GIRL FROM MIH-NEE--SOO-TAH

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T08:00:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas!! I am currently laying on the beautiful beaches of Apollo Bay and enjoying the festivities of the holiday season in my bikini with great friends. Hope you all have a great holiday season and I will be back to blogging after the New Year!

The Inevitable Post

2009-12-23T10:08:00.009+11:00

The now infamous 'pee story' that created a fair bit of headache in my real life as well as my blogger life, has now brought me to write the post that I've read time and time again from bloggers all around the world. It's the post that always seems to start and end the same way:

You start writing a blog....

Maybe you tell your family and friends maybe not....

After some time people begin to find out and they tell a few friends who also tell a few more people....

You get excited because all you can see is your follower list growing and your comment section budding...

You meet and begin to converse with several really amazing people who you never could have met without sharing your experiences online....

After a while you see that you no longer can post every detail of every story like you used to....

People start to get offended by the tiniest of things and you try to keep in mind all audiences with what your posting...

Then the real fun begins....

The audience that you thought would never read or find your blog has actually been reading along since day 5....

Next you find yourself censoring large portions of several posts because you now know that 'Jack' reads your posts and he is friends with 'Mary,' who works with 'Johnny,' who is the guy that you've been shamelessly stalking for weeks.

So without further ado I give you my own version of "The Censorship Post."

As naive as this is going to sound, I never truly thought I would fall into that category of having to watch what I write about on my blog. In the beginning the only people I could ever imagine reading my posts were my close family and friends. For the most part I was writing for myself. I was writing to remember all the little things that were happening day to day. I was writing to keep up with the fast changing world around me. (And of course the small issue of my short term memory loss that I'm convinced gets worse everyday)

But, somewhere along the line it slowly changed. I started writing what I thought I should be writing and what I thought people would want to read. I started leaving bits and pieces out of my posts in the off chance of someone getting hurt or offended by the way I told the story. It's upsetting to me that I can't post all the things I want to on this blog anymore because so many people know about it. It's not that I'm writing anything bad about anyone or being hurtful, I just find that more and more I have to tip toe around my own blog and what I publish.

So I've decided to start another blog in addition to this one for all the 'other' stories. I don't know how I'm going to work it yet and I will continue posting as often as I can on this one, but I'm sick of having fully written posts that can't be published.

I'm thinking of starting it up and offering the link to any of you who want to stop over and take a look - maybe I will set it up as a private blog? Any suggestions?

Fine I'll Take it Down

2009-12-18T10:34:00.005+11:00

So I guess more people read my blog than I originally thought.....

The pee story made it around full circle the last 24 hours and apparently for some people involved was not a memory that they wanted shared online.

I don't like taking things down after I post them because I think it decreases the transparency and credibility of what I'm witting. I also tend to think that if you don't like what you read on here you don't have to follow along and can go elsewhere for your entertainment. At the same time I don't want to hurt anyone with what I'm writing and causing issues while I'm on a 12 month holiday is not on my list of things to do.

So that said the pee story is being deleted. {Wish I could delete the memory too :) }

Good Morning Lady How Are You Tomorrow?

2009-12-12T22:14:00.006+11:00

Motorbikes are a very popular form of transport in Bali

I'm back, safe and sound in Melbourne and feeling ready for summer after spending 10 days in the 90 degree heat of Indonesia.

Bali was a great place to visit because of how close it is to Australia, the cheap flights to get there and the beautiful weather that they have this time of the year, but other than that the area itself really didn't blow my skirt up. Don't get me wrong traveling around to see active volcanoes, kayaking across holy water, biking through rice fields and exploring ancient Balinese temples was an experience that I will never forget. It was great to check it off the list, be exposed to the Balinese culture and way of life, but there wasn't anything there that would keep me wanting to come back year after year

Indonesia is definitely a third world country where the average wage is about $150/month in Bali, the streets and some of the beach areas tend to be very dirty and there are outdoor vendors trying to barter and sell you something at every corner. It reminded me a lot of Guatemala and parts of central America. The people who live in Bali are extremely friendly and for the most part are happy you are visiting and are anxious to help you find your way or just say hello in the morning.

I spent the majority of the trip soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean and exploring the areas around Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud.

Here are a few photos for now......will update you on the rest of the trip and more pictures later in the week :)

PS: I am recovering day by day from my Typhoid sickness.

