Woo Hoo!

As of today, we are no longer homeless! It took us a few days to figure everything out, but Monday morning we set out meaning business. Work out clothes, running shoes, maps and phone numbers in hand, we were ready to spend the day out and not come back to the hotel without a set of keys. We had exhausted various neighborhoods within the city and decided to look somewhere different. Our first stop was in Bondi Beach. We had ventured there the day before and liked what we saw so decided it was worth going back. We had heard that it was a bit pricey, but were were hoping to find something in our price range. We started at the edge of one main street and made our way up from the beach stopping at every real estate office we saw. To put a damper on our positive attitude, we learned that most of the apartment showings are over the weekend and there we were on a Monday with only two days to find a place. But luckily, one landlord was willing to show us his complex. Right away we knew we'd be living there. It's not amazing, it's not even spacious in the least. But it will work just perfectly for us and considering other places we had been willing to lower our standards for, this was great. It's a fully furnished studio apartment about a 5 minute walk from the beach and most importantly, is affordable. It has a bed that folds out from the wall, a small kitchen and bathroom. The building is currently under construction and will be for the next three weeks. But after that, there will be some nicer and obviously newer apartments upstairs that we will have the option of upgrading to. Our apartment itself won't be ready for us until the 6th of September. So until then, we are staying in one right down the hall. This temporary one is a bit bigger and more expensive, so I really hope we don't get too comfortable in it...but who knows....maybe we need to make good friends with our Russian landlord, Gary. ;)

Bondi Beach is a short 20-30 minute commute from the city. It's actually surprisingly easy to get to and from via bus, train, or taxi, which is nice considering both Chloe and I would like to work in the city. It's a bit more relaxed in Bondi but from what I understand, the summers here are pretty busy. It's a popular beach for travelers and tourists and in the next month or so it should be filling up. We figured by living here and working in the city we'd have a good opportunity to get the best of both worlds Sydney has to offer. Bondi Junction is a few miles away where the largest mall in Sydney is located...so that is a great convenience. A bit farther from there is Paddington which has Oxford Street. There are blocks and blocks of little boutiques and cute shops there. And just a bit farther from there is the city. In all probability we will get a bus pass or a weekly train ticket. Public transportation is literally a life saver as neither Chloe nor I will be able to drive on the left side of the road without causing a wreck every other block. But yea....we have a home and absolutely LOVE it. We checked out of our hotel today and took a taxi over to Bondi and here we are. =)

I do want to take a second to write a little ode to Seana. Seana works for Chloe's dad and came out here to help us get started. Without her, I really doubt Chloe and I would have accomplished much of anything. Not only was she a lifesaver, but a great friend and a lot of fun. She left this morning and we already miss her a ton. =(

Anyway....step one down. Next....find a job. Wish me luck!

The Landing

I have learned that there are two kinds of people in the world; those who plan things out and those who make it up as they go along. Having always considered myself the former, I'm trying really hard to understand how I ended up in a foreign country with nothing more than a lot of luggage. In theory, packing up my life into a couple suitcases and relocating to a city with no job, no place to live and no real plan seemed like a great and adventurous idea....right? Well, I guess I completely overestimated my spontaneity because the last few days have been a bit overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, Sydney is an amazing city and I am positive that I will have the time of my life here. But the stress of trying to establish a life in a new, fast-paced environment has taken me by surprise.

The first day here was great....we spent a few hours wondering the city, falling in love with every step, opened bank accounts, and purchased phones. But the days to follow were a little more....well...annoying. Finding a place to live in Sydney is like trying to find a taco stand in Chinatown. There is an overwhelming amount of neighborhoods, hostels, shared accommodations, rooms and apartments, but finding one that satisfies your craving is nearly impossible. That being said, maybe it was good that we didn't come with a plan as we would have been easily let down. The last four days have been filled with endless internet searches, newspaper classifieds, and phone conversations with people who don't speak English and who I swear have never heard an American accent. We have walked miles and miles, exchanged angry words with scammers, and actually considered living in a house with 20 other people and a Brazilian who doesn't shower very much. Oh, and did I mention that we were 100% unprepared for the COLD winter here? But truth be told, as frustrating as everything has been, the trip has already been an amazing experience. I truly love Sydney, and can't wait to spend the next few months here. The energy, the fashion, the sites and of course the accent are all so appealing and make it hard to get angry at the stubbornness of the city. On top of that, I am so happy that I chose to come here with such a great person. Chloe and I are on the same page in many respects and want a lot of the same things out of life. We are different, but seem to balance each other out. While I'm stressing about finding a place to live, her optimism and faith that things will work out sort of calm my nerves and keep me focused on the reasons we are even in Australia to begin with. I think we will learn a great deal from one another in the coming months.

So, welcome to my life in Australia. I'll try to keep my blog updated to let everyone know what we are up to as we build our home here....brick by brick. =)

xoxo

Whitney