I'm here!!

How did a month fly by so quickly? I guess moving countries and job-searching can do that. Mind you, moving to Sydney just feels like moving cities, not countries. Having said that, I was more nervous about moving here than I was about moving to Korea or to the Philippines. How silly is that? At least they speak English here in Australia!
Sydney is fantastic; the weather alone is reason enough to move here. I can't get over how lovely and warm it is. No more jackets! No more tights under jeans! No more thermal underwear. (I inherited my dad's shocking circulation, so I'm cold a lot!)
I stayed with Nic for two weeks, at her cute wee Newtown house. I have affectionately renamed Newtown as "Alternatown". The suburb is certainly the most liberal in Sydney. Gay and hetero couples everywhere, tattoos on display, people of every colour and race. I adore it. And the dogs!! It's such a dog-friendly suburb. If dogs aren't allowed in, stores have places to tie up dogs and water bowls outside. Weekends see cafes bursting with dog-owners and their pets. THe main street of Newtown is all cafes and restaurants. Newtown is also THE best suburb for a vegan, with two vegan restaurants, a shop dedicated to vegan products (CUPCAKES! BROWNIES! VEGAN NOUGAT!!), and many places with vegan options. I am in heaven.

I am now house-sitting for Anto and James, Kiwi friends of Nic's that I met last time I was here. They're in Thailand for 2 weeks and I get to have a place all to myself.

Okay, quick summary of my time here so far
* no job yet, but working on it, working on it.
* Mardi Gras!! We marched in the parade last Saturday. As a straight female, I felt so lucky to be part of it. What a huge difference compared to the parade I participated in in Seoul, where older men glared at parade participants disapprovingly, and Korean participants had ribbons tied around their arms to signify that they didn't want to be photographed. Sydney Mardi Gras was the complete opposite, so much pride and love, and such a sense of community. Next time though, I'd like to watch the parade, because as a participant I didn't get to see all the other floats. And all that marching/dancing was hard work. I still find glitter in my hair, and it's been 5 days!

* Spencer Tunick aka mass public nudity. I was quite apprehensive before, but it was so much fun. Now because I'm not so good at describing things, click here to read Amy's perspective of the morning. I especially like her closing sentence: As we tilted our heads back, the yawning arch of the Harbour Bridge humming with trains and traffic and the Opera House glittering white, I understood the expressions of serenity and quiet I had seen in this other work. There was intimacy, impossibly, in this moment of deafening peak hour spectacle, and it came from a single act of good humoured courage.

* I am meeting fellow PPKers and vegans, Michelle and Mandee next weekend. We're going for bruch at Naked Espresso. Take a look at their menu, yummm! The hardest part will be choosing what to eat. And they turn into a pizzeria in the evenings. What more could a vegan want?

* I am in love with music of Florence and the Machine. I bought her album the day I left for Sydney after listening to just one song, and it's been on play on my mp3 player ever since.

that's it folks!