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
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  rocket is arugula
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  tasty cheese...still working on what that is... but it's everywhere
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  pumpkin is butternut squash
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  Subway foot-longs are not 5 dollars... they are 7!
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  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!)
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  boy/girlfriend, wife, husband, gay/lesbian whathaveyou all = partner (so progressive!)
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  non-Jews pronounce the letter "H" as hay'che while Jews say proper ayche (good way to filter love, eh?)
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  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!
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  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...
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  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!

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  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!