I can't believe I'm being paid for this..

Is this paradise or what? I considered calling this post: "Busselton-the time an emu snatched my ice cream! and finally, some KANGAROOS!", but I thought that the current title is more appropriate. I just can't believe that I was paid for last week.

Busselton is a beach town that is an approximate 2.5 hour drive south of Perth. The family shares a beach house there, but we had it to ourselves for the week. The house is maybe 1/10 of a mile from this gorgeous beach.

On Tuesday morning, we packed up the cars and drove south to Busso. Immediately, we threw on our bathers (bathing suits) and ran to the beach. It was unbelievably perfect seas and the sky was unreal. This was the pattern for the next 5 days-ridiculous weather and calm seas. They say there are usually zillions of flies down south, but this time there were very very few. (They said that I must be good luck, because the weather forecast for the week had been rainy, gray and generally yucky weather!)

After beaching for a while, we went back to the house to relax, unpack, grocery shop and cook dinner. We made leek risotto and grilled barrumundi (I think?) and called it an early night. Bella wanted to have a sleepover and a midnight feast, so we ate some smarties (which are like M&Ms) at 7pm and then she crawled into my bed and fell asleep. She was so cute and excited when she woke up the next morning and saw that we did have a sleepover. I love that little girl!

The plan for the day was beach and then for me to get to see my first kangaroos. We headed out to this place that they had gone to for years and found out that it had recently shut down! I was disappointed, but the parents were way more disappointed for me. They assured me that they would not leave Busso until I saw my first kanga. Anyway, we went to this famous ice cream farm called Simmo's, which makes fresh ice cream from local dairy. I had some white chocolate ice cream, but I'm really not an ice cream fan (unless it's Larrys!!!). The rest of the family loved it as usual. I was still eating my ice cream, when the family was reminded that there is an emu enclosure at the back of the property. Since everyone else was finished, we walked back there and a giant emu was standing by the fence. (FYI: it's e-myou, not e-moo) I walked up close to the fence to take a picture and all of a sudden, with a neck movement like wildfire, the emu SNATCHED MY ICE CREAM! The girls thought they had never seen anything more hysterical in their lives and we all had a great laugh. It actually just stretched its neck 2 feet through the fence and grabbed the cone! Unreal! When the mom gives me a disc of her photos, I'll add them on here. Anyway, by now it was later in the afternoon, so we played on the playground and then headed to Dunsborough to walk around. A tourism bureau told us of a different place to pet kangaroos, so we made plans to go there the next day. We cooked dinner again and had another early night (the girls wake up before 6am, so we are totally knackered by 9pm). The two year old, who looks and talks like an infant, learned to say "Poor Yaya" (which she thinks is her name). It is so adorable!

We woke up and had breakfast at this really cool outdoor gallery, Goana Galleries, and played around there for a while. Such a delicious breakfast of amazing toast, poached eggs, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, and served with pesto. So so so yummy. Then, it was time for the dad to head home with the 2 year old, and we went on a Mommy, baby, Dana day (which we do every other week or so). We were off to some wineries in the region, which are gorgeous and plentiful. There are probably a few hundred wineries off these 2 winding roads. But first, before the wineries, it was KANGAROO TIME!!!! We went to this cute farm, where we met goats, horses, cows, ponies, llamas, emus, alpacas, bunnies, birds, chickens, AND KANGAS! We first met a wallaroo (wallaby/kanga mix) who was so sweet. We fed all the animals carrots, lettuce, bread and seeds. We also saw a joey and its mom, as well as a bunch of other kangaroos. We rounded the corner, and a little kangaroo was just sitting on the path-not in an enclosure!! I cuddled it for a while and we took a million pictures, and then it was time to go. I loved the kangaroos, but I was pretty excited for wine tasting and for the Berry Farm. The Berry farm cultivates its own jams, chutneys, relishes, pickles, ports, wines, olive oil, vinegars, etc. We got to try everything and also shared a tasting plate of olives, Turkish bread, feta and amazing olive oil with balsamic. Everything was phenomenal! It was such a great day, but of course, we had to head back to the baby and the dad. The parents got ready to go on a date. I watched the girls and went to bed pretty early.

