On The Verge

This time of year in Perth means spring cleaning.  Perthites are breaking out of their long, dark winter dormancy and busily preparing their homes and gardens for the summer ahead.  Generally this involves fertilizing the lawns, pruning the gardens, cleaning and treating swimming pools and proactively spraying for insects.

The municipalities are also getting in on the act.  Every year, around this time, the city of Perth and surrounding municipalities (including our "city" of Sterling) arrange for what's called "Verge Collection".  Essentially, the city will pick up your unwanted trash for free once a year.  The municipal governments send out a flyer (which will eventually make it's way back to them by way of rubbish collection) which states the date range of the garbage collection.  People will plan accordingly and place any unwanted junk on their curb (or verge) shortly before the collection is scheduled to begin.  Usually there is a 1-2 week window for the collection to occur.  So, in some cases there could be piles of trash lining an entire community for two weeks.

Here is a pile of unwanted stuff in front of our neighbors home.  This is a common site during the verge collection and can have an enormous negative effect on the aesthetics of a community.

Perthians will save up their trash for an entire year for the verge collection.  When we moved into our current home in November 2012 we had just missed the verge collection.  So, by the time this year rolled around we had a great deal of junk to dispose of: most of it directly related to moving house.  It was a great relief to finally "bring out our dead" (a common expression here based on a scene from Monty Pythons Holy Grail).

In general it is a great service that's provided.  In previous years, whenever we've had a build-up of junk that we need to dispose of it usually meant that we had to take a trip to the city dump.  This included loading up our vehicle (often several times), driving to and through the dump (which is not a pleasant smelling experience) and hope that our car/van didn't get stuck at the foot of the mountain of garbage.

In addition to collecting trash once a year, Perth also takes the responsibility for weekly trash collection including recyclables.  In Canada, we had a bin for garbage and a bin for recyclables: cans, bottles, paper, plastic, etc.  However, here there is one bin that we fill and wheel out once a week.  The bin may contain trash, bottles, paper or anything else that isn't toxic or considered dangerous.  Apparently, at the waste management facilities, the recyclable material is separated and properly dealt with.  There is no reason for people to hold onto bottles or cans as there is no deposit.  The positive of this is that we don't have mountains of cans and bottles stacking up in our garage.  The negative part of this is that since there is no financial incentive to hold on or collect these, you often see them discarded in parks and on the streets.  The irony is, while trying to make it easier for people to dispose of waste and keep the city clean, instead it has created more public littering especially around bars, pubs and liquor stores.

Leavers!

Every society has it's own traditions and rights of passage. Some cultures mutilate their bodies with tattoos, peircings or even scars. Some undertake elaborate rituals that include dancing, meditation, chemical induced intoxication, spiritual journeys and hallucinations. The Australian right of passage can often include all of these, although, the ceremonies are generally less formal and usually include a night out of binge drinking and stumbling into a tattoo parlour. But the more common approach for young Australians entering adulthood is to go on "Leavers". This is the tradition where, upon graduation, the soon-to-be unleashed upon the world young adult has one final fling of freedom as they travels with their mates to another region or even continent. And so it is with our young men, Zaren and Cyrus, that their turn has arrived to experience "Leavers".

The expression of Leavers really is just another example of unimaginative Australian slang. It's kids going on leave upon completion of their secondary education, also known as vacation or holiday. Every year around this time, thousands of recently ex-secondary students travel near and far with their friends for one final adolescent fling of freedom before the inevitable thud of adult life arrives complete with all of it's pain-in-the-ass responsibilities.

Many Australians "Schoolies" travel to Bali, Indonesia. It's a relatively cheap flight and the cost of vacationing there is also modest. Unfortunately, what this means is that there are thousands of perpetually drunk 17 and 18 year olds in a foreign country where the regard for human life isn't necessarily at the high level that they're used to. Every year there are stories of the Bali Schoolies on Leavers (sigh) getting arrested, assaulted, injured or even killed. There are also many stories of "Toolies" (young people that are already in the blue-collar work force that graduated in previous years) crashing the parties and causing trouble. Fortunately, neither Zaren nor Cyrus are going to Bali for Leavers. Instead, they chose to go to a much closer and safer location in the south of Western Australia.

