Finding our new routines
Today (Saturday) is the end of our first week of normalcy in a long, long time. This week was our kid's first full week of in-person school since the first week of March 2020 (17 months ago). Needless to say, it's been great for all of us to have started off a new routine of life here in Australia.
The kids have gotten the pattern of school established, and Baxter and Miles walk themselves (0.3 miles) to and from campus at Plympton International College each day. They have accepted the dress code, Baxter has gotten a decent handle on his classes, and they both seem to get their homework done (with some prodding from us!). (They are definitely slacking on the job of packing their own lunches, but we're working on that.) Both boys have some part of their daily classes in Mandarin, but in those classes they have support teachers to provide translations and answer questions as needed. Despite both boys joining school at the 2nd half of Australian academic year, they seem to be faring well academically. Socially, both boys have talked about kids in their classes as new friends, and seem to enjoy the return to school routine.
We have asked both boys to participate in some sort of activity outside of school. Miles wanted soccer, so we found a futsal group that practices weekly (see above), and he's trying out for a soccer team today. Baxter has been dragging his feet as he's not as interested in sports, but we'll get him to commit to some type of activity sooner or later!
The adults? Oh we are THRILLED not to be assistant classroom teachers. So thrilled. Overjoyed! Jeremy had a productive meeting with a potential collaborator at Flinders University, and has another one scheduled at University of Adelaide next week. I met with the state health department folks who are very excited to work together on some message testing for health communication campaigns they have in development; we have a meeting set for next week to demonstrate the eye tracking software and how it might help them optimize their campaign messages. My research project with Flinders will launch in the coming weeks, so it feels like things are finally getting rolling for my Fulbright research.
Other routines are solidifying as well. We have found good walk/run routines nearby, identified our new favorite hangout to watch the sunset and enjoy a pizza, set up a bank account, and are getting used to driving on the left. It's a lot of work to move and start new routines, but it feels like we are finally underway.
