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Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Tale From The Land Down Under

The journey has most definitely began! So much has already happened, and I'm already so very far behind in my journal efforts (seriously... my last post was in Aug? Oh Ash... I will back log, I promise!). I'll catch us up quickly...

On our plane ride over, Rich was generous and gave Asher and I his business class seat while he and Alaina stayed in coach (Economy Plus, so at least they had a lot of leg space). Ash was AMAZING! For 14 hours, he never fussed, not even a little, not even once. When we first boarded, you can imagine the looks of absolute terror for the other passengers. Trust me, I would have done the same if I were in their seat. But Ash, true to his style, was flashing grins and passing out flirtatious eye blinks to anyone and everyone he could. We settled into our seat quickly and away we went... (who would have thought Filet Mignon on a plane would actually taste good?). There wasn't much sleeping for me, but Ash was a trooper and immediately got on the Aussie time zone!

When we landed in Sydney, we enjoyed hanging out in the Red Carpet room (first and business class people get to enjoy these plush areas... once again, much thanks to Rich and his status to get us all in!). This was our first moment of reality of how different everything was about to be: the toilets, the sinks, the "words" on doors and walls, the food displayed out for noshing... For breakfast, I had smoked sausages, some spinach egg tofu quiche thingy dish, tomato relish (delicious by the way!), passion fruit (oh, how i LOVE the fruit outside the USA.) and a decaf. Let me tell you, the coffee here, is WOW. Seriously. Once we boarded the plane to Melbourne, Ash and I joined Alaina in coach to let Rich get a good nap. Silly us, he was way to excited and ended up spending most of the last leg sitting back with us.

Once down in Melbourne, it was warm and humid and so green! With all our luggage, we needed a van, so we hired a "Maxi Taxi" yes... that is what it is called here, and yes... I thought the same thing you are probably thinking right now too, and held in a little laugh. :) So away we were to be taken into the heart of Melbourne's stunning little city where it is full of professionals between 25 - 35, all dressed in fancy suits and the cutest little fashion trends. All the ladies are in heels - and HIGH heels. I've never seen so many varieties of shoes! And cute shoes too! The population is mostly of this age group - there are very few kids and very few elderly. It's a very high energy metropolis filled with foodies. I kid you not, there are cafes and restaurants everywhere. And little boutique type shops with gorgeous clothes. The clothes are pretty comparable in price to the states, but WAY more variety and much more style and flair. I have to say, this little gem of a city certainly has a leg up on SoCal's fashion sense and availability.  There are also many parks and gardens. As we landed during one of the last few days of summer, we were lucky to see it with a little glow on our faces. ;)  After checking into the hotel, we wanted to make the most of the day and get settled. We visited where Rich will be working, visited the Microsoft Melbourne offices, and visited Alaina's college (AKA High School) and successfully got her checked in and registered. She will be wearing a uniform and chose Beach Volleyball as one of her electives. Lucky students, the school is literally located on the beach!

For dinner, we enjoyed a little Thai. It was heavenly. Very comparable to Nattiya's, but still not as good as hers. Alaina was the only one smart enough to bring the power converter (mine is currently stored safely above the dryer at home. Ugh) so we've had to share. As part of the welcome package from the hotel, we were gifted a full bottle of wine and a fancy plate of three types of cheese, dried figs, dried grapes, and dried apricots. Mmmmmmm. Although I've never been, it is very clear how much of a European influence is in this city, and it's great! The people are kind, happy, very smiley, and are very attractive. I didn't expect to see so many pretty people, men and women alike. I'm going to have to dub this as the pretty people place. And the accent - it is awesome! I'll be honest though, I am OFTEN realizing my head is half cocked to the side, my brow a bit furrowed, and I'll find myself wondering what the heck someone just said and what it might possibly mean. I mean, it sounds like English, but there are a lot of words spoken that I haven't even the foggiest what they say. Hee Hee.  Oh! And the swearing... yeah, it's very much the norm. Very much indeed. In business meetings, on school playgrounds, in the tram (above ground subway - which is how we get around), in TV shows, during news casts, etc... Everyone here walks - and they walk very quickly - almost at an "I'm about to start jogging" pace. And they do this in their cute 4 inch heels! I'm fascinated by it really. :)  It's funny actually - the attitude is very relaxed, but they move so FAST!

