So today was the day that Emma arrived on a one-way ticket to Seattle. There was drama this morning as snow was threatening to fall and I wouldn’t be able to get to the airport. Fortunately, we just ended up with flurries and some heavy rain.

After having some dinner and falling asleep watching a movie we were woken by a noise in the hallway “baamp baamp baamp”. Bleary eared, we pulled on some clothes and shuffled outside with all the other residents realizing it was the fire alarm.

The fire dept. turned up and checked out the alarm and gave it the all-clear. As we were walking back up, we heard the sound of running water outside and didn’t think much of it.

However, as we entered our apartment on the third level we realized something was not quite right. Here’s what we saw:

Yes – that is water coming out of the smoke detector and all the light fittings – it was even coming out of the wall outlets and light switches. I quickly raced downstairs to find somebody that could help us, while Emma and our hastily-met neighbor started putting out water receptacles and every towel we could find.

When I got downstairs, I met our upstairs neighbor in quite the same panic – their apartment was completely flooded. We grabbed the firemen just before they left and they came and shut off the water. It didn’t take us long to realize that we had quite a problem. Although nothing of ours got damaged, we had to move apartments so that they can clean it out.

So that the water drained properly and the roof wouldn’t collapse, the maintenance installed a new drain.

4 hours later, our apartment is empty and everything is dumped on the floor in a dry vacant apartment. Since we didn’t plan for this and it was too late to buy boxes, we had to move everything using suitcases. The Kirkland Fire Department were exceptionally helpful by moving our bulky furniture. It would’ve been a much longer effort without their help.

Ironically, when Emma arrived we had the conversation "Should I unpack tonight?". Thankfully she didn’t and it was easy to move her stuff.

So all in all, we’re safe, relatively dry, tired but in good spirits. We’ve met a lot more of our neighbors and are genuinely impressed with everybody’s willingness to help out. And in typically Aussie spirit, we had a laugh and toasted it all with a few beers.

For the last two weeks I’ve been back ‘home’ in Australia. The purpose of the trip was to attend two weddings of friends and family. The first wedding was for Adrian and Lauren the day after I flew in. The weather couldn’t have been better for an outdoor wedding in the rose gardens at Old Parliament House. I thought I had adjusted well to the jetlag by staying up quite late in the days before I left – however, by midnight at the reception (5AM Seattle time) I wasn’t faring too well.

The second wedding was for Sara and Tim who got married at The Chapel in Gold Creek Village. It was a fantastic venue and once again, the weather turned out beautifully for their Friday afternoon wedding. My photos don’t even compare to the photos from the official photographer, Kelly Tunney. She has posted a select few of them on her blog for all to see. A great way to share photos quickly with the friends and family, as well as increase her exposure.

In my down-time I had a great opportunity to wander around town and catch up with my own friends and family for lunches, dinners and beers. Since I’ve been out of the country for almost 6 months – coming back gave me a unique opportunity to spot trends and differences between America and Australia. Here are the major things I’ve noticed:

Things I didn’t miss from the USA:

• Tipping. As an Australian, tipping is the exception rather than the rule. The reason is that we have higher wages in the services industries, so tipping isn’t required to supplement income.
• Imperial measurements (gallons, feet, miles, inches, letter, etc..). Bring on the metrics.
• Substandard food. I don’t know whether it’s the places I’ve been going to or what – but compared to Australian food, it’s just bland. Although there’s fruit and vegetables available – they don’t taste anything like the Aussie equivalents.

Things I did miss from the USA (Australia can learn from):

• You can pay for anything by credit/debit card. No minimum transactions, no transaction fees. Accepted everywhere from vending machines to coffee shops.
• Internet access. AT&T is 3.5G, cheap, unlimited and un-censored. Cable internet is fast, cheap and has no download quotas.
• Shops have longer opening hours. Supermarkets & Pharmacies are open 24 hours. Retail shops are open 10AM-9PM.
• You can buy beer & wine in the supermarket. No separate checkout. This is slowly changing in Australia too.

Things I really enjoyed in Australia:

• Coffee. I’m not a regular coffee drinker any more – but I couldn’t resist the temptation of a good Australian coffee. I found a great new organic coffee shop – As Nature Intended on Marcus Clarke St, Canberra. Great coffee, breakfast, ambience and service – I’ll miss this place.
• Food. Since I was catching up with a lot of friends, I went to quite a few different cafes. My favorite place to eat in Canberra is still Debacle on Mort St, Braddon. They do amazing pizzas and have a huge selection of local and imported beers on tap. The ambience is loud and friendly without being rowdy.
• Family & Friends. It goes without saying that I enjoyed spending time with them. It’ll be some time before I get to see them again, as we have no definite plans on when we will return to Australia.

So now it’s back home to Seattle to enjoy the Thanksgiving long weekend and the lead up to Christmas.