Week in Review

Good evening readers!

I hope this post finds you well and enjoying your springtime. Things are hot as ever here and the fall (if they even have one) is still months away. I wanted to use this post to update you on my first full week here and to fill you in on some funny Aussie stories.

The first week was pretty good! Some lows scattered with mostly high points. Biggest high: I have an address! On Thursday I am moving in with two great Aussie girls to a neighborhood called Surry Hills. (see it on the map) The area is fantastic. Close to Hyde Park (our Central Park), downtown, and the Opera House. It is a short bus ride away from the beach and near all the best bars and cafes. To help you visualize, Surry Hills is a cross of Sheinkin Street in Tel Aviv and SoHo in NYC. A little too trendy for me you may be thinking, but this flat is super as are the flatties! (roomies)

So a big check off my to-do list for the week. WHEW!

Other fun moments of the week included my other girl blind dates. All three were great successes and I can't wait to spend more time with all of them. One was such a success she is now my roommate! It's turning out to be the best way for me to meet people here so if you know of anyone...set me up!

In addition to my promiscuous friendship lifestyle, I went to synagogue for Friday night in the Bondi area. Bondi has a huge Jewish population (more on that later though.) The building was so beautiful as were the services. The services were mostly the same as the Rabbi is a chabad imported Rabbi from Brooklyn. I also stayed with one of my new girlfriends for dinner and mingling afterward. The dinner was a delicious 3-course meal which was followed by trivia and other games. There were about 60 other young professionals there so the meal was pretty intimate. No, I did not meet anyone! Oddly enough my friend and I managed to sit at a table full of couples. They were all very friendly and will surely meet up with them again.

The rest of that weekend consisted of sleeping, reading, and the BEACH! I finally made it down to the famous shore. Wow. Seriously there is no beach like this one! Yes there's south beach, Malibu, Herzl, and even the near to my heart Siesta Key but how could I be missing out on Bondi Beach for this long?? The boardwalk is littered with fantastic cafes and (mostly) beautiful people so I had nothing to complain about. To take a break from the sun, I explored the Bondi Market which is their weekly Sunday artisan market. I felt as if I was transported to Nachalat Binyamin on a Tuesday afternoon because it was 80% run by Israelis! They had some fun cheap stuff so I am sure I'll be back soon.

Sunday ended with the famed "Coastal Walk." I walked from Bondi beach (the northernmost beach on the eastern shore) to Bronte beach (you guessed it, the southernmost). Incredible views! It's crazy to think that this coast is so accessible and ordinary for Sydneysiders (a resident of Sydney). What a great thing to call part of your city.

So now the Oddities Section of my post. The below are just funny things I have picked up on from my week here:

• In the beginning of the Sydney Olympics, there were so many vehicular/pedestrian accidents they had to indicate which way pedestrians should look before crossing the street (Aussies drive on the left side). I still find it daunting as I am constantly looking both ways!


• capsicum is pepper
• 
  
  rocket is arugula
• 
  
  tasty cheese...still working on what that is... but it's everywhere
• 
  
  pumpkin is butternut squash
• 
  
  Subway foot-longs are not 5 dollars... they are 7!
• 
  
  which leads me to this: Sydney is so expensive! A subway ride is minimum $3, a tiny coffee (short black) is also $3 but there is no tipping here (which leads to...you guessed it... terrible service!)
• 
  
  boy/girlfriend, wife, husband, gay/lesbian whathaveyou all = partner (so progressive!)
• 
  
  non-Jews pronounce the letter "H" as hay'che while Jews say proper ayche (good way to filter love, eh?)
• 
  
  higher education is one of the top exports for Australia. The unis are predominantly Asian as they all come in for 3-5 years for university and then go back home. You are a minority on campus!
• 
  
  girls don't drink beer. It's not because they find it unlady-like but since they never had a true college experience (everyone lives at home until they mostly get married) girls never acquire the taste or can tolerate much of it. When people see me drink beer they almost immediately know I am a tourist! Though I am sure there are a few other giveaways...
• 
  
  80% of what exists in Australia does NOT exist anywhere else in this world. I am no horticulturalist but that fact is staggering! So many beautiful flowers, birds, and mammals you can't find anywhere else. Amazing!

• 
  
  Once again...the Australian people are SO nice! But then again, I would be pretty carefree if one of the more high profile crimes in my country is tree vandalism. They have a hotline!

That's all for now! Take care and keep me in touch!

Getting settled...

Happy Tuesday everyone! (or for all back in the States/Israel happy Monday night!)