We woke early to go to the beach and then out to brekkie at this place called the Goose, which overlooks the longest pier in the southern hemisphere. We then went to the park next door, which was AMAZING! They had this awesome tireswing that is probably 6 feet off the ground and spins so fast and swings you really high. Me and the 4 year old were dying of laughter the whole time, but then I was super nauseus for a few hours. After we relaxed for a bit, we went down to the beach. Then, the dad wanted to take me to all these breweries, which Margaret River and down south are famous for. We did a bit of a pub crawl and tried some really interesting beers at some beautiful breweries. We came home after a few hours and it was time for me and the mom to go get manicures. We got the gel-ish ones that are supposed to last 4 weeks, but mine had something wrong with them, so I have a voucher for a free mani when we come back to Busso in March. The manis were like 70 each, but the mom wanted to treat me! Then, we picked up fish and chips, then scooped the girls and the dad, and went for an evening picnic on the beach. It was gorgeous and fun and we swam in the ocean until nearly sunset.

Saturday we went to the beach and then met up with Granny, who was down for the weekend with her boyfriend and his friend (they are both vice presidents of Yankee Candle!!!). They were staying at this gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous resort. I watched the girls and swam in the incredible infinity pool while the parents and granny went to a winery for lunch. When they came back we went back to the pool and then had cheese, jams, wine and crackers before heading home with the girls. Another good day.

On Sunday we woke up and packed, then headed back to the Goose for brekkie. The two year old woke us all up by saying "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" She must have learned that phrase from me, because people don't say that here. Adorable! Then we hit the road!

Every day I was going on great beach runs, which I loved. I wish my house in Perth was a bit closer to the water so I could do that more often. Overall, an incredible week. I still can't believe that I was paid for all the fun I had. I am really living a hard knock life down here. Poor Dana..

Hi!

Hi! So life has been so busy and fun lately, but I haven't done anything so out of the ordinary (hence the lack of posts).

This past week or so I have been babysitting a lot at night, so they let me sleep in in the morning which is nice of them. They treat me so much better than I would expect to be treated. They ask "if its okay" that I come at 7am for example, even though that is what my roster says and what I would expect as the nanny. Its pretty funny and we always joke about how easy I have it. For example, last Sunday we went to an engagement party (for one of the daughters that we do Shabbat with each week), and the girls needed to go home at like 6:30, so instead of me taking them home, the dad took them home and I stayed at the party. Or, if the girls aren't feeling well, he will stay home from work and help me play with them because he doesn't think its fair that I, the nanny, should have to take care of them alone. I think this is hilarious, but I also appreciate how considerate they are!

Last weekend was really social and a great weekend. I went out with that bike riding girl to an Indian restaurant with 6 of her friends. It was good (not as good as Royal India!) and the friends were all so nice. My friend had to leave after dinner, but her friends insisted that I go to a bar with them-so I did. It was a really fun night! I have since hung out with one of the girls that I met at dinner, and we clicked really well. Its so nice to have people to call to hang out/go out with.

Last Sunday morning, I went out with this guy that Granny set me up with. He took me to Swan Valley, which has tons of breweries and wineries. We went to his friends birthday lunch at this German brewery and it was broiling out. The sun is SO INTENSE! Its not awful since there is no humidity, but the intensity can really wear you out. Anyway, it was a nice arvo (afternoon, in Oz speak).

We are going down to Busselton on Tuesday for a week. I am so excited!!! Margaret River is nearby, and there are so many wineries, berry farms, etc. down there that they are taking me to. The four year old is thrilled that I am going with them, and she says we are having sleepovers every night and even a midnight feast (she is basing this on her favorite TV show, Charlie and Lola-which is actually a really cute British cartoon). She is such a little cutie and last week the mom straightened her hair and she looked like she was 7. Every day she greets me with a huge flying leap and a cuddle (hug). The two year old is naughty as ever, but she is so cute that its hard to reprimand her. The other day she was so knackered (exhausted) that she snuggled on my lap for 4 hours while I was watching her. She is the best cuddler in the whole world.

