A Summer Down Under
This summer instead of heading back to the states to do our annual North American tour, we decided to shake things up. Building from our literal SWAT analysis of expat summers past, we wanted to do things differently and learn from our mistakes. So this year, when the confetti canon of expats exploded in June and everyone was shot to their beloved corners of the earth, we hopped on flights to Australia. (Sorry, Mom & Dad.)
I have always wanted to live down under, so this summer we did.
I researched the heck out of it. And prepared the most beautiful Google doc I have ever laid eyes on. We started with an easy two weeks in Byron Bay. Then wanna be impressed? Well, we made our way up to Brisbane, Noosa Heads and Fraser Island. Then south to Melbourne for a taste of fall before heading to Uluru in the red center. Then even further north to Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest. And for our grand finale we spent a week camping in the Northern Territory in Litchfield and Kakadu National Park. A couple nights in Sydney, before we flew out, was the cherry on top. As many Aussies told us, we saw more of their country than they have.
There are a handful of things about our summer down under I want to remember:
Moments - As we look back on this trip our favorite memories are not seeing the places, but the moments of connection and personal growth they brought. Chase remembers finally learning how to ride a bike around the “big red rock”. Anders remembers sleeping next to Steve in the tent. Steve loved pushing himself to find the world’s most perfect swimming hole totally off the beaten path. And I was frightened to camp for a whole week in 100 degree heat. Turns out, it’s now one of my fondest memories.
Friends - The more we were able to give our kids opportunities to connect with other kids, the happier they were. Camps are going to be key in years to come.
Community - The two weeks we spent in Byron Bay allowed us to connect to the community. We made friends at surf camp that became babysitters. We scheduled playdates with kids we met at circus school. I chatted with yogis at the studio every morning. You don’t need much time in a place, just enough to connect with others to create that sense of belonging. Community is everything.
Stay Still - Too many places to call home day after day can feel unnerving. The two weeks we spent in Byron Bay were some of the best. We need to be grounded in a home base and routine is important. The end of the trip had us resting our heads on different pillows every night, which was a lot for all of us. But thank goodness for our battery-powered Xmas lights and Taylor Swift’s Folklore that acted as our touchstone and lured all four of us to sleep again and again.
Get Out - I am a sucky parent at home. I am the best parent outside.
Pack Light - We traveled for six weeks with four backpacks. It made all the difference to not have checked luggage, too many things to lose and so much less to pack up every morning.
Family of Four - We had Steve almost the whole summer between catching COVID (which took us down on week three), vacation days and some summer Fridays. Plus being on the same time zone is the best! Without him we are a chair with only three legs.
Obviously, we have yet to find the perfect execution of an expat summer, not only because of the opportunities for improvement above, but because we didn’t see our families. Hopefully, we can plan further out in the years to come, for my family to come visit. And a way to get to Steve’s family too.
But for now, this summer was definitely a leap in the right direction. Not only do some friends of friends refer to me as “Aussie Mel” but Anders friends are insisting he is Aussie too. And when Anders was asked in his first week of school the places he has lived, he listed America, Japan and Australia. In our hearts, he is right “Mate”.