Australia Day

Happy Australia Day!

So today was a public holiday which meant that I got a long weekend!!! Anyway, the park about 3 blocks away from my flat had some big deal going on. So today was the perfect day for me to actually find the park. Basically, I walk out of the flat building take a right and then another right (after two small shops) and walks straight for four blocks. Not too hard at all. I found it all on my own but I did cheat on the way home because it was raining and I didn’t want to be walking all over town in the dark. Some guy said he would Google Map my street but I said just tell me where the mall is, I can get home from there….see that did come in handy. It was no worries from there! It is a nice park, I will have to go there more often. Not too far and a nice place that doesn’t require money.

Here they go all out for Australia Day. They had tethered hot air balloon rides in the morning and also some circus demonstrations. There was a mini car show and a carnival as well. Hopefully you can picture those things in your mind as someone was too lazy to walk there in the morning so I didn’t actually see those things to take pictures for you guys. Or you can look at their website.

When I first got there (around 5) I watched an act called OzStar Airlines. It is two female comedians who do circus tricks while pretending the audience is flying on an airplane and they are stewardesses. They were actually really funny and talented hula hoopers and jugglers. They involved the audience a lot. For instance a couple people were talking on their phones and they took the phones right out of their hands and started telling the person on the other end that the person they were talking to was onboard an aircraft and it was unsafe for them to be talking right then. One guy sat down with a ton of bags and they stopped the show and said “Excuse me sir but you will have to check some of that luggage”. And then some people left the show and they called them on it saying that they didn’t have parachutes so good luck or whatever. It was pretty funny.

Then I went and watched The Wiggles…yeah I know. They were actually pretty good and entertaining too. There was a prince singing songs from Frozen really badly, they did a parody of Men at Work’s Down Under song etc. There was a bit of an intermission after that where the Lord Mayor spoke and an MC guy. The MC guy said that there were three things that make you Australian: 1) If you eat Vegemite on your toast 2) If you eat some brand of cereal that I didn’t catch and 3) If you complained about the weather to someone today. Good to know the last one because it does happen a lot. Like how can they say it is hot, shouldn’t they be used to it? And then they did this thing that went:

Individual: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Individual: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Individual: "Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi!"

Individual: "Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi!"

Individual (faster): "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd (equally fast): "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

It is an Australian chant that was created during the 2000 Olympics.

Then came Sarah De Bono which is who I was waiting to see. She had placed fourth in their version of The Voice but more than that she sings my kind of music…no comments. She was really good actually. She sang some Bob Marley, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, an original song, the national anthem and after that I have no idea. I left once she was done singing. After her some rapper guy was supposed to take the stage and then the fireworks. I didn’t really want to walk home in mass chaos so I decided to take my cue then. It was raining the whole time but it was still worth it.

Back to work tomorrow. It is also payday though!!! And I have lots of ideas for what I want to do next weekend already. I posted apicture and some videos here. I had a lot more but the videos are REALLY slow uploading….

Happy Monday Crocodiles!

Luna Park

So today I boarded the train not sure again where I wanted to go. I have come to the conclusion that I could look at the Opera House every day for eternity and not tire of it. I don’t honestly know what is so neat about it. I have a feeling (really my mom pointed this out) it is that most other things I have seen that I have wanted to see for a long time have been a bit of a letdown (ie Big Ben, Leaning Tower, and don’t get me started on the London wax museum..) I think the Opera House just really exceeded my expectations in every way. So basically every time I board the train knowing I will get off somewhere that I can see it:). Bradfield Park at Milson’s Point is supposed to be the best vantage point to see the Opera House and yep they are right! Not crowded at all either…really that wasn’t sarcastic.

Luna Park is also at the Milson’s Point stop. As some back story, Wendy had sent me a tin of cookies awhile back and it had the Luna Park entrance on it. After I saw it for some reason I was mesmerized. So on the bucket list it went. Today I ticked that off the list. It was everything I thought and more actually. I really really liked it. I will probably go back. I took a bunch of pictures of the entrance. Then I walked through to see what attractions they have there. I didn’t go on any rides for two main factors but it’s okay. I don’t think it took away from the feeling. Just being there was enough for me. Another surreal experience.

