A year
G'day all!
It is now a year since I (we) left Australia. A whole year.
I think I'm a whole lot more comfortable with the idea of living in Seattle now that I have been here for almost a whole year - we spent three days in Hawai'i before we came here. We arrived in Seattle on the 7th of January last year but of course 2012 was a leap year.
Is it doable? We are still here, so it must be doable! I have to say the 2.5 sunny days we had to start the New Year certainly helped. Ask me in another five days - the forecast says it will almost certainly rain every day until Thursday - and my opinion may change.
We came here hoping things would work out, hoping that DH had found a job that was a good fit for him. The old job wasn't - they wanted interchangeable work units and anyone who knows my DH knows he is not interchangeable and also will not conform to the masses just because someone is putting pressure on him to be like everyone else.
(Not that I can pick - outwardly I may pretend to be average but no, I go my own way.)
So far, so good. DH seems to be happy, which makes me much less stressed.
People ask if we miss Home. Of course we miss Home. Our families and friends are there, people we've known for years and people we've known for only a short time. We understand the culture there, we understand how to do things there. Americans might speak a form of English but it doesn't mean that our cultures are the same or that we know how to negotiate things that Americans almost instinctively know how to deal with. Of course the same applies in reverse - Americans who live in Oz have to learn to navigate our health care, our roads, our way of doing things.
Interestingly, very few people in Seattle ask if we will become citizens. In San Jose we got asked that a lot. I don't know if Seattleites are less punchy about their American-ness or if they just don't care. Or maybe it isn't polite - they are somewhat more Canadian up here than in California.
A surprising number of people can also pick that we are Australian. The rest think we are English or Kiwis.
Various of our family members are talking about visiting, or actively planning to visit. That is good - we need to keep up with family and we'd like to keep up with friends too.
It certainly has been a year. It feels like forever and it feels like just yesterday that I said goodbye to friends in Melbourne and friends in Sydney.
But we are here and whilst we are here, I am going to take advantage of what this place has to offer. And it has plenty.
anon!
It is now a year since I (we) left Australia. A whole year.
I think I'm a whole lot more comfortable with the idea of living in Seattle now that I have been here for almost a whole year - we spent three days in Hawai'i before we came here. We arrived in Seattle on the 7th of January last year but of course 2012 was a leap year.
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| Sunset, Oahu, Hawai'i, Jan 2012 |
Is it doable? We are still here, so it must be doable! I have to say the 2.5 sunny days we had to start the New Year certainly helped. Ask me in another five days - the forecast says it will almost certainly rain every day until Thursday - and my opinion may change.
 |
| Anyone for a picnic? Sunbaking? Jan 2012 |
We came here hoping things would work out, hoping that DH had found a job that was a good fit for him. The old job wasn't - they wanted interchangeable work units and anyone who knows my DH knows he is not interchangeable and also will not conform to the masses just because someone is putting pressure on him to be like everyone else.
(Not that I can pick - outwardly I may pretend to be average but no, I go my own way.)
So far, so good. DH seems to be happy, which makes me much less stressed.
 |
| Sunset, Golden Gardens |
People ask if we miss Home. Of course we miss Home. Our families and friends are there, people we've known for years and people we've known for only a short time. We understand the culture there, we understand how to do things there. Americans might speak a form of English but it doesn't mean that our cultures are the same or that we know how to negotiate things that Americans almost instinctively know how to deal with. Of course the same applies in reverse - Americans who live in Oz have to learn to navigate our health care, our roads, our way of doing things.
Interestingly, very few people in Seattle ask if we will become citizens. In San Jose we got asked that a lot. I don't know if Seattleites are less punchy about their American-ness or if they just don't care. Or maybe it isn't polite - they are somewhat more Canadian up here than in California.
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| Our first sunset in Seattle, Jan 2012 |
A surprising number of people can also pick that we are Australian. The rest think we are English or Kiwis.
Various of our family members are talking about visiting, or actively planning to visit. That is good - we need to keep up with family and we'd like to keep up with friends too.
It certainly has been a year. It feels like forever and it feels like just yesterday that I said goodbye to friends in Melbourne and friends in Sydney.
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| A taste of home, Sydney-style |
But we are here and whilst we are here, I am going to take advantage of what this place has to offer. And it has plenty.
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| SPACE NEEDLE! and sculpture Jan 2013 |
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| Seattle Center, 2 Jan 2013 |
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| Lovely old buildings, Seattle, New Year's Day 2013 |
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| Pioneer Square area, NYD |
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| Pioneer Square, Seattle, New Year's Day |
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| Shilshole Marina, Ballard |
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| Seattle, Dec 2012 |
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| Puget Sound, recent |
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| Aurora Bridge, Fremont |
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| Golden Gardens, Ballard |
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| Seattle, December 2012 |
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| Seattle, Nov 2012 |
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| Autumn leaves, Ballard |
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| Ballard Railbridge, Oct 2012 |
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| Tatoosh Range, Sept 2012 |
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| Mt Rainier, Sept 2012 |
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| Mt Rainier, Sept 2012 |
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| So many gloves and mittens. Selbu-style. |
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| Lampshade. We made it. |
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| Zinnias, Sunset Hill |
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| Mt Hood, Oregon, Sept 2012 |
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| Shipping canal, Fremont |
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| Us, Mt St Helens, Aug 2012 |
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| Mt St Helens, Aug 2012 |
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| Us at Mt Rainier, Sept 2012 |
anon!
Looks like a fabulous place and I'm glad to hear you sounding so much more settled.
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