Chefing it Up

Not much new to report today. We had all sorts of weather today- sun, hot heat, dark clouds, rain, rain and sun together. Did some clean-up around the house, sat in the hot tub and enjoyed my day off. I did some scrapbooking today and had a malfunction with my Selphy. A page got stuck somehow and tore apart the cartridge. Not quiet sure if I can salvage it. I don't think it was that long ago that I put it in either.

Joel went out for another round of night golf at his favorite driving range, so I'm on my own tonight. I'm proud to say I cooked myself dinner! (I can't cook anything. My special dish is Mac n Cheese according to Joel). Not just an instant meal or cereal, a real dinner. I was oddly inspired and decided to try it out- and it worked! Not that I made something difficult, but I feel pretty proud!

Last Week of March

Monday was a beautiful day so I decided to go for a walk and explore the suburb of Broadbeach, which is directly south of Surfers. We live right on the border of the two suburbs, so I tell people we live in Broady as it is much nicer then Surfers. Like Surfers, it also has many tall towers, but it has a more chill vibe (with way less weirdos). There are tons of lounges and restaurants that I want to try out, plus better quality boutiques.

Oracle Avenue. Hot spot in the evenings or lunch time.


Not sure what this building is, but I'm amazed at the curves in the architecture.

The famed Jupiter's Casino

Just out front of the Oasis Shopping Center. This area is also quiet busy. To the right is the Starbucks of Broadbeach. (One of three on the Gold Coast- they aren't as popular in Oz for some reason)

There's a monorail that connects Jupiter's to the shopping center. (Don't think this is useful for anyone except guests at Jupiter's going shopping. Public transit is not amazing here)

Later I chilled at the beach. It was the perfect beach day- warm with a nice breeze. The water was so clear today. I love having this at my doorstep!

The Australian Surf-Life Saving Championships are going on this week, so I stopped to check it out. There were tons of stands set up along the beach so people could watch the competition.

Monday evening Joel went night golfing at Emerald Lakes (his new fav) and I went to my very first Zumba class. What a workout! I kinda felt like a retard at the beginning, but by the end of the class I was totally into it. The instructor was impressed with how well I picked up for my first time. All those years of dancing paid off! I'm for sure going back next week. It's not too far from home either, so I can walk there.

Yesterday I was able to get my color done at the end of the day. My regular bleach and tone takes twice the time here as it does at home. Because of the humidity, bleach lifts, so you have to go through and apply it twice. And it processes for fifty-five minutes versus thirty-five. We tried out the new organic bleach in my hair and it was beautiful! Little to no scalp irritation (there are special organic oils that get added into the lightener to help soothe the scalp) and when we rinsed the color there was no yellow- this never happens! All my new 220 volt electrical tools arrived today too which is exciting. I'll post pics later.

Last night Joel and I met up with Ashley and her school mate Buffalo Jeff (he's from Buffalo) at CBD's for drinks. (Jeff calls Joel "Trapper Joel" because he's Canadian so he decided Jeff needed a wild west nickname too, hence "Buffalo Jeff"). Usually it gets pretty busy there, but for some reason last night was dead. There was literally us and maybe four other people there. At ten o'clock the staff decided the night was a right off, so they closed early. We were all craving Macca's so hit up the drivethru for late night goodness. I really wish they had Oreo McFlurry's here! The hot fudge is ok but it really can't compare.

Today was a supposed to be a relaxing day (day off, sleep in, massage) but ended up being quite frustrating. My massage did not compare to back home, there is nosy work being done to our building, and I had all sorts of little things to deal with. Last month somebody hit and ran out rental car and I found out today that the insurance company had not received any of the paperwork I sent them, so I had to resend it all. We're waiting for our registration labels for the car, which I also applied for last month, but they have our wrong address on file and now I have to go back to the rego office and get things cleared up. I also think something's up with our dryer. Things normally take a long time to dry here, but it was taking a ridiculous length of time today. I eventually gave up and hung everything outside. Then I went to the beach to read and relax, but twenty minutes after arrival it started to rain. Luckily it didn't last long, so I took my book down to the hot tub and I eventually felt better.

On the news tonight it was announced that Australians are lacking vitamin D. How is this possible in a country they can go outside in the sun all year???

