The Zoo

Today was my last day of Easter holiday break and I decided to call up the boys and go to the Steve Irwin Zoo (The Crocodile Hunter).  I had heard wonderful things about this zoo, but I was in for one amazing day!!!!

Brian, me and Ross by the sign at the front of the zoo.  

Right when you walked into the zoo there were zoo workers with different animals that you could pet/hold.  Can't remember what this is called, but it does have a blue tongue.  

I told the guys on the ride to the zoo (hour or so drive) that I didn't care how much it cost, but I wanted to pet a koala.  

They had a whole koala section and how could you look at this little guy and not want to hold and love all over him.  Talk about PRECIOUS!!!  FYI: they sleep for 21-22 hours a day

This big 'ol tourtise can live up to 200 years.  We got to learn all about him during his feeding time.

These lizards ran all around the zoo, you had to be careful not to step on them cuz they were all over the place.  This was a very unique zoo I must say.

This was by far the coolest thing I did all day long.  There was a kangaroo area where you could feed and pet the kangaroos.  They didn't mind humans at all and their fur was very soft.  I could have stayed with them all day.  It was unbelievable.  

At noon in the Crocoseum they had a really cool show where they had different birds fly in, they walked around with really big snakes but the part everyone came for was the crocs.  It was awesome to watch this croc go up in the air for food.  They talked about Steve and his legacy and how this is the stuff he lived for.  If you've ever seen his show you know what I'm talking about.  Most of the crocs at the zoo he actually caught out in the wild.  They all had names and when you came to their enclosure it told a little story about when Steve caught them and how he caught them--pretty impressive.  

I know we have giraffe's at the STL zoo, but I liked how this was a momma and a baby, awww.

I'm sure you're wondering the cost of the zoo and what all you got and it came to ~$44 US dollars and everything inside was free.  We didn't have to pay to pet any of the animals or the show we saw.  It was the best $44 I've spent in Australia so far.  If you are ever over here I would HIGHLY recommend going to this zoo because so many of the animals are just out and about, they aren't behind glass walls and it's so much more intimate.  A lot of the animals have names and I walked ahead of the guys so I would get to the animal first, wave and say, Hi Alison (or whatever it's name was), then the guys would walk up and I would say this is Alison and ... (say whatever fun fact was on the card with the animals name), LOL!  The weather was great and we had such a fun time.  Wonderful ending to our holiday weekend.  Now it's back to work tomorrow:(

Finally.....a kangaroo out in the wild!!!!

Easter Sunday-I wake up and think to myself, what shall I do today?  First, I open an Easter package that Tasha sent in my suitcase and low and behold it's filled with delicious candy and a little plant that I get to grow.  Thanks girl!  The forecast says it's gonna rain (80% chance) in Brisbane which means I should leave the city for the day.

First Stop: Glass House Mountains, guy at information building said the prettiest hike was Mt. Ngungun so that's the game plan.

Next stop was the Glass House Mountains Lookout

Driving down the road and GUESS WHAT I SEE at the golf course to my left?!?!?!?!

No joke, there were like 10 of them (including babies) just lounging on a golf course.  Didn't phase the golfers one bit and the golfers didn't phase the kangaroos one bit.  I think I could have gotten closer, but didn't want to chance it since they had babies with them.

Next stop--Sunshine Beach.  Just happened to run into an Around the World festival with vendors/lots of different kinds of foods/live music.  Tried a few foods, listened to a guy that sang music like Elvis and of course topped it all off with some gelato:)  Went to Point Arkwright down at the beach to check it out.  At this point it was sprinkling so didn't want to get too far from the car.

Another fun day in Australia!!!  Happy Easter to me, hehe.

Baking + Golf = Awesomeness

Thursday was my last day of work before the holiday break and I really just wanted to come back to the hotel and go to bed, but I said no...go do something!  It was opening weekend for Batman vs. Superman at the movies, so I went on-line to order tickets and of course it was almost sold out.  Wanted to make sure my order had gone through so I called down to the movies and the guy said, let me look it up real quick.  He came back and said yep-you're good to go.  Then he said ma'am, are you from LA?  I started to laugh (cuz that's funny) and said no, I'm not from LA, but I am from the States.  Had to sit 3 rows from the screen, but oh well--it is what it is.  Good movie, I wasn't too keen on two Superhero's fighting one another - but I love Superhero movies and wanted to see it anyways, lots of action!

