Becoming Australian

I am so proud of my African Family, last night they received their Australian Citizenship Certificates in a ceremony with about 100 other recipients. To be eligible to become an Australian Citizen these days, you must have been in the country for more than 4 years, this recently changed from two.  Luckily Taban and Jane arrived before the rules changed and only had to wait the 2 year period.  Then you must pay a quite considerable sum really, about $260 per applicant, and then sit a test, of which you cannot get more that 5 answers wrong.  To be honest I'm not sure that many Australian born residents would go through the process and the test has been changed since it began, because the questions were so out there not even us true blue Aussies knew most of the answers.  I think the funniest was about a former cricket hero and how many wickets he took, seriously does knowing that really make me an Aussie?  

I was most surprised by the very strong desire this family had to become Australians.  Can you become an Australian, I mean isn't becoming a nationality kind of difficult.  We think that you have to be born with it in you.  I'm not so sure now.  This family came to my country, running from a war that was shattering theirs.  They had lived in a refugee camp for 18 years, yep 18 years.  Jane and Taban met and married in the camp and all of their beautiful children were born there.  Well except for Little Kimmy who was born here in Australia 3 years ago.  The children had lived hungry, frightened, and with a strong desire to be free and safe.  Jane told me the story of a night when rebels came to the camp to steal food.  Taban and her grabbed Stephen (on the left) and Nancy, the next little one and ran.  They had to leave Kenyi (eldest son) and Mindraa (eldest daughter) in the hut.  The children had been warned if rebels came in the night, they must not look at them.  To pretend to be asleep, this could save their lives.  So they did, they buried their heads in their blankets and feigned sleep.  The men came in, took what they wanted and left.  The children survived to share the story.  Can you imagine living like this, running with small children and having to leave children behind?!  I can't.  I cannot imagine the terror of returning to my hut, not knowing what I would find.  Would I still have my children, what horror might they have experienced.  The tales of rapes, and murder are real.  I have met women who have experienced this many, many times.  It breaks my heart.

So thinking about their strength, their love for each other, their commitment to having a better life, their desire to raise children who can be free, their truly enormous desire to be a part of our community in every way, well I am beginning to believe you can become an Aussie.  You can be the kind of person we want to have in our country.  There is an ongoing debate here, at the moment it is very heated, about boat people, people who queue jump to take up residence in Australia.  They pay large sums of money to people smugglers to hop a boat to Australia.  They do not come from Africa of course, but from the Asian nations above us.  Many people here are angry about the number of these people scrambling to make a new life here.  They say they are illegal immigrants.  Well as part of the UN we have sworn to take people from all walks of life who are running from war, poverty and threat to their lives in their own country.  They may be jumping the queue but they aren't illegal.  And I ask the question, to what lengths would you go to protect and save your children's lives?  Would you sell everything and pay for a few seats on a derelict water logged boat, in the hope of having a better life?  Would you pray and hope that the people who live in Australia, that huge land you have heard about would be kind and willing to take you in and give you a chance to become one of them?  I would, I would do anything to protect my children and grand children.  I would do anything, to become an Aussie.  So Taban, Jane, Mindraa, Kenyi, Stephen, Nancy, Gloria and Kim, we welcome you, we love you, we rejoice with you and we say Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!!!!

In My Kitchen and Citizenship

Day 2 - In My Kitchen

A cup of tea first up is a ritual for me, it is usually a home brewed Chai Tea with honey and made on water with a slurp of milk added.  Not the traditional way I know, normally it's brewed on milk, but I just find that a bit heavy especially first thing.  So water and honey is the way I go.  I have once again used a Kim Klassen texture here, my tea cup is not dirty ha ha!!  And that in itself has taught me a little bit about applying textures.  Be careful where you use them.  I quite like the look of this but if you didn't know you could think I was just a really bad housekeeper.  

Really exciting news yesterday my African friends Taban and Jane sat for their Australian Citizenship exams.  They were very nervous, especially Jane who has completed her 500 hours of English tutoring at the Tafe college, but still has trouble reading.  I have seen such an incredible improvement in her speaking ability over the last 12 months, but reading is still so difficult.  So for her to sit at a computer and read the questions and press the correct button to mark her answer was so daunting for her.  But she jumped in any way and we are so excited that they both passed.  They came from the office and were jumping up and down shouting we passed our citizens, we passed our citizens.  So cute.  I had Kimmy with me and she was applying lip gloss and checking herself out in my mirror compact, while we waited for the test to be done.  We ended up jumping round too, and this is all in the middle of the largest shopping centre in Toowoomba so we looked quite silly.

I know this is Kimmy's birthday cake, but I want a happy celebrate picture, so here is Jane lighting the candles, we could say it is their Australian birthday couldn't we.  Now Jane can safely travel back to Africa to see her ageing mother and her sisters.  I am ecstatic.

So what exciting thing is happening for you today?

Connected Yeah!!!!!!

