In Which We Visit Target and the Library

We woke this morning to chilly temperatures and the prediction of gray, rainy weather throughout the day. The mood in the house was cheerful, however, because finally everyone had an almost normal night's sleep.  When you consider that the time here is a full fourteen hours ahead of Pittsburgh, this was an accomplishment indeed.  It means that we managed to stay awake last night until at least 7pm local time (5am the same day EST), and stay in bed until 5am local time (3pm the previous day EST).  I think we are almost there.  We even ate lunch at noon today rather than in the early morning hours.

To celebrate, we loaded everyone into the car and headed for the local shopping mall.  Walking is easier than driving, but if you are planning to buy more than three or four things, having a car is convenient.  As I navigated the tight turns into the underground parking garage, I was grateful that the Odyssey sold in Australia is two thirds the size of its counterpart in the U.S.  We found a parking spot in the pink Q section and headed for the moving ramps up into the shopping center:  

 

We recognized the Target logo, but little else in the store was familiar.  It was about half the size of the Target in Cranberry, and unbeknownst to us, a giant toy sale began today, making it almost impossible to navigate through the store. Imagine if all the toys went on sale at a fifty percent reduction two days before Christmas, and this will give you an idea of what it was like. 

An additional challenge for Americans just arriving down under is the trolleys (aka shopping carts).   They require a coin to unlock (which one?  I had no idea), and all four wheels swivel, making them difficult to push in a straight line.  You have to hold them at about a forty-five degree angle.  However the swivel wheels do make them easier to turn around in tight corners.   This brought back memories of England where the trolleys operate in a similar manner.  We were soon on our way fighting the crowds through the store watching the mad scramble for toys. 

I have to confess that we picked up a few toys ourselves.  It has been a bit like Christmas around here.  Ross wanted to have a few things for the children when they arrived, but he was at a bit of a loss picking out things for the girls, and purchased mostly Lego sets.  Today we tried to even it out a bit.

Getting the trolley back down to the parking garage is also an interesting experience.  The wheels are designed to grip the metal grating so they cannot slide away and out of control.  Once the trolley is unloaded,  it must be taken to the proper return station in order to retrieve the coin locked inside.
By the time we made it back to the parking garage, cars were queuing for the next available space.  Hopefully this was due to the toy sale and not a normal occurrence for a weekday morning.  We headed straight to the library, which turned out to be a great experience.  The two librarians who helped us were very friendly, and one even agreed that there was no rush to get the children into school.

 

Each child was given a tote bag for taking home books.  Katie is holding one below.  Note the placement of the steering wheel.  One guidebook suggests that if you, the driver, head to the passenger seat by mistake, which will inevitably happen more than once, get inside and pretend to fish for something in the glove compartment.  This helps save face.

 

Below is a sampling of the books we brought home with us.  I figure that the sooner we learn how to identify snakes the better.  We also have some very unique looking and sounding birds in our front and back gardens.  I would not call them musical by any stretch of the imagination, but I am curious to find out what they might be.

To close this particular post, I would like to say how much I appreciate all of your comments and feedback.  The responses, whether through email, Facebook or typepad itself, have added an unexpected element of fun to the blogging experience, and make all of you feel not quite so far away.

Comments

[Deborah]

Christie, you are truly missed. I am sure this will prove to be an unforgettable experience for all of you. I am enjoying reading your blog. BTW, your kids not only are so cute, but they all look so happy. Praying for you in this adjustment.