Ello everyone! Sorry for not posting for two weeks. We didn't have Internet hooked up for one of them.
Yesterday marked 3 weeks in Australia! It feels like much longer than that. We have accomplished a lot in a short time. We are settled in to our new apartment now and I have a job...sort of.
First, the apartment. We now live in St. Kilda which is a town/city outside of Melbourne central. It's a 25 minute ride on the tram to downtown. It goes by quick. St. Kilda is a beachy backpacker town. It used to have a bad reputation for drugs and being generally sketchy. It still lives up to that in some areas, but is "up and coming". Just like Spanish Harlem! We know how to find 'em. The apartment was partly furnished with bed, tv, couch, nightstand, and coffee table. We love it. We have one frying pan, one sauce pan, and one baking pan. Also, some mis matched dishes and silverware. We are getting by fine. We really don't need that much.
It's a 5 minute walk to the beach. We went for a walk today and saw around 20 kite surfers out. It was super windy! Tomorrow we are participating in an event to speak out against climate change and global warming along with 10,000+ other people. We will be in an aerial photo on the beach as part of phrases against climate changed spelled using people as the letters. Does that make sense? We will post pictures. It should be a lot of fun, an interesting experience I'm sure.
Next, my job. I am going to be a "Casual Relief" teacher which is like a substitute teacher in Melbourne. But, I can't do that until I have the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) look over a bunch of paperwork I have to submit and basically have them say, yup, she can teach. So, while I wait for the VIT OK I can be a before and after school worker, kindergarten assistant, and day time integration worker pulling out disabled kids and helping them with whatever they need. All of that sounds great but I just haven't been assigned anything yet. I did get a badge in the mail with my name on it. Hopefully I will get something soon. I am taking First Aid and Anaphylaxis training here as well. I already submitted a "Working With Children" check and need a Criminal Check. I understand the reasoning for it all, but man it's a pain!
Nate is hunting online for some kind of insurance related position. We met our neighbor yesterday, April, and she gave him a card of a temp agency that she used and liked. Maybe something will come of that. She is also the confirmed owner of the little Siamese kitty that has been visiting us. It's a boy and his name is Coco. He is very sweet and likes to come in the kitchen window. She just leaves her window open and he comes as he pleases. She is from Ottawa, Canada and brought him to Australia with her. We were asking all about that process since we considered bringing Izzy. She said it was very drawn out with lots of paperwork and Coco had to be in quarantine for a month. I didn't think a month was bad, but I'm glad that my cousin Ryan could take care of Izzy while we are gone. Thanks Ryan!
The weather has been pretty fair. It's usually around 60. Some days it feels very humid. Our towels don't seem to ever dry. They are in a drought here and have been for 7 years or something but it seems to rain a lot. Winter is coming! The locals say it will get a little colder, but not much. I can deal with that. They have no clue what winter is like in Michigan!
We were talking about taking a weekend trip to Sydney soon. I am eager to travel around and see more of Australia. There is a lot to explore, even in Melbourne.
Nate found a volleyball league online and we went to observe them playing last Monday. They play at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Center which is about 3-4 stops away on the tram (not far) and is very impressive. It's HUGE! They had at least 3 pools that I saw, one of them was outdoor with a cool overhang and lots of viewing space. One of the teams was going to have to forfeit because they were short a player. Nate brought his stuff in anticipation of a situation like this so he quickly changed and played with them. They won all three games. They exchanged information and he is going to try and play with them again before next season starts in June when he can get on a team and play every week. Maybe I will join the gym and get some exercise while he plays.
Well I am sampling a new Pale Ale we picked up at the IGA down the street (yes an IGA) and Nate is in the kitchen making a delicious dinner. We went to the Queen Victoria Market again today and this time we had a plan and a list. We did good. It's crazy there. Lots of people and walking through the meat/fish building the butchers just yell out "The whole tray, $10" or "Two for one" or anything they want to broadcast to everyone walking by. I can't understand them half of the time. It was elbow to elbow in there today and I had to take some deep breaths to make it through without punching someone. Nate is making Orange Roughy (fish), couscous, and green beans. Yummmy. We have lots of food now. We have been doing good at budgeting out food and eating what we buy. I am sick of carrots though.
Okay, this post is long enough. We will be more frequent now the Internet is all hooked up. I'll post about tomorrows event!
Have a great day everyone. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY LISA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you guys.
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