Day one of our month in Sydney.
Leaving Korea's winter behind,
we arrived in the warm country of Australia after a flight of over 10 hours.
A trip taken by our family of four on Jetstar.
The inside of the plane was narrower and more uncomfortable than I thought.
I tried to pass the time by eating the in-flight meal and watching movies on my tablet,
but back pain soon set in,
and time crawled in seats that were already hard to sleep in.
The kids got bored and asked over and over, "When are we getting there?"
My husband and I calmly soothed them, but
inwardly, we were feeling the exhaustion of wasting an entire day.
And so we arrived at Sydney Airport.
Perhaps because of the time difference, my body felt heavy as lead.
As we finished immigration and stepped outside,
the clear, bright sunshine and exotic air
were the first to greet our faces.
"Wow, it's really summer!"
Our first child exclaimed, looking up at the sky.
"Mom, I'm hot!" our second child said with a smile.
This summer that started right from the airport lobby
was so different from the cold air of Seoul.
The DiDi app wasn't working.
So we called an Uber, and
because we had a lot of luggage, we had to choose a large vehicle.
I thought the kids would fall asleep right after getting in the car, but
instead, their eyes sparkled as they started looking out the window.
"Look over there, that tree looks weird!"
"The buildings are so pretty. It's like a movie."
The kids pressed their faces close to the window, fascinated, and
looked at the scenery of the unfamiliar city as if savoring it.
My husband quietly said, "The city looks very orderly," and
I nodded in agreement.
"The colors of the buildings are different, and the sky is so blue."
The Uber driver occasionally looked back and
kindly struck up a conversation,
"The weather is really nice today,"
"You should check out the museum near Central."
Even that tone and smile felt exotic and warm to us.
The accommodation we stayed at on our first day was
Sydney YHA Central Hostel.
It had a structure like a 4-person dormitory
with a shared kitchen and lounge.
Two bunk beds, a small but cozy space.
During the two days we spent huddled together like in a dorm,
we grew closer as a family.
Our dinner on the first day was ramen cooked in the shared kitchen.
As we took out the cup noodles and kimchi we brought from Korea,
we watched other travelers prepare their own meals.
Some were alone, some were couples,
some were even cooking while standing and watching a movie on a laptop.
"Mom, let's try cooking our own food tomorrow too."
The kids quickly adapted to this new living space,
and I was so proud and grateful to see that.
And so the first day passed.
My body was tired, but my heart was light.
A new city, a new rhythm.
'From tomorrow, we'll be able to walk around Sydney a little more leisurely.'
That night, we fell asleep with that expectation.