
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A map of Australia
So you can see where we are (bottom right)
