Squash!

Today I tried something I never thought I would; I played squash!
And - I loved it! My body is aching sooo much right now, but it's totally worth it.
I don't know, it was just a nice sport, not too many rules (at least not when I play with M), and it's really good exercise!

When we got home, we were super sweaty, and cleaned the whole apartment before having a nice cool shower.

Together with the walk into the city we had this morning, it's been a reasonably healthy day.

Minus the Mocha at Starbucks (which was the reason I suggested the morning walk) and the heap of Indian food we've just ordered. Tonight will be quite a feast and taking it easy, watching some Lost.

All in all, a great day!

Merry X-mas!

We've had a few very relaxing days so far, yesterday was Swedish Christmas with meatballs, pickled herring, salmon, saffron buns and ginger bread... and opening the presents from Sweden. Today we're just playing games and reading books, and packing for the rest of the holidays. Tomorrow we're picking TP up from the airport, and going out to Rosewood for a two day Aussie Christmas bonanza, and then we're going to Mooloolaba. It's a little place up north by the coast, M's mom has rented an apartment there for a few days, 2 minutes from the beach, a pool and spa at the complex... Iiiih! Good thing we just got rash wests and sun hats... My first ever beachy Christmas!

Some pictures from the place we're going.

 

Well, if I can't have a snowy Christmas, this is a pretty nice alternative.

We'll probably be home again for New Years, we might just have some bubbly on the roof terrace.

Now, it's time for me to get back to my book and my saffron buns...

//Leets

New apartment!

What’s happened since last time?

• I’ve started my job, and I love it.

• We’ve moved into our own apartment! 

      The job is as a receptionist at Carrick Education, and it’s similar to what I did back in Swedland. So far, the days have been passing rather fast, although it’s calming down a lot now that Christmas holidays have started.

The apartment is great, it’s a lot closer to work, and it’s pretty perfect for us. It’s a one bedroom apartment, with a balcony, large-ish living room, a roof terrace and AIR CONDITIONING! The last one I’m especially grateful for, since it’s super warm here now!

On Sunday (Lucia) we went to a pool nearby, and I did somersaults for the first time in my life! And I’m learning to stay under water for longer, without pinching my nose… All good practice for when we go camping on Moreton Island! Unfortunately I got Urinal Tract Infection (urinvägsinfektion), and spent Sunday night at the hospital… But I’m all better now, got some antibiotics and stayed home and slept yesterday.

Now I’ve just baked the years first gingerbread cookies (thanks mom for the “pomerans”!), they taste really good! I’m gonna bring some for work tomorrow, gotta show people some Swedish stuff.

Otherwise we’re just taking it easy, preparing for Christmas, unpacking the last stuff, and just enjoying our new home!

If I don’t update over the next couple of weeks: Merry Christmas! God Jul!

I'm staying

Yesterday was The Big Day that I've planned and prepared for for months... The day when I finally applied for my permanent Visa! They tell you that it will take about 6 months to get it processed, but guess what? I got it straight away! It took maybe 15 minutes, then I got the Visa glued into my passport. So now I can stay for 2 years (as. long as Mick puts up with me...), I can work full time, study, travel, get Medicare... everything! And once those 2 years are up, I might get my permanent Visa! Such a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, I can start planning my life here, without having to wonder if I'll have to leave in August.

Oops, Mick just came home, I'll go be social now...

Bye

//Let

I have a job!!!

I am so happy right now!
For the last couple of weeks I've been to interviews for three different jobs, two temporary and one permanent.
The permanent one is for an education center, with courses mainly in english, cooking and tourism. It's located just a couple of blocks from Mick's job, and the people there seem soo nice! And I got it!
Not quite sure yet about what day I'll start, but in the next couple of weeks... I'll be the second receptionist, but since they aren't fully staffed yet (they just had the first students start), I'll be doing very many different things.
From their first phone call, I just felt that this would be the perfect job for me, something that I've only gotten more convinced about every time I've been in for interviews.
Life is good!
Now I'm gonna vacuum, do the dishes and laundry, might as well use this adrenaline rush!

Happy!
//Let

Heatwave

It's seriously hot here right now, 33 degrees today... Last night I couldn't sleep, it was so warm, so after a while I put the air conditioner on, on 22 degrees... In Sweden, i it was 22 degrees in the bedroom, I would have thought it soooo warm, here it was really nice and cool. Makes me wonder what temperature it was before I turned it on!