Zaren is travelling with 10 friends to the Margaret River region, which is well known for it's holidaying and wineries. They arranged to rent a cabin for a week for all of them to share. They left on the 3 hour drive yesterday.

Cyrus and Tanya (his girlfriend) have chosen to rent a camper van and travel from Perth to Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, Denmark and Albany. Or in other words, basically the exact same trip that we want to do at some point. Cyrus departed this morning for a week. They may meet up with some friends during their journey.

So, for the next week we are getting a preview of life without our sons. Of course, we worry like any parents would but we know they are responsible young men and they both have a good head on their shoulders. The good news is that our grocery bill, water consumption and internet use will be drastically diminished over the next week.

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 Both Nadia and I are both employed and we are comfortable financially. We have a very comfortable living arrangement. We are still able to participate and enjoy new experiences that wouldn't be available to us in Canada. We are generally enjoying the life that Perth has to offer and we've really tried to make the most of it. That said, we are fairly certain that Perth is not our chosen destination for the next few years.

My company is being acquired by a very large international corporation that I just happened to work for once before. One of the cornerstones of that company's philosophy is a mobile workforce. The new company has offices all over the world including the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, South America, Australia and Canada. So, when the acquisition is complete I am going to try to get a transfer to the east coast of Australia, preferably Brisbane or Sydney. Brisbane is the most likely destination as it has a lot of work that would suit me. From the east coast it is much easier to travel to the Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand, Fiji and of course, most of the other major cities in Australia. So, if we're fortunate, perhaps in a few months we'll all be going on our own version of Leavers minus the binge drinking and stupid tattoos.

Catch A Wave

Western Australia is home to a great many surfing aficionados.  There is, what seems like, an endless coastline for surfing opportunities.  However, the biggest wave in WA isn't on the coast but rather 400 km east of Perth.  There is a peculiar rock formation about a 4 hour drive from Perth that is known as Wave Rock.  This formation is part of a huge granite outcrop in the heart of the WA wheat-belt near the town of Hyden.

Travelling south-east from Perth you quickly leave the city, enter thick forest for about 50 km, and then suddenly hit the vast plains of the wheat belt, also known as the Golden Outback or Australia's Breadbasket.  There is a stretch of hundreds of square kilometers of golden wheat fields surrounded by dry Outback and littered with pockets of salty plains, forests and rocky outcrops.  The most interesting aspect of this area is how vastly and quickly the landscape changes from forest to desert to wheat fields to rocks.  The forest is so thick and green that it almost feels like you're driving through a rain-forest.  The desert could be mistaken for the African savanna.  The wheat fields make you feel like you're driving through the North American prairies (including southern Alberta).  And they all happen one right after the other, almost without warning.

 In some parts of the drive to Wave Rock the area was so reminiscent of the African Plains that it felt like a herd of Wildebeest should be milling about.

The fields of golden wheat were a stark contrast to the red rock and green Gum Trees.  At times it would have been easy to confuse this area with Southern Alberta.

 Here is Wave Rock itself along with Nadia and Keva playing on it.  This is a small part of a much larger rock formation in the area that is similar (although much smaller) than Uluru (Ayers Rock).

 Another interesting rock formation in the area is called the "Hippo's Yawn".

 Also, there was a small cave close to Wave Rock which contained some Aboriginal rock paintings.  The legend says that a local Aboriginal made this cave his home after showing a great deal of anti-social behavior and being ostracized from the tribe.  The story goes that he was so desperate for food that killed several people including some children.  Eventually, the tribe caught him and he was punished with death and left out in the desert for the ants to devour.  I think they should have tied him to a tree and let the flies harass him.  Now THAT would have been torture.

The drive out to Wave Rock is quite scenic and the rock itself (and adjacent rocks/caves) are pretty cool.  However, the drive itself is quite a long way from Perth.  Unfortunately, at this time of year the flies are at their worst.  As a result, it is almost unbearable being outdoors in certain situations.  This was one of those situations.  After driving for 4 hours to get to the rock we couldn't do a 1.6 km hike because the flies were so bad.  If you stopped fanning yourself with branches or whatever else you could find, you'd immediately be swarmed by a dozen or so flies attacking primarily the face.  We explored Wave Rock and it's surrounds as quickly as we could.  After driving for 4 hours we only ended up staying in the area for about 2 hours before driving back for another 4 hours. 

