The semester ended with a whirlwind of research presentations, paper edits, de-stress painting sessions, birthday parties, long nights and early mornings, meetings, cleaning, and trips to the airport. However, I managed to deal with the crazy sleep schedule, bundled all the students off to the airport back to the US, New Zealand, and wherever else in this small world that their travels might take them, and the next evening, May 7th, hopped on my own plane trip to what I'd call the culture capital of Australia- Melbourne.


The quaint little street on which I'm staying is lined with charming houses and trees painted with autumn leaves.  

With roads such as City View, Mountain View, Panoramic, and Hill, the neighborhood is located in the suburbs, about 10k from Melbourne city proper, and is indeed up on a hill so that when you stroll around the streets, you have spectacular views of the city. 

The quiet little neighborhood is chock full of small charming houses nestled close together, some of brick and some of wood, many with black or white gates at the end of short driveways, and shiny golden slots for mailboxes. 

In between the homes and bushing out over the brick walls are bubbly, bushy gardens, decked out in their autumn splendor and constantly visited by gargling, twittering birds. Right down the street is a little park with a playground. The family for whom I'll be the live-in nanny for the next five weeks lives in a small white house in this neighborhood with their two kids, Angus (5) and Holly (1).  

Did I realize how much work it is to take care of even just two kids from 7am-5 or 6pm? That is indeed a question.... but they are adorable.