Good days and bad days...

Today was a good day!  We went to visit our new valley again where we will be living next month and had a look at two schools and one kinder.

At the one school Silke told the headteacher: 'I have nits, my mummy is trying to get the nits out of my hair.'  Hence why yesterday was a bad day as any nit combing day would be...

So far we liked most of the schools we visited.  Which makes it a bit tricky to choose.  Do we just go for the closest school, we can walk to school and it's nice and small - in Prep only about 15 children per class?  Or do we go for the bigger, higher achieving school which is a 10 but probably closer 20 min drive away in the morning traffic?

But I have decided to keep Mieke in a public primary school and then apply for 2 private high schools, that way we save loads of money until then!

The schools are different here than the UK in the following ways:

The class sizes are smaller (can vary between 15 and 25).
They don't have school dinners but normally have a canteen open a few times a week.
Uniforms can only be bought at school and seem really expensive.
Although the kids are in their own home groups they work across 2 year groups, for instance Year 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 work together.  This gives opportunity for children who find the work easier to go ahead as well as give time for the slower ones to catch up.
They are not as rigid with going to school at a definite age like the UK - for instance children can go to school if they turn 5 by the end of April in the year that they go to school, but you are free to keep them back as well.  Most of the schools I spoke to suggested I keep Silke back until next year, so she'll be going back to Kindy as they call pre-school here.
In the area where I am looking for schools (East / North East of Melbourne) there aren't catchment areas, so I am free to send my children to any public school I like!  This makes it good for me but quite tricky for schools as it is difficult to plan from the one year to the next.

The schools seem well equipped with interactive white boards / televisions, computers and basket ball courts!  Most of them have an art room, music room and language room where they learn LOTE (language other than English).  The schools I've looked at offered Indonesion, Italian, Chinese or Japanese.

The classes are mostly open plan though so I think this will be something for Mieke to get used to.

Things I like so far in Australia:

Watermelon and Avos - delicious just like in SA
Chocolate Milk and Strawberry milk come in 2 litre bottles!!
U turns are encouraged.
Parking is free at most shopping centers and the parking bays are big enough for our wagon.
They pack your bags for you when grocery shopping.  Hooray!!  I know I'm sorry but I'm lazy...

Sunday afternoon...

I'm lying on my side in bed looking out the window through a flyscreen.  The bedroom is at the front of the house, overlooking a quiet close.  There is a big gumtree right outside with brightly coloured birds cackling away.  My belly is heavy but busy.

I am in Australia...

What happened since February...

1.  I started a 4 month TESOL course to learn how to teach English to speakers of a foreign language. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done, BUT I MADE IT!!!

2.  Werner received 2 job offers for Australia, accepted the best one and guess what, WE'RE LEAVING FOR MELBOURNE IN 12 DAYS TIME!!

3.  I though I was going through early menopause as my cycle was really short and I googled it.  So when we had a little accident straight after my period I didn't think anything of it, as that time of the month you can't fall pregnant anyway can you?  WRONG!!  TOMORROW I'M 20 WEEKS PREGNANT!!  Oooops.

Which is why I haven't blogged in four months.  I was in shock, I was busy trying to do this crazy course while fighting ALL DAY morning sickness, and trying to organise our move to Australia.

Anyway my little Silke is coughing her lungs out so I need to go rub Vicks on her chest and rub her back and pray she gets better and not worse....

Silke willie skool toe nie...

Dis nou elke dag se storie, sy staan vrolik op, eet haar ontbyt, trek aan en huppel kar toe.  In die kar raak sy stiller en stiller en nadat ons vir Mieke afgelaai het en by haar skool stop is sy tjoepstil.

As ons in die klas inkom dan begin sy aan my klou - eers was dit aan my hande en arms en bene maar vandag het sy haar arms om my lyf gegooi en geklou asof haar lewe daarvan afhang.

'I want to come with you, Mummy' is al antwoord wat ek kry en maak nie saak wat ek se of doen nie sy wil nie laat los nie.

Dan moet haar arme juffrou kom mooi praat en help trek en die se geduld is ook nie nimmereindigend nie.

As ek vir haar vra hoekom hou sy nie van skool nie dan se sy sy want sy moet reading en numbers doen en sy hou nie daarvan nie en almal anders kan dit doen behalwe sy.  Ek probeer verduidelik maar ek dink nie sy luister nie...

So vandag toe skryf ek 'n tragiese email vir die juffrou oor hoe erg dit is vir my en wat kan ons doen om haar te help en oor hoe my arme bloedjie nagmerries kry in die aande en in die middae omvalmoeg is.

Halftwee toe moet ek skool toe om saam met Reception na Mieke se junior skool toe te loop.  Ek kom in die klas en madam sien my nie dadelik nie  - sit te heerlik op die mat en speel 'n handjiesklap speletjie met haar beste maatjie Amira.  Laggies en giggels en geselsies.  'Silke your mummy is here!' roep haar ander maatjies 'n paar keer voor sy hoor en toe sy my sien is haar ogies groot en sy wil net weer haar Mamma he en by haar wees.

Ja so ek weet nie.  Sy mis my en ek mis haar en ek voel dis vreeslik om 'n vierjarige so lank elke dag skool toe te stuur.  En dan moet ons nog in die aande sit en lees en letters leer so ek weet nie wanneer daar tyd is vir speel nie.  Maar sekerlik geniet sy haar maatjies en hulle speel tog heeltyd by die skool?

