A Year Down Under

Finally catching up...

jhawley112 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:01:00 GMT

Hello hello.

It has been WAY too long since I've last updated. I even started writing an update awhile ago and didn’t get the chance to finish and post. Soooo I’ll still post what I started last month and add on whats been happening since then. We finally made the move in to the new house. It was a pretty busy week packing and moving. The process of getting in there took a week in itself. Then it took another week just getting things organized and moving the things from the garage into the house. Things are looking prety good now and I will take some pictures to post with this so you can see what the place look like.

Dane did a really nice job with the design and the colors and details look great all together. He's been telling me about whats going where, and how this and that will look for awhile, so its wonderful to see it all come together. The one hitch we have right now is getting the internet sorted out. There seems to be problems w/ports or something like that that has delayed getting connected. Fingers-crossed it will happen at some stage, but it hasn’t been looking good lately. Dane has borrowed a wireless card for me to use so I can at least get on and try and catch up on facebook and skype.

Anyway, life has been moving along over here. I've been at CDVS for two months already which I can't believe. I am feeling more confident now that in the beginning and think I'm starting to get the hang of things. The last few weeks have been pretty busy, which is good and bad. I’ve been thrown right in to things so I’m learning quickly.

I've also been doing a few different trainings in the last weeks through work. It’s great to have a work environment that wants you to learn professionally and is willing to pay for it too! In October I was in Bendigo, Victoria (about 3hrs southwest of Wangaratta). The workshop is run through St.Luke's Innovative Resources. Anyone in the teaching, counseling, team building, leadership, community work field (and beyond) can use their tools. They are a very strengths based organization and their tools draw from that in many ways. There are some great things for kids especially so I know many of you reading this could find some use for them! Check it out http://www.innovativeresources.org/

Last week I was in Melbourne was two nights for a training on the effects of domestic violence on children. We’re hoping to start working more with children in the future and its helpful to know what may be happening for the children of the women who use our service. This coming week I’ll be going to Melbourne again for a one day training on responding to family violence. It has been a lot lately but I figured its better to take advantage of the resources while I can.

Dane and I have also been to a few concerts in the last month or so. We saw Dallas Fresca and Lisa Mitchell. Both very different from each other but it was good Australian music. There was also a weekend in October where we stopped in Beechworth for their Octoberfest. Oh, and also one day we went out on the river with Dane’s friends Mick and Sharyn. They have a boat and love to wakeboard. The day was pretty chilly but Dane and Mick still got out for a few runs. I didn’t try this time but I will give it a try another time.

I was sad to miss Halloween this year. Mom sent me pictures from home of all the pumpkins, candy corn, and changing leaves. Halloween isn’t really celebrated here much so it was strange not to even see all the halloweeny stuff in the stores. Halloween here was actually a really warm weekend and it was the Wangaratta Jazz Festival. Musicians from around the world come in to town and the streets are blocked off and stages are set up all around for live music. Dane and I went to check it out for a bit during one afternoon, but because of the heat we didn’t stay long.

And now it is November!! When did that happen? The time keeps flying and more and more things are happening every weekend. I’m not use to having so much going on all the time! I think that’s why I’m already half way through the month and still haven’t blogged about life!

The first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup Day. It is a state holiday and a day off work! Victoria is big on horse races so you can find races all over the state. On “cup day” the main races are held in Melbourne with one race in the afternoon designated as the Melbourne Cup race. Races are also held locally, including here in Wang. Similar to the Kentucky Derby atmosphere (I’m guessing) everyone gets dressed up, drinks too much, and wins or loses lots of money betting! Hannah and I decided we needed to go and Dane and some of Hannah’s friends joined us too. I borrowed a dress from Hannah, bought some shoes and a fascinator for my hair. Since it was my first time around I went cheap of course, but you could easily spend 100s or 1000s of $$$ getting the perfect outfit for the races….I spent $40 :) haha.