Sanctuary Cove & Danger Point

The sun stayed out all day Saturday, so after work Joel and I headed to check out nearby Sanctuary Cove. This is a suburb north of work and all my clients have been telling me to check it out. It's apparently the Beverly Hills of the Gold Coast. We drove past the Sanctuary Cove Golf Club and of course had to check it out for Joel. This is where pro-golfer Adam Scott plays and he lives in a gated neighborhood nearby. Green fees here are pretty pricey, and a yearly membership is ridiculous- $45000 plus maintenance fees. Guess Joel won't be golfing with Adam Scott anytime soon!

There is also a big marina at Sanctuary Cove filled with fancy yachts. We stopped to watch the boats and enjoyed the best ice cream ever from a little chocolate shop.
Now that we both have regular paychecks coming in, we can finally try out some of the local restaurants. There are so many around us, so I'm hoping we can test out something new each week like we did at home. Last night we went to Hokazuno for Japanese food. We sat right at the grill. The chef asked where everyone was from, and after the neighboring two couples found out we were Canadian, we had some instant new friends. They all live in Brisbane and gave us all sorts of things to see and do on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. At ten thirty the staff subtly asked us to leave. I still think it's weird that the restaurants close down so early here.

After a few phone calls home to the bros from Joel, we drove half an hour south to Point Danger in Coolangatta. This is basically the divider between the states of Queensland and New South Wales. You can see the entire Gold from the north and down to Byron Bay from the south. (It was cloudy and super windy when we got here, so I'm sure it wasn't as amazing as it would be on a sunny day.) Point Danger was named by Captain James Cook in 1770. There is now a lighthouse memorial in his honor which was the first lighthouse to experiment with laser beams. Point Danger connects the Pacific Ocean to the Tweed River. Due to the rough swells, a dangerous sand bar builds up at the river's mouth. A pipe system was built to pump the sand out before building a bar. Now the sand is pumped away nightly to feed the Gold Coast's beaches.

Surfers Paradise view.

I picked up some Easter treats today that I've been wanting to buy for the last few weeks. I was a bit disappointed by them though, they weren't as good as I thought they'd be.

Tonight we headed down to the restaurant here at our apartment, Kesh. They had a dinner special on that we couldn't refuse! We usually end up at the same table, so the waiter Fernando had "our table" reserved. Fernando is from Brazil and is still working on his English. When he greets us, it's always "Hello Sirs". He has kind of a creepy laugh, so Joel always ends up imitating it on our way home from dinner. Then we always think of the Abba song "Fernando" and get that stuck in our heads for the rest of the night.

There was a state election yesterday. I learned from my clients that elections always fall on a Saturday and that there is a $150 fine for those who don't vote. I'm sure this makes for a lot higher voter turnout then in Canada. It was a landslide win for Liberal leader Campbell Newman (aka Campbell "Can-do") with 70% of the votes. Sounds like it's been awhile since this party's been in power.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading my blog! I was just checking out stats and in three months I've had more readers then all of last year, woo hoo!

Happy Merrisica Day!

As promised, today I celebrated my fellow gangsta Merrisa's 25th Birthday at the beach! Cheers to you Merrisa, I hope it's a special day!

I had the day off so I slept in! So nice, as usually I have to get up at six thirty (I drop Joel off at work in order to have the car to drive myself to work). It was still pretty cloudy today, then all of a sudden at three o'clock the clouds blew off and out came the sun! I feel even better knowing back home there is a ton of snow! Today was the first day I didn't even feel a little bit homesick.
Later on I had a Skype chat with the new Mrs. Genyn, fresh from her honeymoon. It was good to chat and catch up on all the latest news from Treasured Memories.

I had a chance to do some scrapbooking today! I've decided to change the tactic to my smashbook slightly. I'm doing full page layouts for bigger events, and half or quarter pages for smaller day to day events that I still want recorded. I picked up a date stamp from Office Works too. I had one in my Project Life kit for all my journaling cards and liked the look of a stamp better than my own writing. In my typical fashion, I went through and revamped a few of my previous pages, but now I'm happy with the direction things are going.

Mail Call

Last night Joel and I were looking through pictures of my 2011 Project 365 blog and remembering fun times. It made us both feel sad and really miss our friends back home. Even though things are getting more home-like here, friends are something you really can't replace or forget about. We went down to the pool and hot tub, our new nightly routine, and checked the mail on the way up (as I had forgotten to do so after work). I wasn't expecting to find any mail in the box, so when I noticed that I had not one, but TWO packages in the mail I was ecstatic! (Plus a hilarious Jesus flyer from our local Jehovah's, so I guess it was a really good mail day!). Package one was a card and a special good luck angel and coin from Coralie. Package two was a handmade friendship tag and little note from the talented Lisa. I was so happy to get these thoughtful and wonderful gifts from my friends! I added them to my growing collection of keepsakes on my bedside table, which so far consists of cards from Jill and Baby Sister, a postcard from Sandee (which is actually the first postcard on my fridge), and a $20 Canadian bill from Omi (I love that she still sends cash in the mail). Thank you so much for thinking of me everyone! I really appreciate the mail!

