Melbourne Life

Okay so what have I been doing since Queensland! I have been enjoying myself tremendously in Melbourne. Melbourne has really become my home here in Australia. I love this city! There is so much to see and do, especially now that it is getting nice and warm all the time. I have made many more friends and even more exciting, I have made Australian friends hee hee. It seemed for awhile the only people I was really hanging out with were Canadians that were doing the same work that I do. This hasn’t changed completely but at least now I have the best of both worlds.

As far as the North America friends go, us CRTs (casual relief teachers) get together quite a bit. It is nice. We meet for trivia or just a few drinks at different bars from time to time. Tomorrow the plan is to get together at a market for music, food and boozes! I also actually met an American doing the same stuff I am. Her name is Shayna and she is from New York. We have become very close friends very quickly because we have the same interest: live it up while we are here!!! That is exactly what we have been doing. Together we found a Halloween party and a bar that dressed up for Halloween. Went to Melbourne Cup together, this is comparable to the Kentucky Derby in
the states! And much, much more.

I also have been lucky enough to meet my friend Liam. He is super hee hee. Liam is a born and raised Australian and has really shown me around this great city. His friends are super cool and accepting of this American chic. Through these guys I have ventured to new bars, suburbs, festivals, beaches and even participated in an Australian BBQ. Life has been good. This past weekend a fun group of us went to a Latin Festival and Phillip Island.
I can’t believe I have already been here for 4 + months now! I also just came to the realization that I was planning on leaving this amazing continent in June so I really only have 6 more months here. I think I might have to extend that at least by a month. The plans are to continue living and working here in Melbourne but travel through the holidays and whenever I feel like it. So far Adelaide is planned for December, Sydney for New Year’s, Western Australia for January. The rest is in the works on getting the right dates. After I leave Australia in June or July, I will be going on an around the world trip to make my way back to America. I am quite excited about all of this and will continue to keep you updated on all my fun!

Finally Writing about the End of the Queensland Trip

Some time has gone by now since I have finished my great 3 week trip to Queensland. I guess I had so much fun then and since then that I have gotten a little behind on my blogging. After Whitsundays we drove to Mission Beach. We didn’t really plan to stop there originally but we found out how long the drive would be to go on to Port Douglas so we decided to stop in Mission Beach. I was so glad we did. It ended up really being one of my favorite spots. So much that we all decided to stay 2 extra nights there. The hostel was set up surrounded by nature. It was so beautiful plus there were tons of friendly people staying there. The beach was beautiful and we took a day to go to Dunk Island, where I did a 2 hour hike to the top of the mountain to see the spectacular view. Mission Beach was absolutely fabulous, not ruined by commercialism like a lot of the tourist places we had seen. It was like you had your own secluded beach when you were there.
Next stop was Port Douglas! This hostel was amazing since it came equipped with a movie room, an awesome bar, plus 5 hammocks hanging about from trees over by the pool area. Everyday there I read a little or snoozed a little in one of those hammocks. We also got on a boat once more and this time I was able to SCUBA DIVE in the Great Barrier Reef. It was honestly the most amazing thing I have ever done. I loved scuba diving. I saw a sea turtle, clown fish in their sea anomie, a massive fish that was bigger than me and of course tons of other colorful fish and the coral reef. All of it was literally breathtaking. The other days at Port Douglas was spent at the beach. One of the days the waves really kicked in and we had the best afternoon jumping and body surfing the waves.

From Port Douglas we drove completely through the windy roads in the rainforest to the very most northern part of the Australian East Coast called Cape Tribulation. While driving, we got the chance to see a crossawary crossing the road which was awesome. These things are humongous birds. In Cape Tribulation we did a bit of hiking through the awesome rainforest! Then it was time to make our way to our last stop of the trip…Cairns (the party capital of Queensland).

Cairns was exactly what it was cracked up to be. The lagoon swimming pool was cool and the shopping was nice but the partying was unreal. The first night went out with a couple of the girls and enjoyed ourselves at the hostel bar downstairs, dancing and meeting Europeans. The next day I wandered around the town, swam in the lagoon then laid out by the pool. I met a girl named Carla, who happens to be a teacher in Adelaide and I now plan on visiting her there. We went out that night to the bars in town and had a blast. The next and final night of our trip the whole crew went off on the Ultimate Party pub crawl in what else but our togas. It was so fun and I met tons of people. It was a perfect way to end a great 3 week holiday!

