Birthdaying and Adjourning

In the last post, Andy wrote about how very, very welcomed we have been here. I just want to reiterate that with some of my own reflections, albeit less poetically.

It was Andy’s birthday this weekend. We planned a little afternoon get together with two other couples, each of them with a birthday of their own this week. We had vegemite scrolls, canapés, and cocktails. I brought a Persian Love Cake that I ordered from a couple who sell French macaroons and other pastries at local markets. (This cake is easily the most delicious thing I have ever eaten and I needed to get a whole one for some special occasion.) The picture doesn’t do it justice; it had edible flowers and it literally sparkled in the sunlight.

Andy got this awesome t-shirt from our friends Bernie and Kristian.

Classic Bogan

When we got home we found gifts in our door, placed there by our neighbors Deb and Wayne. For the birthday boy, a Warrnambool t-shirt with surfboard logo, and for both of us, two books about the region. They wrote in the card “Happy reading and learning about our local area, though you probably know about most of this already!” Deb and Wayne have had us over for dinner and drinks, they lend us their car, and they let me pet their friendly dog, Max, whenever I need a dog fix.

We capped off Andy’s birthday with a seafood platter at a restaurant three blocks from our house. Crayfish (lobster) is a local specialty.

 The other day I talked to a woman from the US who is living in Melbourne working on her PhD at Deakin Uni. She described Australians to me as people who keep you at an arm’s length and are very difficult to get close to. I told her that was not my experience at all here in Warrnambool. Some of the rural education literature has described people in the country as insular, but we have found most people to be quite open and friendly. Because it is part of what I am studying, I have reflected specifically on how one might connect to others in a new community. Being on sabbatical is a luxury and a privilege, one that affords us time to do a lot of things not everyone would be able to do, but many of the ways we’ve connected to others has mostly involved just showing up and being present.

Andy and I have been talking about this concept of “adjournment.” I have definitely made a mental transition in the last couple weeks to thinking about going back. I’ve been working much more regularly; I even skyped with a few of my students back in Chico last week. It’s as though I put my “Chico State professor” hat back on and it fit just fine. I’m not ready to leave yet, but I do feel ready to start preparing to go home.

I will miss many things in Australia – the magpies, the ocean breeze, the cakes…mmm, cake... but most of all I will miss the many wonderful people who have welcomed us into their community and called us “mates.”