Li Jiang China, May 2008

I just put this album together so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here, in case anyone is following. This is not in order; we went to Beijing before we went to Li Jiang, but this is all so long ago, I figure getting anything up from our China trip would be an improvement. I didn't spend too much time culling photos, so it is pretty long. These are photos of the week we spent in Li Jiang, China, our last stop before returning to the USA May 25, 2008. We were in the Li Jiang area around May 19 - May 24, 2008.

Unfortunately, this trip was so long ago, I've forgotten some of the details. Li Jiang is near Dali in the Hunan Province in the west of the country. It is quite close to Nepal. The area is populated mostly by Chinese minorities, such as the Naxi. The Naxi written language seems simpler and more directly pictorial than the main Chinese written language. The Han are the Chinese majority. I think the Old Town Li Jiang, where we stayed, was absolutely charming, as hopefully the photos will show. Lots of low-priced shopping to be done there, and LOTS of Chinese tourists. There was a definite military presence there as well as this was about the time some issues with Nepal were coming to the forefront again.

We hired a guide and translator, Kelsey, whose English was very good, and a van and driver. We couldn't have gone out and about the way we did without a translator. While there, we visited some nearby small villages. A National Geographic staff member lived most of his life in one of them. We also visited 2 main tourist attractions in the area: Leaping Tiger Gorge and Snow Mountain. We took the tame hiking path at the gorge. The park policemen were stationed all along the walkway and would regularly yell through their megaphones that we were to stay next to the rock wall, a safety precaution against potential falling rocks. At least that is what Kelsey told us they were yelling, and the did motion us to stay next to the rock. At Snow Mountain, it was interesting to see snow as a tourist attraction. I think the area doesn't get much snow in the winter and/or tourists come from other non-snowy regions of China. Canisters of oxygen were sold for those who thought they might need it; the altitude was 4506 meters, which is the highest any of us had ever been. I bought a can but didn't use it. Snow Mountain is popular with newlyweds for wedding photos. We saw 2 or 3 couples doing photo shoots while we were there. They didn't look like they were dressed warmly enough, but hey, I'm not their mom.

The area surrounding Li Jiang is beautiful, with mountains and valleys. Like my impression of most of China, there are surprisingly modern areas and surprisingly primitive ways of living, often closely juxtaposed. The agriculture in particular seemed very primitive. I didn't take a photo, unfortunately, but we regularly saw farmers with their oxen pulling plows in the fields or carts on the side of the roads. Sometimes people were pulling carts. One woman was threshing her grain by throwing it on the road and having the cars drive over it. We were disgusted, however, to see several places where heaps of garbage were just dumped down a ravine next to the road. Judging by the amount of garbage dumped, these may have been "city dumps" for some of the small country villages.

Mom's quilt

This is our anniversary present for our 18th anniversary, summer 08. My mom made it. I don't remember how many pieces she said there were althogether, I think over 1000.

A Milestone

I think I found a gray hair last weekend.

My response? A huge grin on my face. Right after my announcement, Elise said, "Boy Mom, you sure seem happy about it." I guess I am happy about it. In fact, I'm downright proud of myself, though I can't think exactly why. It's not like I made that hair grow that way. Maybe I'm seeing it as a badge of honor, heralding the emergence of an older, wiser (ha ha!) me.

I Just Wanted to Tell You That.

As I was driving Ian to church youth group Wednesday night, we chatted comfortably in the car. He shared how a girl at school had actually taken notice of him the preceding week. It was either the beginning or end of a class, and he was standing by a desk talking to another boy. A girl he didn't really know made her way through the throng of kids, straight up to him, clearly eager to tell him something. While periodically shushing the other boy who was obliviously trying to continue his conversation with Ian, she started sharing. "I know some people with eyebrows, but you got it down - bushy and straight across your head." Ian said he just looked at her. He didn't know what to say. So, she concluded with, "I just wanted to tell you that," and walked away.

