Lost In Australia

Horrible blogger

By Y | March 9, 2010

Yes I admit I’m a horrible blogger but I’m a busy mommy. I’m still in Australia. I haven’t bailed out and there are no plans to do so in the immediate future. I do find myself not only adapting but assimilating into Australian culture. I’ve been using words like “nappy”, “dummy”, “bin”, “mobile”, and others more often than I thought I would.

I still notice differences between my two countries and/or what I consider oddities (things I’ve never seen done before). For instance, 9 out of 10 smokers that I encounter here, actually roll their own cigarettes rather than buying the already made ones. Each of them say it’s because of the cost of cigarettes but I don’t know the price difference.

Anyway, I’m still here and still check the website and still reply to emails so don’t be strangers. I’m just a bit absentminded lately but I will come on as often I can and remember to do so.

Topics: Hmmm... | No Comments »

Slang of the day

By Y | November 9, 2009

Just had to share another Aussie slang term I heard “spit the dummy” which means to get to angry at something and blow up just like a child who starts to cry after losing their pacifiers (which in Australia are called dummies!)

So next time someone you know loses it tell them not to spit the dummy!

Topics: Hmmm... | No Comments »

Settling and word of the day

By Y | November 8, 2009

So I’ve been here a little over a year and a half and I do believe I’m just settling in now. As a result I don’t have that many interesting little stories anymore or if I do, I’m so busy with the boys that I forget what I wanted to write when I have a chance at the computer. There have been so many times that I have said I have to remember that to post on the blog but then 2 hours later I can’t remember what it was. That’s mommy brain for you.

But I will not give up! I will post as often as I possibly can which may be once a week or once a month but I’ll still be here. And as many of you know I still reply to emails and comments that you send to me. Thanks for those. It’s nice to know that someone’s thinking about me.

Anyway, I remembered to come on today because I came across the funniest Aussie term today in conversation:

Budgie smuggler: According to the urban dictionary, its an Australian term for “men’s tight-fitting Speedo-style swimwear. The ‘lump in the front’ apparently resembles a budgie when it is stuffed down the front of someone’s shorts”.

My next question was what’s a budgie? Apparently it’s a parakeet or small parrot.

He's smuggling a budgie in that speedo!

Wow, only in Australia are there visually creative terms like budgie smuggler that could be worked in seamlessly into conversation. I dare you to use it in your next conversation!

Topics: What the...? | 1 Comment »

When I was home and I missed home!

By Y | October 22, 2009

I loved being back in the States. I loved visiting my favorite places back home and seeing my friends and family. It was great to eat the food I soooo missed and shop at familiar stores.

But funnily enough I felt like a “visitor”. I thought that once I went back home that I would feel like I had never left. But that wasn’t true. I felt just like a tourist visiting a land I’ve been to several times. I found it to be such a strange feeling and I couldn’t wait to get back “home” – back to our home in Australia. Can you believe that?? I know I couldn’t. Which made me realize that MJ and I have built a home in the Land of Oz so no matter where we live as long as our family is together that’s where my home is. It only took a visit home to realize where and what home was.

Topics: Homesick | No Comments »

By Y | October 22, 2009

Before going to the US, I promised myself we were going to travel light. No excess baggage. It would be difficult enough to travel with the 2 kids, we didn’t need to add to it. So the plan was 1 suitcase with all our crap, 1 semi-empty suitcase with just gifts to my family because I knew we would be shopping lots in the US, 1 diaper bag as a carry-on, and 1 kids backpack for LJ with his toys and crayons. It didn’t work out that way. We ended up taking 2 filled to the rim suitcases, 1 diaper bag, 1 kids backpack, 1 carry-on bag, and a stroller. Not too bad, you say? Well, we came back with 3 suitcases filled to the rim, 1 diaper bag, 1 kids backpack, 1 carry-on bag, stroller, and a carseat. Plus we shipped some things over ahead of time from the US to Australia.

And of course we had to pay those ridiculous fees that some airlines charge for baggage. We didn’t have to pay until we took Continental from Los Angeles to Newark. We paid $30. Continental from Newark to Los Angeles we paid $45. We were threatened by the curbside check-in guy that we were going to have to pay $50 per bag because we exceeded the weight restrictions by a couple of pounds and the carseat which he said wasn’t an exemption (bullshit). However, he did us a great “favor” and let us through as long as we tipped him for his trouble of saving us over $100 in fees. He was a total con-artist. Because he insisted so much on a tip, we only gave him a $7.00 one meanwhile we gave the Enterprise shuttle driver at $12 tip because he was so helpful and didn’t vocalize that he expected something in return. Anyway we didn’t have to worry about any other fees with VAustralia or Virgin but we did have to pay for JetStar.

