Oz residents for one week!

Friday marked one week in Sydney.  As thrilling as it is to be here, it doesn’t come without challenges.  Some of those challenges include:

1. A visit to the doctor for both boys; Reid has pink eye, and Parker swollen lymph-nodes.  
2. Bloody toes for mom and dad - who builds an apartment with a 1 inch lip up to the bathrooms?!
3. Getting Parker to eat food that isn’t grown/made in America – although we’ve been lying to him telling him he’s eating the same strawberries he ate in America because, duh, all strawberries come from Toluca, CA (is there even a Toluca, CA?)
4. Seeing a total of 9 houses over 2 days; one house included a charming bong on the patio table, cigarette butts on the deck, dirty dishes in the sink, unmade beds and dirty laundry scattered about all for the bargain price of $6k a month! 
5. Our first experience with puke!  That’s right, our boys have NEVER thrown up before this week.  In the car on the way back to the city after looking at houses ALL day, Reid puked!  Thankfully it was not our rental car, but the rental car of the relocation woman we’re working with.  Sorry Deborah!    
6. Parker fell down the stairs at one of the houses we went to see – those of you that know me well, which is basically anyone reading this, know how I feel about people falling – it’s frickin hilarious!  The look on his face as he was rolling down the stairs said, “Oh fuck, I’m falling down the stairs!”  But it was an impressive fall, he rolled, and that’s what I reinforced as he was screaming afterward, “Hey Parker, you totally fell like a pro, you rolled!” 
7. Piloting the car was crazy!  We’re on the wrong side of the car AND street!  Thank goodness for the, “Oh shit,” handle.  The Harbor Bridge was closed for the first time ever this weekend so we had to navigate our way through the tunnel.  We went through the Harbor Tunnel a total of 3 times in order to make it to our destination – “Big Ben, Parliament!”  However Mark did an amazing job conducting the vehicle considering the elements. 

Now on to some of the awesomeness!

1. Australians are so nice!  They’re truly helpful and happy people.  We were illegally parked trying to figure out how to get to the Harbor Tunnel and a “City Ranger,” equates to a meter maid type guy, approached our vehicle, I rolled down my window and in my Yankee drawl said, “We’re lost.  We just moved here and are trying to figure out how to get to the tunnel.”  Instead of saying, “Move your car ma’am,” like they would in the US, he said, “No worries!  It can be tricky, let me help.”  He proceeded to give us more than detailed directions to the tunnel and then said, “Take your time, no worries.”  They say no worries a lot here.
2.  The weather rocks!  It’s summer baby!  Haven’t worn a sweater since we’ve been here. 
3. They like to drink and gamble.  From our apartment, which is in the CBD (downtown), we can here the partyers down below.  Happy drunks!
4. This city is beautiful, picturesque.  The energy is warm, comforting and safe.  I’m not looking over my shoulder worrying about my backpack being ripped off my person.  Any direction you walk there is a site to see: the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, Darling Harbor.  The water views are endless and so beautiful.
5. There are thunder and lightning storms here!  Mark and I drank a bottle of wine on the balcony the other night and watched the electric show – it was awesome! 
6. They have NFL football on TV!  Bless the Aussies and their love of sports because we get to watch the Playoffs!  Ever since the Niners have started kicking major ass this season I’ve been terrified of the prospect of not being able to watch the Playoffs.  It’s been 10 years since we’ve been in the Playoffs and this just happens to be the year we move abroad.  But not to fear, Niner football will be in our living room!