On Friday, Ross, Brian and I went to the driving range because Saturday we were going to go golfing with Ross's boss and his wife and we didn't want to suck.  Got to ride the bus for the first time which was F-U-N!  Now I have a buss pass that I get to carry around with me and feel important, hehe.  We had been invited to go back to their house and have a bbq and I volunteered to bring a dessert (you know me).  I wanted to make a gooey butter cake since that's an STL thing and I was sure Brian had never had it before either.  I'm still in the Hilton so I asked Ross if I could use his oven in his apartment.  Powdered sugar is one of the ingredients you need in a gooey butter cake, but at the grocery store they had no such thing.  After asking the 16 year old boy that was stocking the shelves what the sugar was that his mom would sprinkle on top of brownies I figured out what I needed was called Icing Sugar.  Do they not know this sugar can be used for more things that just icing--jeesh!

I should have taken a picture of Ross's oven because it looks nothing like ours and we had NO idea how to use it.  Good thing for the internet because we were able to look up what the different symbols were so I could bake my cake.  He thought it would be wise if I made something else first in case we burned it, so I started out makin a batch of brownies.  They turned out yummy (we had to try them, right?!).  I proceeded to make my gooey butter cake but we didn't try it, I was very nervous about this because what if it didn't taste right?  He said, well Tiffany-only you and I have had a gooey butter cake, so only we will know.  Good Call!  

Saturday is here and it's time to go golfing!  

We went to a Par 3 course since there were 5 of us and it was going to take a while.  I knew I'd be able to hit the ball since I was able to at the driving range, just didn't know if I'd be able to hit it in the right direction.  For all you golfer's out there, watch out--I was MUCH better than I thought I'd be.  All of the guys said I need to take up golf:) 

On one of the hole's I was the only one to hit it on the green on the first hit.  On another hole I was down the hill a bit and I chipped it in the hole.  I was told this is pretty hard to do, but I did it!  I told them it was beginner's luck, but they said you could give Tiger a run for his money (ok, they didn't say this, but they were definitely making me feel good), haha!

This duck family was almost taken out by us (um...don't you think fast flying balls would make a parent take their children to a safer area)?!  Ross said, oh--look at the little critters and Michael and I said, those are ducks Ross, not critters, man-we had a good laugh over that one.

Here is our team picture.  Michael, Karen, me, Ross and Brian.  Now you can put a name to a face:)

We went back to Michael and Karen's house for a bbq after our 9 hole's of golf.  We had lamb steaks, a Greek salad, potatoes and lots of wine!  We then had our brownies and gooey butter cake for dessert and they absolutely LOVED it.  They had more than one piece and just kept talking about how delicious it was.  I was ecstatic that it turned out so well.  I told them they could keep the leftovers and they were very happy about that.  It was a lovely evening and they gave us lots of places to put on our "to-do" list.  

So far my holiday weekend has been wonderful.  Can't wait to see what the next two days bring!

Funny Words and other Nuances

I walk down the street and I walk to the right, correct?!  WRONG....hello Tiffany, you aren't in American anymore, if they drive on the left you walk on the left.  After walking on the right for a day or two I now realize I was the rude one that I'm sure people were cussing under their breath.  Oops--honestly I didn't put two and two together.  I'm starting to question my intelligence, seriously!  

I've been here less than a week and I've had to write down words that are different so I know when someone uses one I know what they are actually saying.  Here are the words I've encountered so far; 

Australian Word/American Translation

Holiday=Vacation

Motorway=Highway

Lift=Elevator

Bloke=Man/Guy

Sheila=Woman/Girl

I've also noticed that where we would put a z in a word they put an s.  Examples; 

Australian Spelling/American Spelling

Organisation/Organization

Authorisation/Authorization

It's funny, as I typed those words spell check corrected them and put a z (and I thought I was losing my mind when I kept coming across these words at work).