Last Wednesday a sleep magician came over to their house because the girls haven't been sleeping through the night basically since New Year's. The lady came in and psychoanalyzed the 4 year old for an hour and then came and spoke to me and the parents. She told us that the girls are exhausted and should be fed by 5pm, bathed at 5:30 and going to sleep by 6pm. She said to draw the line and be very firm about giving in to the girls, and to not tolerate tantrums, pleading, etc. For example, they now get 2 bedtime stories each, no exceptions, and if they complain they get none. Saying "but I'll be good now" doesn't redeem them anything, you just have to explain that they have choices and they can either have good or bad choices. It was pretty interesting; I thought it was really hoak-y and I was very skeptical, but the girls have literally slept the whole night through, every single night since then. It is so weird how quickly and amazingly the girls have picked up on the good choice/bad choice option!

Okay, I think I have written enough. I have been good about drinking water, but obviously really bad about updating! It's so much more interesting to write a long post, then a short post about each day. I'm getting nervous about making the big law school decisions, but hopefully some scholarships will come through and it'll make my decisions a bit easier. Anyway, hope all is well and everyone had a happy Valentine's Day and a lovely week.

Kangaroo kisses (I'll be seeing kangaroos in Busselton!!!!!!!),
Dana xoxoxo

I am the worst at updating!

Hiiii! Happy February! I am so sorry for slacking on the blog. My New Years resolution is to update more often! And to drink more water..Better late than never on the resolutions, I guess!

Anyway, life here is great. Time is FLYING by. I can't believe I flew out 45 days ago; it feels like only a week.

The weather is gorgeous. Today I was riding my bike to the gym and actually was astonished at how blue the sky was. It startled me and I removed my sunglasses to see if it was actually that intensely blue. It was! I need to start carrying my camera everywhere with me so I can show you the sky. I am probably so annoying to everyone around me, because it is pretty much a guarantee that I will comment on the color of the sky and lack of clouds. K, enough about the weather-I know a lot of you are miserably cold right now!

I have been learning my way around Perth, mostly by wandering around and biking up and down the streets. I am finally getting a feel for where things are in relation to my house. I am so happy that I am walking distance to so many things. It makes it so easy to get around and explore. I always try to walk down this one street, because there is this one house that grows FRESH FIGS!!! Every time I pass it, I snatch a fig or two and eat them on the spot. The owners apparently don't mind, and I often see these elderly Italian women wandering through people's gardens, picking their lemons, tomatoes, figs, olives, grapes, etc. I often use the lemons from my tree in my cooking, and yesterday we realized that there is a massive grape tree dangling next to the family's dining room window. We picked off a few bunches and enjoyed delicious grapes straight from the tree! I promise to take pictures of all the fruit trees-I love searching for them!

In other news, I FINALLY DROVE!!!! On the wrong side of the street! And the wrong side of the car! It is so weird and the first day I totally kept drifting left and nearly hitting the curb. It is such an odd sensation being on the other side of the car-not so much the side of the road. Anyway, since then I have gotten loads better. The day after I first drove, they let me drive the BMW to take the 4 year old to circus (mcgurkus) school. Personally, I wouldn't have let myself, but the parents thought I was ready. It is so much fun to drive!

I went for a really amazing bike ride the other day with that girl I met a few weeks ago. There is an incredible path that follows the Swan River, so we looped around for about 16K and then stopped for "morning tea" aka french pastries and a cappacino. It was a really nice morning and its fun to have a good friend here. I also went with this girl out on Australia Day on January 26. We went to a bar with some of her friends and watched the fireworks.

Last weekend I went to a 30th birthday party with the aunt  (the one who I babysit for) and uncle. It was at another cool bar and I had such a fun night. Of course, this was the only day of humidity in Perth ever, so I was sweaty and gross, but it was still a great time. All the bars I have been to here so far have been fun and trendy and really much nicer than any I have been to in the states. They all have huge outdoor sections so you can enjoy the weather-which is a plus except for the random once-in-a-year humid nights!