However, as they say "sometimes the journey is more important than the destination".  In this case, when we were just outside of Perth we used the GPS to locate somewhere to have dinner.  The first restaurant it took us to was closed.  The second restaurant was a beautiful place overlooking a forested valley in the Perth hills.  We managed to sneak into a table without a reservation and had a wonderful dinner, scenic view and beautiful sunset.  

Overall, despite the flies this experience was an interesting one.  However, if we travel away from the coast again it will probably be in the winter when we don't have to worry about the flies.

It's Been Two Years (So Are We There Yet?)

Tuesday 5 November marks the 2nd anniversary of our arrival in Australia. It was two years ago that we left our home, jobs, family and friends in Calgary, Canada and leapt into the great unknown of Perth, Australia. Austensibly, the reason for moving to Perth was for work. I got a really good job offer that was in my field but different enough to make it new and interesting. They also promised to pay me much more money than I am actually worth. The deeper truth was that we really enjoy travelling and experiencing different cultures and we always wanted to come to Australia. It was an opportunity to see a new part of the world (on someone else's nickle) in a relatively safe location, where English is the primary language, the weather is amazing and with many of the same British colonial attitudes and norms that helped shaped the Canadian cultural landscape. In other words, it was an adventure but a relatively safe one. Also, it allowed all of us to get knocked out of our comfort zone and experience life from a different perspective. The bit of irony that comes attached to this is that we have now, more or less, settled into a new comfort zone.

Two years later I can say with some confidence that Australia has delivered on a lot of what we were hoping it would. However, it hasn't been without it's share of struggles.

One of the reasons (or perhaps justifications) for moving to this part of the world was to see this part of the world. It's much more convenient and economical to visit parts of Australia, south east Asia and other areas of the eastern southern hemisphere when you're home base is relatively nearby. Over the last two years we've managed to visit parts of Australia including the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Margaret River. Our long term plans also include visiting Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, the Kimblerly and Ningaloo Reef. Also, we've used Perth as a launching pad to travel to Bali (Indonesia), Japan, Singapore and a business trip to Shanghai. Cyrus has also visited New Zealand. Our future plans include trips to Thailand, Vietnam/Cambodia, Malaysia and New Zealand. Living in Calgary, these trips would have taken us decades. However, living in Perth we may manage to squeeze most of them in within 4 years. Perth itself is a very nice city. It is relatively modern and, as such, it doesn't have most of the problems that many of the worlds more established cities experience. It is clean, surrounded by ocean and rivers, warm and dry and generally safe. In human terms, Perth is like an adolescent: it's no longer fresh and new but it also hasn't matured yet, but it has a great deal of potential. The city is experiencing a lot of growing pains in terms of infrastructure, culture, crime and economy but it has a solid foundation to grown upon.

Our initial reason for coming to Perth, employment, has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Yes, both Nadia and I are employed. However, since we've lived here our pay has consistently gone down for a number of reasons. First of all, the tax benefit we received for being non-residents was legislated out of existence by the previous federal government in July 2012. It doesn't appear that the new government is planning on reinstating it any time soon. Secondly, the original project I was working on, which came complete with 2 seperate bonuses, has evaporated. The original intention was for me to work on that project for 4 years but less than half way through, the client scaled back their operations due to cost uncertainty and a volatile market. Since I moved back to my parent company I've had very little to do at work and my days are generally filled with boredom and frustration. Nadia's job is fine, although, it certainly isn't challenging her in any meaningful way. The kids are struggling to find work, although, Keva is already on her 3rd job.

Zaren and Cyrus recently graduated high school here and Keva is finishing grade 10. At the moment neither of the boys have any long term plans other than trying to find some work and come up with a long term plan. In general, they're all doing well and going through the normal teenager stuff that we all have to live through.

