Picture posting practice

This post won't say much, but I am still figuring out how to place photos within my posts.

Employment!

After about a month being here, I have two nanny/babysitter positions. I had 6 interviews, and ended up getting jobs from the first interview (which I thought went horribly!) and the last. Mondays I will be caring for 3 boys, aged 1, 3 and 5--Henry, Joe and Jack. Luckily, Jack is at school until 3 each day, and they don't fall apart until about 4pm... Today was my first day, and it went pretty well. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I will be doing after-school care for two boys, aged 8 and 10--Calam and Aidan. I start Wednesday and then do a full week next week, and it should be pretty low maintenance. Life is pretty good at the moment.

Now that my "work schedule" is settled, I plan to go back to my English language tutoring for refugees and migrants. I don't think I'll go back to the museum on a regular basis, but I might see how things go after the first few weeks of work. I also need to get back into a practice routine in the next couple of weeks.

Last week, Thomas and I watched a rugby game with our friends, Jason and Lois. They all explained the rules to me, and for the most part I understand. It was rugby league, as opposed to rugby union. Somehow we got talking about snacks (we were eating some), and I realized that they don't have S'mores or Rice Krispie treats here. Hopefully I can make some, but as far as I can tell, they don't have graham crackers, either. They do have Rice Krispies, which are called Rice Bubbles here, so it is entirely possible. Along with my other plans, this will be one of my new missions.

Another busy week!

I've been here just over two weeks, and a lot has been happening. We have our TV now, and that makes the mornings a bit nicer. They have a couple of morning shows that I usually watch. Our landlord bought us a new couch, which is really nice. Very comfy.

Since I last posted, I have had three nanny interviews. I don't think I got the one I interviewed for on Monday. I haven't heard anything from them... maybe a blessing anyway. Thursday I interviewed with a very nice family with two boys. I think the family liked me, but it's a matter of other people possibly being more qualified. Yesterday I interviewed with a family who has one 5 month old baby, and a 2 and a half year old. They interviewed a lot of other people, so I'm guessing they'll find someone with more baby-specific experience. And today is my fourth interview. I am just going to keep looking and trying until I find something. Everyone I have met so far, I've offered babysitting services if they choose someone else. So we'll see.

My new book club was great. It had the potential for disaster, but turned out great. There were two gals (early to mid 30s) who started the club, a few other regulars, and two other new people. Everyone was very nice, and we also chatted about the book (which I guess is the point). We're meeting again in a couple of weeks. So far a couple have offered to get together for a movie, or coffee, so that is really good.

This week I might try to get my driver's licence, and also get a driving lesson. Most of the families looking for nannies wnat someone who can drive (even if not in their own car). We're also bike shopping. Thomas wants to get a bike to ride to work also, and we both want to enjoy the many bike paths in the area (I sound like a commercial for Brisbane...haha). We need to do a bit more comparison shopping, but we found a store in the city that can give us everything we need for a good price (and discount for buying two bikes, etc.). The challenge would be the many many hills here in Brisbane.

Hopefully more updates soon!

Settling In

This week I accomplished a lot of goals. Wednesday was when it began. The classifieds here are best on Wednesdays and Saturdays (as Thomas told me), so Wednesday I decided to look for nanny/babysitting jobs posted in the paper. I only found one, but I gave them a call. So far I haven't heard back from this family, which is ok because it got me rolling. I put together a resume appropriate for this situation, and tried to google the "going rate" for babysitting/nannying around here. While googling, I came upon a fantastic website (gumtree.com.au), with everything from TVs for sale, to friendship and dating ads. From there I stumbled on one great opportunity after another. I found a TV that is being sold by a couple moving overseas (imagine that!). It comes with a DVD player and TV stand, and we're picking it up today. I also found a book club, Literature Loving Ladies (nerdy I know, but I really want to find a book club!). So far, I have emailed them, and plan to join the group on Thursday. The book is 'The Book Thief,' by Markus Zusak, an Australian author, but the book is published in the UK and US. It is incredible, and I haven't even finished yet. Hopefully it's a fun group, and if not, I found out about this extraordinary book in the meantime.

I've also organized one interview for a nanny position--Monday evening. They are right up the road, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will work out. It will be great to have some income, and something to do. Not to mention, who knows who I might meet from there. I've been emailing with another family, and I might interview with them, but it's not for sure yet.

Otherwise, I do need to get out there again musically, which involves practicing! I've taken a bit of time off from that, so we'll see if we can't amend that situation. I'll keep my ear to the ground for potential low brass students, but I am trying to be patient.

Monday I go back to my volunteer job at the museum, so it will be nice to see everyone there.

Thomas is doing very well. He is enjoying having me back, and we've settled easily into a routine, though it's changing all the time. In early September he will be auditioning for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, so soon he will be working even harder toward that.

