Thanksgiving as an Expat

Thanksgiving is a special occasion as an Expat. Its kind of like a secret holiday only Americans (and Canadians) know about.
If its November and your living abroad you only have to ask a fellow Expat one question "What are you doing for Thanksgiving". To warm their heart through and through.

For my friends and family yet to experience this holiday outside of the US. I just want to share a few of the interesting things that go on in the Expat community in the lead up to Thanksgiving celebrations.

First of all I live in Australia so my experiences are coming from within an Australian context and these change from location to location.

Expat Thanksgiving - 2015 style

Thanksgiving is celebrated the weekend after Thanksgiving day. So everyone has time to cook.

There is no Black Friday... nope... not even a thing. Its just a normal day.

Many generous Expats put on a Thanksgiving dinner and open their homes to people they have never met. You get used to sitting next to people from all over the USA and the world, in a total strangers house. Its a great way to make new friends.

You most likely attend more then 1 Thanksgiving celebration.

In the lead up to Thanksgiving a huge amount of time goes into sourcing ingredients from home to make your must have holiday dish.

Social media pages become full of notices telling you where they still have 1 can of pumpkin pie filling left. Desperate calls for who has seen a "whole" frozen turkey for sale, or who got the butcher to order one in take up more of your time then you like to admit.

You wonder why canned french split green beans and frenches onions are not stocked in your local store. Also why can't you find canned congealed cranberry?? (this may only apply to you if your from the midwest)

You attempt only once to make pumpkin pie from scratch.. then you realise there are 1000 types of pumpkin and some mysterious verity makes the kind of pie you are longing for... what that verity is... is still unknown.. So you give up and continue searching for the canned verity that tastes so good with such little effort.
You realise Americans love canned food more then almost anyone else.

You get major popularity points at any celebration if you have actual Thanksgiving decorations, plates, napkins or themed clothing. You never wanted a Thanksgiving themed shirt or sweater so bad.

In your spare time you feel compelled to make a turkey drawing... the kind you did in Kindergarden by tracing your hand and decorating your fingers as feathers...

You are extremely thankful you know at least 1 other American who is as homesick as you.
You are grateful for the small things.. your thankful for your fellow countrymen.
Your thankful to have family, although far away who love and miss you.

Thanksgiving is a hidden holiday for me now, but one I celebrate all the same, just with some new traditions added on.

This year on Thanksgiving Day I plan on putting up our Christmas Tree, watching a few good holiday movies and making a nice thanksgiving meal for just me and Graham. Kit cat loves the holiday too cause it means his favorite indoor tree reappears for his enjoyment.

Happy Thanksgiving 2015!

2015 was the year!!

When you have infertility, and its been a long road, you can't help but think with every passing life event or holiday.. will we have a baby this time next year? Will we have a baby after this is done? Will we be next after this friend has a baby?
Will this year be the year??

In March I decided to cut back working full time and move to part time work so Graham and I could give our latest IVF attempt the best chance. Well it was a good choice. We ended up getting 5 embryos and on my first frozen transfer baby boy decided to stick! Today I am 26 weeks Pregnant and we are over the moon!
Graham and I are very excited to be having a little boy due March 3rd.
Its been a long road for us. But I am so grateful we have gotten this far. Its been a healthy happy pregnancy, with a big fast growing baby. I pray every night that this little one goes full term and comes out a healthy and wiggling.

We did this frozen embryo transfer shortly after Graham's Nan Marj passed away in May. I like to think she made her way up to the afterlife and told our little boy to hurry up and get down here.  She knew how long we had been trying for a baby. Part of me feels life she opened the door.

Im sure in the next 12 months this blog might turn into the baby show. Im giving you fare warning now.
XOXO

Goodbye Nan

On Mothers Day 2015 we lost Graham's Nan Marj Weaire after a 6 month battle with brain cancer. We travelled to Sydney to be with her only child Graham's Dad for the funeral and to give Marj a proper send off.