Mt. Agung (2 hours north of Kuta)

Man from the Kedisan Village fishing on Lake Batur

Temple near Mt. Batur

Me and Lindsay at Jari Menari for our spa day

Kuta Beach

Alive...Barely

2009-12-11T09:02:00.004+11:00

I'm back from a great 10 day holiday in Indonesia and will be blogging from the comfort of my back patio this weekend to catch you up on all the adventures! For now though I am pumping Typhoid pills, sipping on gatorade and trying to power through my first day back at work.

Losing a Friend Never Gets Easier

2009-12-01T07:23:00.012+11:00

Every summer for five years now, I make my way back to Minnesota to volunteer at a camp for children living with Muscular Dystrophy. It is one of the most exciting and anticipated weeks of my year! The children that I've gotten the chance to work with over the years leave something on my heart each time I'm there and the memories made are experiences that I will never leave behind. I have no doubt in my mind that I have been forever changed because of the campers and staff that come out every summer.

Early this morning while being caught up in my own Bali adventure, I found out that one of the graduated campers passed away on Thursday, Thanksgiving morning. Robert Miller was 26 years old when he died and in the short five years that I was blessed with his company he was never short of a smile and could light up a room within seconds. Robert pushed his limits everyday and made the most out of every experience he was given. I never once saw Robert have a bad or 'off' day; I will always remember him with a smile on his face and undoubtedly a few ladies around his chair. He had an infectious personality that you couldn't help but want to be around.

Over the past 8 months or so when I heard that Robert wasn't doing well, I made in effort to stop by his CaringBridge site from time to time to check up on his progress. I will never forget the irony the day that I read he was having a heart transplant; Robert had one of the biggest and most loving hearts of anyone I know! The Robert I knew had a heart big enough to take care of an entire group of people and yet somehow he was the one laying in the hospital bed in need of a new one. I suppouse in the end it shouldn't be surprising that his heart gave out and was in need of replacement; he would have used it much more each day than I'm sure many of us would in a year.

Robert was such an inspiration to me and he will be truly missed in my heart. Camp will not be the same for anyone next year and there will be a touch of laughter and brightness missing in many of our minds, but at the end of the day we all can appreciate how hard Robert fought and know that he is now in a much better place.

I'm sure there will be hundreds gathered today to say their goodbyes to a great friend and share stories of laughter and relive all of Robert's great achievements during his short time here with us. If you had the chance to meet Robert or be touched by his charm, be sure to head over to his CaringBridge page and leave a message for his family during a time where I'm sure they would love to hear about all the people he impacted during his 26 years.

Check it Off!

2009-11-30T06:53:00.004+11:00

While in Bali I'm hoping to check the following items off my bucket list of 101 things in a 1001 days!

#9 Ride an Elephant
#25 Ride a Horse on the Beach
#36 Spend an Entire Day at the Spa
#60 Go Kayaking

And for the record, this weekend I was able to check off #15 Drive on the Left Side of the Road after driving my friend Rodd in his car to breakfast. Granted it was only about 2 miles (if that) away from his house; but either way I drove and didn't crash, kill or bump into anything!

I'm a lover of Sydney and the Pig!

2009-11-29T20:34:00.009+11:00

(Oysters Kilpatrick at Manly Beach)

Sydney trip was amazing!! I did nothing but lay on the beach, ride the ferries around the harbour, go from an oyster virgin to a lover of kilpatrick (oysters topped with bacon and Worcestershire sauce,) eat more fish than I ever thought possible and have way too many good laughs and beers with my friend from home. It was a tearful goodbye in Sydney after a quick 4 day stay and having to hop on separate planes to opposite sides of the world is never easy, but in the end I wouldn't have changed a thing......well I guess that may not be entirely true.

We went out for dinner Wednesday evening and then headed down to the pier for a few drinks. While we were looking out over the water one of my FAVORITE, MOST PRIZED and LOOKED AFTER pearls was knock off and into the water! Now I'm not blaming him for ACCIDENTALLY pulling it out of me ear BUT these were my favorite piece of jewelery and..........agh OK fine I am blaming him and I'm not a happy camper! I feel naked without them and am dying to get them replaced. It's like if you had a dog or a kid and it fell into the water and you couldn't jump into get it - that's how I feel.

The hotel we stayed in was just on the other side of the bridge in North Sydney and luckily only about a block away was this gorgeous 50m saltwater pool. Of course I was up bright early each morning to be sure and get a few laps in before it got too hot in the afternoon. Probably one of the best pools I've ever swam in in my whole life! Being able see the bridge, opera house and skyline while flippin' away was enough motivation to keep me going that extra 15 minutes at the end.