That's all for now. I might wander down to the store for a paper (it's about a 2-minute walk from here).

Day 7 Update

It gets dark here at about 5:00pm. This is very confusing for me, considering that it is summer at home, and it gets dark around 9:30pm there. So by 6 o'clock, I am thinking, "Wow, it must be closing in on bedtime!" Wrong! It's very weird.

Otherwise, I am trying to adjust to life again as an unemployed foreigner. I'm trying to fit in and make friends, and feel comfortable. I guess this is to be expected when you move to a new place (let alone, country). I'm planning on starting my volunteer job at the museum on Monday (my usual day there), and tomorrow I will begin my search for a possible nanny job (the best days for classifieds are Wednesday and Saturday apparently).

So far, winter here is very pleasant. I use the term, "winter," very loosely though. It does get chilly at night, and I am usually curled up tightly under the blanket in bed. But today on my walk into West End (about 30 minutes), I was glad to have put sunscreen on my face. The sun was very bright! I am slowly adjusting to walking everywhere I go. I definitely need to do more walking for exercise, which will make walking for transportation easier.

That's all for now. Hopefully next week I will have more exciting things to share!

Safe arrival!

After 28 hours of travel, I have finally arrived safely in Brisbane! Everything went according to plan, beginning with my flight from Detroit to LA, which left at 5:30pm on Monday, June 4th. I arrived in LA at around 7:30 LA time, and waited for my 10:30 flight to Auckland. Conveniently, the Northwest flights from Detroit to LA land in the same terminal as Air New Zealand, and also the same terminal as the $10 per value meal Burger King restaurant (!). I boarded the flight to Auckland, and from what I could tell, it was under 50% full. I ended up with my own row (although the arm rests didn't go up, so I couldn't lay across the three seats like most people--not a big deal), and had a pleasant 12-hour flight. The longest wait seemed to be when I was in Auckland, as it was the home stretch, and I just wanted to get the rest of the way!

Finally, I arrived in Brisbane, went swiftly through customs, and each of my 3 bags arrived on time. After going through the final screening, I purchased phone credit for my Australian cell phone, called Thomas, and was on my way to a taxi. Thomas was in rehearsal, so the landlords let me in the apartment and helped me with my luggage. The taxi cost about $45, which isn't too bad.

Since arriving back to the apartment, we've mostly sat around, and I've shown Thomas some of my new clothes. We're both very excited that I'm back, and adjusting to the fact that we don't have to do any math equations to figure out when we can talk to each other. : ) I took a short nap, but it felt like hours and hours. When I woke up, it was about 5pm, and already getting dark, so my body is VERY confused! I do think the trip was easier this time than last year, but we shall see.

That's all for now. I hope to post regularly this time around... we'll see how that goes.

For anyone who even reads this

I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this, but lately I have an overwhelming need to be heard (or in this case, read).

The wait for my visa is continuing. I am hoping that next week will be the magic week. That's what my mom said, and she's often right about matters of life and such. In the meantime, aside from working (and playing on the computer at said jobs) all I do is read. And I love it. My love of book stores and libraries even applies to the Charlotte Community Library, which has 6 rows of fiction at most. Despite its tiny size, there are still more books there than I could ever possibly read. Sometimes I have to try very hard to be humble when I think about the fact that I have a master's degree and teacher certification in two countries, and yet, I am excited when my weekly paycheck is over $300 (one week for one job, one week for the other--you get the point). Hopefully very soon this chapter of my life will end. And when it does, I may be slightly saddened that I won't have the time to read nearly a book a day, and at least I have improved my skills in patience. But man will it be nice to start teaching, after working a long time toward this goal.

Subbing

I've been subbing a lot lately, and it's pretty great. Today I went for a half day of middle school, and the teacher didn't leave any plans for me. I definitely prefer when they actually leave plans. I just can't wait until I will be a "real" teacher; my own job, my own students, real money. That will be the day. I don't think I'll believe it until I get my first real paycheck. And then I will frame it and hang it on the wall.

Michigan

I didn't do very well with this whole blog thing... Oops. Now I'm back in Michigan already, applying and waiting for my visa. Maybe I'll write in the blog from here and then by the time I go back to Australia, I will be an expert. Who knows.

Life is very different for me than it was two weeks ago. The weather couldn't be more different! Everything is covered in snow. It's nice to be driving again, although the un-plowed roads make for an interesting time. I have started working again as a security guard, and will be substitute teaching beginning next week. I'm trying to practice euphonium and catch up with friends, though both are proving to be very challenging. I guess I've only been home a week, so maybe I should give myself a bit of slack.

We're off to Myrtle Beach tomorrow morning to visit the family and see Sara and Mike's house. I am very excited!