I've been asked several times if we have any regrets. That's a hard question to answer at this stage. We were cruising along just fine in Calgary but who knows if that would still be the case had we stayed. I certainly feel that this experience has broadened my horizons and enriched my views but the same could be said for many experiences, including war, jail and torture (Note: I am not comparing living in Perth to war, jail or torture). I guess I don't really believe in regrets but rather I do believe in growing and learning. We have certainly done both as a result of the move to Perth but to what end, we're not yet sure.

The other question we're often asked is if we are going to stay here. That's another tough question to answer. On the one hand, we miss being "home" in the culture we know, with the families that raised us and near the friends that support us. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine going back to Canada any time soon. There's a risk of romanticizing our previous lives in Canada. Our lives weren't perfect there. We experienced many of the same frustrations that we do in Perth, but they were, more or less, familiar frustrations. Certainly, we had a much better support structure in Canada.

After two years in Australia we are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. At this point, we do not plan to do so. There are a few reasons for this decision. The first being that we don't feel like we want to stay in Australia or at least not Perth. The second is, generally speaking, we don't like Australians. Maybe that's a little strongly worded. It's not that we don't like them necessarily but rather we don't feel like we fit in the culture and, at this point, don't want to fit in the culture. There are a lot of similarities between Canadians and Australians. There are a lot of really good things about Australia and Australians but the things that aren't so good are tough to overlook and some of the differences are difficult to overcome. Additionally, if we become Australian citizens our tax status may change although we're not clear on all of the repurcussions yet. One of the repercussions we are clear on is that if I become a citizen my employer is no longer is responsibile for sponsoring my work visa and can make me redundant any time it's convenient for them (like it would be right now). Lastly, if we do decide to get our citizenships and then leave Australia, there is a possibility that one or more of the kids will stay here without us. That's a deal breaker at the moment.

My visa is good for 4 years. As of tomorrow, we are half-way through that committment. That said, we can leave anytime but it may incur a financial penalty with my employer. Either way, at the moment we are intending to stay and see how things play out over the next two years.

So, are we there yet? We've enjoyed a lot of our experiences here; experiences that would have been almost incomprehensible living in Canada. There are days when we want nothing more than to simply be back home, although those days are more and more fleeting. There are also days when we can't imagine leaving here, although those days are quite rare. It's almost impossible to quanitify if our time in Australia has been a net gain or a net loss. There have been some ups and some downs. It feels like the journey isn't complete but it's hard to know when you're uncertain of the destination. But it doesn't feel quite as odd anymore to call this place "home".

Sweet & Sour Summer

In Perth, late October and early November finally brings some relief to the weary Perthonians from the harsh and grueling winter. By "harsh and grueling" I'm referring to the weather from May to September where the daily high is usually in the high teens to low twenties and the overnight low is normally around 10 degrees C. Okay, so maybe the weather in Perth, in what is officially considered to be "the winter", isn't so bad. However, this winter Perth experienced one of it's wettest and coolest periods in decades. What we'd normally expect to see from Perth in the winter is partly cloudy skies with the occasional shower and the aforementioned temperatures. This year, instead of the occasional shower we received occasional rain; that is to say that there was more precipitation than normal. Although, someone from London or Vancouver would be breaking out their bathers and sunscreen, in Perth it was really wet and cold. But since we've lived here for almost exactly two years now (gulp) we've certainly become acclimatized to the weather and as a result we are completely within our rights to complain bitterly if the mercury falls below 20 and/or a single cloud is spotted on the horizon. In other words, we've gone soft mate.

Just this last week we finally got a reprieve from the frigid conditions and it appears as though summer is finally here. For weeks it's been about 22 degrees everyday and then it rocketed straight up to 37.  Summer in Perth is a double-edged sword. There is the good and the bad. So without further adieu here are the good (sweet) and bad (sour) things that summer brings to Perthites:

Good: Sunshine! Lots and lots of sunshine. We could potentially go days or even weeks without seeing any significant cloud cover.
Bad: UV! The weather forecast in Perth always includes the UV rating. In general, from November to March it's unusual to see a UV rating below "Extreme". If you're lucky you might get a day where the UV rating is only "High". So, this means sunscreen: lots and lots of sunscreen. Melanoma is a major concern here and many people that grew up in this area before sun safety was a thing are now experiencing some form of skin cancer. It's so bad that many employers provide an annual free skin cancer screening in their offices.