Whitsundays

Once we had dared the darkness of the caves we drove to Whitsundays. We stayed in Airlie beach. This town was much more commercial and very busy. We stayed at a hostel that had a pretty big bar down below. The first night after getting unpacked, we all got ready. It seemed to be a harder task than ever since the humidity was very high and you felt sticky while putting on anything. Not to mention how mine and a few others’ hair did not want to truly straighten. But after a lot of effort the deed was done and we were ready to go downstairs. We chatted up a few new people. Wonder down the street to a couple other bars and had a good time.
The next day I took full advantage of free wifi and skyped with some family and friends in the morning. It was nice to catch up with them! Then I checked out the town and the beach. I am sad to say I wasn’t impressed with the beach. It was quite small and nothing really to it. I kept wandering though and fell upon a wonderful spot. Up the hill and around the beach was a little villa right on the top of the hill so you could see the whole town, beach and ocean. I felt so lucky to have stumble on such a jewel. The view was gorgeous and the view was an open shelter. No one else was around and I took full advantage. After traveling at this point for a week and half with 7 other people sometimes you just need time to yourself. Fortunately I packed all the perfect essentials in my beach bag. I had cheese, crackers, water, a good book and my beach towel. I laid my towel down on the floor of the villa and alternated from looking at the beautiful view of the ocean with the boats harbored to reading my book which was getting really good. I must have spent at few hours there. At one point I just had an Aha moment looking at the waves hit the beach that I was so fortunate to have had the opportunities that I have bestowed upon me. It was the most peaceful afternoon and I loved it.
That night we all gathered together after laying out a bit at the lagoon to cook some nachos. While I was off having my peaceful picnic in the villa some of the others had went to the grocery store and pick up an enormous amount of food to cook. We all worked together chopping up the onions, peppers and mushrooms, simmering the chicken in one pan and the steak in the other. We through it fresh veggies in the pans and added the fajita season that was out of this world with its delicious spices and it all made the best smell. After it was done we had an amazing feast. We had so much food we couldn’t even eat all the meat between the 8 of us which is really hard to do. We had decided to keep the rest of the meat for tomorrow and make nachos out of them.

The following day we got up early and ran around getting ready for our sailing trip. We were all hyped and so ready for this trip. We caught the bus and arrived at the harbor to see our awesome purple sail boat awaiting us. It was called the Cameria. When boarded we got comfy on the top deck and laid out in the sun that was perfectly shining down on us. We sailed into the great wide ocean. While laying there feeling so happy I thought of my family and realized that it was my father’s birthday. I ran to my phone and once again I was very lucky because it actually had service. I called them and sang only a few notes before my dad stopped me, said thank you but I have heard that song a little too much today. I chuckled then he put me on speaker phone so I could hear him and the family while he opened gifts and cards. It was so nice like I was actually there. After getting off the phone I saw that right afterwards I had no service. Talk about perfect timing. It was then time to for our snorkel instructions.
The crew told what we needed to do and then let us get our gear. I was so excited because I had never went snorkeling before and we were in the beginnings of the Great Barrier Reef.

Part 3: Fraser Island

After surfer’s we were off to Hervey Bay to go on a day to trip to Fraser Island. When we got to Hervey Bay we drove around the town to find the best spot to stay for the night and then we did. We went to a YHA hostel that had cabins instead of dorm like rooms. It was great we got two cabins for the 8 of us. The crew went to go get food for dinner but I was sick of being in the van so Caitlin and I stayed behind. We then scoped out the cabins and found the best one for us to stay in. It was by far the best accommodations we have had since we left Melbourne. Our cabin was adorable with a kitchen, wicker table and chairs, a living room and 2 bedrooms. It was great to stay in a place that was bigger than just one room. The group came back then we cooked pasta and had a family meal. It was delicious and the right price. All of us went up to the pool and got a poolside table to play games on. It was a fun night until Amy spotted a man standing at the fence watching us. When we all turned to look instead of leaving he moved farther into the bushes. He just stood there watching even though we were obviously staring, pointing and talking about him. Dean stood up but he didn’t move. I went inside to let a worker know what was going on. She came and they had said he had left when I went in but then I saw him just a little further down on the fence. It was so spooky. The worker went over to him and told him to leave the property. She came back and told us it was just a drunk Australian man and was very apologetic. We decided it was probably time to return to our cabins at this point plus we had to leave early for our island trip the next day.
The next morning we got up, pack the van, ate breakfast and were ready for our big day on Fraser Island. The bus came and picked us up and took us to the ferry. I love ferries so I was very excited about this. We sat on the top of the ferry so we could see the great view of the ocean on the way to the island. After the beautiful ferry ride we met our tour guide for the day, who was very entertaining. To drive on the island you have to be a 4-wheel drive or better. Apparently the rule with the roads because they our so narrow that the biggest vehicle has the right away which was great since we were one of the biggest vehicles on the island. We first drove to the rainforest and then stopped to take a bushwalk (hike) through the stunning rainforest. Learning about all the different kinds of trees and realizing this is a sand only island. The whole island was made of sand and all the vegetation grew out of the sand. It was crazy. We were also told that this was the biggest sand island in the world. We didn’t see any but the island also is known for their dingos running around. After our bushwalk we drove along the beach. While we were driving she would tell us stories and facts about the island. Then we saw a plane fly past our bus and land on the beach. It turns out it was a plane that took tourist around so they could see the spectacular view of the whole island from the clouds. In the mood of living life to the fullest with no regrets I took the plane ride. It was absolutely breathtaking and fabulous. We flew over the ocean and then over the whole island seeing all of it glory. There were over 40 fresh lakes on the island and so many different kinds vegetation including grasslands, wetlands and rainforest all taking up this indescribable island. The flight was so memorable. When we landed we were at the shipwreck site of Mahino. Here was a ship that used to take luxury cruises along the Australian ocean comparable to the size of the Titanic, stuck in the sand of the beach. We were then escorted to the fresh water creek that once inhabitants of the island would drink from. We walked in the creek up the way and climb into some trees for some fun. Then it was lunch time and we got an amazing buffet at the island resort. After lunch we were off to one of the glorious freshwater lake for a swim. At this point the breeze had picked up a bit so some were a little to chicken to jump in but not Lindsey, Caitlin or I. We jumped in the lake like champs. We were told the water was so nice that it made you ten years younger from swimming in and the sand was a natural exfoliate to make your skin nice and smooth. So some of us took the smooth amazing sand and rubbed it on our legs and arms and it magically worked. Out skin was very smooth and even though I didn’t look 16 my hair was really soft from the water. We then had to reluctantly make our way back to the ferry. On the ferry ride back to Hervey bay we were surprised with getting to see a few humped back whales swimming in the distance. They are rather common this time of year because they are migrated south to their homes from being in the north for the winter. We saw them blowing air and water through their blowholes and flipping their big tales. Another amazing day on this great trip up the whole coast of Australia!
The next day we drove to Rockhampton and stayed the night. We got up early the next morning got dressed and went to the caves. The caves were so cool. Since it was raining a little bit we got to see exactly how the caves have eroded through the years. The tour guided said it was actually very rare to see this because it was a dry cave in the middle of what they call a dry rainforest. This is because the area doesn’t normally get rain. It was kinda awesome and she said that if we got a rain drop to hit us in the cave it was actually considered good luck. So we all got lots of good luck that day hee hee. The tour guide took us through all the different parks of the cave and told the history behind it. We went to one part where it is called the cathedral and they actually had benches set up in this part because there had been so many wedding there plus the acoustics were apparently comparable to the Sydney Opera House. They have music concerts in this part as well. The tour guide turned off all the lights and showed us how dark the cave actually was and how the originally foundered would of actually had to find it and search through it only with candlelight. She turned on a recorded of Amazing Grace to show how amazing the sound quality was in this part of the cave. At that time the cave was so peaceful and wonderful.