The temperature (and humidity!) makes it a little hard to go running, but I've been good for the last day, following the schedule Sussi sent me (thank you, btw!). Today was a really good day, first day since... well, feels like forever, but probably two weeks, that I haven't had a cough! Finally rid of this stupid cold.

The job hunting... isn't going that well, but I suppose I've only been here for, well, a month exactly today! So I guess I should be patient, but I just want a job now now now! Hopefully we can lodge my new visa application soon, and then I might have a better chance. I have this theory that since most people on Working Holiday Visa (the type I have) are here to travel around and work just a little bit here and there, they might not wanna hire me, cause they think I won't stay for long enough for the job. Oh well, at least Mick has a job now, so we'll survive, and I will get one eventually, or I'll just have to start studying again.

As for pictures... I'll try and be better, I just never take any, I'm too busy experiencing! I haven't been into the city too much, I stay around the house when Mick's at work, if I go into the city I'll wanna buy stuff, and until I get a job, I really shouldn't!

Well, that's all for now, I miss you back in Sweden!

//Let

Little update

We're slowly getting more acclimatized. Mick has a job that starts tomorrow, we've been filling out form after form after form for my Visa application, I'm still applying for all the jobs I can find... 

Last week we had a few birthday dinners to go to, all really nice. Both me and Mick have gotten colds, so a fairly large chunk of last week was spent in bed (me) or in front of the computer (Mick). Also, we've been starting to plan what to buy now that we'll be getting money, making budgets, looking up prices of things, that stuff. I really like it though, all the planning and browsing, that is more than half the fun!

We did take a quick trip to IKEA as well, we bought a dresser (it was getting a bit old to keep our clothes in piles on the floor), "påsklämmor" (things you use to seal plastic bags) and food... Lingonberry jam, cream sauce mix, caviar and Daim.

Now I just have to figure out what to do when Mick is at work...

Night night!

//Let

The beach!!

Today we went to the "real" beach, and it was sooooooo nice! 

White sand, blue sea, HUGE waves (Mick disagrees...) nice warm sun, cool barbecue area... I love it! 

Me, on the beach...

Also, remember that spring started 6 days ago... imagine doing this in the beginning if March in Sweden...

Unfortunately I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs, so the back of them hurt a little now... Tomorrow I'm gonna try and buy some aloe vera!

Now it's bed time, we got up at 7 this morning, so I'm a bit sleepy.

//Let

Living in Taringa

Sorry about the lousy updating...

We've been keeping fairly busy, and are now living in Taringa with Stefan, Olga and Andre, sooo much closer to the city!

Our main "job" right now is applying for jobs, and, in Mick's case, going to interviews. I have so far not had any calls, but I'm waiting patiently.

Everything is getting settled, we've got our bank accounts and cards, we've gotten some furniture and life is getting back into normal mode.

I have a goal, to get out of the house for a bit everyday and do something I enjoy, and so far we've been doing good. 

On Tuesday we went for a long (9 km) walk into Southbank, in the middle of Brisbane. Wow, there are some steep hills around here! There we went to the man made beach, I thought it was soooo nice, Mick didn't really agree. So tomorrow we're going to the "real" beach!

Other days I've joined Olga to the mall, and for the last two days I've been running/jogging at the little oval near our house, it actually feels OK! Yay!

Yesterday we went for "late night shopping", the stores in the city stay open until 9 on Fridays, so we went in and had a look, shopped for some birthday presents, had dinner, and when Olga got off work at 9, went for dessert at the casino café.

Right now we're having pizza and I'm watching my first ever game of Australian Football, it's actually quite easy to grasp, a lot easier (and faster) then American Football!

I'll try to write some more tomorrow when we've been to the beach.

Bye for now!

//Let

First impressions of Australia

Now I've been in Australia for a bit over 24 hours, adn thought I should write down my first impressions. The weather: very warm, apparently unusually warm for this time of year. I think I'll die when summer comes around... but honestly, it's really nice! The people are awesome! We just had a bbq with a lot of Mick's mates ad some of their girlfriends, and I really liked all of them! They seem just like my friends back at home; a little weird, fast speaking, and generally just good people. Oh, and I saw my first newborn calf today! There's a lot of animals here, both Charlie Cat and Carby Dog are very friendly and like a got petting. Still a bit tired, slept 12 hours last night, but could go for a few more right about now. //Let