A week of firsts.....

Well, since my last post, I have completed my work assignment with Uncle Price in Australia and began my holiday. What does this mean? I am officially off the Uncle Price radar. It's a rather lovely feeling, really.

In the last couple weeks of time in Sydney, Karalee (my roommate) and I enjoyed a visit from a friend of her's from Chicago - Tiffany Westfall - who also, coincidentally, is someone who went to my high school as well. It really is a small world. We also enjoyed the arrival of Karalee's husband, Brian. Our last day of work was filled with little work really, and much more socializing. Our team gave each of us the Australian version of Monopoly as a parting gift. The interesting thing about this version of the game is that it doesn't include any money. Everything is via credit cards and a little electronic computer thing that keeps track of how much each player has. While I suppose this is only the logical next step for this game, I wonder how children will learn to count money without Monopoly money.

Later that evening, KL and I and 8 others boarded a somewhat dodgey looking boat for a harbour dinner cruise with an ABBA tribute group for the entertainment. A great time was had by all, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us have one last memorable time together.

The following day, KL, Tiffany, Brian and I boarded a plane to Cairns, Queensland. This is where the holiday began, as well as the week of firsts.

• First time snorkeling (at the Great Barrier Reef)
• First live encounter with a shark
• First time driving in over 3 months
• First time driving on the left side of the road
• First time driving along a seaside road that hugs cliffs on one side and mountains on the other
• First vacation by myself (KL, Tiffany and Brian left on Monday and I proceeded north in my car to Port Douglas)
• First time in a rain forest (northern Queensland is basically one rain forest after another - this week's news here is that two scientists have found a chemical in some tree's fruit in the QLD rain forest that shrinks cancer tumors overnight)
• First hot air balloon ride
• First time on a beach where there is no development for as far as the eye can see

To view some pics from this week, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038619&id=1054940637&l=e5ab669482

I've been in Queensland for about a week now and am boarding a plane later today to head down to Victoria to continue my holiday.

I'm becoming quite sentimental about my impending departure from this amazing place. When I was preparing to come to Australia, I was anticipating that once I arrived in South Africa, I'd be an emotional mess because it would be the first time I'd be seeing some great friends from home. However, I'm now beginning to think that I may be an emotional mess in South Africa because of what I will have just left in Australia. I have met some incredible people here and have had the absolute time of my life in the last 3 months. I am going to tremendously miss these people and this country and hope that it won't be too long before I am back.

Well, I'm off to get a skinny flat white and some breaky. More later....

Looking towards home....

Realizing it's been quite a few weeks since my last post, I figured it was time to update you all. The last several weeks have been more of the same fun....a weekend in Melbourne, days at the beach, and the beginning of the end of my time here. Last weekend, we said goodbye to two of our new friends here as they boarded planes - one to New York via New Zealand, and another to New York via everywhere in Australia you could ever want to go. Three days later, we sent another back to the Netherlands via Cairns, and on Wednesday of this week, we will send our Canadian home as well. And so, the 6 short timers will be down to two - myself and my roommate, Karalee.

While the prospect of staying here forever is a tempting one, I have gradually become more excited about coming home. The time here has been amazing and I've had the absolute time of my life. But as I reflected a bit, the conclusion I have come to as to why I've been looking towards home so much is there is this sense that life is on hold right now. I'm sort of in this weird yet incredible spot where I am having the best time, yet life is not really progressing at all. So, in that regard, all of you who have been fearing that I wouldn't be looking to come home, breathe a sigh of relief.

However, enough with the introspection......what's been going on....

As I mentioned, two weekends ago, 3 American friends and I jetted off to Melbourne for the weekend. Melbourne is a really lovely city that has a much more European feel to it. The arts seemed to be a more regular part of the culture there, and there was certainly a slower pace to things.

I've also spent the last two weekends at the beach in one fashion or another. The beaches of choice are Bondi and Manly - both two of the world's most renowned for surfing and both with friends living there. I love having the beach as an option for the weekend festivities. I'm gonna have to find a way to reconcile that to Midwest living....somehow.....

And probably the most exciting thing that has happened in the last few weeks is that I have planned and booked my holiday for the end of October. I will be leaving Sydney on October 17 and heading north to Cairns and Port Douglas, home to the Great Barrier Reef. I will be spending a week up there soaking up the rays, finding Nemo, and hopefully cuddling some koalas. I then head back south to Melbourne where I will be renting a car and roadtripping along the Great Ocean Road (http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/). I then fly back to Sydney for two final nights here with friends and head off to Africa for two weeks.

I only have 3 more weeks of work left until the relaxation begins. I'm so looking forward to the break and am sure that the next 7 weeks before I actually step back on US soil will be full of more incredible experiences and great stories. Forgive the rather melancholy tone this evening. I guess in the end, I've been putting off this post as I knew it would have to discuss the beginning of the end. I guess all good things come to an end....and this has definitely been a very good thing.