Ok I admit it, I am officially an internet junkie.  I have been without my connection due to the move since last Thursday and honestly by Saturday I had to do a commando raid on MacDonalds restaurant, just to use the free WiFi connection. I didn't realise just how much of my life is handled on the net.  Banking, connecting with friends with emails, blogs etc.  Paying bills, checking on times, money rates, etc etc etc.  So I admit it nerd I am.  Anyway the net was connected this morning about an hour ago and I am so excited.  Well now I can get back in the swing of things right,  So first up just a few quick pics I got on Sunday when our African friends came for lunch.

Firstly this is little Gloria, she is nearly 5 I think and finally she has gotten into the swing of things when having her photo taken.  She used to pout, sulk and generally just look really ticked off every time I took her picture.  She started Prep this year and she is soooooo much better now and clever boy oh boy she is talking like a beauty, chatter, chatter.  I love it, her English is great.  Then this absolute stunner is Caven, she is about 16, 17 in Year 11 at school so this year and next to go until she is finished.  She is actually Gloria's father's sister.  Isn't she just gorgeous, oh for skin like that, boy oh boy.

Some of the 11 children who came to swim.  Yes I said 11 I was dashing round like a chook with it's head cut off.  This is the calm before the storm, just testing the water.  It was pretty cold but did that stop them, no way.  All of them stripped down to their swimmers and jumped in.  Now I had asked if they could swim, and I knew for sure at least 5 couldn't.  The rest assured me they could.  Note to self, never believe children when they tell you they can swim, they probably can't.  So we had floating lessons, just in case they got in over their heads, yeah well, second not to self.  Young children, at least these young ones, float like stones.  It was chaos, and so much fun.  Adrian took the adults for a wander round the property and of course they loved it.  They started talking about what crops they could plant and Taban, our original friend, reckons he can build a house on our hill.  He would too.  We had a wonderful BBQ and we were reminded again of the strength of the human spirit.  The love we can have for each other, no matter colour, race, language or culture differences.  It was a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Now this little treasure is Danielle's dog Missy.  She is our female, Boston our male, Maltese Terrier.  Danielle had bathed her and was playing with her bunny, when all of a sudden, the stuffing came out.

OOOOps  I am so busted, I didn't do it really I didn't, it just fell out I swear it did.

Must fly now, hope you all had a wonderful Easter and I have more lovely photos of our surrounds to share with you soon.

Christmas soon upon us

My goodness I am such a tourist......haha i look at these photos and seriously I just wanna laugh and cringe too.  When Adrian & I went to England for Christmas last year, we met up with the girls who by this time had been gone for over 6 months.  We of course did a lot of London, well we thought we had done a lot until we went back in May this year and spent a week there and realised we had and still have only scratched the surface.  What a city it is.  So we of course did the red telephone box pictures, everyone does. 

This is my all time favourite, an absolute mistake that Ade took and I love it.  I think we look like we are trapped in there, sort of ghost like and trying to escape.  You can see Ade's hands holding the camera as well.  So cool.

We did the rounds of the old churches as well.  This is the Old Wool Church in the Cottswolds somewhere.  Sorry I just can't remember at the moment.  And it was cold, I mean freezing and it hadn't even snowed yet.  I think we might have been lucky it didn't actually even though we were soooooo hoping it would.  We missed the first fall by 12 hours oh well, maybe in France in May next year, fingers crossed.

We left on the 23rd December last year and arrived in the UK on the 24th, it was a long trip, boy was it long.  We really are down under you know. 

The Cottswolds I adored too, it is like a cluster of little story book villages, typically English and oh so cute, and old really old.  

This year it snowing already in London and everything is in chaos, I think we were lucky in a way, at least we got to stroll, briskly I might add around, Cambridge, which is snowed in at the moment and Oxford, Bath etc.,   While I long for a white Christmas, I have a feeling the idea is maybe better than the reality.

I am still trying to get into the Christmas spirit and with only 3 days to go I better get a wriggle on.  I actually have been in a bit of a funk for several months now, probably since Lucas passed away and last week I went to the doctors.  He tells me my Seratonin levels are depleted and has given me some medication to make it right.  I am not one for taking anything much, but I know I am not myself and I really don't want to stay like this much longer.  Hopefully things will be looking up shortly.  I went to visit Taban, Jane and the children today to organise a time on Thursday night to take in the Christmas lights display and to my great disappointment, they were on their way to Brisbane and won't be back until around the 30th December.  A relative has had some bad news from Sudan and the families are gathering to comfort each other.  So Christmas day will not be the same without visiting them this year.  The children were given their gifts from us today and of course couldn't wait until Friday to open them.  The 4 eldest got ipods and the younger 2 handheld games that are somewhat educational, and baby Kim a stroller and bay doll.  Such fun.  Kids just love Christmas.

Noble Pig posted this amazing looking recipe the other day, I am going to try and find a large wheel of Brie, I have yet to see one here, but I am looking if no luck I will just use two smaller ones, pop over and take a look, seriously doesn't it look delicious. 

So it is nearly Christmas day and I really want to wish youall the most wonderful, happy and blessed Christmas possible.  I have so enjoyed meeting you all and look forward to many more encounters in the future.