Breaking up with Melbourne

Tomorrow is our last day in Australia. I am very sad about it. A couple weeks ago I was getting excited about having our laundry done by mom and dad, free food, H&M, Shamrock burger and seeing everyone, but in the last couple days I've realized that all that stuff is going to be there forever and we only have one more day in Australia. We'll be back here for sure, but I still don't want to leave.

I was thinking about the posts about Australia in this blog and I think many of them reflect a negative vision of Australia, but truth be told, I love this place. Before I came I had this hugely romanticized image of what Australia was and when it wasn't that, I found flaws in everything. But living here has made me come around. I still don't

like the fact that Australia is about 10 years behind in terms of social attitudes, but I guess every country has it's faults.

Kurtis and I said that we are never going to move to another city because it is too painful when you leave. It is like breaking up with someone, but you are breaking up with that city. Melbourne is an amazing place to live and we had the best time this year.

Australian Word of the Day: "Sauce" - this means ketchup, but the horrifying thing about "sauce" here is that you have to pay for it when you are eating fast food! Paying for ketchup! Can you believe that? So dumb! Unfair! Unjust! Free ketchup with you fries is a basic human right! Hungry Jacks does give you free "sauce" so I always ask for extra and carry the packets in my purse so when I go to KFC I don't have to pay $0.30 for ketchup.

Saying good bye is the hardest part

Rachel:

I actually don't know why I write "Rachel:" at the top of each blog since Kurtis NEVER writes anything on here.  I've nagged him, trust me.  

Anyways, we've just recently packed up our life in Australia, specifically at 384 Toorak Road. It was really sad.  I've been saying my good byes to many things around our house or in Melbourne that I won't see anymore.  I'm feeling very conflicted.  I don't want to live in Australia, but I don't want to say good bye either.  We've met so many amazing people here (Gier, Asso, Julia, Flo, Francesca, Aimee, Robyn, Ally, Angel, Andrew, Allysa, Peter, Laura, Pat, Gary, Buster just to name a few), reconnected with people (Lauren, George, Ally), fell in love with a great city, became addicted to tv shows, Tim Tams, trams and tree possums and made our first home here so it has been tough.  

Packing up our things went well enough.  We sold most of our furniture, unloaded the rest on Lauren and threw out as little as we could.  The washing machine gave us some last minute issues, but that was to be expected.  That demon wouldn't leave without a fight.  AND the best part is that we got our whole bond back! Well, back to Lauren's house to live in luxury for a while.

Aussie Word of the Day: "Heaps" - means lots, but they say it all the time! Like they say heaps, heaps of times.

Garbage Christmas

Rachel:

I can't believe I haven't posted this earlier! In

Melbourne there exists a "Garbage Christmas" also known as household waste day or something like that. On Garbage Christmas, you wake up and the streets are covered with free stuff that you can take! Stuff like clothes horses, printers, broken chairs, televisions, hangers etc. We got our TV from the curb and beside the odd time that it turns itself off, it is our best friend. We had another Garbage Christmas recently and Kurtis was so excited that he made me go to bed early because in his words, "If you don't go to sleep, Garbage Santa won't come!"

Kurtis has come such a long way since we got here. He used to be too snotty to use coupons, didn't immediately go to the grocery that costs the least, too good to participate in Garbage Christmas. But now, I didn't even know this Garbage Christmas was coming up but Kurtis spoke of Garbage Christmas many days before and even posted the notice of Garbage Christmas on our bulletin board! Unfortunately, we both had to work all day, so we didn't get any garbage this time....

Australian Word of the Day: "That's not on mate!" - Another thing Kurtis and I keep saying with an Australian accent. Just basically an Australian way of saying, "that is not cool, friend," usually indicating that something is not fair, not right or not nice. For example, when Kurtis found out that his pizza store job paid him less than minimum wage, he would say, "that's not on mate!"

Not racist huh?

Rachel:

Despite protests from many Australians that Australia is not a racist country and are welcoming to all races, this garbage was on TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAyGewq37w&feature=player_embedded

This show was widely watched as it was an older Australian variety show, brought back for a limited time. Seems like they are still in the 1930s? When was blackface around? Probably way earlier than that.

I just want to vomit, shake everyone, slap people across the face etc etc etc. This is why I cannot live here. I couldn't stand to have to deal with this on a daily basis. It's not everyone, I know, but the fact that these guys are not immediately fired and raked across the coals just indicates the acceptance of these ignorant and intolerant attitudes and behaviours. The rest of the world should be saying something to Australia, because they just don't get that racism is evil, outdated, ignorant and completely unacceptable.

I do like Australia BUT (and thats a big but) can you enjoy a place where you know that your best friends wouldn't be accepted here? Can you endorse a place that turns a blind eye to prejudice? This is a huge struggle Kurtis and I have been dealing with. We have met lovely people here, visited amazing places, experienced interesting culture but there is a dark side here that makes our stomach turn...

Australian Word of the Day: Wog, Skip, Abs, Abos, Pom, etc etc. - the lovely racist terms that some Australians use in regular conversations. Many people don't see these terms as racist, they are just narrowing who they are talking about. I'm dry retching right now.

At last....

Rachel:

So after 8 years, 5 months and 8 days of dating, Kurtis proposed to me. He did so at a romantic dinner in Fiji, on the beach just outside of our beach front bure after we had finished our pizza. Pizza doesn’t sound too romantic but hey, it was pizza night at the resort so we couldn’t pass it up. I can’t lie and say I was totally surprised but it was a perfect proposal. We had champagne, our own waitress, the most beautiful sunset and the whole beach to ourselves. In the words of myself, how romantical.

