Bittersweet
-
Eyal and I always knew that it would be difficult building a family from
two different countries. It is just now, however, that we have to really
put that ...
14 years ago
Blog revives!
City life continues to surround us with dizzying sensory input. So many first impressions have already faded, and I regret not blogging about them at the time. I also wish I'd been taking more pictures. Anyway, some pictures follow which represent a few slices of the past month and a half.
Aunty Me! and more
Well, Justin and I have a new nephew, and he's mighty cute. Sorry, no pix as everyone else was taking so many photos we decided to resist. We're house-sitting and dog-minding while Justin's sis is in the hospital up the street here in San Francisco.
Can't believe we've only been back 2 weeks and 2 days! We found an apartment in Oakland and moved in on the 7th day we'd been back. Since then, we've been getting to know our neighborhood, unpacking boxes of things it was ridiculous for us to have stored for a year and a half but that we are sometimes still happy to see, and applying for jobs!
To my delight, our new apartment is actually on the same street my sister lives on and just about a block away. Despite it being right in the city (it's not suburban at all--at least not in the American sense; I feel that Australians use the term slightly differently, so I don't know if Australians could call it suburban), our next door neighbors have chickens, rabbits, and a garden in their backyard. Most other houses and apartments might just have a garage or shed in the back yard or another living space, so our neighbors are definitely extraordinary.
The neighborhood is predominantly African-American, a mix of working class and probably some professionals. It is probably considered a somewhat "gentrified" area, but I don't know the history of it to know for sure whether it was more "blighted" or run-down in the past.
Interestingly, there are a lot of Eritrean and Ethiopian businesses not too far away, but we haven't seen any Eritreans living right in our neighborhood. Speaking of restaurants (I was, since all the aforementioned businesses are in fact eateries), the sheer number of yummy dining options is pretty overwhelming throughout the Bay Area. Justin was remarking today, as we walked down a street in San Francisco, that pretty much every single restaurant we might come across would have multiple vegetarian options. I just looked online and found Farmers Markets in Berkeley and Oakland six days a week.
A little geography for friends who don't know northern California: the Bay Area consists of all the cities and suburbs around the San Francisco Bay. The major cities are San Francisco, on a little peninsula or knob, then across the bay are the East Bay cities of Berkeley and Oakland. There are many more cities all along the water. San Francisco is attached to Marin in the north by the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the East Bay by the Bay Bridge. The so-called "Silicon Valley" (made up of cities like San Jose and Palo Alto) are south of the actual bay and in the valley, but are sometimes consider part of the Bay Area.
I'm very excited to live in this area for the first time, even if I'm about 15 years older than most people are when they move to the Big City. It'll be fun exploring and getting to know new places, new people, new culture, while still being in some ways on familiar ground. When I was a fifteen year old in combat boots and purple hair, my best friend and I would ride the bus to the City (SF) and just walk around all day long, looking at the people, delighting when we were mistaken for locals (by other visiting suburbanites).
Today Justin and I walked along Haight Street and were amazed to see how little it has really changed over the years. The same kinds of businesses (and some of the same actual ones), the same kinds of people (and some of the same actual ones) hanging out and ambling down the street as when we were teenagers visiting there.
Can't believe we've only been back 2 weeks and 2 days! We found an apartment in Oakland and moved in on the 7th day we'd been back. Since then, we've been getting to know our neighborhood, unpacking boxes of things it was ridiculous for us to have stored for a year and a half but that we are sometimes still happy to see, and applying for jobs!
To my delight, our new apartment is actually on the same street my sister lives on and just about a block away. Despite it being right in the city (it's not suburban at all--at least not in the American sense; I feel that Australians use the term slightly differently, so I don't know if Australians could call it suburban), our next door neighbors have chickens, rabbits, and a garden in their backyard. Most other houses and apartments might just have a garage or shed in the back yard or another living space, so our neighbors are definitely extraordinary.
The neighborhood is predominantly African-American, a mix of working class and probably some professionals. It is probably considered a somewhat "gentrified" area, but I don't know the history of it to know for sure whether it was more "blighted" or run-down in the past.
Interestingly, there are a lot of Eritrean and Ethiopian businesses not too far away, but we haven't seen any Eritreans living right in our neighborhood. Speaking of restaurants (I was, since all the aforementioned businesses are in fact eateries), the sheer number of yummy dining options is pretty overwhelming throughout the Bay Area. Justin was remarking today, as we walked down a street in San Francisco, that pretty much every single restaurant we might come across would have multiple vegetarian options. I just looked online and found Farmers Markets in Berkeley and Oakland six days a week.