This morning I went into work for a class on our new product line, Zenz. I LOVE it! The whole line is sulphate and para-bin free. There is a range of 100% organic shampoos and conditioners designed for different hair and scalp issues featuring different essential oils, as well as a Luxury Line of styling products. My boss Joanne gave me a few samples to take home and try for myself. I also picked up a keratin serum. I have a lot of breakage and Jo says the keratin will help strengthen the ends and stop the breakage. I've never used a keratin based product before so I'm excited to try it out. Maybe my hair will finally start getting longer!?
I got my first paycheck today! It feels so good to have money in my account and not have to pay for everything on credit card. Tax here is lots lower then home, so I had a pretty decent check. In Australia paychecks are paid out weekly which is also a huge bonus.
It's been pretty cloudy and rainy here this week due to a monsoon that is happening north of
us on Fraser Island. It's still warm with temperatures around 27 degrees, so it's super humid. Here's a picture looking out of our balcony. Visibility is lower due to all the cloud cover.

"I Reckon..." and Other Aussie-isms

Today I thought I'd start with a little "English" lesson. We've been learning all sorts of new words and phrases. First off, when greeting someone, you say "How ya goin?", no hello. (This sounds lame in our Canadian accent so I'm sticking with "what's up" and "holla", my gangsta personal fav). The bathrooms are toilets (people look at you funny if you say washroom or bathroom), Jetta's are Bora's, winge is complain, and swears are casually thrown into any conversation in great number. It's not alot, it's heaps or massive. If something is expensive, it's "dearer". You don't think, you reckon. And make sure not to "drop your lunch" or "drop your gut" (farting) in front of others!
One of the apprentices at the shop, Kiarra, has been asking me all sorts of questions about Canada and couldn't quite grasp the concept that we have to plug our cars in and shovel off the snow in winter, or the pure fact that we go outside when it's so cold! I think she thinks I'm "taking to piss" (which she could be right in doing as I do tend to make up stories). I'm bringing her some pictures tomorrow so I can't wait to see her reaction! (Side note on the slavery of apprentices here- I did a perm today and she stood and passed me rods and papers and picked up anything I dropped. Wow. Nice to have someone do all mt neutralizing though!)
People can't drive here. They are not courteous to other drivers at all. This is driving me crazy.
In addition to driving on the opposite side of the road, voltage is 220. The plug heads are round and have two prongs that point inwards. You have a switch that turns your plug-in on or off, which I keep forgetting. I'm guessing this is because electricity is expensive- I'll know more in three months when we get our quarterly power bill!
Big news here this week: a few km's south of us there was a shark incident. A surfer was doing a fancy stunt and fell onto a shark, who got scared and then bit a big chunk into his leg. The surfer is ok now. Shark attacks are not common in this area, more in Western Australia. Needless to say the beach was empty of surfers today. There are some big elections about to happen. Queensland is having a state election for a premier on Saturday. I don't know if we can vote, as we are technically not residents according to Aussie tax, but do have an Aussie address so maybe we can? (as of now we aren't residents of Canada either). There is also a federal election coming up at some point too. I've also learned that Canberra, the country's capital, is the most boring place to visit and every Aussie I've spoken to has said to not bother visiting.
I forgot to mention yesterday that on Saturday Joel went golfing and met some new friends on the course- a heard of Western Coastal kangaroos!
I'm going to try and be a better blogger and post something on a more daily basis, even if it's just a quick note about the day.