I have slowly been settling down here which has been a big learning experience. After 4 trips to Telstra (Aussie AT&T), I have my own mobile number here! 0488 440 930 call me anytime! (just mind the 16-hour difference...)

After running around the city for two nights, I think I have found my apartment! At first I thought I wanted to live by the beach in Bondi with all the Jews and falafel stands, but after a long night of schlepping through with my cousin (thanks for the lift, Jason!) I decided that city life is way more suited for me. The beach is absolutely stunning; there is nothing quite like the shore here. Incredible cliffs, deep blue waters, and beautiful people. BUT, I think I need to be where the action is downtown. The beach will always be a quick bus ride away, and especially in the winter (in 2 months or so) living on the water isn't essential.

Last night I ran around Paddington/Surry Hills to hunt for a room. I found a great one! They are still showing the place to two more people tonight so hopefully I will hear good news....til then I won't say much about it just in case.

So the past two days have been quite productive:

-finally got to see the Opera House

-went to the New South Wales Wine Festival

-checked out Paddy's Market (a big flea/indoor bazaar with fruits/veggies as well)

-tonight I am going on my first of many "girl blind dates." I have a mutual friend with this girl Rachel who has reached out to me, so tonight we are getting dinner in town. Should be fun and hopefully only good things will come!

Typical to the other posts- I have to reiterate how nice and accommodating people are! A few Jewish people showed me their apartments these past 2 days and I got seder invites from all of them. Additionally, one guy was nice enough to pick me up from Surry Hills, show me his flat in Rose Bay, take me to Vaucluse to see another flat, and then drove me alllll the way home to Drommoyne. He saved me either an hour on the bus or 50 bucks from a taxi! Do you know any strangers in the states who would do that??

More to come soon- hopefully an update on my living situation and maybe some chronicling of my girl blind dates! Keep in touch!

So far so great!

Hello Mates!

Per my post below, I am now a blogger! (we'll see how long this lasts) The title of the blog mostly speaks for itself, but I found that I was laughing to myself when I was filling out my customs form upon arrival in Sydney. Never have I ever marked down "Reason for visit: Business." How silly! I am here to live in Sydney to work?! Funny thought, I know...

Let's go over a quick update on my first two days in this lovely city:

-after a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles, I landed in Sydney to warm weather and even warmer people at 9am on Friday. Everyone is so nice and helpful! Yes, you will run into a few jerks along the way but the overall demeanor here is so kind.

-I took a cab straight from the airport to my cousins house in the suburb of Drummoyne (google map it, people). They have a scrumptious 9-month old Benjamin, see pic!

-By 11am, my cousin taught me how to order a coffee (long black is a tall coffee...don't ask!) The coffee here is SUPER strong! I need to be cautious and not drink it too often or else my double tall skinny vanilla lattes at you-know-where won't be strong enough!

-By 11:30am I figured out the bus system and caught a bus into the city. $3.50 later (no joke) I was exploring downtown and trying to knock a few errands off my list.

-Downtown Sydney reminds me of Montreal while the eastern suburbs SCREAM Beverly Hills. It is also a very international city. On the bus I heard Spanish, Russian, and Thai.

-LOTS of Thai people...which means LOTS of Thai food! I am in gastro-heaven! They have all my favorites here! (sour candy, gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinegar and avocados...no I swear I'm not pregnant!)

-By the end of yesterday I was exhausted. I ate dinner with my family and then promptly passed out at 10pm.

This morning was great!

-woke up at 9am and ran 5k around the bay the house is situated on

-we grabbed an early lunch on Watson's Bay in the Eastern Suburbs and were able to eat fish and chips in the park by the water

-we took a mini-hike around the Sydney National Harbour and they showed me Rose Bay, Vaucluse, and Double Bay. Quite impressive homes!

A few Aussie "isms:"

-mate

-cheers

-no worries (like you're welcome or no problem)

-everything has an "o" at the end: avocado = avo, brunch = bruncho, Aviva = Avivo (just kidding)

Tomorrow should be a packed day:

-unlocking my iphone

-"investigating" (as they say) some flats for rental

-hopefully meeting Mikey Berlin on the beach for some surfing tournament!

Maybe one day I'll fit in some work...?

Don't hate me....

...But I think I have gone off the deep-end and decided to blog. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy talking about my time here in Sydney so far with friends and family but it's tough making sure I tell everyone all the right details everytime! Ergo... the creation of this blog that will chronicle both my professional and fun times here down under!

Enjoy!