His name is Bruce. I met him on Mount Rinjani - that crazy volcano that Bridget and I summited in Lombak, Indonesia. He was on our 'sister' trekking group. He lives in Duncraig, a suburb just a 10 minute drive (or 5 train stops) south of me. As the only person I know here in Western Australia, I contacted him immediately after I arrived. He took me to a local, live comedy show one Thursday Night - which actually turned out to be quite funny. A few of the comedians were of Indian/ Middle Eastern descent and took a slap at themselves. One guy likened immigration to a party. You have to think of it like a party. You want to be fashionably late. If you arrive early, then you have to help set shit up! If you arrive too late, there's nothing left.
And then... Bruce invited me to Margaret River, about 3.5 hours drive south of Perth. My first sight-seeing in Australia...
To view my photo albums please visit http://picasaweb.google.com/Lia.Brezavar
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Observations
The sounds: My first couple of days here, I couldn’t ignore these wailing, whiny, death calls that sounded like slowly dying puppies… not to be too gruesome or anything. I later found out that they’re birds – crows as I was told, but then was corrected and told ravens. I, uh, know we have those in America, but I’ve 100% never heard these sounds before. And they gurgle out these horrifying throat noises all morning long. They may as well be next to my bed.
The neighborhood: I’m living in Clarkson, Western Australia. It’s a suburb just north of Perth. There’s a train that runs right down the middle of the freeway from Perth up to Clarkson, the last stop. And fortunately, I’m only a couple blocks from the train station, and about a 20 minute walk from a shopping center. However, the other day I found a better and more convenient shopping center. It’s so massive that it has names for the various directional wings. It’s in Joondalup, two train stops from me… and thereby I avoid a 20 minute suburban walk. My neighborhood reminds me of a computer game, possibly Sim City. It’s pristine, obviously new, and flat (I haven’t seen a building in the area more than two stories high). On one hand, it’s extremely nice because there’s no trash lying about in the streets (like in Southeast Asia). On the other hand, it’s so clean and repetitive that it’s creepy, like I’m stuck in a simulated suburban neighborhood.
Public Transportation: is really nice and just as clean as the neighborhood. There’s a 40 minute train that runs from Clarkson to central Perth. I’ve recently purchased a $10 (Australian dollars ~ .87 cents to the Aussie $) Smartrip card, which makes it easier to pass in and out of the train station without having to find small change to purchase a ticket. However, before I discovered this card, I was buying single tickets. I didn’t have anything smaller than a $50 bill, and the machine wasn’t taking my US debit card, so I asked a man for change. He didn’t have proper change for $50, so instead he gave me the almost $4 fare. How nice! I tried to think if I would ever do that in NYC. Instead, I might be more likely to point someone to the nearest deli for change. Hmmmm… food for thought. Then I searched around for a slot to put the ticket through to enter the train station, but instead it’s based on a security camera trust system. You just walk through the open gate. So, once on the train, I was headed about 4 stops down to meet a friend, Bruce. We pulled up to the Greenwood stop, and I stood by the train doors waiting for them to open. Nothing happened, and then the train started to move again. Huh?! So, apparently, there are buttons on the side of the doors, and whether trying to get out or on, you must press the “Open Door” button to do just that. Right, well – now you know.
The accent: Australian’s don’t pronounce the ‘r’. So Clarkson becomes “Clockson”. I was in the shopping center the other day after speaking to an employee, she said, “I love your accent. It’s just like in the movies!”
The prices: Australia is expensive!! I mean how do these people survive? Ok, so the wages are inflated, such as restaurant serves are making about $20/hour (no tipping in Australia). However, let me list a few horror examples. My manicure cost $25. Nothing special, no spa atmosphere, just your typical Vietnamese manicurists rushing through my manicure! At least I didn’t have to tip. A small sized cup of coffee (not ‘to go’, because that would be extra) with no refills cost me about $3.50-$4.00. A pack of cigarettes is costing me almost $15-$17/ pack! Yeah, yeah, time to quit.
An Australian Breakfast: commonly consists of half of a tomato and mushrooms on the side, in addition to the typical eggs, toast, sausage and bacon.
