Loose Ends

September 4, 2001- Minor Traumas
I made an appointment for a haircut. It’s been four weeks since it was cut at home and still
looks good, but I want whoever cuts it to be able to see the shape clearly before it gets
overgrown. Next is finding a manicurist.

David went to work again this morning. It’s 1 PM and he left here at 9:30 AM. This has got to
stop. I guess after the holidays it will.

We got our first mail at the apartment. It was exciting to open the mailbox and have something
even though it was from the temple here.

I made dinner in our apartment last night for the first time. The ovens here have a “grill fan”
function that acts like an outdoor grill. The food is placed in the oven with the door closed. I
loved it. We had chicken kebabs. Tonight dinner was a bit more adventurous. We managed to
set off the smoke alarms. It seems that when you use the fan grill function, the exhaust fan has
to be on.

There was a board gathering tonight so we could meet the leadership in a casual atmosphere.
We drove there on our own even though we had offers of rides. We’ve driven all over the world,
why not here? They have high expectations of David solving their problems: membership, the unaffiliated, attendance at services, involving younger families, finances, etc The problems aren’t unique and aren’t being solved in the U.S. where there are full time rabbis.. He will give it a “go.” The host family served sweets, bagels, and hors d’oeuvres made from white bread rolled around canned asparagus. They must still watch the Donna Reed Show.

September 5, 2001- Hunkering Down

David went downstairs for the morning newspaper. There was an article about Gooniwindi High School going to a fair at Toowoomba. And our son Daniel thought that going to a school named Harvey S. Firestone High School was strange.

Some of our clothing arrived today. Why all of it did not is one of the mysteries of the U.S. Postal Service. We have hope. All of David’s things and some of my tops came but none of my shoes.

Remember when I said I didn’t feel out of place in Japan or S.E. Asia even though I looked different? Well, I do feel a little awkward here even though Syd Bruce says Aussies want to be the 51st state. I look like an Australian and speak the same language, but when I open my mouth I become “other.” No one asks where I’m from, which is good. It would get tiresome. They’re probably used to tourists here and take no notice of accents. We dropped off our film to be developed and had to spell our last name. When David got to “z,” he said “zee.” They say “zed.” I’m not there yet, although I’ve been saying, “ring me up” instead of “call me.” No worries.

We ventured out to another shopping mall as close as the one across the street and found Woolworths, a more modern, better-stocked supermarket. Their produce was lovely. We were out in record time. No more 2 ½ hour jaunts for us.

Today, we registered for medical coverage. I was wrong in quoting the coverage. It’s 100%, not 85%. We pay the provider of our choice, take the bill to the Medibank Private office conveniently located at the mall across the street, and they give us cash reimbursement (100%) on the spot.

We went to the office to have the part-time secretary, Howard Wiseman, install the software for the ISP. If you are reading this, it worked. He reminds me of Squiggy from the TV show LaVerne and Shirley.

Local Clergy

We met Rabbi Uri Themal for lunch. He works for the government Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs in Brisbane and fills in for services from time to time. He’ll soon have his hands full with fallout from the Tampa incident where hundreds of Afghanis are stranded on the sinking ship and seeking asylum.. He thinks that the government made a huge blunder and that civil liberties will be the issue of the upcoming Federal elections. It was very enlightening to hear him tell of the work he’s done. Australia has separation of church and state. It’s not addressed in the constitution, but is assumed by its absence. Uri is in favor of and is a supporter of the government apologizing to the aborigines. This hasn’t happened yet. He thinks they need more than a Clinton-like expression of “we are sorry it happened.” With the aborigines it was genocide. He’s been in the forefront of gay rights and strides are being made.

We ate in an area new to us. It was on the water but also has a view of the mountains. I ordered barramundi for the first time. It’s a delicious, mild, flaky fish. As we ate, we saw a bridal party getting off a small boat. Uri explained that there’s a large pontoon boat with small replica of a New England church. All you need to do is book it and bring your own clergy. The Japanese use it a lot. They like Western weddings with white gowns. Here clergy are licensed to do weddings by the government as in the U.S. but may not do civil weddings. If there’s an intermarriage and the couple wants both religious traditions represented, the clergy cannot do that. The couple must use a civil officer for the ceremony. It eliminates clergy having to deal with the issue of intermarriage.

Uri also served as a translator. We had seen “autogas” at a petrol station at half the cost of unleaded. It turns out to be propane tanks similar to ones used for gas grills. A “tall dark” is a double espresso. “Sunnies” are sunglasses. They love diminutives.

Toby