A little geography for friends who don't know northern California: the Bay Area consists of all the cities and suburbs around the San Francisco Bay. The major cities are San Francisco, on a little peninsula or knob, then across the bay are the East Bay cities of Berkeley and Oakland. There are many more cities all along the water. San Francisco is attached to Marin in the north by the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the East Bay by the Bay Bridge. The so-called "Silicon Valley" (made up of cities like San Jose and Palo Alto) are south of the actual bay and in the valley, but are sometimes consider part of the Bay Area.
I'm very excited to live in this area for the first time, even if I'm about 15 years older than most people are when they move to the Big City. It'll be fun exploring and getting to know new places, new people, new culture, while still being in some ways on familiar ground. When I was a fifteen year old in combat boots and purple hair, my best friend and I would ride the bus to the City (SF) and just walk around all day long, looking at the people, delighting when we were mistaken for locals (by other visiting suburbanites).
Today Justin and I walked along Haight Street and were amazed to see how little it has really changed over the years. The same kinds of businesses (and some of the same actual ones), the same kinds of people (and some of the same actual ones) hanging out and ambling down the street as when we were teenagers visiting there.
First Day in CA
From just behind Forest's house in Berkeley, we walked up a beautiful hill with panoramic views of the area.
We walked through stands of these huge old eucalyptus trees which filled the air with their unique aroma. These are a different type from any of the many varieties that grew in the Katherine region, but I felt like I was meeting these old familiar trees with a new understanding of their homeland.
This picture proves that I am here, but unfortunately does little justice to the actual view, due to the back-lighting situation. We could see San Francisco, with the Golden Gate Bridge stretching to the right and the Bay Bridge coming toward us, a string of tiny shiny cars sparkling like a diamond necklace. Further to the left we could see downtown Oakland and the hills just visible beyond. The top of the hill we were on was covered with bright green grass and full of birds singing. Absolutely lovely.
As for city life, it is pretty overwhelming to see so many people and so much activity. Just as small towns like Katherine have their charms and challenges, so too do cities, and right now the challenge for us is not to go into sensory overload!
We walked through stands of these huge old eucalyptus trees which filled the air with their unique aroma. These are a different type from any of the many varieties that grew in the Katherine region, but I felt like I was meeting these old familiar trees with a new understanding of their homeland.
This picture proves that I am here, but unfortunately does little justice to the actual view, due to the back-lighting situation. We could see San Francisco, with the Golden Gate Bridge stretching to the right and the Bay Bridge coming toward us, a string of tiny shiny cars sparkling like a diamond necklace. Further to the left we could see downtown Oakland and the hills just visible beyond. The top of the hill we were on was covered with bright green grass and full of birds singing. Absolutely lovely.
As for city life, it is pretty overwhelming to see so many people and so much activity. Just as small towns like Katherine have their charms and challenges, so too do cities, and right now the challenge for us is not to go into sensory overload!
Doing Diddly in Darwin
We made it out of Katherine safe and dry. We holed up with Waz and Pas in their elevated house on the river's edge until it was time to leave. Our final night (Monday) was spent at Digger's Den (natch); however, there was no pizza (as apparently the pizza bases come in a truck which was unable to get through the flood waters). Anyway, it was a good send-off for us, including much laughter, impassioned discussion of punctuation, and some better-than-usual customer service. The last couple days in Katherine were the beginning of the Dry Season with picture perfect blue skies and low humidity.
Darwin's weather is also lovely. We've eaten on the wharf, visited the museum, swum in the hostel pool and taken care of a few sundry errands. A bit more vacationy stuff lies ahead, and then we'll be on that plane!
Will post pictures when next in a position to connect laptop to internet (am in internet cafe now).
Darwin's weather is also lovely. We've eaten on the wharf, visited the museum, swum in the hostel pool and taken care of a few sundry errands. A bit more vacationy stuff lies ahead, and then we'll be on that plane!
Will post pictures when next in a position to connect laptop to internet (am in internet cafe now).
The Big Brown
Recent flooding in Katherine left a few people inconvenienced, like these gnomes:
Actually, the water was quite high in a number of areas of town, including inside our friend Rob's house. Pictures of this will appear at a later date.
We discovered from listening to the news that Katherine is a city and has a "CBD" which was flooded. As you can see from this photo, people were panic-stricken:
Both photos courtesy of Wazza. Thanks, Waz!
Actually, the water was quite high in a number of areas of town, including inside our friend Rob's house. Pictures of this will appear at a later date. We discovered from listening to the news that Katherine is a city and has a "CBD" which was flooded. As you can see from this photo, people were panic-stricken:
Both photos courtesy of Wazza. Thanks, Waz!
