When the 2 hour delay was up, we meandered down to the gate, only to find out that due to a quarantine issue the plane was delayed a further half hour. By this time I had met a lovely lady who was also travelling alone with her 2 kids... her advantage (in my view) was that they were 8 and 10 and understood the delay bit and did not run away like a bat out of hell. My advantage was that these 2 little girls entertained Ellie, whom I could not run after while carrying all our carry on luggage plus Jamie! What was really unfortunate was that the plane was then delayed a further half hour 3 more times - so all up we were delayed for 5 hours!
Getting on that plane was a blessed relief, as Ellie was now contained. Also as it was now after 11.30pm she was also dog tired - so sleep on that trip was constant. I could then focus on how excited I was to be getting back to the west!!
Since living in China, I have held Australia in very high regard. Every time something has caused us some level of difficulty, I have always thought "That wouldn't happen in Australia". I have missed drinking water straight from the tap; I have missed the road rule that it is illegal to hit a pedestrian; I have missed being able to express myself clearly and concisely. Arriving in Sydney, my illusion was quickly shattered.
Herding Ellie through customs to the domestic transfer was awkward. No one official was there to help me, as with two small children collection of luggage off carousel was not easy, I had managed to acquire a Qantas stroller in the international airport, and a lady actually told me I couldn't take it through customs and over to the domestic airport (I decided that I was not going to be shot if I disobeyed that instruction, so I kept it anyway). I was disappointed at Sydney airport for the lack of service, the filth in the toilets and the general state of disrepair. (And it is considered to be owned by my ex-employer which made me all the crosser.)
Arriving in Brisbane was a joy! Mum and Dad were standing at the top of the boardwalk waiting for us to disembark. Finally things were easy - didn't have to worry about Ellie running off (although it took a bit to pry her off Dad's neck), they were there to help with the luggage, and then down to the Gold Coast for a week of relaxation! NOT!After having had success with getting Jamie's citizenship sorted out, I then proceeded to contact various government organisations to get him included on our Medicare card and apply for the baby bonus. Unfortunately both of these things are unavailable to him. I had understood before we left for Shanghai that we were entitled to the baby bonus, especially as our income test was going to have dropped significantly... what everyone before I left that I spoke to neglected to tell me was that we had to be living back in the country before he is 6 months old - I thought I had language barriers in China! Medicare - again not eligible until he is resident, but once resident will be eligible immediately. At least St George let me open a bank account for him (opened with the AUD equivalent of his modelling job in China)!
We had a family trip to Seaworld - largely for Ellie's benefit. But even this was disappointing - it has been over 15 years since I last went to Seaworld, and I think they have not done any work on it since then! The audio system at the Penguins feeding display wasn't working; the audio at the waterskiing show was dreadful and the show was out of date and had little continuity; the food available was all expensive 'fast food' junk - and Seaworld have the audacity to announce that from 1st July you aren't allowed to bring food in; the toilets / facilities weren't spotless. Having said that we had a good day, Ellie loved the dolphins and the aquarium, and it was her first time having unlimited rides and she particularly enjoyed a Big Bird ride which was only for kids, so she got to go on it alone!The other thing that bothered me in Australia is the rubbish. If someone drops something, or misses the bin, they leave it. In China litter doesn't seem to exist, but there are people who have jobs that are responsible for keeping a strip of public road clean and tidy, and they are proud of their job and do it well, and for that you see nary a cigarette butt. Similarly public bathrooms.
I had another moment in Coles which made me laugh. I was cooking a Chinese feast for my family and needed some Chinese cooking wine (3RMB in Shanghai) and looking at the selection of Chinese ingredients made me laugh. I remember being bewildered by choice when we first arrived in Shanghai, but now am aware of the slight differences between things and know what I like! I also had an altercation with a checkout boy - I won, but he wasn't happy, and it was all to do with a ten dollar note, and a pile of coins.
There were lots of good things too...
I loved catching up with so many members of my family and lots of friends while we were there. And appreciated the effort that you made to come and see us, especially to meet Jamie.
I loved the beautiful Australian countryside - we drove to Hervey Bay from the Gold Coast and some of the scenery was stunning - the Glasshouse Mountains and all along the Fraser Coast. (No we didn't make it across to Fraser Island - next time.)
I loved breathing fresh, clean air and drinking tap water, and not having a coronary each time Ellie had a sip of her bath water.
I loved driving on the right (read proper, correct, ie left) side of the road, and having a go of Dad's new BMW.
I love the blue skies.
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