Howdy y'all! (Everyone here goes crazy over the word y'all!)
This was basically my first REAL week with duties. The
beauty of my job is every day is different and the schedule is always changing.
The Quick family is so busy that it forces them to be flexible and adaptable
and so I am here to just make their life a little easier! I am learning how to
help run a household. Cooking, cleaning, ironing, etc. I am going to come home
a changed woman, basically a domestic goddess haha.
Sick
My first weekend here I began to get a bit of a cough. I
figured it was just allergies and adjusting to a new climate. Then after two
BIG nights partying… I think I overdid it. I was up all night coughing. I ended
up getting put on the antibiotic amoxicillin and continued taking lots of
vitamins and drinking tons of water. I have heard on long flights like the one
I took that you can sometimes pick up a sickness in the air. So the mixture of
my flight, the new climate, going hard on the weekend, I was NOT feeling good.
I just had a terrible cough that moved into my chest. I talked to my friend
Jilly and she said I probably had a case of bronchitis. Not the best way to
begin my trip here, but I am feeling a lot better now. I am going to make sure
I get lots of sleep and drink tons of water to keep up my health!
Side note:
I still have not driven yet! I am hoping to get some
practice this week. I am going to have to drive while I am here and my license
works with my visa, but I just have to wait until I am comfortable enough.
Hopefully Jodie will take me to an empty parking lot soon so I can practice a
bit haha.
Tennis
Wednesday night I went with Jodie, Matt, Blake, and his
friend Owen to the Australian Open. The Open actually starts on Monday and so
this game was more of a charity preliminary match. Tennis is a huge deal in Australia
and I had never seen a tennis match before. I knew basic rules but besides
serve the ball and try to make it in the line… I didn’t understand too much
more! Jodie was kind enough to sit and explain it to me. The match was between
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco. Lemme just say…….. after watching the match
I LOVE TENNIS AND I LOVE RAFAEL NADAL. He is so amazing and athletic and
Spanish. AH! He was so fun to watch J
I will be going to the actual Australian Open this Friday, so I am excited to
see another match!
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| Gorgeous view of the city heading to the Tennis Match! |
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| Jodie and me! |
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| Great view of Rafael Nadal :) |
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| The gorgeous Rafael Nadal and me! |
Side note:
I was eating a banana and peanut butter and the
entire Quick Family thought I was disgusting! They had never heard of anyone
doing that. I informed them that was a staple in my house! Funny how little
things can be so different
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| The kids love taking pics on my phone |
Friday I had most of the day off and everyone was gone so I
spent the day laying by the pool. I put on a bit of sunscreen but didn’t
realize how hot the sun is in Australia. Supposedly because we are so close to
Antarcica there is a hole in the ozone layer which makes the sun and UV rays
way more extreme. So needless to say I got a bit burnt!! I learned my lesson
though. Tons of sunscreen next time.
Later on in the day I met up with my new American friend Bek
and we headed to Chapel Street which is a cool area to go out in. We went to a
place called Slow Beer and had some sangria. It was a warm summer evening, so
it was perfect! Bek has been a good friend for me to have! She has been here
for 2 years and so she knows the ins and outs of the city and has plugged me in
with her social crowd.
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| Trying out the Mexican Food in Oz |
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| Moment of Truth... Trying the Queso!!! |
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| Summer Sangria with Bek! |
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| Southern girls love our Mexican food! |
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| The gorgeous Rochelle! |
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| Au Pair friends! |
Side note:
I was just telling my mom and sisters how
interesting it is to not know ANYONE and then just have to go out on a limb and
reach out to people and try to connect with them! It is such a cool learning
experience right now. I am not a shy person but it is making me really come out
of my shell!
Our plan for the evening was to try this Mexican restaurant
called Tequila. As a Texas girl, chips and queso was a part of my everyday
life. Since being in Australia, I haven’t had ANY queso, so I was wanting to
try. Bek and I arrived at the restaruatn called Tequila for our reservation.
Rochelle, who is from Nebraska, and Maddison, who is Australian met us there
too. We began ordering appetizers and margaritas. I have to say…. The queso was
not the same L
it was not very good. Maybe I have officially kicked my addiction. I ordered
chicken flautas… which again were not as good as my Tex-Mex flautas from home.
But they were okay. Another Au Pair named Morgan met us for dinner. She was so
nice and from Canada. I love meting so many people from different places! After
dinner we started walking Chapel Street and went into a couple different bars.
We ended up at a place called Lucky Coq. It was upbeat and crowded and pretty
fun. But I was really tired, so I ended up taking Uber home. It was nice to be
in my own bed and sleep in late!
Saturday I laid in my bed almost all day. In the afternoon
Maddison and Bek picked me up and we went to a yummy café. I ordered a cesar
salad for a late lunch and when they brought it out to me, it looked a bit
funny. On top of the salad, along with the cesar dressing, was two pieces of
bacon and a poached egg. I AM OBSESSED. It was pretty much the best meal I have
ever eaten. I want to go back there ASAP and get another one J yummmmmmmyyyy. After
we ate at this café we went to Doncaster which is a shopping center (looks like
a mall). We walked around, people watched, took pictures where there is a good
view of the city. The girls dropped me back off at my house and I began getting
ready for another night out. I ate a delicious dinner with the Quick family
before heading out.
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| Delicious adorable cafe! |
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| MOST DELICIOUS SALAD OF MY LIFE! |
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| I see you Melbourne |
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| New friends from all over the world |
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| Alley ways |
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| Morgan and me :) |
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| Selfie stick! |
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| Selfie stick love |
Side note:
I am SUCH a TV person and they do have TV and
cable here, but it is weird not to be watching it all the time like I used to.
I don’t have a TV in my room here and so it has forced me to do other things:
read, write, watch movies on my laptop. Did I also mention that Netflix does
NOT work here?!?!?!?!?!?
Maddison came back to pick me up and we headed to the area
Albert Park to go to Morgan (the Canadian Au Pair’s house) before going out!
Again I need to reiterate just how fun it is meeting so many new people! We had
a drink at Morgan’s before catching a cab to meet some other new girls! Sherry
is someone I met on the Newbie Facebook page and she invited me out with her
friends! So Maddison, Morgan and I went to her friends gorgeous apartment.
There we met Sherry, who is from Ireland, and then 3 girls from Finland,
Stella, Melinda, and Rosalie. We are just quite a melting pot friend group!!!!!
We had some predrinks and took full advantage of the selfie
stick that one of the girls had! Those are just too much fun J we took a cab into the
city and began bar hopping. We went to one place called Deck and then went to
another called CQ. Both were pretty fun but again, I just couldn’t hang! I was
so sleepy! I took an Uber home and I think I was asleep by 3:30am.
Side note: AUSSIES STAY OUT SOOOO LATE. At home our bars
close at 2am and it is pretty much a miracle if I stay out that late. Here,
people go out around 11pm and then stay out until at least 4am. I need to start
napping before I go out so I can last longer haha. I am such a Gramma.
I haven’t felt too homesick, because I really am having so
so SO much fun! Of course I miss my family and friends and the simple American pleasures. But
the experience I am having here is just unbeatable.
Today is Sunday and the Quick family has been at lunch at
their grandmother’s house all day, so it has been a quiet day for me, hence why
I am able to sit here and write. This upcoming week will be busy but fun! The
Quick family will leave for the weekend to go to the beach because next Monday
is a public holiday. AUSTRALIA DAY! Supposedly it is bigger than The 4th
of July in America. BBQs, parties, food, drink! So I will be excited to celebrate the weekend with my new friends.
Much love,
Tomi Xx
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