One of the customs I like about Australia is that, no matter how hectic the schedule, there is always time for Morning Tea. At 10:30, all across the nation, everyone takes a break to enjoy a cup of tea, a couple of biccies, and a quick chat. This habit was complelety absent in my US workplace. People might grab a donut and a cup of coffee on the run from one place to another, but the idea of actually taking a fifteen minute break to relax was a completely foreign concept. There wasn’t even a tearoom over there, yet over here we have boxes of complementary Lipton teabags and Arnott’s biscuits to provide constant nourishment for all the students during our tea breaks.

Image from flickr.com/photos/dragonflysky

How strange it is, to be back in this country after 22 months of absence. Crossing the street is difficult, as I am still looking the wrong way. And the loss of my iPhone is almost crippling, as I am no long able to bring up an instant map of my location, or able to check my email anywhere, or find out where the nearest movie theatre or when the next bus is coming. The sign and smell of the local Starbucks elicits fond memories of all my hours curled up on the couches of that Seattle-bred coffee house. I miss the friends that I have made in Seattle, their stories about the intricacies of American culture, and their interesting perspectives on national and international events.

Still, it is refreshing to be back in Australia, and in a strange way it almost feels like I have never left. Very little cognitive effort is needed to get around. The supermarkets are filled with delicious and familiar delicacies. Our cupboard is filled with Aussie ingredients. I have been eating Weetbix for breakfast and vegemite and honey sandwiches for lunch (and sometimes also for dinner). My aunt and uncle generously welcomed us back to Australia with a spectacular spread that included vegetable pasties and beetroot – both items that are impossible to source in the USA.

I am enjoying my intense Masters of Public Health blocks – not starting the day until nine o’clock is such a luxury, and the other students are friendly and enthusiastic. We completed our first joint presentation on Friday, and I am proud of how well everyone pitched in to produce such a great seminar. I now have a bunch of assignments hanging over my head, but with no more 14-hour experiments to do, I feel quite confident that they will all be completed in time.

I am savouring the luxury of speaking the same language as the locals, of understanding the etiquette and the signposts, and of being so close to friends and family. Apart from the terrible storms, the weather here is generally warm and mild, and the days are full of sunlight. These are the comforts that I will miss in Belgium.

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You have received this email as you have been assessed by your College as eligible to graduate in the December 2008 Conferral of Awards ceremony.
Congratulations! We look forward to celebrating with you in December!

 
On 10 am Friday 12 December 2008, I will be walking across the stage to finally receive my Doctor of Philosophy.

Busy week. I got the okay from my supervisor on my thesis, picked up my beautifully burgundy leather-bound copies and submitted them, celebrated with dance and wine for several days, met and Co. over brunch, said goodbye to all my friends, and flew to the other side of the world to be picked up by my fiance in a limousine.

Now I have a couple of weeks to adjust to all things American. The time-zone, the cold, the upside-down light-switches, the power outlets that look like tiny surprised people, the units of measurement, the cars on the wrong side of the road, tipping and sales tax, pennies, and the paper money that is all the same colour.

Still, somehow it feels like home.