I write this with some apprehension, as I leave tomorrow for my second field trip, this one a three week stint to the same remote locations we visited on the last one. The novelty of the tropical landscape will no doubt wear off on this trip (hey look, more sugar cane!), but the good news is that after this trip is over I'll be home (to Brisbane not Canada) for several months.
Don't get me wrong, I love it out there in the bush, and if Laura were with me, I could happily stay out for weeks. Being here in this country has made me regret not doing more hiking, camping and appreciating wildlife back in Canada while we were there. There are many Australians who would be thrilled to see a moose or bear (or even a chickadee), but Canadians take them for granted. Now, here, we get excited when we see brush tailed possums on the telephone wires along our street under cover of darkness, but they are just like squirrels to Aussies, more of a nuisance than anything.
Laura grows more pregnant and beautiful each day. She is now working two jobs, along with volunteering her time with two chapters of Engineers Without Borders. Yet somehow she still manages to have food on the table when I get home each night. She's even managed to master homemade Pad Thai, and boy is it good. You can probably sense a bit of a food theme in our blog thus far - it really does play a prominent role in our everyday activities. In fact, much of our thought time is spent on planning our next meal. Hard to believe for those of you who knew me as a youngster that turned his nose up at anything but hot dogs and french fries.
We've been here three and a half months now and I can honestly say that the transition into a new job and new life hasn't been super easy. You might be thinking "how hard can it be? Australia isn't that different from Canada" (and you would be mostly correct). But anyone who has recently started a job in new place can empathize with what I'm saying, no matter how suited you are for a job (and I was recruited to come here after all), the foreignness of the new surroundings can be very disorienting. The scientists at Griffith (where I work) are really good - they know their water issues, they know the system, the plants and animals, etc. I feel like such a newbie sometimes. Of course, it didn't help that my lunch caught on fire in the microwave in the common room a couple of months ago. Probably not the best thing to have happen when you are struggling with confidence in a new job. But alas, things have turned around. I am getting much more comfortable, things are starting to make sense, and I'm even starting to have proper scientific ideas again, after months of thinking about visas, medicals, drivers licenses, bus routes, and all the other things that come with moving to somewhere new. Of course, this feeling of comfort will no doubt come crashing to a halt in September when the Goob arrives. After all, what could be more life-altering than having a child? Oh well, at least we now have the duck crib for him/her to sleep in.
Finally, back by popular demand, your monthly Aussie lingo:
Canada/Australia
Afternoon/Arvo
Math/Maths
Hood/Bonnet
Sweater/Jumper
Candy/Lolly
Substitution/Interchange
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