- Checked into the ATNF cottage just down from Radiophysics. This is a nice two bedroom house, wood floors, lots of trees around.
- I had my first meeting, with Ron Ekers and Richard Schilizzi. I'll officially start work next Thursday but we had to do this before Ron went on a trip.
- Got cell phones. Kind of expensive compared to the USA but more capable. For example, we can do video person-to-person. Getting the phones was actually quite hard since we have no history here.
- Opened a bank account with ANZ. Compared to the cell phones, this was easy. Money talks!
- Bought a printer/fax/copier/scanner - we need this for house hunting.
- Hunted for a coffee maker that grinds and brews on a timer. Can't seem to find one like we one we had in the US anywhere - bummer.
- Started looking at neighborhoods. Short summary - Epping and Marsfield seem better than we'd thought and up north (Mount Kuring-gai, Mount Colah) look worse. We'll look more at houses tomorrow (Saturday is when the open houses are).
- Bought some good Australian wine cheap!
- Checked out the produce - fresh fish, veggies, fruit - at a local mall. The choice, quality, and price are simply amazing, compared to Socorro but even Albuquerque.
- But so far we have failed to find bread as good as that in Smiths in Socorro (which isn't a high standard!).
Tim
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Hi guys, glad to see y'all made it safe & sound! :-)
Got cell phones. Kind of expensive compared to the USA but more capable. For example, we can do video person-to-person. Getting the phones was actually quite hard since we have no history here.
Yes, getting a mobile phone contract is almost impossible without having an onshore credit history. And while the rates/choice in plans are a bit expensive, you don't pay for incoming calls (unlike the US).
Hunted for a coffee maker that grinds and brews on a timer. Can't seem to find one like we one we had in the US anywhere - bummer.
I think you're going to discover a *lot* of things you won't find here. Drip coffee makers do exist, but not too popular -- instant coffee is more standard. We found ours in the local Woolworths grocery store (affectionately called "Woolies") for $40. It doesn't have a brew timer or a grinder. Another idea is to get a plunger (very easy to find) and make your coffee that way.
Started looking at neighborhoods. Short summary - Epping and Marsfield seem better than we'd thought and up north (Mount Kuring-gai, Mount Colah) look worse.
Not sure what you're looking for in a neighbourhood or house, but I lived on Sydney's North Shore for awhile (near Mona Vale) and that was very nice -- close to the ocean. Of course, it's also on the expensive side, houses can run up into the 3/4 million and above. Sydney as a whole is getting more and more expensive (one of the reasons we moved away). If you need help figuring out real estate, these guys might be worth a look.
Checked out the produce - fresh fish, veggies, fruit - at a local mall. The choice, quality, and price are simply amazing, compared to Socorro but even Albuquerque. But so far we have failed to find bread as good as that in Smiths in Socorro (which isn't a high standard!).
The availability of fresh food specialty stores is one of the highlights of Sydney (note this is not true of all parts of Australia). :-) For bread you may want to try Baker's Delight, they're located outside most Coles stores.
A few general shopping tips:
1) There's no such thing as "coupons" here. Most of the supermarket chains run end-week specials on Fridays, so that's probably the day to get the best deals.
2) You may want to visit a grocery store and familiarise yourself with the layout, as there are many differences. E.g. green peppers are capsicums, tomato sauce is tomato puree, cottage cheese is not in the milk section but the cheese section, eggs are not in the refrigerator but on the shelf (don't worry, they won't kill you), etc etc. My first shopping trip took me almost three hours because I was trying to find where everything was!
3) Get the long-life milk: it's cheaper, you can buy a lot at once, and it's just the same quality as the stuff from the fridge.
Adjusting to a new country is always a process, but y'all are really lucky to have this wonderful opportunity! Take advantage of all the good things out there.
Cheers
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