Month 3 review

Three months down! October in Melbourne means spring is in full swing. I am compulsively checking the weather before I leave the door in the morning, and unless it’s going to be 100% sunny, my rain coat is coming in my bag. This methodology has only (almost) failed me once – there was a surprise thunderstorm at lunch time. Luckily, I wasn’t slotted for duty that day!

This month’s motto has been you can do anything but you can’t do everything. Time is a finite resource, and I am trying to make a point of doing the things before my year is up. I’m figuring out what my priorities are, and acting accordingly to make sure I am able to do the things I want most while not worrying about the stuff I won’t get to.

Strangely, the first Canadian foods I’m missing are Eggo waffles and graham crackers. Frozen food selection is more limited in general, and I’ve looked high and low for some graham crackers. They’re one of those foods that are ambiguous enough to send you on a hunt, but I am certain I’ve walked every aisle with my eyes peeled.

New words to my vocabulary:

• Esplanade is another street/road/boulevard, and thanks to my super-sleuthing I now know that an esplanade (or promenade) is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. Thanks, Wikipedia!
• Reckon, keen, and cheeky are words that weren’t new to me so much as the frequency with which they are used.
• Freezies aren’t freezies, they’re Zooper Doopers (Kate’s review: cola flavoured Zooper Doopers are superior to cola slushies)
• In the same vein, popsicles are icy poles
• If you hear someone asking for a texta, they want you to pass the marker (potentially the sharpie) as Texta is a brand of markers, of both the permanent and washable variety
• Don’t call 911 in an emergency, it’s 000
• Hall is the usual term for the gymnasium
• It’s not messing around, it’s mucking around

Places I visited:

The Melbourne Royal Show is somewhere between the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and the Red River Exhibition. I got to see countless prize-winning poultry specimens, a dozen breeds of purebred sheep, state-level dog grooming competitions, and assorted crafts in categories like baking, photography, needlework, and woodwork. There was a makers market too, and I bought some chocolate covered liquorice. I was introduced to the cultural phenomenon of the show bag, which started out as a promotional item with samples in it handed out at agricultural fairs. They’re still symbolic of fairs, but are more often filled with commercial goods and available for purchase. I got one that was sour gummy candy themed.

I had a weekend getaway and visited the Dandenong Ranges National Park to Melbourne’s east. The hiking among the trees and ferns in the temperate rainforest ecosystem was phenomenal! I saw my first swamp wallabies (in the mountains of all places!) and what I believe were four Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The mountains were filled with birds too, including Crimson Rosellas, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos, Superb Lyrebirds, and Laughing Kookaburras. It was surreal to see all these things – especially the cockatoos, I couldn’t stop thinking there was a very unhappy pet store proprietor out there. The Kookaburra was a sight too, its head reminded me of a Northern Pike!

On the way home from the Dandenongs, I visited Blackburn Lake Sanctuary. It was a last minute addition to my itinerary, and I’m glad I did! It was so serene to sit on the boardwalk and listen to the birds sing. I even got to spectate a raft of ducklings dart around the water, racing each other to the next bug.

October is the month of the Melbourne Fringe Festival! I had never attended any kind of live non-musical performance before, but that changed! The performance I saw was titled The Femme Commandments. From the show bio: “This is a show about the rules and expectations placed on women. Told from a personal and intimate perspective, it will use poetry, story-telling and music to explore what it means to be your own woman in a world determined to tell you how you should be and how you’re doing it wrong.” It was great!

Towards the end of the month, I went mini golfing with some other Canadian teachers. We went to a place called Holey Moley, and I loved some of the themes the holes had. For example, here we have the arm pit:

I discovered I like bubble tea while on an excursion to Costco. It’s one of the food court features! I also realized that Costco isn’t as fun when living with limited counter and refrigerator space. Though I feel like the bubble tea alone will be enough to get me back.

I’m excited to get double autumn in 2024, and am envious of all the gorgeous colours I’m seeing from people back in Canada. Though I can’t say I’m quite jealous of the snow – maybe next month!

See you soon,

– Kate