Hello again all!
I hope this email finds all of you well and enjoying the last days of summer. I'm just getting geared up for my summer down here and am very much looking forward to it.
Most of you know that I made a whirlwind trip back to the States for a week, but I'm back in the game over here and getting settled again. It was strange being picked up in Australia and dropped off in the States. It's like two completely different worlds, but it definitely made me realize that Americans are so uptight and stressed about everything! The Aussies have a good outlook on life in that they don't worry about things that are not in their control. So, next time you feel stressed about something that you cannot change, just think to yourself, "No worries!".
Anyway, work is going well and I am staying busy. The social aspect of work is keeping me busy too! At the end of audits down here, the audit teams have these massive celebratory lunches that tend to last into the evening. These lunches come complete with awards and stories, which guarantee a good time. I have a couple of those coming up, so they should be enjoyable. We are also having a celebratory dinner for my group's Footy Team for winning the company Footy trophy. Since I was a supporter I get invited to that as well, so that should definitely be a good time. The Assistant Manager's in my office also have a Boys/Girls Night Out planned. The boys have split up the city (downtown) into zones and we have to stay in our respective zones until it's time to meet up. So, essentially the girls have a fun night out, the boys have a fun night out, and then we meet up later in the evening for some more fun. Oh, and the twist to all of this is that a list of dares is being compiled that has to be completed by each group prior to the meeting point. This should be interesting.....
I've decided to get a car. I don't know what yet, but I don't enjoy being stuck in Port Melbourne on the weekends, dependent upon good weather or a friend to go anywhere. I'm too used to the freedom of having a car and being able to go anywhere at any moment. It will be nice to be independent again, but I think that it will take some time for me to adjust to driving here on a regular basis. The roads still confuse me and parking petrifies me! It's mostly parallel, and at a least a few of you know that I cannot parallel park to save my life. The cars here are ridiculously expensive, so I'll have to let you know how the car searching goes. I hate car shopping!
We have a couple of big sporting events coming up soon. The Grand Final for Aussie Rules Football is this weekend (comparable to the Super Bowl for American football). For those of you who understand and know the teams, it's Collingwood vs. Brisbane. Needless to say, it will be a big weekend for footy fans! The Spring Carnival is here and the Melbourne Cup is coming up at the beginning of November. It's a Victorian State holiday when everyone gets off work to go to the horse races and ladies get all dolled up in huge hats. It should be quite the experience!
Other than that, my weekends have been a bit relaxed lately. Just going to the movies and hanging out with Angie and other friends ("mates"). I'm trying to plan a trip or two to Tasmania and maybe the Gold Coast, but it's harder to organize when I don't have a person down here with me to travel with, but I may be able to twist some arms of work colleagues and friends. Any of you are more than welcome to come visit too!! T is in for an adventure when she comes down at the end of November!
I had expressed interest to one of my friends here about stargazing since the constellations and stars are completely different down here. So, he has helped me find a good star map and has offered to take me out to the country to look at the stars! I'm very excited, although it's been awfully cloudy lately at night so we are waiting patiently for a clear sky. And, I'm toying with the idea of playing "mixed" rugby with my company. Although I have no idea how to play, I think I could pick it up rather quickly and it would give me some regular exercise during the week.
A few more things about the Aussies that may be of interest to you:
- Almost every Australian woman has her hair colored.
- Most Australian men have spiky hair (and a lot of it is colored as well!).
- Even though the Australians drive on the left side of the road, they walk on whichever side they please.
- The Aussies love toast.....with jam, margarine, Vegemite, whatever!
- All pants here are low rise (very low rise!), even suit pants. But the shirts are not longer to make up for it, so there are lots of bellies showing!
- Flip flops are called thongs, so are thongs.
- They don't have grape-flavored stuff. No grape jelly, jellybeans, candy, soda, etc. If it's purple, it's blackberry.
- All candy is called "lollies", but the snack bar at a cinema is called a candy bar.
- Movie tickets are $14.
- Bathing suit ("bathers") tops are not required on Aussie beaches.
- When you order a lemonade, you'll get Sprite.....in the can.
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