The other day I met up for lunch with this girl from Georgia. It was funny to hear an American accent again and we talked about all the differences we notice between Oz and US. I didnt even realize that I was noticing these things until she pointed some of them out. For example, people here don't really say "excuse me" or move aside if you are walking toward each other. They kind of just bump into you and grumble as they push you aside. It's so weird, because I find the people to be really polite and friendly otherwise! Also, people don't like to stop for pedestrians, allow people to cross in front of them or cut in their lane with traffic. Its a bit weird, really. It was a good brunch and another new friend to hang out with-though she lives about 40 minutes north of me.

The family is still amazing. I have such a good time being with them. The girls are precious and the 4 year old calls me her big sister/magical nanny. They both say "love you" to me when they go to sleep and it just warms me up that they like me so much after only a month. The other day the 4 year old tells me that she is planning a going away party for me for when I leave in 6 months. It was funny and she is just a really clever girl with the best memory ever. She literally remembers every single thing anyone says. The 2 year old is such a little nugget-she could pass for 16 months, she is so teeny tiny! They call her "buggy" or "the menace" because she is SO NAUGHTY! But she is also so freaking cute, so you can't really scold her. She loves "lippy" and paints it all over her face and arms and everything around her. She would happily be covered in lipgloss all day every day. And, she happily tells you exactly what naughty things she has done, with the most coy smile on her face. I can't get enough of the girls!

I've finally been cooking a bit. The ingredients are really fresh here, so its enjoyable to make food. They have incredible dairy products from Margaret River, which is about 2 hours south of here. I will be going to Busselton, which is near Margaret River, in 13 days! I am so excited for my first trip down south. I discovered this bulk food store near the CBD (central business district-about 30 minute walk from my house) and it has a vast array of grains, flours, nuts, dried fruits, spices, etc. I bought dry roasted peanuts, and have been experimenting with different peanut butter flavors. They really only have 1 brand of peanut butter here, which is depressing compared to the US. So, I figured I would just have to make my own gourmet PB! I also made carrot cake granola a few times-it is amazing. You actually add freshly grated carrots into it, and it so works! Very healthy and delish:

-1 1/2 cup oats
-11/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
-1/4 cup walnut or pecan or nut of choice pieces
-1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
-diced dried apricots, raisins, or dried fruit of choice
-1/2 cup or more shredded carrots
-1 tbsp milk of choice
-2 tbsp flax seed or chia seeds or wheat germ or omit entirely
-heaps of cinnamon
-1 egg white

What to do:
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl (all except egg and milk)
2. Whisk egg white and add it and milk to the dry ingredients.
3. Bake at 350 until desired level of done-ness (30ish minutes)
We all have been sick this week-starts out with a tickle in the throat, next day sore throat, next day slight congestion, and then a few days of all out sniffles and no sore throat. We've all been sluggish, but the girls are extra-cuddly when they are sick. It's not too bad actually.

I joined a gym that is like an 8 minute bike ride from my house. I did BodyPump today and am going to be so sore in the morning. It's hard to get on a bike after a tough workout, but I am too lazy to not bike there, so I suck it up on the return trip. Yesterday it was so so so windy on my ride that I was going downhill and actually pedaling so hard to keep moving. The wind was refreshing, but it was a tough ride.

So yeah, I think I am all caught up. I will update more often, put some pictures online, and talk to you all soon!

BHAPpy and heaps of kangaroo kissies!
Dana xoxo

Where did I leave off?

G'day!

So rather than try to come back with an accent, I have been accumulating a list of phrases that are commonly used in the land of Oz. Sometimes I unknowingly use them and it makes me laugh. One thing that I notice Ozzies do is make every comment into a question. Some examples:

Me: WOW! The sky is so gorgeous, I can't believe there are never any clouds in Perth!
Oz: It is gorgeous, isn't it?

(sorry to any of you experiencing winter right now!)

Me: Wow, this beer is so much better than American beer.
Oz: It is good, isn't it?

(Little Creatures, a Western Australia beer..yummmm)

Okay, back to what I've been doing..