Part 2 Queensland trip

So after the great couple of days in Byron Bay we were off to Surfer’s Paradise. When we got there we checked in then hit the town for sightseeing. It was a much bigger town than Bryon Bay, it was actually a city. The ocean was all along the side and across the street were all of these skyscrapers. It was neat to see a city set up like this. We head to the beach and saw some massive waves and some brave souls manning the waves. Like all great tourist we took about 100 pictures while admiring the sheer size of the ocean. We then went shopping!!! I ended up branching off an shopping by myself because I was ready for some hardcore shopping. I ended up buying a couple dresses and a new bathing suit to try out on this amazing coastal trip. That night I met my other hostel mates and found out the other 4 people in the room were American!!! It was refreshing to met some Americans traveling because I believe I had really come across tons of other ethnicity but hardly ever any Americans. They were students at the University of Melbourne for a semester coming from DC, Chicago and Cali. Dean and I played cards games with them, making him the minority once, one Canadian with all the Americas!

The next day the group split up. 4 of the girls went to a mountain to hike were the other 4 of us went to DreamWorld which Is one of the Australian Amusement parks. However this one was special because not only did it have rides but it also had an Australian Animal section. This was the most wonderful thing possible because wait for it….I actually got to FEED KANGAROOS and HOLD A KOALA!!!!! When we first walked into the area I got to see my very first kangaroos however it wasn’t quite what I expected to see. Instead of hopping around there were two kangaroos stuck together and the bigger obviously male one just giving it to the poor little girl kangaroo. All the people walking by just stopped and their jaws drop. They expected to see kangaroos just not a show! After we walked to a little farther we got to see emus, exotic birds, and more importantly koalas hanging out in trees. Then I saw them a whole herd of kangaroos just hanging out in the open. We were able to just walk up to them and feed them. They would hope over and eat right out of the palms of your hands. It was absolutely the coolest thing ever. They were so sweet and cute. Then we went to were you could hold a koala and get your picture with it (my picture is currently on someone else's computer). They brought out Patrick and we each took a turn cuddling with him. It was so neat.
Then the four of us took to riding all the rides we could. We went on the small ones in nickelodeon land like the SpongeBob flyer and the Rugrats Reptar Coaster.
We rode bumper cars but I jumped in on the wrong side and put my seatbelt on just to realize the steering wheel was on the other side…I forgot about the left hand driving. It was fun I bumped everyone and dominated hee hee. Then the bigger rides were to be ridden. We did the wave, the claw and the buckle all which like to swing you in ways you don’t think a physically possible while making you go upside down, it was awesome! We did apparently the biggest rollercoaster in Australia and then finally The Big Drop. This one scared Dean to death. He was shaking in his boots. It was quite funny since the whole day they were making fun of me of how loud I scream on the rides. But I do it just for fun. Oh then of course we had to go on the log ride to get completely drenched before we got back into the van. It was a great day for sure. The other girls picked us up and told us about their hike. They said it was fun but they all got leaches on them and it turned out since it was misty and fogging on the mountain they couldn’t really see how amazing the view was. So I think I made the best choice to go to dreamworld.

