Rick Turns 40

First, I apologise for the remarkable delay in posting this entry. Two weeks of the time between the event date and this post date were incredibly busy with a wonderful visit with our good friend Betsy Adams from Connecticut, our first non-relative to brave the long journey from the States (and it was well worth it, right Betsy?). And we did take off for a few days during the girls’ two-week October school holidays for a little family R&R. But the remaining time? Just the nitty-gritty of everyday life, I guess.

On September 9, Rick turned 40. I must admit that I struggled with how we should celebrate this milestone. Should I throw a big party for him at the house? Perhaps a large dinner with friends at a restaurant? I thought about a party where everyone would be asked to bring a dish. I thought about getting a caterer and having a grown-up party. I even considered inviting friends with young children, and serving just cake and ice cream and playing silly party games. But honestly, being an introvert, and not a particularly eager creative planner, I find planning and executing parties to be excruciating. Just ask Rick, who has watched me conceptualize and plan what we will do for the girls’ simple children's birthday parties- I get way too anxious to find it rewarding. And Rick has never really wanted a big fuss made about his birthday, anyhow, so I wasn’t even sure how much he would appreciate the gesture.

So, after struggling with this question for months, I basically bailed out and decided that I would simply convince him to take the day off, as his birthday was a weekday. We would do something fun during the day, and then have a nice family dinner out and have cake at home. And that is what we did- while the girls were in school, we went bike riding in Sydney Olympic Park, which has miles of bike trails, with Lachlan on the back of my bike, and then we had a nice family dinner at a local Thai restaurant, and an extraordinarily rich homemade chocolate chocolate chip cake at home. It was a wonderful day and Rick felt properly celebrated.

Apparently, however, when church members caught wind of my faltering party planning, they were a bit concerned that such a significant birthday might pass so quietly. When I was first asked whether Rick would enjoy a party at the church, I thought that perhaps they would have a cake and a festive morning tea after church. “Yes, he’d appreciate that.” Oh boy, little did I realize what I got him into….

Immediately after Rick had walked to the back of the sanctuary and said the benediction for the 9:30am service on September 14, he was approached by six men (all members of the congregation) in black suits, ear pieces and shades. One of the men came to the front of the church and announced that they were from the FBI and that it was understood that the congregation was harbouring a minister whose visa had expired. Rick was handcuffed and spirited off to a waiting car. He was driven to a local park down the street, where they kept him wondering about his fate for about half an hour.

Rick realized immediately that it was a practical joke, but said he was a bit concerned not knowing where exactly the joke was headed, as the ring leader of the “FBI” is well known for his epicly creative bachelor party pranks that involve no alcohol, but plenty of rotten fruit and general "mickey taking". To take the mickey means to tease, and Australians have elevated it to an art form. Especially for Aussie men, this humourous teasing has a leveling effect among mates, reflecting the Australian spirit of egalitarianism. As a general rule, if Australians treat you with great courtesy and deference, they probably regard you as an outsider. If they take the mickey outta you, you belong.

I think Rick now belongs. After his wait in the park, he was seated in a chair in the back of a black ute (a very popular type of Aussie vehicle: sort of a half-car/half-pickup with a cab up front and a tray in the back to haul stuff, like the old El Camino), still bound and gagged. Accompanied by the “FBI” agents on foot, motorcade-style, he was slowly driven down the streets back to the church, attracting many curious onlookers throughout the neighbourhood. The congregation was gathered outside the church to greet him, and what a sight it was to see that motorcade processing down the street towards us, Rick helplessly sitting in the back!

Upon their arrival, he was greeted by women from the Ladies' Fellowship dressed as Aussie lifesavers (the iconic Aussie lifeguards that patrol the surf in their red and yellow beanies) holding both American and Australian flags, as well as children with noisemakers and lots of clapping and cheering from the crowd. I must admit that he bore the whole ordeal with more grace and good humour than I ever could have managed--as I told the congregation later on, this was most appropriate payback for the many practical jokes that he pulled in his younger years before he took on the more serious responsibilities of pastoral leadership!