On day #2, we checked into our apartment. It is adorable. We're on the top floor (5th floor) of a building that is located very close to the bay. We're 1 block from the water. Our location is stunning. With views from both bedrooms and the main living space. On the balcony, if we look to the left, we see the water. If we look to the right, we see the skyline of Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD), or downtown. It's quiet, and we get the ocean breeze, and the views are worthy of a frame. Directly beneath us on the street is what looks to be an old church (1800s'ish). I haven't confirmed what it is just yet, but the grounds are beautifully manicured and the red brick pops out of the green surroundings. All the houses in this neighborhood are little Victorian era cottages. I can't help but smile as I pass by each one. Different rod iron - and very intricate patterns - adorn the roofs. The little gates that line the sidewalks and separate the tiny yards from one another are just as darling. The foliage here is unique - some tropical, and some what looks to be native to the bush. The birds are different - their size and song. The spiders are HUMONGOUS! The driver sits on the right side of the car. And everyone seems to either be a runner, or a smoker, or perhaps even both. Which totally blows me away because smokes are $14 - 25 a pack!!!

Food here is insane - both in flavor and price. A dozen eggs is $9. Cheerios are $7. A jar of jam is $7. Avocados and Bananas are $2 each. My burger for lunch  - with no drink or fries - just the burger, was $11. (But it had beets and pineapple and aoili and other drool worthy combinations that fit the name: Urban Aussie). Nothing is measured in lbs, but in kg. Tax is included in most prices. Tipping is usually between 5-10%. Time is spoken in the 24 hours rather than am or pm. Temperatures are Celsius, not Fahrenheit. And distances are identified by kilometers, not miles. Adjusting is fun. Especially knowing it's for 9 more weeks, not just 9 more days. I ventured to the supermarket today, alone with Ash, to get some basics for our little kitchen. $55.20 later, I have Nutella, Jam, Pancake mix, butternut squash, yoghurt (yes, spelled correctly), and Tim Tams. Oooooh, Tim Tams... they would make a Kiebler Elf cry in shame. Especially the dark chocolate with mint!

Ash is loving his new crawling grounds. The main living space is hardwood floor. He's just learned to pull himself up... but hasn't quite got the hang of moving around once he's standing so there are a lot of spills... and his poor little noggin is taking the majority of the hits. He's got a nice little shiner tonight from one of his dumps today. :) But at the same time, there is a shag type rug with 2-inch long carpet strands and it is his Mecca. He pulls on each one and examines it so closely while humming. It entertains him for hours. :) He's fascinated with the birds. Many of them fly just below our eye level, or right at it, so he sits in front of the sliding glass door and looks out the glass walls of the balcony and stares at the swaying Eucalyptus and Palms trees and talks with his new friends. :) His crawling is getting faster and faster and he loves to follow me around. Although it is small in square footage, he covers a LOT of ground in one day.

The apartment is beautiful. True to European influence, the space is designed right out of an IKEA catalogue. The kitchen, bath, and cupboards are very well placed and every inch is maximized. American's have so much to learn when it comes to real estate... From my limited exposure to South America and Southeast Asia, and now South Australia we really need to simplify. No wonder we have the reputations we do - because we ARE them. Eek. Anyhoo... It is glamorous and we're all loving it. We have all the necessities: linens, dishes and basic cookware, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, electric kettle, oven, stove, washer & dryer, iron, & vacuum.

For the most part, the time adjustment has been kind to us. Ash, ironically, is the one who adjusted instantly. He's maintaining his two (20 minute) morning naps and late (30 minute) afternoon nap, and is generally down between 8-9pm and for the most part sleeps until 6:30-7. We lay in bed playing until about 8. He loves to crawl all over and poke at facial features, particularly the nose. Alaina's bathroom has the tub and it's worked out nicely for his bath. It's fun now that he sits up well by himself and has figured out that the little yellow rubber ducky jumps back up when it's pushed down under the water. He loves the bubbles from his wash. And is very amused by the water as it comes out of the spout and shower head.

Tomorrow, I will start sorting through all the pamphlets we've gathered from the visitor's center and will start to plan our weekend adventures. I'll also post some of the pics we've captured so far and will upload the whole lot into Flickr. Link to be provided as soon as they're up. My belly is full of kangaroo (dinner tonight was superb!) and my eyes are getting heavy... Tomorrow will bring another fun filled day in this Land Down Under and I PROMISE to keep you updated as it unfolds.

Sweet Dreams to those I love far, far away!