The Plunge Down Under

Interviews with our TCKs, Third in a Series

 

Our second-oldest TCK (Third Culture Kid).  He's the most American when it comes to his accent and his identity.  But he's also the kid who has given everything Australian a go:  from the food and the wildlife to sports such as cricket, footy and rowing. 

My original plan to interview all four of our children in quick succession encountered an obstacle last week otherwise known as tonsilitis.  After avoiding most major bugs since 2009, including the swine flu, we ended up with a child sick in bed for nearly an entire week.  The transformation in our thirteen-year-old from healthy to sick was rather alarming.  Most days he is like an overgrown puppy who hasn't quite grown into his lanky legs and arms.  He is happiest making noise of some sort, usually in the form of whistling or singing, especially at 6.45am when it is most annoying to his sisters.  He has a sense of humor that is appreciated by adults, likes to laugh (loudly) at his own jokes, and has an appetite that is very appropriate to a teenager experiencing a growth spurt.  His voice has dropped an octave or two in the past few weeks, further adding to the sense of an awkward but endearing combination of man and boy sharing the same skin.

On Dreams and Anxieties Before Moving Day

The space we are inhabiting at the moment is a strange one.  Intellectually, we know that we are about to move, but everything around us looks the same.  The girls have mentioned this funny feeling to me more than once.  "It's hard to believe it's all coming to an end," they say.   It's true that we have begun to partially disengage from our regular activities.  For the kids this means that they are practicing songs in their orchestras that they will never actually perform, that they are listening to their classmates discuss upcoming camps they won't attend, and that they are beginning tasks at school that they will never complete.  And yet, we keep acting in many ways as if our Australian lives will continue indefinitely.

Fairy Penguins at the St Kilda Pier

Phillip Island may be the go-to place for most tourists visiting Australia to experience penguins, but Melburnians need go no further than the St Kilda Pier for an up-close and personal encounter with the world's smallest penguin species.  We had been intending to make one last visit to this colony of approximately 1,000 Little Penguins, but I have a feeling that we never would have accomplished this goal without the impetus of overseas visitors.  After hearing from friends of friends that we lived in Melbourne, Paul and Beth contacted us a few weeks before bringing their family of six to Australia for a whirlwind tour.  We ended up inviting them for Sunday lunch and spending a most enjoyable day together. 

The visit of both new friends and old turned what could have been a sad day of contemplating our coming departure into one full of joy and laughter.  It was a pleasure to have one last chance to show guests a tiny corner of beautiful Melbourne.  That our kids hit it off right from the start was an unexpected bonus.  Beth and I compared cameras, lenses and photos, and later both of my older two kids remarked with a grin that I had finally met my match when it came to taking lots of pictures.  

Top Ten Series: Australian Words with Different Meanings

Every day, almost hourly, someone asks me about the progress of packing in our household.  The truth is that I haven't started packing, and I don't intend to for several more days.  Is this a form of denial?  Is it madness?  Perhaps.  

Rather than tackling our cupboards and filling up boxes, I have been going for long walks to favorite places, drinking flat whites in cafes, enjoying lunch out, and working on blog posts.  Today's post started out as yet another language-related one. I have kept the language bit, but added a series of photos from drives in the countryside and from special lunches during the past few days--times when I probably should have been packing instead.

Ten words with different meanings

This category of language differences is the potentially problematic one.  Australians generally have no trouble understanding our North American vocabulary, probably because they watch lots of American television and movies.  They aren't fussed about whether or not we are using the 'correct' words for things.  But with the handful of common words that have two very different meanings there can be misunderstandings.

1.  Supper.  This refers to a light snack, usually around bedtime.  I once invited friends for supper at 5.30pm.  They rang back to confirm what exactly I would be serving. I should have said tea or dinner instead. 

2.  Cot.  A cot is a crib.  More than once I have requested extra cots in motel rooms for our kids only to discover that I asked for a baby bed.

3.  Hotel.  A hotel in Australia means a bar rather than a place to sleep.  Some hotels do have accommodation as well, but not necessarily.

4.  Jumper.  Rather than referring to a sleeveless dress, jumper is an all-round word used for a pullover, sweater or hoodie.

5.  Nurse.  Nursing a baby means to hold or cuddle the baby, not to breastfeed.  The first time I dropped James off at the creche (nursery) at a moms' group, I was surprised to read on the schedule for the caregivers that nursing of babies and toddlers would take place between 10.30 and 11.00am.   This week on the playground a mum was explaining what a wonderful pet a ragdoll cat makes.  "Kids can nurse them just like a baby," she explained.

6.  Entree.  An entree is an appetiser.  Main dishes are commonly called mains.

7.  Thongs.  Thongs are the standard term for flip-flops here (and a mandatory item in one's wardrobe).

8.  To table.  This phrase has the opposite meaning in the two countries.  In the U.S. to table an item means to shut it down, whereas in Australia it means to open it up for discussion.  R and I heard it used just yesterday on the radio when we were listening to Q and A from the Parliament Buildings in Canberra.

9.  Ordinary.  This word has a slightly different nuance down here, but it is a meaningful one since the slant is a negative one.  If you refer to a cup of coffee or a restaurant as "ordinary," it means you didn't like it.  An ordinary day is one that you would rather not repeat.

10.  Mobile.  This term refers to that ubiquitous handheld device we carry everywhere.  When I took my dad to the ER after he broke his foot, the receptionist asked him, "You're mobile?"  He answered, "Yes," because he thought she was asking whether or not he could walk around on his foot.  She wanted a phone number. 

Five phrases that we have gradually stopped using:

1.  You're welcome. It took me a couple of years living in Melbourne to realize that I hadn't heard this phrase in a while.  Pleasure, that's alright or no worries are more commonly used instead.

