Christmas in Oz

For the first time in my life, I spent Christmas without my family, snow, or chocolate dessert.  Luckily I was surrounded by other people who were in the same position and we definitely made the most of our first Christmas in Australia!

Our office closed and the end of the day on December 23 and we are on break until January 10.  It is just like being in college again and I love it!!  People here are amazed when I tell them that at home we only get one day off for Christmas and one day off for New Years.  Before you get too jealous - I should say that of our 11 days of holidays during this time only 3 of them are public holidays.  The remaining 8 days we have to take as vacation.  But we get more vacation here than at home.  And I am not complaining about being required to take two weeks off.

On Christmas Eve Kelly and I went to the Christmas Eve service at St. Francis in the city.  The service was at 6 in the evening and the city still looked so busy with shoppers and tourist that we didn't think there would be anyone at church.  We were wrong!!!  We arrive about 10 minutes before church started and already there was nowhere to sit.  There were people lined up down each of the side aisles almost all the way to the front of the church.  We were originally standing in the aisle until a few people made additional room and we each got to sit - just not together.  The service was not but did not even come close to competing with the candlelight service at the Prairie City CoB!!!

After church we met up Verena, Valerie, Steph, Graham, Nase, and Thurai for dinner.  We had no idea where to go for dinner as there were many places that were closed for Christmas Eve or they were already full.  We decided on Borsari, an Italian restaurant on Lygon St.  It was delicious.   I would highly recommend the fettucine pappone to anyone in the Melbourne area looking for a good Italian meal in the city.

After dinner we went to Madame Brussels - a bar we had tried to go to earlier in the week for our Secret Santa gift exchange but it was too busy  Kelly and I got in the festive mood and surprised everyone with our Santa hat and reindeer antlers that we had found at the South Melbourne market.  The bar closed not long after we arrived so we headed to The Elephant and the Wheelbarrow for some live music and a little dancing.


Kelly, Steph and I at the Elephant and the Wheelbarrow



Because all of us are used to snow and freezing temperatures on Christmas, we decided we needed to celebrate Christmas with a barbecue.  On Christmas Day Val, Verena, Kelly, and I met up with Graham and Steph at their apartment before heading out for our big barbecue.  Graham and Steph had discovered that there are a lot of free barbecues along the river not far from their apartment.  The only problem was that we had underestimated how many other people would have the same idea.  After walking for about 20 minutes we found an empty picnic table, but no available barbecue. We had plenty of food so we snacked on taco dip, salad, and bread while waiting for a barbecue to free up.  Verena and I struck out several times trying to politely ask people if we could have the barbecue after them.  Finally we convinced Graham to go make friends with some people and he was successful.  I think we definitely overestimated the amount of food that we needed.  After snacking on everything none of us were feeling especially hungry but we cooked up everything we brought anyway - I think mainly because none of us wanted to carry it all back!

 

Our Christmas Feast





Our 2010 Christmas family

Kelly and I were also introduced to a new Christmas tradition: Christmas crackers.  Christmas crackers are a small cardboard tube with a gift inside and wrapped in Christmas paper.  Two people pull on opposite ends of the cracker and the person who ends up with the larger portion gets to keep the present that is inside. 

Val and Kelly pulling their Christmas cracker

On the 27th Kelly, Bre, and I went to the Cricket.  I'm guessing 98% of the people reading this blog don't understand cricket so I won't try to explain it (mostly because I know you don't care but also because I just learned about it in the past few days myself).  The Ashes contest is four test matches between Australia and England played over one month.  That's right - it takes a month to figure out the winner and there is still a chance it can end in a tie. (and people here try to tell me that baseball is boring).  This week is the final test and that day we attended was day 2.  Unfortunately for Australia, day 1 (boxing day) did not go so well.  The first day ended with Australia scoring 98 runs and England scoring 157 runs with no outs.  That means that England got to begin batting on day 2.  We were at the cricket from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and England was still batting (you have to get 10 outs).

We had really good seats and after lunch when the sun came out it was actually pretty enjoyable.  I think we got more excited about doing the wave and watching trash blow onto the field than we did about the actual game (okay, maybe that was just Bre and I).

Kelly's favorite player Mitchell Johnson (don't you love the sweater vests)

Next up on our holiday itinerary:  Grampians National Park, NYE in Melbourne, and Fiji!

Livin' the Dream

"Livin' the dream"
"Life is good"
"I can't believe this is our life!!!"
These are just a few of the things Kelly and I say to each other almost daily.