Anyway, it was a good day. We got some sun and I tried my hand at betting. I lost once but won twice! I even picked the winner of the Melbourne Cup and won $27!! Too bad my bet was only $2 to start or I could have done really well.

Later that week one of Dane’s cousins got married so we headed out to Myrtleford with his family. It was his dad’s side so there were lots of new faces. I’ve really only met family on his mom’s side since I’ve been here. We stayed at his parents place and the Sunday I got to see the alpacas get sheared. Not something I would have expected to see! His parents have a few on their land and they needed a hair cut. It was an interesting afternoon watching that get done!

This weekend was also busy but fun. Hannah and her family had a camping trip planned and invited me along. We left early Saturday morning and headed up to the Snowy Mountains. It was fun bumpy ride up through the bush and winding roads. Her family had set up camp alongside the Murray river and it was beautiful spot to spend the night. We went swimming and took some rafts upstream and floated back down to our site. The water was a little cold at first but it felt great in the sun. Later on we made dinner over the fire and I showed them how to make smores! I bought the closest things I could find to graham crackers and showed them what to do. Everyone loved them!

That finally brings me up to date I think! It’s already another Sunday afternoon so I will spend the rest of the relaxing and get myself ready for another work week. I really miss everyone back home. It is still strange to be in a place where I don’t have someone who really knows me. I have been meeting more people but its just not the same. I hope everyone back home reading this is doing well. Cheer on the Bills for me and send me pictures when you finally get snow!!

Xo hugs and kisses xo

Is it fall or spring??

jhawley112 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:43:00 GMT

It's nearly the end of September and it still amazes me how quickly time is seeming to go. I'm on to my third week at my new job and it seems like I've just started. The first two weeks were somewhat slow but things are starting to pick up now. I now have two clients so I will be a bit busier now. I'm also signed up to do some training courses in October and November so that will help build my skills and feel a bit more comfortable counseling clients. Training and supervision are taken care of by work so I'm excited to get the chance to learn some new things. This coming weekend will hopefully be moving weekend in to Dane's new house. Things are coming along pretty well so fingers-crossed we will be making the move saturday/sunday and cleaning up things at this flat at the start of the next week. It will nice to get in to the new place with a bit more room and a nice new feel. I've been slacking a bit in posting so I'll try and catch up on things a bit. I've mostly been busy with work and trying to keep a routine at the gym. I'm starting to meet a few people in the classes I go to so hopefully that will lead to a few friends down the road. I'm also hoping to get involved with a friend of Dane's volleyball team at the gym which would be fun to do. I've also met a girl who is actually from Canada and has been in Australia for about 3yrs. She came over in a similar way to me so its been nice to have someone thats been through what I'm doing now. She knows Tim Hortons and says ketchup and gas instead of tomato sauce and petrol just like me. I'm doing pretty well, but I still don't feel like myself yet. I'm still getting comfortable and hopefully in time I will feel more like me. As it gets closer to the end of the year I can't help but think about fall and winter but it will be spring and summer here. I was looking online for some trips I may be able to take and saw an ad for a "spring sale". It throws me off to see that and I have to take a second to change my train of thought. It will really be strange when Christmas comes around and it will be hot! I hope everyone is well and enjoying the fall weather, football, and changing leaves! xoxo Jenny

Let's go Buffalo!

jhawley112 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:49:00 GMT

Hello :)

Another week gone! I have offically started my new job and am liking it so far. Its still very new so I'm spending my days observing and following around the other women that work at the center. It is a small team but they are all quite nice and have been helpful. Eventually I will have my own caseload and will be responsible for one outreach area once a week. I will be taking over for a women who will be leaving on materity leave in November.

I also got Dane's grandpa's car this past weekend and now have a way to get to work for a few weeks! It has character and I may nickname it the beast...lol but it will get me around :) I'll have to add some pictures soon.