With his story finished, Ian couldn't hold it together any longer and just broke up, laughing so hard he was doubled over and speechless. Of course, I was laughing too, though I tried not to double up so I could keep my eyes, teary though they were, on the road. When we were capable of speech once more, we discussed this interaction a little further. Ian didn't think the girl meant anything unkind by her words. She is African-American, and we wondered if maybe unibrows weren't common among African-Americans so maybe she found his particularly intriguing? We also talked about how the genes of my bushy eyebrows and David's very light unibrow have united in a special way in him.

This is not the first time he has gotten comments on his unibrow. A year or 2 ago, school kids started noticing, and the comments started coming. He always found it mildly irritating whenever a kid would inform him of the arrangement of his eyebrows - or should I say eyebrow? - as if their new discovery would be news to him. In this case, though, Ian wasn't irritated at all.

Afterward I thought to myself, of all the ways he could have responded to this girl's bold pronouncement, his was definitely among the healthier options.

Engulfed by Fall

A favorite among Hannah's fall photos.

What can you do with a pig?

You can read with a pig.






You can play chess with a pig.










You can play outside with a pig. Even the dog likes
to play with the pigs -- after she got over her fear
of them.

Two Little Pigs

I just wanted to introduce the two latest additions to our family. Starburst (L) and Taffy (R) were adopted on Sept. 20, 2008. We think their birthday is July 20, 2008, give or take a week or two. We were told they are sisters, but I'm not so sure. Taffy is larger than Starburst, besides a lot hairier.

What do guinea pigs do? Well, mostly they sit still for very long periods of time. They also eat and poop. That's pretty much it. They will run and play in their cage sometimes, usually late at night or early in the morning. And they do make lots of wheeking noises whenever they hear the rustle of a plastic bag; they think they're going to be fed. They don't bite, and they don't generally pee when you hold them on your lap, two important don'ts.

A Giant Kiss

Since I'm here, I might as well post a photo of Elise in her Halloween costume. In true Elise style, she wanted to make a costume that required a little bit of engineering. She came up with the concept as well as the basic idea of how to construct it. David helped her carry out her ideas and added a pair of ropes under the costume to rest on her shoulders for more support. Her idea: make a circle of cardboard for the bottom, attach wires to make the shape, and then cover with aluminum foil (we used heavy duty). She also made the hat by herself. Hmm.... the costume looks a little battered here. The 3 boys behind her were a video game set up; one was the TV, one the wii, the other was a set of controllers, I think. This is not my favorite holiday, but I do love the outlet for kids' creativity!

Above All Political Powers

I just thought I would post a link to our pastor's pre-election sermon yesterday out of Daniel. He speaks to fears on both sides of the political divide and encourages us to trust in God's sovereignty and the prevailing of His Kingdom regardless of the outcome tomorrow.

Just click on the Nov. 2 sermon.

http://www.knoxannarbor.org/SermonsView.aspx

Hmmmmm.......

Well, to state the obvious, it has been almost 4 months since I last posted. Nevertheless, I just added a link to the blog of friends who are in Siberia for the time being, so I don't think I'm ready to ditch this blog despite many thoughts to the contrary.

I dont really have time today for a long update, but we are doing well, quite busy at the moment. I'm teaching the last of 4 sessions at our church's moms group Thursday a.m. Prepping for those teachings has taken a good bit of time -- studying, having conversations, thinking, writing, praying. It has been very very good, but I'll be ready for the changing of the guard next week. I'm going to reward myself by indulging in Brisingr at the end of this week. Ian can hardly wait! I can't indulge too heavily, though, because we're hosting 2 sets of houseguests next week. And the rest of life continues - pastor's class, Wednesday a.m. Bible study, teaching Sunday School to about 35 5th and 6th graders, and trying to keep the household running more or less smoothly. Finding new winter jackets for Ian, Hannah, and myself is a pressing concern right now, along with finding jeans that fit Ian. If these kids would just stop growing, my life would be a little simpler. But only a little. . . .