A lot has happened since my last blog.   Be prepared – this is a long one!

EY Ball

That’s right…I said ball.  Not party.  Friday Dec. 10 was the annual EY ball.  It was HUGE and very fancy.  Our office has about 1500 people and I based on my estimations there were over 1,000 people there.  It is hard to believe that more people work in my office than the entire population of my hometown. Crazy!

The day before the ball I was at happy hour with the Australia Post audit team and they were all telling me stories about how crazy the ball gets.  The ED (executive director) even told me that “a straight-laced American like me” would not even know what to think (yes, you can all start laughing now).  I was thinking back to the EY Minneapolis Christmas party at the Depot and the Spring Fling at the Graves Hotel and was sure nothing would surprise me.

First of all, people get way more dressed up than for any Christmas party I have ever been too.  Girls left early to get their hair down, guys wore tuxes – the whole nine yards.  Here’s a picture so you get an idea of how fancy it was:

After dinner there was a band…..and a dance floor.  1,000+ EY people on one dance floor.  Most of you are probably thinking of nerdy tax accountants with glasses and pocket protectors.  Instead picture 1,000 people – all of them working for the same company and 50% of whom are under the age of 25.  Insanity!

The only downside to the ball was the beer selection – there were only 3 to choose from and they were not good.  Drinking wine/champagne all night is not a good idea (I have the bruises on my leg to prove it).

Most of my pictures from the ball are of Alexis and Kelly.  It has become a common theme for Alexis to steal my camera.  And he always seems to take pictures of himself and Kelly. 

 I did manage to get a few other pictures in that night:



This was our favorite picture - except it was ruined by a wine glass and a random in the background!





Nase, JJ, and Graham - I think this one pretty much sums up the night.
Graham - I added this one in case your mom is reading this!!!



The ball ended at midnight – but the party didn’t stop there.   There was an EY after party (no we are not still in college although lately it has felt like it).  I think I will stop the stories from the ball now – my mom has probably heard enough.

Christmas Party

Apparently one party in December is not enough.  The Thursday after the ball was the Assurance-wide Christmas party (basically everyone in audit).  The Christmas party was held on the 89^th floor of the Eureka Tower.  The Eureka Tower is the tallest building in the South Hemisphere and the 89^th floor is the top floor (the general public only gets to go to the 89^th floor).

Santa (assurance managing partner) and his elves (other partners) made an appearance at the Christmas party.  For $5 you could get your picture taken with them and the proceeds went to a children’s charity. Someone asked me if any of the partners in Minneapolis would wear spandex and dress up as an elf – I can’t picture it!  I wanted to include the pictures here but we got printed pictures and I haven’t scanned it yet.  Instead here’s a picture of JJ and the ladies at the Christmas party:

Kelly’s funny story:

Kelly wanted to make sure this was included in the blog (trust me it was funnier if you were there).  At the party Kelly and I were standing and talking to a group of people and an RCIP partner came up (RCIP is the group I work in).  This is how the conversation went (I don’t know the exact words but you’ll get the idea):

Partner:  “Hi, I’m TW, I work in the RCIP practice.”

Kelly:   “Oh, do you guys work together?” (meaning me and partner). 

Partner (shaking his head):  no, no

Me:  No, we’ve just met before

The conversation continued for awhile, talking about our holiday plans, etc.  The conversation then came to the fact that Kelly and I were both from the Minneapolis office and knew each other before coming to Australia. 

Partner: If you guys know each other why did you ask if we were together?” (Meaning me and the partner)

Kelly (laughing):  hahahaha, I asked if you guys WORKED together.

Partner (laughing):  That happens all the time.

That happens all the time????  What?  See, I told you it was funnier if you were there.

An update on the apartment

We are still loving our apartment.  We now have a refrigerator, microwave and other small kitchen appliances.  And electricity!!! Now we just need cable, internet, and furniture and we will be al set (I am sitting on the floor right now).

Saturday we went to the market and bought our first decoration:

This is Judy (Sorry Aunt Judy, she is not named after you).  Kelly decided this is Judy from Judy’s Ten Key. Judy is adapting to the Australian lifestyle and has taken to drinking all day instead of helping us with our add checks (footing).  We say Hi to Judy when we come home and make sure we have a drink with her every now and then so she doesn’t feel bad drinking alone.

Your can't tell from this picture just Judy is actual wire, not a picture - the white background is our wall.   I love it!

