Cheng Ann, Beth and I arrived at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport at 5.30 on a freezing spring morning on Tue 5 Sep. The flight was uneventful: kids were served dinner first, the adults had theirs at 9.30 pm; tons of movies to choose from; light breakfast served at 3.30. Was just glad I didn't develop DVT from being cramped into my normal Economy seat (it was a full flight and they weren't able to give me one of those extra-leg-room rows near the front); the flight socks from Watsons worked beautifully.
After claiming our baggage (there was a really adorable beagle sniffing around everyone's bags) and declaring the dried food items and medicines we were carrying, we emerged into the arrivals hall to be greeted with a "You Made It!!!" bear hug by my cousin Mei.
Over coffee at the airport cafe, we talked about the latest rental listings she'd managed to procure. Beth was in a really chatty mood, unusual considering it was 4 am back in S'pore and she usually sleeps through the getting-to-school routine and has to be carried on to the school bus!
We picked up our rental Mitsubishi Magna from the Thrifty car agency across from the airport. The short walk was made twice as long by the wind, which went right through our layers of warm clothing and made our breaths come out in little white puffs.
While waiting for the paperwork to be processed, Mei broke the astonishing news that THE Crocodile Hunter - Steve Irwin - had died. It was completely surreal, our first day of our new life in Melbourne vs the news that the invincible Wildlife Warrior is no more (killed by the barb of a stingray while reefing in Cairns). It's been the headliner on TV and in the papers everyday since then.
What makes it so heartbreaking is that his family (esp. his wife and 8 y.o. daughter Bindi, who's being groomed to be a Wildlife Warrior and has her own show at the Australian Zoo) are closely identified with his wildlife conservation efforts and will have to find their own way from now on without him.
Certainly makes us reflect: what legacy are we creating and leaving for our loved ones?
Anyway...thanks to my cousin's fabulous navigational skills, we were able to find our lodgings really quickly. There was a bit of confusion over our booking. The manager we'd corresponded with by email wasn't there, and a student resident, who'd obviously just tumbled out of bed, had to help us sort it out while the manager gave instructions over the phone. We ended up with 2 single rooms a few doors apart! Then another student resident came by to help, and we finally got our double room with ensuite.
The room's got everything we need: Internet connection (on payment of a fee for connection, patch cable and a monthly fee that allows you 80GB), heating from 7 pm - 7 am, hot water on tap. There's also a kitchen (a little dingy tho'; we've no plans to cook there!), a dining room, a laundrette and a cafe. Guests are expected to maintain their own rooms (you can borrow a vacuum cleaner from the store; extra toilet rolls are at your own expense). We've met quite a few residents, mostly in the kitchen cooking their meals. They are all students of La Trobe Uni nearby. That makes us the oldest residents around, and the only non-students!
On the first day, my cousin drove us to Bundoora Square (the town centre) for lunch and a look around. Had such a marvellous time grocery shopping at Coles. The sheer variety of milk, yoghurt, jams (fig jam, anyone?) and breads made shopping really fun. And the Coles milk is delicious! I told my other cousin Sean this last night and he totally understood, esp about the milk. :)
10 mins away by car from the guesthouse are the Macleod Village shops (like our neighbourhood shops), where there are news agents, a pharmacy, gift shops, takeaways for fish n chips, noodles (Singapore Noodles - what's that? - for $8.50!), pizza (we tried the Bologna tonight, pizza with spaghetti bolognese on top - not bad!), 1 cafe, 1 restaurant, 1 hair salon, 3 boutiques, a thrift shop selling clothes at $1 and $2 (St. Andrew's Community Shop), a butcher, a greengrocer (where we got a punnet of strawberries for $2.99 and 2 kg of red apples for - gasp! - $2.99), a convenience store and a slightly shabby shop selling plasticware, pots & pans etc. I can see why people can get by without going into the city very often.
Beth tried out the playground at Macleod Park this evening and had a fantastic 1/2 hour climbing and sliding, despite the freezing wind (which gave Mummy a good reason to go window shopping) and having only a pullover on. (The max temp these 2 days has been 14-15 deg.) She's one tough gal.
This afternoon, our Internet application was approved by La Trobe (whose network we're tapping on) and we were finally able to get online. Not bad considering this is only our 3rd day here.
Tomorrow, we hope to sort out our Centrelink applications and Tax File Numbers. The great thing about Oz is that info is so readily available. On the Govt websites and in the White Pages, you can find tons of info set out in an organized, user-friendly and transparent manner, and getting to a Customer Service Officer by phone has so far proved hassle-free. None of that being kept on hold indefinitely or being restricted to "Press 1 for xx, Press 2 for yy".
Prayer
Thank you Lord, for -
The love and support of friends and family.
The way You've showed us even the simplest things, like how to navigate our way around the hostel, the shops.
A comfortable room with all the conveniences we need.
The walk this morning where we savoured the fresh, scented cold air and beautiful blue sky, admired the newly constructed houses in the area, and heard birds singing.
The friendly locals we've come into contact with.
This great adventure!
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