Taiwan II, hanging out with Warwick and family

We met Warwick at our church in Urbana, IL in the late 1980s. At the time, he was an international student working on his PhD in agriculture. Somehow, David had kept up with him enough through the years to know of his current Taiwanese residence. A little email legwork last winter (N. hemisphere) put us back in touch with each other so that Tuesday afternoon, May 13, we were able to take the bullet train from Taipei down to Tainan, traveling up to 300 km/hour, to meet up with Warwick and Vicky, who generously took a day out of their busy schedules to show us around their Taiwanese stomping grounds.

Warwick and Vicky lived in their home country of Australia and then Kenya before moving to Taiwan just 2 years ago where Warwick now works at the World Vegetable Center. I'd never heard of such an organization before so it was interesting to learn what they're about. As I understand it, the Center's main mission is to maintain the genetic pool of vegetables and create new hybrids, which are used all over the world but especially in developing nations. It is effectively an agricultural research institution.

Wednesday, we piled into their family car, along with Warwick, Vicky and Anthea (their oldest daughter couldn't skip school that day), and drove about 2 hours north to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, stopping by Sun Moon Lake on the way. The Village was a strange mix of displays on native Taiwanese culture and heart-stopping amusement park rides, all set on a large hill. At the top of the hill was the cultural section. We got to see reconstructions of huts some of the aboriginals would have lived in, and there was a museum with interesting displays on the aboriginal groups, of which there are so many I can't share specifics beyond the fact that Polynesian background figured in hugely. People in traditional dress wandered around the park. We saw a highly polished traditional dance show. As we wandered down the hill, we came across roller coasters and twirly rides and stalls selling pizza and fried chicken. All of us went on a flume ride, resulting in all of us getting soaking wet, which actually felt good on such a hot day. David and Ian braved a corkscrew-upside down roller coaster while the rest of us stood in the courtyard directly underneath the roller coaster, eating ice cream and craning our necks upward to watch its progress . (Somehow, I don't think that would be allowed in the USA.) Though the two parts of the park were very enjoyable, we never were able to wrap our minds around what conceptually tied them together. No worries; it was a lot of fun and very professionally done.

We also enjoyed getting to know Vicky and Anthea and commisserating with Warwick and Vicky about Australia. We sure shared some good laughs, as one is wont to do when hanging out with Aussies.

Deja Vu

Deja Vu #1 With the arrival of summer vacation this week, I have the sense that we're living the movie Groundhog Day. We keep having the same seasons over and over again: summer - fall - summer- fall - now summer again to be followed by yet another fall. Winter 09 is going to be a shock (a welcome one, I think) to our systems.

This 3rd summer vacation is sort of anti-climactic, really. I mean, the arrival of summer vacation is usually accompanied by a delicious feeling of indulgence as new freedoms and fun are embarked upon after months of hard work. However . . um. . . we haven't exactly been engaged in months of hard work recently. In fact, we've been engaged in some pretty fun adventures the last few months. More relaxation and fun just doesn't seem to be what we need right now. (note: David probably has a different take on this as he hit the ground running upon our return.) So, maybe it is alright that part of the cost of our sabbatical is that the kids are going to be spending some time this summer playing catch up; the girls are behind in math and all 3 kids are rusty with their musical instruments. Ian has even started private clarinet lessons in an effort to catch up with the other freshman band members for next fall.

DejaVu #2 Within a day or two of arriving home, we observed a wasp setting up a lovely little nest - right inside our mailbox. I don't know what it is about our mailboxes and creepy crawlies. We had a huntsman spider take up temporary residence in our Australian mailbox. Hmmmm..... I wonder which is more dangerous?

Deja Vu #3 Last February, David flew back to the USA for his work. On the long return flight from California to Australia, he told me how he was seated next to a morbidly obese man. This man was not just overweight or obese; he was of a size that we rarely see. It was an interesting situation for David; the guy was very nice and friendly. David chatted with him a bit. But the man just didn't fit in his airplane seat very well; his body was so large it came bulging under and over the arm rest, and there was no room for him to lower his tray table. He perched his meal trays on his belly.

