Back on the Edge!

Greetings from Perth! I am back on the edge of Australia after spending four months in Iowa with family and friends, working, and enjoying the food, shopping, and weather that the USA provides.

I am in Australia on a tourist visa that expires in January, 2014. Matt and I hope before it runs out we can prove we are in a committed "de facto" relationship and I will be attached to his visa and able to work and stay in Oz as long as he does.

For now I will not be able to legally work in Australia. Matt works one week on and on week off for Barrick Gold. He flies to the mine and back each Wednesday. I will aim to keep myself busy when he is gone by volunteering, walking a lot, doing the chores we let slide when Matt is around :), writing, and continuing to explore this part of Western Australia. While I might not always have thrilling stories to tell, I will have no excuse not to post regularly and I hope you will enjoy reading about my life here with Matt.

I arrived at Perth International Airport last Thursday afternoon after 37 hours of travel. I was really tired and didn't do too much that evening except unpack. Over the next several days we made a trips to Ikea and Kmart, the bank, the grocery store, etc. to get me all set up here and settled.

On Monday, after one such errand, Matt surprised me with a stop in Guildford, the original center of the Swan River Colony, now Perth. They settled there in 1829 because of freshwater in a nearby stream. We had a nice afternoon wandering the antique shops and following the historical markers and plaques around town. The storefronts are all old (for Australia) and it was fun to see a part of Perth I didn't realize exists. We stopped in the Swan Valley tourist center and picked up brochures for future trips to the wineries and breweries in the area. After a drink at The Rose and Crown, Western Australia's oldest pub, we drove home. Photos are on Matt's phone, I will have to upload them soon.

Tuesday we went into town, took care of some business, wandered around a bit and picked up a guide to the Fringe Festival going on through February. I am hoping we can make it to a comedy or theatre show and hit up the markets and street parties that are all part of it when Matt is back in town. We then saw Django Unchained. We are making an effort to see the Oscar nominated movies that we can so that when we watch them on a Monday morning here we can make a little celebration of it. Tuesdays are cheap days at the movie theaters here. Tickets are usually $22, but discounted to $10 on Tuesday! It is the only day we go to the cinema.

Matt flew to work this morning and I was a bit lazy today but managed to sort through more of our stuff, contact my health insurance here so that is set up, do laundry, and just generally settle in. I have work to do for my Dad this week, and will be focusing on that tomorrow.

Thanks for checking out this first post! I am happy to be with Matt and back in Oz, but miss all of my friends and family all over the world.

Our postal address (until we move in April) is:

36 Anzac Road
Mt Hawthorn WA 6016
Australia


Until next time!