Hitting the ground running
I arrived in Australia about 24 hours ago and I'm already getting ready to head into the CBD (central business district—"downtown" isn't used here) for my first day at the office.
The first day here was a whirlwind, following a wholly uneventful flight. My Australian "parents," who I am staying with for a bit until I find a place in the city, picked me up at the airport just after 7:00 a.m. I managed to get my cell phone set up before even leaving the terminal, which was a big relief.
Once at the carpark, we drove back to their house in Bangor: a suburb about 30 minutes southwest of the airport. After dropping my bags and freshening up from the flight, we all sat and caught up for a while. One of the kids and grandkids dropped in for a visit, and in the early afternoon Paul (the father) and I headed out to the shops.
We popped into Woolies for a few things for lunch, and I was able to stop by an ATM to knock another thing off my list. After a late lunch, I decided to strike out for a long walk around the neighborhood. I ended up walking about 10km (6 miles), traversing the large bridge across the Woronora River, connecting the area they live with Sutherland, where there's a large train station.
The bridge was incredible. While the upper deck looks like a standard highway bridge, carrying four lanes of fast-moving traffic, beneath the road is a pedestrian bridge, suspended from the structure. It offers fantastic views of the river far below, as well as some much needed shade. It got up above 30C (85F) yesterday, so the respite from the sun was nice.
The walk to the train station took about 45 minutes. While it is the train station I will be using while I am living here, I don't think I will make a habit of walking; after all, the bus service from just outside the house is frequent to the station, and the walk is exceptionally hilly.
After wandering around the little town area surrounding the train station, I headed back to the house, making it just before a storm settled in. We loaded up the car and headed over to one of the daughter's houses, just a 10 minute drive down the road, for a nice belated Easter dinner. We all had a great time catching up, and it was really wonderful to see everyone.
We were home by 9:30 p.m., and after being up for a day-and-a-half (I slept about three hours on the flight), I got ready for bed.
Now, it is just after 7:00 a.m. here, and I am organizing my room before heading into the city to the Uni and a meeting at the office this afternoon. I'm thrilled that I apparently still possess the ability to reset my internal clock, and seem to have been able to keep the jet lag at bay, despite the 14-hour time difference.
Looking forward to catching the train into the city and hope to spend some time just walking around between meetings, so I can see what has changed!
The first day here was a whirlwind, following a wholly uneventful flight. My Australian "parents," who I am staying with for a bit until I find a place in the city, picked me up at the airport just after 7:00 a.m. I managed to get my cell phone set up before even leaving the terminal, which was a big relief.
Once at the carpark, we drove back to their house in Bangor: a suburb about 30 minutes southwest of the airport. After dropping my bags and freshening up from the flight, we all sat and caught up for a while. One of the kids and grandkids dropped in for a visit, and in the early afternoon Paul (the father) and I headed out to the shops.
We popped into Woolies for a few things for lunch, and I was able to stop by an ATM to knock another thing off my list. After a late lunch, I decided to strike out for a long walk around the neighborhood. I ended up walking about 10km (6 miles), traversing the large bridge across the Woronora River, connecting the area they live with Sutherland, where there's a large train station.
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| Outside Sutherland Station, where I will be catching the train to the city. |
The bridge was incredible. While the upper deck looks like a standard highway bridge, carrying four lanes of fast-moving traffic, beneath the road is a pedestrian bridge, suspended from the structure. It offers fantastic views of the river far below, as well as some much needed shade. It got up above 30C (85F) yesterday, so the respite from the sun was nice.
 |
| Crossing the pedestrian bridge, suspended below the road bridge. |
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| The Woronora River, seen from the bridge. |
The walk to the train station took about 45 minutes. While it is the train station I will be using while I am living here, I don't think I will make a habit of walking; after all, the bus service from just outside the house is frequent to the station, and the walk is exceptionally hilly.
 |
| Walking up one of the many hills from the bridge. |
After wandering around the little town area surrounding the train station, I headed back to the house, making it just before a storm settled in. We loaded up the car and headed over to one of the daughter's houses, just a 10 minute drive down the road, for a nice belated Easter dinner. We all had a great time catching up, and it was really wonderful to see everyone.
We were home by 9:30 p.m., and after being up for a day-and-a-half (I slept about three hours on the flight), I got ready for bed.
Now, it is just after 7:00 a.m. here, and I am organizing my room before heading into the city to the Uni and a meeting at the office this afternoon. I'm thrilled that I apparently still possess the ability to reset my internal clock, and seem to have been able to keep the jet lag at bay, despite the 14-hour time difference.
Looking forward to catching the train into the city and hope to spend some time just walking around between meetings, so I can see what has changed!
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