After his arrival, we enjoyed the obligatory presentation of gag gifts, a sausage sizzle lunch, desserts and cake, and then went to the sanctuary, where our family was seated up front during a slide show “roast” of sorts using pictures that Rick’s mom and I had provided. There were some wonderfully hilarious moments.

The whole experience was a great illustration of some of the basic threads that we've seen woven through Australian culture. Australians have a wonderful way of taking what they do seriously, but not taking themselves too seriously. There is a profound good-naturedness and laid back attitude.

Now, our most important task is to actually get that visa renewed by its expiration date, November 3, before we get real immigration officials carting off the entire family! We truly are looking forward to experiencing Australian culture for a bit longer!

The capture

The motorcade

The arrival

The rescue and welcome

Anne

Olympic Fever

Like much of the world, the Dacey family has been having great fun watching the Olympics for the past two weeks. We have been asked whom we are barracking (cheering) for in these games, the USA or Australia. Rick’s response has been, “yes.” The fact is, it is a bit of a challenge when the commentators are speaking in Australian accents and focusing on the Australian competitions and competitors, not to barrack for Australia. But we have certainly celebrated the victories of the USA as well. We have been proud to say that we come from the country of Michael Phelps, whom we saw a lot of, given Australia’s keen interest in all sports involving water!

We couldn’t help but notice some differences in the way that the Olympics is broadcast here. First, it was on free-to-air TV, every day, from 9 or 10am to 6pm, and then from 8pm onwards (to be fair, we have heard that another network has the contract for the 2012 Olympics, and there may not be as much free-to-air coverage). And it was all competition- none of the personal profiles and human interest stories that have become so all-consuming in the American coverage. Australia is definitely a country that loves its sport. Rick, the only one in the household that managed to stay awake for the late-night opening ceremony was also impressed that, for the first time in his memory, he watched the entire parade of nations without any commercial interruptions.

The girls really got into the competitions, and felt torn when Australia and the USA were competing against one another. They relished being able to come home from school and turn on the TV every afternoon, and spend Saturdays and Sundays glued to the TV. I know that they are going to suffer a bit of withdrawal (as will I!) when they get home this afternoon from school and it is back to the “mean-mommy” rules of no TV on school days! But I think that Lachlan will be relieved, as he has clearly been disturbed that his sisters have been tuning into the TV rather than playing with him after school. He has done his best to make this clear by catapulting himself around the living room, jumping all over the girls, mischievously pushing the TV’s power button to “off”, and generally making a pesky nuisance of himself during viewing time.

Feeling a bit of the Olympic fever myself, I decided to run a road race in Sydney two days after the start of the games. The race, City2Surf, is 14K (about 8 miles), starting in the central business district and heading east along the Harbour, ending up at the famous Bondi Beach, a gorgeous stretch of sand. The course was hilly and incredibly scenic. The stunning view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge made it so rewarding to face Sydney’s own “Heartbreak Hill” in the middle of the race.

It was great fun and a really enjoyable event, although I could have done with a little less of a crowd- reportedly about 70,000 entrants! I was glad to be out in the race world again, as my last race was back in 2003. And I have to give a grateful shout-out to our neighbours, Marg and Wes, who took the kids at 7am on a Sunday morning (even one with a fever!), and to my dear friend Anna, who inspired me to give it a go in the first place, and who even packed me a lunch for our train trip back home.

If you’d like to check out a video of my finish, check this link: http://city2surf.sunherald.com.au/results08video.php?intbib=26999 . I start coming in the upper right hand corner with a purple shirt, black shorts and a white hat, and come down towards the middle of the screen. London, 2012- here I come!