I wish my phone had better camera quality because the view of the sunrise out the window of the hotel room was unbelievable. This doesn't really do it justice but gives you a good idea. Woke up one of the mornings to clear skies and shades of pink and yellow all across the harbour - such a great way to start the day.

Anywhooo............I'm back home in Melbourne for the night and somehow during the past 24 hours I have managed to unpack from my Sydney vaca, repack to move all my clothes and crap to the new house, unpack and organize into my new room and now repack to head off to Bali tomorrow afternoon! Arghhhh, I'm tired just typing that all. In hindsight I could have given myself a little more room to settle in from one destination to the next.

I checked the 10 forecast in Bali and it doesn't move from 90 degrees and sunny the entire time I'm there. Couldn't be more excited to toss on the bikini and get to the beach! That being said I will not be taking my computer with on my trip and will be signing off the blog, Facebook and Twitter until December 10. :( I struggled being offline in New Zealand for 7 days so we'll see how long I last!

Hope you all had a great turkey day and next time you hear from me I will be bronzed and ready for the Christmas season!!!

2 Weeks of Holidays Here I Come!

2009-11-24T10:20:00.005+11:00

Summer is in full force down under and I dont think the temperatures have gone below 75 since I got back from New Zealand! A lot has been happening since then and next two months are going to be much the same with the holidays approaching as well as a few more trips out of Australia on the books.

I sold my bed the other day and am living out of a suitcase yet again, but hopefully I will be all settled by the end of the week. The plan is to get the majority of my clothes and bags over to my new house this afternoon and hopfeully have the rest of it all moved out by Saturday afternoon when I retrun from Sydney. (Oh yea I've decided to take the next 5 days before leaving to Indonesia on Tuesday, to hang out in Sydney visiting a friend from the states.)

I can't remember if I posted about this or not, but Lindsay from Tales of a Yank has decided to join me mid-week in Bali and we have a whole heap of great adventures in store. We booked a full day of hiking, kayaking and biking around the tallest active volcano in Bali, as well as a spa day on the beach and an afternoon of elephant riding through the jungle. For all of you health nuts out there (ie: Mom) I am full vaccinated and ready for any type of Hepatitus or Japanese Flu that comes my way!

I just remembered the other day that it's Thanksgiving next week and I have nothing planned! Obviously it's not celebrated here in Australia and it will most likely be just any other Thursday on the beach, but I in honor of the little pilgrims I decided I will have to squeeze in some sort of turkey and cranberry sandwich to try to replicate what the fam will be doing at home. :)

Other than the move and getting packed up for vacation no too much else is going on. I've been invited to a few Christmas parties for work and am on the hunt for a couple good dresses that won't kill me in the summer heat. (Still very strange going through the holiday season when its 90 some degrees outside!)

Hopefully, will try and get a few more posts together during the time that I'm away so you know that I'm still alive down under!

Happy Turkey Day!

If I Had to Live My Life Over

2009-11-23T13:04:00.004+11:00

I am a big Erma Bombeck fan and have always admired her work. She became famous long before I was born and most of the time wrote about her life as a housewife in suburban America, but for some reason I have always loved her humour. I was going through some of her old newspaper pieces the other day and somehow stumbled upon this short entry. It made me stop and smile and I thought I would share that with all of you as well.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer)

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I never would have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more “I Love You’s.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it… live it and never give it back.

Stop sweating the small stuff. Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what.

Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who DO love us. Let’s think about what God HAS blessed us with. And what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, as well as spiritually.

Life is too short to let it pass you by. We only have one shot at this and then it’s gone

Updated Bucket List

2009-11-17T10:32:00.000+11:00

Not sure if you've taken a look lately at my 101 things in 1001 days list, but I have been quitely keeping up with it and checking things off the list as they come. Admittedly, I have taken a few things off the list and replaced with a couple more sensible options, but for the most part it is identical to when I originally posted in May.

Some of the more recent items to be checked of the list.....