Kelly and I have not even gotten in a fight yet!  (Of course it helps that Judy is here to make sure we all get along).

Only 3 more days of work until our 2 week holiday!  I hope everyone has a great Christmas!!!  Enjoy the snow – I hope to be sitting on the beach if it would just warm up a little bit!

FOOD!

In an attempt to add a few more posts about something other than my weekend festivities I have decided to include a post on one of my favorite things – FOOD! (Mom this is for you since you think I do nothing but drink here!)  There is no shortage of food in Melbourne, you can’t walk far without finding a café or restaurant.  There are of course your normal chain restaurants, but what I love most are the little cafes that line the streets with outdoor seating .  It will be months before I find a place I decide is my favorite.  In the meantime I am having fun trying out different places.

Here are a few of the restaurants I have enjoyed so far:

The Esplanade Hotel (the Espy) is in St. Kilda just a few blocks from our apartment.  Serves breakfast all day on the weekends and good nightly specials.  I had the fish and chips...yum :)

Hairy Canary - I went here for lunch with George and Kaz (we actually sat at that back table where you see people sitting!)  Lots of tapas.  We had the lamb, corn, and onion pizza......I'm from Iowa and even I don't think I've had corn on pizza before!

The Seamstress

World Bar in Southbank - best white sangria I've ever had.  And the red was good too!

A few other random food finds:

·         Tuna.  I’ve been eating a lot of tuna here, mostly because lunchmeat is expensive and the turkey from the deli tastes strange (but turkey at Subway is fine).  Anyway, the tuna isn’t anything special – it just comes in a can.  But the best part is you can buy different flavors of tuna.  On my last grocery run I bought sweet chili tuna, Mexican style tuna and tuna with tomato and capsicum.  Maybe they have this at home and I just never knew.  It makes tuna so much more exciting!

·         Sweet Chili Sauce.  I included this mostly because I love it but also because I figured it would ensure that Betsy would come visit me. They have sweet chili flavored everything:  chips, crackers, tuna (as mentioned above), and sweet chili sauce at Subway.  Sweet chili sauce also accompanies a lot of appetizers – chicken strips, wedges, etc.  (As you can see I’ve been eating very healthily for the past month!)

·         Pumpkin.  I have probably mentioned this one to some of you before, as my first experience with pumpkin other than Halloween or Thanksgiving was during my visit to Australia in 2007.  Although I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, I love real pumpkin!  Mashed pumpkin is delicious!  I’ve also had pumpkin risotto and even saw a pumpkin pizza but did not try it (yet).

·         Turkish Bread.  I have seen this on menus nearly everywhere I go.  Restaurants are always sure to point out that they have Turkish bread – “chicken sandwich on Turkish bread,” “Turkish bread and dips,” “bruschetta on Turkish bread.”   I didn’t care for the bruschetta on Turkish bread.  It just didn’t seem to blend right, but this also could have been because I ordered it from room service and it was a bit soggy by the time it arrived.  My other experiences with Turkish bread have been delicious!

·         Coffee.  People love their coffee (and coffee breaks) here.  It took me awhile to get used to how to order – black, flat black, white, long, short, skinny, etc.  My regulars have become a skinny latte or a white coffee (with milk).  We have a new coffee machine on my floor at work and I love the hazelnut cappuccino.  I’m guessing it’s not the healthiest option either.  Another strange thing about the coffee is that they often serve them in glass or ceramic cups with no handles.  How am I supposed to hold that??

That’s all I can think of for now until I venture out and try more new dishes!

New Apartment!

The Apartment

We finally have keys to our new apartment!



Looking into the living room from the kitchen



Friday morning I checked out of my second serviced apartment and went to the property management office and got the keys to Kelly and I’s apartment.  I had to go to work so I didn’t have time to go check out the place before heading to the city.  I was meeting some friends after work (more about that later) so I ducked out of worked a little early to collect my bags from Easystay and drop them off at the new apartment.  My serviced apartment is only about a 10 minute walk from the new place but with 3 suitcases and two laptop bags, I decided getting a taxi was the best option; even if I had to pay a little more for it.  Apparently getting a taxi on a Friday afternoon is pretty difficult and I ended up waiting about 30 minutes.  Finally I made it to the apartment and to haul all of my suitcases up to the apartment (we are on the first floor, which would be the second floor in the US – up one flight of stairs).  Please keep in mind I am still wearing the dress I wore to work and work shoes.  Fun stuff! 