This past weekend was Dane's birthday so we went to Thai for dinner and grabbed a few drinks Friday night. It was a nice night and I think Dane had a good bday overall. Saturday was the Ovens and Kings Grand Footie Final in Wang so a few of us headed down. I don't know how much of the game I actually saw but it was a beautiful day and perfect for having a few beers and hanging out with new friends. I also got to see my first netball game (also something I hadn't seen before in the States).

Saturday continued with a friend's 21st bday party where we had to dress "anything but normal". I ended up finding some things for an 80s look with a side ponytail and blue eyeshadow. Dane was a hunter with some camo pants. It ended up being a lot of fun!

Sunday ended up being a lazy day and Dane made a nice dinner and we had Rheanna and Yogi over to eat.

I will be excited to get through my first week of work and getting past the not knowing what I'm doing feeling. This weekend we will be going on a brewery/winery tour with Dane's good friends Mick and Sharyn so it will be nice to get out and see some of the places around here again.

And today I was doing some errands with one lady at work and went in to a electronics store and what did I see....BUFFALO BILLS playing on tv! I wasn't sure I was going to be able to see NFL games while over here. I'm not sure I will get many of the games but its nice to see some nfl games where I understand the rules, lol.

Alrighty...its off to bed for me. I'm a working girl now and need my sleep! :) I hope all is well with everyone. And a very special HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY to miss Jessica!! love and miss you!

Roundabouts, wide right turns, and windshield wipers...

jhawley112 — Wed, 9 Sep 2009 16:26:00 GMT

G'day :)

Another week has gone! Time has been going pretty quickly and I can't believe we're well into September already. I will be offically starting at my new job on the 14th which I am very excited about! It will definately be a challenge, but something different than I've ever done so its exciting and scary at the same time. I will be working a few more days this week with Gloria Jeans and then may take a shift here and there, but I'm not sure how my schedule is going to look once I get started.

The most exciting thing for me this week is that I am borrowing Hannah's car for a few days while she's in Melbourne for work. Her car was just going to sit at her work so she offered it to me! It is such a relief to have some freedom and be able to go wherever I want whenever I want. I picked it up yesterday and within 30 secs I was laughing at myself. I hit the blinker to make a left turn and managed to turn on both the front and rear wipers instead! I forgot Dane told me the blinkers and wipers are switched in most cars here. haha. So while trying to drive and figure out where I was going I was also trying to figure out how to make the wipers stop!I did eventually get it under control and made my way home.

Wangaratta is cursed with lots and lots of roundabouts. Something I'm definately not as comfortable driving, but I'm starting to get use to them. Many of the intersections are roundabouts instead of a 2-way or 4-way stop like I'd find in the States. Hannah's car is automatic so I can at least concentrate all my attention instead of worring about shifting as well, lol. There's also wide right turns. I'm trying to get my bearings with these because normally thats a left turn for me. I just need to make sure I'm wide enough not to go in to the wrong lane of traffic!

This past weekend Dane and I went to one of his workmates' houses for drinks and dinner. It was a fun night especially when the guys pulled out the rockband and played til 1am! Saturday was a running around day, finalizing some things for Dane's house. We ended up going to another friend's place to watch the footie game. Footie (Australian football) is something I don't quite understand yet. Dane and a friend Mick were trying to explain the rules to me, but its still a bit confusing. To get an idea of what I'm talking about youtube "australian football" and take a look. Just like that is confusing to me, our football or gridiron as the aussies say, is confusing to them! So funny.

The weekend ended with me working a full day at gloria jeans and then a drive to Myrtleford to see Dane's family. It was Father's Day here on the 6th, not in June. So we spent a few hours there and I met a few more famliy members. We also took a drive up to a place where Brenton, Dane's brother, found some old mine shafts. We looked around a bit then headed home later than night.