The last few days have been mostly relaxing and fun, though we haven't gone on any real excursions lately. I took the 4 year old to SciTech-a kind of Museum of Discovery and Science, which I obviously loved more than the little girl. I dragged her into the Planetarium against her will and she LOVED IT! The next two days she kept reciting all the things she learned to anyone who would (half) listen. She kept asking me if we were seeing "real" outer space/stars/planets, so I said yes. I'm not sure why I said yes, but I figured it was easier than explaining that since it was noon, it was highly unlikely that the sun would just shut off to show us the stars/planets.  She was very cute and is such a clever little girl. And she is so so so silly. She makes up jingles and dances and goofs around a lot, so I am always very entertained by her. At SciTech, she kept singing "lavender's purple, just like me". We don't know where it came from, but there is a very cute dance that goes with it. She also tells everyone that will (half) listen that my favorite color is purple. Soon all of Perth will know!

I saw Sarah's Key at this small theater the other night with Granny, her friend, and the aunt that I babysit for on Mondays. It was AMAZING and everyone in the theater was crying. Its based on a book that I read last year and could not put down. I highly recommend you all reading the book immediately and then going to see the movie. It is truly an unforgettable story. READ IT. NOW.

Granny and Zay Zay separately want to adopt me. I love this extended family. I feel so comfortable with them all and they honestly treat me like one of their own. I am really excited for Shabbat tonight at Granny's house. She asked me to make Mommy's kugel. I just hope its as delicious as usual-we kinda burned the top while watching a puppet show put on by the kids. We also used "egg noodles" which somehow ended up being tagliatelle noodles. We'll see! I'll probably preface the serving of the kugel with a warning, just so people don't think this is how it usually tastes (if its awful). Most of you can attest to the amazingness of my mom's kugel.

I think the last blog post had me about to go to a meetup with some random Perth girls. It was interesting to say the least. The best part was the great beer at the great bar it was held at. Otherwise, the girls were SO WEIRD. The night was truly a waste of an outfit I'd been wanting to wear for a long time. Boooo.

Today I met up with one of Granny's best friend's, best friend's daughter (are you still following me?). She was so nice and her friend also came along. I loved them and spent a few hours eating and walking around with them. I will definitely be seeing them again soon. Every single Jewish person I meet here is from South Africa. There is a huge community here and its so interesting to hear why they came over and when. The accent is also really nice.

I think that's pretty much it. I've just been cooking with the mom (made roasted Pumpkin risotto the other night!!!), swimming in the pool, walking around Perth, playing with the family, and loving life.

The family, every single day, suggests that I invite all of you to come visit me in Perth. DO IT.

That's all!

Kangaroo kisses,
Dana xoxo

Sorry for the delay!

The last week has been busy and so much fun. I can't remember exactly what I did each day, but I will give you some highlights..

Today in Hyde Park (where I go running) I saw two black swans! The 4 year old was probably thinking what a weirdo I am because I was pretty excited over it. The mom told me to take her to this cute cafe that was called gelateria or something like that and they didn't even sell gelato! How weird! They had a million Italian pastries, so the little girl got 2 little frosted dough thingies. She is a sweet fiend! She absolutely HAS to have at least an ice cream and an "icy pole" (popsicle) per day. Her punishments when she is 'naughty' include no ice cream and no tutus. Since she slept through the night last night, her ice cream and tutus have been reinstated. She was allowed to watch "sad girls" (America's Next Top Model) as well. When she was little, she always saw the contestant at the end crying when she was eliminated from the show, so she called it sad girls and it stuck.

Last week in King's Park (which is enormous and gorgeous and overlooks the Swan River) I saw the Australian Prime Minister (Julia Gillard) and the old Australian Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd)! We were walking along and we see 2 police officers and 2 cameramen pointing up to the fancy restaurant at the top of the park. I made a joke about who it could be and then realized who it was. Pretty exciting! King's Park also recently created a boardwalk that takes you through all the different ecosystem types of Australia. They had huge boab trees, gum trees, etc. I obviously loved it.

They took me to Cottesloe Beach which is GORGEOUS. I'm pretty sure that was the color of the water. They don't develop right on the beaches like they do in Florida, so you get much more of a pristine feel. While we were swimming in the Indian Ocean, a man was pulled out of the water by several lifeguards. When he was able to stand he made a beeline right for the water and face planted into it. They pulled him out again and realized he was "off his face" (as they say here for really, really drunk). He was putting up a fight and so the police came to arrest him. Soon there was an ambulance, 6 police men, 10 lifeguards and an entire beachful of people watching this spectacle. In the U.S. I think they would have handcuffed him as soon as the police arrived, but here, they waited a good 45 minutes to put them on.

