We're not in Kansas Anymore... Er, Make That Indiana, We're Not There Either

So, Steve's already posted his blog for the first few days of our Australian adventure.  I realize that we're probly going to overlap a bit on the important bits of the trip, but you'll have to bear with us while we figure out how to do this blog thing effectively.  haha.  

We had a bit of a rough start in Chicago with a 2 and 1/2 hour delay whose activities included changing gates three times and then getting rebooked on another entire airplane because of mechanical difficulties, boarding the plane and then sitting there for an additional 40 minutes while they fixed a freaking light on the wing.  sigh...after traveling to LA and Philly on American, i'm pretty much finished with them.  Nothing ever seems to go smoothly.  However, Qantas, i wholeheartedly love for their awesomely huge plan (easily the biggest one I have ever seen) and all the goodies we got during the 14 hour flight.  Snack bag pretty much saved my life, no exaggeration.  Everyone always says that the flight is a long one, but that doesn't put it in perspective.  ok, here's what you need to know.  I had time to watch 5 movies, check our flight map about 25 times, eat two meals, and take a four hour nap with enough downtime in between those events to have 3 major marathons of Tetris playing.  I also had time to alternately laugh and give commiserating looks to steve as he suffered through sitting by his seatmate with her twitches and space-invading habits.  He definitely got the short end of that deal.  

Anyway, we're in Sydney, all squared away after striking out into the city in order to find free Wi-Fi (our 5 star hostel does not include free internet, although it does offer a pool, a bar, a cafe, 2 huge kitchens, a movie theater, and a booking agency).  With no Australian currency, i made the most ridiculous credit card purchase of a 2 dollar drink on my credit card before we got our bank accounts here all set up.  Did you know Australian savings accounts have a 6% interest rate?  I should just move all my money here instead of leaving it in my home account.

After banking, a trip to Woolworth's for food, a walk around the city, and a trip to the Apple store for internet, Steve and I crashed for 10 hours of blissful sleep.  Tomorrow we have our orientation where we find out about jobs, accommodation, safety tips, and all the essentials.  AND, we get our mobile phones, so maybe I can call people.  Thursday we have a Responsible Service of Alcohol course, Friday we leave for Hunter Valley wine country for wine tasting and relaxation, Monday we have a jet-boating excursion on the Harbor, and then we have over a week to kill in Sydney before our Bar Service Skills course on Nov 9.  

Hopefully during that down week we'll figure out our next move, whether it is to stay in Sydney or to head north along the coast to Byron Bay.  I'm voting for that one.  I want to spend the summer on the beach enjoying the surf and the sun.  Sorry all you guys back at home preparing for winter.  I'll enjoy it for you as well.

Talk to you soon,  

J