School starts in February?

I think I should start wearing more fancy clothes for my realtor meetings. Or rather, I guess I would if I actually had them. For as “laid-back” that Australia is, I’m surprised that all the realtors I’ve met with have all been dressed up.

I’m amazed at how perfect Australia is, almost to a flaw. Everything is new, updated – and just works. Their public transit. Their rent-a-bike system. The way people don’t cross the streets unless they have a green crosswalk sign. Buses are electricity powered and everyone eats organic food. You can’t even take leftovers home from a restaurant because they are worried about the potential of food contamination, or something wacky like that. That just doesn’t sit well with me! I wanted to take my delicious pumpkin with mint and feta side home with me, but I wasn’t allowed to. So I ate as much as I could, but unfortunately I was already quite full.

Speaking of that pumpkin with feta, I ate at the L’Espalier of Brisbane last night. I’m calling it my birthday dinner ;). It was good, L’Espalier good, and I wanted to take a pic of the way they perfectly laid out all the ingredients artistically, but it just definitely would not have been appropriate here – but for some reason I wasn’t as hungry as I should have been. I had eaten a bag of chips about 2 hours prior that totally burnt the top of my mouth, and now it was bothering me to eat my dinner. I was disappointed. And THEN I couldn’t take my pumpkin home, which I had barely even touched. Also, this place I suppose was a bit classier than I expected, I felt a little awkward being alone. Oh well, I’m not complaining!

I need to get accustomed to walking on the LEFT. It’s not just driving they do on the left here – no… (though I’ll have to do that in a couple weeks too) – but everyone walks on the left. I have caught myself walking into the paths of oncoming pedestrian traffic because I’m not following “the rules”. I’ll be here for a few weeks… I suppose I ought to get with it!

School year starts in February! I never actually thought that they would have backwards school systems too. I guess that it makes sense, but how funny is that! Totally backwards, but I guess Australia just is. On my way to the airport, a taxi driver asked to switch a US dollar with me for an Australian dollar so he could keep as a collector’s item or something of the sort, which I gladly obliged. I thought it was a quirky little request.