Another reason I love it here.....

.....in a word.....SAILING!

That was the highlight activity of the weekend. One of my new friends here has become a certified crew member for sailing large racing yachts while he's been here. So, with a little (although not much) coaxing, a group of us encouraged him to hook us up. The result? See for yourself.....

It was a lovely afternoon out on the water - including the open seas. We started out in the harbour and headed out past the heads and into the ocean. No whales were spotted, but it was still a nice time. Some of the folks on the boat were a little queezy in the swells, but my roots prevailed and my stomach held strong. Granted, lake life is nothing like ocean life, but I'll still attribute my feeling well to that.

Then, today (Sunday) I just spent some low key time wandering around a bit - making my way by foot across the Harbour Bridge into Kirribilli. This provided me the opportunity to see the bridge and Opera House from a different side, literally. Grabbed lunch at the Freckle Face Cafe and chilled out in a quaint little park where you just feel like you go to picnic if you really live there. Ended the evening with "family dinner" at my place, where I made tacos for 4 Brits, 1 Canadian and 5 Americans. All in all, a great day!

View from the otherside of the harbour.

So, to continue the list of things I will miss.....

6. The culture that the water brings to an area

7. The coffee - it is so amazing here. Starbucks will never suffice after this.

8. A cold day in winter = 13 degrees celsius

Ok, well, a run is calling my name in the morning. Next race is in 2 weeks and I haven't been running since City 2 Surf. It's a problem. The next race is called the Bridge Run, which takes you across the Harbour Bridge. 9K. Approximately 5 miles. Should be a good time. On that note, I'm out. Until next time......which will include stories from Melbourne.

What I love about Sydney.....

I promise, there will be another post in the coming days. Too much fun planned for the weekend to not tell you about it. However, this post is dedicating to a little reflection that has been triggered by the great travel book writer - Bill Bryson.

I've spent the week in Blacktown, NSW. This is a suburb of Sydney and maybe only familiar to anyone in the US because it was the 'burb where the softball games were held during the 2000 Olympic games. I spend an hour on a train to get to Blacktown (and, consequently, an hour to get home, too). During this commute time, I have been doing some personal reading. Already finished one book this week. Began the next. Or, should I say, restarted the next. In a Sunburned Country is Bill Bryson's comedic tale of his travels in Australia.

On my train ride home tonight, I was reading chapter 4, which seems to be all about Sydney. One particular paragraph really resonated with my current reality, and I thought it best to share it with you:

[In reference to his time at Circular Quay, the main stop for commuter ferries as well as the space between the lovely Opera House and also lovely Harbour Bridge] "An air of cheerful industriousness stuffuses the scene. These are people who get to live in a safe and fair-minded society, in a climate that makes you strong and handsome, in one of the world's great cities - and they get to come to work on a boat from a children's storybook, across a sublime plane of water, and each morning glance up from their Heralds and Telegraphs to see that famous Opera House and inspiring bridge and the laughing face of Luna Park. No wonder they look so damned happy."

Honestly, everytime I pass the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, I still want to take heaps of pictures of each. There are friends I've made who have been here 3 years who still do this as well. It never gets old - seeing that majestic sight still stirs something in people who've been looking at it for 3 years. So, here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.

Ok, so as I thought of this and reflected, I compiled a list of things I'm going to miss about being here when I am home. I'm not sure that there's much to the order here, but maybe....

1. Living near enough to the beach that I can go there every weekend

2. Lamingtons - google it, but it's a cake-esque thing

3. Scotch Fingers - shortbread biscuits - best served with nutella

4. Not having to drive anywhere

5. Did I mention the beach?

Ok, there are other things, but my roommate just got home and there's a pushy New Yorker waiting on us to go to dinner, so I must cut it short for now. (Jonathan, if you're reading this, know that I am only speaking the truth in love.)

Until next time....oh, and you'll want to read the next one. This weekend involves sailing! Yay!

Time is Flying By.....

Hello! Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks. Just wrapped up client #2 in Sydney and have managed to catch a cold while I'm at it. The majority of my friends here have had a cold for a time ranging from 2 to 4 weeks. I thought I had somehow managed to miss it, but alas, no such luck.