Good: Did I mention sunshine? Yeah, it's really sunny here a lot.
Bad: It almost never rains in the summer and when it does the amount is negligible. That means that water is in short supply which results in high water utility prices, limits on water use, browning front lawns and short showers.

Good: Which way to the beach? There's nothing better than going to some of the beautiful beaches that Pertharians enjoy on a hot summer day. There are some really good beaches in the Perth area. The best time to go to the beach is in the morning before the afternoon wind (or "Fremantle Doctor") kicks up. Often, in the morning, the water is calm and clear and perfect for swimming, snorkeling or simply wading.

Cottesloe Beach in Perth.

Bad: Rip tides, sharks, jelly fish. Two years ago Perth had a really bad problem with shark attacks. There were about 5 attacks in the span of 18 months making Western Australia the (temporary) shark attack capital of the world. Hurray for us!? Granted, the attacks didn't happen at the beach or even in the shallows but still it's a little intimidating to go into the water when you know there are Great White Sharks (and Bull Sharks, and Tiger Sharks, and Bronze Whalers...) swimming around looking for something to eat. However, the sharks are low on the list of beach dangers. More dangerous are the jellyfish. There are lots of jellyfish in the waters around Perth. Most of them are harmless or just a minor irritant. All of us have been stung by jellyfish since we've been here and it wasn't a big deal. However, at certain times of the year the Box Jellyfish move into the area and they ARE dangerous. Fortunately, their movements are monitored very closely and if they're anywhere near a beach the authorities close it ASAP. However, the most dangerous thing in the ocean is the ocean itself. Specifically, rip currents (also called "rip tides" or simply "rips") are responsible for more ocean deaths than all other factors combined. A rip is what happens when the water receding from the beach can't escape as fast as the water coming into the beach. As a result, it creates a strong current of water flowing away from the beach and literally can rip people out to sea. Generally, the rips are relatively easy to spot and there are warning signs in rip areas but, even so, many people get caught in them and some of them end up panicking and drowning.

The rough water between the arrows is a rip current.

Good: Despite temperatures that are regularly in the high 30's or even low 40's, almost every afternoon a cooling westerly ocean breeze gives the city some much needed respite from the heat. As mentioned above, this is referred to as the "Fremantle Doctor". "Fremantle" because that is the city/suburb southwest of Perth which is the same direction and the breeze originates from. "Doctor" because it provides so much relief from the soaring temperatures.  And it sounds close to the name of the AFL team the Fremantle Dockers.
Bad: The same southwesterly wind that provides relief to the overheated Perthers occasionally picks up a little more 'oomph' than is comfortable and can cause significant damage, including damaged roofs, trees uprooted and flying debris.

Damage from the most recent "storm of the century"

Good: Late spring brings wildflower season to southwestern WA. The fields come alive with the blooms of the myriad wildflowers. In some areas huge swaths of what was barren desert are blanketed with purple, blue, yellow, red, green, white and every other colour imaginable.

WA Wildflowers in spring

Bad: With the flowers come the (dramatic music) bugs: the flies, spiders and other irritating insects that make life outdoors, at times, unbearable. The flies in Perth are particularly miserable little bastards. They attack like kamikaze pilots and seem to have little or no concern for their own mortality. They swarm and buzz and constantly harass until they are either outrun or summarily dispatched to their great stinking rot heap in the sky. The warmer temperatures, in general, also means that there are a lot more of every insect and they are all on the lookout for whatever it is they lookout for. In some cases, that results in them looking out for stuff in our home. So a constant part of summer is clearing out the crickets, silverfish, moths, spiders and caterpillars from our house.
Ugly: This isn't really a "good" or "bad" but occasionally you run into a cool looking bug like this centipede that got stuck in our pool and died. This thing would be a lot less cool if it was still alive when we found it and even less so if we were in the pool with it.  It was about 8 inches long.  This is the stuff nightmares are made of.

That is a dead centipede.  He's met his maker, pushing up the daisies, left the reservation, he's snuffed it!