First Leg of the Coastal Road Trip

Day 1 Wednesday night we were all pumped. Nicole met me at Flinder’s street station and we walk to Budget rentals to pick up our van to go all the way up the coast. When we picked it up we realized that the van is quite cute and maroon but not as big as we thought it would be for an 8 seater. Nicole drives it home ON THE LEFT SIDE of the road. It freaked me out the whole way home because the city is has very narrow streets with trams, taxi and cyclist at all sides all swerving in and out around you while trying to figure out what is all opposite about driving on the wrong side of the road. After Dean shoving all 8 of our luggage pieces into the back of the van to the point it couldn’t get any further, we all jumped in for our all night drive…..so we thought.
The first part of the drive is very comical with all of us talking away with the hype of getting to a much warmer and tropical area especially about the part of not working for 3 weeks. We blast the music and sing along! Some of us take little naps along the way while Nicole is driving through the winding roads. At one point she nearly swears of the road with Dean yelling TURN which wakes me up screaming and therefore wakes everyone else up in the car. We all have a big laugh and then Nicole realizes we are on low fuel. We look and the nearest town isn’t for about 20 km. we figured though we should be able to get there no problem so we hoped. We were in the middle of nowhere. We are almost to the town when we are all discussing the possibility of having to push the car into town and then we finally make it in as Lindsay suggests that there is a possibility that the gas station won’t even be open. We pull up to the first gas station (or petrol station as they call it) to realize she was right and unfortunately none of the petrol stations in the town are open. This tells you what a small town we are in, when we stop at the police station to ask what our best bet is he tells us that the man that owns the gas station across the street does afterhours petrol but he thinks he is still in the hospital. We leave the police station and since it is dark and no one is around Nicole forgets to drive on the left side of the road and we are all yelling LEFT while the car is going in circles because she is trying to get on the correct side. It became a pretty crazy and memorable night. When we got to the petrol station to see if there was an afterhours number posted we only found that there was not one.
We ended up having to spend the night cramped in the car trying to get sleep until someone comes to open up the open up the station. Dean and Caitlin walked to the motel, since we were out of gas, to see how much a room will be. The motel office was even closed! So here we were 7 of us all leaning from side to side trying to get as comfortable as possible to sleep. I had the worst sleep of my life because I of course was the lucky one to be in the middle seat. I woke up every few minutes just to find out that no one is there. In the middle of the night I have to go to the restroom so I had to crawl over Dean to get out of the car and go to the public restrooms just a little down the way. I walk alone in this ghost town just on the other side of the parking lot praying the whole time that someone thing like the crazies movie doesn’t start happening while I am out of the car. Luckily God protects and nothing happened and nothing happened all night long. We woke up at 5am and thought we saw a man in the store of the gas station. We called him shadow man and asked shadow man to come out and open the station. Oddly enough there was no shadow man but he finally showed up in his car a few minutes later but he did not open the gas station. Amy goes to the door and knocks over and over. He finally comes out but doesn’t open the door and only mouths that they do not open until 6. We couldn’t believe it that we finally had someone there after waiting 5 hours and he refuses to the open. About 5:30 after we are just sitting there waiting he actually turns on the lights and the pumps. We get gas and are on our way just with a 6 hour delay. About 5 hours more and we are at Sydney.
It was a beautiful day in Sydney. We drove into the city and saw all the beautiful parks and huge skyscrapers. We drove right along the harbor and up to the opera house. It is just breathtaking in person. The harbor’s glow brought such life to the opera house. We took pictures and walked around like real tourist. We then got back in the car and drove the rest of the way to Bryon Bay. We stopped to get a quick bite to eat then I drove for the very first time in my life on the LEFT side of the road. The surprisingly drove quite well even round the well known round-abouts of Australia. The only problem I had was I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal because they are on the opposite sides as well. We got into Byron Bay around 1:30 in the morning and crashed out in our hostel beds. We were all so happy to have a bed to sleep in that we just crashed out.
The next day was our first official day at the beach. We went down to Byron bay beach to truly enjoy the view, the sun and the waves. The beach was gorgeous with rock cliffs and a lookout point. We took all the touristy type pictures, bought beach towels with Australia written on them and then sun bathed for a bit. Caitlin, Lindsay and I then braved the waves. The water was still a bit cold but amazing. The current however was very strong. It almost knocked me down just standing there. We body surfed the waves onto the beach. It was so much fun and an absolutely perfect day.
That night we got dressed and were ready to see what Byron bay nightlife looked liked. We went downstairs to drink a bit and mingle. We met some Germans, one of which I decided to arm wrestle. I won of course except for not. This chick was one tough girl. We were then off to the Cheeky Monkey (cheeky means sneaky or naughty). We had dinner there and I finally had fish and chips down under. It was really yummy since we are next to the coast n all. The nightlife of cheeky money was quite cheeky. We danced and had a blast. I met some really nice people throughout the night.
The next day I tried my hand on surfing for the first time. The hostel we were staying at had surfboards for us to borrow for free, so instead of getting a real lesson I just threw myself into it. Caitlin walked through the cute, quant hippie town with surfboards under our arms. I felt quite cool. On the beach we went out in the water with our boards and I attempted to surf. I was unsuccessful but it was fun. I was able to surf in on the board laying down on it though just not upright. I then took a nice peaceful rest on the beach.
That night we went out again and had a fun but short night since I was so dehydrated from the daytime. The next morning I got one of the bikes and took a ride our town and got breakfast before we headed out to surfer’s paradise. I absolutely loved this small beach town and was sad to leave it but so excited to move up the coast to see all the other amazing sites. (so many great pictures to come soon and to be added!)

