because somehow i am in my 6th month here. i get into the right side of the car to drive on the left side of the road as if it is all i have ever known. i am looking forward to a summer birthday party for my winter born daughter and next year i will plan an indoor party for my winter babies born in a month i usually spent covered in sand and bug spray as a child.
my oldest now calls cookies, bikkies, and drops her “r”s. none of the clothes we brought with us fit her anymore. i have 2 new kids with birth certificates from a country different than their sister’s. we phone their grammie and talk to her from a completely different day of the year.
i know how much i weigh in kilos and honestly people, it looks better like that. now 30 degrees is a hot day and going 60 for a car is not all that fast. in my vocabulary, sport has lost the final “s” and maths has found it. people will ask me out for a long mac in the arvo and i actually know what they mean. football has a third meaning and quite possibly a bigger following. my god…i really did move to australia.
sesame ellis 
oooh. blogging! i’m doing my happy dance!
Eeeks, I’m about to do something similar, I’m about to emigrate from cosy England to sunny California. It’s all happening in just over two weeks. I’m scared, but excited at the same time.
I moved from Nova Scotia to Australia almost seven years ago and now we’re in the process of getting ready to move back there in less than a year. It’s much more complicated this time around as it’s no longer just a 22 year old me, but me, a husband and two smallish kids!
I couldn’t agree more about how much better weight looks in kilos!
word. i ditto everything here. bizarre, isn’t it? you put it all into words perfectly.
Wow!
I will be entering that world in just a few short years. THanks for preparing me.
Beautiful writing and beautiful photos.
Wow.
I think you are managing beautifully with all of your changes!
Blessings!
Oh..and Rachel. You are doing great.
You look so beautiful in that
picture with Keiran.
Wow has it been 6 months. Time really does fly.
I am so glad you started a weblog.
Kate aka the butterfly girl on flickr.
Ok, I don’t think I know what a “long mac” is, and I was born here – maybe it’s a Melbourne thing, but I was born there! Long macchiato….? And a blog – you really are a super good time manager. I could take some tips!
you have a way with words too? You are super woman! Bravo…. very funny post.
so much change. you are awesome xoxo love all these shots! seeing you with your boy melts my heart completely.
the blog’s great. And how *do* you take care of three small ones, take photos, get your presets and actions together, *and* blog? I’m well impressed.
You will overcome all the difficulties because your “home is where they are”, isn’t it? 😉 best of luck, Rachel.
I’m a Melbourne girl living in Singapore getting ready to move back to Melbourne at the end of the year. I’ve watch your Flickr page regularly and am amazed (as are most of your fans) at how much you can fit into one day! Do you have any plans to start your photography business again? I’m about to start my own family and would be *honored* to have some extraordinary sesame ellis photography for my own little family.
I love how you’ve written about your entry into Australia. All these things happening at once for you and you are doing it all so well. 🙂 Lovely blog… I’ll back to read more.
Hooray for the blog of Rachel. You write so well too.
x
If you’ve made those transitions in 6 months, congratulations! It’s funny, I recognize ALL of those from when I lived in Australia for a year with my family as a little girl. I remember some of the bigger adjustments being correctly referring to the bathroom (the toilet, the dunny, the loo) which differed based on my audience. Also, saying “Pardon?” instead of my standard American “What?” was a big deal between seeming like a polite child or a rude American kid.
Watching you on flickr, you’ve made so many BIG transitions of late. Many blessings as you continue to acclimate.
You seem to be doing great. I am fascinated with Australia, and hope to visit it one day. Keep up to posts 😉
How exciting. I would love to be able to see such different things from the everyday norm. I live next door to the house I grew up in and me and my husband have bought it and are remodeling it to move into it with our five children. The remodeling is probably the biggest changes I’ll ever see. lol
I’m so glad that you have a blog, now!
I’m fascinated with the idea of the Southern Hemisphere, for all the reasons that you just mentioned. Christmas! Hannukah! In summer! (or is it spring, there?)
It sounds like your all settled in and life just couldn’t be better. And it sounds so wonderful. I love the shots you included too in this post.
Lovely post. You are a natural storyteller Rach.
Arvo was my favorite one, and I still use it four years after moving back…
You sound very settled in, and enjoying it.
hooray for your new blog!!!
I LOVE IT!!