Ok I started this post on October 3 and I thought I had finished it and published it. Apparently not. And now my “baby brain” has kicked in and I can’t remember where I was going with this post! Man, I need to allot a certain time of the week to update the blog so it’s still fresh in my head.

Topics: Travel tips | No Comments »

Serious security

By Y | September 28, 2009

I remember when I first took my first flight ever. I was 17 or 19 years old and I went to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. And the airport security wasn’t that bad. People were actually able to wait with or for you at the gate. Then over the years that was little perk and many others were taken away. You had to say goodbye or hello to your loved ones before the security screening. You had to take off your shoes to go through the metal detector. No more tweezing your eyebrows or giving yourself a manicure on the airplane because a tweezer or cuticle scissors have been considered dangerous weapons. Now you can’t even take water through the security screening and there’s where I have a problem.

On the way over from Australia to the US, I let the security people know I have sterilized bottled water for my baby’s formula. They had a look at the water and they said that’s fine. Cool. Then the flight from Los Angeles to Newark was a different story. Again I let the security person that checked the IDs know that I have water for the baby. He said it’s no problem. Then my bags went through the machine. Another security person was called over I guess to let her know about what was in my bag. Then the conversation went as follows:

Security: Is this your bag?
Me: Yes.
Security (voice raised): What do you have in your bag?
Me: Water but I asked–
Security (interrupting me and raising her voice even more): You were supposed to get rid of the water before coming through security. Why didn’t you?
Me: Because –
Security (yelling): You are NOT allowed to have water. Why do you have this water in your bag?
Me (now I have my voice raised): If you stop interrupting me and let me explain you would that I had advised that security man over there about the water that I need for the baby’s formula and he said that it was fine since it was for the baby’s formula.
Security (clearly pissed): What baby???
Me (pointing to my baby who was in the Moby Wrap): This baby.
Security (sounding sweet now): Oh. I thought you were pregnant. I didn’t know you had a baby. Come over here and I’ll have to check the water to make sure it’s ok.

Once again in Los Angeles for the flight back to Australia, the security agent had a stick up his ass. Since I had run out of the baby’s formula I had to buy some while in NJ so I figured I’ll bypass the whole water thing and get him a ready to feed one in those little bottles. I figured I might as well let him know that I do have ready to feed baby formula in my bag. He tells me to take them out. Fine. Then he asks why do I have so many. I had about 6 eight oz bottles (240 mil). I tell him I am going to Australia. It is a 14 hour flight, not to mention any delays that might occur. He rolls his eyes at me. I’m seriously pissed. He has to take the formula away to check them. Fine as long as he doesn’t open them because then the formula would need to be thrown out. He rolls his eyes again. I’m about to walk through the metal detector with CJ who had finally fallen asleep once I had swaddled him. He then tells me that I have to take the blanket off the baby to put it through the machine. My words: “You’re fucking kidding me. He’s asleep and you want me to wake him. You obviously don’t have kids. It’s a thin receiving blanket. There’s nothing hidden besides we are going through the metal detector. If there’s something there the detector will pick it up.” He didn’t care. So I had to unwrap the baby and of course he woke up. At that moment I decided I’m not traveling again until the boys are much older.

Next post: luggage

Topics: Travel tips, USA | 2 Comments »

I’m back!

By Y | September 26, 2009

Last month, my husband, my 3 year old and my 3 month old, and I went to the US for a 3 week visit. Instead of Qantas, we went on VAustralia. As a result, instead, of our usual 3 plane trip to NJ, it turned out to be a 4 plane trip because at the time of booking VAustralia didn’t operate from Melbourne so we had to go from Melbourne to Sydney as an additional stopover. To add to the stress our flight from Melbourne to Sydney was delayed so we were in Melbourne’s airport for over 3 hours (fun when you have small kids to look after as well).

One positive aspect of the delay was we met Hamish and Andy (for my American readers, they’re Australian radio personalities/comedians). We were sitting at the gate waiting anxiously for them to say that we were ready to board when I looked over at the pinball machine and saw a tall attractive man surrounded by other semi-attractive tall men. I turned to my husband and said “honey, do we know that guy? He looks very familiar.” And his response was “that Hamish from Hamish and Andy. Oh and there’s Andy too! They’re going to the US as well for their Caravan of Courage.” I had no idea what the last bit of what my husband said meant but I continued to check Hamish out and was thoroughly disappointed to find him wearing some real ugly blue flip-flops (or as the locals call them, thongs) and his red bikini underwear was sticking out from his tattered jeans. It was attractive then. Nonetheless, Hamish did seem like a nice guy, Andy, however, had a stick up his ass and couldn’t be bothered to talk or even smile at anyone.

