Just arrived in Sydney, Australia after traveling with a toddler from Winnipeg for the past 23 hours...I can't say that it was totally a pleasant experience. My son can be amusing and is pretty obedient but he has his limits, and he was testing them during our travels. Despite it all, I enjoyed seeing people smile at him, watch his antics and enjoy his performance. He is a good kid even with his tantrums.
We arrived in the Sydney airport Wednesday Oct 6, 2010 around 9:35 am and spent an hour and half waiting for our luggage and going through customs. This is where I think I had my toughest time, lugging so much luggage on a cart and just using my voice to keep my son in line. Doing the count to five and threatening timeouts worked great. But I had to raise my voice so he could hear me which lead to a lot of snickers and people looking at me like I was crazy. I can understand why, my hair became frizzy with all the humidity, I had dark circles under my eyes and knowing that my husband and my ride was in the next room made me shake with anticipation. Finally after the border guard grilled me for 15 minutes about why I was bringing a wooden train set into his country, I was finally released. Just like a cork popping out of a champagne bottle my release was dropping Josh's guitar on the ramp scaring everyone around me because it sounded like a gun going off. Thankfully Josh was there and helped me with the fiasco, otherwise all of my luggage would have rolled down the ramp out of control.
I finally met Michael Dagostino, the coordinator of the Parramatta Artist Studios, in the flesh after so many months of cyber talking. My hat is off to him, we had a hell of a time getting me a visitor's visa, there was a lot of hoop jumping just to get me one and he managed to get it three days before I left! Thank goodness he knew someone in the government otherwise I would have postponed my trip. I am happy to hear that he has three boys and one is Mac's age. I hope they can play together since we are not sure if Mac will get many chances to play with other kids.
Sydney is just as I remembered from our last trip almost three years ago. Humid but lovely.
Will write again when jet lag is less of a factor.
KC Adams
Labels: Cyborg Hybrid adventure in down under