an end to summer?

officially, summer has come to a close here in perth and autumn has begun, but i don't really seem to notice any of those same signals i would normally see back home. instead of leaves changing color, some of the trees and brush have just sort of remained a dullish shade of faded green from the dryness. i think things will start to get greener in the winter months (june-august) again. one thing in common with the fall that i know and love is that the days aren't quite so unbearably hot as they were a few weeks ago, but are now pretty much that perfect warm temperature for being outside. after having no rain for quite a few months, thunderstorms have rolled through this past week and the rain has also been a nice change from the solid hot days. we took advantage of the great weather this weekend and spent the afternoon at cottesloe beach yesterday. we also got internet hooked up at home on friday - hooray! - so it should be much easier keeping up with email, etc. my first class at "uni" - language acquisition - finally starts tomorrow! i can't even explain in words how nice it will be to get going with this master's program now, after having all this time off! more updates on that to follow soon...

purple pride...again!

saturday night we attended our first 'western force' rugby match in perth. jason got a membership for us this season, so we will be able to see all the home matches against teams from south africa, new zealand and queensland. this was my first time at a rugby match so i considered it to be somewhat of an educational evening as i carefully watched penalties called (it's sometimes hard to really see what they're for, though) and tries/drop goals/penalty kicks scored. i really enjoyed the whole experience, and whether it was accurate or not, i even found some parallels to characteristics of other games i know, like american football and soccer. the best part about the game was how it kept moving along without too much stopping, and in the sweltering summer heat, i appreciated that the whole thing was over in a short 1 1/2 hours! even though the force lost by 2 points to south africa's lions, it was a close match and kept everyone at the edge of our seats up to the very end! i also need to add here that this is now the 3rd place i have lived where the football (or now, rugby) team's main color is purple! minnesota vikings, baltimore ravens... now western force! is that a funny coincidence or what?!

rottnest island getaway

we just got back from a wonderful 3 day trip to rottnest island - a popular holiday destination located about 11 miles off the coast of perth. jason was there as part of the "upper airway symposium," which was hosted by his research group, the western australia sleep disorders research institute. people in this field from all over australia as well as a group from boston were all present. i was one of only a few "tag alongs" in the group, and felt very fortunate to have plenty of time to take advantage of all that the island had to offer.

wednesday morning, jase and i took the morning ferry and got to rottnest in time to spend the whole morning at strickland bay, swimming and surfing before the first session started that afternoon. one unique thing about the island that i really enjoyed was that since it's an "a" class reserve, there are no cars allowed and you must either rent bikes or take the shuttle bus to the various bays and beaches. my afternoon consisted of a nice siesta and reading by the pool at the rottnest lodge! ahhhh... so relaxing!

while jason was in the sessions thursday morning, i met up with the wife of one of jason's colleagues and went exploring (by bike) all around the southern side of the island. here are some of the gorgeous shots i captured that morning:

one other fun fact about rottnest is that it was actually named for these cute little quokkas (part of the marsupial family) that are the island's namesake. legend has it that some of the first people to set foot on the island thought these little fluffballs were rats, and the name developed from 'rat's nest' to 'rottnest' island! due to the fact that they have no real predators on the island and love the food that people leave behind, they are very tame and pretty much come right up to you and sniff your hand!

on the last night, we headed over to the rottnest country club for a bbq and some lawn bowling. thanks to brit's pub in minneapolis, i think i pretty much stunned everyone on our opposing team with my skills - after a few lousy tosses, it all came back to me - leading our team to victory! with only a week to go before classes start up, i am so glad i got the chance to see such a hidden treasure of natural beauty so close to where we live!

summertime fun

i have to admit, while these weeks of 'adjusting' since i arrived have been important in getting ready to switch gears and be a student again, it has also been an abrupt awakening of how much time there really is in the day when you don't have any sort of a schedule...yet. so far, my days have looked something like this:

• wake up around 8:30am to catch australia's version of the "today" show, "9am with david & kim ." actually i must add here that the other day i nearly fell off my seat because they had a guest on the show that had just been recruited by the minnesota twins - 17-year-old tayler rowe, an aussie baseball fanatic from victoria. it was so awesome to see the 'twins' getting that kind of international recognition!!
• around 11am, i then walk over to the uwa library for a little emailing/internet (we will soon be getting internet at home in time for classes to start!)
• back home for lunch around 12:30pm
• 12:30-6pm is pretty much open and varies day-to-day. recent activities include: getting my hair cut from a nearby aveda salon (aveda just reminds me of home!), going to the grocery store for dinner supplies, reading my book, walking along the river, doing my taxes (yay they're done!), and talking with professors from my program to get course advice.
• 6:30-7ish when jase gets home, we usually go for a long walk, then cook dinner and watch the evening shows that are on.

in light of this slow-paced routine i have adapted, i was excited, nevertheless when i learned of the perth international arts festival that started up last week, and i immediately signed up for the brochure so i could find out where all the events were happening. one of the free events this year was an evening of 'opera in the park' featuring the west australian opera chorus and symphony performing offenbach's "orpheus in the underworld." it was adapted somewhat to add more of a humorous family appeal, but the music was great and it was wonderful to be out rubbing shoulders with the locals. the lawn was filled with people on blankets having dinner, kids playing soccer and tag, and others just enjoying the complimentary evening of music by themselves.

