When Chris suggested going on a walk our first afternoon back in Melbourne, I thought, why not? That sounds like a good idea to get some natural light into all three of us to help our bodies adjust to local time. We buckled Kaia into the stroller and went off towards Brighton Beach just a few blocks from his parents’ house. And while a walk along the water seemed like a tranquil, scenic, and fun thing to do to help us transition, the picture I had in my head of how it would go… is not exactly how it went.

Every time I opened my eyes to see or my mouth to talk, it was like a fly was aggressively trying to find its way in. And when there wasn’t a concern of a fly going right into my eye or mouth, they were trying to make their way into my ears and nostrils. The same was happening to Chris, except with him, they love to always perch all over his back and shoulders. It’s as though they know that he’s an Australian native, so they make a “home” of him as soon as he arrives. So while we both wanted to talk, it was so awkward because we were simultaneously fighting flies off the outside AND the inside of our bodies. For whatever reason, the flies did not seem to swarm Kaia. Maybe they prefer older humans?

Chris has also had to take some over the counter allergy meds because the Australian pollen has gotten to him. He’d been free of it for the last three years given we hadn’t been back, and now his body is finally being exposed to it once again.

In addition, Chris’s parents said that because it’s been wetter than usual, the “mozzies” or mosquitoes had been swarming the house. It’s like they just wait outside until someone opens the door and immediately fly in. In the last few days, I’ve killed about 6 just in the bathroom. What joy!