Our trip to Fiji was beautiful and I can’t wait to go back. The Fijian people are gorgeous, the weather was perfection, the water was an amazing blue and the scenery is stunning. Plus they have these flowers, fragapani, which I am now madly obsessed with. We stayed at Mango Bay in a bure which was beautiful. We had our own outdoor shower, where I had the best showers of my life. You look up and there are palm trees and flowers everywhere and the sun is shining down on you. It was

really tough to shower this morning in our dark, ugly, damp bathroom. The other thing about Fiji is that everyone is on Fiji time, which means that things happen when they happen, no worries. I wish my impending school assignments could be handed in on Fiji time…

In Australian news, Kurtis quit his pizza store job and now works at the Lindt Café in the city. I have about three more weeks left at IKEA and we both have about four more weeks of school left. This year has whipped by. It’s getting to the point where there isn’t really anything new about Australia to us. We kinda feel like we are at home. I will miss our house and neighbourhood when we leave. But before we leave, we have a big three and a half week trip up the east coast of Australia to plan and do. Should be good and expensive!

Australian Word of the Day: "You'll be right/He'll be right/She'll be right" Kurtis and I just keep saying this phrase because its the only thing we can properly say with an Aussie accent. Just means that you will be okay and is usually followed by "mate." You should always throw a "mate" in for good measure. lol.

Looking Up

Rachel:

Leave it to a change in weather to make you feel better. I started my first week at my new placement school and things are going WAY better. I have pretty good classes (the kids can be wild, but I need to work on cracking the whip, so its a good thing), my supervisor teacher is nice and there are bunch of other student teachers there, so I have some good company.

Plus, September 1 is the first day of spring and we've had two really nice, sunny days. Friday was 23C and today is 26C. The sun makes you feel so much better!

I'm also getting really excited for our trip to Fiji. We leave September 29 and we will have a week to lounge around out front our beach front Bure! Hopefully I will get rid of some of my whiteness.

Hopefully things will just keep getting better...

Australian Word of the Day: Its a phrase, "Who do you go for?" which means, "What team do you support?" usually an AFL team. It is sometimes confusing when you are speaking with an Australian and they ask, "Who do you go for?" especially when you aren't even talking about sports. What team do I go for? Kurtis and I go for Essendon! GO BOMBERS!

Homesick..

Rachel:

Homesickness…. It’s finally here. We’ve been okay for about seven months, but we’ve hit the breaking point about now. I think seeing my parents and then having this trouble with school has pushed me over the edge. I don’t know what Kurtis’ excuse is. We’ve been talking about things we miss about home and I’ve compiled a list:

- Pop-tarts

- Wal-Mart at 401/Morningside

- SCARBOROUGH TOWN CENTRE x 1,000,000

- Our own beds

- Costco (and the food from it)

- Cosmo (Kurtis’ cat, and I can’t say I miss her that much)

- Driving places instead of using public transit

- H&M

- Reasonably priced clothes

- Reasonably priced eating out

- Red Lobster

- Soft chocolate chip cookies

- Shamrock Burger (mmmmm)

- Having our laundry done

- Full fridges

- The Beaches

- The EX

- Cottages

- A TV with more than 6 channels

- Our family

- Our friends

- Insulation

- No data restrictions for downloading on the internet

- CANADA!

You never realize how much you love your country until you leave it…

Canadian Wordsof the Day: Words they don't understand here (Canadian code) are: douche bag, sketchy, sketch pad, chesterfield, touque, Halloween, inexpensive, Tragically Hip, Tim Hortons, double double, The Leafs, Don Cherry, hoser, T-Dot, loonie, twoonie, TTC, "Yo guy, links me a bus ticket" etc etc etc.

Secret email post

I'm smiling in this picture, but that was before I heard the bad news --->

Rachel:

Sent out a secret email post to friends and family. If you didn't get it, comment with your email and I'll send it. Lots to bitch about and I don't necessarily want to put people's name on the net and get sued. Basic message of the post is that I am not enjoy my time here right now. Running into jerks at every turn.

I just got back from Sydney and had a good time with my parents. Sydney is a beautiful city. Melbourne and Sydney have a serious rivalry with each other so everyone here downplays Sydney. The harbour is amazing, the Opera House looks as beautiful as the pictures (except up close because the tiles are kinda yellowy), and it really reminded me of Toronto. If you mash Sydney and Melbourne, you kinda have Toronto (minus a harbour in the middle of it).

Kurtis is really excited to visit USA Foods. It is a store in Melbourne that sells North American foods and he keeps talking about it non-stop. I'm happy because Mom and Dad brought me a whole case of Kraft Dinner! Mmmmm. I made Kurtis happy because I found him some Pop Tarts in Sydney. He is using all his will power not to eat them all in the first week. I also found a pack of Hershey Kisses (with almonds inside) for $17 AUD!!!!! Crazy! Luckily for me, Lauren bought me some in the States and they are sitting in my cupboard disappearing slowly...

Australian Word of the Day - "Fair Dinkum" I actually had to look this one up because I hear it all the time, but I was just guessing about what it meant. I was kinda right. It means like a "fair go" or like "fair play" or something like that. Like an honest go of something. Anyways, the word is a bastardization of the Chinese words for "good gold" which is "din gum" and was created during the gold rush. No comment....

What happened to July?

Rachel:

The blog has been very quiet this month because it has been relatively crazy for us. We finished school and I have been working as many shifts as I can, while Kurtis is still looking for work. He has applied for over 150 jobs. We then went on our Red Centre Tour which was amazing. We met some rad people, slept in tents in 3C weather, didn't get a lot of sleep and saw tons of amazing stuff.

