Nathaniel and Sheree back in Australia » Uncategorized

March 2011 Update

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:34:59 +0000

Hi all,

We are well and truly settled in now and enjoying the weekly routine. We have some holidays coming up and are very much looking forward to getting out of the city. We have a few trips planned including:
- A day trip to a Safari with a Renee, Tom and TJ (a Chinese family)
- An overnight trip to a traditional Chinese village, where we will have the opportunity to stay with a local Chinese family in a Ming Dynasty houtong.
- (later in April) we will fly south to meet with Pam and enjoy a Yangtze river cruise together before returning to BJ to give Pam another royal tour.

I’m actually flying to Luoyang (Henan Provence) to visit an orphanage tonight for 2 nights. We are going as a group of women and will be providing emotional support and encouragement for the women who work there (as well as interacting with the kids). We have a wonderful opportunity to bless these women and fill them up so that they can continue doing the amazing work that they do.

http://www.hopefosterhome.com/special_care/marias/index.htm

Ayi is wonderful and we really hope that she understands just how much we LOVE her. I want to steal her full-time but she works for another family in the mornings and is obviously happy with the current situation. But as of August we will NEED a full-time Ayi (assuming I get a job) and our Ayi knows that. We are getting a (Chinese) friend to find us an Ayi from her home town. Our Ayi saved our butts big time last night because we left both sets of keys inside when we went for dinner and then Ayi left and locked up thus locking our keys inside…ARGH! It took us 1.5 hours to get onto Ayi and then she rode over on her bike to give us the keys. We took Z to a friend’s house whilst we waited.

Speaking of jobs, I still have no job lined up for August but I’m letting God deal with it. I’ve put in 2 applications for year 5/6 positions, one at WAB and the other at Dulwich. Both are fantastic International schools very close to us. Of course I would prefer a job at BSB with Nat but at the moment all the teachers are staying or they only have grade 1 or lower (which would probably kill me full-time).

I’m calling myself a ‘desperate house-wife of Shunyi’ lately, but I’m managing to keep myself busy. If I’m not supply teaching then I’m usually at the coffee shop studying Chinese (I can now order my coffee completely in Chinese). Also I meet with Renee, my Chinese friend, once a week and we do a language swap. I do the grocery shopping, explore our area even more and catch up on my TV shows . I spent a lot of time earlier this month organising Z’s birthday party which was a HUGE success.

For Z’s party we hired the party room at the clubhouse which was 300rmb per hour or 1000rmb for a package which included unlimited time in the room as well as 1000rmb worth of food and drinks from the restaurant (we took advantage of the package). The party room is just down the fall from the indoor play area which was a great way to keep the kids entertained. I ordered 40+ donuts from the New York style donut shop and piled them up to create a pyramid cake. I stuck a ‘2’ candle on top and Z was mesmerised by it for most of the afternoon. By the time it came to actually sing happy birthday and eat the cake he was beside himself with joy. He now refers to donuts as ‘birfday cake’. He scored BIG TIME in the present department which are all packed away in the cupboard – he can get them slowly otherwise it would have been a HUGE influx of new toys and he wouldn’t appreciate them. I would also have nowhere to put them all – thus a trip to IKEA (or the local markets) is in order soon.

Zander is officially a big boy! He turned 2 and gave up the bottle, where is my baby?!?!?! I was dreading him giving up the bottle but it was actually rather easy. I scared myself about having an inconsolable child with many sleepless nights…but he just took it in his stride. He actually put it in the bin himself and when he asked for it later that night I reminded him that he had put it in the bin and that Ayi had emptied the bin already. He seemed to think about what I’d just said and then kind of said ‘okay’. Next stop on the toddler express train to adulthood – toilet training!!!

The weather is warming up and most days are between 10 and 20 degrees, although it is still very cold in the mornings (around 1-4 degrees). Zander’s birthday weekend the temps got up to 19 degrees and I found myself riding around with just 2 light layers (no thick coat). It was lovely, similar to a typical Winter’s day in Brisbane. Chinese people are “not allowed” to take their thermals off yet, not until after next weekends’ festival (Tomb Sweeping). My Aussie friend over here abides but these ridiculous rules and I often remind her that she is Aussie and doesn’t need to do what the government tells her.

We have settled in at CCC (Capital Community Church) for now and will be going there every Sunday morning. The service starts at 10am and we are able to ride our bikes there. It takes about 15-20 mins and we just happen to pass a great coffee shop on the way and occasionally I stop for a morning pick-me-up. Z’s not 100% settled in children’s church yet but last Sunday his friend (Hannah from school) was there and he was much happier.

I don’t have much else to say but will journal some of my experiences this weekend and try to send out another update next week.

The year in review

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:49:24 +0000

It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted anything but considering the post I made in March I’m really not that surprised. Zander is taking up a lot of my spare time which is the way it should be.

The last twelve months have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride:

My wife had a baby – Zander James Brown.
I completed my Graduate Diploma of Education – Secondary.
I was offered a job in Malaysia.
My wife was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
I turned down the job in Malaysia.
I was offered a job at Kelvin Grove State College and accepted it.
I was offered a job at Unisys over the holidays (fantastic since I don’t get holiday pay).
My wife found a new house for us in the city closer to the hospital and Kelvin Grove.

The best thing that happened this year was definitely Zander closely followed by graduating. The worst thing was Sheree being diagnosed with cancer. I was really scary when we knew it was cancer but didn’t know what type of cancer it was or if it was even treatable. When we finally found out it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma we were actually relieved because Hodgkin’s lymphoma has an 80%+ cure rate which is much better than some of the alternatives.

Sheree has been having chemotherapy for almost two months now and the side effects haven’t been that bad. The worst side effects have actually been from another drug she is given after the chemotherapy which makes her bones ache.

I’m going to try to post more frequently this year but we’ll see what happens.

Zander James Brown

admin — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:09:51 +0000

I really should have posted about this earlier but life has been a little bit hectic over the last couple of days. On the 13th of March 2009 Zander James Brown was born. Enjoy the picutres:

Easter Zander

Dad & Zander

Mum, Dad & Zander

100 Things

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:37:13 +0000

This is a meme that is going around and it looks interesting. A lot of it is very American but that’s life. I first read it at Empty Thoughts.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii (Visited Vanuatu & Malaysia which are closer to Australia but similar)

5. Watched a meteor shower (Tried to 3 times but failed)

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language (Mandarin)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby (almost)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a mobile phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Back in Australia

admin — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:57:37 +0000

Highlights

Here are the highlights from the last couple of months.

June

Language Calls went bankrupt and couldn’t pay anyone. I had some money invested with Language Calls so I lost a fair bit of money.
We shipped 12 boxes of stuff back to Australia.
Lots of cleaning, tying up loose ends etc.
Got accepted into the QUT Graduate Diploma of Education Course.
Lots of going away parties.

July

Stopped of in Thailand for 10 days to see my parents and also have a little bit of relaxation before going back to work and university.
Had a look at some of the international schools and talked to some of the teachers that worked there.
Arrived back in Australia just after midnight on the 9th of July.
O Week started on the 14th.
Sheree’s Dad helped us find a nice car.
Classes started on the 21st. (I have university on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday)
Sheree got a 6 month contract.
I got a 5 week part contract with Cook which starts on the 6th of August.
We moved into our new apartment on the 26th of July (Ashely and Caleb helped)

So in less than 7 days we both got work, got a car and a place to live. Sheree’s parents have really blessed and helped us since we got back. I don’t know what we would have done without them.