Turkey on “The Rocks”

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I celebrated Thanksgiving with my new American friends at the American Society of Sydney’s annual buffet Thanksgiving Dinner. Sitting at my table was Jonathan, visiting from NYC, and Cory & Renee, brother and sister visiting from San Francisco! This was literally the only place in the city serving turkey and we all found out about the event thanks to google. Dinner was good but was nothing compared to the Southern Thanksgivings I have become accustomed to. I wanted baked mac-n-cheese and green bean casserole but got a lot of strange new dishes instead! We had round disks of stuffing that looked like crab cakes and little fried potato balls that looked like jalapeno poppers. Lauren’s friend’s Melvin and Anita are visiting Lauren and the three of them celebrated Thanksgiving by eating pizza in comfy robes in their hotel room. At least their room was swanky but they missed out on good turkey and a fun night out at “The Rocks”. Located at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks is the foundation place of Sydney and Australia, and of enormous historical significance. It is also know for its diverse selection of historic pubs many offering live music. The first pub we ventured in was playing an Irish version of a Kenny Rogers song, a bit odd but we all had a really fun night!

Melvin and Anita arrived on Monday, we started their visit off with an Aussie BBQ and we all had our first taste of kangaroo! I liked my kangaroo sandwich, it reminded me most of flank steak. There are twice as many kangaroo in Australia as there are people! The abundance of Kangaroo in the country makes me feel less guilty about wanting to eat more of them!

I have checked off 2 items on the top 10 foods I must try in OZ.

Top 10 Foods everyone must Try in OZ…

Vegemite toast
Caramello Koalo: 11/17/07
Meat pie with tomato sauce
Kangaroo: 11/18/07
Violet crumble
Bundaberg Rum
Aussie Beer: 11/15-11/23
Tim Tams
Damper
Milo

On Tuesday, we all walked across the harbor bridge and saw the city from a different angle, but still as beautiful as ever. We did a jet boating cruise, which was “heaps” of fun. The boat went at 50 miles per hour and would make 270 degree turns. We got soaking wet so we decided to hang in the hot tub and pool at the top of the Hyatt, where Melvin and Anita were staying. The Park Hyatt in Sydney is very nice and expensive with killer views of the water and city. Apparently the stars stay at the Hyatt, as Lauren saw Jerry Seinfeld and Elton Jon in the lobby!

I met many new people this week, and I have loved hearing about others traveling experiences and perspectives on life. I have a new Irish friend named Maddie, who I find to be very entertaining, sweet, and fun. We shared a room for a few days and I hope to visit her in Dublin one of these day. The other night Maddie and I were chatting about relationships, and she said that she feels women put too much importance on men and relationships and not enough emphasis on self. I love the analogy she made, “Men should only be the cherry on top of your cake, not the filling.” The older I get, the more I realize that this is very true and as women we should strive for individuality, and the true substance of our being should be what makes us happy as individuals. Of course I would love to have a cherry on my cake, but I also want to be filled with everything that makes me happy so that when I do find the perfect cherry, he will compliment me and choose to be with me for who I am.

I have also been hanging out with my new English friend, Paul. Paul is one of the tallest (6’7″) and nicest guys I know. He is the only person I have met that lives in Australia and has a full time job here. Most everyone I have met so far is traveling and I have not met too many Aussies yet. I know once I move out of the hostel I will meet more locals.

I passed my RSA (Responsible Serving of Alcohol) class on Wednesday. The class was painfully boring but I did make 3 new friends in class, and one of them referred me to a job placement company. I had my first job interview today, and I got the job! I am now employed by Stedmans, a company that is hired to staff and cater large private parties in posh homes and other cool places all over the city. Tonight, the company is hired for David Beckham’s party! They also catered Nichole Kidman’s wedding! I do not start work until next weekend as I decided to go away to Surf Camp for 4 days! I leave Monday morning and ride 2 hours south on a bus with 40 others to Seven Mile Beach. The surf camp includes accommodations, all food, and 2 – 2 hour lessons per day. There is no excuse for me to be living at a beach and not know how to surf!

Lauren and her friends left for Melbourne today, so I am officially on own for the next 2 weeks. She is flying to Melbourne and then to Brisbane. I have enjoyed Lauren’s company very much, and I think we will make great roommates, but I also like my alone time so it’s nice to have some time explore independently. We just found out that our room at Coogee Beach will not be ready to move into until early December. We are bummed, as we are so ready to get settled in our own place!