Back Behind the Chair

On Saturday I had my first day of work at my new salon, Another Dyemension. It's out in Helensvale, which is a suburb about a half hour north of us that's pretty ritzy.
So far I am LOVING working here. It's a small salon, with only six staff, but a very positive environment. The salon has recently just moved to an all organic product and color line which I've been having fun discovering and playing around with. There are two apprentices and they do EVERYTHING for the seniors- get capes and clients set up, shampoo when needed, sweep and tidy up stations. They are so on the ball, it's impressive! Seniors are expected to just deal with clients and make money! There is no washer or dryer at the salon. The owner, Joanne, takes it home with her each day.
I've only worked two days so far, but have been fairly busy. I was almost completely booked up on Saturday! It's interesting how the bookings and schedules go. My day can totally change from beginning to end. Unless you have personal clients (someone who's requested you), other clients in the salon can get shifted around to someone else if you are running behind. Prices are different too- color is way higher then at home! And retail product is about twice the price- most shampoos are around $40 for a standard retail size 12oz bottle.
I'm somewhat of a novelty so far too. Everyone loves to hear stories about how things are different in Canada. No one believes it gets as cold as it does!
Joanne is very impressed with my work and doesn't think it will take me long to build up a clientele. It feels so good to be back at work- I didn't realize how much I missed it until now!
I've finally discovered some beauty wholesalers! Now I don't have to pay as ridiculous prices for my tools as I thought. However they are still more then at home, and not as much variety to choose from.

On St Patrick's Day we headed out to the nearby casino, Jupiter's, with Hamish and Michelle. It's pretty nice inside, very clean and well run (it's like a fancier version of the River Cree) and is huge, filled with lots of little lounges, buffets and restaurants. It's a hotel as well. Hamish won $100 in black jack, Joel and I lost our change at the slots. (We're not allowed to take pictures in there- I tried and was sternly reprimanded, so that's why there's not any). We randomly met a guy from Edmonton too, what are the odds?


Last night we met a couple from New Zealand at the pool (this is the meeting place apparently) so now we know all about Kiwi-a-gogo-land. Everyone complains so much about it I don't know why anyone lives there.
The weather the last few days has been all over the place. It will start out sunny, then clouds will blow in, then a storm and mist, then the clouds will blow away and the sun will come out, all within an hour! It's also been incredibly humid. Thank goodness for our pool and air conditioning!
I'm starting to feel alot more comfortable here, even thought there are some things I'm missing about home. Having a schedule will be nice- I'll be working every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday- and I'm going to try out a few different fitness groups next week. I'm starting to know my way around pretty good too and am more confident in my driving (but I really dislike Brutis). Now that we'll be back to having two incomes we'll be able to do more too, explore, try new restaurants, and of course shop! Trying to think what else is new, but I think that's about it. We're trying to save some money after having to spend a bunch getting settled, so we've been pretty boring. I'm trying to get my Photo A Day set up as fast as I can, so keep checking there for more pictures or random information about the Gold Coast. Hoping to do some more scrapping soon too.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Back at my usual hangout, the library. I had planned to take one of my books to the beach to read, but it is raining again today. Hard to tell if the clouds will break. As there is some sort of construction involving a jack hammer going on below me, I decided best to get out of the house for some piece and quiet.
Last night I went out with a friend from back home, Ashley. She got a job on Monday, so we decided to celebrate! What better way then with some bubbly? We hung out at a bar near Bond campus, as Tuesday night is student night so drinks are cheaper, and drank champagne in cute little bottles. Various friends of Ashley's came in and out through the night, so I was able to meet some new people. Joel joined us later and we met two of her co-workers, one from Buffalo, NY and one from the UK.

Last year I took the photo a day challenge and I've been missing it! (For those that don't know what it is, it is a highlight of your daily life in photos. They can be photos of anything- an important event, your favorite shoes, daily walk to work etc.) I decided to set up a new Project 365 blog for 2012. Check it out here, or as a link on my sidebar. It isn't 100% accurate, as I had to fill in a few days that I didn't take any pictures with filler photos, but I'm OK with that. I'm not going to take it as serious as I did last year and haven't decided if I will eventually print them out in an album or not, but it's given me something to do on this rainy day!

Celebrations

Friday morning I drove Joel to work and then headed out to Helensvale for my trial day at Another Dyemension. One of the staff brought her mom in for me to use as a model instead of the owner. I foiled, cut, and upstyled her hair. I felt really happy with my work and the owner, Joanne, was very impressed and said she was happy with my work. I felt very confident and relaxed going into this trial, unlike my trial at Heaven. The staff were all super friendly and helped me out whenever I needed.

Joel has got his tools all unpacked and lovingly organized. All the other mechanics are pretty impressed by his supplies! He stayed late on Friday to set up and the foreman was impressed by how organized he is.

