Back in the USSR

I was back in Sydney. For the very first time I had to pay for our hotel in the city, no more putting it on Mommy and Daddy’s credit card. S and I went to Malaya. It is so damn good, that’s why we go anytime we are in the city together/can afford it. I was happy to be with him but sad about leaving my family again. I was also still worried about our future, as in-do we have one since my visa runs out for good at the end of this year? I was back to living at his parent’s place and looking for my own house or apartment to live in. The first day back on the Coast I looked at a place, it was right around the corner from my friend LC (called so because of her love for The Hills) and her boyfriend Bob Marley (he’s not black, just enjoyed the sensi lifestyle up until recently), but it was hideous. I think S agreed but didn’t want to get me upset. We went home and S’s Mom and I looked online for other places. We drove around to all the one’s in my price range that looked decent. There were two that were stand outs, one a 2 bedroom apartment right on the lake near D and his friends and the other a really old house in a family neighborhood with a huge backyard and air conditioning. My body was in shock from going from 54 degrees Farenheit through the day in California, to days that were nearly 40 degrees Celsius back here so the air conditioning felt like a necessity at that point. I called on Monday to ask about both places, the little house already had an application in and if it didn’t go through they wouldn’t be accepting another application for a week and I was really disappointed, but made an appointment to see the unit at the lake. When we got there, the lady didn’t look friendly, but once we got started talking to her she was super friendly and decided she didn’t want me living in the unit at the lake cause she didn’t think I’d be safe so she worked some magic and got my application to be looked at for the house. It took about a week and a half, but I finally heard that I got the house. Fast forward another week and I got the keys and moved in. Little did I know that I would be moving in to a house where possums party in the roof most nights, I couldn’t get any TV channels to tune in, and where the hot water heater would break after less than two weeks of living in the place. It was a possibility that I was going to have to move out so the owners didn’t have to get a new hot water heater, as they are only going to tear this place down soon to build their new house, but they decided to buy me a new one after all. Thank goodness for that!
In the mean time, all that money from Mom and Dad for graduation was quickly trickling away. I had to pay nearly $4000 Australian upfront for my house because my old property management company didn’t have my file anymore and I was considered a person without rental history, and therefore risky to rent to. Then I had to buy a refrigerator and washing machine and there went another $1600. All this time I had been trying to contact the Department of Education to see if there were things outstanding from my file that would keep me from getting my teaching number. They were so slow to email me back, like 5 days slow to say yes, we need this thing. Then another 5 days to say yes, we got it. So here it is a month and a half later and I am still waiting for my number. I thought I would’ve worked plenty of days as a substitute by now, instead I’ve been sitting on my ass, lonely, missing home, and worried about money and bills that will be coming up. I talked to the Department yesterday and apparently they have everything they need now and will get me my teaching number by Friday. Which didn't happen, they took another week before I got my teaching number. It was such a frustrating experience and I felt like they were really jerking me around. I was finally able to go out and put in resumes at local schools yesterday so now I am just waiting for phone calls for days of work.

Another Travelin' Song

I was so freakin stoked when my Mom told me at the beginning of May or end of April that there was a possibility she and my Dad might be coming to see me. They had sold their house and moved to Santa Cruz. My Dad had retired and now my Mom might have a trip to Singapore coming up so he would be able to go with her if the trip went through. They would do the week in Singapore then try and come down to see me for a week. I was so pumped because I had found out I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Californian summer for the year, as I had 4 weeks of practice teaching, a two week break in which I had assignments to do and an interview with the Department of Education so if they didn’t come it would be like not seeing them for nearly a year. They came and we had a great time…of course I had an itinerary because I’m anal and like to make sure that no one misses out on any of the good stuff I know about when they are in a new place. I didn’t mention it but I had one for Hawaii and one for each time S had come to California. We hit up Paddy’s Market, went to mine and S’s favorite restaurant on the Harbour-Malaya, did a day trip and a walk around Manly, had a BBQ at S’s parent’s place with all of his family over to meet mine, a whale watching trip in the rain-Mom spotted the whales for the boat, site seeing around Newcastle in the rain, Mom and Dad hung out with S’s parents and grandparents on the Coast for the day while I was at school/volunteering at a school, and then S and I took Mom and Dad to a really nice Italian restaurant at another part of the Harbour, near where we had stayed when they were last in Sydney. Saying good bye was difficult as always. This time we were in a taxi, it pulled over at a red light so I could get to Central Station so I quickly had to grab my stuff and kiss Mom and Dad good bye before the light changed. I cried the whole trip back home on the train.