{Expat life} Homeward bound!

Team Somerville

This time next week Team Somerville will be on a plane to Brisbane, Australia. An 8-day visit to catch up with family and friends.

It's been 12 months since we were home and I'm often asked what I miss most about Australia (aside from family and friends of course!).

For me it's the little things, like being able to walk into a shop and communicate in English knowing I'll have paid for exactly what I wanted.

Or walking into a clothing store and choosing from neatly organised racks with clearly marked Australian standard sizes (and for anyone over 6 foot with an above size 30 waistline that's extremely important!).

My top to do/buy list in Australia is as follows:

• Drive a car! It's not just about the freedom of driving a car, but also the fact that I can drive on the right side of the road (the left side, that is!).
• Give in to the ridiculous food cravings that have popped into my head over the last 12 months (simply because I can't get them here!): Arnotts savoury shapes (for Rob it will be barbecue shapes!), Iced Vo Vo biscuits, salt and vinegar crinkle cut chips, Cadbury dairy milk buttons (they taste better than the squares!), non-UHT milk, freshly baked bread (without sugar!) and twisties.
• A visit to Zone Fresh in Windsor - my favourite deli/fruit-vege shop. I just know that I'll be gobsmacked by the ridiculous prices but just walking by the glass case with chicken kievs and crumbed lamb cutlets is sure to send me into a frenzy!
• Walk into a bbq chicken shop (eg Chicken Magic or Red Rooster in Clayfield) and buy a takeaway chicken minus the head/beak! Can't bring myself to buy one in Vietnam because the chicken heads freak me out!
• Buy all of the new release books I can fit into our suitcase (despite improving in the 18 months we've lived here, finding latest release novels in Vietnam is a rare event).
• Underwear shopping - can't beat Bonds underwear and my supply is looking a wee bit sad. Yeah sorry, too much information! I need to approach Mr Bonds about a trade agreement with Vietnam!

What I know I am going to miss about Vietnam:

• The noise - crazy as it sounds I just know I'm going to find Brisbane a little too quiet and sterile. I've grown used to the noise and chaos.
• The cheap cost of daily essentials - I love the fact that I can go to the market and buy fresh fruit and vegetables for so little. I'll have to resist telling the girls to stop eating because it's too expensive!
• My housekeeper - a no brainer! Crap...I'm not sure I know how to turn on the washing machine! Must ask the manager at our serviced apartment to have a folder of takeaway menus on hand!

See you soon Brisbane xxx

PS -are you an overseas expat? Write and let us know what's the first thing you'll do/buy when you arrive in your homeland.

{Saigon Snacks} Baba Ganoush and Ice-cream in Thao Dien

While an Arabic restaurant and an ice-cream parlour may seem like a weird culinary pairing, the combination of Warda and Fanny's ice-cream on the same lot in Thao Dien is a welcome one for parents.

Fanny's and Warda in Thao Dien

Inside the gates at 63 Xuan Thuy Street in Thao Dien you'll find parents of busy young children enjoying the chance to dine out on exotic middle eastern food while the kids play in the (sparsely!) grassed courtyard between the two restaurants.

The courtyard has a few pieces of play equipment, as well as a foozball table and a toy area in Fanny's, to keep the kids entertained.

Dining in the outdoor bedouin tent with its cushioned lounge seating, and the promise of Fanny's ice-cream for dessert, is enough to get most kids through the mezze platters, kebabs and tajines. But if their young tastebuds aren't that exotic, Warda also offers a kid friendly, albeit, middle eastern-styled menu.

Rob and Georgia in Warda's bedouin tent

Me at Warda - where's the wine??

Mackenzie

This is Warda's second restaurant in Saigon (the original Warda opened in 2006 in District 1), but you'll find the same menu and prices in a very different, contemporary-styled setting.

With its modern, minimalist styling inside the restaurant, Warda number 2 would be a gorgeous spot for a kid-free date night, but during the day be prepared to have your eardrums assaulted by Saigon's expat kiddie population!

Georgia at Fanny's

Warda and Fanny's - 63 Xuan Thuy Street, Thao Dien, District 2

{Saigon school moments} Georgia and Mackenzie's first school award!

A proud Mummy moment for me at school this morning. Not only did the girls impress me with their class dance performances at the junior school assembly, they both received a Merit Certificate from the deputy Head of Primary.

At AIS all of the junior students have goals set by their teachers. A certain number of stickers means an in-class award for achieving their goal. Once they have three in-class certificates they are presented with a Merit Certificate at the school assembly.

The girls have received awards for being happy when Mummy and Daddy drop them off every morning (a no brainer for them, they literally push us out of the room!) and for being tidy and helping around the class.

Must be honest, I didn't realise how big a deal it was until I found out that only three students from the junior school had achieved the Merit Certificate criteria in time for this morning's assembly (and two of those were from Team Somerville!).

You can bet they were showered with heaps of praise and cuddles from their very proud parents!

For the grandparents - here are the girls receiving their awards. Watch just how impressed they are with themselves!