On Saturday I was lucky enough to Skype onto the wedding of my very good friends Jill and James. I really wish I could have been there to celebrate in the flesh, but glad I could still be a part of it from afar! Thanks to Lisa for bringing her iPad and being my camera lady! I had a freak out that I wouldn't be able to see it, as five minutes before the ceremony my internet time ran out! I grabbed my credit card, recharged for another hour on rip off rate jimojo, and made it just in time! All though the sound was a little bumpy on my end, I got to see it all and it was a beautiful wedding. I skyped into the reception later and got to toast the new Mr and Mrs Genyn. All the best, you two are awesome!



I was really missing my friends after that and feeling kind of down, so I headed upstairs to the roof to read. My phone rang and it was Joanne, the owner of the salon I trialed at - I got the job!!! The staff voted and out of all the girls who trialed they all picked me! Jo was so happy with my work and said I was her secret pick from the first interview. That made my day! I go in on Friday for a color class (they have just brought in a new organic color line from Europe) and we'll figure out my schedule from there! I feel like this salon will be a good fit for me as it's run in a similar way to Applauz.

Sunday morning I woke up to breakfast made by Joel. It was a gorgeous morning so we sat outside on our balcony to enjoy the sunshine.


We spent the day running errands and grocery shopping. Still trying to figure out which store has the best prices. We did some comparisons but it's a tough call. Around 5:30 we headed to the beach for a walk. I love the colors of the sand and water at this time. There's a slightly pinkish tone due to the setting sun.


Not much planned for today. I picked up some magazines to read and will be at the library for a few hours catching up on all my internet time. I can't wait till our Virgin tops up again on the 23rd!

Brutis' Big Adventure and My Thoughts On Oz Drivers

This morning Joel and I drove into Brisbane to pick up his tools from the airport. As usual, Melba does not know that work has been done on the map, so she got us lost. We made it eventually (after much gas wasting and circle driving) and got all the paper and payments made. While we waited for the tools to come out of their quarantine inspection (EVERYTHING gets quarantined upon arrival to Oz) we headed to The Sizzler for lunch. Not sure what Sizzler is like in the US, but here it is like a Ricky's with a salad and dessert buffet. This is where Australia's 31% of obese people hang out. Joel liked his food, but I will never go back there again. After lunch it was back to the unaccompanied cargo area to load up Joel's tools in Brutis. Joel was happy to have his tools. Brutis was not happy to carry the extra 300 Ilbs. It was a long drive home.
Now for my rant on Australian drivers. They don't know how to use their signals, unless they are fighting you for the last parking spot ("I've been there for five minutes with my signal on!"). Roundabouts? No need to signal here either, it's funner for incoming traffic to guess which exit you'll be taking! They cut in front of you when a lane ends in the last second, even though there was a sign pointing the lane end for quite some time. Left hand turns (right hand turns in Canada) are not permitted unless the left turn light is on, which is a long wait most times. Joel thinks this cuts down on car accidents as the drivers are so clued out. If you adapt the Aussie road rules, prepare to get some angry looks from fellow Aussies who do these things themselves only five minutes before you do!
On the job front, I have a trial at a salon tomorrow. I'm going to be doing the managers hair. I hope it goes well and I get the job! Even though it's only part time, I would love some money. No other leads though. I spent yesterday applying at various hotels. I was tipped off that they have an employment center that helps you find jobs, so I went there to register today and hope for some help. After waiting in line, talking on the phone to an advisor, speaking to two more people in house, I learned that I had wasted my time (and people there are clued out about their jobs) because this service is only open to Australian residents. Grrr. Also the Gold Coast has a record low unemployment rate right now of 10%. Every time I hand in a resume I can tell the employer is thanking God they have a job, even if they hate it. Alot of businesses are closed due to the slower economy- I see these signs all over the place.
Nothing else really new to report. Life thus far is pretty boring, as we are pinching our pennies. I did go for a walk along the Nerang River yesterday as the weather was so beautiful. This river runs all through the Gold Coast. People boat along it, but you better not fall in- there are sharks lurking in the water.
Also for anyone following the news and worried about flooding, we are fine here. The state bellow us, New South Wales, is having a lot of problems though, and I think some of the rivers north of us are at record highs, but we are fine. There was a cyclone warning on Tuesday, but it blew off the coast and the warning was lifted. I've been told because we sit on the ocean, there isn't much worry for floods, as opposed to a city that sits on a river.

PS- I give up on the pictures, this internet is way too slow!

