Pig nosed Turtle???

Just a quick post today.

Yesterday I got called off my shift at work because it was supposed to rain and it wouldn't be that busy...brilliant!

So Jeff and I headed to the Sydney Aquarium. (The International Exchange Program had given each of us free passes at orientation)

The Aquarium is much larger than it appears from the outside. I saw some amazing things in there.
Highlights:
-Moon Jellyfish (Jeff informed me that if he was rich he wouldn't spend his money on expensive cars or anything, but instead would get a huge tank of Moon Jellyfish. When the lights are turned off the tank resembles an amazing living lava lamp) I'm in on that plan
-Pig nosed turtles...poor little things, they really have pig snouts. They are bizarre but amazing at the same time
-The glass tunnel you can walk into where you are surrounded by water and come as close as humanly possible to all sorts of sharks and fish without being in any physical danger
-The crocodile! We sat there staring at him for so long...I wasn't convinced he was even real until I saw his weird eyelid open and close...so scary, but so interesting at the same time...the closest things we have to dinosaurs now...I especially liked the sign that hung above the crock exhibit "Stay back. If the fall doesn't kill you, the crocodile will" The Australians have such a lovely way of putting things don't they?

Since we were hired onto work at this restaurant mid work week/schedule we're not due to work again until the new roster is posted on Sunday...so we're going to hit up the art museum today and then it's off to the beach again tomorrow.

I've been meaning to add little Australia Observations at the end of my entries so I'll start today.

Australian Observations of the Day:

Words:
Australians call raisins Sultanas
Australians call green, yellow and red pepper Capsicum

Scenes:
-The other day when I was standing at the end of the pier welcoming people to the restaurant and seating them I saw a guy with crazy hair driving this strange motor-powered bike that he was still peddling...His crazy hair was covered in this strange helmet and he was blasting Van Morrison's Moondance...this would have been enough to make me smile but sitting in the front basket of his strange bike was a tiny dog with crazy hair and a tiny helmet as well!
-At the pool the other day I saw two little kids greet each other...They were both probably about 2 years old. The little girl saw the boy walking into the pool area and she screamed in her adorable little Australian accent, "Thomas! Thomas it's really you!" as she ran up to him and squeezed him as hard as she could.

That's it for now. Thanks again to everyone that's reading and commenting in my blog...I love having a little piece of home waiting for me when I sign onto a computer. How are those international phone cards coming? Keep me updated and let me know if I can help find out if there's any special numbers you have to dial to call into Australia.

-Mary

Krissy- Jeff tried emailing you pictures to your school email but he got rejected...When you get your computer set up you should get a generic email from yahoo or something so that he can send you some stuff. Also...I love the green purse...I've been using it constantly...and the picture that you gave me sits right by the door and I say goodbye to it every time I leave for the day.

Water Commission Ladies- It was so nice hearing your voices...Penny, no worries, I'll call back again soon. I hope everything is going well, and Cindy, if you could, send me your email again, because I somehow lost it in the move to a different continent (FleetWM13@aol.com)

Mom and Dad- I wish I could call you guys every day, but the funds just won't allow it...get on top of those international phone cards...and like I said before, it absolutely does not matter what time anyone calls...I'll be happy to talk to anyone, anytime.

Anyone give up anything good for Lent?

We gave up TV, except for World News (We want to stay as informed as possible)
We're doing sit ups every night
I'm committing myself to journaling and quiet reflection time for at least 10 minutes each day
And we're looking into doing some volunteering over here

The other day Jeff and I were walking by a travel agency that had a poster up that really stuck with us...it said help out by chilling out in Phuket. I'm not saying we're going to be traveling to Phuket...that's definitely not the case...but we are considering taking a guided tour through the areas of Thailand that were not hit in order to help the country by feeding money back into the economy. It's just a thought people, so don't freak out just yet.

Ok, that's it for now.

-Mary

An ode to my sister Julie

Monday morning.

I wake up before my alarm goes off and already begin to dread the day.
Today I will find a job. Today I will find a job.
I keep repeating my mantra but begin to remind myself of the awful mother from American Beauty "I will sell this house today", so I stop.

I have never, in all my 23 years, had to look for a job.
This is going to be difficult for me.
This is going to be good for me.