As a result of everyone's illness, this weekend has been relatively low key. Home in bed before midnight each night - that's quite an accomplishment here, by the way. Yesterday, we ventured to the Taronga Zoo, which is a short ferry ride from the city. This was probably the best zoo experience I've had. The kangaroo exhibit was a "walkabout" where there weren't any fences between me and the animals. I actually petted a kangaroo, saw a couple with joeys in their pouches and came very close to a huge emu. However, the highlight of the visit was probably the gorilla exhibit, which had approximate 10-12 gorillas, including babies. They were all very active, horse-playing with each other, fighting over an apple, and one even kept pounding its chest. Quite incredible. Oh, and the zoo had amazing views of the city. Here's a sample:

Today, a few of us girls decided to go on a guided kayaking tour of the Northern Beaches. Our tour guide, Conal, is a retired gentleman from South Africa. He was great! He had such patience with the 4 of us girls. The tour was great! We even kayaked out to the Sydney Harbor heads, which means that I actually was officially in the Pacific Ocean and not just the harbor. About 3/4 of the way through our tour, we found ourselves on a beach that is only accessible via the water, where the tour company had set up a nice little "afternoon tea" for us. Now, this did not actually involve tea, but rather apple juice, fresh fruit, gummy worms and a these amazing little chocolate and coconut covered cakes called Lemmingtons. It was a practically perfect day....except where I fell in the water trying to get out of the kayak at said beach. :)

We then wrapped up this evening with some much needed American cuisine. The food here in Australia is really quite non-distinct. Everything seems pretty average, but just a little different tasting than "normal." Therefore, I've been disappointed with dinner more often than I've been pleased or impressed. However, fear not! The American franchise business is alive and well in the Sydney CBD....just a couple blocks from our apartment. A group of us headed out to Tony Roma's for dinner. Ribs, a baked potato and let's not forget the proverbial onion-ring-esque appetizer. It was just what I was craving - something that tasted just as you expected it to!

Well, on that note, it's time to head to bed for another week to start. The time has flown by here. It's been 6 weeks already, which is surprising and depressing all in the same. I continue to have a great time and came to the realization last week that there is nothing I could ask to be different about my life right now. That's a pretty great place to be. I hope you each can find that same place.

Until next time.....

City 2 Surf

Hello all! Last weekend was the long awaited City 2 Surf 14k race. I feel quite accomplished. My official time was 108:24. I was aiming for finishing in under 2 hours, so I was quite pleased with this time. I toted my camera along the way and, admittedly, if I hadn't stopped to take so many photos, I might have come in under 90 minutes. Here's a shot from the route. If this could be my running scenery everyday, I might actually take up running for real.

The race had over 75k participants - the largest timed road race in the world. The first people to cross the finish line were done before I even started running. It takes quite a while to get 75k people organized across a single line. The start was a pretty incredible site.

There were over 500 PwC people who participated in the run from all across Australia. Every now and then I would see someone sporting a PwC jersey along the way. Sad to say, I registered too late to get a jersey of my own.

The run started in the middle of Sydney's CBD and went out to one of the beaches - Bondi. After the race, Uncle Price was nice enough to throw a party for those of us who had participated. Great fun was had by all, and the fun continued well into the afternoon and evening.

From left to right - Lisa (UK), Sam (UK), Jonathan (NYC), Me, Karalee (Chicago) and Henriette (Amsterdam) - after the run, enjoying the beach.

The official after party - Kristen (NYC), Tracy (Toronto), Karalee (Chicago), Me

This weekend promises to continue the Aussie fun. I'm having a great time and still sometimes can't believe I'm here. Hope you all are well and I look forward to the next set of stories I have to share with you!

Cheers!

A Long 2 Weeks

Ok, ok, ok. I realize it's been 2 weeks since my last post. I'm sorry. The truth of the matter is this whole work thing has really begun to cramp my style. (Just kidding) Seriously though, the last two weeks have involved many long nights, which is my excuse for not updating this blog sooner.

The good news is that you haven't missed much! Last weekend, a group of us had some surfing lessons at Manly Beach. (See photo below....this was before the waves and salt water had gotten to us.) It was "heaps" of fun, although very hard work. I managed to get up on the board a few times, which was super exciting. The truth of the matter is, however, I might be more a beach bum/body boarder than a surfer. The moral of the story is that a good time was had by all and we all survived without much injury.

We also went last weekend to an AFL footy game. This game seems to be similar to rugby (which is moderately similar to US football), but it is played on a round field, no one wears any protective gear, and there are 4 goal posts instead of 2. It was a very exciting game, as the Sydney Swans nearly beat the St. Kilda Saints. It came down to the last seconds of the game.

This weekend is already off to a much more low key start. Last night involved an amazing dinner of mussels and beef at the Belgian Beer Cafe. I found myself coming in early (and by early, we mean 12:30) to head to bed.

I am currently at work, spending a few hours trying to get this job to a point where my team doesn't have to think too hard to wrap it up, and then it's off to prepare for an evening of cooking and eating. Tomorrow is the City 2 Surf race, and as would only be appropriate the night before an 8.7 mile run, we are carbo loading. It should be a nice time to just hang out and enjoy each other's company.

In other news, it was announced yesterday that when I return home, I will have a new title at work - Manager. This is an exciting next step in my career. I'm certain it won't come without many challenges, but if we're not continuing to learn and be challenged, we're probably not maximizing our potential.

On that note, I must get some work done. Hope you are all well, and I'm sure you'll hear more from me soon.