G'Day from Down Unda!

After weeks of agony, I mean preparation, I have finally made my way (a very long way) across the Pacific to Australia. During my last week in Breckenridge, I scrambled to pack up the rest of my belongings and finished up my shift at Ski School (and even got into a fist fight with a grumpy old fart of a coworker who wanted to switch standing posts with me but I refused at the request of our other colleagues. Oh the drama of being a ski school host! See left picture of my work.) Then the day before my flight, Justin, Kevin, and I consumed our special homemade chocolates and took a day trip sunbathing outside on our deck for the entire afternoon (right pic). Bluebird sky and unseasonably warm at 60 degrees, it was the perfect way to spend my last day in Colorado. The next morning Justin drove me to the airport with eight pieces of luggage PLUS a bike box that I had to somehow manage all by myself. That son of a bitch is staying for another month to finish up ski season - leaving ME to go to Australia by myself with OUR luggage. I couldn't wait to go with him because my visa will expire if I don't arrive by the Eyes of March whereas his visa is valid until mid-April.

When I finally got to Melbourne after a 20-hour flight with layovers in San Francisco and Sydney, it took about another hour and a half to get through customs / immigration / baggage claim. And let me tell ya, flying coach across the world is NOT the way to go. (Boy do I miss flying business class on the company dime.) Then my dear friend Ben (left pic0 who is housing us for the year in Melbourne picked me up at the airport. The weather was a cool 100 degrees and gave my body quite a shock as I went from the freezing point in Colorado to boiling point in just two days. When we arrived at his house which was an old remodeled monastery (right pic), I realized quickly he wasn't kidding when he said there was nothing there. Ben had also just moved back to Melbourne from London, so the house was completely empty except for his bed and a couple dressers. I have been sleeping on the futon until my bed arrives in a couple weeks. We didn't even have electricity so we have been living by candlelight and bathing in the river. Just kidding about that one. But we did spend the entire week shopping for necessities like pots and pans and got ourselves a nice outdoor dining set which we sanded and stained. We now have a TV and a couple camping chairs as our temporary couch.

But it hasn't been just all work - during my first week here, we've already attended a wedding where we "bush danced" (left pic), a BBQ, a St. Patty's party in the park with a U2 tribute band (right pic), Ben's friend's band, The Tom Kline Set's live performance at the Espy pub in St. Kilda where Green Day and U2 have played, and a comedy show. Next week my job search begins...