Aussies in Pittsburgh

It's July, and once again, July for us means visitors from Australia.  After an unexpected (and most unwelcome) twelve hour delay in Los Angeles, our dear friends and former neighbors made their way to Pittsburgh at the start of this week.  It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome them to our neck of the woods and to begin to catch up on all we have missed over the past fourteen months.  

I have particularly enjoyed hearing their initial reactions to America.  I remember, with chagrin, all the times that we commented to them on differences we had noticed between our two countries.  We couldn't seem to help ourselves, even as we recognized the danger of boring them with a subject that was endlessly fascinating to us, newcomers to Australia that we were.  Now we get to play the reverse role.  "Why is it that Americans drink such terrible coffee?" they ask with bewilderment.  Or, "Americans really do seem to be more polite and friendly than we are."

Then there is the opportunity to listen to their accent, one that I have missed so, so much.  A couple of months ago I heard a couple of Australians interviewed on the radio (a far too rare occurrence in my opinion).  Immediately recognizing the accent, I turned up the volume and stopped what I was doing to listen.  I wanted to soak it up, to bathe myself as it were in the sounds and cadences of the words I heard.  Of course the very fact that I noticed a "different" accent, one which had for a time become the norm for all of us, carries with it a twinge of sadness.  But I am glad for it nonetheless.

We have sent our visitors off to Niagara Falls for a couple of days, but tonight we look forward to welcoming them back.  We have planned many excursions for the coming holiday weekend, including a Pirates game, a trip to Fallingwater, a visit to Ohio's Amish country, and perhaps a few other things thrown in as well.  We will no doubt enjoy showing off our city, but surely the greater pleasure will be in renewing friendship.  More than sightseeing, more than the opportunity to travel and live in other lands and places, it is the potential for new relationships that make the expatriate experience more than worth it.

 

Comments

[Shanda]

Oh Christie, I'm so happy for you! Have a wonderful time!