It started out in the 1930’s. It was one of several Luna Parks, we even had them in the US. It is originally based on “our” Coney Island. Coney Island is the grandfather of Luna Parks actually. Luna Park means amusement park in many languages because these parks exist on every continent except Antarctica (courtesy of my friend Wikipedia). Most of the parks have closed because as humans we always want bigger and better, no? This particular Luna Park has went through periods when it wasn’t operating and had fires, etc. Eventually the people of New South Wales pulled together and it is now a cultural icon. I just like how they stayed true to the history of it. It isn’t Six Flags and it isn’t supposed to be. It is about the nostalgia of what a place like that meant to the community in war time for instance. Almost like a simpler time that wasn’t simpler at all but a Park like this could at least offer a slice of happiness. Lots of vintage pictures are on display. Here are my pictures from today.

After that I went over to Bradfield Park and sat on the bench for about an hour looking at the Opera House and listening to the water. By then there was a nice breeze so the heat of the day was forgotten. I decided today that you know how people say “It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt”? Well, it is all fun and games going down the hill but going up is a different story. Wow, I really wanted to die…holy cow. Anyway I made it back to the train station where I took it north of Sydney because I wanted to see the views and then came back. I walked to the flat the back way since it was light out and found where the free shuttle bus picks up from and where it goes. Also, I forgot to mention that by exiting on level four of the mall, I no longer need to go out the parking garage way…yep another personal accomplishment that doesn’t involve a hill.

Alright, I hope you guys are appreciating the paragraphs! Later gators!

Weekly Update

Work is going a lot better. I don’t feel like the slow kid every day now. This week was a challenge because there were a lot of declines that I had to do. Basically people asking for 20kms pay to get their child to school when public transportation is available. In those cases the routes have to be worked out and that means walking to a bus station to catch a bus to the train station and then two trains to school as an example. It has to be right because the people will for sure call and whinge since their child (who is in 2nd grade) will have to do this but I cant look at the age as a factor. In probably 90% of these cases the government is already paying for subsidized transportation passes for these students because their parents really are not driving them so that makes it easier.

I have been accepted into the passive smokers club which means I hang out with the smokers at break time… Don’t worry I wont start that up I already have too many bad habits. It is also too expensive AND I couldn’t imagine wanting a cigarette when it is a billion degrees outside.

Other than that I struggled with my bank some more. I got a phone finally so I thought that I would be all set with the pin thing. But no, it turns out that they had the wrong card registered to my account so now I have to wait for a new card to be mailed…story of my life. I had a slight scare on Thursday night because when I logged onto online banking (at least progress was made there), it said I had no accounts! Luckily it was a glitch and they fixed it. Everyone there is so nice though and it isn’t their fault so I cant complain. Maybe next week! Fingers crossed! Also speaking of money I got paid again and I am getting as much as the Australian temp workers. Don’t know how that is figured out but it is okay with me.

Yesterday I took care of some errands then caught the train to what was going to be Sydney. The problem is I love the sights to see on the train. I don’t think I could ever tire of them actually. So I stayed on til the end of the line. As we were going I saw a market going on at Milsons Point that looked really interesting so I decided to get off there on the way back. Of course by then people were packing up their stuff to leave but it looked really neat. A lot of handmade items. So I walked around for a bit. I walked up this flight of stairs to get to what I thought was the train station and it ended up being something else entirely. It turns out it was the beginning of the walking path to walk over the Harbour Bridge! Wow!!!! I couldn’t believe it! So yep more pictures of the Opera House which I think are better and from a different angle. Sorry about that I am sure you are sick of those by now but what can I say? And let’s be honest I only walked to the half way point this time so we know what you will be looking at again in the future.

Today so far I haven’t done anything because it is so blasted hot outside! It will hit high nineties but the humidity has fallen. Last night when I went to bed it was 91% humidity and like 85 degrees in my room. I know this because although the alarm clock I got on sale doesn’t work as an alarm, the weather feature works! Might be better if it didn’t with the way my mind works. Like a couple of days ago I felt pretty cool and then looked at the clock and immediately got hot again. I know. I did manage to vacuum my room, take the trash out, clean my bathroom, and wash my sheets/towels. So that is progress for sure.

I think now I will take my chances and head down to the train station or the mall or maybe both. We will see what happens…have a good one!

Sunday...Funday

I should really go to bed so I can actually get up tomorrow morning but it is overrated! So today, I went back to Circular Quay which is where the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are located. Today was a bit different because I was meeting someone. I had messaged this girl off a website (Interpals) about meeting up because she was new here too and looking for friends. So today was the day we met. Her name is Monika and she is from Poland. She is studying English here.

