Meet the Family

After being gone for three months you might be wondering who are these people that I'm working for/living with. I know Gram and Gramp were afraid I was signing up for white slavery or something equally horrible. Though at times I do feel like I'm slaving away it's hardly slavery. I use to joke with Jenn that I was her slave labor because I didn't get paid for the first two months I was working. Anyway, here is a small look at the family. I'm sure you'll all be hearing far more about them when I come home.

The Woolcock Clan

I feel it is appropriate to start with Richard for a couple of reasons, the biggest one being that he is the center of the family. Very little gets done or goes ahead without his knowledge, opinion or help. He has lived on Oakey Creek all his life. It's his family's land and I believe he's the fourth generation of Woolcocks to work/live on it. He's a nice man with an off color sense of humor (he'd fit in well with the Morgan's in that way). He works hard putting in long hours six days a week. That being said I don't feel like he respects the work Jenn does at the house and her shop because it's not as physically demanding or as income generating as what he does.

Jenny, 41 or 42 is constantly moving. She runs her own shop called House of Magnolias in the near by town of Springsure. It's a cool place with new and used clothes, jewelry, and antiques. She also does all the book keeping for the ranch and her shop.

Ally, 11, is Jenny's daughter from a previous relationship though Richard has been her dad from almost the beginning. By being the oldest she is great with helping coral the other kids into what needs to be done. That being said, Ally acts as if she's 35 and knows more than any of the rest of us. She constantly questions me, as well as Jenn and Richard about what is being done, as if we don't know how to do our jobs or look after the kids. Hastings, 5, the oldest and only boy in the family. Cute as a button and can be sweet and helpful when he wants to be. However, he tends to throw tantrums whenever he doesn't get his way. He wants to be and do things just like Richard or how he thinks Richard does them. For example, we went through a phase where he wouldn't wear his jammies to bed, but a tank top instead because that's what daddy wears. Bella, or Isabella, 4, is the tomboy of the a family. She is the most fearless out of the four kids. Where ever there is trouble you will find her in the mix and usually leading the way. She loves animals and being outside. Though it's Ally's job to collect the eggs from the chook (chicken) pen Bella loves to do it and will more often than not do it without being asked. She also the artist in the family, for better or worse. Much of the house is marked in "art" work. She is also the one who has bitten me on two occasions. Bridie, 2, is the baby of the Woolcock Clan. She is super cute and likes to be helpful which basically means making my job 10x harder. She is smart, already knowing her alphabet (something Hastings still struggles with) and is able to count to 10. She adores her older siblings and often copies them good behavior as well as bad. She nearly drowned less than a year ago by falling into the creek that runs through the property. The current nanny at the time saved her life at great risk to her own, or so the story goes. Dave and Clarice work for Jenn and Richard, Dave full time and Clarice on a as needed basis. They are great people. Dave and I cut into each other on a daily if not hourly basis and Clarice is a funny strong woman who I'm sure could probably rule the world given half the chance.

Then there's me! As the nanny I work generally from 7 am to 9pm making beds, making bed, helping to keep the house tidy, doing laundry, making dinner. However, I also get to explore my inner child with fingerprinting, fight and hunt monsters (who taste like chicken by the way), and test my mental know how with such as mind benders as the alphabet puzzle.

Stanage Bay

I had only just arrived on the scene and was trying to get a feel for things when the family announced that we were going to their vacation house on Stanage Bay. They had tried to make the trip several weeks earlier but due to the rainy weather they couldn't. When I say couldn't, I don't mean that they didn't want to waste their vacation on bad weather, but I mean physically they could not get their cars down the road. The area had been receiving so much rain over the previous months that the road couldn't hold the weight of heavy vehicles. The area near Stanage requires several creek crossings as well which again due to the heavy rain fall made crossing impossible at times. I think Richard got a call from his friends saying that there was a window of opportunity for the family to come down if they wanted to

It wasn't as easy as just getting in the car and leaving either. This picture was taken from the back of the pick up truck we took the first 3 miles down the road (still on Oakey Creek property mind you). At this point we had to get on four wheelers and go a couple miles to where the SUV we were taking was parked.

This apparently is someone's mailbox. Gave me a good chuckle.

The ride to Stange should only take 7-8 hours but again due to the rain the trip wasn't as straight forward as that. Instead it took us 11-12 hours. Now close your eyes and picture an SUV containing three cars seats (children included), a ten year old, two nannies, two parents and a dog. Did the word hell flash in your mind? If not, you're a stronger person than I am. I imagine the trip could have been worse, car sickness could have played a part. Instead it was the usual tantrums, name calling and tears that I've since gotten use to. Upon our arrival at Stanage Jenn said something along the lines of that wasn't so bad in reference to the car ride. I thought to myself whose car was she in. But in all reality I imagine it really could have been worse. It was a hellishly long ride for everyone involved.

Richard with Fang the family dog. I know I know a chiwawa how annoying that's what I thought anyway when I first saw him. However, this is one cool dog.

