2 Weeks Notice

Well it is official, I have given my two weeks notice! I am leaving Australia for now to pursue my dreams of traveling and then heading back to the good ole USA. Details on what I'm doing on each location to follow! But let me know if you have any tips or advice of what to do! One of the positives from this experience would be getting to meet my travel buddy, Jessica! First up on this adventure would be the lovely New Zealand. Then flying back to Brisbane, Australia to drive down the coast back to Sydney. Flying out of Sydney to discover Bali, Indonesia. Relaxing and enjoying our time and then flying to Singapore where I will be getting on my first cruise. Quite a cruise for my first one! A 28 day around Asia! As long as I get my documentation I need! We finish our cruise in Japan, and I fly back to Melbourne because that is where my original departure was supposed to take place. Then I'm on my way to the "Big Apple". MANY more details to come about what I am doing and where I am going! I'll see you soon!!

"Where are you Christmas?"

Recently I have been feeling a little bit like Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (I might have watched the movie about 5 times in 24 hours), because I can't seem to find Christmas in Melbourne, Australia. It seems to be "MIA". Nobody hangs Christmas lights (unless you live further out in the suburbs), the town isn't decorated from head to toe, apparently real Christmas trees are scarce (if you have a Christmas tree, it's going to be fake), and the spirit of Christmas just seems to be missing. Lets just say "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas"... I love holidays, especially Christmas, but apparently holidays are not that big in Australia. I don't know if it has to do with it being my first hot Christmas, not being with my family, not decorating a tree or two, not making Christmas cookies; it is strange to not continue the traditions. 

So here is my to-do list to get into the holiday spirit (just because Australia isn't into holidays doesn't mean I'm not)

1. Make Christmas cookies with the holiday sprinkles my Mom sent me.

2. Check out the only Christmas light display in Melbourne City on Town Hall, apparently they move?

3. Attend Caroling at the Docklands, a huge concert of Christmas songs and then fireworks.

4. Watch other Christmas movies (I think I will pass on the Grinch this time).

5. Listen to Christmas music from when I wake up til I go to bed. 

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town," are you ready??

The Truth...

Unfortunately Australia hasn't been everything I had expected. The country itself has been great, but truthfully, I hate my job and dread getting out of bed to go to work everyday. I didn't go to the best culinary/baking school in the USA or even the world to wrap cakes in plastic wrap and scoop muffins/mixes all day. My education is not getting its moneys worth here. I have been looking for a job, but I haven't had any success with that. Hence I have decided to start planning an awesome trip around New Zealand, Australia, Asia, and India. I may never have the chance to do this again, so I might as well take full advantage of it. Even if I go broke travelling the world, anything is better than this job! I usually look forward to my days off, which I end up blogging about. Those are the happy days, when I don't have to work. I wanted to be truthful about how my experience has really been. Right now I'm just taking it day by day.

Wrong side of the road!?!?

So guess who took the opportunity to drive in Australia?? ME! I think I have fulfilled my driving limit here, I have driven on local streets, in the city, and on the motorway (as they call the highway). Not sure if I was supposed to/allowed to be driving, but you only get the chance once and I couldn't turn it down! Let me just say how strange it was for me to drive on the other side of the road. Little story from when I was first learning how to drive, my mom took me to the elementary school's parking lot. I was so nervous about taking the wheel that I began laughing and couldn't stop. Well I had that moment again today. I'm not going to lie, I was excited, but extremely nervous that I would drive on the wrong side of the road, so I began laughing in the parking lot when I got behind the wheel. However I did stop laughing because I had to focus on the road. Obviously I did okay since I am typing this blog about it. No injuries or car crashes, I am happy to report!

Today Jessica and I went on a little bit of an adventure. First we took a trip to St. Kilda Beach to have some lunch and wander around. Its right on the water and has a boardwalk filled with shops, restaurants, and a small amusement park. We then took a small road trip to Brighton Beach, which is known for their colorful bathhouses along the beach. Of course whenever I have a day off, the weather is not the hot summer day I would like. Nope, those hot days are reserved for when I am working a long day. It was a windy day at the beach today, but the bathhouses were definitely a sight to see. So colorful! For our last stop we went to the town of Geelong to look at the beautiful scenery. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the city. We also passed the "Meredith Bakery and Cafe"! Maybe I should go ask them for a job! Cheers.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

Today was a little bit of an adventure, Jessica and I went to the Melbourne Zoo! We got to see animals of all kinds and I haven't been to a zoo in awhile, but I have never been so close to animals before without a lot of barrier between us. Of course with the lions, tigers, bears, and the hanging monkeys they were all in fenced in areas, but that's about it. We got to see animals from all over the world, some with relatives located everywhere including the Jersey Zoo and the San Francisco Zoo, closer to home for us. My favorites included seeing the gorillas laying in the sun, the elephants playing with water, and the giraffes standing right in front of me eating. The best part of the day though was definitely petting and taking pictures with the kangaroos. We got to have one-on-one time with the kangaroos and their trainers. We asked a ton of questions about the kangaroos, their eating habits, and about their joeys. It was so much fun! Just like the koala they are soft just like a teddy bear. It would've been hard to take one home with me, they wouldn't have fit in my purse!

Kangaroo that would fit in my purse!