As we boarded our long flight from Japan to Minneapolis, it was therefore with some interest that we spotted an incredibly obese man seated on THIS plane. We casually started checking row numbers, feeling pretty confident that he wouldn't be seated near us. What were the chances? Pretty quickly, our casual checks became wrought with a little anxiety as it became increasingly clear that yes, this man was seated in our row. . .seated right next to David, in fact. David was absolutely incredulous. What were the chances!! I managed not to laugh outloud and even volunteered to switch places with him, but he refused as he had a plan. Again, the man was very friendly and nice, but he just didn't fit in his seat. He bulged around the arm rest into David's seat and kept his arms crossed on his girth in an effort to fit in his space. Once we were allowed to walk around the cabin, David wasted no time finding a flight attendant and asking to be reseated, knowing from experience that it is basically impossible to sleep seated next to such a large person. Once asleep, their arms tend to slip off their bellies and into the laps of those on either side. The flight was pretty full, so when David was reseated, I stayed in my own seat which was 2 seats down from this over-sized gentleman. I was able to observe how he really did need 2 seats; David's move served not just his own comfort but that of this man's as well. There was maybe an inch or two between the man's body and the seat in front of him, so it was clear he could not use his own tray table for his meals. Indeed, he used David's. With David gone, he put the arm rest up and slept/sat with his shoulder and arm in David's seat; they extended about halfway across. I don't know what to think of this, but he didn't go to the restroom once during the 11+ hour flight (David thinks he wouldn't have fit in the bathroom) and had to be taken off the airplane in a wheelchair.

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there's nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Pepper's Glamour Shots

This is how Hannah kept busy on a recent rainy day. Pepper is such a good patient dog.

Taiwan, hanging out with Wan Ting (Anny)

I met Anny in January 2006 . We were paired together by ISI (International Students Inc.?). Anny had signed up for one-on-one Bible study with an American while I had signed up for one-on-one Bible study with an international student. For the following 1.5 years, we faithfully met Tuesday mornings for Bible Study and espresso drinks at various coffee shops in Ann Arbor. Slowly, our friendship expanded beyond the confines of coffee shops. She joined us for some family meals, even some holiday meals, and eventually became a regular on the Blaauwmobile's circuit to Knox church Sunday mornings. For our part, we got to go to the local Taiwanese club's Chinese New Year celebration, eat some of her awesome Asian cooking, and received nice gifts from her family in Taiwan. Anny moved to TX for work fall 07, so we were thrilled to be able to coordinate our travels to Asia with her travels to Taiwan this spring; we spent 5 interesting days in Taiwan.

Our time in Taiwan was marked by trains. That was our main mode of transportation. Fortunately, enough Taiwanese spoke enough English that David could actually obtain tickets without too much confusion.

Our hotel was in Taipei, not too far (50 minutes by train) from Anny's hometown of Tao Yuan, which was our first tourist stop. The main attraction: Anny's parents' home, which was quite spacious in a vertical fashion, with 3 floors and a kind of courtyard on the top with a small fish pond and a large collection of orchid plants. Anny's mother has a prolific hobby of raising orchids. After a large snack, we headed off (by car) to a park on the site of one of Chiang Kai Shek's summer homes. What was interesting about this park was that it held an immense collection of Chiang Kai Shek statues. With the advent of democracy in Taiwan, the statues were apparently removed from public places, like school buildings, to this park. Lunch was in a charming town called Daxi. I believe Daxi is known for its tofu, and I ate the best-tasting tofu I've ever had while there. We tasted samples from a couple street food stalls as well; the candied sweet potatoes were popular.

