So it's just over a month (month and 5 days to be precise!) since I set off from Heathrow on this great adventure. And I think it was fitting that on the exact date of my departure (6th!) I did my first day's work as a supply teacher in a coastal school in QLD. What a great bunch of students and staff, and what a great commute - around 45 mins northwards up the coast from my little unit.I really enjoyed working, feeling useful and being part of a team. I was also really impressed by the Dept of Education's payroll team, who rang me the very next day to say, "hey, we want to pay you, what's your account number?" - how helpful is that!
And now I've got a folder (I know, you're already saying, that's just typical me, very very organised) with directions to the schools I'm registered with, phone numbers etc, so I can dash out of the house quickly when needed.
The weather has been amazingly good - still over 30deg during the day and with some heavy rain mainly at night. Weekend before last was a bit cloudy but it meant I could do a 3 hour walk along the coastal walkway paths - really lovely wooden traditional boardwalks in a lot of places. Last weekend it was way too hot so I only managed 2 hour walk. I'm doing all of the coastline over a few months - loving the sea breezes, the white sand and the smell of the banksias!
So what have I learned so far about life in Oz as a grown-up?
- Australia has the best range of "slaw".... brocslaw (broccoli), kaleslaw (kale) etc! Each week I'm buying a different one to try it out- Turning left at a red light - I seem to remember that in the USA you can do this too! But be careful!
- Driving an automatic is actually way easier than a manual
- Entering and leaving your house via the electric garage door is acceptable practice
-Being ahead of the game on the weekly rubbish bin placement on the kerb is a global practice
-Bananas really don't keep very long at all in 30deg heat but you can't put them in the fridge-Using the aircon is not a luxury!
-Supply teaching is the same experience in both countries; it all depends on the quality of the work set by the absent teacher
-Queensland's education payroll team are super-efficient and helpful
-Dentist services are just as expensive as the UK
-Going for an x-ray is really easy - and you need your Medicare card to make it free
-Petrol here is super-cheap - currently $1.21 per litre (about 66p) and there is an even cheaper one called 10% which has some ethanol in it, my new car takes that thankfullly
-Rush hour and gridlock are relative terms but exist - just not like the Armley Gyratory
-Using those windshield reflective covers when you leave the car is definitely a bonus if you can't park in the shade
-Whatsapp is a brilliant tool, keeping me in touch by video, phone and message - and it's free!-Bus services are relatively cheap ($3 for a trip into Caloundra) but train services are more expensive ($37 for a single journey from Bris to Nambour)
-Driving in central Brisbane is a bit scary but no worse than Leeds
-Helpfully you can log on to the website after you went through a toll without a transponder!-Feeding lizards is not acceptable in a cafe, they are pests like pigeons/seagulls in the UK even if they look more interesting
-Roads are much, much wider and distances are way longer/bigger than you think they are on the map
-Cashpoint machines are less obvious and there are fewer of them
-Chemist Warehouse is a brilliant invention and is saving me a fortune in supplies!
-"Married at First Sight" is a superb TV programme and makes for addictive viewing four or five nights a week!
-I'm not the only one who has moved here - most of the people I've met have moved here at some point; in fact, I'm the odd one out really to say I was born on the SC!
-SkyNews is just as fab here as it was in the UK - but I don't have to have Sky (Foxtel) to get it here
-NBN (national broadband network) is a great idea and I'm glad that Caloundra West already has it!
-Flights out of Oz are expensive, there's no quick fix or cheap way out!
-Seeing friends from England is an ace way to get a quick slice of Englishness, even if you had to drive 2 hours via a toll motorway to catch them!
-Yoga and pilates are harder to enjoy when you're super-hot!
-Hairdressers are clever at working out what colour you actually have on your hair!
-Buying a bed with a built-in reading light in the headboard was an ace idea, when you don't have any lamps because they're still on the ship
Overall then, it's been a great month and I feel I've made good progress. House, cats, car, identity stuff and work - all achieved in the first month. I now need to settle into more of a routine work-wise and begin to feel that this stretch of coastline is my home. I still get a bubble of shock/excitement when I drive over the hill to Caloundra and see the sea stretching out ahead of me!