Shabbat here was great. The family gets together with the mom's two sisters and families, their mom and her boyfriend, and a family that they have known forever. I felt like I was at home and they thought it was so great that even though I am from 11,000 miles away, Shabbat is still Shabbat. The Challah here was ridiculously delicious. SO light and fluffy. The granny made kugel for me as a surprise (she had asked me the week before what my favorite Jewish food that my mom cooks is). It was really good, but different from Mommy's amazing kugel (send me some please!). I told them I would cook my mom's recipe soon.

A few nights later the mom's dad (Zay Zay) had all of us over for bagels. The bagels here are also much lighter and really delicious. Apparently South Africans eat a lot of dried meat, which is considered a delicacy. The whole family wants to convert me into a meat eater, because they say Australian meat (and South African meat) are particularly good. The mom used to be a vegetarian, so they have been very accomodating to me, and always just cook the meat on the side instead of in the dish. I am very lucky!

The parents pretend that I am their daughter and they just waited 18 years to have other children. They are only 10 years older than me though, so they like to take me out for drinks. I have tried so many craft beers here. Beez Neez and Little Creatures Brewery are probably my two favorites. The Little Creatures Brewery is in Fremantle (30 minutes south of me), so they have planned a day trip for us to go. There are also some really good wineries in the region that they are excited to take me to. I tried a cheese from one of the wineries and it was amazing. I can't wait until we go down there!

I also got a job at this italian restaurant called Monte Fiore. The owners are straight from Italy and the food looks so good. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. They pay $20 an hour for servers! I work a few hours a week for extra cash, which is always nice. The other servers are mostly the daughters of the owners-16, 18, and 19 year olds. Boo. I'm going to apply to other places with people more my age.

The mom's sister has a 10 month old baby and he is such a nugget. Michelin Man legs and arms-love it!! Anyway, apparently he hates being separated from his mom, so they never really have had anyone watch him that wasn't family. I babysat him on Monday and he was great. The mom was shocked and thrilled and now she loves me.

Anyway, the rest of my days are spent swimming with the girls, crafting, playing with dolls, playing at the parks and watching Australian kids television. The shows are hysterically bad but the girls love them. I now know the words to all the theme songs.

I've pretty much given up on the accent-Perth accents aren't as stereotypical and thick like Sydney. I fact, I think the children sound British. Whenever I imitate the kids, the dad calls me Kate Winslet because I sound British. Oops! I am compiling a list of the funny phrases and words that they use, and the dad is very excited. They all pick on me for what I say and I laugh at all of them for what they say. I'l do a post soon on that.

I love that I feel so comfortable with the family. The other day I heard Zay Zay and the aunt say something along the lines of: if they love Dana so much already and she's only been here for a week, what will they do after 8 months?   It made me feel really good. When I flew here, I had no idea how it would go, and it is absolutely better than I could have imagined.

Alright, now that I have written a full-on novel, I will go. Tonight I am going to a "meet up" for young 20s in Perth. I hope its not lame; it would be nice to make friends that aren't related to the family!

Love you all heaps and heaps (which is what they say instead of lots and lots!),
Dana xoxo

Settling in and loving it!

Yesterday I woke up at 6:30 and went for a great run in the park nearby.  Then I went with the family to the dog beach nearest their house. It was a bit cloudy, which is a nice break from the incredibly intense sun. I am tanner than I usually am, but I am trying to be really careful about getting burnt. It has been like 35-40 degrees Celsius which is 100+ degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a pretty dry heat, but the sun blazes down intense heat from 6am until almost 8pm. It’s still better than Florida heat, since there is no humidity, but man is it broiling.

I swam a bit in the INDIAN OCEAN and we played in the sand before returning to their house to swim in the pool. The people here absolutely live in their pools. They bought me a mobile and we walked around the city area for a little, then I went home and had a relaxing night. I think jetlag is finally catching up with me, or else the sun is just taking a lot out of me. Anyway, I was “nackered” and fell asleep early.