The next day, David spent the day at the National University of Taiwan while the kids and I went to the National Palace Museum in Taipei with Anny and Stefan. The museum was amazing. It has an incredibly large collection of Asian artifacts; we were told that Chiang Kai Shek took most of the Chinese treasures with him to Taiwan when he fled the mainland in 1949. In fact, the museum only has room to display 3% of their collection at one time; the rest is stored in caves in the mountains somewhere. The kids found the museum very interesting, though I think Ian was more interested in figuring out Chinese characters than seeing the items on display. Highlights: some extremely intricate carvings, a ship with 7? people carved on an olive pit and balls of ivory carved within balls of ivory. Our day concluded with a stop at The Modern Toilet, a funky restaurant that specializes in ice cream treats served in. . .well. . .toilet bowls. Miniature ones at least.

Our time in Taipei ended Tuesday morning with a trip to the paper museum where we got to make paper. Even more fascinating, we stopped by the paper store next door and watched some women making incredible pictures out of torn bits of tissue paper. Tuesday afternoon, we took the bullet train down south to Tainan to catch up with a friend we hadn't seen since grad school days, early 1990s. . .

More Singapore

Singapore Day 2: Walking and Sweating

Irene kindly picked us up at the hotel early in the morning and chauffeured us around for the day. We did a lot of walking outside in hot muggy weather. The zoo was the first stop. We were reminded that we were not in a western country when en route, a sizable wild monkey ran across the road in front of the car. Monkey roadkill would have been a novel sight - but was not to be this day. Highlights of the zoo were the white tigers and the orangutans. If I remember correctly, the white tigers, not albino, are a species that is extinct in the wild now. The orangutans are very popular with the Singaporeans; the zoo's mascot used to be an orangutan. There was a collection of about 5 orangutans sitting on the lower branches of a tree out of the enclosure for photo ops while we were there - for a fee, of course. They were happily munching on fruit.

A local hawker center was our next stop. A hawker center is a large open air area with lots and lots of food stalls. Irene helped us order, and we enjoyed what I still remember as the best meal I ate during all our time in Asia! My favorite was a noodle dish with dumplings.

Chinatown was next. There was some great shopping at the market there, and the kids enjoyed some bubble tea. We briefly visited a Hindu temple. At our request, Irene took us into a low income apartment building so we could see what that was like. It looked like it was mainly populated by the elderly. Some of the apartment doors were open so we could peek in and see the rooms, which were quite small. Things generally seemed neat, though quite old and a bit run down.

The last stop of the day was at a stall selling . . . durian. Durian is a fruit, prickly and hard on the outside but oh so very mushy on the inside. Since it is quintessential Singaporean fare, we couldn't leave the country without trying it. (Well, actually we could have. . .) The taste was odd, not fresh and fruity but not too bad, actually. The biggest obstacle for me was the texture. The kids weren't thrilled; I think the girls never even tasted it. It didn't help that we knew beforehand that durian is banned on subways and in hotels due to its strong smell, which resembles rotten fish.

Irene told us some interesting things about Singapore while driving us around. For a while, Singapore was an undeveloped city in the country of Malaysia. The government, however, becoming increasingly concerned about Singapore's high Chinese population, expulsed the island city in 1963. This was a problem for the Singaporeans since they didn't have the resources for viability as an independent nation. Forced to turn to the resources of other nations, they figured out how to attract foreign investors, a practice which made them one of the most modern and industrialized countries in Asia today - and still an Asian financial hub, I believe.

For better or worse, the Singaporean government seems to have a strong say in citizens personal finances. There is a mandatory savings program; I think Irene said that 20% of one's salary is automatically put into a personal fund used mainly for retirement. And there are income level parameters, high and low, on the sorts of housing one is allowed to buy.

Yes, Singapore seemed generally clean and safe, but it didn't strike me as unusually so. Or maybe I just didn't pay attention. It has all the trappings and bustle of a big busy city and an interesting mixture of old and modern architecture. I did notice some large beautiful trees lining some streets, rain trees I think, and beautiful garden areas.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

I haven't posted for weeks. . . I wonder if anyone is still reading? Once we got to China, I couldn't get to my blog - or any other blogspot blogs for that matter. I think they're blocked by the Chinese government? Then, I took a week at home to get re-acclimated.

