Moved

Three guys and an undersized truck helped us move yesterday. The lead guy was from Australia, the others from France and Estonia here on working holiday visas. The working holiday visa system seems to be huge here, though I don't really have a good sense of the overall politics. I know from personal experience that the universities are making a lot of money from foreign students (both in Australia and in the US). I know there are a lot of companies downtown Sydney that cater to young people working and travelling (backpackers). I have no idea what percentage of these people end up becoming permanent residents or marrying a local; or whether, like in the US, almost all vegetable and fruit cultivation is handled by immigrant workers (in the US, a fair percentage of them being undocumented workers).

UK - just as many hoops?

Surprise conversation of the day... the guy giving us an estimate on a heating system emigrated from the UK four years ago. He did heating and plumbing in the UK, and he does that in Sydney. It turns out he had just as many hassles in terms of obtaining proper work qualifications. He was led to believe that he could easily get his license based on his UK license and education. Not so. Had to go back to school, now for three years to get the same qualifications. He also talked about the market size and mark-up of products. Certainly the market is smaller here, but it could be larger - more old homes in Sydney might have heat - if there weren't such a mark up and those protecting their share of the pie here. Of course, everyone wants those who are licensed to be competent - but he says the education here was not as extensive for gas systems - safer?

Moving right along - language

We're going to be moving soon - as an American would say it. As an Australian would say it, we'll be moving house. Oddly, these are expressions that neither the Americans nor the Australians have quite right. Of course we're moving - as if there would come a day when we lie entirely motionless? And neither my wife nor I are strong enough to move a house. Its contents, perhaps - so in that regard the Australians are a bit closer to being correct. In the U.S., we'd potentially call a mover, or if we're going upscale, perhaps a relocation specialist. Australians would call a removalist. A removalist? An American might think that an odd expression for a hit man. A removalist might potentially just remove; if you want to get rid of your belongings. But a removalist might also place. That is, they might place your items in your new residence. There are no placists.

More specifically, we would be relocating our residence. Well, not the actual residence - we'll be changing the address at which we live. So in Australian, we might be moving residence, or moving address, but I don't think Australians say that; at least that I've heard (don't quote me on that one).

Let's say we'll be changing neighborhoods. I've heard Australians sneer at that spelling of neighbourhood, but let me tell you something. The Americans are going to win on the word neighborhood. Why? Because eventually a generation of Australians, perhaps texting without spell-check, will get tired of that extra "u". Then again, maybe the Americans won't win - horses neigh, but parliamentarians nay. And some day neigh could get the nay.

1789? 1776?

From Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses by Kim Atkins, Bonnie Britton, and Sheryl de Lacy:

The ideas of the Enlightenment - individual liberty and the moral equality of all persons - inspired the French Revolution in 1789, which replaced the hereditary monarchy of France with a democratic government. This became the model for political reform across Europe, Great Britain and the colonies in the Americas and Australia. This is why the French Revolution is considered to be so historically significant.

Leaving out a few words, are the authors actually saying that "The French Revolution in 1789...became the model for political reform...(in) the colonies in the Americas"? I believe there's a group of about 300 million people on a different continent who were taught at a very young age that in 1776, a document was adopted that says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The framers of the American constitution not only had the ideas of the Enlightenment as a basis, but also the constitution of The Iroquois Confederacy of Nations as a model.

Eurocentrism?

Redwoods in New Zealand

Visiting the north island of New Zealand.  I had spotted a redwood forest at the edge of Rotorua.  Here's the story from the brochure: In 1899 trees from all over the world were planted here to determine which of 171 species would grow well. Of the trees planted,  the radiata pine became an important commercial species. The  redwoods also thrived and a grove of 15 acres remains.

First semester nursing school

I managed to pass my first semester of nursing school. The biggest shock was that every class required an essay that was around 40% of the overall grade. Oddly, my favorite (favourite) class was the one that I just barely passed. That class was about Australia's (theoretical) approach to health care, which is different from (to) the US approach. I completely grasped the concepts, but the final exam required writing three essays, and I hadn't memorized nine specific points requested by one of the questions about community capacity building. I never imagined essay writing, community capacity building, and Freudian theories would be such critical components of nursing education.

Winter swim :-)

We took a stroll today along the eastern shore from Bronte Beach to Gordon's Bay and back. As the day warmed, we decided it really might be warm enough for a dip, so we took the plunge. Once acclimated,the water temperature on the skin seemed ever so slightly warmer than the air temperature, which is to say very nice for the middle of winter!