City Life
Just a quick update on our progress in Sydney.
I started a job last Friday in the CBD only a day after having an interview with an Agency so it's been pretty fast and I've been thrown into the ways of working in the city.
This entails getting up pretty early at 6am and leaving the house at 6.45am to catch the train. Luckily Rebecca drops me off at Meadowbank station where 5 stops later I hop off at Central Station. I only have a quick walk through Belmore Park where there is always something to catch your eye. Usually there is at least one busker and often a puppeteer looking for loose change from those leaving the train on their way to work. There is also a huge flock of pigeons that scatter when someone gets too near. There are also a few vagrants sitting on park benches watching the world go by. Yesterday there were two girls handing out booklets that I thought were monthly arts and entertainment guides but upon receipt turned out to be Jehovah's Witness publications. It was soon deposited in a nearby bin.
I start work ay 8am and luckily there is a decent coffee machine to feed my caffine habit and depending on the time of day and what mood I'm in I flit between a straight up flat white, Moccacino or Cappacino. It's good for waking me up in the morning.
My office is on the 4th floor which in Sydney terms is not very high and the window on both sides looks on to higher and more mundane looking high-rise office storeys.
I leave work at 4pm and walk 30 minutes down the very long Pitt Street to the harbour wharf which has spectacular views over the harbour and of the bridge and opera house. I catch the 4.50 ferry to Homebush Bay which takes around an hour. The ferry goes up the river and at this time of year, the sun sets over the water and lends a magical quality to dusk. As todays temperature was 33c I sat outside and read a book on my journey home, the wind whipping around and providing some relief to the humidity. Tomorrow is set to be 35c but with rain so it should prove interesting.
I get home around 6pm so it's pretty much a 12 hour day and so far I'm coping fine but only time will tell!
It's a bank holiday this weekend and we're meeting up with my cousin for a big BBQ on Sunday so hopefully I should have some more photos to show.
posted by Phil @ 6:48 pm
6 Comments:
It sounds exhausting, especially with the heat. How is Lou getting on? What is the job you are doing? Do opportunities seem better in Oz than NZ? Sorry for all the questions! Hope it is all going well. You sound a bit shell shocked by it all, and who can blame you! New city, country and job in the space of a few days! Yikes!
Yeah I was going to ak just about every question Suzy has asked :P The people demand answers!
Hope the heat's not getting to you. Anything above 30C is just too much for me I'm afraid, but maybe we'll visit you in the winter and you can come here in the summer. Deal? :D
Best of luck with the commute. It must be a bit of a drag but you may be able to get something just as good (or maybe better) closer to home. At least the walk will keep you fit!
Let me know how Lou's doing and say HI to her from us here in Kiwiland.
What Suzy said + what Skry said.
A 12 hour day is a bit mad. I should have given you some of my Pimsleur language courses before you left - with a commute that long, you could certainly brush up on your French or Japanese or whatever :)
Hey Guys. I've signed up with an agency that luckily is able to give me work covering day programmes with adults with disabilites in and around the area we live in. I get to start next week once i complete a self-funded two day first aid course and the police checks come through. Getting around during the day from this particular area is a pain in the ass. But it was pretty awesome getting the ferry into town for a night out last Saturday. It only took 30 mins as they didnt have to make any stops and the views of the harbour bridge, skyscrapers and opera house all lit up was fantastic. Beats getting a taxi anyway!
The heat today was a bit crazy - not necessarily because of it being 35c but the humidity - walking out of the air-conditioned buildings was like opening an oven door but you get used to it more or less.
There are certainly more opportunities in Australia than in NZ but comparitively it's like saying there are more jobs in the UK than in the Isle of Man - although NZ is bigger than the UK it is totally dwarfed by OZ which is the worlds 6th largest country.
I'm working for a company that makes vineyard netting so it involves a lot of research of which I intend to put to good use in the near future!
I'm not shell-shocked or anything - the city is much more vibrant than Christchurch (duh) and there's so much to do. Naturally due to the size it just takes a little more getting used to but it's a fun learning curve and the ferry home is a relaxing end to the day and it's allowed me to catch up on lots of reading and music which is a plus.
Anyway, it's 6.30pm Friday now so I'm grabbing another cold beer from the fridge and enjoying the balmy evening on the balcony!
Good luck with the new job Phil!
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