This weekend will be busy again as Dane's birthday is Friday. We'll probably go out to dinner with some friends and I think we'll be going to the Wangaratta footie final on saturday.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!

xoxo

Do you have a crumpet button on your toaster??

jhawley112 — Wed, 2 Sep 2009 11:04:00 GMT

Hello :)

So do you have a crumpet button on your toaster? lol Probably not, but Dane does. I learned what a crumpet is this week and that it is different than an english muffin, but not that different in my opinion. I had them for breakfast this morning in case you were wondering where that came from.

Going in to week 3 and it has been a very busy one! I had my first full week of work at Gloria Jeans and got my first paycheck on monday!! yay :) I ended up working almost 30hrs so I was definately not bored. I've enjoyed being there as everyone is really nice and it reminds me of being at the Lake Effect Cafe making coffees for some of my favorite people. I did struggle, and still do a bit, in the first days understanding some of the customers that came in. We both speak english but there is a lot a slang and things I just don't pick up yet. I found myself repeating a person's order outloud to myself the way I'm use to saying it just to make sure I had it right.

Also, I got lots of questions while working at the til(?) (register) at G.J., like "Where are you from?, Are you American or Canadian?, How did you end up in Wangaratta?, Geez you're a long way from home. Nick, the owner also likes to introduce me as "this is Jenny, from Buffalo, NY" over and over. I apparently add international flair, haha. It has been nice there and I will be working more this week and next week.

The job hunting got more complicated this week as well. While I was walking in to my first day at G.J. I got a phone call for an interview at the domestic violence center I've been trying to contact. But, before I could get to that interview, I got a phone call from NESAY offering me a job with their organization! I ended up asking them for some time so I could still interview with the other place.

I ended up having the 2nd interview this past monday and it went alright. I was not as confident because it is an area I am not as familiar with. I then called them yesterday (tues) and asked if they could give me any indication of a job offer as I had another offer waiting to hear back from me. This might be confusing but it came down to yesterday afternoon and having to decide between 3 jobs!

I have decided to go with the domestic violence center and will just be waiting for confirmation from my references and a call back from the manager. Until then I will continue to make the coffee and hopefully start the new job sept 14th. I am excited and nervous but this will give me more direct experience counseling and also the chance to learn about the area of domestic violence.

Besides work stuff, things have been going well. I'm still adjusting to finding my own way of things here and also adjusting to being with Dane on a regular basis. It's different from the emails and skyping we were use to doing thats for sure. But we're learning about each other everyday and I am happy to be here with him.

I've also started to get back to the gym and enjoy going to some of the classes they have at the YMCA here. Hannah, Dane's roommate, likes to go so it's encouraging to have someone to go with again. There was also a birthday party this past weekend at his house for a few of his friends so it was nice to talk some more with his friends here.

Dane and I also had the chance to go up to the snow this past Friday night. Some friends had a cabin with an extra bed and offered for us to come up for the night. We went to Mt. Hotham and it was a beautiful drive up to the mountain top....lots of sharp curves, but still fun. Saturday morning, inspite of the rain, Dane went snowboarding for a few hours. I decided to stay in the lodge and drink coffee and people watch instead of spending the money and getting soaked. The drive home was messy but it was good to get away for the night.

Then, on the way home, I finally got to drive!! Very weird! I had to get use to being in a different car, shifting with my left hand, and driving on the other side of the road all at once! I know I made Dane nervous especially since he's never seen me drive before, but I did really well considering. It will just take some more practice. I may be able to use his grandpa's car for a few weeks so that will definately help!

Well, I hope you are all well and have enjoyed the ending of summer :/ Don't worry I send summer pictures soon, lol.

Love,

Jenny

Job hunting...

jhawley112 — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:48:00 GMT

It's only been just over a week since I've been here but I'm adjusting pretty quickly to life. It really doesn't seem as different being here than being home. I don't feel like I'm on the other side of world anyway.

I still haven't had the chance to drive but hopefully that will be sometime soon. My brain will have relearn as everything is on the other side of the road than home. I don't want to make a right turn into the wrong side of traffic!