The Sheep Farm

Yesterday and today, we had a stay at a sheep farm outside of Bathurst about 2½ hours from our home in Sydney. We were graciously hosted by the Robards family- Mark, Jane, Naomi and Kieran- members of our church. Mark’s dad owns the farm. He was a professor in wool and animal science, and when he retired, he decided to put into practice what he had taught in theory. He purchased one of the cottages that housed the media at Sydney’s 2000 Olympics and had it transported out to the farm so that the family could have a place to visit.

Although winter is a pretty chilly time to be out there, it is the time that the lambs are born, and a roaring fire in the woodstove kept us toasty inside. (To those of you who are wondering about the chill factor here, they had some dustings of snow last week out there in the country.) The kids (and the adults, too!) enjoyed braving the cold winds and walking out to the pasture to feed the sheep. The highlight was being able to cuddle one of the two smallest lambs. She became quite relaxed, to the point where I didn’t need to keep her still. But she got wise to Mark on the second day and would not allow herself to be caught again!

Before lunch, Mark took Rick and me out to see the full property in his car, as it was too cold for all of us to walk. As we were returning to the cottage, bouncing along in the pasture, the sheep grazed to our left. On our right, we spotted two grey kangaroos, which we had been eager to see, as we had not seen any out in the bush since our visit here in 2004. And then we realized that Waltzing Matilda, Australia’s unofficial national anthem, was playing in the car.

Sheep, kangaroos, and Waltzing Matilda. Does it get anymore Australian than that?

Love, Anne

To enjoy Australian country music legend Slim Dusty performing Waltzing Matilda, follow this link:
http://www.last.fm/music/Slim+Dusty/+videos/+1-CwvazMc5EfE

The Little Aussies

Today at Lachlan’s playgroup, another mother asked me whether my children speak in Australian accents. Actually, Erin was speaking Aussie with her classmates within a few weeks of arriving here. However, at home, she would speak in an American accent. Towards the end of the year, though, she would often slip into some Aussie with us if she were particularly excited about something.

Claire, on the other hand, didn’t really pick up the Aussie accent until she entered kindergarten this year. We attributed that to the fact that there was not as much language interaction in preschool, both amongst peers and with teachers, and because she was still at home for 4 days out of 7. But now that she has started full-day kindergarten, she has got the same Aussie accent at school.

It is interesting to listen when they are playing with peers but in our presence- they switch back and forth between accents so deftly, but there are always slip-ups. Now they speak in Aussie for so much of their day that even the whining comes at me in Aussie! I assured them the other day that if there was one thing more annoying than hearing my children whine, it was listening to them whine in Australian accents. I have to admit that, although I am thrilled that my children have the opportunity to be a part of every aspect of Australian life, I often find it very unnerving when they speak to me directly with the accent. It can be a surreal experience- as if it is not my child speaking to me, although my child is physically present.

As Lachlan is at home, he does not yet have the accent. But he has started pronouncing certain words the way Australians do, most likely because he has seen it that way on children’s tv. Zebra is said with a short “e”, helicopter is said “hel-E-copter” and airplane is “aer-O-plane”.

Last night, Claire tip-toed into our room at 3AM. Mommy-radar alerted, I asked her what she needed. She proceeded to whisper that she was awake and couldn’t get back to sleep- all in Aussie.

So, this has led me to contemplate- What accent do my children dream in?

Anne

Never Say Never

For the past few weeks we have enjoyed a visit with my parents. We always love to have Oma and Opa with us- they enjoy the kids so much, and are great company and help to the grownups as well! We reflected several times about how this was their third trip to Australia- when they came here in 2004 to visit us while Rick was engaged in his 8-week ministry exchange, the trip was billed as the "once in a lifetime opportunity." And now, going to pick them up at the Sydney Airport almost feels like picking them up at the local bus station! Never say never!


