And down we go ...

Warning: this is not a happy post! (It may have something to do with the fact that Dave had to go interstate for the week for work, and won't be back til tomorrow, due to bad weather, and we only arrived last weekend.)

After 3 years in Japan, several months in France and 6 weeks in Vietnam, along with various travels here and there, I thought I'd be ready for this adventure; how wrong was I?

I'd sort of prepped Isabella for the emotional roller coaster that is culture shock, but I wasn't expecting to be plunging full tilt down the Big Dipper myself at this early stage. According to the Cross Cultural gurus (and I did teach the stuff myself for a bit once upon a time) there's supposed to be a honeymoon period! I must have skipped that bit and gone straight to the 7-year itch!

So what's p'd me off in the last few days since I've been left alone with two small children, with a left-hand drive tank of a car, in a town I don't know !? Hard to put my finger on it but there are so many differences from where we've just been and while I've been telling Isabella that things aren't necessarily strange or wrong, they're just different, it's hard to believe my own hype - first impressions have been harsh: this place is a hole without a soul, which is ironic given the number of churches I've seen.

There are very nice residential areas, and hopefully we'll be settled into one of those soon enough, and the people are very friendly, but I've yet to see the "heart" of the place - if there indeed is one. There are just lots of highways with individual buildings dotted along them, with the occasional group of shops or small mall. There are drive through chemists, banks, and of course the usual fast food joints, but there's nowhere (as far as I've noticed) where people linger and meet - unless that's what Sundays are for. Oh dear, I'm in trouble. 

Some impressions:

There: walk, ride, bump into friends, and do interesting things locally and eat decent food in inviting surrounds, and have children in school/child care for long enough to re-charge the parental batteries.

Here: drive, drive, drive, don't speak to another adult other than the checkout chick/chap at the local Krogers or the other three people I've met so far, and occupy/wrestle/cajole two little people who won't sleep at normal hours or cooperate in other simple ways, with no respite.

I also appreciate that I've zero identity here other than as someone's wife and some other small people's mother and that's possibly not helping.

Let's hope I'm on a carriage going up some time soon. Sorry for the vent!!

Here's some pics of happy children, at least!

Riding rockets at the Galleria Mall

After enrolling in local ballet classes - we haven't even found a house or school yet. Talk about priorities!

Mummy's spag Bol and garlic ciabatta, eaten nicely ...

... and enjoyed, even if not eaten nicely!