Journal Entry - May 25, 2008 - 364 Days in Australia

Author: Pam

We rocked up in Australia on May 25, 2007 for a three week stop in Sydney, 364 days later we left to continue this amazing adventure. I have said over the past few months, I could live in Australia and then in the next moment I added a correction, well actually I guess I do live in Australia. If you had said to me in October of 2004 that I would spend a year living on our boat and working in Oz, a country I had only dreamt about visiting I'm sure I wouldn't have said that would never happen, but it certainly was not part of the plan.

It turns out these kinds of not part of plan will probably be the most amazing part of the adventure in the end. There is no way I can begin to capture every aspect of my life over the past year and all of the wonderful people who are now in my heart and on my list of friends forever.

When Scott left to return to the US in October I was comfortably settled on the boat in the marina in Newcastle that was our/my home for ten months. We had already made some friends, so I knew I wouldn't be too lonely and I knew how to get to the grocery store, so I wouldn't go hungry. However, eating alone did become a bit of an issue. What I didn't have was a job. All I could say was I am determined and very motivated to find a job and experience working in another country.

It was actually very serendipitous how I found my job in the end. I was doing some research for a project I was working on and ended up on the Sailors With Disabilities in Sydney website. On the links page was a link to Northcott Disability Services, "an organization for people with disabilities." One of the job searching approaches I was taking was to look at job vacancies on non-profit websites, so I decided to have a look. First of all, there were about thirty job openings, but near the bottom of the list the Volunteer Coordinator position jumped out at me. There were only a few minor hurdles to consider. First of all the job was in Parramatta (a 2.5 hour train ride from Newcastle). It was also advertised until the end of June, I was sure that was due to funding, but I could only make a commitment until the beginning of May. But, it was for three days a week, which made it all seem doable, though I wasn't sure exactly how I would pull it off.

To make a long story short, they hired me as their very first Volunteer Coordinator to develop a more formal volunteer program for the organization. Everything fell into place perfectly. I took the train early Tuesday morning, a three hour commute door to door. Then stayed with our very good friends Tim and Georgia Tuesday and Wednesday night in Epping (a half hour bus ride to work) and took the train back to Newcastle on Thursday, a four and a half hour commute. Staying with Tim and Georgia was wonderful in so many ways. I got to develop a close friendship with them, it was two nights I didn't eat alone and it was even more of a bonus when Nick and Tom were home, their teenage sons. I got my animal fix from their two dogs, Sadie and Tash. And, there is nothing like learning about a culture then living with a family and working. Oh, and there was the pleasure of sleeping in a very comfy bed with three sides.

Northcott Disability Services is a 77 year old organization for people with disabilities providing services throughout New South Wales. They have utilized volunteers over the years, but in a very ad hoc manner. In four and half months I had the privilege of establishing a foundation for a more formal volunteer program and fostering a shift in the thinking and the culture amongst the staff on the value of volunteer resources. It was a fantastic experience and I will look forward to watching the program grow with the warm feeling in my heart that I left a little part of me at a non-profit that has an awesome staff, provides important services and has the beginning of a fantastic pool of volunteers.

I find the culture in Australia difficult to describe, there are many differences, but they are quite subtle. I'm sure that has something to do with the fact it is an English speaking county, albeit there are a lot of colloquialisms and vocabulary that often left me with the deer in the headlights quizzical look. There are some that have made it into my vocabulary and are probably here to stay. I can't say G'day, but I could ask you "how you going" or say "see how we go." I have often been "flat out" (busy) and consider saying "I reckon" instead of I think. Scott has commented on my pronunciation of the number six and I did start to get the hang of saying double anytime you spell a word, name or give a phone number with double letters or numbers. I did not get in the habit of adding an "o" or a "y" to any word possible. Australians reckon they are lazy, therefore shortening every other word saves time and energy. I will probably call a bell pepper a capsicum from now on and I may not be able to pronounce oregano, basil or aluminum. I never did quite wrap my brain comfortably around ordering in a restaurant. An entrée is an appetizer and what would be an entrée in the US is a Main, that made my head hurt.