Good: Speaking of pools, summer means that we can spend more time in our pool. Not only is the temperature more conducive to swimming but now that there is also more daylight it allows us to go into the pool after work before the sun goes down.
Bad: Cleaning the pool, buying the pool chemicals, maintaining the pool system. That's the price one must pay I suppose. At this point, I'm still happy to do so.  I'm even happier when I can convince someone else to do it.

Good: With the warmer weather comes more available quantities and varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Bad: Hmmm...I can't really think of a downside to this, after all, more food=good. Well, I suppose there is one thing. While we're supposed to be out and active and getting back to our svelte summer beach physique (yeah right) there is more opportunity and temptation to eat and eat and eat and...

Good: Spring/Summer in Perth means that it's Autumn in the civilized world (ie. Northern Hemisphere). That also means that all of the new US television show seasons are starting and we finally have something to watch on TV besides Big Brother Australia, Australia's Got Talent, X-Factor Australia, The Voice Australia, Beauty and the Geek Australia and Breaking Bad.
Bad: Oh God! Breaking Bad is finished, like, forever! All of these crappy pseudo-reality talent shows go on forever and yet the greatest television show in history only has 5 seasons and ends in it's prime. But I digress, the real issue with the additional home entertainment options is that we should be outdoors doing something but instead we're hypnotized learning how a bunch of autistic nerds with a hot neighbor survive in the city; how some guy met someone's mother; what a modern family looks like; who's winning the game of thrones, etc. This also contributes to my un-svelte summer beach physique and general brain-rot.

Good: At this time of year it means that my favorite sports are in full swing. Both the NHL and NFL have begun in earnest. Yeah, hockey is back!
Bad: I can't watch any of the fricken hockey games. Most NFL games are played on Sunday's, however, here it's a Monday and I'm stuck at work. Good luck trying to find hockey on TV here anywhere. Not only that, but the only semi-decent popular Australian sport has just finished it's season. The Hawthorne Hawks beat the local Fremantle Dockers in the AFL (Australian Football League) Grand Final. Original name, that. What we're left with on the Australian sporting landscape is cricket. Oh god, just kill me now!

Good: The kids are finishing school. Well, Zaren and Cyrus have basically already finished school and only have some of their final exams to complete. Keva has another month left. This means more freedom for them but also more options for all of us to travel together.
Bad: The same applies for all families and as a result EVERYONE does the vast majority of their holidaying during December and January. The airlines and hotels, bless their hearts, have noticed this trend and jack up prices to travel anywhere from or within Australia. Even so, they all get booked fully and booked early. We tried to find some accommodation in the South-Eastern part of WA, near Albany. It is supposed to be a more forested area with a temperate climate in the summer. It also has some new activities that we haven't tried like a tree top walk. We started looking in August to book a place in December: sold out! Apparently, some people are starting to book now for December 2014. For a country that is mostly empty there sure aren't many vacancies when you need them.

Good: Outside of working hours, for the next 5 months I likely won't have to wear anything more than shorts and a t-shirt.
Bad: Those around me will see that, outside of working hours, for the next 5 months I won't be wearing anything more than shorts and a t-shirt. [I was going to include a picture but decided against it as I consider myself a humanitarian]

Good: No more nights freezing in bed. As I may have complained about once or twice before, the homes here have no insulation. So, in the worst winter nights when the temperature plummets to 5C outside, it's not much warmer inside.
Bad: No more sleep. Soon the evening temperature will likely be in the high 20's or even low 30's. The amount of money that we alone spend on electricity running fans and air conditioning on the hot summer nights could be used to power Okotoks for a year!

Good: The warmer weather means that all of the beautiful bird species that live in this part of the world are out in full force. There are parakeets, cockatoos, lorikeets, conures and so many other colourful and intelligent bird species that it is truly outstanding.

Rainbow Lorikeet: a common sight in our backyard.

Bad: The #*$^ing stupid @#*& birds get up at 4am and crow at full volume right outside our open window...EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  I HATE THE BIRDS!


Coming up on the next episode of The Klamers of Oz..."It's Been Two Years- Are We There Yet?"