Day 207 (January 15): So Long, Melbourne

People: our visit in Melbourne was filled with great people. 

Our host, who shares the duplex with the apartment she rents, was a generous and warm person who made us feel so welcome and comfortable. Her family, especially her 12-year old son and their 4-month old English Staffordshire named Lucy, brought us many smiles. The abundant toys in our rental used to be his and we are very grateful, especially for the LEGO.

Our first friend in Melbourne was “Motormouth” Bridget at Oliver’s Barber Shop. We passed the shop several times a day and the kids always looked forward to saying hi. Bridget renamed Henry “Jabberjaws” and they were good mates. Bridget had lollipops for the kids but they’d love her without them. 

The kids went to summer camp at the local primary school with a program called TeamKids. They enjoyed being in the company of peers for several days, doing kid-focused activities, and being as wild as they felt like. Ali and Cate made friends with two girls who lived on the same block as us, which meant there was a lot of calling up to balconies and waving down the street. 

Henry made friends with one boy, which led to two playdates, one of which was a family dinner at the friend’s house, replete with a houseful of toys and games. Even better, they had scooters and bikes so Cate was happy, even though she did end up with a scrape. Elise and I got to speak with adults/parents and share perspectives on integrate work and life. It was also nice to have a homecooked dinner!

Elise and I had a date night with a colleague of mine form back in Portland. It’s one of those friendships that has lasted across much more time and distance than its foundation. It’s nice to feel the sense of kinship, thousands of miles from home, with someone who knows our references to neighborhoods, landmarks, political figures and more. At the same time, it’s interesting to hear how 10 years living abroad changes a person’s perspective on those points of commonality. 

We had the privilege to meet fellow world travelers on two occasions. We came together with one because our mothers went to high school together and connected recently at their 50th reunion. The other we discovered through social media and a common acquaintance. No two journeys are alike, of course, and these visits helped broaden our perspective on what our trip means by seeing it through the eyes of others. In particular, these conversations have inspired us to reevaluate some of our teaching strategies and techniques.

We also had numerous casual encounters. This feels like the friendliest place we’ve visited. It was easy to strike up a conversation waiting for a tram, ordering in a restaurant, sitting on the beach or wandering in a park. (For some among you: stop rolling your eyes!)

Sightseeing/Activities

We did a lot of touristy stuff in Melbourne. It’s the first place where we’ve ridden a sightseeing bus. We went to the aquarium and the zoo. We followed walking tours through several gardens and parks. We rode the giant Ferris wheel. We went to the historic amusement park. All of these things were very good quality. I think the aquarium needs a caveat simply because I found the penguin exhibit so appalling. 

On our last day I finally visited the Royal Botanic Gardens by myself and I’m glad I did but I’m sad we didn’t go together and earlier in the trip. The gardens are extraordinary and there are some terrific activities we could have done. We could have seen a live, outdoor performance of Wind in the Willows. We could have gone to the children’s garden, which included a cute splashpad. We could have gone punting on the ornamental lake. We could have gone to the nightly moonlight cinema (our best shot was foiled by rain). To anybody who considers a trip, this is a place you should visit early and possibly often. (I’d like to say that TAN Track, a destination for runners, seemed overrated. It goes around the outer perimeter of the garden (outside the fence) and was utterly lacking in visual appeal. But it would be fun if you want to measure up against the course record for 4K in 10 minutes.)

We underutilized Melbourne’s artistic resources. We missed the National Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Museum, among others. Elise and I snuck into the Linden Art Gallery in our neighborhood on the last day and enjoyed their annual postcard show. I really regret that we didn’t take Lily to see it, budding artist that she is. I’m motivated to find something similar for her down the road.

Worldschooling

Melbourne was the site for the end of our first semester. The kids hit several major milestones here. Henry finished the 2nd of 4 units in his math curriculum. Lily finished her essay on Treasure Island after writing numerous drafts and workshop tasks. Ali and Cate nearly finished the 4th of 8 units in their literacy/phonics curriculum as well as the first of two units in their math.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, we have received some interesting and challenging advice about our approach. I’m left struggling with the idea that we could decelerate the twins’ first grade, which is fine, but it doesn’t free us up much because Lily’s school time is the limiting factor in terms of how much time it requires.

On one hand, and maybe because our educations involved a lot of math and science, it seems imperative to keep pace on math. In language arts, we have found ourselves disappointed by what Lily has learned so far (through fifth grade) and see this as an opportunity to advance her learning beyond what she has been able to get in a classroom that she shares with 29 other students. 

Put some of these themes together, though, and the conclusion we are starting to lean into is that we want to be around other people more, especially if they are also engaged in home- or world-schooling. While we’ve been in Melbourne we used our time to research online communities but also geographic locations where families like ours congregate. We’ve given ourselves a few weeks before making a decision that would involve altering the itinerary for March and April.

In conclusion, our two weeks in Melbourne were wonderful. We feel filled with gratitude, especially for the people who made such a difference. I believe we were rewarded with a really special last night in the city.

On the eve of the Australian Open, some tennis superstars agreed to hold an exhibition to raise money to support the firefighting effort going on in several parts of the country but especially New South Wales and eastern Victoria. I bought tickets for us about a week ago and I’m so glad I did. Sitting in about the 20th row of Rod Laver Arena, we watched Rodger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal play tennis. And I really mean “play.” There was a semi-serious one-set match between Federer and Australian Nick Kyrgios at the end but for the most part the players engaged in some ridiculous games, akin to the slam dunk contest before the NBA all-star game. 

I’ve never been to a professional tennis event before and it’s not an ideal environment for squirmy young kids. But this had a party atmosphere with lights and music. The players wore microphones and their banter was hilarious, especially as they made fun of each other’s grunting and breathing styles during rallies. It was also special to be at a globally unique event such as a tennis grand slam tournament. The weather prohibited us from watching any matches in the qualifying round but this was a good alternative.

Next we head for a few days in Sydney, where we meet up with Elise’s parents and then fly together to Christchurch to begin our month in New Zealand. Thank you, Melbourne!

Oh, yeah, Lily chopped off her hair.