Two weeks of a bit of Eating, Pamering and Partying

So I woke up realizing that I did not want to work… So I didn’t!!!! Caitlin to no surprise had the same feeling once she realized that I wasn’t going in for work. We decided that today could be a tourist/spa/write postcards at a café day hee hee. It’s funny how you are so tired and never want to get out of bed when you have to go to work but all a sudden we had the biggest burst of energy when we decided not to go to work. I must say it was a little rush using the liberty and benefits of casual teaching, where I don’t have to work if I don’t want to!
We got all dolled up and went out for the day. We stopped at the post office first because I had gotten a notice that I had a package. I was thrilled because my mom and niece had told me a week or so ago that they had sent off a gift to me. When I picked it up it was the perfect gift, a cute leather jacket that I had seen before I left and had wanted. Since it is winter here the gift is quite fitting plus it looks great on me… according to Caitlin of course because I am not smug enough to come out and boost about how good I look.
After putting on my great jacket (or jumper, which is what Australians call jackets here), we were off to the city. We stopped at a souvenir shop first and got 10 postcards each. We then went to Southbank, the cute modern area on the otherside of the river. We went to a darling café to get a cup a coffee and write our postcards to our most dear family members and close friends. It was such a beautiful day that we sat outside while enjoying our coffee and getting writer’s cramp. Afterwards we went to a great shopping area to find a spa. We found one but wasn’t too impressed so we went down St. Kilda Rd. We stopped at the most delightful restaurant. The ambiance was incredible, small and classy without being pretentious. We had an amazing lunch with a glass of wine. The staff there is super friendly and super attentive. We ended up both getting the lunch box special. It had a little bit of everything, white bean soup, beat salad, sausage roll and the best part, a praline éclair. It was delicious and we were on cloud nine. We then went home to look up the spa we had seen over the weekend. We found it and called to make appointments. They couldn’t get us in then but they were able to for the next day.
A little while later the other flatmates came home and we got ready for our big Friday night on the town. The first part of the night consisted of us having multiple guests over to start the night off. It was fun to have our little Australian home as a meeting place for our now expanding crew. We had the usually, the flatmates (Caitlin, Amy, Dean and me), Sam, and our new friends Danni and Nicole. We were all delved into wonderful conversation and lots of laughs. Danni is an actual Australian, so it was cool to have her over. Nicole had only been in Australia for a day and was mentioning she wasn’t thrilled with the location of the place she was living at. We mentioned we had a pull out couch that she could sleep on if she needed. She was overjoyed to hear that and said she would love to split rent 5 ways with us if we are serious because she loved us and our place. We instantly accepted and that is how we now have a 5th roommate. The rest of the evening went very well with some very funny mishaps along the way. It was a great night with some great stories for the recovery breakfast the next day.
After breakfast Caitlin and I were off for our spa appointment. We went to St. Kilda Beach where the spa was directly located. We were first escorted to the changing room where we got into our comfy robes and sleepers. We entered the relaxation room that had hot tea and water, comfortable lounge chairs and a view of the ocean. After a nice relaxing time in the area we were swept off into our massage room. The massage was literally the best massage I have ever had!!! I was so completely relax that when it was finished and we were back in the relaxation room I was like butter on the chair. After a bit we finally got up and went down to the pool and hot tub area. The weekend before we had seen for ourselves a few people actually swimming in the freezing cold ocean water then going back into this building. It turns out that they were running back into the hot tub and indoor pool. So like all responsible and sane minded people we decided to try it out ourselves. We left the hot tub to dare the winter air to find out it felt quite nice. I suppose the hot tub had brought our temperature up enough that the breeze was refreshing. Then we stuck our toes in and then yes, yes we did dunk our whole bodies in the cold ocean water. It actually wasn’t too bad but it definitely was still cold. However standing on the beach still felt good after. We finally went back in to enjoy the hot tub some more and of course some time in the steam room. By the time we left we were praising this place and in love with our wonderful day. We were so happy we decided to walk back because it was so nice out.
That night I had my first movie experience here in Melbourne with the girls. We went to the cinema down the road from our house. It turned out to be quite nice. It had curtains over the big screen and they opened when the previews started. The food was actually decently priced instead of ridiculous although the tickets would have been crazy expensive if it wasn’t for the backpackers discount. The popcorn was good but this cinema didn’t butter it. We watched Salt which we all loved all the plot twist and action. It was a perfect way to end a great day.
The next week Jamie moved to town. Jamie is my Kiwi friend that I met at the hostel over a month ago. He moved here for his new lawyer job. I invited him over for dinner with my roommates and I. Dinner ended up being delicious of course because I cooked! Later on that week Jamie and I went to the Rooftop bar in downtown Melbourne. It was awesome. The view of the city was just amazing and they had nice heat lamps to keep us nice and warm. We then went for a walk around the city with our take away coffees because it was such a nice night out.
Friday night was teacher’s drink night once again and this time we were determined to get there early enough to actually meet some of the other teachers. So we did. We got there at 6:30 and I stayed till 1:30am. So needless to say a good night. I met some teachers from our agency and some of the wonderful office workers who call me every day for my placements. Jamie also showed up to mingle with all of us. Dean met a girl he fancied and spent most of the night talking to her. The girls headed over to our friend Danni’s place across the street but I decided to stay and dance. It was a great bar in a nice area. The dance floor was packed and played great songs.