Bungee jumping (Kawarau Bridge on my New Zealand trip)

Send someone flowers (mom's birthday)

Have a picnic in the park (went to the Royal Botanical Gardens for a friends birthday)

Eat a meat pie (happens weekly)

See Kangaroos and Koalas in the wild

Visit Great Ocean Road (Take this road to Lorne on the weekends)

Go to a cricket match (Went to Jan's son's match while visiting Bendigo a few weeks ago)

Weekend's in Lorne

2009-11-16T11:35:00.006+11:00

I've been fortunate enough to meet a really amazing group of friend's during the past 5 months and along with their great company come even better beach houses all around Australia! :) ....(such a spoiled little brat I am)

The past couple weekends I've spent my time out on the water in Lorne. It's located about 2 hours southwest of Melbourne and a beautiful drive down the Great Ocean Road. The beach house is within walking distance of beautiful beaches, shops, restaurants and several different national parks.

Saturday we spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean, lounging on the patio and feeding the influx of Rosella birds that flock to anything tossed on the BBQ.

On Sunday, I decided that I would get up early with the guys and try my hand at fishing somewhere other than on a lake at the end of a dock. We left the house around 8, grabbed a breakfast sandwich in town and headed out on the water. From the land the water looked fairly calm and not too choppy; well that didn't last long. By the time we made it out to what looked like somewhere between Fiji and Hawaii, the boat was tipping in every different direction. As we finally slowed all the way down and got the rods all baited up, I began to feel not only my breakfast, but what could only be everything I'd eaten since last Tuesday on its way back up.

I thought to myself well maybe I'll just watch the land and don't move or talk and maybe I'll feel OK. Well that lasted 2 mins, one of the guys looked up at me and said, " God are you Ok you really don't look well." I of course didn't want to ruin their little morning fishing trip that I insisted on tagging along for, so I said no I'll be fine and sat there thinking, 'Well how long could it really take for them to catch a few fish and get board of this?'

Well let me tell you it takes HOURS!!

Finally, one of the guys suggested dropping me back off on land to head back to the house and rest. Thank God because it wasn't more than 10 minutes after getting off the damn boat that I lost it and every last bit of my stomach was now on the side of the road.

On the way back to the car I passed by the Lorne Fish Club and saw this baby hanging from the side of the building! I'm not sure if they do a contest of some sort each week and hang the biggest fish, but in my head that's what's going on here.

Big ass Moon fish that I wish I could take credit for, but unfortunately my stomach could only tolerate about 10 mins on the water.

Sunday afternoon we drove about 10K outside of Lorne to Erskine Falls. We walked down 100 or so stairs to see this waterfall that cascades about 30 meters into a small creek.

I Would Like To Make a Donation Please

2009-11-13T09:16:00.015+11:00

I am a jack of all trades here in Australia and have a variety of different jobs to keep me busy. The other day I was filling in for the receptionist at a family services and domestic violence center fielding calls for the day. The majority of the inquiries that they receive are either people calling for emergency care in the home or to make a donation to the center. In the few hours that I was there people were ringing to donate money, clothes, toys etc; however towards the end of the day I received a call from a man to donate something entirely different....take a look

Me: "Good afternoon Nicole speaking,"

Man on Phone: "Hello, my name is Howard how are you today?'

Me: "Good thanks."

Man on Phone: "Good, I'd like to make a donation to the center"

Me: "Great! What would you like to give?"

Man on Phone: "I'd like to donate an organ"

Me: "OH MY GOD!? Wow!..........Which one????"

Man on Phone: "Ummm......the instrument one"

Me: (holding back EXTREME laughter as I now realize that I was thinking of the wrong type of organ and the man is not cracking up at all) I then say.... "Oh, ooops. I'll transfer you to Julie"

After that call I decided I was clearly done for the day, turned the lights off and went home.

I'm still dying of laughter about this and all night I kept thinking to myself - what if he did want to randomly just donate an organ to the center? Wouldn't that be weird!? My first thought when I heard him say organ was, 'well maybe he has really good kidneys and thinks he can give it a go on one the rest of his life?' But, that thought was clearly fleeting as he put a kabosh to it when he brought me back to reality with the instrument comment.

Headed back down the Great Ocean Road this weekend to a friend's beach house in Lorne. Will be back to blogging next week - have a good weekend where ever you are in the world!

Crisis Solved and Full Blown Disaster Averted

2009-11-12T13:34:00.008+11:00

I found a house. I will not be living in a box on the beach. I'm staying in the same area, but a few miles closer to the city. Once again I am falling back on the great network of people that I have met here in Australia. I was online at work this morning looking for roommates on a few different sites when I casually mentioned to another woman that I was looking for a new place.

Ten minutes later she comes back and says that she has a few spare bedrooms at her house with all the furniture that I need if I was interested. Of course I immediately jumped on board as the place sounds amazing and just a great set-up all around. It's close to the trams that I'm used to taking as well as my gym and all the shops and restaurants.

