Whirlwind Trip

I can’t believe we are back in Kansas again, already. It was a fast trip even though the delays and snafus made some days seem longer.

We finally got to Adelaide and I loved it. It is pretty city with lots of parks and trees. There are lovely hills all around it and the beach is not too far from the city center. There was so many “touristy” things I wanted to see and do. I am hoping that we will be coming back to Adelaide in the future and I can still do all that.

Fergus had several interviews at the various hospitals interested in hiring him. We were taken on a three hour drive around the city with a tour guide who pointed out places of interest and possible neighborhoods and areas we might like to live.

There was one area that reminded us of the Orinda/Lafayette/Oakland Hills area of California. Hills with houses and eucalyptus trees everywhere. There are views of the ocean and valleys that are so peaceful looking.

My friends, Jenny and Sue in Melbourne, got me connected with Sally and Rob who live in Adelaide. They are another Airedale family – two ‘dales and three daughters. We had dinner with them and had a great time. Rob is a GP so he and Fergus were able to discuss important issues around the medical system and particulars in South Australia (that’s the state that Adelaide is the capital of). Their girls are delightful and their ‘dales are so cute and visa-versa. It was nice to be able to just sit and relax in a house after the hassles of travel and hotel rooms.

We had one day  to ourselves and we drove to the beach and walked along the sand, had brunch at a seaside cafe and then drove to two local wineries. The weather was good, not too cold for mid-winter and just a bit of rain the days we were there. Fergus is concerned that it will be too hot in the summer but I liked the idea of no snow in the winter.

I have my fingers crossed that he will accept the job and we can start the process of immigration which will be another hurdle for us to jump. One of the things we need to do is prove we speak English. To do that we have to take a test both written and oral. I finally found out where and how we do that. We have to go to a test center in the US – for us the closest is in Texas. It’s a long test four parts, each with a speaking component where you have to meet with an evaluator. I’ll tell you more once I know the details.

So we are back. I didn’t take one picture while we were gone.