Xtina in Oz

It’s March 19. There are over 500 confirmed cases of COVID19 in Australia as I type this. 6 people have died. Travel bans are in place and getting more restrictive every day it seems. Indoor gatherings of over 100 people have been banned, less than a week after gatherings of 500 were banned. Schools are still open. This morning I noticed my bus drive past 3 stops in a row with nobody waiting. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that - it’s a busy bus route at almost any time of day.  Of course the panic buying started about 2 weeks ago- first toilet paper, then dried and tinned goods, then meat, pharmaceuticals and now... well just about everything. I always seem to be a couple days ahead of the next wave and so am not too worried about going without anything. Australia is an incredibly resource rich country and most of the food is local. The mood is weird. The Prime Minister keeps saying ‘life is not like it was before’ but my days are still the same, just threaded through...

As usual, I've let a few months go by between posts. But truly, the minutiae of visa applications is not for the faint of heart! The good news is, we're done! We handed in all the paperwork at the beginning of September, and began the long process of waiting. There has been one excellent development, though. With the expiring of my tourist visa on October 13, I was granted a bridging visa with the right to work full time! I got the email from immigration just a couple days before my birthday, so it was a lovely early present! Speaking of birthdays - that happened. I thought about staying 26 this year, but I turned 27 without really having any say in the matter. Nearly two weeks later, I guess I'm at peace with it. What choice do I have? The celebrations were fun, though. My friends Amber and Adriane from Sydney came down for the weekend, and it was lovely to entertain my fellow Americans. We joined some other friends for dinner at Eau de Vie, a Melbourne cocktail bar wi...

Last weekend, Jack and I decided we needed to get out of the city. So we packed our bags and headed south on the Nepean Highway to the Mornington Peninsula. Just over an hour outside of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsular forms one half of Port Phillip Bay, and is home to many wineries and big, expensive houses! We chose to stay in Sorrento, the second-to-last town on the peninsula, primarily because we found cheap accommodation there! That proved to be the only inexpensive thing, though. A cheap Chinese dinner turned out not to be cheap at all, and all of our breakfast choices were over-priced and unsatisfactory. However, the hostel was very nice, and the "village" of Sorrento was almost quaint! After a good night's rest, we ventured out to Cape Schank, on the southeast corner of the Peninsula, to see the lighthouse there. Upon arrival at the carpark, though, we discovered the lighthouse was a paid attraction! So we decided just to walk the coastline instead, and g...

Well hello. I know it's been a while. Somebody recently said to me, "You should have a blog!" and I responded, "I do!" And so here I am, updating. My main impetus for this post is to pimp out the lovelies at CircaNICA - who I've been volunteering for since January. I didn't have any real background in circus when I walked in the door, but they jumped at my talent agency experience. I've been primarily helping with the website, which finally went live in April, I think. CircaNICA is a branch of NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts), which is Australia's only Bachelor of Circus Arts program. And I thought a Bachelor of Fine Arts was useless! Haha, no actually these kids are insanely talented. Jack and I went to see the final year students show, "Lucy and the Lost Boy" and it was incredible. And haven't we all wanted to run away and join the circus at some point? Anyway, I'm working on getting CircaNICA on the social media, ...

 - to the tune of Toby Keith's "Should Have Been a Cowboy" - before we bombed Iraq and he started writing irritating and catchy songs about Americana, some of which I strongly disagree with, and some of which are just a terribly poor and accurate representation of certain sectors of society. But I digress. I am in LAX, on my way back Down Under after a 2 week jaunt through the U.S. Things I miss about Melbourne when I'm in America: coffee poached eggs Jack public transit pleasing accents socialism Things I miss about America when I'm in Melbourne: queso Dr Pepper Merv, Peaches, Louise, Stella, Zeke, Keeley cheap retail ($40 jeans, $20 booties) Southern drawls iced tea So, I guess my thoughts are - it's a toss up.

Sooo... it's been like 3 months! There hasn't been much interesting to report, or perhaps there has. I can't remember. I am leaving in just under a month to go back to the US for 2 weeks. My best friend Sarah is getting married, and I'll be swinging through some key southern states to visit family. Am looking forward to: seeing my pets!, Mexican food, cheap shopping, Blue Moon, and... seeing all the people I love! Have switched jobs, due to getting fired. But so far the new one is working out just dandy, and I think the hours will be better so I'll make more money! Am moving out of my Lygon Street flat at the end of the month, before I leave for the states. Will crash with Jack when I get back while I look for a new home, preferably somewhat nearer to his abode. I'll miss the northside for sure - I've come to love its vast green spaces and hipster crowds. Plus the local IGA is the bomb! Have just recently been capitalizing on having a friend employed...

Ok, so about a month ago I started a blog post. But then I had to leave to go to the airport. And so I never finished it. So, I've been back in Australia for just over a month now, and it's fantastic. It feels like I never left! I had some adventures in Sydney the first few days I was there, and it took me probably 10 days to a week to finally recover from my jet lag. But upon arriving in Melbourne, I slept soundly and easily. Guess it just feels like home! Have moved out of my friends' house and into a flat of my own - well, ok, I share it with two other people. But it feels very nice to have my clothes all unpacked, and a room to call my own. A lot of things are different about my venture here this year, but so far they are all working out well. For one, I'm living in Melbourne's Northside, in Carlton. There is a big Northside/Southside rivalry in Melbourne, and a few weeks ago I would have never considered living north of the river, but since moving in I...