Saturday was a fun filled night that started off at Sam and Jamie’s hostel. We then headed downtown to the Red Bar to once again dance the night away. It was fun but while leaving we all got split up a bit. Caitlin and Dean thought we were leaving and went downstairs but the rest of us didn’t know it so they took a cab. Sam, Nicole (our newest roommate), Amy and I were ready to leave a bit later but had a hard time finding Jamie. We eventually left but poor Sam had heels on so I walked slowly with her.
Nicole and Amy didn’t realize and ended up going all the way to Flinder’s station by the time they figured it out we were way behind. They ended up getting a taxi from there and going home. Sam and I got to Swanston street in just enough time to get a little food before the bus got there to take us home. As we were getting on the bus I saw Jamie and shouted at him to get on the bus as well since it was goes past his hostel. We all got home safe just in many different ways that night. Sunday was a nice quiet day at home which was just what was needed. Upcoming this week is Amy and Sam’s bday on Wednesday and our last weekend home until our trip. So much excitement in the air!

Aussie Football and Beyond

So we are all just trying to get our butts in the work mentality especially since it is cold outside. It is hard being in a great city and not being able to just tour around all day everyday but I guess you have to make money somehow. I’ve gotten really lucky and most of my placements have been really good classes. It is nice not having any responsibilities past 3:30 and then I can jet and never think about work again until the next morning.


The week was jammed packed with a 5 day work week. I was sick for most of the week with a little cold so most nights I was just trying to get rest to feel better. Finally the weekend rolled around. We had some guests over on Friday night to start the night out. We order some Indian delivery food that was quite delicious. Then we all played a couple of card games before heading out to the Espy. The Espy was once a hotel that is now a pretty famous bar around here.
When we got there, there was a live band that was pretty good. At the end of the night we made a stop at the amazing bakery shop again and I had to get another chocolate croissant.



Saturday was the big day! My roommates, my new friend Tracy (that I had made at a school I worked at), Sam and I went to an Australian Football League game. We decided since we live beside St. Kilda and live on St. Kilda rd that St. Kilda would be the perfect team to cheer for. The game was very fun. The Aussie Rules Footy is so different from American football. We are planning on getting good seats at the playoffs here in a couple weeks. After the game we were starving and wanted to eat in a pub. It just seemed fitting. After what seemed like forever we finally made it back towards our area and ate at the Elephant and Wheelbarrel. It ended up being exactly what we needed. It was a cute pub with a fireplace and amazing food. Then we went home to all take a nap. It was 7pm when we passed out. Everyone started waking up to get ready around 10pm. I however did not. I just couldn’t do it, my body was exhausted. I had been sick plus I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep the night before because my stupidness drove me to Skype to a friend till 3:30am and then I got early Saturday before the game to Skype with my niece before she had to go to her dad’s for the weekend. So my Saturday night was spent catching up on my much needed sleep.


Thank goodness I did that too because the next day I woke up feeling like a million dollars. Caitlin and I had talked to a guy the day before on the tram that had said that if we wanted a good margarita we had to head down to our old stomping grounds (were we stayed in the hostel) and go to Ackland Street. So we did.


We couldn’t believe it but we actually found the most appetizing Mexican food!!! We split these delicious fajitas and of course we had to try one of the margaritas so we got a pink grapefruit one. After filling up our bellies we walked around shopping and then made our way to the beach at sunset. I took some beautiful pictures. Then we got to see the PENGUINS!!! They come out on the rocks on the beach just after sunset when people start to leave. It was a really neat experience. When walking back toward Ackland Street, Caitlin and I stumbled upon another great find….an indoor pool and spa. We walked in and found out that anyone could come in and pay a onetime fee to swim/ chill in the hot tub for the day. This is now our plan for Sunday next week! The rest of Sunday was nice. We went and got groceries and headed home. After watching Beauty and the Beast (Dean excluded himself from this) we crashed out.




So far this week has been once again full with work with a dose of working out and cooking at home! What can I say it is freezing outside at the moment and we need to keep our butts warm indoors. Watch out spring months, once you’re here there is no stopping us!

Fitting in!

So I have now been in Melbourne for over a month and pretty much a regular here hee hee not quite but I can pretend can't I? Work is set and I have worked a lot. Most days are great but none the less I would way rather be off exploring than working. Not that I mind being in the classroom but still....I'm in Australia.

Monday us girls had off because we mainly work in the public sector of the schools. Poor Dean had to work because he has been at a Private boys school everyday since he started working here. We all went to a cafe, used the internet and chatted away. Then we were off to chapel street for some shopping. I got a great dress and had a blast. The next couple of days were just normal workdays with coming home, eating and sleeping. However Thursday we decided we would live on the wild side and actually go out during the week, after all we are here to have fun first and foremost. We went to ladies night and had a blast. Friday at work was a little tough since we had stayed out a bit too late. So come Friday night we split up. Amy and I were in charge of ordering the delivery food and going to get junk food while Caitlin and Dean went to get the stuff to finally hook up our internet. We all met back and had a lovely night in, eating our chineese food and watching a movie. It was classic all of us snuggling together on the pull out couch in the living room watching Fun with Dick and Jane.