We start off at the IEP office and I email my resume to a couple of nannying agencies.
I've made up 3 different versions of my resume by now: one service, one office, one childcare
I'm willing to take anything that comes my way.
I look at the job postings in the office, jot down some phone numbers and begin to make some calls.

Five phone calls down, no positions available.
Ok. Don't start to panic...You're one hour into the job search, it's fine.

I kiss Jeff and tell him that I'm "hitting the streets"
I do this casually, pretending this isn't the first time I've gone out by myself into this strange country I've been in for only 6 days.
We'll meet up later, keep each other updated on how the search is going.

I leave the building.
I'm out in the city, by myself.
I feel like I'm going to puke.
I start walking, and walking, and get horribly lost.
This is good, I tell myself, I need this, I need to do this on my own, to find my own way, to start to understand the city myself, and what better way than to get hopelessly lost in what looks to be the only industrial district of Sydney.

Take a deep breath. Look around, and start walking again.
I find my way back to the harbour. I am standing outside store fronts.
Normal people do this all the time, they just walk in and ask if they're hiring.
I force myself into storefront after storefront. No positions open.

Ok, time to text Jeff, ask how it's going with him.
No response. Ok, keep walking. Stay focused
Head to the mall by our place. There's got to be something there.
Jeff texts me back, he's on the phone with some agencies...
I text him again, telling him I'm starting to feel the panic setting in. I am starting to freak out. He says he feels like I'm a dove he's set free...I tell him that this dove is freaking out!
No response

Walk into the mall, and approach a countless number of places. No one is looking to fill any positions.
I've never had to do this.
Where is Jeff? Why won't he respond to my text message?
I'm alone in the middle of this damn country and I can't get ahold of the one person that can help me feel a little less lost!

I do not like being rejected, especially from some little ice cream shop in the mall.
I start to really panic and I can feel the tears coming to my eyes.
Maybe I can't do this. Maybe this is too much for me to handle. I've been spoiled all my life when it comes to getting jobs.

A text from Jeff:
"Mary, I have total and complete faith in you. Stay cool and optimistic, it's so early, still. I'm here in the bunker with you."

I'm crying now. And I'm trying to tell myself to calm down.
I need to get my shit together. I walk out of the mall.
I look up at the sky and I take a deep breath.
I'm walking by some construction workers and one of them yells something suggestive to me.
I laugh a little, well at least the construction workers are the same, no matter where you go.

I get to our place, and I go to the computers in the lobby. I look on one of the message boards for jobs and see someone has posted one this morning. Looking for 2 part-time servers onboard the Floating Restaurant...3-4 months, 25-40 hours a week. I jot down the number.

I call and she asks me to come in and fill out an application.

I arrive to find this massive ship in the Darling Harbour. It's called the South Steyne Floating Restaurant (www.southsteyne.com.au). I fill out my application, hand it to the manager Sarah, and she asks if I'm available to work tonight at 5.

I manage to force out the word yes, and I'm on my way back home.
I text Jeff and say that I got a job
I'm shocked.
I'm terrified.
How fitting...terrified of not finding a job, and then terrified when I do find one.

Jeff walks me over and also fills out an application before my shift starts. We'd been discussing how it would be nice if we could both land jobs there and have around the same hours.

We're sitting outside the boat and I tell him I feel like this is the first day of preschool, and I don't want him to leave just yet. I ask him if he can stand outside the boat all night long so when I look out I can see that he's still there. He laughs and give me a kiss and tells me I'll do fine.

I start my first night of work as a waitress...except tonight I'm simply showing people to their tables and running food.

I will not survive tonight.
My fingers will give out on me.
My arms are burning.
My body aches in a way that it never has before.
And I don't even have any tables yet!!

How does Julie do this?

I remember casually mentioning before I left that perhaps I would try waitressing in Sydney. Julie chuckled and said that I would return with a newfound respect for what she does.

She has no idea what respect I found for waitressing.

It's not like I am thinking, this is really hard, but I'll get through, I'll manage.

It's more like, I am not going to make it. I am going to collapse here and die, buried in plates of fillet mignon, and they will have to put that as my cause of death, how very sad.

