A New Year Down Under

Happy 2015 from Down Under! :) I have to say, spending the holidays in Australia has been a bit of a surreal experience. Unlike America, the far majority of people don't decorate their home for the holidays. Going around town and the suburbs, I think maybe 1 in 50 houses put up decorations, and the far majority of those are just a tree. I can think of maybe 10 houses I saw that had outside decorations and lights, and only 2 with the blow-up lawn decorations (and yes, Paul REALLY wants those when we finally get our own house). That in itself was odd. Even the stores had minimal decorations. Some would have drawings on the windows, a few had garlands or trees, but the far majority looked just like any other time of year. This was the main decoration at a local centre, HarborTown:

Although I think my favorite are what locals affectionately refer to as the "gay santas" at the iconic Rundle Mall in the Center of Adelaide:

Of course, coming from New England, the most expected odd part of being in Down Under for the holidays was the heat. I spend a holiday season in Florida a few years ago, so I know what it is to have a warm holiday season. But the heat, combined with the lack of decorations, made it strange. Christmas Day itself was actually surprisingly cold (usually it is around 102F on Christmas Day). It only got up to about 70F that day, and rained off and on. But we still had a wonderful time, being together.

I learned that in Australia, Santa's sleigh is pulled by "bangaroos" (bush kangaroos), and he wears board shorts, a tank top and thongs (flip-flops). And it seems that everyone wants to get in on the act:

Paul had to work Christmas Eve, Boxing Day (the day after Christmas, which, it turns out, is becoming the Australian equivalent to the U.S.'s "Black Friday"), New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so our holiday wasn't quite what we had hoped it would be, but were grateful to be together. As is also tradition for me, I give you a quick look back at 2014: First and foremost, this was the year that my virtual village from around the world came together to support Paul and I. Our wedding in November 2013 and the flight for Paul to return to Australia ahead of me to get things set up pretty much wiped out our meager savings. We knew that once we applied for my visa, it could be a year before approval, and we had no idea how long it would be before we could afford the $3,200 to pay for the application. At the strong urging of friends, we launched an indiegogo campaign, and raised $2,000 toward the cost of my visa. This allowed us to file in April 2014 - and because of the love and support of our friends, we filed probably 8 months earlier than we would have had it just been us saving the money. We cannot begin to thank you enough for believing in us and wanting to help us be together. That is such a humbling thing. 2014 was also the year I worked at Bank of America. That was an amazing experience, and honestly, a far better one than I expected it to be. I went to an open house in Nov 2013 just for the heck of it because I wasn't getting any interviews in my field, and ended up getting hired. I honestly thought I would hate it - but it turned out, I was actually pretty good at it! I loved the team I was working with (one of the best bosses I've ever had in my life), and I miss them very much. I don't miss some of the stuff the Bank was doing and the direction they are taking things, but I really miss my team and my customers. I honestly had some of the best customers ever, who have become very good friends. I got to live on a working farm. I loved my tiny little room (about the size of my cabin on the ship, but nice to not have to share!), and my housemate/landlord is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. It was amazing - Steve showed me baby turtles that were born in a dirt pile and trying to make their way to the pond. Watching the seasons change and the beauty of the landscape was amazing. I will always treasure my time in this beautiful place. I also want to give a special shout-out to the Fried Family. They took me in when I came home from ships and had nowhere to go. I've been friends with them for several years, but I feel now like they made me part of their family. It meant the world to spend Christmas morning 2013 opening presents with them, I was honored to house-sit for them a couple of time while they went on vacation, and having puppy and cat time was priceless. One of the more challenging aspects to 2014 was downsizing my life to move to the other side of the world. I gave away so much stuff, and scanned all my pictures onto a hard drive so I could get rid of the physical copies. That was challenging - during the scanning, I had to face a lot of things that I had literally shoved in a box. I processed a lot about my ex-husband and other relationships, dealt with a lot of family stuff, and found some hidden treasures that I didn't realize I had, and saw the faces of beloved friends and family who are no longer here. I had the blessing and honor of being part of my dear friend Billbob's wedding to Mando. Being Billbob, it was a truly unique day, and one I will never forget. I cannot express how honored I feel at being asked to be part of such a special day. It was perfect. I made some great new friends, and said goodbye to others. I spent as much time as I could with people who mean so much to me and I don't know when (or in some cases if) I'll get to see them again. Of course the top of that list is my mom. On my way to Australia, I spent a month in Santa Fe with my mother. Mom and I are famous for our roadtrips, so we had to get one more in. We drove to Roswell, New Mexico, the site of the alien ship crash landing in 1958. We had an absolute ball.

We also went to see the world-famous balloon festival. When we got close to Albuquerque and saw the insane traffic, we decided to forgo the actual festival and found a Denny's to have breakfast and watched the balloons from on the hill.

I also got to go back to the Mystery Lounge, Boston's longest-running magic show. I was beyond thrilled and still can't believe that my friend David Oliver made the trip down to see me before I left. Just over a year before, David was the recipient of a double-lung transplant, so the possibility of seeing him in Australia is not so high (but with David, you just never know!). I hadn't seen him since 2010, and really wanted to see him before I left. We had a wonderful visit, and every day I am grateful that this amazing man is still with us. Not only a wonderful magician, but teacher and mentor to young magicians, and a tireless advocate of becoming an organ donor. Love you, David! A lot of folks have been asking about adjusting to life Down Under. In a lot of ways, it was more odd when I moved to Indiana! Sure the folks talk funny here *grin* and drive on the wrong side of the road, but American culture is so prevalent that it is the same in a lot of ways. Oddly, one of the strangest things is having stores that are the same - but not. For example - Target and KMart are a big presence here. But they don't carry the same things as they do in the States. Coles and Woolworth' are grocery stores. And there are sushi places on practically every street corner - they sell sushi rolls for about $2.60-$3.20, and amusingly don't cut them into bite-size pieces - they leave them as a roll. And they're really good.... :) Of course it is being an adjustment being married and living with Paul for the first time. Rather than a futon or twin-size bed, we have our very own full-size bed. We've been having a ball decorating our home together, and figuring out our style. Paul is ecstatic that he can actually display his KISS memorabilia (his first wife had issues with that), and we're both taking a lot of joy in collecting and displaying items and pictures that show our joint memories we make together. I won't say it is all easy - it's a challenge finding balance with spending quality time together, getting the day-to-day things done, and giving each other space. It is especially challenging for me right now because I'm not working, don't really know a lot of people yet, and spend a lot of time at home (when we're trying to save money, it's best not to go out because you spend it when you do!). Which isn't to say that I don't get out - I have found a UU church that I like (amusingly, the pastor is an American!), and go to the occasional Meetup. And the best part is where we live - just over a minutes walk to the beach! Henley Beach South is the "locals" beach - a perfect place to hang out, walk along the shore, and just enjoy the beauty of this country, without a lot of crowds and drunk people. Glenelg is the "tourist" beach, about 20 min away, and we leave all that to them. :) Thank you again to everyone who keeps us in your prayers and has helped us be together for our first Anniversary and holiday season as a married couple. May you have peace, health, joy, and mad prosperity in this new year 2015. Love, Kat and Paul Milner