Biking my way out of poor life-habits

All right, new country also means new credit history (I say new, understand “none”). Starting again from scratch, trying to convince people how reliable we are, and why they should let us borrow their money.

Remember this one, folks? It was like driving from my sofa...

Sooo, long story short, we decided that the best for everyone would be to buy our first car cash, like what we did in the US, and until then save some good money to make it happen faster (and also because we’ve learned our lessons. No matter how comfy and roomy our first 2000$ Ford Taurus 1999 was, I’m not getting another one).

San Francisco

We bought bikes. For people who know me well enough, the impatient girl who likes to drive (too) fast while singing loud some girly rock songs, those who know my love for high heels and boots and the way I don’t like to wear anything but short dresses and a gigantic purse full of useful things, useless things, and a laptop, this decision may come as a shock.

Well, guess what: it is a shocker for me too. The lab-home distance is not too bad, though: ~7km each way. But you see, biking in Brisbane is very much like… biking in San Francisco. There is no such thing as flat in those streets. 

See? No bike rack...

FYI: my bike doesn't come with a motor :)

It goes up hill, for a long time, then down- very fast, with red lights waiting for you to turn red every 700 m or so. So instead of 20 minutes of enjoyable ride at a normal pace, I’m huffing and puffing for 45 minutes each way. In a pretty heavy traffic too. And it can be compared to San Francisco but for 2 important details: first, when it rains here, you can feel all the anger of the tropics pouring on your head. And it tends to happen often during the summer. Second, one cannot take its bike on the bus. I know, brutal isn’t it? (especially now that you know about the rain?!) So when some may have chosen to eat more brocolis, take a membership at the local gym, or do whatever it takes for good resolutions on the 1^st of January 2012, I decided to move to Australia. The country is changing me already. Hopefully for the best! 

ps: I'm complaining, but Nic is the one in charge of carrying mister A in a baby seat. Pics to come!

Second week is over, third one getting there.

All you need when moving to a new country is a friendly environment. If instead of being homesick on your couch in front of the TV, you’re enjoying life with people who you appreciate, it’s just like home anywhere on the globe, right? Don’t get me wrong; I do miss you guys, from France and the USA. But life is easy in good company.

So last Friday, when the fellows from the lab invited me to join them to the pub, it really felt awesome. Not only because it means that this is a very welcoming, but also (and mostly) because we finally found a place on earth where researcher 30+ years behave like normal people or if you will like undergraduate students: you know the ones who have a life, before science totally sucks the joy out of them? Anyway. A night at the pub is always nice. It reminded me of the Imperial College bar. Wide open: just a roof on your head, cheap but good beer, ordered by the JOG (note here: a new world in my Australian vocabulary J). A nice and cool beer by a warm night is just another optimistic note paving the way of our better life.

the deck, one door away from our bedroom

Other big news from last week: after ten days of intense visits, negotiations and paperwork, we finally got a brand-new set of 26 keys (the landlord obviously has some key-related OCD issues), and moved into our new home over the weekend. It is very much empty as our belongings are still at sea, but it was lovely (do I sound Australian? “Oh it’s Llov’lee” J) to place our summer clothes in the built-in closets. The garden looks like a Kew Garden greenhouse, it smells and sounds like rainforest. The view from our exotic terrace is breath-taking, and the kids are happy to have some space to express themselves. 

Definitely the best of both words: London in the sun = GOD BLESS THE QUEEN!

the house

the view from the deck!

Oh my, this water!

One could think that the honeymoon is over when watching the news. In the past 24hrs, some locations in Queensland got 300 mm of rain and there is more to come (150 more expected in the next 24hrs).

These images are quite scary from where I stand. People all around Brisbane are being evacuated, water is rising above what I would consider a safe level, and roads are being closed one after another. 

The trauma of last year flood is not that far. Half of the campus of St Lucia including daycares and sport facilities  (tennis courts, swimming pool) was under water at this time last year. Everything is being rebuilt and getting ready to re-open to the public, and I cannot imagine what would happen if the Brisbane River would overflow 2 years in a row (com’on, we want to go to the pool!).

From a “Local” point of view, however, there is nothing to worry about. Summer in Northern Australia is just humid, which is not without reminding me (to some extend) summers in NYC. You know, that sticky air you have to move through?! At least here there is no subway J and one can breathe: temperatures are going down at night and we get some nice breeze.

No rain tonight, it should be back on Friday. Let’s hope that this break will be enough to all stay dry and safe, like what our new phlegmatic Australian friends seem to think, and to enjoy the National Hollyday!

HAPPY AUSTRALIAN DAY! 

January in Brisbane

Here we are, new country, new job/new school, new life. We've been in Brisbane for 10 days now, and I've grew accustomed with the city organization. The suburbs organization should I say.
map of Brisbane

St Lucia, Kangaroo Point, Taringa, Toowong, Indooroopilly, Wooloongabba: no doubt... I'm now in a subtropical region, but moreover, an exotic one. For the past few days we have been trying to find a neighborhood that we could call home, and we have found one. Indooroopilly it is!
We'll keep you in the loop and post pictures of the house as soon as we move in.

Meanwhile, one has to keep the kids busy to prevent extreme boredom and fights between siblings! Thanks god for Australia's natural treasures and particularities, we've been visiting the Koalas and Kangaroos among other local creatures, at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary http://www.koala.net/. We even have a year-round family membership!

Don't they look happy?!
The University of Queensland Campus itself is a tropical garden, with gigantic lizards out-of-this-world (out-of-my-world anyway!), great variety of vegetation, lorikeets, multicolor birds, turtles, and monster bats... More pics to come, be patient.
That's it for today, so far so good. Future is looking bright!