Saturday we were a little bit more livelier. Since we got paid on Friday it was time to truly shop hardcore. So off we were back on Chapel street. Dean, Caitlin and I hit the shops with a vengeance and found some awesome deals. Dean went with his must have items ie wieghts and a laundry basket where as Caitlin and I were after more important things like going out clothes. We did well and we even featured some of our new items when we went out on Fitzroy street that night. On the way home I had the best chocolate croissant of my life!!!! It was amazing and the bakery is open 24/7, it doesn't get better than that.

Sunday I was sick with a cold so I stayed in bed till 3pm which I never do. I wasn't sleeping however the whole time. We had finally set up the internet and all of us had to try it out on our own laptops in our own domains. We were literally skype chatting with each other even though we were just in our own rooms across the hall from each other. It was that kind of Sunday. We did get a lot accomplished though! We tagged and put up very important pictures on facebook as well as started planning our trip to Queensland!

Come Monday Dean had way too much time on his hands during work and practically planned out our next six months from the list of things we had all said we wanted to do which is amazing!!!! Now I am psyched that we have things rolling because I was getting very antsy. I have been wanting to start venturing outside of Melbourne. That night Caitlin and I joined Sam and her hostel mates to a comedy show downtown. It was hilarious and we had a great time. Loving life right now on a new side of the world.

Weekend in Melbourne

Come Friday, after working all week, all of us were ready for a few drinks. We all bought some bubbly to start the night off with. After taking turns jumping in the shower, which takes awhile when there are 4 people and 1 bathroom, we were finally ready to meet the ANZUK agency at their drink night. By time we got there and asked were the group was I guess they were all scattered about because through the whole night none of us met anyone from the agency. I suppose that’s what happens when the drink night is from 6-11 and you arrive at 10:30. We still managed to have fun and then unfortunately but apparently the whole world does hee hee…we went to McDonalds for a late night snack before returning home.

Saturday was nice! The weather was good and I was able to have a very wonderful day full with lots of things. I first went to my favorite coffee shop down the road. Caitlin and I shared some wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce that was to die for. We had the funny memory of the night before meeting a group of people and sitting down with them. They offered for us to eat some of their wedges and we were laughing about how I bet they didn’t realize that we would chow down on them! While at the coffee shop I talked to my mom on her mobile (they call cell phones mobiles here with the best accent) to find out that tornados had hit down right beside their house and that all of her electricity was out. Luckily there was no damage to her house or street but down the road wasn’t as lucky. Then I skyped with my daddy who was in Phoenix for the week. I played a little more on the computer and ended up spending hours in this coffee shop. At some point the whole gang was down using their computers as well. We were looking up prices for flights, getting more credit on skype, facebooking, blogging and much more. We all agree it will be nice when we finally get wireless at the house and won’t have to run down to a café to internet. Finally Caitlin and I were the last to leave and decided that we worked up a nice appetite and nothing will satisfy like curry.

So we were off to find us some curry. We went down the road and didn’t find anything so we trammed it St. Kilda beach, our old stomping grounds when we were living out of hostel. After going up and down both main streets we finally found a place that had curry as one of their specials for the day. We sat down to enjoy the most amazing meal. Of course we had to get a chai latte after for a little dessert. At this point I got an unexpected call from a not so old friend and him and I talked for quite a bit internationally. I got a little bit more ease about the Titus situation after talking to him but still no real solution. I tried that day and have continued to try to not let it stress me out and just find a good place for Titus until I return. After that it was time for Caitlin and I to get some very important things for the night…champagne (I told you it has become a staple at our house.) We went back to the house to get ready for our Saturday night adventure.
So when we got home we had the best surprise. Our flatmate, Dean, had made us steak, salad, and cheesy bread. You gotta love Italians who know how to cook. When he came over from Canada one of the items he just couldn’t part with was his steak spices. I am so glad now. It was so delicious! If you are thinking is her biggest joys of the day eating then you are correct. After our nice dinner we all got ready for the night.

