Rugby Disappointment
So...Saturday was a day of Rugby disappointment.
We went to go watch Jackson's cousin (Brendan) play Rugby. You have to understand that it's almost a religion here. The school that Bren attends is reknowned for producing great rugby players. As a result, pretty much all the boys there play rugby! Each team consists of 15 players...and at this school, there are like 7 teams. They range from the 'firsts' to the 'sevens' - that's a LOT of boys. Basically, the firsts are the first 15 etc etc. Brendan played for the 4ths which is pretty good. Apparently since the positions are pretty specialized, he's the fourth best at his position - pretty good. Anyway, they went up against a rival school Shore in a match where both teams were undefeated...and...they lost. Apparently the 3rds won, the 2nds lost, and most importantly, the 1sts lost...to understand the seriousness of the game, ALL boys have to watch the firsts play. They even bus them to the game, and at the end of the game (if it's an away game), they have to sign in to make sure that they were there.
After being in low spirits, everyone then looked forward to the oh so popular Australia versus New Zealand match. It was a much bigger affair than I ever imagined. It seems as if everyone watched the game or at least everyone knew the outcome. This time around, the Wallabies (green, australia) were beaten by the All Blacks (black (duh), new zealand). Apparently, Australia hasn't won the cup since 2002...
I've been trying my best to pick up the rugby lingo and trying to just understand the game, but the rules are quite complicated! I'm even mixing up the names of the sports! Who knew that there would be such a difference in game between Rugby Union and Rugby League, and then throw Aussie rules into the mix, and I'm all mixed up. Hopefully I'll get more fluent in the lingo, but I'll keep you posted.
I guess the only other big news is that we decided on a car! We'll be getting the nissan, so it's very exciting! If only we had an apartment...well, fingers crossed, we'll have one at the end of this week as Jackson starts work next week. 
Word of the Day:
Ute = Utility Vehicle = a sporty pick-up truck
Really, the only way you'll know what I'm talking about is if I show you
Cars Cars Cars
So when we're not apartment hunting, Jackson and I have been car hunting. Who knew that cars were going to be that different here. Even the ones that look similar have different names and at the end of this week, I think I know more about cars than I ever did in the 3 years I drove one. For example, I just learned that VW has just released the Passat and Jetta in Australia- I thought these were pretty old by now - and that their old model the Bora (?) is really the Jetta in disguise.
We've been looking at everything mid-size sedan. We looked at Volvo, Audi, BMW, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and VW.
But I think we've finally narrowed it down to either the Mazda6 or the Nissan Maxima - they seemed pretty reasonable in terms of price and the extras it included. The volvo wasn't pretty, the audi was pretty basic, the BMW we could only consider used ones that they weren't that nice, the Honda I nixed from the beginning, and the VW was too much of a chick car for Jackson.
It's funny what the other things we
have to think about are...like what kind of gas (oh, I'm sorry, it's petrol here - apparently, if I ask for gas they'll bring a container of cooking/heating gas or something) we want the car to use - unleaded, premium, DIESEL.
Anyway, we're going to look into what deals Nissan can find for us and then we'll make the final decision. But if we go with the Mazda, all I have to say is....zoom zoom zoom...
Aussie slang for the day:Wally= 'Banana' = idiot
Funny story for the day: So our Mazda rep has a friend who when he first moved to Australia he asked her, "why do people keep saying 'Good Vegetable?'" She said, "What? That doesn't mean anything." He said, "but I keep hearing 'Good Onion." She then realized that what he was really hearing was "Good on ya."
My Sister's Bar Exam
I just said good luck to my sister who today is taking her bar exam. It's the first day of three where she'll be locked up in a room with the rest of my family fretting and worrying. We know that she'll be alright. It's hard to be far away and unable to just get on the phone and wish her good luck even though I know she'll be okay. Times like this I just look forward to getting settled with phones and just stuff. I know she'll be alright and we'll get settled and it'll all get better.
Today we looked at more apartments for our temporary 5 months before we move into a long-term apartment in December. I think we may have a couple of winners! I'll stop here cause I don't want to jinx anything, but I'll let you know!
Now for some more Aussie slang/words:
Not a full dollar = person with some screws loose in his head
Muesli bar = cereal bar made of muesli (oats and stuff?)
bedder = bedroom (i.e. 1-bedder = one bedroom)
Winning Phrases
So, I knew that Australian was slightly different from American, but who knew that the phrases and words would be a bit odd! Here's what I've heard and what I can remember so far...I'll let you know if I hear any more good ones.
This avo = This afternoon
brekky = breakfast
unfurnished = really unfurnished - no refrigerators, driers but no washers
dunny = bathroom/toilet
budgie smuggler = speedo bathing suit
"Chuck a sick-y" = Take a sick day
:)
Welcome to Australia
We've done it. We have finally made the cross oceanic trip to the other side of the world, leaving all I knew and was familiar with. We've come to a country where the language is the same yet different, where the weather is flipped, and the culture is foreign. We're in a country where phrases like "give me the shits" can be said on the TV without blips or substituted words, and where long black and flat white are every day beverages. I can easily say that so far, the Australian experience has been altogether intimidating, exciting and fun.
Jackson and I arrived last week and for the past week our first order of business was to find an apartment. Over five days we've looked at 22 apartments in all different areas in Sydney: Sydney Central, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Darling Harbour (yes, that's harbor with a u), Pyrmont, Ultimo, and Erskineville. Each of these areas has its own unique personality and taste. We haven't found anything, but I'm definitely slowing down...hopefully we'll find something soon!
After being in low spirits, everyone then looked forward to the oh so popular Australia versus New Zealand match. It was a much bigger affair than I ever imagined. It seems as if everyone watched the game or at least everyone knew the outcome. This time around, the Wallabies (green, australia) were beaten by the All Blacks (black (duh), new zealand). Apparently, Australia hasn't won the cup since 2002...
