Getting Settled in Perth

Australia --it's gorgeous, the weather is beautiful, and we feel so blessed to be here. Vince has been extremely busy at work since the day we arrived. We arrived late on Thursday, November 12th about 11:30pm. The next day Vince went to the office and I pounded the pavement, looking for estate agents and a place to rent. We were told it would take a month to find a place, but I found a place my first day! (Definitely a God thing) It's a two-bedroom flat on the 7th floor of a high-rise building on the south bank of the Swan River. We have a fabulous view of the Perth skyline, and we enjoy watching folks rowing, sailing and jetskiing on the river during the weekends. There is a path along the river where we can walk or bicycle, and we are literally a stone's throw from the trendy restaurant area of the city. It is very different from life in the 'burbs, and we are making the most of it :)

If you want to send snail mail (Christmas cards?), our address is:
30/87-89 South Perth Esplanade
Perth WA 6151
Australia

The IT guys at Vince's office are working on getting us a phone number that can be dialed locally but reach us here in Perth. I will keep you posted!

Today I will regale you with tidbits and stories that are informative and amusing and maybe both! We'll start with the car... we are renting a white Hyundai Elantra which is almost new. That is, until I hit a pillar in the parking lot while trying to get out of a postage stamp-sized parking space. The only damage was a small chip of paint removed, but then the next day I hit a fire extinguisher attached to the same pillar while trying to back out of the same parking space. Arrgh! Vince came up with the brilliant idea of backing into the space when returning, so I won't have to deal with said pillar any more. I was mildly gratified to observe that it took him several attempts to back into the space successfully. We are both improving with practice. Then there is driving on the road... it's not too hard to drive on the left side, as long as you (a) remember "passengers to the curb" which is Australian for "look to your left to make sure you don't hit anybody," (b) take care when turning right (turning left is easy) and (c) keep in mind that turn signals are on the right side of the steering column and windshield wipers are on the left. We are keeping a running tally of how many times we turn on the wipers instead of signaling. Vince is ahead, 11-7.

Having a car is very convenient, but the public transportation is so good that you don't need to use the car in the city. Parking costs are exorbitant, so we just take the ferry across the river to the CBD (Central Business District) when we want to spend time downtown. Vince takes the ferry to work every morning. Our flat is literally steps away from the ferry dock, and his entire commute is less than 20 minutes. Once the ferry docks on the other side, he catches the Blue Cat bus which drops him off in front of his building. Buses are free in the CBD, which keeps them flowing smoothly (don't have to wait for folks to find their money or make change) and encourages people to use them.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which is just another workday here. We've been invited to dinner at the home of some new American friends (also from Houston), and my task is to make a pumpkin pie. There is a store which sells "foreign food" and it just might carry canned pumpkin. If not, I'll think of something else. Food -- another topic for another post. Meanwhile, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Lots of Love from Vince/Dad & Anita

P.S. Check out our photos of Perth via this link

First Views of Perth