I will post pics and such next week when I'm moved in and sorted. Sorry to sound the alarms so quickly, but was first instinct when living on the other side of the world. Thanks for all the great comments and emails - was much appreciated for the over reacting drama queen in
me ;)

Off to the beach this weekend!!

Homeless in T-30 Days

2009-11-11T23:32:00.006+11:00

(now just imagine my head popping out of that box)

Let me just paint you all a little picture:

Come home today to two cheery roommates, watch TV, go for a run, come home, take a shower, lay in bed and Facebook stalk.

An hour later one roommate comes in and says can you come upstairs for a chat about the lease, think to myself "huh that's weird I'm not on the lease because the landlord only allows 2 tenants,' walk upstairs, other roommate sits down, she quickly mutters that their 'best friend' from New Zealand is now moving to Melbourne, then stumbles her way through something along the lines of, 'Oh and by the way she is going to be living in your room so that means you have to move out by mid-December.'

I nod my head, politely say 'no worries,' walk directly to the liquor cabinet, grab the bottle of whiskey, walk down the stairs to my room, call Lindsay, have a small freak out, get over it, turn on Grey's Anatomy from 1999 and decide I'm not going to let it ruin my day until tomorrow.

Anyone need a non-drinking (well that could be a stretch,) non-smoking, foul-mouthed American, suffering a minor quarter life crisis living at their house in the near future?? ie: next 30 days.

Mexican Food

2009-11-10T14:08:00.002+11:00

I refuse to believe that nowhere in Melbourne serves a decent mexican meal with a frozen margarita! Any Aussie readers out there who can suggest somewhere for a date night on Thursday??!! I want a large frozen margarita in a glass as big as my face accompanied by a burrito or chimichangas!

So far I've heard that Amigos on Acland street is going to be the closest to edible food and drink?? Anyone?? Bueller?? Anyone??

Sickie

2009-11-10T12:06:00.002+11:00

I've been super busy ever since getting back from New Zealand and posting on my blog has been on my 'to do list' for about 5 days now. Unfortunately, I am feeling sick today and not inspired to finish the posts I started. Also its been 90 degrees the past few days and I've been on the beach soaking up every last drop of salt water.

So basically I am bailing on my blog again today and will hopefully be back in the mood tomorrow.

A Sneak Peak of New Zealand: The Sandbox of the Southern Hemisphere

2009-11-04T23:00:00.005+11:00

Shot of the mountains as I was flying into Queenstown airport in New Zealand to begin my 7 day journey with my bests from Chicago.

View from our hotel room at St. Moritz in Queenstown - I think if I lived there I would never wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

Queenstown is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and we were lucky enough to take a ride up the side and enjoy the views as well as a few times around the luge course.

View from the top of the moutain looking over Queenstown.

First activity of the trip: Shotover jet. Essentially 20 people packed into a boat speeding through a canyon of sorts going entirely too fast and too close to the rocks for our own good.

My three lovely travel buddies out and about for dinner in Queenstown.
Dorris is on the far left, Daniel and Zach.

Zach and I enjoying some of New Zealands finest brew - Speights.

Zach and Daniel in front of the Shotover River in Queenstown.

After a ten minute tearful panic attack I was finally pushed off the 150 foot Kawarau Bridge, the same location where the world's first bungy took place.

Zach and I trying to work off the kilos we gained during our Japanese dinner in Christchurch. (OK fine zach is working and I'm and enjoying the ride)

The last few days of the trip were spent in Sydney visiting a few of Daniel's pals. Way too much fun! The weather was perfect and the company even better.

Blogger Housekeeping

2009-11-04T12:49:00.007+11:00

Want to give a big thanks to Jan and Kristin for taking the time to put together two really heartfelt and interesting posts while I was out gallivanting around New Zealand for the past week!!! I am so lucky to know such wonderful ladies on the opposite sides of the world! So thank you thank you thank you!!

On a quick side note - I love it when you all leave comments and give your two cents worth on my blogging adventure, but PLEASE if you're going to comment anonymously sign your name at the end. I have no idea what the official blogging etiquette or rule of thumb is about commenting, but I have been very open and transparent from the start of this blog and so have my guest posters; that's why I believe it's only fair that if you are going to join in conversation that you too leave your name. I am not trying to deter you from contributing, but if you want to leave a positive or negative thought to a post have the decency to back that up and tell us who you are. I know that a lot of my family will comment anonymously because they don't have blogger accounts, but they still will sign there names at the end. Unfortunately if you comment and don't leave a name I will have to delete it. :(

Thanks again for reading along and I should have a New Zealand update with photos soon!!