Here are some of the photos from our vacation:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2555278&id=28116692&l=8da5fca774

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2555258&id=28116692&l=21c785dd00

Sadly, school started yesterday, so we are back on the grind. Kurtis may have a job at a pizza store, but he finds out this weekend. And our apartment from hell (mainly our dishwasher, but also our bathroom fan and pipes) continue to make our lives interesting and non-relaxing. Our TV has also been shutting off by itself and to turn it back on, we have to unplug it and plug it in again. Every time it shuts off we worry that it is the time it dies. What more can you expect from a TV that was being thrown out. Only 147 more days until I am living back at home, not having to do laundry, no grocery shopping, no house maintenance and no more washing machine from hell!

Australian word of the day: "Capsicum" - just means red or green pepper, but it sounds really funny and you come across this word more often than you would think. For example, when you are ordering a sub at Subway, they ask you if you want capsicum on your sub. Also, when watching "Ready, Steady, Cook" here, there is the tomato team and the capsicum team. It is really handy to know this word if you are ever planning on travelling to Australia.

The Drought

Rachel:

I can't believe that I haven't written about the drought! First day I got here, I arrived at Lauren's house and I was so thirsty. Sitting on an 18 hour flight with recycled air will do that to you. So I asked for a glass of water. Lauren, being the funny lady that she is, yelled at me, "Don't you know there is a drought doing on here?!?!" I had totally forgot that Australia was having rainfall issues! I had forgot this when I was packing as well because I used valuable space and weight in my luggage to pack my wellies.

The drought is probably the worst in Victoria. In Melbourne we have water restrictions, which means we are supposed to use 155 L a day or less. This is because Melbourne's water catchments are running out. They say that the catchments have enough water for the next two years for the Melbourne area. That is pretty scary. Think about it. You only have enough water for two years! What happens two years from now if the rain doesn't pick up?

When Kurtis and I arrived, the water catchments were at 31%. Today they are at 25.6%. Frightening. Kurtis and I try to save water by taking shorter showers, not watering our plants or watering them using grey water (water caught in a bucket in our shower) and by trying not to flood our house. In Melbourne, you can't water your lawn, refill your pool, wash your car and a bunch of other stuff.

We really take water for granted in Canada. Can you imagine not being able to water you plants? Or wash your car? Crazy! We are extremely lucky to have our water, but just because we have so much, doesn't mean it will be that way forever. We should conserve our water where ever we are.

BUT! Melbournians do not recycle their water! I cannot believe this fact! If you are running out of water, why wouldn't you treat the water and recycle it? In Toronto, we recycle our water. Our treated waste water goes into Lake Ontario and then we pump it out again, treat it and then drink it. If I only had water for two years, I wouldn't be too picky about drinking clean recycled water....

Australian Word of the Day: "Creche" - means daycare. Some lady asked me if IKEA Smaland was a creche and I had no clue what she was talking about so I asked her what she said a million times and she kept saying creche. My co-worker had to excuse me because I was Canadian and had no idea what she was asking.

House Keeping and QV

Rachel:

House keeping - I've added a link to our pictures on the right hand side of the blog for some of our readers who do not have a Facebook account. Now you can see what Australia looks like! I wish house keeping the apartment was as easy as this....

QVM - Now, to figure out what QVM is, refer to number 4 on your

Guide to Australian Culture. QV aka Queen Victoria Market is similar to the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto but better. You can buy a wide variety of things from QVM like fake Uggs, live ducklings, organic nuts, sand pictures, churros, fabric, any and all produce, Aboriginal art, fake flowers made out of pop cans, Australian tourist souveniers, leather coats and a million other things.

Bottom line is that its awesome. We try to shop there when ever we can because it really cuts down on our grocery bill, but also because I love to shop. If you're ever in Melbourne, definitely stop by QVM and take a walk around. I'm sure you'll find something to buy.

Australian word of the day: "EOFYS" - Pronounced ee-if-iss, this word is Australian in every sense of the word. It is the short form of "End of Financial Year Sale" which the Aussie's have taken and made the short form into a work. The financial year is from July 1-June 30 here (makes sense right?!?!) and so throughout June, stores try to unload as much merchendise as possible before they have to do their taxes and the result is EOFYS sales across the country. So "Happy EOFYS" everyone!

Theaters in Australia are amazing!

Rachel:

Kurtis, Lauren and I went to see "I Love You Man" last night at Village Cinemas. I was so excited to go to a movie because I haven't been in ages.

First difference is that you pick what seat you want to sit in. Since Lauren bought the tickets a couple days ago, she picked the three seats in the middle of a row, back row! Cha-ching! Best seats in the house, reserved just for us!

So we wait for our food in line (like in Canada) go upstairs and head into the theatre. I was shocked how nice the seats were (suede!), they had huge armrests in between so you don't have to fight for arm space, huge space in front of you and carpeted floors (no sticky floor)!

Just when I thought that nothing could get better than that, they announced that they have a snack bar at the back if anyone was hungry! You didn't have to leave the room to get food. Amazing.

Now, this was a regular theatre. I found our that there is something called "Gold Class" theatres at Village Cinemas that have:

- reclining seats

- table in between seats so you can share food

- a blanket

- a personal waiter who will serve you food (nice food, like restaurant food) when ever you want

- a lounge to hang out in before you go in

My mind was blown. I am definitely going to the movie more often and I refuse to come home until I experience "Gold Class" movie watching.

Canada can definitely learn something about movie theaters from Australia.

Australian word of the day: "Booze Bus" - like RIDE in Toronto, its police looking for drunk drivers.

Aussie Rules Football

Rachel:

After a week from hell, we finally pulled ourselves together, cleaned up the apartment and partied all weekend. This meant that the cleaning had to be done all over again Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We had some people over Friday night, played some Wii (still in black and white) and ordered pizza.

Then last night, Lauren came over and we went to an AFL game at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). The Essendon Bombers were playing the Richmond Tigers. Kurtis and I support the Bombers because Lauren's family supports the Bombers. Its as simple as that.

