The weekend before last marked the end of my "summer vacation" as I made the final countdown to the first day of school. A bunch of us drove a couple hours down the coast to the Peninsula where Ben's friend has a commodious beach house with over twenty beds. We shopped at the market, strolled on the beach, ate fish and chips, and played games until 4 am. The relaxing weekend, though cloudy, ended too quickly and I soon found myself feeling excited and nervous at the same time: What am I going to wear? Who am I going to eat lunch with? I am the new kid in school and have to make the best first impression.
Dressed in black from head-to-toe, I blended right in with the rest of the corporate drones rushing to get to work on a busy Monday morning in the CBD (Melbourne's Central Business District). Australian corporate culture is similar to ours, at least at first glance, so there is not much to report there. When I attended my first meeting, however, I felt like I was watching a foreign film where the subtitles only appeared 50% of the time. My naivete led me to believe that I had mastered Aussie English by hanging out with locals but I was wrong: professional Aussie English is a whole new language, especially when it is delivered at lightning speed and heavily peppered with esoteric bank jargon and acronyms. As for the social scene, there isn't much of one, at least not on my floor. Everyone I've met so far is friendly, but they are buried deep in their own projects that I've had no one to play with. This is so different from the instant popularity I have taken for granted whenever I join a new project. It's no fun being the new girl with no friends.
Dressed in black from head-to-toe, I blended right in with the rest of the corporate drones rushing to get to work on a busy Monday morning in the CBD (Melbourne's Central Business District). Australian corporate culture is similar to ours, at least at first glance, so there is not much to report there. When I attended my first meeting, however, I felt like I was watching a foreign film where the subtitles only appeared 50% of the time. My naivete led me to believe that I had mastered Aussie English by hanging out with locals but I was wrong: professional Aussie English is a whole new language, especially when it is delivered at lightning speed and heavily peppered with esoteric bank jargon and acronyms. As for the social scene, there isn't much of one, at least not on my floor. Everyone I've met so far is friendly, but they are buried deep in their own projects that I've had no one to play with. This is so different from the instant popularity I have taken for granted whenever I join a new project. It's no fun being the new girl with no friends. 
Between my job and my usual nightly plans, I have to multi-task every chance I get: reading the paper while on the short 6-minute train ride, checking email while eating lunch at my desk, and brushing my teeth while having sex...I haven't even had time to take a shit. There is simply not enough time in the day to work and play. But I do have to suck it up for at least 3 months until my contract ends so I can make as much money as I can to support our lifestyle. Seems that the little yuppie sitting on my right shoulder has won this battle against the little hippie sitting on my left. Thank goodness for my stay-at-home boyfriend who cooks me breakfast every morning and tends to my every need. He has officially been upgraded from a manwhore to house husband while I bring home the proverbial bacon (vegetarian).Pictures: Portsea Pub. Beach. Crazy Jenga.
Aussie Phrase of the Day:
Aussie Phrase of the Day:
Dob in a Hoon means to report (dob in) a reckless driver (hoon).
Example: Slow down you crazy hoon or I'm dobbing on you!
Explanation: Billboards are all over highways with the above phrase and a phone number as a part of the government's campaign to warn against dangerous driving.
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