Goodbye Sydney

It's been over a month since we left Sydney so I guess it is past time to put some closure on the blog. I've been avoiding it as we only have a dial up internet connection (I had 100 errors when loading)!

Sydney feels like a dream now. It was amazing to me how quickly and easily we slid back into our old roles. It was a bit surreal to come back and have nothing change (although Emma did say that while we were gone Orbit came out with a new flavor of gum). Some things are nice to be home to. Such as a breakfast of farm fresh eggs, using a real coffee maker instead of the plunger type and listening to NPR every morning. It's nice to hear the birds instead of the sirens (last week there was a Pileated Woodpecker in the back yard). I love the smell of the hay field after it's been freshly cut, and the scent of the woods after it rains. It's wonderful to be back to the scents and sounds of nature and it seems I don't even mind the heat as much as long as I have a shade tree to sit (or work) under.










On days that I just need to get out I miss the hustle and bustle of the big city. I miss being able to walk two blocks to the grocery store and I even miss public transportation. It was nice to walk two blocks, get on a train and have it take you anywhere within Sydney (don't miss the cost though). We really miss the rocky shores and sandy beaches and the amazing animals (even if they were in a zoo). I miss DSL and even the Telly. It was really nice to view the news from a different country's perspective. It seemed that Australians think much more globally than Americans. I get the impression that Americans are a bit self absorbed and "my way or the highway" thinkers. I miss walking down the street in Sydney and seeing the United Nations on parade. I'm afraid we don't get a very diverse culture in small town Missouri. I learned to appreciate the Asian culture a bit more. We were so close to Chinatown that most days I could forget I was in Australia and think I was somewhere in Asia. I remember when we went to Featherdale Wildlife park I saw a mother and daughter that were obviously tourists. The daughter was wearing a traditional bush hat and the mom was wearing a t-shirt that said, "I love culture". I want one of those shirts. That's what I hope that we have gained from our trip to Australia is a love of other cultures. A more diverse and global perspective. We hope to go back to Australia some day for a real family vacation when Ray doesn't have to work all the time. Maybe we can rent an RV and see more of the bush. A trip to the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania is a must.

Australia, we'll be back! And hopefully, next time we'll behave like real tourists and have lots of money to burn! I would like to thank Karen, Mary Alice and Gayle for keeping me going on the blogging by your continual feedback. If it wasn't for you I probably would have quit long ago.

If anybody would like to continue reading my rants and raves I'll try to keep blogging at my farm, library and homeschool (in the works) blogs.