For the first 6 days of their visit, Erin and Claire were on school holidays. We let Mom and Dad have a few days to recover from jetlag, and then we took a two-night, three-day trip to Canberra, the capitol of Australia. It had a Washington D.C. feel to it, with the government buildings and museums, although it has a lot more planned green space. Unlike Sydney, Canberra experiences 4 distinct changes of seasons, with lots of leaves falling in autumn (they don't call it fall here). Mom and Dad remarked on how strange it was to see the colored leaves when all of the trees and flowers are just beginning to bloom in the northeastern U.S.! We enjoyed visiting a good number of places in Canberra, including Questacon, a fabulous science and technology museum that we could have spent two whole days exploring, the Old Bus Depot Markets (two huge warehouses of local food and craft), the Canberra Glassworks, where we saw a gorgeous bowl blown from start to finish, and the National Museum of Australia, where the adults wish they could have spent more time visiting amazing exhibits on Aboriginal culture and Australian life and history.

Erin pull her weight at Questacon

Claire at the entrance to Questacon's "Eaten Alive" exhibit!

Alien creatures Lachlan and Opa in Australia's future at the National Museum of Australia

When the girls returned to school, we stayed local, enjoying some day trips confined between the hours of 9 and 3, including trips to the mountains and the coast. Mom and Dad also struck out on their own, taking a Sydney Harbour cruise and attending a ballet at the Opera House (a performance at the Opera House is always a must see for them!) Mom and Dad enjoyed getting into the daily routines, taking them to school and picking them up (even getting to know a few other parents), watching a netball game, practicing the piano with Erin, helping with homework and having tea and dinner with our neighbors!

Claire and Oma plant pansies on the front veranda (since Oma and Opa have left, Claire has reported that she wants to be a gardener when she grows up)

Sadly, they left yesterday, but save for the house being a little quieter, and me being a bit morose about the loss of all of my household and childcare help, that's ok. We will see them in 6 1/2 weeks when we return to the States for our northern summer visit!


Before they left, they gave me and Rick the ultimate gift- they took charge of the kids for 2 days, one night, so that we could celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with a short trip to the Southern Highlands, an area that is about one and a 1/2 hours southwest of Sydney. We stayed in a restored settler's hut that was built in the 1830s in Berrima, a small town that retained its historic character when the railroad bypassed it and basically cut it off from much modern development. It was the perfect romantic hideaway, with the not-so-historic kitchen and indoor toilet added for modern comfort!

We relished the opportunity to be completely free from the responsibilities of small children and church life. We enjoyed a spectacular bushwalk at Fitzroy Falls, poked through antique and specialty shops and ate grownup food at grownup times! It was truly amazing to consider how far we have journeyed in the past 10 years- the date of our spring wedding in New Hampshire has become an autumn celebration, the Pacific Ocean now lies between us and Camp Calumet, and we have children who speak with Australian accents. Had anyone suggested on the day of our wedding that this might be the case, we would never have believed it. Never say never!

10 years- we made it!

Love, Anne

Happy Easter!

Wishing our friends and family far and wide a blessed Easter!
With love from all of the Daceys

The angel said to the women,
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples:
'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.'
Now I have told you."
-Matthew 28: 5-7

Girl Guides

This week, Erin joined the North Epping Girl Guides Unit as a Brownie. North Epping has a small, extremely well run unit, which has a substantial waiting list of girls- we were fortunate to get Erin on the waiting list last year when we arrived, so that she was at the top of the list for enrollments this year. She is beyond excited, and is loving all of the activities. We are feeling a bit daunted but excited for her options for earning her badges- there are so many exciting things that she can do, and there is no doubt that they will all help her development as a responsible, respectful and caring child.

She chose a promise which respected her status as a US citizen. In the Australian Guide Promise, a guide promises to serve "the Queen and my country." Erin chose an alternative in which she promised to serve "my country and this country." We were very proud of her for claiming her US ties!

Anne

The blue is much nicer than the US brown colors, don't you think?
(Note the Queen in the upper part of the picture!)