Another story from Evelyn Taylor, wife of Bryant Taylor, son of Floyd (twin to Lloyd). Bryant and Aunt CB were first cousins:
Lance, Mitchell, Bryant
Evelyn and Pam in
front
Living in another country for any length of time requires
certain adjustments. In 1968 our family immigrated to Australia, located in the
Southern Hemisphere…Gone was the Big and Little Dippers, replaced by the
Southern Cross. The seasons were the
exact opposite – spring became fall, summer-winter, fall-spring and
winter-summer.
To add to our confusion, the hot water tap, not faucet, was
on the right and cold on the left. If
you watched the water drain out of the sink, it swirled counterclockwise due to
the pull of the South Pole.
The toilet was in a separate room from the bath (washroom)
and not necessarily right next to it. My
first experience with this was when we visited friends in Queensland, I asked
where the bathroom was. When I got
there, there was no toilet, just a tub and sink. Embarrassed, I had to go back
and ask for the toilet which was not a word commonly used in polite society at
that time. I was directed to a tiny room
off the kitchen, housing the toilet but no sink.
I am writing this showing my adjustments----my husband and children had their own to deal
with. One of my most challenging was
when I shopped for groceries and cooked.
First of all, supermarkets were just starting to be
built. I had to learn to take my
“string” bag with me to carry my purchases.
This is a nylon cord bag with an open weave which expands to hold
purchases.
First, was the green grocer shop to purchase capsicums-green
peppers, pumpkin –squash, and unfamiliar named apples. Items were wrapped loosely in paper without
string to tie it. By the time I got
home, carrots, green beans could be working their way out the openings in the
string bag.
Meat was available at the butcher shop. Hamburger was called mince, but beef was not
plentiful so became an expensive item.
This was sheep country, so lamb and mutton were meat of choice----not
one that we liked. Seafood was quite
plentiful, especially shrimp called prawns, with legs, feelers, and beady
eyes. Ugh!
Another store supplied the staples and “tin” goods, jelly
which was Jello, not our jams/jelly.
There was no peanut butter.
Everyone grows up on Vegimite which tastes like softened, salty bouillon
cubes. Another ugh!
My biggest challenge
was getting my 25 years of baking recipes to work. Nothing rose up. I had flat cakes, cookies, biscuits. Finally, I got help when I bemoaned the fact
to the woman store manager of the small supermarket. She said that another American woman had the
same problem until she bought flour which the commercial bakeries used.
The manager offered to order it for me but warned that I had
to buy it in a 25 lb. bag which was very “dear” ( expensive), Their flour came in 4 lb. packages as our
“down-sized” packages are now--- 47 years later.
We stayed three years and then came HOME. Because of this experience, we were more
flexible people, more aware of differences in our own language and customs in
another country.
I pose this question to my two grandchildren who now live in
Melbourne. Is it different now?
3 comments:
Thanks, Eve! Another terrific story.
Dear Eve,
I know that you learned a LOT! And that one son, Mitch, stayed there, now living in New Zealanddd. Did pam, the youngest, gain fromm school there? And how about Lance, was he thru school and did he go wortk on a ship?
Ever the Travelers, the Bryant Taylors did gain I am sure but tell us, in another story about what you learned!!
Aunt CB Writes:
Dear Eve,
I know that you learned a LOT! And that one son, Mitch, stayed there, now living in New Zealand. Did Pam, the youngest, gain from school there? And how about Lance, was he through school and did he go work on a ship?
Ever the Travelers, the Bryant Taylors did gain I am sure but tell us, in another story about what you learned!!
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