So nou het ek Donderdag 'n afspraak met haar juffrou wat seker dink ek is nuts want volgens haar is Silke heel gelukkig by die skool.  Net jammer haar Mamma is so eensaam alleen by die huis!!

Aussie Aussie Oi Oi (cringe cringe)

We got our Australian Visas!!!  On the 14th January 2011 - precisely 1 year and 1 day after application.

We got it thanks to me.  Thank you Claudine.  For firing your migation agent and deciding you can do a better job on your own.  For getting all the unabridged documents.  For organising the skills assesment and IELTS tests.  For writing the IELTS tests.  For applying for South African and UK PCCs and ringing Pretoria on a daily basis to find out how much longer its going to take.  For filling in millions of forms.  For keeping up to date with all the changes happening with immigration.  For making appointments for medicals and getting us all there on time in the snow.  For keeping contact with our case office and scanning and emailing the documents the moment we got them.  Thank you Claudine, without me we would not have gotten this far.  I don't think anyone else in the family really gets what a job this was which is why I take it upon myself to thank.. myself.

BUT  we are all on board now.  Silke want a big house with a pool and a DOG.  And she hates school with a passion and enquires about spring every day.  I want the same.  Mieke wants to live near the beach and learn to boogy board.  Werner is fed up with his job and wants a change.  For the first time we ALL want the same thing - AUSTRALIA.  And the UK media is bombarding us with Phil Downunder and Wanted Downunder and cute little adverts of a landrover driving as fast as the kangaroos around it can hop is not doing us any favours.  We want it NOW!

So bring it on Australia - we are ready!!!

PS:  If anyone can find my hubbie a top management consultant job in Australia which pays... A LOT... please feel free to contact me!!

My most booooring Christmas holiday ever...

Well firstly Silke got ill with flu on the last week of school.  I took her to school, watched her coughing through her school play (luckily she was a sheep!), went home, school rang just before 12:00, went back, Silke insists on have her Christmas lunch, patient mummy hangs around for an hour waiting, take her home, go back to fetch Mieke, take Mieke to Kumon, drop her off at neighbour, took Silke to GP, GP says to go to hospital, drive to hospital in an hour due to snow blizzard, paed says she's okay - get home after 8:00pm.

On Friday I leave Silke with my neighbour, take Mieke to school and present her teacher with his leaving present.  Ask a friend to pick Mieke up from school as it starts to snow heavily.  She finds a feverish Mieke sleeping under the table.

So far it doesn't sound that boring though this was just the start.  Over the weekend I also start getting ill, so all three of us end up with shivering with really high fevers.  So the next three weeks of the Christmas holiday we spend either in bed or laying about lazily reading or watching TV.  We only went out shopping for Christmas lunch and to watch Despicable Me (fabulous!).  And to travel to Maidenhead by train to do our visa medicals.  Luckily the girls seemed to enjoy their presents and its still keeping them busy.

Its the first of January and nothing much has changed - we are better but still coughing daily and lounging about.  At least we are getting plenty of rest.  Though not really as its 01:36 and I'm still awake - aaaarrrggghh!!

Happy 2011 - things can only get better...

I've had my first good luck of 2011 - I did not end up in the loo at 12:00 am.  I nearly did - at 11:55 I had the urge to go and nearly nearly missed the countdown, but luckily I made it back to the lounge in time to watch the countdown on BBC1 with Werner and Mieke.  And have a glass of Prosecco (the English are very specific about the name of these things - I dare not call it champagne, though we did have real champagne at Christmas).

So its a good start.

But let me reflect on 2010 - to be honest it was not what I call a good year, not too terrible but not good either, rather mediocre:

My worst for 2010:
1. Snow when we got back from Cape Town in January, snow in February (I don't like snow.)

2. Silke ending up in hospital with pneumonia in March and diagnosed with ashtma which still causes me huge anxiety.

3. My friend's husband dying in October.

4. My other friends' partner left her.

5. My other friend left her husband.

6. Due to the economy we cannot sell our house for what we paid for it 3 years ago.

7. Australian exchange rate went from £1,60 to 60 pence - NOT GOOD.

8. Silke started school and I miss her.

9. I'm still in limbo and I'm starting to feel... old.

10. Snow and the coldest December on record.

The GOOD:

1. We had a great holiday in South Africa and loved spending time with friends and family (well that was actually last year but it ended this year).

2. Mieke did really well in school and is in the 'gifted and talented' group for reading and writing.

3. We had a fantastic holiday in Le Marche, Italy and another amazing one in Amsterdam and Efteling, Holland - we are so lucky.

4. Our Australian visa application starting moving again at the end of the year and we are holding thumbs for a visa soon.

5. We had some great weekends away in the UK - on a farm on the Isle of Wight, London for Werner's birthday.

6.  Werner and I had our first night away for years on our own in London at the fabulous Chancery Court Hotel - it really was amazing (thanks to my mum in law Antoinette for babysitting).  We saw Colin Firth & Helen Boham Carter, saw a movie, had dinner at the most romantic restaurant and had fun shopping - on OUR OWN!

7.  My neighbour and friend is pregnant with her second baby.

8.  Even though its sad that my girls are growing up so quickly, we are having such fun as a family and growing closer together.

9.  Even though we don't have any family close by we are blessed with a network of friends who are always there to help out if I need them.

10.  Although the economy is down in the dumps it has not really affected us in our day to day life - touch wood...

So we have a lot to be thankful for.
Thank You.