Yes, 29 flights in 6 months, and we're right back where we started!! We arrived home Sunday, May 25, around 6 pm. Upon arrival, I was feeling pretty carpy after 3 flights in a row, 23 hours straight of travelling (only about 18 of those were in the air) - and this on the heels of 2 flights and 1 taxi ride from Lijiang, China to Hong Kong the preceding day. A habit of insomnia on planes didn't help either. However, I wasn't feeling carpy enough to entirely miss the surreality of being back in a place that seemed like it belonged in a different life.

First impressions of being back in Ann Arbor, Michigan:
1. It is SO green and lush here! Vegetation is just sprouting everywhere out of control (especially the dandelions in our yard) - and the trees are tall. We basically live in a forest.
2. Awaking to the sound of songbirds Monday morning was so much more pleasant than waking to the squawking of cockatoos and crowing of wattle birds.
3. After picking up Peppa (Pepper's new more Aussie name) on Monday, I was struck by how she wags her tail nonstop. She must have some strong tail muscles. I'd forgotten about this.
4. We'd also forgotten about the bad Michigan roads. Lots of potholes and cracks.

I am feeling more human this week. Last week, I was tired and woozy off and on and at odd times. I think I'm done with crashing in the afternoons now.

We got back just in time for some members of our family to do more travelling. David has been to California and back already. Hannah went on her 3 day 6th grade trip to N. Michigan last week. They went out on Lake Michigan and collected and analyzed water samples, among other activities. Saturday, David is heading back to California for 7 days, and Monday, Ian is going on his 8th grade trip to Washington DC for 4 days. So, next week will be girls' week in our home! :-) (I think there may be a lot of chocolate.)

Personally, I'm planning on staying home as much as possible the next few months. Yes, this is home in a way Adelaide never was and never could be with such a short tenure. But there are bits of Adelaide that are stuck to me, fond memories that I relish. Toward preserving and sharing those memories, I will continue blogging here until everything I want to share is up. So, stay tuned, if you wish. . .

Faces of Adelaide

Here are some of the good people of Adelaide whom we will miss. Most of them we met through church, others through schools. Of all the things we'll miss about Australia, I think these new friends rank right on top. To generalize, we found Australians easy going, friendly, down-to-earth, nonpretentious, and possessing great senses of humor. Their ability to laugh at themselves and their relative (to some bits of Ann Arbor culture, that is) noncompetitive natures were truly refreshing traits!

We hosted a BBQ Sunday, May 4 to say good bye to our new Aussie friends. Yes, this get-together was just 48 hours before the shipping co. showed up on our doorstep ready to pick up our boxed belongings, but what can we say other than we're going native. No worries, mate. We did get everything done, though it was a very busy few days.

Logistics

Though I still have much on Australia to put down here, we actually left Australia 2 days ago and are currently in Singapore. As we travel, blogs will be spotty as internet will be spotty, and I'm afraid I may intersperse Australian entries with other topics.

Singapore is. . . tropical! Green, hot, and humid! We went to a very interesting Asian Civilisations Museum yesterday. There are so many different people groups around here that I couldn't keep track. Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and India all seem to have a presence in the cultural melee. Not to mention the past British influence. While David gave a talk at the National University of Singapore yesterday afternoon, the kids and I hung out in the hotel room, braved the bustling streets here to forage for food, and played in the swimming pool. David returned from the University with a friend we knew from church in Ann Arbor. She was a grad student back then and is now a professor at NUS. Irene drove us around Singapore and took us out for real Singaporean food for dinner. It was quite good! Then, we all went on the night safari. Today, we're meeting her again and going back to the zoo in the daylight. We might also stop by Chinatown.

"Strine" Vocabulary Quiz Answers

1. arvo - afternoon

2. busking - street performing

3. fringe - bangs (in hairstyle)

4. lift - elevator

5. texta - felt marker

6. trolley - cart of any sort, including shopping cart

7. recess - snack; I got a note for a field trip Elise was going on saying she needed to bring a water bottle, a hat, and a recess. Fortunately, I knew what a recess was at that point.