What I have noticed so far is that people are UBER nice.  

Today I went apartment hunting.  I feel like I'm house hunting all over again, except one bedroom apartments are all pretty much the exact same.  The ONLY thing that differentiates them are the views.  Do I want a city view or a river view?  I'm starting to get my bearings with where things are and it's nice because all of the streets going one way are guy names and the streets going the other way are all girl names.  I currently live on Elizabeth street, but will I move to Felix street or Charlotte street?  Decisions, decisions.  The lady that was walking me through the different apartment complex's was asking me questions about my life and towards the end she said it was refreshing listening to me talk because she enjoyed my accent so much.  My new thing to say to people when they ask where I'm from is, I hear I have an accent, but I just don't hear it - haha!

I don't have any fun pictures to share today because I haven't done anything exciting lately but work.  4 day weekend coming up so I'll have lots to share afterwards.

I have enjoyed reading the comments you guys leave on the blog.  Glad you are enjoying so far, and please keep in touch.  

1st Weekend Down Under

Met another "St. Louisian", Ross, at 7am for b-fast and a walk through the Botanic Gardens in Brisbane.  Very lush and beautiful!  

Walked over the Goodwill Bridge and took this shot of the Brisbane River.

Over on the South Bank we encountered this cute little guy.  Yes...I wanted to pick him up and pet him (please picture me making my petting sound and motion).  Of course I didn't get too close cuz I didn't want him to attack and possibly take a hunk out of me (wouldn't that be awful)?!

It was very warm and humid on Saturday (typical summer day in MO), so we were sweating our ass's off.  Rode a free ferry around the river to cool down (sat on the top deck to catch a breeze).  Then finished the afternoon off by eating at a seafood restaurant with our VP who joined us for lunch.  As I was reading over the menu one of the items was bbq'd bugs, of course we thought--talk about different foods in different parts of the world.  When I got to work on Monday I was telling my co-workers about this and they laughed and said a bug is a small version of a lobster - boy did we have a good laugh over that one.  

By the time I got back to my hotel I had to peel my wet clothes off of me - gross!  I laid down to take a small nap at 3:30 and don't you worry I didn't wake up until Sunday at 6:00am.  DANG!!!

On Sunday the weather was MUCH better!!!  It was cloudy with a constant breeze.  What to do, what to do....decided to rent a car and go to the beach:). I told my new buddy, I'd get the car but he'd have to drive.  Why was this such a big deal to me - well they drive on the other side of the road, and I did not want to stress about thinking about where to turn, am I on the correct side, etc.  I definitely had a bit of anxiety because a couple of times my stomach dropped and I thought HOLY CRAP we are on the wrong side and are going head on into traffic.  Oh no....just Tiffany freaking out, my friend lived in the UK so was used to driving on the opposite side.  We drove south to the Gold Coast and went to Surfer's Paradise (about an hour drive).  Walked along the water and soaked up the rays.  On Sunday's they have a bunch of vendors set up along the boardwalk so got to see what all they had for sale.  After spending the afternoon at the beach we headed back and boy was that an adventure.  The GPS on his Blackberry took us to two dead end roads and drove us in circles a few times.  I said, not sure who this Australain chick is, but she she should be fired.  Thought we would would never make it back to Brisbane, but finally after a few re-routes we made it!

Had a fun first weekend in Australia and I'll use this week to recooperate before our Holiday this weekend.  We get off Friday and Monday for Easter (we don't get those days off in the States, btw).  

1st Day of Work

Can't think of a better way to start my first day of work!  This is their Venti (large) size which is the same size as our Grande (medium), maybe a tad bigger.  I tried to order a skinny cinnamon dolce and the girl said welcome to Australia we haven't caught up with the rest of the world yet and we only have skinny vanilla.  She said, I know I'm breaking your heart so I'll throw in an extra shot for free.  A www--too sweet of her!