We decided to meet at the Opera House. Mainly because we both sort of knew how to get there and also so we could make sure that we weren’t axe murderers So I took the bus from here to Olympic Park then the train to Wynyard and then a train to Circular Quay. May I put a little pat on the back to myself here that I didn’t need to ask for help this time. Crazy because you can see the Opera House from the train station! (I posted more pictures here). Anyway I got there a bit early (45 mintues) and there I was sitting on top of the Opera House platform with my back leaned against the Opera House and there was the nicest breeze! I could totally sleep there, nice breeze comes off the water! Anywho, so she came over and introduced herself. Then we went and sat on the grass at the Botanical Gardens looking at the Opera House and talked for like three hours! It was pretty cool and I didn’t even spend any money! I know go figure! It was nice and cool there too. I like her! She just came from 6 months in the UK. She is studying English. It is good already but the grammar she struggles with…yeah don’t fret I wont be offering any advice there. Anyway we talked and talked about home, our experiences here, our educations, our dreams hahaha and so on. Good thing about her is that she likes to do things on the cheap and I would like to be like that too. Finally it was time for me to go back. She rides the bus because she lives a lot closer to Sydney. We made plans to meet next Sunday again and get going on our Sydney bucket lists.

I took the train back to Olympic Station and then caught a bus home. By then it was dark so I may have gotten a wee bit turned around at the station. Thanks Mr busman for dropping us off on the opposite side. By then my feet were starting to hurt. So when I walked in the door, my landlord said “I just texted you to see where you were”…that was bad since I don’t have a phone. So I turn on my computer and poor Wendy had gotten the text! It was nice that they cared enough to care where I was though. I was thinking the other day, the sad thing is that no one would care if I didn’t come "home" and they aren’t supposed to but it was a depressing thought. Monika had the same thought. But it isn't true in my case and I hope it isn't in hers either.

Something that we take forgranted I suppose. So as a side note I wanted to say how nice the trains are here! They are clean, well marked, timely, cheap, and the station people are very nice! Buses are okay too but I seem to always get on the overfull one, I don’t enjoy sharing sweat with others…nice image for you Actually I haven’t paid for a bus yet though because of the track work it is free! Today was $2.50 all day to ride. So I spent less than $10 for two roundtrips to Sydney. I cant even complain about that. Side note: I think I am sunburned again…when will I learn? Alright, signing out crocodiles. Til next weekend! Or maybe before. I am sure you are not sick of looking at the Opera House/Bridge and listening to me yammer on…oh wait:D

Sydney Aquarium

Today I decided to go into Sydney and take something off of my bucket list. I went to Parramatta Station and bought an Opal card which is just a prepaid card for using transportation (same as Oyster card in London). My plan was to take a train from Parramatta to Wynyard station. Per the norm even the best laid track can need maintenance. So I ended up taking a free bus from Parramatta to Olympic Park (yes where the 2000 Olympic Games were held). From there I took an express train (thank you Mr transport guy) to Townhall station.

I stopped for lunch at Hungry Jacks.  After I finished eating, I proceeded to walk to Market Street and towards Darling Harbour. It was a beautiful day for a walk. Lots of really nice buildings and a great breeze (don’t worry I wasn’t anywhere near needing a sweater). Then I walked up a pedestrian bridge to overlook the harbor and get some pictures (which are here). So finally, the time had arrived for me to go to Sydney Aquarium!!!! I was going to see a real live Dugong!!!! So I went to the Aquarium and bought myself a little birthday present (just as a reminder it is a month from yesterday). I bought a year pass (yeah I know I wont be here a year) for 5 attractions. Pretty excited about that. I can go as much as I want whenever I want and it was a good deal. Actually, I am really excited about that!

Anywho, so I pretty much didn’t look at any of the sea creatures as I was so on a mission to see the Dugongs. Finally I was in the tunnel and one swam overhead. They looked much different from a manatee which surprised me. I think manatees are still cuter but these were pretty cool. I mean how many people can say that they have seen a dugong? (No I don’t care that most people wouldn’t want to). The aquarium was really nice and very interactive. I stopped for a moment in the gift shop but didn’t get anything. I am being el cheapo but I do have to say that I don’t think souvenirs there were anymore than anywhere else which is a surprise. Oh and I got a crushed penny but they didn’t have a Dugong one which was dumb! That probably goes without saying though.