Aussie Rules Football is pretty fun and funny at the same time. The rules aren't that complicated but you have to be watching it for me to explain it to you. The players are incredibly athletic, the game is really fast paced and sometimes it looks like a bunch of grown men chasing around a small animal.

If you ever come to Australia, Melbourne specifically, you should definitely go to an AFL game. Make sure you grab a beer and a meat pie and you'll be set.

We really just needed to have a good time and forget about the f-word and this weekend really hit the spot.

Australian Word of the Day: "Mark" - when an Aussie Rules player catches a ball from a kick, its called a mark and he can either stop and has space and time to kick it to another player (the other team can't tackle him) or he can play on. See I told you that you have to watch it to understand!

The F-Word

Rachel:

An event so terrible occurred to us and so it will not be discussed on our blog. Just know that it sucked BIG TIME! We are both are looking forward to better times in life.

You know you're an adult when...

Rachel:
... you find yourself saying, "It was really good we got that dishwashing liquid on sale, huh?"
... you are stunned to discover you have stayed up until 3 am
... you are constantly turning off lights and reminding your significant other to take shorter showers
... you give out detentions (Kurtis)
... you cringe when you hear your students talking about drinking, boys or parties
... instead of shopping for clothes, you shop for potato mashers, tupperware, shelving units, flour and garbage bags
... you have dinner parties
... your budget doesn't include shoes, concerts, make-up and eating out, but electricty, internet, groceries and rent
... you say you need to go to bed early and you actually do it
I'm sure we'll find more things to add to this list as the year progresses.

And HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! We miss our moms! xoxo


Australian word of the day: "Vinnies" - the St. Vincent de Paul Society... I kid you not. Don't believe me? www.vinnies.org.au

My Spelling

According to Rach, my sppellin is "horendous".
Sory readers!

lorve,
Kurtis

Guide to Australian Culture Part 1

Rachel:

As promised, here is my first installment of my Guide to Australian Culture. 

1. Neighbours – this daily soap is filmed in Melbourne on Ramsey Street and has been going for ages.  Big difference between Neighbours and typical soaps is that things happen fast.  In one episode, for example, Rachel decides she will go to London for school on a scholarship, books her flight, has a going away party and leaves...all in one day.  You can’t argue that you are bored with Neighbours plots.  There are also “Neighbours” tours out to the set in Melbourne where you can meet and greet some of the cast. Neighbours is regarded as the Australian gateway to fame.  Almost all famous Australians were on Neighbours for a bit: Kylie Monogue, Russell Crowe, Natalie Imbruglia, etc. 

2.Tim Tams – these famed Australian cookies or “biscuits” as they are called here, are commonly eaten with coffee or tea (see number 7).  Picture a chocolate Peek Freen cookie dipped in chocolate.  I liked them, but I like the chocolate chip cookies that the Tim Tam company makes better.

3. Kath and Kim – along with Neighbours, Kath and Kim is amazingly Australian, but way better quality.  The American version is a terrible representation of something that could have been brought over to the US market as is.  Shot in a similar style to The Office, Kath and Kim is a show about a mother and daughter who are too odd, but in different ways.  Their over exaggerated Victorian accents just add to the “yumour” of the script.  Shot in Melbourne, the references to Melbournian culture and places, paired with the Australian slang, makes it an Australian cultural jewel. 

4. Shortening words – A stereotype about Australians are that they tend to be a little lazy.  This is true in some ways and shortening words is definitely evidence of this.  Almost every word has a short form. Seriously.  Afternoon = avro, university = uni, uncoordinated = unco, breakfast = brekie, Australia = Oz or ‘Stralia, chicken = chook, kindergarden = kindie, mosquito = mozzy, vitamin = vita,  etc etc etc.

5. Nicknames – When you come to Australian, you need to leave your Canadian name at home and get an Australian name. In order to do this, take your name, drop about 2 or 3 letters then add a y, o, ie, oz, or a.  Voila! You have your Australian name! I’ll give you an example.  Say your name is Alexis, just drop the a, i and s and what you have is Lexo. Gary is Gaz, Lauren is Loz, Hudson is Huddo, etc.  BUT don’t give yourself this name! This is important.  Others must always give you a nickname.  If you introduce yourself as you nickname, you come off as a wanker.

Australian word of the day: I'm pretty sure I just gave you about 10. Pick the one you like best.

Review:Mountain Goat Brewery,Chill On & Hungry Jacks

After a week of hellish teaching rounds we went out for a few drinks.We decided to start the night in Richmond at the Mountain Goat Bar.

Mountain Goat
Mountain Goat Bar is not a bar per se, just a bunch of picnic tables, arm chairs, a stereo, and a fooseball table thrown together inside the Mountain Goat Brewery. Still, its a pretty wicked place to grab a drink, if you can get there.

The space itself isnt particularly hard to find. The problem lies in convincing your cab driver that your not trying to mugg him when he drives you to the "bar" at the corner of North & Clark st. Ours was honestly pretty reluctant to pull over as the whole area is pretty much run down industrial buildings. Convenient place to dump a body but we thought we pay the fair instead.

The bar doesnt have a sign so dont look for one. There is however a mountain goat head painted on the steel enterance door and possibly a few smokers hudled around outside.

The space pretty cavernous and a little chilly at first. The staff though try their best to keep it warm with a wack of heat lamps scattered around and after a few pints it gets pretty damn comfortable.

The beer is good and pretty cheap. Three or four different ales, a good stout and a few one off batches on tap. Theres also a few bottles of wine floating around for those who forgot they came to a brewery. In addition to a great beer, Mountain Goat supposedly serve super good pizza which you can smell through the entire space. Me and a buddy of mine debate weather or not to get one. Having eatten before I left the house I reluctantly decide to skip it.

