Toto, we're not in Wisconsin anymore....

I have been here now just about a month and things are finally starting to fall more into a routine and I'm getting my bearings more about Coogee and Sydney. There are still sometimes where I am taken aback about the differences between Australia and the US, and I have been asked a plethora of questions about these differences. I'll come back to these differences after a quick update on the happenings here!

Kangaroo on the BBQ

Bondi Beach

Over the last week I have mostly been cooped up in the apartment because it has been rainy all week, but on Saturday Andrew and I took a lovely day-long walk to Bondi Beach (pronounced bond-eye), one of the most famous in Australia...In fact before coming here while Andrew was in Wisconsin he showed me a movie called "Two Hands" with Heath Ledger in it and Bondi beach was featured in the movie! Also there is a reality TV show about the lifeguards at Bondi Beach...so its pretty famous! Anyways...its a 12 mile walk there and back to the apartment so we laced up our sneakers and headed out in the morning and enjoyed a lovely stroll along the ocean past some very nice beaches. By the time we arrived in Bondi we were hungry and eager to rest our legs so we grabbed lunch and spent some time down at the beach before we hiked back home...We took our time and made it home just as the rain was hitting and settled in for pizza and a movie. On Sunday we went to this little bay for a swim and then to the mall in pursuit of snorkel gear from Target or Kmart (yes they have both of those stores here and they are similar to ours!). We didn't find any snorkel gear but we did find a cabinet for our bathroom to add some more drawers and space. It was plain white so we bought paint and I began sketching on the drawers and spent a couple days this week painting the drawers...not the outsides but the sides of the drawers, where the pictures will only be seen when the drawers are out. Good practice for the outside of the cabinet! Also this week we ate kangaroo on the BBQ! Definitely tastes like venison, very lean, red meat, but not quite as "game-y"...overall pretty tasty!

My new art project! 

Alright so these little differences?? The accent is still really cool to me and I can understand fine until they start throwing in Aussie slang... For example when we were camping we had to have an eski...any ideas on what that is? A cooler! A chemist is a pharmacy, togs are swimwear, thongs are sandals, knickers are underwear, a fortnight is two weeks, servo is a gas station, petrol is gas, and so on and so forth. I'll think of many more as they come up. I can say that I am adopting certain phrases into my vocabulary though...I say reckon instead of think, and say "it'll be 'right" instead of "alright". But no cool accent for me yet!

Prices are also outrageous here. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities to live in in the WORLD. So it should come as no surprise about how much everything from groceries, to gas, to rent, to going out for a night cost. Just last night we went out for dinner and drinks with some of Vera's (one of the flatmates) friends. We had a great time with them, we shared a few plates of food between 6 of us and 3 bottles of wine. At the end each person had to pay $20 for food (not too bad) and $45 for drinks! YIKES. So a night out for us was $120 plus cab fare plus $10 gelato for two.Some other interesting pricing...

•  Gas here is $1.60 per liter which makes it roughly $6.40 per gallon! 
• When we were in Melbourne and looking for a hotel we found hotels for $700 a night...partly because the F1's were on and partly because its a city!
•  A 10 bus ride pass is $30 in Sydney.
• Beer is $40-45 for a 24 pack (depending on beer) and at a pub a beer $6-8
• A new movie release movie rental costs $7.50 for one night! 
•  An avocado is$3-5 in the grocery store, blue, black, and raspberries are $5 a carton. 
• Gym memberships are about $60-70 a month. 
• Rent for Andrew's room here is $400 a week plus utilities...but I've seen advertisements for apartments for $650 a week! 

I could continue to bore you with the high prices here but basically, the overall theme is that most things are way more expensive!

I guess those are the two biggest differences that I recognize here...Besides that nutrition is upheld at a much higher level, portion sizes are smaller, and juicing is a huge trend as well as gluten-free and vegetarian. And there are still McDonalds, Burger King (called Hungry Jacks is the name here), KFC, Subway, Dominos, and Krispy Kremes, just in case I would be craving a little slice of USA.