After I left there I took this trolley ride around Darling Harbour to see the other sights. They had a really nice park there (Tumbalong). The train driver said that it is the nicest park in Australia for kids. Then I walked back to the train station. On my way I went into this really posh mall (it had ac and I could walk through it to get to the station). Lots of nice things there. They even had a Coach store which I wouldn’t even want to think about! I got back to the station and boarded a train to Olympic Park. Once I got there, I figured why get off. I had nothing better to do and it had ac. So I then rode the train for about 2 hours. I went north all the way to Berowra It was nice. I got to see some nice scenery. Finally, I arrived back at Olympic Station and boarded a bus (after quite a walk) to come back to Parramatta. I arrived home and scarfed down some supper. As a side note, cottage cheese here is much thicker. So today was a success. Dugongs were way up on my list with Luna Park. I also don’t think I have ever taken the train on my own. Maybe my job is helping me. No, it was just really easy. It will be even better when the track maintenance is over. Tomorrow I think I might head back but I have to see if my feet are still there in the morning. Sorry about the poor quality aquarium pictures. I don’t think it would have been as bad if I had taken them in the tunnel. The daylight was a killer. I had more pictures but for some reason it takes an eternity to upload them and my patience (or lack of) could not deal with that. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

No Worries...I am still alive

Just a warning that this is going to be a really random post. I have a lot to say (what’s new) but none if it really connects. So maybe come back when you really don’t have anything to do… Last weekend I really didn’t do too much. I did make time to go the mall ahaha. It was pretty hot out so I did not go to Parramatta Park. I really do need to look into that though. It is supposed to be a really nice park and is like two blocks from my flat. Plus, let’s be honest eventually I will run out of things to buy at the mall oh wait yeah probably not. Oh and on Sunday I went to the fortune teller…she was pretty good actually. “Good” here meaning that she didn’t tell me I would be given a cat or have children. I liked that. I know some of my readers (like I have so many) really aren’t into that sort of thing and don’t believe in it but tarot cards to me aren’t a form of black magic. They are a tool to analyze your past, present, and future. They make you think about things differently. I would never base my life off what is said but good readings can change your perspective on things. I look at tarot cards as a form of self-reflection…okay off that soap box for now. Stop rolling your eyes!

This whole week I pretty much worked. I think that I am getting better. I did have to pick up the phone three times to call people and that was something I really dreaded. Both conversations were painful for the people on the other end I am sure. But hey at least they knew I wasn’t calling from an Indian call center! Plus I didn’t say anything as embarrassing as my classic “hope he better”. Two were bus operators and one was a parent who filled out an application wrong. Actually they were all really nice! I think I am getting more used to figuring out the service routes. It is difficult for me because I don’t trust my judgment and that is what it is all about. You find what you think is the best option. They don’t want to double check the work so let’s hope I have it down. High five man really likes my work per Wendy so that is good. My greatest fear was letting her down.

One of the new ladies that started on this past Monday was let go yesterday. That was really unsettling. I have never been anywhere that let someone go because they couldn’t do the job. She was really nice too. Oh and the #1 rule at work is: “People lie”. So that is always nice. Here the PVC payment could be like a second job income really. I mean people lie about where they live or say they bring their kid to school when we give them bus passes too and so on. It is insane!

In this same vein, I was paid this week. I almost had a heart attack because I was charged 50% tax! Thankfully when I arrived back to the flat my tax file number was waiting for me. Whew! Now I think I only pay about 35% tax…hey I will take that 15% with a smile. Everyone keeps saying that I can file taxes here but I don’t know. I did learn however from Stan that I cant be taxed again when I return home because we have a treaty with Australia against double taxation. Here I am paid a base wage plus they do 9% super at my work. Which is superannuation, basically a forced retirement savings. Lucky for me I get that back when I return home. So at least my mom wont have to support me right away when I get back…

Also, related…geez who said this was going to be random…I got my debit card at the bank finally! Don’t worry I still cant use it. You need to activate it online for which you need a pin. The pin has to be the one they text to you except I don’t have a phone (still on the fence about that). So that means I have to wait for a letter to get posted to the bank with a pin in it so that I can register for online banking and activate the card and set a pin for that. I know…genius! The people at the bank know my name now hahaha. In other news, I have noticed that ketchup pumps (like at fast food places) don’t exist here. So now I hoard ketchup packets, yep true story. Wont be so funny when I squash my purse and they go all over the place inside.

