Adjusting, For Better and Sometimes Worse

This is one post that will never be finished whilst we remain down under.  It began when we first heard the word Australia and will continue even when we return home.  I can think of many positive ways that the various members of our family have carried on the work of adjustment over the past few weeks. Some of those I have shared in previous posts and will continue to share, but there have been and will be many times when we feel just like this:

 
"I just want to go back home," has been the oft-repeated phrase from this frustrated three-year-old lately.  Once he figured out that Daddy must still to go to work five days a week, he was fed up with our new life.  Apparently in his mind Australia meant hanging out with his favorite person round-the-clock.  Those of us privileged to be home with James during the day have been subject to his tears and frequent pleas for any number of things back home, including his own bed, his swing set, his friend Sebastian, his grandmother's home made peach jam, and you get the picture. 

It is quite possible, perhaps even likely, that James will prove the most adaptable in the long run.  For now we fully sympathize with him, sometimes chuckle at him, and other times tell him he needs to carry on with his crying in his bedroom.  His reaction has taken us by surprise, but when you consider that nearly everything in his life has been turned upside down, it is understandable.

It is hard to overstate how many things change when you move to another country.  We are immensely grateful that English is the primary language here, but it is not the English we are used to hearing and speaking.  Whether it is driving (on the wrong side of the road, and with white lines and yellow lines reversed), shopping (now what do they call this here and why would they think to put it there?), cooking (everything in Celsuis with convection ovens), making conversation (could you repeat that please, yet one more time?) or even taking a walk (everyone to the left side of the path!), nothing can be done in the automatic mode.  It is no wonder that I have been falling asleep shortly after the children and not getting out of bed until 8am.

The compensations are also difficult to fully explain, and I am sure we do not yet begin to appreciate them.  We have had no shortage of family time together, something that can be a precious commodity when one is fully engaged in the routine of suburban life in America.  The children are happy to accompany me to the grocery store, and even consider a trip to the library an exciting event.  While the sibling bickering continues at a normal pace, they have become closer playmates, and the older three have been at pains to help their younger brother enjoy himself as much as possible.

I have been proud to watch the older three display courage and try new things.  Sophie took a trial ballet class last week, and although her initial bravery failed her at the last minute and I had to push her through the door, she completed the class and earned praise from her teacher.  She is the one most concerned about speaking with the wrong accent. 

Cameron made a friend during his first visit to Sunday School and went off to play soccer with him in the church hall while we chatted with the adults.  Katie has completed two swimming assessments, and now she and Cameron are both part of the Malvern Swim Academy, conveniently located around the corner from our house. They attended their first practice last night and loved it. The swimming pool is named after the Australian prime minister who drowned in a swimming spot near the eastern arm of Port Phillip Bay south of Melbourne in 1967.

My friend Crystal thinks this is a good example of the Australian sense of humor. A country that is obsessed with swimming, and safety while doing so, chooses to name a swim center after a man who famously went in for a swim alone, having been warned by his physicians not to do so due to his poor health, in heavy surf and dangerous riptide conditions.  I had never heard of Harold Holt before reading Bill Bryson's book In a Sunburned Country, but now I believe his name will forever be a part of my memory.

I leave you with one last picture intended to demonstrate how even the small things can require adjustment.  The light switches here must be pushed down to turn on, and up to turn off.  James has figured out that if he takes a running jump, he can just manage to flip them down.  He of course can't manage to turn the lights back off again, even though theoretically that should be easier.

Comments

[Dad]

Christie - your kids sound quite brave to me - trying out new things, new plamnates, mew rules of "the road" etc. What a learnng experiecne! Poor little James wlll get used to it eventually, I guess. It's a good things the four kids have each other - as you say, it is a great time to get to know and appreciate each other more. That's something irreplaceable.

Give them all a hug for us.
A.Janet

[Linsey Smith]

Hey Christie,
I love reading your updates. I am especially happy to see the kids are getting involved. This will help the adjustment go more smoothly. It's always nice to be a part of something. James is at a stage where things don't make sense to him. This will change in time as soon as he sees a pattern to what is happening in his life. Keep the blogs coming, the kids love to see the pictures.

[Shanda]

Yes, it is good to read that the children are already finding some interests there. They are brave and I'm proud of all of you!

[kristen]

I want to laugh and cry with you. I am so thankful for the Lord's hand on your family and that He has led you to share your "testimony" with the rest of us. Keep the stories coming and tell the kids that we all miss them but are happy they are making foreinds and trying new things. I'll say hi to your picture tonight!