Well, my short post has now turned into a ramble and the weekend is just beginning here so I will log off and find something fun to do this weekend! PLEASE send me some questions about things you're curious about here! I'll answer or ask an expert about it (AKA Andrew)!

Kids, Kangaroos, Camping, and Coastline

The last week and a half have been spent traveling by car to north of Sydney to visit Andrew's family, back to Sydney, and down the Eastern coast to Melbourne. 

Miranda and Jemima

We visited Andrew's family because his brother, Chris, was riding a bull in a rodeo...FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! We went to Andrew's parent's home in a small town called Raymond Terrace which was about 1.5 hours north of Sydney. The drive was through the mountains and we had a beautiful, sunny drive. The bull ride was exciting even though it was only seconds but the whole family (minus one brother) was there and there was an excited buzz the entire rodeo since Chris rode last. After the ride we watched the kids (Jemima-7, Miranda-5, Sam-3, and Ethan-2) on the bounce house and playing some carnival games. After getting attacked by hungry mozzies (mosquitoes) we headed back to the house where Jemima and Miranda gave me a gift box (decorated by them and their brother, Sam!) and some homemade necklaces. Then I taught 5 more people to play cribbage! Wisconsin taking over Oz! The next day we celebrated Andrew's parent's anniversary (40th I think!) with a BBQ and a short game of golf with Andrew, his youngest brother, Dave, and Andrew's sister Jenny's husband, Mark (Muzz). Jemima and I took over driving the cart around which was great. In the morning we also went for a motorcycle ride with Dave around the country. It was a beautiful day and the area around Raymond Terrace was surrounded by green pastures filled with cows, horses, or sheep. The landscape reminded me of Wisconsin a lot with the farms, temperate "rain forests", and small towns. It was a great way to see the area!

Wild Kangaroos! 

Jervis Bay-- "Whitest Sand in the World"

After we left Raymond Terrace, we drove back to Sydney to pack for our week trip to Melbourne. Andrew's parent's equipped us with a tent and camping gear so our plan was to tent on the way down, stay with Andrew's friends while we were there, and maybe get a hotel in the city one night. We drove a few hours and ended up in a lovely little place called Jervis Bay on our first night. We didn't have much of a plan and since we drove from Raymond Terrace the same say we didn't arrive until nearly 7 which meant the after a quick stop to check out my first wild kangaroos we set up camp just before sunset and grilled up some sausages for dinner and were following up with some cribbage in the tent (by lantern light) when some kids dive bombed our tent, that is, jumped right on it (and Andrew mostly), caving it in, and running and jumping the fence. Andrew wasn't happy but it was a little funny. The next day after exploring Jervis Bay, which boasts the "whitest sand in the world", we drove another few hours to Narooma where we stayed the night in a cabin (cheaper than a hotel!) due to thunderstorms. We continued our trip down the coast to Eden, where I dragged Andrew to a Killer Whale Museum and onto Lake's Entrance where we stayed in another cabin. The road we drove down the coast is called the "Princes Highway" and it winds through mountains, more temperate rain forests, wine countries, farmland, and coastline. It takes about 6 hours longer than the main highway but the scenery made it worthwhile!

Wallaby

On Thursday when we got to Melbourne we stayed at Andrew's friend's house, Nick and Mel who had a toddler, Zach, and a newborn, Ben. They were very nice hosts and we had three great nights with them just drinking beer and eating yummy dinners. We went to the Formula Ones on Friday which was just a practice day but we still saw the cars, enjoyed the atmosphere, and even saw Tony Hawk! On Saturday we went with Nick and Mel and their kids to the zoo. It wasn't a normal zoo though, it was just Australia animals, so it was pretty cool, and if you know me, you know I love animals so getting to pet wallabies, wombats, and even snakes was right up my alley! On the way home we decided to just take the less scenic highway back to Sydney and after road construction, a huge crossword puzzle, and 9 hours we arrived home safe and sound. 