Updates

I'm writing today from the library, as our monthly ten MB of internet is already gone. (I was feeling lonely and downloaded some TV shows to iTunes, which promptly used up all our internet.) After a very foul mouthed conversation to Virgin from Joel (which was actually pretty funny on my end, maybe not the Virgin guy's end) we learned that we are out of internet until our plan tops up on the 23rd. Guess I'll be investing in some more Jimojo so I can Skype in to Jill and James wedding! Internet really is a rip off here.

Last week my days were either really awesome or really crappy. I forget what I did on Wednesday day, but in the evening we befriended a younger couple who live in our building, Hamish and Michelle, in the hot tub. Michelle was actually born in Kelowna, but moved to New Zealand when she was seven. It was so nice to actually have someone to talk to! Joel made us a taco fiesta for dinner and I went over to Cole's and picked up various Cadbury's chocolates for dessert. Selection of treats here is stellar! So many different sweets then at home, plus a very creative bakery. My next dessert purchase will be chocolate iced cupcakes with mini egg toping and sponge cake inside, mmmm.

Thursday I went for a job interview. It was a small salon with a good vibe and everyone seemed very friendly and welcoming. The position is for part-time work and is up in Helensvale, which is at least a half hour drive. The owner really liked me said she would call me this week after the rest of the interviews. I think the fact that I have no clientele is going to be a big deciding factor, since I'd be competing with two juniors for clients.

Since I had to drive to the interview, I had Brutis to myself for the day. I drove out to Robina and found a Kaisercraft Outlet. They have a crop every Tuesday, so I plan to go tomorrow. Maybe if I hang out there enough they'll hire me? The store is huge and has more Kaiser then I ever knew existed! Next I went to my new favorite mall, Robina, and did some shopping on my leftover splurge money. I found a store called Sportsgirl that I am in love with and bought a new top and necklace. By the way, how bolla is Robina!?

On Friday I hit the pavement. I walked all over Broadbeach and Surfers applying for jobs. I tried everywhere, restaurants, ice cream shops, a spa, gyms, clothing stores, hotels, but no one is hiring "at the moment" so mostly I just filled out application forms. On the bright side I know my way around really well now and am a pro at the bus. I came home at four o'clock feeling tired, hot, and very down on my luck. I headed to the pool to cool off and read. As I sat on the edge and flipped open my book, a girl swam over with a vodka for me. She was on vacation from New Zealand with a bunch of her travel agent co-workers, so I hung with them and shared their vodka till Joel got home. Just the pick-me-up I needed!

On Saturday it rained, but Joel was determined to go for a game of golf. I stayed home and colored my hair. (This is a difficult task without a 360 mirror or Merrisa.) Later Hammish gave me a call so I headed over there to visit and enjoy some cider. They are so funny! They plan on doing the same thing we are doing next year in Canada, so we spent alot of time sharing travel highlights of our respective countries. When Joel finished his game he joined us for Bundaberg (local rum), beer and barbequed kangaroo. We headed out later and did some club hoping, which ended early (one am) as the bouncers thought Joel was too drunk to continue partying. I promised him I wouldn't divulge the dirty details of our night, but if you've partied with Joel before you can use your imagination to fill in the blanks... Looking back today, it was quite funny. I made some random new friends, including some Meter Maids, and told many stories about the Great White North. Sadly my hockey playing "relatives" do not impress quite so much as at home. Might have to expand into rugby... Also learned that for $2, you can touch your hair up with a flatiron in the bar bathrooms.

Yesterday was hangover day for Joel. It was a sunny day so went to the beach with Hammish and Michelle, then ate some greasy McDonalds (called Maccas here). They have these awesome smoothies here that we don't have at home, but otherwise the menu is pretty similar. After last night Joel has vowed never to drink in Australia again. I give him two days to change his mind.

Today Ashley, a friend from home who is going to school nearby, picked me up for lunch and a tour of her Uni campus. She is also having a hard time finding jobs and has been commuting to Brisbane for work.

Though I am not feeling so positive about the Gold Coast job scene, Joel is loving his job at Audi. The bosses always tell him they love his work and what a hard worker he is. He think this is funny because it is super slack here compared to what he's used to at home. His tools arrive on Thursday so he's looking forward to getting a bigger variety of jobs.

I found out the Gold Coast is Oz's sixth largest city with a population just over 500 000. Pretty small if you think about it. But that's almost twice as big as their capital, Canberra (which is apparently not so nice).