8.tick - check mark

9. shout - pay for someone else when eating, having coffee, etc. with a friend; typicallly expressed as, "I'll shout for ya," or "It's my shout."

10. Salvos - The Salvation Army (Australians laughingly acknowledge that "The Salvation Army" is just too long to say.)

11. pacer - mechanical pencil

12. flat white - we think it is an espresso with milk, not much different from a latte.

13. long black - watered down espresso

14. bathers - swimsuits

15. thongs - flipflops footwear. Actually, I used the word thongs as a child but it is new to my kids.

16. mate - friend, buddy.

17. togs - another word for swimwear

18. concession - when paying an entrance fee, this is a non-full price adult, typically a senior or a student.

19. gap - insurance co-payment

20. docket - receipt

21. fairy floss - cotton candy

22. jumper - pullover sweater

23. chook - chicken. Not sure if this applies to a chicken in the grocery store to be eaten, but it is at least a live chicken running around one's backyard, which is not an unheard of thing here.

24. minis - toddlers and preschoolers. (This is a personal favorite.)

25. barbie - the barbecue on which meat is barbecued

So, you think you speak English. . .

Well, you need to specify which English it is that you speak. Just because we all speak English doesn't mean that we all speak the same language!! It was somewhat disconcerting upon arrival in this English speaking country to realize that we couldn't always understand what people were saying to us. Language has been one of our most pervasive cross-cultural experiences here.

Let's start with the letter "r." At first notice, Australians seem to be almost disdainful of this letter as they cast off its pronunciation with shocking abandon. Melbourne is pronounced "Melbun" and Cairns "Cans." In English class, Ian was taught this list of words as a list of homophones, pronounced identically but spelled differently: poor, pour, pore, paw. They are all pronounced without a final "r." However, after further consideration, I have concluded that Australians must not have anything too great against poor "r" because there are other instances where they actually add it to their pronunciation. My informal observation is that this occurs at the end of a word when the last syllable is unstressed and ends in a schwa-ish vowel. Thus, Hannah is often "Hanner," to her great distress, and idea is "ideer."

Besides being a little unclear on what to do with the letter "r," Australians are also not sure what to do with some of their longer words. They have a habit of shortening words and sticking an -o on the end. Thus garbage is "garbo." A musician is a "muso." You take a pesky skin rash to the "dermo." Etcetero, etcetero. The goal cannot be verbal efficiency. Anyone who takes the time to pronounce "al-u-min-i-um" instead of aluminum or "show-en" for shown is not seriously looking for time saving measures.

"Tea" deserves a paragraph of its own. True to its British traditions - and I must add that Adelaide prides itself on being the most British of the Australian cities, being founded by British freemen rather than criminals - "tea" is a serious matter here. First, there is tea, the hot drink, prevalent in most homes here. Then, there is tea, the event, where tea the hot drink is drunk accompanied by nice biscuits, sometimes by scones and clotted cream. Yum! This tea is often social in nature and usually falls into 2 categories: morning tea or afternoon tea. Then, there is tea, the evening meal, synonymous for supper or dinner in American English. We were taught early on that an invitation to tea was an invitation to supper (in American) while an invitation to supper was an invitation to evening tea and biscuits. I never before knew a small 3 letter word could be so complex!

Then, there are those words that are just plain different from our American vocabulary. Here's a short list for you to figure out for fun. Yes, they are all G rated. We'll post the definitions in a week, I hope. .
1. arvo
2. busking
3. fringe
4. lift
5. texta
6. trolley
7. recess
8.tick
9. shout
10. Salvos
11. pacer
12. flat white
13. long black
14. bathers
15. thongs
16. mate
17. togs
18. concession
19. gap
20. docket
21. fairy floss
22. jumper
23. chook
24. minis
25. barbie