Guest Post: A Mum You Have When You Don’t Have Your Mom

2009-10-30T09:56:00.033+11:00

G'day Y'all...I’m Jan and I blog over at ‘Memoirs of an Aussie’. I first met Nicole a few months ago online through her blog and began communicating with her on expat related blog posts and also via twitter. My first connection with Nicole was that I too were an expat, but an Aussie living in her wonderful homeland, the USA. For three years our family lived in Tacoma, Washington State and then spent two years in Dallas, Texas. Hence my greeting: G'day Y'all. In late June 2009, not long before Nicole arrived here, I moved back to my hometown of Bendigo, in Victoria, Australia.

As an expat I not only enjoyed reading blogs about other people’s expat experiences, but took an interest in how expats living both here in Australia, and in other countries cope with being away from their homeland.You make so much personal growth as an expat, which at the time might not seem significant. You also find yourself becoming more patriotic and protective of your homeland, but being an expat is not as easy as it seems. Sure, it opens doors for travel adventures, new work opportunities, creates excitement learning a different culture of another country...it certainly pushes you out of your comfort zone. However, something you don’t really prepare yourself for until it hits you like a ton of bricks is... ‘Culture Shock!’

Socially, economically, and culturally, I believe Australia and America are very similar, so when differences do appear, it takes one by surprise. The excitement, delight and adventure of being in a new country can quickly turn into homesickness and disillusionment with your host country. I managed to move through the stages quite smoothly, but I have witnessed some expats really battle with it. We always saw our family's experience and opportunity to live in the US as a positive, and always got out there and embraced the culture, and it's people. I personally saw it as an adventure, and considered myself to be on one long vacation. This positive outlook is another connection I believe I have with Nicole.

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of meeting in real life, Nicole and Caz (another young expat 'twenty-something blogger') when we were in Melbourne. I came away that night pondering once again if my own children would one day, as twenty-something young adults, live once again the expat life, but next time without us. These young ladies are so brave! You can read my blog post about our meet-up here.

When Nicole asked me to be a guest blogger, I was flattered, and as silly as it may sound, felt like she might have asked me because she maybe sees me as an expat mom figure, as someone who has been through it, having been an expat myself. Today when I sat down to begin my guest post as a 'forty-something blogger', I took a peak again at fellow guest blogger, Kristen's post and noticed that Nicole’s mom had commented on it and something hit me! As a mother, this guest post opportunity should be written also for Nicole’s mom from me, an Aussie repatriate mum who has befriended her daughter. So here goes…

Hey there Nicole’s Mom,

Firstly, I don’t need to tell you how incredible your daughter is...you know that! I did hear however that her cooking skills may need a little improvement, cooking 'from scratch' is a challenge, but she’s apparently working on that!

My goodness though, the confidence and drive in life this girl has makes me reflect on my own life, whether as a twenty-something young single adult, I would have been as brave as her and moved to a foreign country. She appears to be assimilating very well to life in Australia...you must be so proud of her!

I don’t doubt that Nicole is probably experiencing, and will continue to experience the stages of 'Culture Shock' that I mentioned above, but I honestly think this young lady will handle it just fine. Nicole is treating her time in Australia so positively and embracing every opportunity. She has already built a wonderful friendship network in fellow expats, and I’m sure made other friends too. I’ve witnessed first-hand expats who don’t embrace their new home, its culture and its people positively, then have a miserable time; they become depressed and whine and moan about their experience and the people. Not your Nicole!

As a mum/mom, I just want to let Nicole and you know that I am here for her should she ever need...'a mum you have when you don’t have your mom'. Our family is looking forward to having Nicole and some of her expat 'mates' up to Bendigo soon for a weekend in November. She’ll also get to hang out with our kids and see our town. We’re really looking forward to that!

Anyways, please take comfort that Nicole is doing a 'good job' living in the land down under and our family is there for her, should she need us!

Kind regards,

Cheers!

Jan :)

P.S. Happy Halloween from Bendigo!

Guest Post: I'm Not Settlin'

2009-10-27T01:54:00.009+11:00

While Nicole is off frolicking around the likes of New Zealand, here I am to bridge the gap for her fabulous readers. Enjoy!