Today I woke up again at 6:30 to go for a run. I love that it’s light really early here so I don’t mind getting up for an early run. I’m also really glad that my running trail in the park is very well shaded by huge, leafy trees. There are also kookaburra, swans, and ducks in the park! After I showered, I went with the dad and the girls to this place called Hillary Marina, which has a nice swimming area “beach” parallel to the boats, waterslides, little kid carnival rides, and a climbing trapeze area. The girls love it there.  The little one got tired around 11am, so we drove home and while she napped we swam in the pool (of course).

Now we are about to go buy a modem so that I have wireless internet in the house and then the dad is going to help me find a part time job. I want a casual job where I can meet people and make a little extra money to travel. I have heaps of free time during the day 9am until 5pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, as well as all day off on Sunday. I also have most nights off and bits of free time on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. It’ll be good to have a life outside the family so I don’t go stir crazy from not being busy enough.  I am so glad that my house is within walking distance to 2 major streets of shops, restaurants and pubs, and only 1 mile from the city center. My bike should be fixed up by next week, which will be good, but the distances are pretty short so it’s no big deal walking.

Alright, time to go find a job! I’ll have much more regular contact once my modem is up and running on Monday!

Kookaburra kisses,

Dana xoxo

So behind! PERTH!

New Year’s Eve was fun. It was really crowded, so I didn’t get a great view of the fireworks. We only got to go on one ride, but I still had a good night. Leaving the park to get back to Randwick took 3+ hours!!! It’s typically 25ish minutes, but it took forever because of the amount of people in the harbor area. I spoke in accent the whole night, and even Australians said that I was very good!

I arrived in Perth safe and sound after a pretty uneventful flight. I lucked out with my luggage debacle, because a nice check-in girl at the airline allowed me to put my second bag on under someone else’s name, and she didn’t charge me for excess weight on my bags! She probably saved me 300+ dollars, so I was very very thankful! The father of the family I will be an au pair for picked me up from the airport. He was so nice and I was really glad to finally be in Perth. My house is so cute—old, small chandeliers hanging in each room, a really large antiquey mirror in my room, etc. Its not fully furnished yet, and I won’t have wifi until next week. The Australians get off most of this week as public holiday, so a lot of shops and services aren’t open, unfortunately.

I woke up and walked over to the family’s house. It is a tiny block away, so I think it may take 1 whole minute to get over there. Their house is BEAUTIFUL! So modern, but the front yard is like a very cozy English garden. Beautiful trees, a cute play house for the girls, a swing set, and a “fairy garden”. The two girls (ages 2 and 4) think they are fairies. When I arrived this morning, they were both wearing tutus and fairy wings. Cutest girls ever. They took a few minutes to warm up to me, and then then the older girl did not want to leave my side. The two year old trades off being terrified of me when her parents leave the room, and then wanting to play with me exclusively.

We ate brekkie (croissants with cheese and tomato) and then walked over to Hyde Park, which is just down the road and absolutely gorgeous. It’s like a miniature Central Park-very shady trees, a nice pond, ducks, benches, playgrounds, and a great jogging trail. Then we walked back and went in the pool for a bit. They have a pool in their back garden, and the mum’s sister came over for a swim also. Then we ate lunch (tuna and a shredded carrot salad), and went to the grocery store. They stocked my kitchen up, but they told me I am more than welcome to eat with them every day. The older girl was so hyper in the market and we kept pretending to take pictures of each other (she kept saying “cheese!” “cheese!”). Then we went to King’s Park for a few minutes to look at the Swan River. The family seems very excited and keeps telling me all the places they want to take me!

I went home after that to unpack and set up my room. I then walked back over there for dinner and playtime. The minute I walked in the older girl kept taking pretend pictures again and didn’t leave my side for the few hours I stayed. The girls put on puppet shows and dance shows for me. I met their little 9 month old cousin, who is such a little chubby baby, and their granny. We then ate delicious homemade spanakopita which was amazing and then I came home and am about to go to sleep. I already really like the family. The parents are so so nice and young (32) and I think I will enjoy my time here so much. Hopefully everything continues on this great track! And with that, good night!

Love,

Dana xoxo