I've re-read a few of my blog posts and they seem to have a consistent theme throughout - time flying by at a rapid rate.... ;( I have less than 4mths left on my visa and I'm reminded of Heather's comments about how if the trip seemed long and overwhelming to simply divide it into smaller, more manageable chunks of time. The time away has never seemed overwhelming and a quarter of a year is definitely a manageable and quickly vanishing chunk of time ;(
What has the month of February brought me?! The list is long but here's a summary of the more interesting ventures ;) I attended a black book party which effectively meant that two girls invited all of their friends to a mix and mingle and we mixed and mingled until the wee hours of the morning; attended a few picnics/bbqs on the Yarra River and in Albert Park; watched a French movie in the Botanical Gardens with bats swooping above; attended a wine tasting; had lunches and bicycle rides with friends; attended a cocktail party where everyone thought Shane (my housemate) was my husband which created many confusing and interesting bits of conversation for everyone (Joc, if he ever decides to come to Canada, he'll take you up on your offer ;-) and managed to find myself a new job (more about that below ;). Most importantly, I can't forget that a package from special someone in Boston arrived - thanks a million again Patricia!! It really was an awesome treat to get something in the mail that was so completely unexpected and thoughtful ;) Big hugs!!
Most recently I fulfilled an aspiration that I have had for some time; I went outdoor rock climbing last weekend :-) I was at a "Sunday Session" aka a Sunday avro or afternoon of drinking, Aussie style with a girlfriend and some of her friends. Anyhow, two of her friends rocked up (that's be showed up in Cdn speak ;) and we somehow ended up chatting about rock climbing. (They were both formers guides.) I ended up getting myself invited to a weekend away in The Grampians which is an area en route to Adelaide, about two hours outside of Melbs. There were 9 of us away for the weekend, sleeping in cabins (or chalets as I preferred to call them ;) at night and climbing/hiking during the day (Dave - I managed to get on a trampoline for a wee bit too and thought of you ;) It was a full moon over the weekend and a couple of us lay out on the trampoline and watched the sunset/moon and stars come out - it was phenomenal with the light and the cloud cover. I reckon that photography has made me more away of light and space. Either way, the rock climbing itself was a cool experience and totally different from going to a climbing gym. One of the days we ended up with an hour long hike through massive boulders and up rock faces to the place where we actually climbed. Nicole and I just watched as everything was a 22 or higher (I'm comfortable doing nothing more than about a 15/16 though I was on 18s this weekend :-) but the hike was fantastically challenging in it's own right and beautiful. I have been invited again in two weeks time (which happens to be a long weekend here) so I'll probably be out and about again ;)
I am happy to report that I have found myself a new job. YEAH!! (For all those who heard me agonising over which position to take and threw in their thoughts and opinions, thanks again :) I am currently employed at an organisation which makes and distributes pasta and other food items. It's completely different from anything I have ever done before (which is what I was supposed to be accomplishing by coming to Aus). My main goal for the next 3.5mths is to look at their processes and see if I can suggest improvements, in addition, I'm in charge of the front shop which also needs a facelife. There's a lot on and it's interesting with a great bunch of people. It's funny working for a family run organisation; it's so different as everyone's been there for ages and truly acts like family but in a good way :) Anyhow, we'll see how I go. So far, I think Paul's happy with me and how I've picked things up.... :-)
And if none of the above interested you, I can also attest to having the absolute best February weather-wise than I have ever experienced ;) While you're all suffering with 60cms of snow and negative degree weather, I'm enjoying typical Melbs weather with it's 28 degree sunny days and it's 22 degree evenings...it's perfect for me ;)
Must be heading as I have over 200 photos to inspect from the weekend - I will be posting some tonight on Flickr and on Facebook as most of the climbers are Facebook users. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/decouvert2001/)
Hugs and warm thoughts,
Sarah
P.S. Thought I'd throw out a curiosity perking tidbit: I am going to meet with a clarevoyant/psychic on Saturday with some friends :-) We had to book over three weeks ahead of schedule to get the appts. I'll let you know if anything interesting materialises!!
Oh, and a biro is a pen and a texter is a marker...lovely when you start at a new place of employment and they have new lingo :)