I met Nicole in high school, and I think I felt drawn to her humor and sass right away. I used to joke with her in high school that she could talk her way into and out of anything. (Probably why she got into the marketing & PR field!) I swear to this day that she talked our junior year English teacher into giving her an A without even reading one page of Huck Finn! However, as our friendship developed, it turns out she has amazing qualities that go beyond her quick wits. When Nicole started blogging over a year ago I loved being able to hear about her daily adventures in Chicago, and I contemplated starting my own blog, but I didn't know where to begin. Well, here I am months later with my own blog, in large part to Nicole's encouragement.

I put some time into thinking about what I wanted to write today, partly because there were many topics I considered, and partly because I feel the need to live up to Nicole’s typical sass. Eventually I settled on the one thing that really makes me feel connected to Nicole on a daily basis even though we are living on opposite sides of the globe, in countries with different languages, time zones, and customs. We are both living as ex-pats.

This means we both wanted something more out of life. More than graduating college and moving back to St. Paul, Minnesota for our many remaining years. More than choosing a life of familiarity and comfort and consistency. More than dating the same old guys, settling down, and playing house at the age of 22. More than settling for a life without risks.

Sure, sure, we both have endless friends doing those things and they are happy, fulfilled people with wonderful, joy-filled futures ahead of them. But that just isn’t me, and it isn’t Nicole. When she called to tell me she purchased a one way ticket to Australia, I was more than shocked by her choice to uproot what appeared to be a very stable existence in Chicago. She was probably equally shocked by my decision to move to Cali, Colombia to teach math in an international school for two years.

However, underneath our mutual shock we understood one another. At some point you just have to take the leap. For us, that meant moving to a different country, a different continent, it meant going on an adventure. But, what does that mean for you? You can leap any way you want to, anywhere you are right now, but you just have to take the first step.

I know, change isn’t easy for anyone. Sure, there can be benefits to it, but that doesn’t make it easy. To step outside yourself, to take a risk, requires both personal strength, great determination, and amazingly supportive friends and family members. And, spoiler alert: Sometimes it's really, really hard and you miss people and events and feelings and places more than you ever thought possible. Sometimes your heart aches for the familiar and the comfortable. Sometimes your heart feels like it's going to burst with emotion because calling your best friend or your mom over Skype while you're in tears just doesn't seem like a good idea.

But let me just tell you a little secret, it's worth it. Everytime. In every way. The thrill of living a life where not everything is predictable and not everything goes according to plan is a life of wonder, curiosity and immeasurable personal growth. I know we are all at different places in our lives, but wherever you are be a risk taker. Don't settle for mediocracy. Don't settle for being unhappy in your relationships, your jobs, your personal growth, your living situation, your life. In the past three months of living abroad I have changed in exciting ways, and I will always be a better person for the choice I have made. What choice are you going to make?

With that, here is some inspiration that always motivates me to just jump and see where I land:

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
Just not giving up this time
I ain't settling for anything less than everything, yeah
[Sugarland, "Settlin'"]

Thanks for reading!

p.s. Inspirational credits to my friend and travel buddy from Spain (2007), Lisa, who sent me a wonderfully empowering Facebook message last night. She's not settling for anything less than she deserves right now, and if you ask me she deserves the very best! :)

Guest Posters

2009-10-25T21:26:00.009+11:00

As I'm sitting here on my couch watching crap Sunday night television, snacking on popcorn and chocolate chips, I've decided to have a few of my blogger/tweeter pals guest post for me while I'm gone this week. I've left the topics up to them and given them free reign over my blog, so get ready for some serious fun while I'm away and enjoy some of my favorite cyber ladies!! So be sure to stop over this week, make them feel welcome, leave a comment or two and let them know how great they are!!

So far here is a quick overview of the lineup for the week ahead:

Kristin from Coffee Calculations and Colombia

Lindsay from Tales of a Yank

Jade from well everywhere on the web!!