The bar area of the brewery is only open on Wednesay's and Thursday's from 5 til about 11:30. Rachel Defender of Justice meets us after work at 10 and about 10:30 we all bail and head into the CDB.

Chill On
We meet up with a group of kids from Deakin at Chill On, an Ice Bar.

Ice is not a drink.Ice is not a food.In this case Ice is litteraly ICE. After each paying a thirty dollar cover, we head inside and upstairs to the "ski lounge", the clubs waiting room.
After complaining about the recent cold spell in Melbourne and enjoying a few two for one drink specials we head down to the Ice bar.

Before we entered the Ice bar the staff handed us all coats and gloves. A Newzelander working their irronically warns Rachel & I, our Norwegian friends and about 5 Canadians that its very cold inside (Minus 4). In fairness, the bar is pretty cold and leaves Rach and I wondering why the hell a group of Canadians and Norwegians paid money to stand inside a freezer in Australia. A half our later and were back outside in the warm(er) Melbourne air laughing at ourselves. Off to grab a burger.

Hungry Jacks (AKA Burger King)
Chicken sandwich and fries. Should have got a pizza at the brewery.

-Kurtis

Racism

Rachel:

I didn't really want to have to write about this, but after an incident that happened today, I feel like I have to. 

I had heard that Australia has been known for its racism.  The banker I was talking to before moving here said that his family were deciding whether to move to Canada or Australia and they decided on Canada because they were afraid of being discriminated against.  When we were on the plane coming here, we sat next to an Australian who told us not to live in Springvale because its "full of Asians."  We have heard other comments like this since coming here and newspaper headlines and tv news flashes have tinges of "non-political correctness." 

I selected this picture for my blog.  It was a message written on the sand after the Cronulla race riots in Sydney in 2005.  For those people who haven't heard about these, they were protests against non-white immigrants in 2005! That was 4 years ago!

Tonight I was coming home on the tram from IKEA with Kurtis and I overheard a lady saying something to the effect of "Speak English! You're in Australia and you have to speak English!" I turned around and this lady was yelling at these two Chinese men who were speaking in Cantonese or Mandarin.  She again repeated this and I yelled at her to shut up.  She again said something like this and other people in the tram were muttering about her.  

By this time, my stop had come and the Chinese men were getting off at the same stop. I stormed up the tram and began to tell her off by calling her an ignorant racist and that she is an embarassment to Australia.  She responded by calling me an American and that I should shut up.  To be honest, I was so enraged that I can't really remember everything she said to me.  I just continued to yell at her telling her that she is an immigrant to this country too and that she is a stupid racist.  

I had to get off the tram by this time and I gave her the finger as the tram drove off.  The two Chinese men waited for us to get to the sidewalk and thanked us and said not to worry about it.  I told them that they should move to Canada because no one would ever say that to them there. By this point I was so angry about what had happened I was almost crying and I told them that I am ashamed to be a white person when stuff like that happens.  I apologized to them that they had to hear that.

I am really disappointed in Australia.  I know not everyone is like that but the fact that racism is almost accepted says something about their country.  I don't think I could live here because of this.  

I'm not saying that Canada is a utopia where discrimination doesn't exist, but I know that no one in their right mind would say something like that on a streetcar in Toronto.  I am proud to be Canadian and I am proud that anyone, regardless of their race, religion, sexuality or gender is welcome to be a Canadian along with me.

I don't feel like having an Australian word of the day today.

Happy Hour

Rachel:

Back home, my aunt Mary-Beth invented a wonderful hour.  It usually occurs on weekends and between the hours of about 3pm and 6pm.  This hour is called "Happy Hour" and it is a very happy hour.  It isn't the type of happy hour where you get half price drinks or food. During Happy Hour, one collects those around them for a delightful hour filled with chips or pretzels, crackers or cookies, dips and drinks and everyone socializes and takes a break from their stressful day.  Summer happy hours are taken by the pool, while winter happy hours occur in the kitchen.

Well Kurtis and I have brought happy hour to Australia and are currently enjoying Tim Tams and Doritos whilst we discuss fascinating topics, such as, "Should be pay $2 to dry our clothes or hang them outside?" and, "Border Security is on TV tonight! How delightful!"  

Happy Hour: A truly civilized hour.

Australian word of the day: "Shout" - similar to a round of drinks, Aussie mates shout each other.  For example, I will shout my friends by buying them all a drink and later, they will all shout me back.

ANZAC Day

Rachel:

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia, which is similar to Remembrance Day in Canada.  Australians commemorate their veterans from all wars today by having a dawn service.

Here in Melbourne, the dawn service is held at the Shine of Remembrance at the Botanical Gardens, close to our house.  We didn't go because Kurtis' back was messed up (I'm sure he'll share the story, but whatever he says, it WAS his skateboarding that did it) and because I was extremely sleep deprived after going to practicum and then straight to work, getting home at 10:30 on Thursday and Friday.

We did watch the TV coverage though.  It was nice to see that the veterans were being remembered and honoured on this day.  I did find it very Australian, though, that on ANZAC Day, the Aussies had somehow found a way of incorporating sport and beer into the ANZAC Day tradition. They have the ANZAC Day AFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which is sold out almost a year in advance and attracts 90,000 spectators at the MCG.  They also "Raise a glass," of VB (Victoria Bitter) to honour those who have fallen.  Quite an Australian Day if you ask me.  The only thing missing was Vegemite and Tim Tams.

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and they make many references toGallipoli, an infamous ANZAC battle in WWI in Turkey, where the ANZACs lost many soldiers or "diggers" as they are referred to here.  Australians flock to Gallipoli, specifically Anzac Cove, on ANZAC Day to remember those who died there and in all other conflicts Australians have fought in.