After getting into the apartment I tried to flip on some light switches and noticed  they were not working.  I also tried plugging in my cell phone charger to see if the outlets worked.  No luck there either.  I had called to have the electricity turned on by Dec. 3 and they told me it could take up until 6:00 that day.  It was only 5:30 at that time, so I was still hoping it would be on by 6.  I quickly changed clothes and headed back to the city.  When I arrived back home around 11 I discovered that we still didn’t have electricity (we did have water).  Which means I was unable to blow up my air mattress so I ended up sleeping in on the floor using my Africa sleeping bag and pillow.  Good times!  Unfortunately the electric company is not open on the weekends so I have to wait until Monday to call them.  At least the apartment is well shaded and there is a breeze so I haven’t been desperate for the air con yet.

Here are a few more pictures of the apartment – our furniture has not arrived so these pictures are just to give you an idea of the place.  More pictures to come of the finished product!




Bathroom

 


 

Kitchen

Bedroom.  I stopped mid-unpacking to take some photos.
I'll be sleeping on that air mattress for the next few weeks :(

First Weekend in December

I again had a busy, fun-filled weekend catching up with friends.

 Festivities kicked off on Friday when my friend George (from the Contiki 2004 trip) and his wife Kaz were in Melbourne for a wedding (they currently live in Western Australia).  I met up with them on Friday for lunch at a restaurant in the city called Hairy Canary.  There are so many places to eat in the city, it is going to take me forever to pick a favorite!  Hairy Canary was recommended by a co-worker and I was impressed!  The menu was mostly tapas and pizzas.  We ordered some food and spent about 2 hours catching up (oops….that was a bit of a long lunch!)  I have not seen George and Kaz since our New York trip for New Years 2004/2005.  Since that time they have gotten married, travelled around Australia for 8 months, moved to the country, and had their first child!  As you can see, we had a lot to catch up on so I think the long lunch was acceptable!

After work and moving into my apartment, I headed back into the city to meet up with George and Kaz again and two of Kaz’s friends (Kelsey and Nicky).  We started at the James Squire Brewhouse for a drink and then went to The Seamstress/Sweatshop – a bar on Lonsdale St.  The bar has an upstairs – the Seamstress and downstairs – the Sweatshop.  We chose The Seamstress.  It was a really fun place – decorated with clothes hanging from the ceiling. Next time I’ll have to go back and see what the Sweatshop looks like.  We had some interesting conversations and I learned a lot about life in the country in Australia.  For example, I was informed that UGG boots are not to be worn in public….they are to keep you warm in your house.  It’s okay to wear them out to the clothesline but you cannot wear them out around town.  Good to know – I don’t think Americans are following the rules!!!

Saturday was such a gorgeous day we decided we needed to enjoy the sunshine so a few PwCers and Kelly and I went to the St. Kilda Sea Baths for the afternoon and sat on the deck enjoying a few drinks and the beautiful scenery.  St. Kilda Sea Baths is right on the beach and has a couple of restaurants, a gym (which I recently joined) and of course the sea baths.  I should also add that I did workout on Saturday – I used the elliptical machine while looking out onto the ocean.  So nice!  Here are a few pictures I took while I was walking to the Sea Baths:

Saturday evening I had dinner in the city with Valerie, Graham, Steph, Emma, Naesan, and Naesan’s brother Thurai who had just arrived in Melbourne from New Zealand that day.  We ate at a restaurant called The World (or maybe just ‘World’, I can’t remember) in Southbank.  We had a big booth outside with a great view of the city and even though it took about 2 hours to get out food, it was still a good time!



Sunday I was up early to catch a tram and then a train to the country! I met Justin, Kiz, and Carlee in Eltham for brunch.  Carlee was another member of the Africa tour I was on this summer.  Justin and Kiz live in Eltham and Carlee was there visiting a friend who also joined us for lunch (I am completely blanking on her name right now!  I think it was Kathy….).  Eltham is about a 45 minute train ride from the city. I brought along a book but ended up just staring out the window and enjoying the changing scenery as I went!  We had brunch at a nice café in Eltham and I got to hear stories about the rest of their time in Africa (they all continued on different tours while I had to go back home and go to work!)

This entry has gotten quite long, I hope I haven’t bored any of you!  I have had requests for more pictures so hopefully the apartment pictures suffice.  We have the EY ball and Christmas dinner coming up so I should have some good opportunities for more people photos soon!