Thoughts after seven months in Melbourne

We've been in Melbourne for 7 months now. I'm gradually getting a handle on what we gave up, and on what we are gaining.

I'm glad we moved. I believe it was exactly the perfect thing to do. And WOW there are some amazingly beautiful kind gracious fascinating glorious people in Seattle who loved us so very well from geographical closeness, and who still love us from geographical distance--the former a far more intensely delightful experience than the latter, in my opinion.

Yesterday for the first time I can remember I automatically looked right first rather than left first when I was about to walk across a street. Upon realizing what I'd done, I felt a certain sense of joy and loss.

My thoughts about the transition were, and continue to be, that it's a three year process to feel at home again. so we've accomplished one sixth of that, and one sixth of something huge and amazing is in itself huge and amazing.

Today a stranger was putting her metcard into ticketing machine on the tram the wrong way 'round, and getting a little frustrated, and I gently told her how to do it correctly. She then asked me how to get, via the tram system, to the a certain location in the city, and I was able to tell her quite easily. However, at least 2 or 3 times a week I still experience people mentioning suburbs in conversations and having no sense at all of the location--something that rarely happened to me in Seattle.

I LOVE knowing I can get out in the sun pretty much every day even though it's winter. Conversely, I never ever had to use chapstick during Seattle winters.

People I'm thankful for in Melbourne: John and Tami and Phoebe and Tom and Georgia and Avak and Anita and Mark and Melissa and Phil and Shelley and David and Kerry,and Nevilleand Toddy and Louise and Arlette and Javier and Becky and Phil, and Sal and David and Gretta and David Nicholas and Rachel and Seren and Tim and Emma and Ann and Kobe and Thomas and Nicholas and Campbell and Kevin and Kate and Gaby and Nyrie and Will and Aiden.

I've almost adjusted to having a limited quota of data associated with my DSL every month.

I can tell you 4 places to go in Melbourne for really yummy free lunches and dinners. But unlike Seattle, I know of exactly zero good dependable dumpsters in Melbourne.

29 months to go until I can expect to feel fully at home here. and 41 months to go until I can apply for Aussie citizenship.