Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween?
By the way, Halloween doesn't really exist in Australia. I'd say October is much more exciting with Thanksgiving and Halloween (and more colourful!) I had a very lazy morning today, and the only thing on my to-do list was come to the internet cafe. Once I checked my email, though, I was thrown into a panic! Last Feb. when I went home to Canada, Carole and I took some tests to apply for the Canadian foreign service (working in an embassy overseas). It's a very selective program, so I wasn't surprised when I didn't hear back from them. But... today in my inbox was an email telling me they want to interview me and they have an opening at 8am on Tuesday in Singapore! Or I can wait till March 2008 in an undecided Asian location. It's my dream job, but most interviewees don't get the position, and I don't want to get my hopes up. I was ready to book a flight to Singapore, but I think I've decided to wait until March for three reasons. Number one: I can't find a flight less than $900. Number two: my passport is currently in a file cabinet in the Canadian embassy Sydney office (and may even have been cancelled in preparation for my new one). Number three (the most flighty reason imaginable): I would have to miss going to see Australian Idol being taped with Louise and her sister! So, unless I can find a last minute miracle flight and beg my passport back, I'll just have to wait and hope for March. Here are some pictures of fun times in Sydney with Jill, Brian and Louise:
We went to Bondi beach, and I was slightly disturbed to find that the white sand beaches perfectly matched my extremely white skin!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Update & Pictures
Everything is going well in Sydney. Jill and I have had a couple of tiring days walking up and down city streets, but we've seen some great sights! Brian arrived this morning and they are optimistic about selling the car (and then we can get back to sightseeing). I've taken today to work on finding more permanent accommodation and job options, and to read my book at Starbucks. The picture above shows our co-ordination. I was wearing a burgundy shirt, burgundy sweater an burgundy purse. And Jill had chosen the same combo in green! Also strange was when we first asked someone to take our picture. I gave my camera to a middle aged woman and she turned it and held it up to her face pointing towards her!!! I smiled and turned it around; trying not to laugh! And then some strange guy decided to pose with us in the picture (why?) and, as you might expect, it didn't turn out very well.
We stumbled upon the taping of our favorite Aussie morning show (Sunrise), and even got autographed photos!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sydney
Happy, safe and settled in Sydney! Although I was "warned" by almost everyone in Bakers Hill that Sydney was horrible, I love it (just as I expected). It really is one of the best cities in the world, and I've just started exploring it. The best part has been travelling with Jill again, and seeing Louise. Jill met me at the train station and helped me get my luggage back to the hostel. We're staying at one of the cheapest hostels I could find ($22 AUS a night per bed) so I'm pretty thankful that it's very safe, reasonably clean and well-located. Supposedly there are even free pancakes for breakfast, but we slept in today and had fruit smoothies instead. We're still getting our bearings in the city and doing a lot of walking. We're scoping out the "must-dos" that we'll be willing to spend money on, and anything that is free. Yesterday we got some terrific pictures in front of the Opera house, but I can't upload on this computer, so you'll just have to wait. The train ride went really well, by the way. 70 some hours in one seat is slightly tiring, but I had good books to read, I enjoyed the scenery and I got some really good sleep! People were really friendly, the food was pretty good and the showers had surprisingly good water pressure. I took a tour of the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie and saw a "superpit" open cut mine that is three kilometers long and 400 meters deep (and runs 24 hours a day). By the way, try saying "Kalgoorlie". Pretty impossible to pronounce it with the r and l, eh? Thankfully Aussies drop their r's so it's actually Kalgoolie. And talking about funny names, we're staying in a district of Sydney called Woolloomooloo! Anyway, I'm out of internet time. Hopefully I'll put up pictures soon.Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Books!
I was talking to Carole this morning and she seemed really interested in the different cover art on the books I'm reading. So here's a picture for Carole and Michelle (and anyone else who finds cover art intriguing). The yellow one is pretty intimidating, eh? Anyway, I'm checking out now, and finding my way to the train station! Pictures and stories to come in three days.