Looks like a calm couple of days back here in Sydney before another weekend traveling to visit one of Andrew's brothers, Steve and his family (and new beagle puppy!). Steve also lent me a guitar for the year which worked out perfectly!
If you have any specific questions for me, please comment them and I will answer as best I can! 

Sydney, Spiders, and City...Oh my!

My first few days here have been relaxing but exciting at the same time...

Huntsman Spider...scale to about size of palm

My first day was spent with Andrew getting to know the area he lives in....Coogee, which is a little community on the beach with lots of shops and restaurants. In Aborigine, Coogee means "the bad smell of rotten seaweed washed upon shore". That description makes Coogee seem unappealing but in reality, the beach is pristine with soft, white sand. And the water is blue with small, calm waves. Andrew and I took his vespa down to the beach the first day (even though it's only a ten minute walk) and ate fish and chips and drank beer and wandered around the sand. After we got back we put on walking shoes and headed to another little cluster of shops/restaurants ten minutes the other direction from the apartment...it's called "The Spot" where we ate thin crust pizza and had a few drinks, mine had "fairy floss" or thick cotton candy in it! We came back to the apartment and found a Huntsman Spider just about the balcony door in the bedroom. I almost had a heart attack because the thing was actually pretty big, even if it was mostly all legs. After a few attempts of tossing flip flops at it, it finally fell and scurried out onto the balcony, hopefully never to be seen again. Andrew swears that its a rare occurrence to have them in the house and he's never had one in his room. For some reason, I have to doubt that.

Coogee Beach

My second day Andrew and I went down to Coogee after a breakfast of Wheat-Bix, a cereal that has the taste of plain corn flakes but is in bars the size of granola bars. Since I still didn't have my luggage, I was without a swim suit, or togs as they say here. We ended going into a togs store that was closing and finding one that fit alright. I went down to the beach while Andrew went to work and spent a majority of the day laying in the sand, swimming in the cool waters, and soaking in the sunshine. After a while I decided to adventure a bit and found a cool walking trail which led to a bay, Gordon's Bay, with real calm water and surrounded by cliff bluffs, the lower ones with sun-tanners lounged out. I floated here a bit and tried to get comfy on the rocks to read a bit more. It was nearing 4:00 so I started to head back and ended up in a juice bar in Coogee because a sudden thunderstorm accumulated and was dumping rain down. Andrew picked me up in the car and we had a BBQ, or barbie (bahh-bee), with his flatmates, Vera and Dee. And, finally around 8 my luggage came!

Didgeridoo band

Sydney Opera House

Day three was spent in the city. Andrew and I got breakfast at the small cafe near his work and I spent the morning wandering around the Sydney Bridge and Opera House harbor in the area called the Circular Quay (pronounced Key). There was a large cruise ship in so the Quay was bustling with tourists and there were a number of street performers and artists out. There were even two Aborigine "bands" composed of a back track with beats, a very talented didgeridoo player, and a stick player/the person who got all the pictures taken with the tourists. After getting lunch with Andrew I wandered into the heart of the city with shopping malls and skyscrapers, both old and new. I got a little turned around but was able to find my way bag to Andrew's office and we got drinks with his boss and coworkers and I got to see the office which was actually a room with no walls so that everyone sits next to each other and chats, which is apparently pretty fun. We catch the bus back towards home and stop in the Spot again for dinner at a tapas restaurant where we drink peach&mint sangria and order zucchini flowers and a meat plate, which included blood sausage, a soft slice of meat that is nearly like ground meat but dark and has some weird fibers holding it together...not the best.

