Thursday, May 26, 2011

Time Flies

I don't know where time is going, but it is running away way too fast! I leave Perth in 37 days and I am so sad thinking about leaving my life here. I was talking to the dad about it yesterday, and my experience here has been the best of my life. I have an actual real life in Perth-it's different from studying abroad or traveling. I drive a car, I have a job, I have my own house, and most of all, I have good friends and a new amazing family that treats me like one of their own. I am basically obsessed with the little girls and the parents, as well as the aunt and her family, plus zaida and granny. I know these next 5 weeks will fly by.

The last 3 weeks have been very busy. The dad went to Bali for a few days with his friend, so I was with the mom and the girls all the time. The Sunday he was away, I got a hysterical phone call from the mom that she had cut off her finger. I raced up to the house to see the kitchen covered in blood and the mom in shock. She had accidently sliced her finger with an immersion blender, so her dad raced over to rush her to the ER while I waited with the girls. The two year old was totally oblivious to the chaos, and all she said was 'I want icy pole!" (popsicle). That was a crazy crazy day that had started out so nicely with a friend and I leisurely making brunch.  Anyway, her finger is mostly better now, but she did have to have reconstructive surgery that day in the ER. She couldn't drive for 10 days, so I was her chauffeur and her nanny (I washed her hair for her while the dad was in Bali).

I accidentally crashed their BMW that I always drive into this yellow pillar in a parking garage, and I freaked out and called them crying. They were more freaked out that I was crying than the fact that I put a small hole into their front bumper. Luckily (?) the mom had put a small hole into the back bumper the week before, so they weren't upset with me at all. They are the best.

On Mother's Day, we had gone out for a lovely brekkie at 'Tarts'. It is a really nice cafe that is just a short walk from our street, on the other side of Hyde Park. We each had a chai latte for some reason, even though none of us ever ordered those before. Now, we ALWAYS drink chai lattes everywhere we go. I am obsessed-they taste like autumn in a cup. I bought some so that I can make it every morning before I walk to their house in the cold.

The girls watch 'Annie' and 'Mary Poppins' every single day now, so I basically always have those songs stuck in my head. The five year old thinks its hysterical to get songs stuck in your head, so every day when I leave, in addition to saying 'cheese!' (which is her I Love You, to me), she yells 'Jordan!' (this song from one of her favorite kid shows-3rd and Bird). Now the two year old yells 'Jordan' when I leave too, even though she has no idea why the five year old says it. The two year old also screams my name and tackles me when I walk into the house now. She says my name in the cutest way possible and then gives me 'fishy kisses'.

The five year old now goes to this Anglican private school, instead of the Jewish day school, because they have the best academic record in Perth or something. Every Monday, I pick her up from Chapel and then take her straight to Hebrew School. It's a funny transition to go back-to-back, but she just tells everyone that she does NOT believe in Jesus (or his naughty brother, Jesus Christ-she somehow got mixed up and thinks that these are two different people and that JC is naughty because when people are angry they yell 'Jesus Christ!', while the priest at her school always tells her that Jesus was so kind). The Chapel lesson is the funniest thing I ever saw, with every child (except for mine) marching around and singing and dancing to Jesus musicals. I had to choke back my laughter the whole time.

I have been going out heaps more in the past few weeks, even though I have been busier with work. It is getting cold here, so going out at night is really nice. I also regularly say 'no worries', which seems to be my one totally Aussie phrase that I say without thinking about it. I haven't done anything new in the past few weeks-another trip to King's Park, more Freo, etc. Lots of reading when I have time. Heaps of Jillian Michaels workouts. Same old, but never a dull moment.

Alright, going to live up my last 37. Have a wonderful day!

Kangaroo Kisses,
Dana xoxoxo

Saturday, May 7, 2011

EUROPE!


I come home July 14! That's just 67 days, folks!

But first, I get to spend 1 day in Malaysia, 9 hours in Abu Dhabi, and 10 days in Europe! I fly into Paris and out of London, so I will obviously be in those two cities, but I haven't decided how I want to break down the days. I am so excited that I get to end my 7 amazing months abroad with a trip to Europe, but I am also really sad to be leaving Australia. The mom cried when I booked my trip and now time seems to be flying past a warp speed. Anyway..

Since our trip to Broome was canceled, the parents felt really bad and offered to pay for my round trip tickets to Melbourne (which is on the southeast coast of Australia). I will be there from May 31-June 4 and will be going on a 2 day Great Ocean Road trip! I am really excited because I hear Melbourne is a super trendy, fun city. It's supposed to be really cold there during that time of year, but I can't wait!

The last two weeks have really been spent trying to get my flights settled, researching for my trips, etc. I've also been enjoying the gorgeous weather by reading and running in Hyde Park. It's been in the mid-20s (celcius, that is!-low 80s Fahrenheit) every day with a breeze and clear blue skies. I love it!

I've also been cooking a lot. The mom is trying to send me back to America ready to be a good Jewish wife/mom. I roasted a whole chicken this week (like shoved the lemons/garlic/rosemary inside the chicken, kinda thing), and made us yummy curry honey mustard salmon for shabbat. We also did a lot of baking. The five year old LOVES to bake, and there was this show called 'Junior Masterchef' that we used to watch together every week. This week we plan to make French onion soup, and then grilled fish with homemade pesto. It is really fun for me to experiment in the kitchen and try new recipes, though touching raw chicken was NOT my favorite thing.

Today is Mother's Day here, so we went for a lovely brekky at a place called 'Tarts'. It is a delicious outdoor cafe, and we had the BEST chai lattes. We were literally drooling over how delicious they were. They must've been topped with pumpkin pie spices, because  I felt like I was transported straight to autumn. Well, it is autumn here, but I mean't October/November time. I feel like the holiday season should be upon us! I keep waiting to hear Christmas music in all the stores! We got the mom flowers and tonight we are having a picnic. It should be a good day!

The dad is going to Bali this coming week, the mom is going to Singapore the following week,  I go to Melbourne the week after, and then their new GP (general practitioner) practice opens the Monday I get back, so it should be a busy couple of weeks. I will be working a lot more and will try to update when I have anything exciting to share.

The poor little two year old fractured her arm last week, but despite that she has been 'happy as Larry' (as they say here). She was so good when they changed the cast (plaster) the other day and has really just been happy as can be. I love her more than ever, and she has really become so attached to me. What will I do without my two bubbas?? I'll miss these girls so so so much!