a simple gift

happy valentines day all! i finally have some pictures here for you so consider this your gift! i know, chocolate or flowers is the norm, but hopefully this will do. i have put these up starting with the most recent ones and moving back over the past 2 weeks. i hope you have a wonderful day celebrating the gift of love and all the ways we receive it and give it in our lives!

enjoying a sunny saturday morning breakfast on our patio!

watching my first sunset in perth at "indiana" restaurant (cottesloe beach) last monday before jason left for thailand.

right before leaving for perth, we had to catch a few of the sydney sights. here we are under the harbor bridge!

the famous sydney opera house

jason and his soon-to-be-godson darcy really got the party started!

jason's grandparents, margaret and david, celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary (60th!)

we enjoyed the day with jason's dad, paul and his stepmom, corynne

watching the sunrise near catherine hill bay was breathtaking - it was just us and the fishermen out there!

here we are at 'catho' as everyone calls it, outside jason's auntie sheryl and uncle ian's place. what a view!

i finally got to see the spot where jason grew up - the beautiful old mining town of catherine hill bay, whose community is actively protesting new developments. nearly every house had banners up outside as we drove into town - i can definitely understand why!

here is the spot i first saw 'real surf,' according to jason, in newcastle

only been in australia for 2 days, and they're already naming bays after me!

first impressions

after 5 lovely days on the central (east) coast of australia visiting jason's family, we finally made it home to perth on sunday night. i already can tell i am going to love the lifestyle and pace of life here. i only had one day with jason before he left on a quick 3-day work trip to bangkok, so we took a spin around campus which is across the street from our place, and then i got a tour of all the neighborhood basics - the grocery store, the bank, how the bus system works, etc. it's strange to be in a country so far from the u.s. where so many things seem so familiar - from food, tv shows (all the favorites are about a half-season behind, but at least i can still catch 24 and grey's!), stores (they have target here - yay!), gas stations (bp, shell, mobil, etc) and fast-food restaurants - plenty of subway, kfc, mcdonalds, pizza hut, dominos, and their version of burger king called hungry jacks (i don't get it, its the exact same logo and menu with whoppers and everything!). i have to admit though, crossing the street is still a bit scary (look right, left, right, left, right.. then cross) and driving will take some time to get used to as well, but having no language barrier makes such a difference when i think back to other experiences abroad that i've had. somehow, it hasn't been too hard switching from winter to summer here. maybe going the other way would be more traumatic! last night before sunset, i took a long walk along the swan river that leads from downtown perth to the ocean and enjoyed just watching all the various things going on - families having picnics and bbq's together, people playing with their dogs, a rugby match, kids learning to kayak, people windsurfing, parasurfing? (or whatever it's called when you're attached to a parachute and riding a surfboard). my first impressions of perth have been on the whole very positive so far even while being on my own these first few days. i somehow imagined it might be a little bit harder without jason as my guide, but with all the similarities and the countless things to do and see, i can't say it's been too bad.

a warm welcome

i can't believe it's only been 2 days since i walked off the plane at sydney's airport, and found the strength to push 2 trolleys of luggage through customs and quarantine (thank goodness i was warned about the strictness of not bringing ANY food, seeds, wood products, etc. into the country - they are not messing around here!). i had no problem finding jason standing front and center of the crowd gathered as soon as i got through the doors with his big grin and a bouquet of pink roses to welcome me to his country! here is a quick summary of the past 2 days here:

Day 1: we were picked up by jason's dad, paul and his wife, corynne and made our way back up the pacific highway (similar to hwy. 1 in california i guess), stopping in brooklyn for some lunch then finally arriving at their home near lake macquarie. after a much-needed nap, we went over to jason's grandparents house nearby and i had the pleasure of meeting more of his family. over the next few days, the whole family will be gathering to celebrate his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary. wow!

Day 2: on our way back over to grandma and granddad's, i had my first driving experience on a few of the side streets leading over there. i honestly don't know what feels wierder - driving on the left side of the road or having the driver's seat on the right side of the car! we helped (or i helped observe!) getting the brand new "barbie" -an anniversary gift from the kids- unpacked and set up for it's first big bbq. Then it was fish & chips for lunch with the boys - jason, paul, granddad, and uncle ron. we met up with corryne and her mom later that afternoon, then took a driving tour of newcastle (saw the hospital where jason was born, an old house he lived in, etc) and saw some people surfing at one of the beaches. jason claims that's the first time i've probably ever seen "real" surf. it was pretty cool, i have to admit. last night, we had a bbq at jason's brother, simon's place with his mom, jan and sister, bianca.

overall, i am overwhelmed by the warm welcome i have received from each member of jason's family. they have all really made me feel so comfortable and at home here. i'm still working on my "g'day mate" and "how ya goin?" but i'm sure it will flow in no time! love to you all and looking forward to hearing from you soon!