I also found out that the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in St. John's commemorates ANZAC Day with a march to the National War Memorial in St. John's. (For Papa)

 

Australian Word of the Day: "ANZAC Biscuits" - a type of cookie or biscuit made for Australian WWI diggers by their wives.  Made of rolled oats, sugar, flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and water.  The ingredients were selected so that the cookies wouldn't spoil during the long trip overseas.  ANZAC Biscuits are still made and sold today.

Why I like working at IKEA

Rachel:

I started work at IKEA this week and my love for IKEA did not fade when I started working there. 

First, my wage is really good and I get paid 150% of my pay when I work on Sundays.

Second, I work at Smaland. That is the place where parents drop their kids off while they shop.  Getting to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants while getting paid rocks.

Thirdly, they give us free hot chocolate on our breaks. Enough said. (We also get free cereal, coffee, tea and fruit, but we all know I loves my hot chocolate)

Fourth, I get an IKEA discount.  Again, enough said.

Fifth, the people who work there are pretty cool and everyone is friendly, in a wierd cult like, drink the punch nice.

And last, I get to shop at IKEA while I'm working. 

DONE AND DONE!

Australian word of the day: "Home and hose" (for Dad) - although I have only heard this once on the radio, my dad has asked me to find out what it means about a million times.  It means something that is safe or successful.  

In Defense of My Television Watching Habits

Firstly, We dont have cable.We get 5 channels on a good day so my television viewing options are fairly limited. Secondly, I eat my lunch infront of the tv. I cant read and eat a sandwhich, its too complicated. I watch TV instead. There is NOTHING else on at lunch time. Between the hours of 12 and 1 pm my options are Dr Phil,Indonesean News and Turkish News. Thats all. Lastly, I'm ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE Ellen does not enjoy dancing every day. I like Ice Cream but I dont want to eat it every single day because I'd probibly come to hate the taste of it. I'm sure Ellen feels the same.

Kurtis Cute Quote

Rachel:

We get Ellen on TV here and Kurtis has become an undercover Ellen fan.  He says he watches for "the cat updates!" but I feel he likes the whole thing.

Anywho, I was brushing my teeth and he comes up to me and says, "Her dancing looks forced, you know?" and then I started to laugh.  He responded by elaborating, "But today, she doesn't look that in to it. It must be tiring having to dance everyday." I'm just laughing in the background.

homebrand overkill

As previously mentioned,my thrifty girlfrind has taken to purchasing homebrand products at nearly every shopping opporitunity. Now,I'm all for saving money but this week the practice got a bit ridiculous. I can take homebrand cornchips (super salty, stale in a day,nacho chips), I can take homebrand tomato soup (tastes like eatting a tin can). I've even put up with discoloured, mishaped, reject "homebrand cage eggs". What I simply will not stand for is homebrand toliet paper. For the last week I have been wiping with and sneezing into what feels like shards of broken glass. I would honestly prefer to use the plastic it came wraped in.
never again.
-kurtis

The Washing Machine Saga

Rachel:

As some of you may have heard, we bought a washing machine for our apartment. We weren't going to but when we found out that it would cost $4 to wash one load of laundry (only wash, no dry) we decided it would be best to buy our own. I found one on Gumtree (Australian Craigslist) and we bought it. Now for the list of trials and tribulations caused by this machine in order:

1. We had to get it home. The people we bought it from live two blocks down the street from us. I asked around to see if someone had a dolly to help us move it but no one did. So we carried it home. The walk which takes about 4 minutes sans washing machine, took about 30. We had to take about 12 breaks on the way and some old lady who is about Christopher's size helped us because we looked that pathetic.

2. Then we had to figure out how to fit it in our little corner in the bathroom. As illustrated by this photo, 

we tried to place it one way but it didn't go down all the way, as evidenced by the lip of the machine resting on our counter. AND everytime we moved it we had to lift it straight up because as you can see, our toilet-counter proximity does not allow for our machine to be easliy slid into place.

3. We finally got it the right way, despite an incredible mess and numerous muscles strains and bruises. Success...... or so we thought. Then we realized that our wrench wouldn't fit around our taps to remove the previous owners taps that were rusted on.

4. Borrowed a wrench from two people, which didn't work because the bolt was rounded and rusted on.

5. 5 days after we dragged the machine home, we bought a visegrip wrench from Big W (Australia's Wal-Mart). FINALLY got the previous hose off and connected ours! Perfect! Nope.... the hoses were leaking because one of them had a crack in it.

6. Sent Kurtis to the store to buy some sealent. While he was gone, I superglued the crack and by the time he got back I had gotten the machine working. This took 6 days to get going. By this time we had about 5 loads of laundry saved up so we spent the rest of the day doing the wash. I have never been so happy to do laundry in my life.

The End... or is it??

Aussie word of the day: "Bogan" - I look like a bogan in these pictures I think. Its someone who doesn't take care of themselves, someone who drinks all the time, just like a gross person. It's basically someone you don't want to sit next to on the bus.

The Real Possum

Rachel:

Here is a picture of our real possum friend. He is playing shy in the picture. Hopefully we'll get a better shot of him.

In other news, Kurtis fixed the Wii. He broke it in the first place. Funny story actually. Kurtis brought the Wii because he thought it would give us something free to do while we were down here. So he packed it all up and we thought we would play it at Lauren's house. Kurtis decided that he didn't need to use the power convertor so he just plugged it in and short circuited the house and the Wii wouldn't turn on anymore. I wanted to kill him. Wiis are $400 here so we thought our Wii playing days were over.

