"and he said... "Do you come from a land down under? Where women glow and men plunder? "

While I was at my orientation in Cairns, N. Queensland, they told me that the first few weeks of being in a foreign country are always the “honeymoon stage” which pretty much means that you’re in love and then you start to realize, it’s not what you expected. I’m already heading into week 3 and my “honeymoon stage” has yet to be complete. Honestly, I don’t think I will leave this so called “honeymoon stage”

I believe that I have become quite adjusted to living in Australia. The first night was the hardest because I was in a completely foreign city! Even after reading all of my survival guides to Australia, it didn’t help the fact that I was totally on my own with no direction on which way was up. My apartment is in a very beautiful part of the city and I have come to realize that South Bank (the different areas in Brisbane, such as “the north end” or southie in Boston) is a rich and up and coming area. When I met people and tell them I live in South Bank, their reaction is always the same; it’s the “OHHH wow. That’s wonderful!” or “Really? Goodness you have it made!” I’ve finally gotten a hang of the city and the streets and how to get around with the public transportation.

Since I have been talking about how I’ve gotten to know my city better. Here are some interesting facts about Brisbane that you most likely won’t find in travel books. Some of them are quiet pointless, but I was either very happy/excited/ interested that I found them out!

1.The streets in the city are labeled in either men or women’s names. So if you are looking Adelaide or Alice Street, they will be running parallel to Queen Street, the main street; if you are looking for Albert or William Street, those streets will be running perpendicular from the women’s streets! It makes everything so easy!

2.Never buy fruits or vegetable from supermarkets. Buy them from local markets and to find the local markets…ask the locals! They are so friendly and willing to help whenever I tell them I just moved here. When going to the local markets, wait until the end of the day to purchase your items. I actually did this and I was able to get 12 pieces of fruit for $5! By the end of the day, the locals want to make a profit and still sell their fresh goods!  For an example, I ended up getting 3 peaches, 3 plums, 2 lemons, 1 lime,  and other fruits ( I forget the name because it was Aussie grown!) and I had plenty of fresh fruit! I was BEYOND excited about this. In the stores each of those items would be double or by a certain weight, and they make EVERYTHING expensive in the grocery stores.

3.Plastic Bags cost money, similar to places in the US, but I love the fact that Australia is all about being Eco-Friendly. Let’s just say that within 2 weeks, I have received a total of 7 reusable bags during various orientations…yay for free bags! And yay for the environment!

4.Aussies love competing. I fit right in! They compete for anything! For example, I won a t-shirt from my university because I beat the Apple employees in a game of iPod touch air hockey. ( they were cocky, and I was happy I beat them since I watch the 5 people in front of me lose)

Did I mention I actually have a tan now? I’m getting really dark because every day is sunny. This makes people in such better moods! The down side is that if you forget to put sun block on, you WILL be burnt within the hour. Yes, I wish there were more downsides, but honestly that is the only one.

Posting will continue soon! Cheers Mates!