Somewhere along the line Bridie either got into mom's makeup or mom (Jenn) just gave it to her to shut her up. This was the end result.

Stanage Bay is located right on the coast and is one of the few coastal areas that swimmer don't have to worry about box jelly fish. There are only 50 some year round residents. Most people are like Jenn and Richard; they only come up for their vacations. This is part of the reason why no one heard from me for so long. There is no internet, not even wireless, in Stanage. There is only one buisness and it's the gas station, post office, mini mart and bar all in one. Here are a couple photos of the beach were we went swimming every morning.

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One of Richard's friends is a man named John Maxell whom I came to find out was a four time Olympic gold (I think) medalist. Anyway, Jenn gave Siobhan and myself one day off to go fishing with John on his boat. Now, anyone who knows me knows that fishing really isn't my thing. Well, let me just say when you got a set up as nice as John's fishing isn't so bad. I actually had a really good time. Had I not caught anything I might not have the same found memories but oh well.

Me with my first catch! I was the first one to catch a fish that day.

The bait we used. I baited my own hook, however had the bait been alive I might not have been able to do so.

Siobhan taking a break from the fishing.

The last picture is a random picture of a wild turkey we came across one day on the way to the beach. Fang forgetting he is a small dog barked and chased after this animal until it turned around and started running toward Fang screeching. This sent Fang running like nothing else and gave me a good laugh in the process.

And it Begins!

I mentioned in previous posts I arrived in Australia January 2. Well, not being one to waste time or in this case money, I arranged to start my job as a nanny on the 3. I flew from Brisbane, which is on the coast, to Emerald unbenost to me at the time the current nanny and the nanny for the neighboring property were on the flight as well. Emerald, being just a regional airport is the size of a postage stamp. I wouldn't be suprised if the South Bend and Ft. Wayne airports are bigger. Anyway, I go inside to get my luggage and hopefully find someone waiting to pick me up only to find that none of the faces I see look at all like ones in the pictures sent to me. Thankfully I found my luggage right away (one of the nannies wasn't so lucky, her luggage was left in Brisbane) and was able to stand back and watch as people came and went. Some how, maybe I have nanny imprited on my forehead, decided I must be the new nanny replacing her and approached me to find out. Siobhan had been with the Woolcocks for two months and would be with them through January. I can't begin to explain how thrilled I was to learn this. Having never done work like this before I looked on any help or inside knowledge as being worth its weight in gold. It wasn't long after that Richard (the dad) showed up and we were on our way home to Oakey Creek (the name of their property/station). The rest of that day is a blur of Richard making some stops in town and what felt like a never ending ride from the airport to their house.

The next day I jumped right into the fire and began my job. The school year runs all year long in Australia. The new term starts in January and they have two weeks off every ten weeks or so. Since I arrived just after New Years the kids were still on holiday and thus all four of them were home all time. Talk about overwhelming. On my first day Siobhan organized a trip/lunch at the creek. There is a creek that goes through the property (obviously, it is called Oakey Creek) and at one part not too far from the house it is shallow enough for the kids to play in. With sandwhiches made, water bottles packed, sunscreen applied and floated inflated you would have thought we were making a trip to some distant land instead of just going down the road a few yards. I quickly learned there is no such thing as packing light in this family. And so the day was spent in the water which considering how hot it was was not a bad way to go.

This is Siobhan and the youngest two Bridie and Bella on the way to the creek.

This is Hastings, lord only knows what he was up to when I took this picuture.

Siobhan again with Bridie and Fang the family dog. This dog is treated better than most people.

ME!

Bridie and Fang on the Beach. Bridie nearly drowned a year ago and the family has been working on getting her over her resulting fear of water.

Bella floating down the creek.

Ally trying on my sunglasses.

My Arrival

I rang 2011 in as a Qantas Airlines hostage. Following my 8 hour layover in LA I boarded the flight that would bring me to Brisbane, Australia. For 13 hours I was held captive left with only narrow a narrow pathway inwhich to walk and a small closet like room where the bathroom was. I was fed and given a snack (in a cool backpackish type bag) and allowed to watch all the movies I want. But there was no champagne or any other treats to help us celebrate 2011. Only the captain leading us in a countdown over the pa.

All in all it wasn't too bad of a flight. I was expecting to be figity and uncomfortable and basically miserable much like I am when I fly anywhere over a couple hours. However, the flight left at around 11pm which was pretty perfect because I was sleepy enough to be able to get some dozing done from time to time. I would have liked to have had a window seat since they are easier to sleep in, however no such luck. I was on the outside, which is much more perferable than the middle so no complaints. I ended up sitting next to a mother and her son who, I found out at the end of the flight, was an American married to an Aussie. She and her son had gone back to the US to visit her family in Pacific Northwest for the holidays.

Though I left the US on December 31 I didn't arrive in Australia until the second of January. My flight got in around 8am but due to customs and luggage and whatnot I don't think I actually got out of the airport until 9. Australia by all apperances has some of the strictest regulations about what is and is not allowed in the country. The only other place that has been near this bad was Israel and mostly they just wanted to keep the people in or out not their property.