Kurtis called the Nintendo office in Melbourne and explained what happened. First they laughed at him, as anyone would, and then they told him that all he needed was a new cord and so he bought one over the phone for $35 and we got it today! And guess what? The Wii works! Welll sort of. It's black and white. We've figured its something to do with the overseas compatability or something. But its fine for now and we might buy the adaptor that makes it colour so as we speak Kurtis is playing MarioKart and all is right in the world again. lol

Aussie word of the day: "heaps" - means a lot of something, like "There were heaps of people who thought it was stupid of Kurtis to plug the Wii in without an adaptor"

Bushfires are no joke...

Rachel:

On my first day of practicum, I went on a field trip with my geography class to a forest north of Melbourne. We were looking at how sustainable the logging practices of the area were. On our way there we drove through some of the area that had been hit by the recent bushfires. I took some pictures but even these pictures don't really do justice. There were homes that had been completely surrounded by fire and had survived and then others that had fire far from their place and their house burned to the ground. There were cars burnt out, entire forests with not one speck of green and just charcoal everywhere.

The scary thing was that this area was about a 15 minute drive to Lauren's house, where I was staying at the time of the fires, and the ranger at the forest said that this fire had traveled 40 kms in 7 minutes. Quite scary when you think about how close the fire was to Melbourne. A lot more people could have died. We're really lucky not to have forest fires in Canada. They are quite depressing. Everything in the forest dies pretty much; the animals, trees, birds etc.

Leave it to Australia to have a tree that only reproduces if it is burnt. The Mountain Ash tree only releases seeds if it is burnt by fire and the seeds can only grow if they are covered in ash.... This is a wierd country sometimes.

Aussie word of the day: "Daggy" - unfashionable, uncool, unclean, not neat as in "The constant dust that gets in our apartment means its quite daggy most of the time."

Must keep eyes open

Rachel:

So tired...can't write blog....1st day of placement = exhaustion....must sleep now............zzzzzzzzz

Aussie word of the day: "Nana nap" - means a nap in the middle of the day, something I didn't have the luxury of doing today

Misc. Post

Rachel:

I just got a job at Ikea near our house on Friday which I am really excited about.  I work in the ballroom where parents drop their kids off to go shopping.  I get a 15% discount too! I think I work for Ikea for free if I could get a disount. I have an unhealthy love for a furniture store I think.  The hours are great too because I work Thursday nights, Friday mornings and then every other Saturday and Sunday.  AND working in Australia on the weekends = amazing because on Saturdays they pay you time and a half and on Sunday you get double time! HA!

The only problem with the Ikea job was that the training was during our trip to the Sunshine Coast so I had to cancel the trip, but then I booked a new one to Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast earlier.  So we'll be there from April 9-12 and then I start work on the 14.

We also finally got our washing machine working! Happy happy joy joy! It took an hour to lug it home over two blocks, an hour to fit it in the bathroom, two hours to clean the bathroom after lifting it in, two days to unscrew the previous tenents valves that were rusted on the taps and another hour to super glue a crack in our new valves.  Basically it was a nightmare.  And we had stocked up our dirty clothes so I've been doing laundry for the past two days.

I've also figured out that I can post a link to my facebook pictures so people without facebook accounts can access them so here they are:

Melbourne and our house

Phillip Island

San Diego & LA

How can you eat for $100 a week?

Rachel:

Answer: Home Brand.  These two words have saved Kurtis and I at least $200 dollars so far on groceries.  Home Brand makes shopping so easy. You just go to what you want, look for the Home Brand label and know that that is the cheapest option.  Home Brand makes everything: eggs, milk, cookies, tin foil, bleach, bread, cleaners etc.  Our kitchen cabinets are red and white because of all the Home Brand products we have.  

It took Kurtis a little while to warm up to Home Brand, but I think he is a convert as well. The Home Brand pancake mix is the best.  He made me delicious pancakes the other morning with Home Brand mix, Home Brand eggs and Home Brand milk.  Basically Home Brand is the basic of everything, but when your poor, basic is all you need. 

Postscript: Kurtis is certain he has lost weight.  He believes I am starving him.  Look at this space for pictures of our full cabinets and fridge for evidence to the contrary.

Aussie word of the day: "Bathers" or "Cossie" - bathing suit

Internet Revolution Day!

Rachel:

Well it finally happened.... we got INTERNET! Out of the dark ages and into the information age. Funny story about it but I'll let Kurtis tell you. Tomorrow we get a washing machine and our apartment will be complete!

We reconnected with our possum friend Trudeau on Friday. He is too adorable. This isn't a picture of him but he looks like this but cuter. 

I'm currently compiling a comprehensive guide to Australian culture, which I will be posting in segments so stay tuned! 

Lauren and I are going to Chadstone on Thursday. Chadstone is the largest shopping mall in the Southern Hemisphere so it goes without saying that I am very excited!

Aussie word of the day: "avro" Afternoon, again with the shortening!

Apocalypse Now!

Rachel:

In Australia news, there was another earthquake today.  I didn’t write about the last one because it was a small one.  During the last one, I was getting ready to go out and my window starting shaking and I didn’t realize what it was until I saw it on the news the next morning.  This time it was bigger.  I was visiting my mom’s friend and I was sitting in their living room when the whole room started shaking and the walls and ceiling were making creaky sounds.          

            So lets do the figures.  Since we have gotten here we have experienced:

-         the hottest day in Melbourne history (47C)

-         the worst bushfires in Australian history and in the past 200 years anywhere else

-         two earthquakes

We’ve only been here for a month and a half… Before we came, I was reading a blog that called Australia the “Island of Terror.” I would have to agree.  In the month since we have gotten our TV we have watched about 7 news stories about shark attacks (mostly in the Sydney area), another story about a little girl being eaten by a crocodile and during the Queensland floods a boy was eaten by a crocodile that had swam in with the rising waters. Scary.