When it comes to food, two staples are fresh pumpkin and beetroot (beets), they are on the weekly shopping list for most households. In the US we mostly see fresh pumpkins with faces carved in them and a candle burning for Halloween and in pie at Thanksgiving (and that is usually out of a can). We eat beets mostly in salads and as side dishes, in Australia beetroot will be included in the list of "salad" on almost every sandwich and burger. It was always a dead give-away that I was American when I asked for no beetroot.

I did eat kangaroo once in spaghetti bolognaise, but my friend didn't think to mention it until about a week later. I never warmed up to the meat pie, they were big in New Zealand as well, possibly more popular. I did of course warm up to the prawns, which seem to show up at all holiday and special events. I learned that Americans are not as efficient at eating with a knife and fork. I was asked one night at dinner "why I put my knife down after cutting my meat?" I had no idea what I had just done. Australians hold their fork in their left hand and therefore don't have to put it down after they have cut something on their plate. I was not able to adopt this technique, but perhaps it would be something to consider on the boat to avoid flying silverware. I observed that you are often are not given a serviette (napkin), even if you are eating something with your fingers. This was something I never figured out and though I shared my observation no one seemed surprised, but also didn't offer much of an explanation. Also, to my horror I observed on more than one occasion that many people don't rinse the soap off of the dishes when they are "washing up." I guess my Mom did a good job instilling in me that soap could make you sick, this does not seem to be a "worry" that made it to Oz.

I had an unfortunate accident in February while I was participating in a little running race with two young girls at the marina, which ended up being a rude way to be reminded I am not as young as I used to be. My left hamstring seized while I was running and my leg stopped participating causing me to fall with momentum flat on my face. The concrete won hands down, leaving me looking like I had been in the ring with Mohamed Ali and with three broken front teeth. After fourteen visits to the dentist and three visits to the lab that made my crowns I have a new Australian smile. I believe fourteen dental appointments in two and a half months may break a record. I am eternally grateful to my dentist Peter Wong and his staff at Newcastle Dental Laser Centre and Derek Tracey, owner of Aesthetic Prosthetics in Wallsend for their dedication and persistence in transforming me from snaggle tooth back to a smile that does not look like I am married to Bugs Bunny (that was the first set of permanent crowns). I am happy with the end result, now if my travel insurance truly does cover the expenses all will be fine. Fingers hugely crossed on that one, because though it may not be quite a million dollar smile it is close.

The night I fell was probably the longest loneliest night of my life, but the next day brought a blessing beyond imaginable. I called our friend Bev and told her what had happened and asked if I could come stay the night. She picked me up that afternoon when she finished work and I ended up staying a week. It was an unbelievable experience in the face of adversity. They welcomed me with open arms, Bev drove me to the dentist and several Dr. visits and they kept the humor ever present, which helped immensely. Scott offered to come back, which I really appreciated, but there really wasn't anything he could do. I just needed to heal and find a really good dentist, both of which I did. The blessings in my life seem to continue to over shadow the hard stuff and for that I will be forever grateful.

During some of my free time I volunteered for the Cancer Council in Newcastle where I helped them streamline their volunteer program on the regional level. It was another amazing experience, again because of the people. I instantly felt part of the team and besides being a very rewarding experience, the staff always provided wonderful comic relief. Actually, now is a good time to mention the concept of morning tea. That would be the morning break and at the Cancer Council it is a group activity where they read the astrological sign for each person present and attempt the trivia in the paper. It is hugely entertaining, usually hilarious and educational, because I almost never knew any of the answers. "Tea" is used as the description for a break and for dinner. If you are invited for "tea" at dinnertime, it is for a meal, not a "cuppa".

Leaving my job, my friends and the very special connections I made in Australia was very bittersweet, but it was time to go and continue our quest. I know I will go back and honestly you couldn't leave somewhere with a better feeling than that.