Home » Australia » A Week In Oz

Upon arrival into Australia, I received the following message: “Just a warning about sharks, we seem to have a lot of them at the moment and they are pretty hungry.” With that bit of information, we took the tram to Glenelg Beach for some sun bathing and light walks along the shoreline. In fact, I recall only dipping my feet into the water once.

A Week In Oz

Tanya
2006-03-10 20:58:58

Displayed times (last time: )

Upon arrival into Australia, I received the following message: “Just a warning about sharks, we seem to have a lot of them at the moment and they are pretty hungry.” With that bit of information, we took the tram to Glenelg Beach for some sun bathing and light walks along the shoreline. In fact, I recall only dipping my feet into the water once.

I also had the chance to catch the first stage of Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under. It is a week of some of the world’s best bike riders hitting the roads of South Australia to compete in a backdrop of vineyards, hills, valleys, towns and coastlines. Stage one commenced just outside our new home. Yes, Kameron, Amber and I finally moved into a two bedroom apartment just inside the city. Thank goodness!

After the move, we also managed to find some time to relax in a nearby park for some light reading, napping, schoolwork and people watching. I spent my time reading Charles Swindoll’s “Intimacy with the Almighty”, a short but profound read. I also found myself taking in the views of a nearby pond that holds the cutest little ducklings.

Sunday morning I attended Flinders Street Baptist
Church. The individuals I met after the service were incredibly friendly and helpful. I met elders and students, as well as the pastor during a mid-morning tea. They were all very welcoming and even referred me to a few more non-traditional services in the area. Afterwards, the church treated all of its visitors (including me) to a light lunch where I met a couple of *Kiwis named Roby and Jenny. Roby is an official Cricket umpire and was able to teach me a little bit more about the sport. Jenny exchanged contact information with me so that when I begin my travel towards New Zealand I have a ride from the airport and someone who can show me around.

Culture Shock 101

One would think that since Australians speak english just as American’s do, that there would not be a problem communicating. Wrong! The group as a whole, has found this to be an assumption. For instance, did you know that Francis Street can easily be mistaken for Front as can Edmond for Unley? We have found ourselves in opposite ends of the city as a result!
Understanding clients at work pose another problem. My vocabulary is expanding on a daily basis. See
Cyclists
Cyclists
word bank below.

Word Bank

Boot-trunk of car
Diary-calendar
Globe-light bulb
Kiwi-New Zealander

Travel Tips

After leaving the beach it was quite obvious which sections of my body I failed to cover with sunscreen. Oops! Who knew that your belly button could get sunburned! One more reason to be thorough during the sunscreen application process!