Now in Nowra

I have been in Nowra for 10 days now. I have worked for nine of those days. When I'm not working I am sleeping. I was so tired on the overnight bus here that I must have lost my book and I am guessing my computer charger fell out of my bag as well.  I just got my new charger in the mail today and I am back online.

 Nowra is a growing town and and it seems larger than the 35,000 population reported. Its takes 15 minutes to drive to work from where I am living. Every house had a large yard and most houses are only one story, spreading things out even more. I am staying in North Nowra, its very quiet with a bush walk along the Shoalhaven river very close by. The downtown itself is busy during the day but the streets clear off very fast after 5pm. The local train station is the terminus of the southern Sydney metro network, making it easy to get to the city, but its still a three hour train ride. Nowra is an Aboriginal word meaning black cockatoo. The local joke is don't look up or you will get pooped on, or something like that. I will undoubtedly learn more as time passes but now I have to sleep, I go back to work again in what seems like just a few hours!

Leaving Melbourne

I will be taking a bus to Nowra, New South Wales tonight. I have a job at Pacific Furniture that I start on Monday. Nowra is a small town of about 30,000, two hours south of Sydney. I have no idea what I'm getting into. I also have no idea where I will be sleeping Monday night!  There are no hostels or couchsurfers there, maybe I will have to go to the pub and find some random people to take me in.

Australian Builder's Slang

Ute: Pickup Truck

Arvo: Afternoon

Timbers: Lumber

Chippy: Carpenter

Sparky: Electrician

Brickie: Bricklayer

Subbie: Sub Contractor

Bat: Stop/Slow Traffic Sign

Witches Hat: Traffic Cone

 Bikkie: Biscuit or any snack

Smoko: Smoke/coffee break

Bin/Skiff: Massive dumpster

Dunny/Port-a-loo: Chemical Toilet

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

Absolutely Rooted: Very Tired
 
Joey Boy: yours truly, labour hire.

What Could Have Been...

As I was riding home last night on the train, on my way home from work, I was covered in mud and had many dirty looks from people who specifically avoided me. The train got so crowded at Flinders Street station that people had no choice but to sit next to me.  I apologized about my appearance to the 3 people around me and I struck up a conversation with one guy in in suit across from me. He inquired on my appearance and I told him that I was working construction and was playing in the mud all day. He asked me if I was looking for a job, but I was reserved in my response.  I told him a little more about my self and he told me that he was familiar with the US and has a ex-girlfriend in Milwaukee.  He also said he worked in finance. He said his name was Dave and he was going to give me his business card but he did not find any before the train arrived at my station.  I wished him well, shook his hand and got off the train. After about 10 minutes I remembered that I have several resumes in my bag. Oh well, I had no idea what kind of job he was talking about and If I would even like it.

Random Thoughts on Melbourne

Its the ending of my second month in Australia's second largest city. I have realised that I am far from home but not really that far at all. I am finding people in Melbourne not rude, but arrogant. The foreman’s that I have worked for are what I may call ”colonial” in their attitudes. People here are very proud of their city and culture and are not afraid to flaunt it. So many guys wear scarves even though I think they are entirely not practical at all. Scarves look pleasant on women, but c'mon guys its just too metro. On the weekends every man woman and child wears striped scarves in the colours of the football team they are supporting. That's Aussie rules football, which rules the sporting roost in Victoria. Everyone asks me If I have been to a game yet, which I have, and asks me if I like being apart of the crowd. I have to tell them that its nothing like football Saturdays in Nebraska.

Melbourne is full of weird people dressed up and down all over the place.  Super skinny jeans, pointed shoes.  A common hipster haircut I see is the half shaved head/other half bleached. Other people are begging for change everywhere I seem to go, including most internet hotspots. Two people came up to me when I was ordering at McDonald's to ask for my change so they could eat!  Why these hobos were not evicted out of the restaurant is beyond me.  The reason I have to use public networks is because my house is apparently too old for DSL. I have been living in Fitzroy, one of the oldest Melbourne inner city suburbs, and my new flatmates tell me that we cannot get cable TV or internet because there are not enough spots on some sort of junction board or something along those lines.  Without internet we do enjoy the view of the Telstra Communications skyscraper from our front door.

Fitzroy is a very old neighbourhood with most houses dating from the 1870's. Our house was once most likely two rooms with a stable in the rear. The stable now is a bedroom and a lounge room. Every morning I have to walk outside the stable to the back of the house to access the kitchen, shower and bathroom. Its has not been warm in the mornings with lows hovering just above freezing, a fantastic way to start the mornings. The neighbourhood is known for its cafes and bars but every place looks super grungy.  Graffiti is all over Melbourne and Fitzroy is no exception.  The bars have nice clientele, but the expatiation is that customers are paying for the grimy feel of the place by charging $8 and $9 for a pint of the cheapest beer.  The only night I go out is Wednesday when my flatmate and I go to pub quiz down the street in some establishment called Sentido Funf.(bad misspelled mutual fund names included in the price of drinks.)  Part of the enjoyment of this night is the $10 Parma specials.  Parma is apparently a Melbourne staple which I can only describe as a chicken fried steak covered in parmesan cheese. This fried delight fills me up like the all you can eat at Sapp Brothers truck stop.  My flatmate tries to tell me that its an Australian variation of German schnitzel, but I'm not buying it, its totally trucker food.

Melbourne people really think that the city's coffee, cafe, restaurant and bar culture is the real deal. I don't drink coffee very often and rarely eat out so the jury is still out on that one. I'm a bit disappointed by the cityscape, its vary flat, a stark contrast to Auckland's steep hills surrounding the harbour dotted with sail boats. I think the city reminds me of Chicago because of the old buildings and the extreme urban sprawl that permeates every direction from the CBD. The inner city suburbs look eerily similar with bars on every corner. I recently struck up a conversation with a guy on a train who is a Dutch actor. He said he has toured the entire US and has even done shows in Omaha. He said Melbourne reminds him of Portland or Minneapolis, not Chicago. I still think its like Chicago.

Its very crowded in the city and hard to get on the trams during rush hour. I would rather walk 45 minuted home from the train station instead of spend $3.30 to let someone smell my armpits in a cramped space for 20 minutes as I try not to sway into old ladies as the tram shakes and jerks around corners. My flatmate said she saw some guy covered in blood in the tram last week, the same night someone trued to break into the back of our house. Such is life in a so called big city.

I'm slowly getting into things here. It helps getting to know a few people, but I'm not truly feeling the vibe. I'm told that things will get better because its the middle of winter and there are not as many festivals and activities, so I will have to be patient. I am only subleasing my place for 2 more weeks and I need to move again. This may be a good time to look at other cities, such as Sydney or Adelaide. Sydney is huge, but Adelaide is rated as Australia's most liveable city. I have been living in the so called “world's most liveable city” but its still a struggle to get my clothes dry with no dryer.

Melbourne does have very good public transport and is a very diverse city. I do miss doing stuff outside and would like to get into sailing again.  The city feels more "American" than New Zealand with the fast pace of life and more commercial feel of everything.  NZ was just quirky.  I have not given up yet, and I'm sure with more time any city I establish myself in will be come the most liveable city for me.