Septic Tank?

Out for drinks one night, Jaime and I were further educated on the Aussie way of life. We learned about how to communicate nonverbally with the bartender while drinking at the bar...glass pushed forward for "Filler up", glass sideways for "I'm resting or I'm done" and glass upside down for "Looking for a fight" (note to self- only do that when with our friend Peter who is a boxer).  What was most interesting and peculiar was the Aussie rhyming slang, used widely by mostly men across Australia. It was thought to have originated with the convicts who first settled the country and was used as code so authorities would not know what they were talking about.  So they use a specific word that rhymes with the word they mean to say, often with no logical explanation. So for example (the best one), Jaime and I are "Yanks" (general term since we are from the US) and "Yank" rhymes with none other than "Septic tank" and so we are known as "Seppos" as in "Where are the seppos this weekend? Are the seppos coming to the game on Saturday? What's up with the two seppos?" Glamorous, I know. :) It gets better. A jumper is a british word for 'sweater' which rhymes with Victor Trumper (an Aussie cricketer) and so "It's a little cold I think I will wear my victor." Fridge = Harbor Bridge, Drink = kitchen sink i.e. "Will you get me a kitchen sink from the harbor?" Sydney = steak and kidney "I am off to steak and kidney". Phone = Al Capone "Will you hand me the Al Capone". And my favorite, people say "no dramas" for "no drama, no worries, its ok" etc...and so dramas = Dali Lamas, therefore you say "Hey, no Dali Lamas."

So Jaime and I have been seppos for a little over a month now. We are just about settled in and really getting to understand life here and getting around. We moved into our new apartment and had discount furniture delivered in a rooms-to-go style. Jaime had to build the beds and put together most of the furniture, I monitored and handed out the appropriate screws and tools. :) Our preloved fridge was delivered and after warming up and working for a day I think it was too old and started knocking the power out in our apt. So the balcony became our "harbor" since it was still cold enough and we had a new fridge delivered 3 days later. I turned it on this am...its smaller and newer...so we'll see if our new one can keep the balance. 

We are learning a lot in our new home across the world...learning about ourselves, learning about each other and marriage, and learning about the world and how we fit into it and live in it. Jaime has started a new chapter in his professional life and has opened up to a whole new world of learning and practicing in his field. When I turned my calendar to September, there was a very fitting quote, I believe it was perfectly placed to reassure us that we are where we should be. It just happened to be by Ginevee, an Australian Aboriginal, who said "At each stage of learning we must give up something, even if it is a way of life we have always known." For Jaime this is most evident in his growth and learning as a person as well as a surgeon in so many ways, and especially when he walks into the room to care for a teeny tiny 1-day old instead of an adult.  For me, it is also about learning about myself in a new place and in a marriage, but also for exploring and discovering opportunities to bring out and indulge in parts of me that  were sometimes suppressed by my daily routine back home and always planning for the future. Being unemployed, I have a lot of time to reflect and think. I think about all the things I could do in life and I reflect upon what it is like to be free...really free. Free to live, to breathe, to learn, to make mistakes, to explore, and to love...it is glorious! 

My job in healthcare is highly fulfilling as I do my best to directly help people. I have been looking for some part-time or hourly SLP work but I have been thinking a lot about what's missing in my daily life when I am not working. I am missing that fulfillment of doing something to help, to interact with the world and know that I am doing something special. And so I have been exploring opportunities for something I can dedicate myself to in addition to my job, even when I return home. I currently have one exciting lead that happened to find me and I will check it out and keep you posted. 

As Jaime and I are beginning to feel more settled in Melbourne, and the weather is beginning to feel the warmth of Spring, we are starting to plan our trips to discover this vast and exciting place. I have realized that in this stage of learning, we have a lot to do! We will see and do everything this continent has to offer, we will help save the world by doing our part in our careers and in our dedication of time and love, and most of all we will laugh, love, and enjoy every moment of each day with each other. 

Really, it's no Dali Lamas!