Sydney Harbor Bridge

I think some things that you may find interesting about here aren't really things that you would expect. For example, driving...Not only are you on the opposite side of the road, but the driver seat is where our passenger seat is...and therefore, in a stick shift car you shift with your left hand! But the pedals are the same. Also the streets are adorned with heaps of roundabouts. And crosswalks for pedestrians allow only about 15 seconds to cross...not a lot of slow paced things here! Something else that is interesting is walking...It sounds like nothing, but you pass on the left side instead of the right. You walk down stairs on the left side. You basically always keep left. It's little things like that that surprise me most about here so far. But, by far the most interesting things is the difference in bar culture...They are surprisingly strict about alcohol. "Free pours" are illegal, shots are (mostly) banned, bars stay open until 3 am, but they don't allow anyone in after 1:30 am, and drinking is prohibited on the beach. Also, its a bit pricey to have a big night out, averaging $7-9 Aussie dollars per beer!


That brings me up to today actually which I'm spending at home unpacking and blogging (clearly). This weekend we will head to Andrew's hometown of New Castle to watch his brother ride a bull for the first time in a rodeo (pronounced ro-day-oh). Then next week we will go to Melbourne!

United We Fail....

On Sunday I left the house with bags all packed and ready to go. My luggage weighed 50.9 lbs but they let it slide which was good since my carry on was probably near the limit and was stuffed with mostly gifts. After a goodbye to my parents I waited near the gate for my plane. The sunny skies were deceiving and the plane was delayed on arriving. Finally, around 3:00 pm we were boarded and taking off for the short flight...Those of you who knew my flight schedule knew that my plane from Chicago was at 4:00 so I was cutting it close. We landed at 3:30 giving me just enough time to rush to my next gate. However, they required all carry-ons to be put in cargo and let me tell you, they took their sweet time getting those bags off. Then I had to cross the airport by shuttle and it just seemed that everyone was moving at a snail's pace. I ran to my gate and arrived six minutes late. I had missed it...the only flight that left on time. After waiting in customer service (United sucks) for an hour, a very nice gentleman helped me to rebook my flights completely on United from Chicago to LA straight on to Sydney. I actually was scheduled to arrive in Sydney earlier than expected so I was pretty excited. Plus he gave me $21 in meal vouchers (just in case you didn't know, when my family and I went to Mexico we were issued $14 of meal vouchers each for our two day delay in Houston!) I ate an expensive salad and waited for my flight to LA. It was unbelievable that this flight ended up being on a 45 minute delay because the cleaning crew took so long! Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated by the time we took off. I nestled my nose in my book for the 4.5 hour flight and rushed off the plane. I ended up being near the front of the plane and only had to walk a couple gates down so I had time to change into yoga pants (thanks to Mary Schepp!) and get a snack. My original flight across the ocean was on Air New Zealand which offered complimentary wine, special meals, comfy seats (first thing I checked!), and personal TVs...So I was a little bummed upon seeing my seat was basically a typical sardine can style seat with no personal TV and no complimentary wine! However, since the flight was over night I slept quite a bit of it and strained my neck to see the movies they showed on the limited TV screens (Frozen and Last Vegas). The ladies next to me knew very limited English so I had a quiet flight with three meals and lots of beverage services. 
Upon arriving in Sydney we were herded into customs and sent to pick up our bags. It was here that I met Kevin, a retired Aussie who told me that he was coming from Wyoming where he was "chasing tail". He was my first real Aussie encounter in his cowboy hat and croc-leather boots. We both waited and waited for our bags, turns out his was on another carousel and mine was lost. While waiting at the help desk they told me they weren't sure where my bag was and since I didn't know my phone number or address here it seemed slim that my bag would be located and delivered in a timely manner. I cruised through customs with no huge bag and had a great reunion with Andrew, who waited with a rose for me just outside customs.  
My bag was returned only the next night (Wednesday) which was great because I didn't have clothes except jeans, yoga pants, a tee shirt, two dresses (one sun, one dressy) and gifts. Now the real adventure can begin!