 Oh and I know I told some people awhile back but here McDonalds is Maccas. Yeah apparently Australians are that cool that they can change the name of a global chain. Pretty impressive. Oh and here you go to Mcdonalds and probably 50% of people leave their garbage on the table or even at the food court. I would think that is not how it is supposed to work though. Also, along food lines, the other day right across from my work they had a pop up In and Out Burger joint. The line was around the block. That was interesting! And some Dirty Dancing flash mob thing occurred at the mall last night while I was there.

So lingo that I have discovered so far just some small things really: 1)If the number is 6322887, here it is ALWAYS six-three-double two-double eight-seven. They say that every time! 2)Everything here is followed by “no worries”. For instance, thank you…”no worries”….your pants are on fire…”no worries”. So I suppose that will be my “bizarre” (from France) that I take home with me. 3)They say “righty-o” a lot. 4)A jump drive is only a USB. Don’t call it anything else. 5)Apparently you can never say I will “root” for you. It means something bad. Didn’t ask what. I have learned when people say that, it isn’t good. 6)I say the word “beet” funny. Well they call it beetroot. 7)People can tell right off the bat I am American with my accent. I really don’t think I have one…just kidding! 8)Sometimes I can be talking to an Australian (first language obviously English) and they have no idea what I am saying. You know how I know? I know the look from my time in France. I was the master of it.  I guess I should end this now. It got a little out of control. Tomorrow I am off to Sydney again. This time by myself on the train. So let’s cross our fingers on that one. I hope everyone is doing well.

After awhile crocodiles!

Pictures

This link should (hopefully) take you to the few pictures I have taken thus far. I need to get on that. It would have helped had I brought my better camera but why would I do that? And yes of course I lugged it all the way here...I just didn't actually bring it when I knew I would need it. Duh! I'll try harder next time.

Flatshare

So the second question I am getting a lot is about my living situation. I moved in on Monday night. It is pretty nice actually. Again you can google it, it is 13 Campbell Street, Parramatta. It is the high apartment building, I live on level three. Very secure place, you need a key just to enter the lobby. It takes me ten minutes to walk to work which is awesome. I also live next door to the big mall Westfields and also close by the train station but I don’t hear the noise. It takes about 20 minutes to go from here to Sydney by train apparently.

  So my room has two twin beds in it, my own bathroom, and a huge closet with builtins. I bought a fan because the ac unit is in the living room. Fan works really well actually. Anyway, I am renting from Des, a Filipino lady. Her best friend, Clara, stays here also. They seem to have a goofy (in a good way) relationship. Soon Des’ son will be returning from the Philippines to go to school here. Doesn’t matter to me because I still get my own room and bathroom…yes! Anyway there are two patios, one is huge! The other is for drying our clothes because yes they don’t like to use their dryers here either. That is okay, I just did my laundry and that went really well. She let me use all of her hanging stuff and there was quite the breeze. Then she let me use her iron which was awesome! Basically I can use anything I want she said. I still need to buy groceries but once I do that then I should be good to go for the kitchen. Oh wait yeah I don’t know how to cook…that might be a problem. Anyway they are really friendly.

Like the job, I was lucky to get this place. It is clean, safe, and so close to work/stores/transportation. Maybe a little too close to stores but hey I have to learn to budget sometime. So I think that was the last major question I have been getting. Any others? And as a funny side note, I went to Subway today and ordered American Cheese on the sub without thinking…turns out it isn’t American Cheese here…oops. That led to 20 questions about why I was here but it was pretty funny. I can tell you what was not funny was getting lost in the darn parking garage for the second day in a row…LEVEL 3!!!! See I have it for tomorrow.