After going to the zoo, we were both feeling a little homesick because we were missing the holiday season. We decided to stop by one of the largest (and very expensive) department stores in the city, called Myers. Just like in NYC, their windows were changed into a Christmas story. We took the 6 escalators to get to the Christmas section to look at ornaments/decorations and reminisced about our holiday traditions. We took a pit stop on our way home to the Chocolateria San Churro. A yummy shop that specializes in, you guessed it chocolate and churros. We ordered the "Hot & Cold Spanish Hot Chocolate" and some churros with milk chocolate dipping sauce and caramel dipping sauce. The "Hot & Cold" was the traditional Spanish Hot Chocolate, but with ice cream on top; that way we could enjoy hot chocolate but a little cooled down for the warm weather down under. Another tradition we usually do as the weather cools down in the USA. We were stuffed when we finished, and just like the penguins we saw earlier in the day, waddled our way back.

A Tad Different from New York

"Frosties," not Frosted Flakes 

So I have been in Australia for a couple weeks now and while I have been here there have been a couple things I have had to adjust to. Some of the basic everyday things are completely different. Light switches are opposite, if you want to turn the light on you flick it down. The date is written with the day first, than month, and then year (today is the 25/11/12). That was one of the hardest for me to get used especially since I date everything in the cake shop. Stores are really only open from 10-5, with the exceptions of food stores and most restaurants. There is late night Thursday shopping though! When you do go to a store, they are VERY big on being green. They do not hand out plastic bags like it's their job. If you want plastic bags for your groceries/purchases, most stores will make you buy them! I even went to Target the other day to buy a pillow and I was charged 20 cents for the bag because I didn't want to carry around my pillow (would've looked like I stole it or something). The cost of living is also higher here, that includes buying food, clothing, rent, and everything else! Speaking of clothes, everyone has their own style here. Of course there are trendy things to wear, but it doesn't seem like anyone sticks to a specific style. Also when reading the temperature. forget about Fahrenheit, it is in Celsius over here, just as meters and kilometer instead of feet and miles. Don't forget the seasons are also switched, I'm starting summer, when it is starting winter in New York.

As far as transportation goes, cars drive on the other side of the road and the driver sits on the right side. I made the mistake once of trying to get into the passenger side, but actually went on the driver side. Cars also have the right of way unless it is a designated pedestrian walk way, then the cars have to wait for them. There aren't any large trucks for families here. So no SUVs, or even pick-up trucks. They mostly drive small cars, vans, or small SUVs. Or they drive these modified small cars that have pick-up truck back to it. Very interesting. Of course there are huge trucks that deliver food and what not, but that's it. Mail is delivered on bikes right now by mail carriers in neon yellow outfits, you can't miss them. People bike everywhere here! Not just to work, but for fun or as their primary transportation. In the city, ambulances are only used for severe injuries, if not as critical, a nurse/paramedic/first responder ride a bike with their neon colored vests stating their position on the back with their medical bags attached to their bikes.

What the modified pick up truck is.

So last weekend I went and saw Breaking Dawn Part 2, the last Twilight movie, but when I went to the movie theater is was different too. When you buy your tickets, you are also choosing what seat you want to sit in during the movie. They don't have to wait all night to get the best seats in the theater for a new movie because when you buy the ticket online or in the theater that part is done. You would just have to walk right in. Also some movies come out later here than the USA, unless they are very popular.

If you want to eat a cookie, it is called a biscuit here. Also  if you want a grilled cheese it is called a toastie. Marshmallows also don't come plain or at least I haven't found any yet. They came with raspberry flavored/pink marshmallows with the plain ones. You also only need to be 18 to consume alcohol and there are liquor stores all over, usually right next to the food store. It is taking some time, but I think I am getting used to the culture and everyday life here.

Australians don't know what Thanksgiving is!!

Today was definitely one of the hardest days I have had to deal with. I have to say I haven't dealt with being homesick too much. I keep in contact with my family a lot and usually after work I am exhausted that I don't even think about anything. But today (with the time difference), was different because I was missing my first holiday away from my family. It even makes me upset now, just thinking about missing out of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, helping my mom in the kitchen, sitting down with my family to eat a wonderful meal, usually playing a board game in between dinner and dessert, and then just relaxing/too stuffed to move. I just wanted to say that I am thankful for my amazing family to support me with my dreams and aspirations. You all mean the world to me and I wish I could be there with all of you today. I miss you a lot!

There were some differences/trouble we had making Thanksgiving dinner with the food that is available to us in Australia. First, they do NOT have "Libby's Pumpkin Pie Puree", which means no pumpkin pie, because we weren't sure what Australian pumpkin to use. Next, the turkeys are a lot smaller here, which is good because all the ovens are smaller here as well. We were lucky to be able to fit about a 20 pound turkey in the oven. So for our family's sweet potato dish, we used sweet potatoes (from a can, YES, I am guilty) with some butter and brown sugar, and put some marshmallows on top. Well here in Australia, they don't have sweet potatoes in a can and just plain marshmallows. They have flavored marshmallows mixed in with the plain marshmallows. The pink marshmallows almost tasted like the bubble gum tape we would buy when we were younger. So I compromised with freshly sliced sweet potatoes (costing me a fortune) with some brown sugar and butter, with the plain marshmallows I picked out of the bag and apparently that was the dish of the night! Also, they do not have "French's French Fried Onions", so I compromised with some soy chive and sour cream crunchy noodles with my string bean casserole. Also I can't seem to find cranberries anywhere! It is also strange, because in the USA, everyone looks forward to Thanksgiving and then Christmas, but in the food stores they are already playing Christmas music

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with their loved ones! My Thanksgiving is just about over and everyone in the USA's is just beginning! I wish I could be there enjoying the day!