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Hey everyone! I hope everyone is well back in the UK? I know it's beginning to cool down over there. Without gloating it's just coming into summer here in Oz and just beginning to get hot hot hot!
Well, we are now in Sydney and unbelievably it's already been well over a month since we arrived... Where is the time going!! We have settled in quickly and are loving life in the Harbour City. We can certainly see why this was named as the worlds best city for the last 18 years by CondeNast!
After landing in Sydney, we stayed the first few nights in a hostel in the centre of the city right by Central Station. Infact it overlooks some of the suburban platforms and used to be the old mailing room. Some of the rooms are actually old converted carriages which makes it an even more unique experience.
Obviously, the first thing any newbie to Sydney has to do is find the Opera House and Harbour Bridge so we headed off the next morning. The centre of Sydney is so small compared to London and you can easily walk between places. Everyone is so friendly even the bus drivers who always say hi to you in the morning! On a beautiful day there really isn't a much better spot to be in the world than sitting by the harbour with the Opera House to your right and on your left the Harbour Bridge. Looking up you can see these tiny ant like creatures hovering on the top of the Harbour Bridge.... We were soon be one of those ants !
Our first priority was to find somewhere to live and jobs. Good old Gumtree came to the rescue and after looking at 4 or 5 places which really weren't for us we struck gold with a place in Maroubra, one of the eastern suburbs just south of Bondi. The house is shared with 7 other people and is great... It even has it's own cleaner! Its only 30 mins from the city and even less to the beach.
Decent jobs were a little harder to come by for me but fortunately Holly has been able to get regular casual relief teaching which has sent her to the darkest depths of the western suburbs. She has worked in a range of schools, including special needs and even a greek orthodox school where the children learn greek dance! She is also learning the subtle differences between the education systems of britain and oz, such as... A texter is a felt tip pen, the roll is the register, a cola isn't a can of drink but an outdoor covered playground and an assembly doesn't happen in a hall but under the cola for the first 2 minutes of the day. She has taught from kindy age to year 6 with some abysmally behaved kids and thankfully some lovely ones.
I have managed to find a short term database contract job working for a large charity called the Heart Foundation which will take me through to the end of the year. Sadly there haven't been the level of jobs that I was doing back in the UK available and I have been seriously weighing up whether I should apply for permanent roles which would mean staying out here longer. We love it here but miss the UK so it's a constant discussion for us! Nevertheless I think both of us have learnt how fortunate we were both in terms of the places we worked and lifestyle we had in London which i certainly took for granted.
I have certainly been missing my fix of culture. For all it's strengths, and there are many, the city's cultural offering is rather lacking. I certainly took that for granted in London where pretty much everything is free to enter and there was always something on. Nevertheless there are some fantastic exhibitions coming here soon as the Aussies have realised culture is a big pull for tourists so I'm sure I'll survive! One good thing is our home is only 10 mins by bus to the Sydney Cricket and Football grounds and so over the next few months I'm sure there will be plenty of visits there!
So what have we been up too... Well we have a rather massive To Do list and each weekend we are trying to tick off at least one thing! So far that has included visiting Bondi beach, going to lots of street markets, Taronga zoo, getting the ferry over to Manly and of course our Bridge Climb which was Holly's 30th present to me. We were so fortunate as the weather has been so changeable here that we had a gorgeous day when we did the climb and whilst the mist in the distance prevented us seeing the Blue Mountains it did keep the heat off and stop us sweltering in the horrific jumpsuits you have to wear. The climb was amazing and whilst Holly doesn't have the best head for heights I think even she was surprised at how stable you felt up there.
The bridge dominates the city skyline wherever you seem to be. When you climb it, you gradually ascend the original structure which takes you over 8 lanes of traffic and a railway line and eventually around 140 metres up in the air. You are permanently connected to the bridge all the way and have to go through a breathalyser and ladder climbing test before you are allowed out on the bridge!! Each group has a guide who talks to you via a headset although I think i must have been focusing on the views as I can't remember much she said other than the bridge is made up of 6 million rivets!! A random fact I probably will never forget and hopefully will come in handy for a pub quiz in the future. Looking out from the top on a weekend you can see the hundreds of boats and ferries that are an essential part of city life here. There was even a marriage proposal by a guy in our group at the very top of the bridge.
Originally we had planned to stay here for the new year and then move onto Melbourne however given how much we love Sydney we may stay here and do a short break early next year. Whatever happens we are going to be here for Xmas.... but its so strange seeing the Christmas decorations up and it being so hot plus of course being away from friends and family who we are missing lots.
What's the big news from Oz, well we have had a visit from the Queen and everyone seemingly loves Liz. Given the reaction to her over here I don't think Australia is going to become a republic for a few more years! The other major story has been Qantas deciding to ground it's entire fleet. We have been so fortunate not to have been affected by the strikes that have been going on for months now.
We have also started to go to Hillsong church which is a huge church which has outposts in most of the major cities in the world. Last week we went to the recording of the next Hillsong Cd. Over 12,000 people went to the main indoor arena in the Olympic Park which was an incredible experience!
Hope all of you are well?? Keep in touch guys, we love hearing news and messages on our blog and facebook from you all.
T&h x
- comments
Linda Chenapa Hi, sounds like you're having fun! I start a new job on Monday working 1-1 with a little boy in year 1 who's autistic. Got room for one more for Christmas dinner??!!
Ross Powditch Hi Guys, I'm glad your enjoying yourselves and everything is going well for you's. No doubt that I shall be saying that to myself regarding 'taking the UK for granted' when I go to NZ next year but you need to put that out the back of your minds and just enjoy the whole experience. Have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year guys and I am so looking forward to seeing you's in NZ. Your Friend, The Baron xx