Last Day
Today's our last day in our unit ("apartment" in American English, to which I will soon revert). Most everything is gone and the place is looking gloriously bare, thanks to many friends who helped by giving new homes to our things. We've been bicycle-less since Sunday, which hasn't in fact been as inconvenient as I'd expected since it's been raining almost non-stop.
Here's a little weather statistics summary for you:
In March of 2006, Katherine got 455.8 mm (18 inches) of rain. The most in one day was 102.2 mm (4 inches).
As of April 4, we'd gotten 27.6 mm (1.08 inches). Today's observation said that we'd got 51 mm (2 inches) between 9 am and 10:30 am, but I'm a little suspicious of that. Anyway, it's been raining not in big thunderstorm showers, but in a constant drizzle kind of way, like rain in California. In contrast, in April 2005 Katherine had zero (0) mm of rain!
What about temperatures? Well, temps in April 2006 have ranged from a low of 23.6C (74 F) to a high of 32.3C (90 F). I have cold toes right this moment and our thermometer says it's 82F in here! (My toes, though, are on the cold tile floor and have been still for some time.)
We are so excited about coming home, but know it's going to be really overwhelming. I hope you Californians will not be surprised when you find us cowering under the sofa, unable to take it all in.
See you soon!
Here's a little weather statistics summary for you:
In March of 2006, Katherine got 455.8 mm (18 inches) of rain. The most in one day was 102.2 mm (4 inches).
As of April 4, we'd gotten 27.6 mm (1.08 inches). Today's observation said that we'd got 51 mm (2 inches) between 9 am and 10:30 am, but I'm a little suspicious of that. Anyway, it's been raining not in big thunderstorm showers, but in a constant drizzle kind of way, like rain in California. In contrast, in April 2005 Katherine had zero (0) mm of rain!
What about temperatures? Well, temps in April 2006 have ranged from a low of 23.6C (74 F) to a high of 32.3C (90 F). I have cold toes right this moment and our thermometer says it's 82F in here! (My toes, though, are on the cold tile floor and have been still for some time.)
We are so excited about coming home, but know it's going to be really overwhelming. I hope you Californians will not be surprised when you find us cowering under the sofa, unable to take it all in.
See you soon!
Ch-ch-changes
The turmoil that kept me from posting for awhile has resolved itself. The result is that Justin and I are coming (or 'going'--depending upon the perspective of the reader) home!
Justin's last actual day in the office will be next Thursday and then he'll have a few weeks of holiday time. I will work through the end of my contract, March 31. We haven't decided if we're up for travelling or sightseeing before we leave, but plan to be back in California by mid-late April.
After a dry February, we've had some beautiful rain in the past few days, which--in combination with Justin's work situation finally being resolved, after a fashion--has made me very happy. There will be some busy getting-everything-done days ahead which may not be entirely relaxing, but overall the mood in our house is lifting.
We're getting back to what we do so well--anticipating the future: moving, starting over, doing new things. Our moves are sort of a theme with variations, or maybe variations with common threads connecting them. After leaving the Solomons, we re-visited Eritrea and re-settled in Ithaca. From there, we re-settled in California, but in an area we hadn't lived in before. When we came to Australia, we were coming back to the Southern Hemisphere, back to work not unlike Peace Corps work, but in the familiarity of an industrialized country with an anglo-celtic heritage. Now we return to California, to another city we haven't lived in, but very near to our siblings and not too far from our parents. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue....
Another day I'll list the things I'm looking forward to (Mom, is it too early to start planting tomatoes?) and the things I'll miss about this life that I'm leaving here.
Justin's last actual day in the office will be next Thursday and then he'll have a few weeks of holiday time. I will work through the end of my contract, March 31. We haven't decided if we're up for travelling or sightseeing before we leave, but plan to be back in California by mid-late April.
After a dry February, we've had some beautiful rain in the past few days, which--in combination with Justin's work situation finally being resolved, after a fashion--has made me very happy. There will be some busy getting-everything-done days ahead which may not be entirely relaxing, but overall the mood in our house is lifting.
We're getting back to what we do so well--anticipating the future: moving, starting over, doing new things. Our moves are sort of a theme with variations, or maybe variations with common threads connecting them. After leaving the Solomons, we re-visited Eritrea and re-settled in Ithaca. From there, we re-settled in California, but in an area we hadn't lived in before. When we came to Australia, we were coming back to the Southern Hemisphere, back to work not unlike Peace Corps work, but in the familiarity of an industrialized country with an anglo-celtic heritage. Now we return to California, to another city we haven't lived in, but very near to our siblings and not too far from our parents. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue....
Another day I'll list the things I'm looking forward to (Mom, is it too early to start planting tomatoes?) and the things I'll miss about this life that I'm leaving here.
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