Day 5: One big happy family

Family is a peculiar thing. When my dad first started his genealogy research, the whole subject bored me to tears. If he began talking about it at dinner, I’d start snoring after about a sentence, and rub my eyes and yawn when he finished talking. His obsession didn’t wane over the years, and neither did my boredom with the subject, but my methods of ignoring him became subtler and less rude. It wasn’t until the last few days, however, when I began to appreciate just how much work he put into his research.

As I write this, I am lying in a queen-sized bed in my own room. I had fresh cooked waffles for breakfast, and delicious meatballs for dinner last night. I may have been gone less than a week, but I know that this is practically paradise for a backpacker who is used to shard rooms and cereal every morning, and as much as I hate to admit it, I owe it all to my fathers genealogy research.

I spent my first weekend in Australia staying in the home of Mark and Lisa Paterson, who live on a river not far from the town of Nowra. I met their daughter Georgia in Sydney, and took the train with her out to the countryside on Friday. I was fortunate enough to spend Saturday with them in their boat on the river, learning how to water-ski (side note: being dragged along the water on your ass before standing is MURDER on your balls). As it turns out, Mark’s mother Isobel has been in contact with my father for the past two years, as they are both interested in family history, and happen to share a common ancestor. Before I left Seattle, my dad gave me her contact information and urged me to look her up once I arrived. I was hesitant at first, but all in all it wasn’t a half bad way to spend my first weekend abroad.