2.  Have a nice day.  You will hear this from time to time, but not nearly so often as in North America.

3.  Root [for our favorite sports team]. I can barely bring myself to type it here.  It's been replaced by support or barrack:  "Barrack, barrack, barrack for the home team."

4.  Folks. When I heard a tour guide using this word in New Zealand, it was my first clue that he was from North America.  His vowel pronunciation later confirmed to us that he was Canadian.

5.  Slam dunk.  R has had to replace this popular sports analogy with free kick (from Australian Rules Football) in the business world.

And now for the photos:

 

With so many words to ponder, conversations to enjoy, beautiful scenery to savor, coffees to drink and delicious food to eat, I think the packing can wait just a bit longer.

Top Ten Series: Words We Have Added to our Lexicon

 

R took this photo on his last visit to Pittsburgh. If you don't know why he found it amusing, you can read the reason at the bottom of this post.

The other day our I heard both of our boys say within a thirty minute period, "I'm stuffed!"  Neither one was referring to his stomach.  Rather, both had run into difficulties, on with his homework and the other while playing a computer game.  It got me thinking, "How exactly has our vocabulary changed as a result of living in Melbourne?"  We don't go around saying "Good day, mate," nor do we talk about throwing shrimp on the barbie, but we have inevitably picked up a few new phrases and made some adjustments in the way we speak.  Sometimes this is because an Australian phrase is just superior or more fun.  I find it much easier to say "Wednesday week," for example, than "a week from this coming Wednesday."  Other changes we have implemented in order to decrease our chances of being misunderstood.  In the case of our kids, most of their new words have been adopted subconsciously.  

I couldn't restrict this list to ten items.  Instead, here are .... 

 Twenty words that have become a regular part of our family's vocabulary:

Interviews with our TCKs, Second in a Series

If there is a common theme from my interview with our second youngest child, it's that she is a people person. All of her answers revolve around human contact in one form or another.  We often joke that this child has never spent a willing moment all by herself.  While the rest of us may not fully understand her constant need for social interaction, we can appreciate her kind and sensitive nature.  It is one that makes her a valued friend, daughter, sister, granddaughter and cousin.  

A couple of days ago I asked around the dinner table for volunteers for my next interview.  I was surprised when all three remaining children clamored to be next.  The older two remembered they had homework due the next day, however, and so S and I settled down for a long chat before bedtime.  She was in her element, snuggled next to me on the sofa with a full forty-five minutes dedicated to conversation.

Me:  Can you remember what you were thinking when we first told you about moving to Australia? (S had just turned seven at the time).

Her:  I had never really heard about Australia before.  I remember hiding in a corner and praying that we would come here.  When we arrived, Melbourne was such a big city and really crowded.  It was overwhelming.  

Me:  What was the best thing about your new life?

Farewell to the Great Ocean Road

Expat Blog Monthly Prompt

"In which we follow some advice"

February's expat blog challenge proved to be such an inspiring project that we have decided to reconvene on the second Wednesday of each month.  Today's prompt suggests that we write about life-changing advice, either bad or good, whether it be advice we have given or received.  I do have a future post in mind with advice for anyone considering relocating to Melbourne, but this week I am not in an advice-giving frame of mind.  I feel much more in need of receiving it, in fact.

Instead, I would like to write about the long weekend we just enjoyed.  I have figured out that I can connect it to the topic of advice.  Recently I asked my readers for advice on the best way to say good-bye.  Most of those who responded suggested that it is better to mark and take special notice of the 'last times.'  This past weekend, we did exactly that with one last trip to one of our very favorite spots in Australia.

 

The sun was shining, the water was gorgeous.  The air temperature was just about perfect. I have to confess that at times I felt that pouring rain would have better matched my mood.  But the presence of friends, with whom we have vowed to keep things 'light and bright,' did much to chase away the melancholy thoughts.  There was laughter to compensate for the underlying sorrow, and of course there was the camera to help keep a record, however imperfect, of what we experienced.  

 

Interviews with our TCKs, First in a Series

Our youngest TCK (Third Culture Kid): born in Pittsburgh, Canadian father, American mother, has spent more than half of his life living in Australia.

A couple of years ago I did a profile series on each member of the family.  I thought it might be interesting to revisit the concept given that we are preparing for a big change in our lives.  This time around I decided on the interview format.  First up is our seven-year-old because he happened to be home from school when inspiration hit. 

Over our favorite custard donuts, coffee and hot chocolate at a local bakery, he and I had a talk.  I had some trouble keeping my young interviewee on track with my agenda. Fortunately, he was in a chatty mood, although we did peruse a few rabbit trails along the way.   As his mom, I found his answers amusing, insightful and poignant.   I hope that my readers will as well. (You can read his profile from two years ago here).

Happy Double-Digit Anniversary

Our third child turns eleven today.  Her older sister just had to remind her that she won't actually be eleven until tomorrow since Melbourne is currently sixteen hours ahead of Pittsburgh time. She is having none of it, of course.  We started off early this morning with the family birthday breakfast tradition of overnight french toast, and we have lots of (little) presents planned for later today.  When I was at the store this morning purchasing a few treats and some birthday candles, the cashier sighed, "Oh to be eleven again."  

Is there a Good Way to Say Good-bye?

We have reached the stage of living out our last full month in Melbourne.  I have been trying to ignore that fact, but daily I seem to be reminded of it by someone or something.  After church this past Sunday my friend Gillian remarked that she had felt emotional thinking about the fact that it was our last communion Sunday in Australia.  That hadn't occurred to me until she mentioned it.  The day suddenly became less cheerful, and it made me wonder, "Is it better to mark each last event for what it is, or is it better to remain oblivious?"