This is what I want to say about Nan - as read at her funeral 

I met Marj 10 years ago. First we only spoke on the phone while Graham and I lived in Indiana in the USA. In 2006 I met Marj for the first time.

She was the first friend I had in Australia, She was also my Aussie Nan.

I feel so honoured I got to spend so much time with her, especially in the first few years I lived in Australia. We were fast friends.

We went on many outings together in those early years while Graham and I lived in Sydney

            -We went to museums and art galleries

            - We got to hear the large organ in the Sydney Town Hall played by one of the best organ players in the world.

            - We saw Andrea Reau at Sydney Olympic Park. And we got terribly lost on the way home, but we eventually found our way back to Homedale Crescent.  She was brave to let her American granddaughter drive her around at night.

            - We had many coffee’s together and explored the Sydney botanical garden together, always visiting the fruit bats.

As a new resident to Australia Marj taught me how to navigate Australian grocery stores, fruit and veg shops and butchers, all-important things I needed to learn. She was a great teacher.

Marj and I spent hours knitting and crocheting together in her living room.  Sharing stories of days gone by. She told me stories of her time growing up around Auburn, she spent many hours outside with her brothers and sisters, going to the beach and getting sunburnt. She was a beautiful red head with fair skin just like her grandson Graham.

Marj was a avid reader – She could go through one thick novel in a day all while snacking on a block on milk chocolate or eating a bag of her favorite, Twisties.

She was a devoted Mum and Grandmother. She told me about the many outings she took her grandson Graham on when he was a small boy. Trips to the zoo, train rides, and many lunches at the cafeteria across the street from the Sydney Town Hall.

I didn’t get to spend time with my grandparents as an adult and in a way I feel Marj and  I got to repeat all those beautiful outings she took her grandson on but this time with me as her adult grand daughter instead.

Marj was no stranger to more then her fair share of loss and heartache, losing her husband and then her eldest son too soon. She bravely lead her family forward, devoted to her son Craig, always there for him in good times and bad. She loved her boy and she made sure everyone knew it.

Marj had a cheeky sense of humour and in her later years became a bit of prankster. I won’t go into details because I promised her that her secrets were safe with me. But Im guessing a few people from 28 Homedale Crescent might know what im talking about.

Marj loved her Garden and went out “grub hunting” everyday. This is something her grandson enjoys doing too. She was the best great grand cat mother to our cat Kit, spoiling him on visits and feeding him his favorite moist food. He loved to sleep in her fern garden out the back.

I want to end with a story I often tell about Nan.

In 2007 Graham and I lived with Marj for a few months. I was new to Australia at the time and shocked at the amount of cockroaches that are native to Sydney.

One night while watching TV together in Marj’s living room and BIG cockroach scurried out into the center of the room. I squealed in horror.

Marj got up from her chair and said “Mary im going to teach you how to kill a cockroach”

So this is Marj’s 7 Step plan to successfully kill a cockroach.

1.     Go get the “kill spray” from the kitchen cabinet

2.     Remove your left slipper or house shoe

3.     Sneak up slowing on the cockroach, careful not to spook it.  And hover over the unsuspecting roach.

4.     Quickly with your left slipper give the roach three good smacks, and have kill spray ready.

5.     Spray the now unconscious roach with said “kill spray”

6.     Smack roach another 3 times until the desired amount of deadness has occurred.

7.     Remove the evidence and send the roach onto his new home in the Sydney sewer system.

A few nights later another cockroach appeared in the living room. Again I squealed in horror, but Marj looked at me and said. “Its your turn Mary”

I went to the kitchen and got the “kill spray” , got Marj’s left slipper then crept up on the cockroach and knelled down.  I was just about to give the roach a good smack when to my horror the cockroach spread its wings and took flight directly into my face.  I screamed in shock. I looked over at Marj who said.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention some of them can fly”

I love you Marj, thanks for being my friend and my Aussie Nan.