Work

G’day mates…hahahaha. Sorry sometimes I just really crack myself up…anywho….so Monday was my first day of work. Okay first of all I work at 16-18 Wentworth Street Parramatta Level 5 for the NSW Government Transport. Where I work there are 3 schemes: PVC, SSTS, and Taxi. Basically they are just different forms of subsidized travel. I work directly in PVC which stands for Personal Vehicle Conveyance. So in NSW (different in different states) student travel to school is subsidized. This means that a parent can pick any school (even outside of NSW) for their student to attend but the government dictates how the student is going to get there. So a lot of parents will try to get a larger subsidy (claim they drive further than they actually do) or even double dip (get paid for bringing the child to school while also getting bus tickets). It is our job to check and make sure that the parent is taking the student to the nearest transport point. A lot of parents will call and say that there child cant ride the bus because they don’t like the bus driver or the bus is unsafe but we simply don’t care because they should bring that up with the their local council. I started with 5 other people: 2 Indian girls, 1 African American lady, 1 Australian boy, and then 1 Australian lady. Two went to SSTS and then the four of us went to PVC.

I sit with the taxi people for right now because my computer is broken. It is okay that I sit there though as they are nice too. So the first day we just learned about what happens in both schemes. First day was a piece of cake. Day two was much tougher as let’s be real I don’t know how to think in kilometers or anything about the geography of NSW or about reading bus/train schedules let alone how to match them up. So yeah that was a bit scary, no that was a lot scary. But they were really nice and put me in my own slow learners group where I got to practice with the schedules and learn more about how things work. I felt a lot more confident after that. Today I was assigned 3 service checks which I did and then my new mentor went over them with me and then 2 boarder applications (really easy) and some medical apps.

Plus my new mentor, Azeez, is super eager to help me. Less high fives would be good but he entertains all of my dumb questions so he is good in my book. I have never seen a place more diverse than here. It is really hard to find an actual Australian anywhere. But I seem to be a bit of a novelty being from the states so that is nice and always gives way to lots of conversation. For instance today the guy that sits diagonal to me told me he met Dolly Parton…didn’t see that coming. It is a pretty cool place to work. And I am of course super thankful for being given the opportunity.

I tried to contain my excitement about my government pass and lanyard because they probably already think I am a little weird. I hope they don’t want those back…that probably wont happen. Everything seems pretty loose starting with morning tea. They actually pay for milk for that purpose but you cant use it on cereal just an fyi (and no I really didn’t try that). There is no time clock and you don’t write anything down either. I go in at 8:30AM and can leave at 4:00 with a half hour lunch. So it isn’t too bad. Also since I am temp they make some flexibility in holiday weeks as well as if I need a day off for me to make up the time. So far I like everyone and they are super nice. Plus this job is teaching me some really good things like how to use public transport which I have never understood. Lots of good life lessons and real skills.

Tourist Mecca

On Sunday we went to see the Opera House, Botanical Gardens, and the Harbour Bridge. We took a passenger ferry from Parramatta to Darling Harbour and then Circular Quay. Of course I was excited because nothing screams “I am in Sydney” more than a picture in front of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. On the way there I caught a glimpse of Luna Park, I really really want to go there. At any rate, it was uber duber hot and there were so many people EVERYWHERE. Anywho we stopped and ate at another really expensive place right on the pier (insert sad face here as no I wasn’t allowed to pay) and then moseyed on our way.

We passed some buskers (which in this case means people who do acts on the street for Money, and yes that was a shout out to Lemony Snicket himself): there were men in gold/silver costumes that were statues, one guy was like he was caught in a windstorm, a guy on stilts, street artists, aborigines playing instruments etc. In Australia buskers must have a license and some places like supermarkets actually recruit them to draw crowds in. We walked up the steps to the Opera House, it looked different in person than what I would have thought. Much more complicated. Then we proceeded over to the Botanical Gardens… Lots of interesting plants there like bamboo, fig trees, and some others that I don’t really know what they were but I hadn’t seen anything like them before. Anyway there was also a Government House that reminded me a lot of Downton Abbey inside but we didn’t go. Since the terror acts happened here you need an id to go anywhere. It did look cool.

We went to a café for some drinks and then proceeded to get in line for the ferry. Well, if there is one thing that this place has reinforced is how much I like structure! Mass chaos wouldn’t even begin to describe the ferry situation. See Sundays it is only 2.50 for unlimited travel all day on ferries, trains, and buses therefore everyone and their mother (literally) was there. So we were supposed to get on one ferry but they pushed us out of the way so we missed it along with a lot of other people. See, here there are no lines. And I really mean that. You just “kindly” weasel your way in. Stan and I were just starring at each other during this because that doesn’t happen in the US or someone would die.

