Sunday Funday

Today was a good day. Kids had been invited to a birthday party and I got to tag along as the party was held in a skate park. Kids had a 1-hour "ride with a pro" and I got to watch all the unbelievable tricks he did with his scooter. Just wow. The food - especially the chocolate cake - was also really good so I was extra happy.

Kids and The PRO

After the birthday party we walked across the road to Skoda Stadium to watch an AFL game - the only game in the world where you get points for almost scoring a goal! The field was almost round which was interesting. After the game people got to go on the field. There was a band playing and AFL balls flying everywhere. The atmosphere was amazing!

Fangirling

Cheeeeese!

Falling asleep.. Now Zzzz..

Ems

Enjoying and Adapting

I've been here for two weeks now and already feel like home. On my free time I'm still a bit at a loss. I love my peace and quiet and need my own time but doing stuff such as going to the movies, shopping or having lunch in a cafe alone just feels plain weird and lonely. But no worries! I'm sure I'll have friends soon. I've already made plans for next weekend with a girl my age that even lives on the same street! Can't wait :)

Me and Maya at Glenbrook park

Few of the things I've ENJOYED:

• Social and talkative people
• Playing with the kids
• Good food - Especially today! Felix's soccer team came over before their game and we had a pancake breakfast. There were so many toppings to choose from... yam yam!
• The nature and the animals - It's all so different here. I still haven't seen a kangaroo or a koala (*tears*) but even the birds have gotten me excited here. Oh, I did see an opossum right above my door one evening! And sometimes you can hear them screaming on the roof in the early hours..
• Speaking English - I've been pretty confident about my skills and I'm glad I've been able to keep up so well. Understandably understanding is a lot easier than talking yourself but I'm sure it will get easier soon too. It's nice to be able to talk a lot of Finnish as well though!
• Fridays with homemade pizza and a movie

Boys swinging in the back forest

Things that need(ed) a little ADAPTING:

• The wrong - sorry "left" - side traffic (slowly starting to feel right) - I'm always trying to go the wrong way in escalators. Oops! Driving the car doesn't scare me anymore. I got the hang of it pretty quickly. Going routes that I don't know yet on the other hand.. I'm known for my bad sense of direction.
• The changes in temperature during the day - It's freezing in the morning, hot during the day and then freezing again. How many times do I need to change my clothes?
• Freezing inside the house - The heating here is poor since it's only needed for a short period of time. But stillll, come ooon! It is NEEDED. It's uncomfortable for a Finn that's used to feeling warm inside the house. Electric blanket is my savior though so no worries. I'll manage :D
• Different currency - Not necessarily the prices but recognizing the bills and coins when trying to pay something...
• Being so far away from my family and friends - Especially when the time difference makes Skyping a bit challenging. I miss everyone but luckily I don't feel homesick :)

The families I'm working with are amazing! All of the kids have wonderful personalities and the parents are very considerate and encouraging. Couldn't have hoped for anything better!

xx.

Ems

Here I am!

I made it to the other side of the Globe on Tuesday after about 32 hours of travelling. (To be clear: it was still Monday in Finland since the time difference is 7h) Was it worth it?  OH YEAH! All the people here are so nice and welcoming and I get on with the kids really well. I still haven't taken it all in. Even the fact that I'm really here has taken me some time to really wrap my head around :D Next Monday I start working for real and then I can start getting use to the routines and properly settle in, I guess.

I'm doing Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays with the half Finnish family that I live with and Tuesdays and Wednesday with the neighbors. The neighbors moved here from South Africa about 8 years ago and they have three children. Two young girls and a baby boy that I mainly take care of. He's a lovely boy and such an easy happy baby.

I still haven't made any friends outside the families as I haven't really left the house by myself yet. There's a bike that I can use and I think the train station is within walking distance so I can go to Penrith and Sydney if I want to. I'm probably going to take up some sports to make friends and keep myself in shape :D Right now I'm thinking Australian Touch Football. We'll see.

GILBERT - my new best friend

SYLVIA, GLODIE OR BRONZIE - can't tell them apart yet

xx.
Ems