Surf's Up!

There were several people back home whose sole advice for me down under was to "not go in the water." For these un-named few, I must emphasize that the following post remained a shark-free incident :) So yes, I went surfing. First time ever. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Carson contacted his action-adventure coordinator, Alistair the Great, and we were off one Sunday morning with hopes of rays of sun and waves of glory. There were six of us total - Carson and Chris, surfing veterans, a Canadian student attending Melbourne University (also a veteran), and myself and two German blokes, surfing rookies. Below are the before-and-after photos of the two-hour drive to the beach.

Once we arrived though, we were more than ready to get started, and it was already turning out to be quite a nice day! We suited up (full wetsuits, good thing too, because even though the day was nice, the water was quite cold - about 57 degrees Farenheit). How attractive are these suits....

The morning was filled with a brief sand-based lesson ala Alistair. No sharks or jellies, check.Four-step process to get up on your board, check. And we were off. The waves were perfect, and Alistair helped us rookies individually to catch a wave and try and get up on our boards. I didn't get up before we broke for lunch, but I managed to get up three times once we got back in the water after lunch. Of course, I only stayed up on my board for about 5 seconds each time, but it was so much fun, and I'd definitely like to go again. Surfing is quite tiring, especially when trying to wrestle the waves and position yourself correctly. I caught Carson napping on his board while breaking on the sand :)

The beach was beautiful, and practically deserted except for a few other surfers.

We only lasted until early afternoon, at which point the wind started picking up, causing the waves to become too frequent and the surfers to lose their footing :) We packed up and headed out. On the way home, Alistair took us to Bells Beach, made famous by the movie Point Break (50 years storm). Bells Beach sports some of the best waves known - there was a girl surfing in her bikini swim suit, and I have no idea how she didn't freeze. We even came upon a gathering of kangaroos in a nearby golf course, and I finally got to see a baby joey in it's mother's pouch! It was a great day!

Time Flies

It's been almost a month since I've last posted...apologies for my tardiness :) A lot has happened over the past month. I returned home for a week, had a great time catching up with family and friends and when I blinked, it was time to return to Melbourne. Work-wise, the temporary consultants ran into visa issues - basically, my company's legal department found a loophole visa to put us on, but the Australian government fixed the loophole. Which means a trip back to the states for all of us until our legitimate work visas process - God only knows how long that will take :) So I'm Atlanta-bound once again come the end of this week...

My second month in Melbourne has given me the chance to settle in a bit. I've since switched hotels, which has put me in a nicer flat closer to work. Still a beautiful city view! Work has really ramped up, all of our team resources have been thrown at one big project.

I've managed to get back into my running routine, now that the days are getting longer and warmer. I ran with Lane a few times on St. Kilda Beach (about 20 minutes by tram), and Carson and I have developed quite an intense routine with the hopes of running a few Melbourne races. We might even run in the Melbourne Corporate games in November, where basically 25,000 Melbourne employees participate in a weekend's worth of 20+ games/sports for charity.

I've enjoyed getting to know many of my co-workers outside of work. Australians are quite active, and now that the weather is warming up and Spring is in the air (although it is not uncommon to experience four seasons in one day), being outdoors is a requirement. I've been doing a bit of rock-climbing, and we've even been go-carting a couple times now. Once indoor, once outdoor in mini-Nascar race style. I've even tried my hand at golf, when Lane's boyfriend Justin was here on holiday for two weeks.

Of course, we've enjoyed other outtings as well :) The bloakes here are bloody good fun! And it seems as though there are always excuses to go out and have a good time - birthdays, going-away parties, you name it, we'll drink to it.

I leave you with parting knowledge that I've accumulated during my glorious but brief stay in Melbourne. May I present to you, Aussie translator:

• How'd ya pull up? = How did you feel this morning after a long night of drinking?
• Taking the piss out of ya = Making fun of you
• Bloody good bloake = Nice guy
• Holiday = Vacation (of which each employee receives a mandatory minimum 4 weeks)
• Have a go at it = Try it
• Chicken schnitzel parmiagiana with capsicum and chips = Fried chicken covered in tomato sauce and bell peppers, side of french fries
• Thongs = Flip-flops
• Pot of beer = The tiniest glass of beer you have ever seen in your life
• Jug of beer = Pitcher of beer
• Coke spider = Coke float
• Kiwi = Native New Zealander
• Sheila = An attractive girl
• Bogan = Australian Aboriginal

Cheers!!!