Coming out of hiding in Hyde Park

Hyde Park, Sydney-I am basking in the early morning Aussie sun, having just got off my 22 hour flight from NYC via SFO. Lee and Kate are running a half marathon this morning. I am feeling a bit lazy about my basking and drinking my first skinny flat white of the trip, but then again I sat through a flight marathon I suppose.

My bag is lost...although I was safely ushered underground from the domestic terminal in SFO to the international departure gate, it turns out my bag didn't get the same treatment. Oh man, that flat white is good. Why can't we make coffee like this? That was Lee and Kate's recurring lament during their almost year in the US. I agree, but then again, it is twice the price, so maybe that is why? And by the way the Aussie dollar is stronger than the Sacagawea. What is up with that?

My first sight upon exiting the baggage non-claim were a group of Dinkas, now Sudanese-Australians I suppose. I always wonder on my trips down under if I will see any of the refugees I interviewed while in Sri Lanka and Kenya. Being responsible for over 300 new Australians via the refugee process I wonder how they have fared. I think that sometimes the golden ticket of refugee status is a blessing in disguise. At least for the parents. We always took the view during interviews that the hope was “the children would be right.” That due to their age they would be able to adapt quickly from a life of persecution and refugee camp living to apartments with real roofs and schools with walls and English. In 1 hour my job was to interview a family of up to 10, ascertain their identities, their family composition, verify their refugee claims, determine their truthfulness, judge their body-language, and stress, make a decision as to status, and then in the 5 minutes I had left, give them a crash course about life in Australia.

It was easy for the kids...I asked them if they played football or liked to play. I told them, and with extra force the girls, that playing sports would be the way to win Australian hearts. I told them I was a swimmer and that swimming was an especially important sport. They usually smiled coyly and agreed with me. They were told to do that I think.

I must go find Lee soon. I am meeting him in “a big grassy area facing the church (St. Mary's).” There are only a few thousand people here for the race. Good thing I am 6'2”.