I got invited to my first Happy Hour and of course I couldn't say no, hehe.  This is my first beer in Australia and boy was it tasty.  I enjoyed getting to know the guys that went (I was the only girl).   When I went up to the bar to get another beer, I placed my order and the bartender started to laugh and I said, oh--did I say the beer incorrectly and he said, no--I just really like your accent!  Talk about being on the other side of that comment for the first time ever! I've come to notice anytime I start talking to someone they immediately say, well where are you from?  

After HH ended, I knew if I went back to my room I would immediately go to sleep and I told myself I needed to stay up so I could get on their schedule.  So...I went to the movies and I wasn't sure if they'd have the same movies as us or they'd be behind/ahead and in case you were wondering they have the same movies that we currently have in the States.  I got back to the hotel a little after 9 and I said that would be ok for me to go to sleep.  My first Friday night was a success I'd say.

First Day/Holiday in Australia

I got to my hotel about 7am on Thursday and while I was waiting for my room at the hotel (why I thought they'd have a room ready that early is beyond me).  I sat in the restaurant and ordered a Diet Coke.  This is what got brought to me....talk about precious.  

I am on the 17th floor of the Hilton and this is my view.  To get to work, I walk out the front door of the hotel and literally walk 10 feet and BAM - I'm at work.  It's supreme!

Thursday evening after taking a nap and getting walked around the area a little bit I found a restaurant outside to sit at for supper so I could listen to these folks play Irish music since it was St. Paddy's Day.  There is an Irish Pub right next to my hotel!  So different living in the city vs where I live in the States and I have to drive to get anywhere.  

With the time difference I made myself stay up until 8:00 (which was very difficult I might add) so I wouldn't get up in the middle of the night.  I did make it till 4:00 am and I said to myself, nope--go back to bed Tiffany, so I layed there until 5:00 and said ugh--guess I'll get up and go to the gym before work.  I am 15 hours ahead of St. Louis in case you were curious.  

Flying over the Ocean

Tuesday March 15th: Left St. Louis at 9:30 in the am.  Flew ~1 hour to Atlanta.  Left Atlanta and flew ~5 hours to LA where I then had a 7 hour layover.  I did have access to the Delta lounge which I've never done so it made me feel kinda special.  They had snacks and drinks, so I set up my iPad and watched Game of Thrones (thank you Eugena for giving me your logon) and ate snacks until the shuttle started taking people over to the International terminal.  By this time it's about 7:00pm so I went into the lounge there and set up shop and ate some more.  11:00pm -  it's time to leave the US.  I got to fly business class which was FANTASTIC!!!!  They gave us a huge meal for dinner (for me this would be considered a midnight snack since I'm never awake this late).  I watched a movie, the choices were great, lots of movies that were up for Oscars that I haven't seen yet.  Watched Carol, had Cate Blanchette and Rooney Mara in it.  By the time the movie was over I was exhausted.  I have no idea what time it was because my phone was shut off and I had no idea what time zone I was in.   WAIT....I forgot the best part of all of this, after supper, the flight attendant (who could have been a super model) says, would you like me to make up your bed for you?!?!  I looked at her like she had two heads.  She was uber sweet and said, get up--here are some pj's for you--go in the bathroom and change and I'll have everything ready when you get back.  I get back and she had made my seat into a bed, laid down a mattress and then a blanket and folded it down.  I was like HOLY SHIT..this is awesome.  She said if you need a snack later, right around the wall is a bar that you can go to with any alcohol you want and snacks.  This must be what it feels like to be rich, I was just flabbergasted.  I go night night and when I wake up I go into the bathroom to change and I come back and my bed is gone and when I sit down the breakfast I picked out the night before is on a tray for me.  I kinda want to stay on this plane and not ever go to work, ha!  Fast forward a few hours--I am in my hotel, but my room isn't ready since it's so early so I'm in the restaurant taking care of things until the guy says my room is ready.  Tomorrow will be my first day in the office, and then I've already asked someone to hang out with me this weekend (I don't mess around when it comes to making friends), LOL!  So...stay tuned for what my first adventure is:)  Thanks for tuning in--more later! 

Last Night in the USA

My last night and this is where I chose to eat;)

Gotta save room for dessert!