You’ll never be forgotten.

Christmas 2014

This year we spent Christmas with the Buchanan family. Due to Graham (and in the end my) work schedule we didn't arrive in Sydney until Christmas morning. I really dislike the red eye flight from Perth to Sydney. It means you only get 5 hours of sleep on a plane and for me, that means 0 hours of sleep but it was the only flight we could take so we got on it christmas gifts and fishing gear in tow.

Unfortunately my father in law was very ill on Christmas day and we didn't get to spend the day with him as we all hoped, but no one can help when they get sick. We still managed to have a nice Christmas together. It was just good to be with our family.

On Boxing Day we went and visited with Graham's Nan Marj and his biological father Craig, it was quick visit but nice to see more family and chat about good times.

On the evening of Boxing Day we started getting ready to head out (the next morning) for a week long South West Rocks vacation. We had been looking forward to another South West Rocks visit for many years. Its the town Graham's mother's parents retired in and the place Graham has many good childhood memories with his family. Unfortunately that evening I came down with the flu and by the morning my Mum in law had it too.. So the men of the family headed up to South West Rocks without the girls. It was a sad morning and the sickest I have been in a long time. It was absolutely terrible.

To make matters worse I was meant to spend the day after Boxing Day with my American friends Holly and Sam who flew in that morning from the US. In the end I could not get through to them at the airport so they spent the morning worrying about what happened to me as was meant to pick them up. It was a sad story. One I feel terrible about. Our friend Louisa who is a mutual friend of all of us was going to have me, Holly and Sam to her families home for the evening, I was too sick and had to miss out. This illness not only disrupted our families plans but the plans of 2 other families. I felt terrible on top of being sick.

Mum and I are struggled through the first day and made plans to drive up the following morning for South West Rocks a 6 hour trip north. I don't know how she did it, but my Mum rallied and drove the 6 hours with me as her suffering passenger. We arrived in South West Rocks to find the boys at our beautiful holiday rental. Everyone seemed to be in good health except for Graham who had spent the night before in hospital with terrible stomach pain. It was a nightmare start to a holiday. By that evening I was on the phone to Holly and Sam and we decided they would travel up the following day to spend 2 nights with us in South West Rocks. The next day Holly and Sam arrived and everyone in the family was feeling much better. We had made it out the other side. I was so grateful to have had time with Holly and Sam for a couple days even though our time was cute short. It was a nice start to the beach holiday.

We had a beautiful week at South West Rocks with the Buchanan family, we swam (a lot) every day, went for walks, golfed, fished, made beautiful meals, one by my bother in law Simon that was fantastic!! There was naps and playing in the pool. Presley the dog made his first appearance in his new swimsuit as a surf lifesaving dog. There was card games in the evening and the Buchanan's taught me the much loved family game of Yahtzee. We celebrated New Years in South West Rocks and watched the fireworks on TV live from Sydney. We ate fish caught by my Mum, Graham, Simon, Sam and myself! There was ice-cream every night and great wine brought by my father in law Stuart. It turned into a week of heaven and we all needed it! I can't wait till we can do it again!!

Some photos..

Mum's Christmas Tree

Me and Presley having a Christmas cuddle.

Mum Karen with Presley in his new swimsuit! 

Graham carving the turkey.

Christmas pudding came out just as she hoped!!! Perfect!! 

Christmas on the couch.

me and Marj on Boxing Day

Me and Craig

Marj and her only grandson Graham.

Mum decided Presley needed a cap to go with his new swim gear.

So she made him one, just whipped it up on the sewing machine. 

He wasn't as excited about it as we hoped. 

Wally's Folly in South West Rocks, the best holiday rental in town! Amazing! 

Mum and I arrived on a rainy day but little horseshoe bay stilled looked beautiful. 

Mum and Presley ready for the first ocean swim in his new suit! Ha!

 Holly and Sam arrived just in time to go bait fishing!! YAY! They made it!!

