Oops, its been a while!

What's new?? Joaquin has started a Kinder here and he really likes it. I know some of you reading this are gonna say "What? What happened to homeschooling??" We haven't abandoned homeschooling but the Kinder here is really more like formal playdates. In fact the teacher is very opposed to any type of formal instruction prefering instead to help the children learn from play. And I am all for that! The only problem is that little E thinks that he is part of the class too and so I often stay the whole day (only 9 to 1) because E gets to play too if I stay there to watch him. Our plan is to take J to Kinder three days a week and start very simple homeschool lessons on the other days. I have met a number of the other mothers and they are all very friendly. In fact there is another mom that is originally from Lancaster. And did I mention before that the guy that came to install the internet was from Altoona?? Small world. (Not really, at least it doesn't feel like it on the flight here!!!)

Anyway...what else? If you have looked at our flickr site then you know that we made a little trip out of Melbourne this past weekend. We had a long weekend so we made the best of it. Here's a bit of trivia: April 25 is ANZAC Day here in Oz. It stands for, I think, Australian and New Zealand Army(again, I think) Corps. It is much like our Veteran's Day but I think people take it much more seriously here, it seems. I felt a little guilty for not going downtown at sunrise for the memorial service but I would like to go next year if we are still here.

The really big thing about our trip is that we drove there! Actually, I did most of the driving. I don't know that Esteban feels that confident about it yet. Hmmm...could it have anything to do with the crazy, paranoid lady in the passenger(formerly driver's) seat chanting "stay left, stay left, stay left..." and frequently sucking in air loudly (as one might do just before an accident)? This lady also repeatedly yells towards the poor innocents in the back seat "no talking, you're father could have an accident!!", even when they are making no noise at all?? Nahhh. It's just Esteban.

Anyway...I got pretty used to driving on the left pretty quickly, which actually made me more nervous because that's when I think I'll make a mistake, when I am no longer super cautious. Much like the time my father turned down the wrong way on the highway in Ireland on our fifth day there. Yes, he got too comfortable. Many people have told me that the most dangerous time is when we return to the states and start driving on the other side again. That makes sense. The one thing that both Esteban and I were really having trouble with was the turning signal. When you drive on the left the signal is on the right side of the steering column. Totally weird, right?? Imagine it. You have to push it the opposite way. To turn left, you have to push it up and vice versa. We kept turning the wipers on every time we wanted to turn which is the last thing you need when you are trying to stay in the correct lane. The radio volume button is also on the other side. What else? Oh yeah...the overtake lanes are backwards. When you are on the highway, the slow lane is the left lane and you have to go to the left to overtake. Let me tell you, that feels really weird. I never really got used to that.

I am also trying to think if I have anymore cute Aussie-isms. Let me see if I can think of some:

Plungers are french coffee presses.

Here we don't get food to go, we get food to take away.

It's next to impossible to get just straight black coffee, which I think they call filtered. I haven't figured out the coffee code yet, but here's an attempt...a short white flat is a small coffee with unfrothed milk. A black flat is no milk. Isn't that redundant? Maybe I have that wrong. I better ask Esteban before I continue.

OH! Here's one thing that ensures that we won't stay permanently. Aussies don't drink Iced Tea!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! I ask everywhere we go and they refer me to the drink cooler for that fake Lipton brown, corn syrup water that sell as "tea". YUCK!!! I've stopped ordering drinks in the restaurants. Now that its winter I will start drinking hot tea, but whatever will I do come summer???

I'll move on. People here say cordial as cor-dee-al. And it refers to a syrupy type drink that you pour in your water. Probably more colored corn syrup.

Muslin cloth here is cheesecloth. What we call Muslin in the states, they call Calico. Am I spelling Muslin correctly?

I was told that Joaquin should try not to say boo-boo as most Aussies have never heard of that and will probably think he is making referance to certain parts of his lady teachers.

Did I already mention this one? We got a ride to church the other day from Peter, a new friend, and he asked if he could put my bag in his boot. Now what was I to say to that?? "Either I don't know what a boot is, or you've got awfully large feet!" perhaps? Instead I politely asked what in the world he meant and he said that he thinks we call it the trunk. I started to say of course we call it the trunk but then realized that "trunk" doesn't really make any sense either. What I did say was, thinking I was being clever, "so if that's the boot, is the hood the hat? ha ha" Peter replied with a straight face "Close, its the bonnet." I didn't believe him. I had to ask several others. Here I was supposed to be learning about Jesus and all I could do was whisper to those around me "what do you call the front of your car?" I'm a heathen. But now an informed heathen.

Sneakers are runners.

Sweaters are called jumpers.

I think that's all I can think of for tonight. I am sure I'll encounter more.

Oh, and Joaquin say G'day mate now to the folks on the tram.