The last week has been pretty busy and my main mission has been finding a job. I'm lucky to say that I found one!! and already went in for a few hours today. I am working at Gloria Jeans coffee in Wangaratta. I dropped resumes off to several places in town just in hopes something would come along and sure enough I got a phone call Friday afternoon asking to come and meet the owner on Saturday...at 730am :/. I made it on time and things went well and I have 3 more shifts this week. I am very happy to have a job...money of course, and something for me to do.

I am still looking for more professional work while I'm at Gloria Jeans. I actualy went for an interview at NESAY, a community-based youth organization, this past thursday. It went well and I at least got to meet with them and have something formal in writing about me. NESAY is having some shifting between programs at the moment and will know of openings in the next few weeks. If my qualifications match they will give me a call.

I also just had a call this morning about another position interview with a women's domestic violence center. I will have that next monday. SO there is work and I am trying to find anything I can. Since my visa limits me to working no more than 6 months in one place I will always keep an eye out for something I can do.

Otherwise things are pretty good. It is different to not know very many people, but I'm trying to get to know Dane's friends and start to make some of my own. I definately miss you all and just the comfort of knowing my surroundings at home. But that was to be expected. Like I started it has only been 10 days since I've been here so things will come in time.

More to come after my first week of work and more interviews...

xoxo

Gallery: Australia august '09

jhawley112 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:25:00 GMT

G'day from Wangaratta :)

jhawley112 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:35:00 GMT

I have successfully made to the other side of world with all my suitcases. I ended up having 4 pieces of luggage total and which were within the size and weight limits!

I landed in Melbourne, Victoria Saturday morning (Friday night in the USA) and had really good flights thank goodness. It was a long day though thats for sure; started in BUffalo thursday afternoon-->DC-->LA-->Sydney-->Melbourne. phew! Once I got all my luggage and made it through customs Dane was waiting for me on the other side :) It was so good to finally see him again.

We left the airport around 11am and stop at afew shops in Melbourne before starting the 2.5hr drive up to Wangaratta. We stopped in to see one of his aunts and caught up some with them. Dane and I finally got back to his place sometime after 4pm and I was startig to get pretty tired by then. I had slept quite a bit on the plane so I wasn't experiencing too much jetleg which was awesome! After finally getting to shower and unpackinging most of my things (had to move some of Dane's things around :) ) I was ready to crash!

Since then we've made a trip to Myrtleford (where Dane was born, about 30mins south) to have lunch with his parents and friends. Again, nice to see them as well. Yesterday was back to work for Dane so now it's time for me to figure out what I'm doing with myself.

I'm trying to get my bearings right now and adjust to living here. I know it will take a bit before I'm really comfortable but I'm trying to be brave and go for it. I went for a run along a footpath near his house then walked into Wang to look around and start to learn where everything is. I also have opened a bank account (hopefully there will be a job to put $$ into it soon!) and bought a pre-paid phone.

Today its a pretty chilly start but should warm up soon so I hope to go for another run soon and then talk to some employment agencies to see what work I can find.

Cross your fingers for me!!

xoxo

How many suitcases can I take?

jhawley112 — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:33:00 GMT

Hello :)

I have 15 days until I start my journey to the other side of the world. I can't believe its almost time to leave. I decided sometime in April that I would take this trip and now it's the end of July and almost time to go!

I moved back home from North Carolina the end of last week and have loved being home catching up with family and friends. It means so much to know I have you guys to love and support me, even when I am leaving for so long. I know not everyone is as thrilled I will be gone, but I know the support is there no matter what. Thank you.

So...the worse part of travel is packing. My goal is 2 suitcases but there may be a 3rd, sorry Dane. I will do my best. I'm avoiding the start of that process but I will have to start making piles of things soon.

For now, I'm looking forward to more time with friends, weddings, and family trips.