Anyway, back to my travel experience: I suffered some motion sickness on the airplane and the cabin crew regularly pissed me off. I managed to get my 3 month old to sleep in the bassinet they provided but every so often whenever the pilot turned on the fasten seatbelts sign I had to take the baby out of the bassinet and risk waking him up. I understand it’s for his safety. However, across the row there were 3 other babies in bassinets and it seemed the cabin crew was only interested in my baby because they let those sleeping babies lie, meanwhile not only would I be woken up to take the baby out, risk waking him up in the process, I also had to wake my 3 year old up because he would only sleep on me on the flight to the US. My husband, of course, missed all this while he snored peacefully in his seat.

On the way back to Australia, the same happened. Once again it seemed they were only interested in my baby because they left the other babies alone in their bassinets. But not only did they make me take the baby out, they also actually took the bassinet away everytime there was a bit of turbulence. WTF?? And only to me!! Did those mothers say something that I hadn’t said to leave their babies alone?

Other than their obsession with my baby, the VAustralia cabin crew were very nice and helpful. The kids were great. Everyone commented on how wonderful they were and they truly were great except for one instance. On the way back to Australia, LJ was extremely exhausted. Remember it’s a midnight flight and he should have been asleep for 3 hours already by that point. So he finally crashed once we were settled in our seats. Twenty minutes into the flight, LJ began having a night terror. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s one of those frightening experiences you don’t want your child to go through. Basically your child usually when overtired and over the age of 1 can wake up from sleeping but will be screaming and thrashing about. He may not even recognize you and no matter what you do or say you can’t calm him so you basically just have to wait it out. Well this is what happened to us for 10 minutes on the flight over.

I will write more about my experience soon. Next post will be about the security screenings and how I was nearly tackled by an LAX security person!

Topics: Travel tips, USA | No Comments »

Being a mother

By Y | August 13, 2009

Obviously, I was already a mother to my, then, toddler when I first came here last year, however, having had a baby in Australia I’ve noticed some things that are a bit different here – mainly in language.

As I mentioned before, the midwives at the hospital kind of force breastfeeding down your throat which is fine since that’s the way I wanted to go but in the hospital in which I had my first son in the US, they really didn’t care one way or the other so it’s good to know that they’re there for you to help you with the sometimes impossible natural act of breastfeeding. However, it really annoys me that they call formula feeding “artificial feeding”. I don’t think someone should be made to feel like they’re doing something harmful to their baby by “artificially” feeding their baby because like I learned with my firstborn the natural act of breastfeeding comes with a lot of work and everyone has their own story as to why they may choose or can’t breastfeed.

Speaking of breastfeeding, “nursing” means something totally different here. In the US, to nurse a baby means to breastfeed a baby, however, here it’s synonymous to “holding” so imagine how weirded out I get when someone asks me “can I nurse your baby?” or “can I have a nurse?”

Another difference in speaking is the word “bath”. In the US, you might say “I’m going to bathe the baby now” or “I’m going to give the baby a bath”. Here I hear the word “bath” as a verb in which instead of saying “bathe”, it’s “bath”, for instance, “I’m going to bath the baby”. While I heard this when we first came over, I first thought it was just a grammatical mistake from the person but now with having a baby and everyone’s interested in what is the baby doing, I hear it from lots of people.

So those are the ones that come to mind right now but I’m sure there are others speaking/language differences (besides changes in names like diapers are nappies here, pacifiers are dummies, etc) that make me have to do mental double takes when people talk to me in order to make sure I understand them clearly. However, now that I’ve been here for a year and half, I’m getting better with understanding and translating Aussie speak to US Jersey speak.

Plus, the baby bonus they give here isn’t bad at all! Giving you $5000 because you had a baby and you may need help buying baby items is unheard of in the US! It’s a great incentive to make me learn Aussie speak!

Topics: Hmmm... | No Comments »

Addicted to…

By Y | July 14, 2009

rock cakes! Since the birth of CJ nearly 3 months ago, I’ve become addicted to an Australian treat…rock cakes! I used to see my hubby eating them all the time but I refused to try them because they looked digusting plus the name of them made me think they were hard like rocks. But because I’ve been so tired with all the crazy feedings and sleeping of a newborn and taking care of a preschooler, I decided to try one when I hadn’t had anything to eat and a lonely rock cake was all that was easily available to eat one-handed. And I fell in love. They’re beautiful! They’re soft and crumbly. With raisins (or as the locals say sultanas), sugar, and cinnamon, they’re a heavenly treat. As a result, I don’t think I’ll be losing the baby fat anytime soon!

PS since I’ve been so busy with the newborn and our preschooler, I haven’t been able to update the blog as often as I would like to and I doubt any change in the near future…at least not until CJ starts sleeping through the night and napping regularly, which to me is only a dream at this point. I’m still around and will post when I have a rare 5 minutes to myself so please keep checking back or email me to see what’s going on! Anyway, I hope all of you are well and hope to get back to sharing my Australian experiences. Keep checking back!

Topics: Food | 2 Comments »