sydney so far.

well hello.

it's valentines day here and not yet valentines day at home. i am still adjusting to the great shift in hours between home and here. but it's getting better.

two people have been big cheerleaders in me starting a blog whilst (who says whilst?) traveling- my dear friend jason and my dad. so i assume they will both read it and anyone else who might want to can as well.

i was reading my friend jason's blog and he is a charming, consummate blogger. i would like to think i might be good at it, but that remains to be seen. jason's blog is all lovely and personalized- i think mainly because he understands what terms like "html" and "java" mean. i chalk this up to the fact that he most likely took computers at his regular high school while i was busy preparing for a career in balloon-animal making at my arts high school. so i'm proud that i've been able to make the font navy blue. and that is about as far is i will go.

i am in sydney, australia. i can hear a mynah bird outside the window of the home that i am staying in. it is a little bit grey today. i think i'm going to take the bus into the city and walk around the harbour. i will bring an umbrella just in case.

ms. tait, my wonderful grade 2-3 teacher used to say, "immediately, if not sooner!" she is a lovely woman with strong traces of her irish accent colouring her voice, and so the phrase has stayed with me all these years. when i got here i made a list of the things that i must do, immediately if not sooner. this is the list:

1. -find a house
2. -find a job
3. -get a bank account
4. -get a phone
5. -see the opera house and the harbour bridge
6. -go to the beach
   

i have so far accomplished the last four tasks on the list. not too bad considering i've been here exactly a week, pretty much to the minute. however, the two remaining items loom large over my days- house and job. mainly house- the job seems somehow less important and more attainable. house hunting is hard. and expensive. but it will come to fruition. (who says fruition?)

i miss home and everyone that comes with it. i am alone for the very first time in my life. it is tough, but i am tougher. that's what i tell my classes when they're doing push-ups. "this might be tough, but you are tougher." this is just one massive, seven month long push-up.

did i mention i hate push-ups?