I only get through the first night by promising myself that when I am finished I will quit. This night will mark the beginning and the end of my career in waitressing.

Funny thing happened though, at the end of my shift.
I got through and I thought, I can do this again.

So I did.
I showed up the next night and I did it all over again.
And it was just as hard.
And again I promised myself I would quit at the end of the night.

Yet when the end of the night came and I walked out to find Jeff waiting for me at the end of the pier to hold my hand as we walked home, just as he had the night before, I thought again, I can do this.

It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life.
It's different than anything I've ever done. And it's completely out of my realm of what it comfortable...
This is going to be good for me.

Tonight I work for a 3rd time. And I know the drill. In the middle of my shift I'll again promise my own resignation, but more likely than not, I'll survive, and I'll show up for work the next day.

Thank you Julie, for showing me not only that it can be done, but it can be done very well and with an amazing attitude and a constant smile. When my arms feel their weakest and when my fingers are about to fall off, I draw strength from you.

-Mary

The Pros and Cons of Teleportation

Cheers!

I just wanted to say again how ecstatic I am that everyone is reading and commenting in my blog. I never imagined that it would get the response that it has and what an incredible way to keep in touch with all of you.

Yesterday Jeff and I took a much deserved break and headed to Bondi Beach for the day. It was absolutely beautiful. I forgot how much I missed the Ocean since vacations in NC and stepping onto the beach brought all of those wonderful memories back. It's unreal how a simple beach can make you feel less homesick. It was a hot one, 27 degrees, Celcius that is! And don't worry Krissy, we were sure to slip slap slop...as the Australians like to say (Slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, and slap on a hat) You don't go anywhere around here without covering yourself in at least 30 sunscreen. We met up with a guy that we had met in the IEP office and before we knew it we were hanging out with a bunch of different Americans from all over the states.

After a long day in the sun we relaxed and shared a bottle of wine in the courtyard of our building before heading out with our first office friend, Nick from New Orleans, to a bar called 3 Wise Monkeys. Good conversation was shared by all and Nick verbalized what we all were thinking: that we were thankful to have met each other, we already knew we connected in a great way, and besides being fun to hang out with, we now had someone's place to crash at on the beach!

Today was another lazy day. We're going to hit up the IMAX tonight...not the shark one though! We're thinking of going on a surfing trip in the next couple weekends where they spend the weekend teaching you how to surf, so the less I think about sharks, the better. Tomorrow morning (Monday) we start our big job search. Still unclear on exactly what I want, but I'll be happy with whatever. Australians are the kindest people I have ever crossed paths with...and believe it or not, their relaxed ways are starting to rub off on me!

Jackie- I'm so happy that you're reading this and your comments are really brightening my day. How's Big Lar? I don't want to email Molly if things are really bad right now. I hope everyone in Wisconsin is doing well and I miss you like crazy. I've been showing off your shirt all around Sydney, you'd be proud.

Julie- What email addresses should I use to email you and Dacey? Tell him that I miss him and that I've already written in the journal he got me a bunch, and I miss you too. I love your comments, as usual you inspire me and really encapsulate the important ideas in so few words.

Rob- What email address should I use to email you? I keep listening to the song you put on my ipod. It takes me back to the sleepless nights where you and I would stay up late drinking coke, eating doritos, and watching whatever crazy movie you told me would be amazing till 4 in the morning...and it always was amazing

Pattikins- I miss you like crazy and wish I could im you...but we're on totally different schedules here...when you're at work I'm asleep...we need to figure something out. You need to get onto im at home after work or something...because I miss just chatting with you, especially the way you always type be good at the end of every conversation...I saw baby sully in the email Terry and Krissy sent me...how exciting...Jeff and I were just talking last night about how amazing it is that that little person is half you and half Krissy...Marriage is the symbolic merging of two people...but creating a life together...that's the literal coming together of two souls...I cannot wait.

Wish me luck on the job search...Hopefully when I find one and get more settled in I'll be on more of a schedule and able to correspond more often.

-Mary

PS- Tim Tams: They are the best biscuit I've ever tasted! (Biscuit = cookie) I'm stuffing tons of them in my suitcase and bringing them back to the states...they are incredible