The neighborhood: I’m living in Clarkson, Western Australia. It’s a suburb just north of Perth. There’s a train that runs right down the middle of the freeway from Perth up to Clarkson, the last stop. And fortunately, I’m only a couple blocks from the train station, and about a 20 minute walk from a shopping center. However, the other day I found a better and more convenient shopping center. It’s so massive that it has names for the various directional wings. It’s in Joondalup, two train stops from me… and thereby I avoid a 20 minute suburban walk. My neighborhood reminds me of a computer game, possibly Sim City. It’s pristine, obviously new, and flat (I haven’t seen a building in the area more than two stories high). On one hand, it’s extremely nice because there’s no trash lying about in the streets (like in Southeast Asia). On the other hand, it’s so clean and repetitive that it’s creepy, like I’m stuck in a simulated suburban neighborhood.
Public Transportation: is really nice and just as clean as the neighborhood. There’s a 40 minute train that runs from Clarkson to central Perth. I’ve recently purchased a $10 (Australian dollars ~ .87 cents to the Aussie $) Smartrip card, which makes it easier to pass in and out of the train station without having to find small change to purchase a ticket. However, before I discovered this card, I was buying single tickets. I didn’t have anything smaller than a $50 bill, and the machine wasn’t taking my US debit card, so I asked a man for change. He didn’t have proper change for $50, so instead he gave me the almost $4 fare. How nice! I tried to think if I would ever do that in NYC. Instead, I might be more likely to point someone to the nearest deli for change. Hmmmm… food for thought. Then I searched around for a slot to put the ticket through to enter the train station, but instead it’s based on a security camera trust system. You just walk through the open gate. So, once on the train, I was headed about 4 stops down to meet a friend, Bruce. We pulled up to the Greenwood stop, and I stood by the train doors waiting for them to open. Nothing happened, and then the train started to move again. Huh?! So, apparently, there are buttons on the side of the doors, and whether trying to get out or on, you must press the “Open Door” button to do just that. Right, well – now you know.
The accent: Australian’s don’t pronounce the ‘r’. So Clarkson becomes “Clockson”. I was in the shopping center the other day after speaking to an employee, she said, “I love your accent. It’s just like in the movies!”
The prices: Australia is expensive!! I mean how do these people survive? Ok, so the wages are inflated, such as restaurant serves are making about $20/hour (no tipping in Australia). However, let me list a few horror examples. My manicure cost $25. Nothing special, no spa atmosphere, just your typical Vietnamese manicurists rushing through my manicure! At least I didn’t have to tip. A small sized cup of coffee (not ‘to go’, because that would be extra) with no refills cost me about $3.50-$4.00. A pack of cigarettes is costing me almost $15-$17/ pack! Yeah, yeah, time to quit.
An Australian Breakfast: commonly consists of half of a tomato and mushrooms on the side, in addition to the typical eggs, toast, sausage and bacon.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Welcome to Perth, Australia
or, ummm... rather, Clarkson, Western Australia. Clarkson is a suburb just north of Perth. And I haven't yet been to central Perth, though I've been here.. what, now - a whole week!?!
Okay, so I decided to write another post after a long hiatus. I’ll try to keep it up, but no promises. I’m living in a house with 3 housemates. And right now, I’m sitting on the couch in the living room with Paul, from England, Padraick, from Ireland, Adrien, an Australian, and Sasha (half Greek, quarter Kenyan and quarter Indian). It’s like the UN in here! Oh, and get this: they are all a bunch of America lovers. Seriously. Guess that's good for me.
Photos of my suburban neighborhood and house coming up soon. Observant notes coming soon, as well. Stick with me please, that is, bear with me here. And if you leave a comment with your e-mail address, now I can add you to receive e-mail notifications every time I upload a new post. That way, you don't have to keep coming back to check and be repeatedly disapointed at the same old page.
New country, new layout - whaddya think?
Okay, so I decided to write another post after a long hiatus. I’ll try to keep it up, but no promises. I’m living in a house with 3 housemates. And right now, I’m sitting on the couch in the living room with Paul, from England, Padraick, from Ireland, Adrien, an Australian, and Sasha (half Greek, quarter Kenyan and quarter Indian). It’s like the UN in here! Oh, and get this: they are all a bunch of America lovers. Seriously. Guess that's good for me.
Photos of my suburban neighborhood and house coming up soon. Observant notes coming soon, as well. Stick with me please, that is, bear with me here. And if you leave a comment with your e-mail address, now I can add you to receive e-mail notifications every time I upload a new post. That way, you don't have to keep coming back to check and be repeatedly disapointed at the same old page.
New country, new layout - whaddya think?
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