A little island of America, in the middle of Melbourne

This past Sunday, my American friends Melanie, Michelle and I traveled back to America, just by driving about 20 minutes into Melbourne.   Did we visit the consulate?  No.  A hot dog stand?  Nay, dear reader.  Did we need passports?  Only a Visa.   We spent four hours  . . . at Costco.

Nirvana!

If you've ever been living somewhere else, and amidst all that is foreign you find a spot of familiarity, like McDonald's in China, or Oreos on Saba, even though you might eschew such things in America, even if it's twice as expensive as in America, suddenly this is your new favorite item, and it transports you to a happy place.  This is where we went last Sunday.  The happy place of a bit of oversized, sometimes overpriced America on the other side of the Pacific.   A two litre bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce?  Why yes!  A four-pack of Ghiradelli chocolate brownie mix?  Don't mind if I do.  Liquid Tide?  Why not just call it liquid gold.

A little slice of Maryland in the Docklands

Michelle and Melanie have both been living in Australia for over 2 years.  They are my guides in this maze of expatriate living.  Anything I've gone through, they've gone through.  They have kids that are Isaac's and Ruth's ages, going to the same school, so we're also trying to cultivate friendships among the littles as well.  In an earlier GNO, at a time when I was feeling a little homesick, Melanie assured me that I would feel better if I visited Costco, and she would be happy to take me.

Not homesick Americans

So, off to Costco we went.  It was insanely busy, because it was the weekend, and because there's a national holiday this week.  Melbourne Cup is on Tuesday, and the whole country will shut down for the day to watch some horses races, and, by the looks of what was going out the door at Costco, drink a lot and have a barbeque.  We didn't care how busy it was.  We went down every aisle.  We abandoned our carts mid-aisle if it got too crowded and just shopped on foot.  Cherries!  Mangoes!  Ready-made burritos!  Stayfree sanitary supplies!  And these. . .

None in the Halloween pumpkins - you have to come to Costco to get your American candy fix.

Besides the American foods, we also had the opportunity to get mass quantities of Australian foods as well.  I bought an eight-pack of meat pies, only to find out when I got home that it was the bad brand (which we confirmed with a taste test).  16-packs of lamb chops, 80-piece sausage roll and mini-pie party packs, all there for the taking. And of course there was this:

Not sure who needs a container of Vegemite as big as their head, but just in case . . .

A bit of impulse buying may have occurred, because of the novelty of seeing so many American products.  I bought 2.5 kg. of chocolate chips, because I haven't found chocolate chips anywhere else.  Michelle was tempted by the Napa wine, not because she wanted wine, but because it was wine from California.

Just so happy!!

All our girls got new summer outfits.  I found garbage bags that will actually fit my kitchen bin from America, and hallelujah, paper towels that work and are big!  Like, America big!   Melanie has her trip down to a science now, comes once a quarter, and is set for meals for months.  Michelle and I have to visit a few more times, oh yes we do, to get our system down.  Perhaps on the next visit we won't be giggling with glee the entire time, or calling the Bounce fabric softener sheets "my precious."

 Big thanks to Melanie and Michelle for making this magical afternoon happen, and for putting up with, and not acting embarrassed by, my stupid picture-taking.  Cheers!