We celebrated last Christmas with a breakfast picnic at Cottesloe Beach, a stone's throw from the Indian Ocean. Oh the novelty of it all -- blazing sunshine and 95 degrees at 7:00am, surrounded by hundreds of Aussies and their families, a sea of beach umbrellas, lots of happy, noisy children and the occasional surfer or sea gull. We enjoyed it so much that we forgot about the time and had to rush to get to church services on time. With no time to go home and change, we dusted the sand from our feet into the car, rushed into church and sat in the back, hoping no one would notice our extra-casual attire (shorts, flip flops, t-shirt).
Our first Australian Christmas was fun and memorable, but we couldn't bring ourselves to spend a second Christmas away from family. So off we flew to America and a mere 29 hours later, set foot on Texan soil. With temperatures in the 90s in Perth, I had to force myself to pack winter clothing but within hours I was glad I did.
Part of the Deal
One reality of expat life is that vacations are usually longer than normal (3 weeks this time) and never long enough. I used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the doctor, dentist and business appointments we had to fit in before Christmas. Not to mention Christmas shopping, time with the kids and catching up with friends. In 2 weeks we fit in trips to Katy, San Antonioand Austin. I apologize that we could not see everyone during this visit, but if we missed you this visit, we'll try again next trip.
Another reality is what I call the "repatriation curve." That's the situation where you're overwhelmed by your new culture and all its differences. We experienced this last year while learning to drive on the left side of the road, deal with stores that close at 5:00pm, and cope with the 14-hour time difference between Houston and Perth. This year the curve is reversed. I'm now used to the fact that Aussies don't treat Christmas as a big deal. There's minimal decoration in malls and stores, no significant difference in shopping patterns, and I didn't hear a single Christmas carol outside of our home. Not so jolly, mate! I missed the hustle-bustle of the season, the cooking and the visiting, and of course the food. At least I thought I did. But within moments of landing we were overhwhelmed by American culture. Frosty the Snowman blaring on the speakers, tinsel and decorations everywhere, and crowds of people -- and that was just on the bus to the rental car pickup.
Mountains of shopping to do, it's freezing cold, and our home is currently occupied by another family. We sold our cars last year. Our status is that of a visitor. We're staying at the home of friends we met in Perth who are now expat in Houston. We have local cell phones and international ones. It's surreal to say the least. Where is home? Perth or Houston?
Vive la Difference
For various reasons (mostly Perth's high prices) we decided to wait and do all our Christmas shopping in Texas. Our shopping nightmares began immediately as we searched in vain for parking places within a 1/2 mile radius of a mall. Then there were the crowds of roving teens and pre-teens who weren't actually buying anything, but stood in groups of 7 or 8, blocking all paths to the stores. Once you break through and get inside the shop, the real torture begins. Noisy, tons of merchandise (everything except what you're looking for) and not a sales clerk in sight. In James Avery I was given a numbered ticket, a catalog, and told that the waiting time for service would be 30 to 45 minutes. And they didn't even crack a smile when I asked for a pager so I could shop elsewhere during the wait. And Christmas carols? They were everywhere, day and night, nonstop. Every radio station seemed to play them to the exclusion of anything else. No oldies, no classic rock, no country western, just "Holly Jolly Christmas." I found myself longing for the mellow, "no worries" attitude of Christmas and the decor-free, crowd-free shopping centers of Perth.
We survived the shopping terrors with determination and effective strategies. The secret: shop early in the morning while teenagers are sleeping, and kids and parents are at soccer games, etc. By day 3 we no longer had to suddenly swerve to the right because we had started driving on the wrong side of the street. But folks still laughed whenever I called my phone a mobile (pronounced moh-buy-all). We had forgotten about American portion sizes. I had to remember to order "small" everything or else I'd be eating it for the next few meals also.
The Good News
The cool stuff about Houston -- everything is so inexpensive! $15 mascara costs $6 here. $100 jeans cost $50, and for the price of dinner for two in Perth we could take the entire family to a nice restaurant. My favorite scrapook store is, alas, going out of business, but I scooped up some great bargains. And books.... at prices that don't make you weep, except for joy.
Tomorrow we're off to Hawaii for a little R&R after our 'vacation' in Houston. We'll exchange out winter coats for light jackets and maybe start work on a tan. I'm looking forward to seeing the Pacific Ocean, hearing soft guitar music and feeling sand between my toes. Like the rest of our current existence, we'll be spending New Years eve somewhere between Houston and Perth.