In school news, I got my first lesson plan back and my teacher liked it. Now I just have to pull myself together to teach in two weeks.  I feel totally unprepared. I’m sure there will be more about that at a later time.

Also I am addicted to “Kath & Kim.”  The show is hilarious. I need to watch every episode before I get home because I don’t know if I can get it at home. I highly recommend you watch them, but the Australian one, not the American version.

 

Aussie word of the day: “Doona” – comforter or quilt

Only 16,263 kms Away

Rachel:

I got quite a shock today when I checked our bank balance! We had about $2000 less than I thought we did.  I did our budget as soon as we got home and it looks like everything is in order, it’s just a shock to have spent so much money setting up a house, rent, utilities, school tuition and then we paid out $2000 for our trip to Uluru (which I am super excited for).

   I was really home sick yesterday.  Its entertaining/distracting for a little while to move to a new country, learn how weird/fun/hot it is, go to Ikea for new furniture and eat Tim Tams. Then reality sets in, school starts, cleaning, grocery shopping etc etc etc and you kind of realize that you are thousands of miles away from home and you aren’t going to see any of your friends or family for like 5 months and Tim Tams cost a lot more when you are trying to fit it in your $100/week shopping budget.  REALITY CHECK!

   We have yet to eat the kangaroo that is in our freezer.  I really think Kurtis is creeped out to the max about it, and since he is the chef, I am going to bet that it stays in the freezer for a lot longer.

   I haven’t seen the possum that comes to our courtyard for a while so I’ve shut off the lights in the apartment to see him better outside tonight.  Alexis and I have decided (via an expensive phone call) that his name is Trudeau.

    Kurtis is out at a concert with his friend Geir so I’m at home watching a whole season of Kath and Kim (which is hilarious by the by) that I rented from a Blockbuster for $3. It’s funny the odd combination of familiar (Blockbuster) and foreign (Kath and Kim) things that I come across everyday.  

                                                     

     Speaking of familiar, I found a Peek-A-Pooh machine downtown yesterday and it was selling the “winter collection” which is hilarious because it’s a bunch of stuff that Aussies have no clue about: ice, igloos, parkas etc. 

    We’re getting internet on the 23^rd. FINALLY! I have never realized how much I rely on it for everything: weather, directions, shopping, socializing, finding work, doing school work, everything! Okay time for another episode of Kath and Kim!

 

Aussie word of the day: Right-O! (Said by Malcolm the bushman nine million times an episode of “Going Bush”)

Bad Teachers

Rachel:

I had a horrible day today. I had two tutorials and one class. I have a really bad teacher who is a total chauvinist (not naming names so I don't get kicked out of the school/sued for defamation). My tutorials are full of people who love to hear themselves talk. And we have to do tons of group work (aka my personal hell). I’m just exhausted from today. I can’t even think about getting a job right now. I have to buy a lot of books for school too, and I can’t find them second hand so it’s been frustrating. I’m sure I’ll have to spend $250-300 on books this term alone, which is frustrating when you try to save little bits here and there, just to lose it on textbooks. AND there is yard duty at high school, which is retarded! I can’t believe it. I just really don’t want to talk about school anymore.

We got a text message from the Victorian Police yesterday, warning us about the severe weather of today (crazy windy, extra extra windy, really hot 32C and weird rain on and off all day). Apparently it only rained 2mm, which is bizarre because I feel like it rained more than that.

I called Barbara, my mom’s friend, today and I’ll go see her next week because I am two overwhelmed to do anything extra. George, my friend from Contiki, called so I’m hoping that we can meet up soon.

Here’s hoping the rest of my school will be better. I just want to teach and not have to sit through this garbage to learn how to do something I already feel like I know how to do. I was thinking today that they probably just have to do this (an education program) to make people believe that competent people are teaching their children. I did learn some things but honestly, you have to go through a lot of garbage first.

Aussie word of the day: Hooner (Speeder)

School Starts...

Rachel:

Today I had my first day of school, which was uneventful.  I have one good teacher and one bad teacher. I was the only person in both classes that had a computer in class, which was bizarre.  I started to think that maybe you aren’t allowed to have laptops in class?!?! Still don’t know why that is.  I told Lauren about that and she seemed surprised that lots of kids have laptops at uni in Toronto. 

I went to the doctor, two STA travel stores and I scoped out Borders, which maybe my new workplace.  The only thing that sucks is that its open until 11pm everyday, which I don’t understand because everything closes here around 5pm, except on Thursdays and Fridays. 

I’ve been planning our Easter Break trip and its hard to find cheap flights anywhere because its pretty late to book and because everyone has that time off.  Kurtis and I have decided that we are going to Queensland this break, Uluru in the summer (or their winter break), Fiji in our semester two break and a big east coast trip at the end of school.  I might also do the South Korea placement.  I think I will go to info sessions to find out about it.

Hmm what did I learn about Aussie culture today? Oh, that you can do just about anything you need at the Post Office: pay bills, pay rent, get your working with children check, mail stuff (whodothunkit), recharge your phone, pay tuition and probably three hundred other things I have yet to discover.

I got a little homesick last night because it was Sunday night and I was bored and I was thinking what I would do if I was home.  I’m really not that homesick, I just had a moment.  I’m actually really happy we’ve come, and I’ve been more upbeat and positive since we got here.  I was really funny when we first landed because Kurtis was being all anxious and naggy about getting an apartment, and I was all, “Chill out man, lets go to the beach.”  Alexis pointed out that we switched brains when we switched hemispheres.  We are still waiting on internet, which is ridiculously expensive. We were supposed to have it today (that’s what they said last Sunday), so I can’t imagine any internet any time soon.

 

Aussie word of the day: “‘ta!” (short form for thank you. Aussie’s have a short for just about every word in the English language)