Finally, a ferry worker came out and laid the law down in his nice accent that there would be another ferry coming and if anyone pushed he was slamming the gate shut. He didn’t care because he was already on overtime…that made me laugh. Eventually we got on the ferry which took us by Cuckatoo Island where apparently you can camp overnight…not ready for that. Then we had to dock because tide was low and get on a bus for the rest of the journey. And that was pretty much that for that day, nothing else too exciting. I just tried to recover that night for work in the morning. It was a pretty big deal for me because the things I have been looking at only in pictures were real right in front of me.

New Food

Hmmm...where to begin. I think today will have to be a two parter because I have so much to say but let's see where we get shall we? This morning we went and looked at a place for me and I put a downpayment on it. So that was major progress. It is right next to Westfields Parramatta which is the largest mall here outside of Sydney. Not sure if that is a good thing as they have an awesome stationary store there. I move in on Monday night after work. So we will see how all that goes. So much to say about that but I will save it for another post. After that we went to the mall and I bought 2 pillows, 1 all seasons comforter, and a fan. Apparently Wendy is giving me the sheets (literally) off of Demi's bed so I am excited for that! I like them and they are free. I couldnt ask for more there.

Oh and I tried to get my bank card but that didn't go too well. I was able to withdraw money but my card hadn't came yet. After that we had lunch at the food court. You will never guess where I went...suspense music...McDonalds! (I know mom)...but they had the McOz! How could I pass that up to add to my collection? So I ordered that. I split my fries with Demi while Wendy went to go get some food for them. Finally I got to my burger...I was so excited because me being the smart person I am (you can see where this is going) I had made sure they took of the nasty onion and tomato. So I take a big bite and something didn't taste right...BEETS! Yeah so apparently when you get an authentic Aussie burger it comes with beet on it! That was new. After that we went to the grocery store where Wendy bought some Lychees for me to try. They are not from here but I had never seen them before. Interesting fruit.

Then we came home and watched some tv. Demi showed me her animal book which made me remember that here a lady bug is a ladybird. Oh yeah and they say zede instead of z like in Canada. Actually Demi is a wealth of information. Turns out she can buckle her seatbelt faster than me as well. After that we went to a buffet at a club that honors their veterans here. It was like a country club but with lotto machines. It was nice but really expensive. Somebody wouldn't let me pay again (I think I've met my match on that). I had a prawn roll, 3 scallops, salmon and then the rest were things that weren't out of the norm for me. For dessert I had Pavlova which is an Australian dessert with a meringue base, topped with fresh cream and fruit. Apparently it was named after a ballerina. Then we tried to go to a park with Emus, Wallabies, and Cockatoos but it was closed. Finally we came back and watched this funny Chinese Dating show that has a cult following now and a show about the culture in the Philippines. Tomorrow off to Sydney to see the Opera House and Darling Harbour.

After while crocodiles.

Arrival

I’ve arrived in Sydney Australia!!! Those of you who know me well know that my math skills are a little (a lot) lacking! So per the norm I don’t know where I got it was a 14 hour flight but let me assure you it wasn’t. I left SSM Ontario at 1:50pm Dec 31st (Happy Birthday Andrea) and I arrived in Toronto less than 2 hours later. Then I left Toronto at 8pm Eastern Standard Time. There was a brief deplaning at Vancouver and I arrived in Sydney at 6pm EST!!! Holy wow was that a long flight. The planes were much fuller than I would have expected for New Years Eve though! Luckily there were seats next to me on both longer flights so my flubber didn’t impose on someone else.

The flights were good. I met a nice Australian lady from Melbourne named Rosie. She wasn’t all that chatty (darn it) but at the end of the flight she gave me her number in case I needed anything. Maybe it was because I looked dumb/scared…hard to say. I watched Dolphin Tale 2, Alexander and the very bad blah blah day, Fried Green Tomatoes all the way through finally, Kitchen Nightmares, and this stupid show called Friday Night Dinner (Rosie picked that and I watched every episode). After I arrived in Sydney, I immediately regretted bringing too much stuff. It was so hot and I was in 3 layers. Customs went really well...I will just leave that there:)

Stan, Wendy, and Demi were there to greet me with a sign complete with balloons!!! So cute. After I went to get in the drivers seat…that is going to be tricky and headed off. It was fun driving on the wrong side of the road.  I am getting ready to hit the hay. After awhile crocodiles