Jan from Memoirs of an Aussie

There may be one or two more we'll see :)

I Love Being On Holiday

2009-10-25T19:35:00.005+11:00

I wish I could say that I have been super productive lately and that's why my blog is only being updated once a week, but in all honesty I have just been enjoying my 12-month holiday way too much. The summer air is in full swing and the sweatshirts have been put away for the duration of my trip (hopefully). I've spent the past few days recovering from my weekend in Sydney, doing washing, catching up on my favorite aussie TV shows and all the time in between has been put towards afternoons in the sun enjoying the BBQ :)

The next few weeks are going to be just as dodgy when it comes to frequent blog updates - Tuesday morning I am off to New Zealand for a week to see two of my good friends from Chicago!! Daniel and Zach have already been in NZ for a week, but I am catching up with them early Tuesday morning in Queenstown. We're going to play tourist there for a few days, then making the amazing drive up to Christchurch for Daniel's mom's 50th birthday!! I couldn't be more excited to jet off to spend the week with them and I know that we are in for some serious debauchery!! So plenty of photos and stories to come next week!

The day I get back to Melbourne is Cup Day at the race track. Everyone in Victoria has the day off (At least I think they do - maybe one of my aussie readers can confirm that detail) and gets all frocked up for a day filled with horse racing, fancy dresses, oversized hats and of course lots of aussie beer and BBQ's. A group of my friend's have organized a car park at the track to set up a tent, food and drinks for the day! Going to be such a great way to wrap up my NZ holiday and crossing my fingers that some of the 90 degree weather will stick around by the time I get back to Melbs.

P.Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

2009-10-20T22:17:00.007+11:00

Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.

(Ferry out to Manly Beach)

I arrived in Sydney early Friday morning and from the minute I hopped off the plane until I drunkenly stumbled back on four days later - I had the most amazing time! Daisy was sweet enough to not only let me stay at her beachside villa on Bondi for the weekend, but she also jumped on board as my personal tour guide and photographer as well!! I couldn't have asked for better weather the entire time I was there. It was easily 75 and sunny all four days and was such a treat to be able to pull out the sundresses and flip flops!

Friday I spent the afternoon exploring Bondi Beach and the shops around Bondi junction. I ventured down the 5 km walking path from Bondi to Bronte and have never seen such fantastic views of the ocean in my life. I wish I would have brought my camera with when I finally made it to the end of the path because there is a cemetery that overlooks the ocean with hundreds of huge headstones dating back into the late 1700's. Truly one of the more fascinating experiences in my life.

(Ferry trip from Darling Harbour out to North Sydney for lunch)

Saturday, Daisy and I went all over Sydney taking in every last drop of tourist heaven that Sydney has to offer. We started out at Darling Harbour and had a great time snapping photos of the skyline and making way our way down to the ferry to head over to North Sydney for the aussie favorite 'fish and chips' for lunch.

That afternoon we hopped back on the ferry (my new favorite mode of transportation if anyone is keeping track) to Circular Quay where we took pictures of the infamous Sydney Opera House. Ever since I decided to make the move from the US to Australia I have been dreaming about taking a picture in front of the opera house. I finally feel like a true aussie tourist with my opera house picture in hand. (Although it was so beautiful and absolutely stunning - I think I was so excited to get the picture that it made the experience a bit anti-climatic, but either way a great ex-pat experience!) I didn't get a chance to walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge this time around so it will definitely have to be on the 'to do' list for when my mom arrives in a few months!

(Again on the ferry about to get off at Circular Quay to take pics at the Opera House)

Other highlights of Saturday included the Royal Botanical Gardens, an art festival in Hyde Park, and a quick look at Luna Park in North Sydney.

Sunday morning a few of us got up to have breakfast at Icebergs cafe overlooking the ocean - if you ever make it to Bondi DEFINITELY stop into Icebergs. I wish I would have taken a dip into their 50 meter oceanside pool, but was a bit chilly for my liking. Later that afternoon we took the ferry out to Manly Beach and met up with a few of Daisy's uni mates. We enjoyed a few cocktails at Manly Wharf and took some fabulous photos. It was a bit chilly so we weren't able to stay at the beach long, but we were able to roam the streets and marinas before jumping back on the boat to Bondi.

(Icebergs cafe and swim club)

Monday, I spent the morning running down the Bondi to Bronte path again and then spent the entire afternoon laying on the beach catching some much needed sun!

All and all was a fantastic weekend and I can't wait to book another trip - hopefully in November!

Up and Running at Think Tank

2009-10-09T11:02:00.003+11:00

My first post is up over at Think Tank Media - go over and have a look!

I will be posting once a week on FRIDAY'S not wednesday as I originally thought - so be sure to stop over, leave a comment or two and let me know what you think.

Thanks everyone!!

Have a big weekend planned, filled with lots of birthday festivities (not mine - But ,I'm in January if you are looking to send me presents) so if I had to guess won't be back to the land of blogs until Monday.