Bait fishing so we could go rock wall fishing in the morning! I was a successful morning!!

Simon and one of his fish!

Fishing on the wall. Holly and Sam.

We had to take Holly and Sam to our favorite beach fishing spot, little bay. Possibly one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

It was so good to have them visit us. Thank you Holly and Sam for coming so far to see us!! We miss you!! 

Relaxing on the couch. 

Yahtzee night!! New Years eve. Simon left this day to go back to Sydney. We missed him.

Presley loved the beach holiday..... but all that beach and sun made him sleepy.

He was even too tired for a silly New Years Eve photo. lol

We missed Simon after he left us in South West Rocks.

So we entertained ourselves by snoopifying him in his honour. Ha! Nice glasses on that Fish Simo!

Got to hang with my Mum in the pool and just have some girl time. 

I have a whole series of photos of Graham fishing over the years, but my favourites are all of him fishing this spot at little bay in South West Rocks.

This year we got to take Mum with us and she out fished us all!!

Mum on the left and Graham on the right. Little Bay, South West Rocks.

Dinner

Just the guys chatting on the porch.

Gosh Christmas flew by this year, this year was the year we will all remember as the "illness Christmas" but what family doest get those from time to time. Im just happy we got to spend time together and in the end enjoy a great family vacation. 

Happy New Year! Heres to 2015!!!

Goodbye Buzz Dance Theatre

The end of 2014 brought big changes to the Perth dance community. The company I worked work for Buzz Dance Theatre and another company Steps Youth Dance Company joined forces to create a new entity (at the moment called The Contemporary Dance Company of Western Australia) but in doing so both companies closed their doors for good.

An end to an era.

I started working at Buzz not long after we moved to Perth. Starting there in March of 2010. Over the 4 years I spent at Buzz I learned a lot and became distinctly attached to Contemporary Dance. Buzz had a 30 year history and during that time changed its branding once, going from 2 Dance Plus to Buzz Dance Theatre. It had multiple Artistic Directors that each made a mark on the company and that of the culture of dance in Western Australia.

As Buzz was closing down I got to know the Buzz history intimately. It was a company the community of Western Australia should be proud of. 30 years is a long time for a dance company to stay open and performing. Buzz survived times of plenty and times of funding drought, but what it always did well was give back to the Western Australia community in the form of approachable dance performances and education for the youth of WA in both Metro, Regional and Remote areas of this BIG Australian state. 

I feel honoured to have worked for Buzz in its final years and having the opportunity to close it down with what I hope was perceived with respect for its rich history.  2014 was a tough year and I was so glad I got to share my time with the Buzz Board, Pippa Davis (GM), Lucas Jervies (AD) Nicole Ward (Buzz Dance Specialist), Anna Gulati (bookkeeper) and our many dancers. In the last few months our team dwindled to just the myself the Board, Nicole and Anna. Nicole spent days cleaning out 30 years of documents and archiving 30 years of history, a HUGE job, for which I was extremely grateful. On the last day at Buzz I was the last one out the door and I felt proud that Buzz was wrapped up with so much care and respect.

A few photos from out last few weeks.

Nicole and her archive photo boxes

Going through 30 years of poster...

We did have a Buzz 30 years celebration in October. This is Nicole, Pippa and Me in the photo booth. Love this photo.

Moving Day for our officemates Performing Lines, and closing day for Buzz Dance Theatre.

I have never been good at goodbyes.. But I think Nicole and I summed it up well with our goodbye video. In 2014 we did a show called Ecobots. The show featured 4,000 ping pong balls that got flung at the audience. 

As we packed up we still have 4,000 ping pong balls in storage so we decided to give Buzz a good send off by dumping all the balls from the 3rd floor of the King Street Arts Centre. We had a good turn out with most of the building tenants coming to watch, Nicole, myself, Buzz AD Felicity and some Buzz dancers laid on the floor as the balls fell and it was good!

Please enjoy!

Goodbye Buzz!