Due to the long travel day (about 23 hours in total) I decided to splurge on myself. Instead of trying to save myself some money, I booked myself into a hostel that would pick me up from the airport. This decision put me in the Manly Backpackers Hostle in the Brisbane suburb of Manly (obviously). Manly is less than 10 miles from the center of Brisbane but might as well be 100 for Manly has a decidedly small town feel. Located right on the water and with a population of under 4000 people it was a beautiful place to relax and regroup after traveling for so long. The picture below is of the outside.

The hostel also runs a bar and resturant located in the upper area where the railing is. I had some fish and chips there for lunch when I arrived and spent about an hour just sitting up there. It was a warm sunny day but up there I could feel the most wonderful breeze.

Wanting to get on Australian time as quickly and easily as possible (it's a 15 hr difference between home and here) I decided not to take a nap or anything but instead just spend the day awake and groggy as hell. Though Manly is beautiful there isn't a whole lot to do, well at least not at the time I arrived. I called Sean, a traveler that Patrick and I met on our Middle East adventure to see of he wanted to meet up for a drink. Sean, originally from Tasmania, had recently moved to Brisbane. My first day in Australia was spent with good conversation and good weather. Can't get much better than that.



Some pictures of Manly:

A couple random observations before I go. One I have no idea what kind of bird that is in the picture above but I thought he was cool looking. There were several of them in park area I walked pass and I thought I'd show you guys back home. I've been trying to take pictures of animals and plants that I've never seen before. Second, Manly/Brisbane or maybe Australia in general is a very outdoors/fitness centered place. There is a walking/bike lane the entire length of the city along the water. However more importantly people use it. I saw many many people from little kids to very old adults walking, running or peddling along this path. It was great to see such an active community. I wish we had more things like this in America.

Let the adventure begin!

So on December 28 I once again found myself leaving my friends and family for the great unknown of freedom and adventure or to be more accurate to be a nanny in Australian bush. Many of you may or may not know that though I travel a bit I always panic when it comes time to start a new adventure. The first summer I went to work at summer camp in MA I about had a panic attack on the way to the airport, the day I said good bye to my family for Benin I cried on my Grammy's lap, lol. I guess it's a sign that I'm growing up and have more confidence in myself that this time around there was none of that. Yes, I was sad to leave my family and a bit worried about what might happen to them while I was gone. However, overall I was ready to strike out on my latest undertaking.



I didn't want to suffer a 20 some hour plane ride from Chicago to Brisbane, so instead I decided to break up the trip a bit as well as have some fun along the way. When Patrick and I did our Middle East adventure we traveled with some really cool people, one of which was a girl named Lu. Lu was from San Francisco and traveling with her cousin Xenia. California, as you can imagine, is the US gateway to Australia with most of the flights going out of LA. With this in mind I decided to spend two days in SF with Lu on my way to Brisbane.




Here is a Lu and I waiting to go on one of the SF trolleys.




Two days was not near enough time to spend in San Francisco. Day one was spent with Lu and her cousin Amy and Amy's boyfriend Pierre. Lu, a Berkley graduate, had us go up and tour the campus for the day. This worked out great because Weihow, my Peace Corps post-mate lives in Berkley now and we were able to meet up and hang out together.

Random shot of Berkeley campus.

Lu and I on campusJust moments before taking this picture, that furry squirrel was climbing up Pierre's pant leg. Talk about domesticated.

For lunch we went to the Chinese Ghetto which is basically a courtyard like area that has about 10 Asian restaurants. Pierre and I had to go to the bathroom. There is one bathroom in this area that all the restaurants share. You have to get a key for this grated door and walk down a bit of a corridor, which I took a picture of. Looks all nice and clean doesn't it, especially considering how many people share this area. The smell is enough to knock you on your butt.

After lunch and a walk around town we stopped for some gelato. Yum! Best part is that they allow you to test as many flavors as you want. Who needs to buy anything, lol. I think I ended up getting a scoop of pistachio and one of cranberry.

It was time for Weihow and I to part ways. :(

Day two started off meeting some of Lu's old work colleagues. We met for dim sum, which is kinda like Chinese finger foods. Very yummy. After wards we went to this park area where I was able to see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Having an interest in the 1960's since high school I remembered that Haight/Ashbury street was a mecca at one time for hippies. Lu and I made our way over to this part of town mostly because I was interested in what it had become of it since the days of flower power.

Random street.

Can't go to SF and not ride a trolley.

Ghirardeli is chocolate that you most likely have seen in your grocery store. In SF it is also a restaurant that makes among other things hot fudge sundaes. Lu and and I swung in and split a sundae on our way out of the city. It was fantastic but so rich that we couldn't finish it all. Kind of a shame too considering the amount of time we waited for it. Never have I been in a restaurant that is so packed with people and running on sheer chaos.