After what seemed like forever because there were four of us girls all trying our best to get our hair done and gorgeous outfits put together all at once, we all sat down with Dean to play some cards. Poor Dean had been ready for quite awhile. After our very entertaining card game it was time to hit the town and that we did. My new friend Stevo had made arrangements at his bar our names to be on the list to get in. We went to the Poison Apple and he met us out front. It was a really cool club with good music and a couple of dance floors. We all had a blast dancing throughout the night. When it got to be 2am we were all exhausted although the club was still packed and pumping we decided it was time to go. As we were leaving we got the bad news that the trams were no longer running.
Considering the trams are our main source of transportation directly to our house we weren’t too happy but we thought we could get a taxi. If you think it is easy to get a taxi in the middle of the night in downtown Melbourne, think again. We literally tried for hours to get one to stop. There are tons of these yellow cars driving by and when one finally stops everyone rushes to it. Sometimes it will take the person who just jumps in or sometimes they will just drive away without taking anyone. There seems to be no method to their madness but it leaves many people wandering the streets not knowing how they will get home and we were some those exact people. Stressed out and tired, we stopped and ate McDonalds once again before giving it another try. No one seemed to know why it was so hard to get a taxi but the streets we lined with people trying to get one and every two seconds you saw one pass. We kept walking closer to our house while still trying to get a cab to stop. At this point Caitlin and I who happened to both be wearing very high heels could barely walk anymore. We thought about just staying a hostel that we had just passed for the night because it didn’t seem like we had a way home at this point. The rest of the crew decided they were going to take another break for a moment but I couldn’t stand just sitting and doing nothing. So I saw a bus that stopped and I hobbled to it and asked if it was going to St. Kilda rd but it wasn’t. Thankfully one the workers overheard me and told me that the bus across the street did. I called Dean to gather everyone and meet me at the bus. As we got on we asked if it did indeed take us to were we needed to go and IT DID!!! It went around a way I had never went before but then ended up on our street. The bus kept going though passing our place but then finally came to a stop about a 5 minute walk from home. We were almost there. Once we got home we found out that the keys that Dean had just got made for the house didn’t work on the front door. My jaw dropped and couldn’t saw a word while some others nervously laughed. But a few minutes later Dean called on the intercom from inside the house and we were let in. His keys end up working on the backdoor and the night was finally to an end. I laid down and passed out. Time 4:30AM
The next day I slept in as much as I could which ended up only being till about 10:30. I got up and got dressed to go downtown to sightsee a bit and find a few items that had been on my list. I ventured out on my own for the day and had a very lovely day. Even though my feet were literally swollen from the night before I walked around the big beautiful city. I stopped and skyped with my mum (this is how Australians’ say and write mom) for a bit. I then found some great stores. I got flat black boots so that I can look stylish but without the pain. I also got a microphone for my labtop since apparently it didn’t come with one even though it has a webcam. I stumbled upon this amazing 5 story mall called the Melbourne Central. It was designed in such a unique way. The mall had a movie theatre and a bowling alley in it. I decided that I will have to come back with the roomies there because I have not made it to the cinema yet since I have been to Australia. I shopped around for a bit then found me a little café outside of it to eat. After dinner I saw it was time for me to try out this church that I had looked up. It was called Cross Culture Church. It was a nice sermon and I met a very nice girl named Sophie. She had just moved here from Brisbane Australia about a month ago. We decided we would go to the newcomers dinner together next week. The church had great praise and worship however the sermon did last quite a long time. The service ended up being about 2 hours long. I had now been gone all day and it was time to return home to relax a bit. The trams were still running and I got home without any problems. At home I nestled into the couch and watched a couple movies that were on tv with the flatmates. Not a bad weekend here in Melbourne if I do say so myself and fortunately I also have Monday off because it is a holiday for the students.

Week 3 in Aussieland/Terrible News

So this week was a lot of work…literally I worked 5 days this week. It was wonderful though. I worked at three different schools. But before all the work happened we had our first of many family meal nights! Sunday we Dean, Caitlin and I had Family Taco Night. It was so cute and fun cooking all together then coming together at the dinner table to eat. I think I can get use to this.
My first work assignment for the week was in a grade 2 classroom and loved it. There was also a very nice student teacher in there named Stevo. He took me out to lunch because you can leave campus for lunch here apparently. Of course normally that wouldn’t help me any because I do not have a car. Stevo took me to this little café down the road. It was the first time I was in the passenger seat when someone was driving on the wrong side of the road. It was so weird and I kept trying to get in on the wrong side hee hee. The café had the best sandwich I have ever had and he picked up the tab which was really nice. I love being a girl sometimes! He also works at a bar that my roommate and I are going to check out on Saturday.
Tuesday and Wednesday I worked at a specialized school for mentally challenged students. I was the PE teacher there for both days. It was wonderful and the students for the most part were really sweet. They liked me so much there that they requested me personally to come back on Thursday. It is always nice to feel wanted. I worked in just one classroom all day. The kids were great and I really enjoyed it though one child had a melt down in the room next to mine and destroyed the room so the second half of the day I two classes in my room. We just extended recess a bit and then worked on the smartboard and it was fine.

On Tuesday, Amy finally arrived. The last piece to our puzzle. She is really sweet. We all went out for sushi as the whole family and popped champagne. This is definitely a regular occurrence for us now because there is this really good champagne that is really cheap. Amy had met a girl named Sam on the plane and Sam came along too. Sam is from the UK and is really cool. Sam, not knowing anyone in Australia, has become a regular visitor to our house and now is part of our little clan! She has just traveled to Thailand and then came over to spend some time here in Australia. She has convinced us that Thailand is to be our first place to visit while in this area. So here in 5 weeks we will be traveling there. In 5 weeks the schools take a “holiday” here. Each break or vacation you take is called holidays here. I love it! So we can’t work for 2 weeks so we might as well go explore somewhere new. Plus it will be hot there and it will be nice to get out of the winter weather for a bit.
Thursday I got terrible news. My dog sitter sent me an email suggesting that Titus is not adjusting well. He said that with Titus being use to a living with only himself or a few other dogs that he is not liking having anywhere from 10 to 15 other dogs around all the time. Because of this Titus has gotten agitated towards the small dogs there. He basically said he doesn’t want him there anymore which kills me in everyway. Titus is my baby and hearing he isn’t happy makes me miserable. I now have to find a place for my wonderful, amazing dog for a least a year when I am on the other side of the world. Needless to say I am very stressed about this and don’t know what to do. I keep praying for a solution and hopefully I will find a great one soon that allows my baby to be safe and happy while I am away. I have more to write about but it doesn’t seem right to flip from my sad news of Titus being depressed to my partying. So there will be a more peppy blog soon I promise but until then please pray for this situation and/or feel free to jot me some advice.