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This would have been your award...

Anniversary. Now, we are in Australia for an entire year. Sometimes we think back to how we felt in those days one year ago when the big adventure was still to come – look back on April 2002. Since then, Claudia didn't leave the country at all, Peter did so only once to fly to the US (see Report May 2002). This "settledness" contrasts sharply to our former lives as frequent travellers. But how does the saying go: "Who lives in paradise does not need to travel far to be in paradise". Anyhow, in April we let expire our one-year return tickets to Germany. If we come home next time, it will be from Sydney with a return ticket to Sydney...

Sunset in The Rocks

Claudia's Jobs. After initial challenges to start a career in Australia (there is not much more than Marketing and Sales and her usual feedback was: "strongly over-qualified"), Claudia got several jobs in the meantime. (1) Lecturer at Macquarie University and (2) one day per week, she transforms her hobby into business and helps out in a kayak shop. This doesn't pay a lot, put produces a lot of fun, good contacts (to people and material) and a deep insight into running one's own business. Main point: This job comes very close to her original statement she gave in January 2002 in Mannheim – "then i'll become a surfing instructor" – ... ;-) All of the sudden, another job emerges at the end of April: (3) The approval of a research project with CSIRO that she applied for last October and didn't expect an answer no more. Thus, Claudia has three jobs now – typically Australian!

Tom and Aila on the Great Barrier Reef

Tom and Aila dropping in. On April 16 Tom and Aila visit us with only short notice. Peter and Tom were class mates and stayed in contact until their first years of study. In recent years, however, nothing was known of one another – until the "Abitur" fellows organize a meeting in November 2003 and thus addresses and contacts are updated. A while ago, Tom and Aila had planned their travel through Australia and they have secretely married on the Great Barrier Reef. That's life: For years you don't have a clue of what a former mate of yours is doing, and all of the sudden, we find ourselves being the very first ones to congratulate the bride and the groom. All the best for both of you!

Uncertainty. In March an April, there is a lot of action in Peter's Department. The probably biggest re-organization since he joined the company 6 years ago keeps the employees busy. For quite a while, it is not obvious whether the location of Sydney will be maintained. At home, we discuss what impact a transfer to either Singapore or back to Germany would have on us. Finally, Peter's decision allows us (for the moment being) to stay in Australia. However, he will be re-aligned into a different department with different tasks. After things are settled, our blood pressure stabilizes again. We are happy that our adventure Australia will continue for a while.

Detail in the Jenolan Caves

Kanangra-Boyd and Jenolan Caves. Our Easter week-end, so thoroughly planned, turns out totally different. Reason: It does not only rain, but the sky opens its portals and buckets down ;-( Since all Sydneysiders traditionally go camping on Easter, we also had planned doing so. On Good Friday, however, the sky literally reminds us of a German November day and in our distress we do something usefull: Declaration of the tax return etc. On Easter Saturday, we cancel our paddling plans (we are not especially keen to get wet from below and above) and drive into the mountains yet again, this time to the Kanangra-Boyd National Park. And look at this: After a rainy night with a desolate breakfast in pouring rain, the sky clears up on Easter Sunday and allows us well to enjoy the last two days in fantastic sun shine. A long bushwalk through Kanangra on Sunday, a visit of the Jenolan Caves (the tavern in this narrow valley looks exactly like in Triberg in Hochschwarzwald; lacking only the pint of wine, the Kirsch and the cuckoo clock) and many short walks on Monday placate us. We even spot our first two wild wombats (independently one from the other). Thus, more and more wild animals can be "ticked" as seen.

Addendum: A week prior when we did a bushwalk in the Ku-ring-gai-Chase National Park, we almost stepped onto a Diamond Python. After the first shock was over and the python slowly walked back into the bush, it was more than fascinating to watch her.

Petra and Armin on the Spit to Manly Walk

Petra and Armin visiting us. At the end of the month, Petra and Armin come over to visit us and to spend the next couple of weeks with us. It is nice to have many visitors from the former "home"; It makes us feel the distance much less. What we undertake with Petra and Armin? – BBQ above the Harbour, Spit to Manly Scenic Walk with a dinner in Manly and a ferry ride back, Aquarium,... – more about this in the Monthly Report May.