Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fierlin1182 
Interesting to hear about the Michigan "mitten" thing. It actually took me a few seconds to figure out what you meant, my brain isn't really functioning fully today. Good to have a rest in the house and just go on the computer for once. my social calendar has reached mind-blowing proportions (i.e. normality) lately.
Oh, my goodness, here's another Michigan person coming in to say g'day! When Chickmate first said on the Michigan thread that she just got back from Australia, I think (hope?) I was not the only one to think she really had made the actual trip (although thinking about it later, I realized that for that major of a trip, she would have mentioned it before she left...
) Anyway, we eventually figured out she's been visiting
virtually. Which is one of the lovely things about BYC. I myself have lived most of my adult life in Michigan, but I was born and raised in the U.S. state of Washington (no, not the nation's capitol, a state on the
other coast). So when I originally came out to Michigan right out of high school (to attend university in Michigan) I was as confused as Fierlin when I'd ask other students where they were from, and they'd hold up a hand and point to a spot on their palm. Huhhh? So finally I got to the point where, when I was asked where
I was from, I'd hold up one palm, then use the other hand to point
wayyyy to the west of that palm. I'm pretty sure I found that more amusing than anyone else.
Anyway, I do have an Australian connection. I was fortunate enough to spend a year as an exchange student in Victoria when I was in high school. (The practically pre-historic year of 1979, to be exact). When applying to be an exchange student, I had been asked what type of area I would prefer. I grew up in a small town, but I always wanted to be a farm girl, so I asked for a rural family, if possible. I ended up in complete farming country, southwest Victoria... in one of the very few households for miles around that was
not a farm. My host parents were both teachers, each had a one-room school they taught at. The house we lived in was included with the school my host father had. But I was just super super lucky with the family I was placed with, could not have been better suited, and I did get to help out with milking chores and during sheep shearing with families in the area. Our mailing address was Ecklin South (which consisted of the school and a tiny store), I went to high school in Terang, and we jokingly said our Big Smoke was Warrnambool. It was a wonderful experience.
No chickens though. There actually was a chook house in the back of the house we lived in but it had not been used... for chickens... in many years. Actually, the family used it as the "tip." Every year or so they would clean it out and take the stuff to a bigger "tip" on someone's property, since apparently there was no formal trash dump.
Anyway, someday I dream of visiting your country again. Thanks for letting me stop in, hope that's okay. It has occurred to me that if
too many of us pushy Yanks start clogging up your thread, you'll have to start a new one again!
)