Back To The City
For everyone who is trying to keep track of my wanderings, I have been back in Perth just for two days before I leave for Sydney tomorrow. I am so excited to board a train, find my seat and settle back with a blanket, book and ipod. I had so much fun shopping for food today- granola bars, fruit bars and those peanut butter/cracker packs: it reminds me so much of childhood train trips to visit Grammie. I'm even buying licorice and cheetos for old times' sake. As for reading material, I went out and bought some of Carole's "must-reads" (The Birth House by Ami McKay, White Teeth by Zadie Smith and Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein) as well as a random travel book at a used bookstore called Belonging by Isabel Huggan. I've just now realized that three of the four are by Canadian authors! Belonging is turning out to be the perfect book for me- it's about the search for "home" in your travels. (Carole, you have to read this: I'll send you my copy for safe-keeping when I get to Sydney). Only after I bought the book did I realize that she's a Canadian author and the book was first published by Knopf in Toronto!
The highlight of my morning was sitting in a cafe reading, and then I took a trip out to Ikea to buy a blanket for the train. All the blankets in the city were over $40, but I got one for $5 at Ikea. And I got to walk around, get a 2008 catalog and have a hot dog. I realized this is the sixth country I've been to an Ikea in. Is that weird? Anyway, it's hard to believe I've finished my work in Bakers Hill! It's so nice to wake up and not have to scrub a toilet, mop a floor or cook bacon and eggs. I was very sad to say goodbye to "my" cats though. Here are some pictures of the regulars. 
Monday, October 8, 2007
Thanksgiving?
I was thrilled to open up a little package in the mail today from Carole. Along with a DVD of Canadian shows, there was a very thoughtful Thanksgiving card. Which got me thinking: I wonder when Thanksgiving is? Imagine my surprise when a quick internet search reminded me that today is Thanksgiving! Yet another year goes by with an "international" celebration of Thanksgiving; being thankful without all the turkey and stuffing. I guess this is my seventh Thanksgiving when I was the only one celebrating it (America celebrates on a different day, Australia, Scotland and Taiwan haven't decided to be thankful yet). You don't realize until after you leave North America that everyone else in the world thinks the idea of pumpkin pie is disgusting. Anyway, I made a quick list of things that I'm most thankful for:- Pretty much the best childhood a girl could ask for (and the best parents)
- A twin sister who is a daily reassurance that I am not alone
- The fact that I’m single and I don’t have to clean up after, cook for or plan my life around anyone else
- The opportunities I've had for a great education
- Friends who have understood and supported me, and allowed me the opportunity to learn from them
- Red licorice, wine gums and white chocolate
- Every stamp in my passport
I hope all Canadians have a wonderful day with friends and family while you remember everything you're thankful for!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
The Dogs
I'm struggling a bit to keep this blog updated, because I never feel like I have any news or pictures to share. The big deal around here is the V8 supercars race and Australia v. England rugby tonight. That and the weather: we talk about the weather a lot. I'm also being introduced to the small-town gossip phenomenon. One person gets told a story about "so and so" and within five minutes, are telling the story to someone else. Something will happen at the restaurant, and a customer who walks in an hour later already knows about it! Anyway, none of those stories are interesting to you, so I'll have to be creative. How about this? Have you ever seen a naturally growing lemon this big?
And the other day I turned around to see this gigantic huntsman spider on the bathroom mirror. I had a moment of terror then escaped with my life. Turns out that there are only two deadly spiders in western Australia and they are both small and black (makes it a bit trickier to avoid them than if they were brown and the size of your hand, eh?) Everyone scoffed at me and told me this spider can't hurt anyone, but I still don't think it should be inside!
And lastly, here are the dogs. I've gotten used to them now, but the first time Turbo came up behind me I nearly fainted. I have a mild fear of dogs, and it was compounded by the fact that no one had told me there was a dog! The little one is Sooty, and she can't bark or jump up on me so I'm happy.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Sports
In my travels, I've discovered that Canada is not half as sports-crazed as it may seem. Yes, we love our hockey, but it's just one part of our lives. Britain and Australia are passionate about sports. Here it's AFL (Aussie rules football), NRL (rugby), cricket and football (soccer). This weekend was the AFL and the NRL finals, and the world rugby championships and the world 20/20 in cricket are ongoing. That means that, of the five channels we get on tv, at least three of them are showing sports at any one time. The AFL final was on from about 8am till 8pm! Thankfully AFL is easy to watch and even easier to understand! For those of you who care, Geelong won by a landslide hundred something points. And Canada played Australia in rugby the other night: can you guess who won? It was on tv live here, including a two hour pre-show! I talked to Carole and she didn't even know the world cup was on. Canada is not exactly favored to win, let's put it that way. Anyway, I am sick of watching sports. Where are the home decorating shows, the makeover/wedding stories and the cheesy reality tv?