Brisbane, work and play.

  Brisbane, Australia
Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Hello everyone, well unlike Faye I have been a bit slack on keeping the blog up to date, probably because I have been working and not doing as much exciting stuff! So what can I say about life in Bris-vegas so far?

Brisbane

Well I have moved into the nicest house in an area called Kangaroo Point and I love the Australianness of that name! The house is rented out by an interiour designer so its lovely inside. Although my room has a very strange smell and I cant work out what it is, at first I thought it was my rucksack which was pungent to say the least when I left the UK let alone after two months of a tropical climate! But after two weeks of the rucksack being relocated to the back yard it still smells! Its a bit like fox piss and sweat mixed together, nice, I can hear you all rushing to visit me now! But with the use of copious insence sticks its livable infact most of the time I dont notice it, I just hope the smell doesnt follow me around! Curious odours asside I feal lucky to be in that house with the nicest flatmates ever who have made me feel really welcome, and have become my social circle, we are a mixed bunch of kiwis, frogs, ozzies and poms much like the semi finals of the rugby!

me and julie

Speaking of rugby I enjoyed very much watching England beat Australia the other night in an English theme pub, that night was a lot of fun and the smugness has kept me amused at work, as well as the bets I won! 
 Work is unbelievably different from in the UK, there is only so much i can say about work patient confidentiality and all that and the wonders of google, you never know who could end up reading it. But I will say that the staffing out here is much better (ie four patients to one nurse instead of 12!) but nurses have less autonomy than at home and need a Doctors order to do everything which is a bit of a shock for me I am either going to have to get used to it or end up in trouble! All the staff are friendly but there are so many of them im struggling to remember everyones names it will come with time im sure.
So its not all been work and no play I have managed to get away a little bit. I spent a weekend in Byron Bay as one of my flatmates has a house near by, so we went for a weekend but it managed to rain the whole time! No problem as I was going diving and going to get wet anyway, yes more diving, I think im addicted. The dive was great but the water was dramaticly colder than in Thailand and the currents a bit scarier but the fish were huge and I mean huge. I saw a bulk head turtle that was immense and had barnicles on it so must have been pretty old. I dont know what half the fish I saw where called, I need to get a fish ID book!  I didnt see any sharks either, so I think its all a myth about the sharks out here, not a theory im going to test though!
Since writing that last section a women was attacked by a great white just off Byron Bay, oops! She survived by hitting it in the face with an oar, so remember to takes oars with you on all water activities from now on.

opera house

I have also spent a lovely long weekend in Sydney with my friend Sarah who I used to work with in Leeds. We spent most of our time shopping and on the beach but did manage to go to the Opera House to watch a play called Dons Party an Australian comedy with some references that where a bit lost on us but was generally very amusing. Sydney was great and im tempted to move there when my contract is up in Brisvegas.

harbour bridge

Im having a grand time so far in Australia but looking forward to going on the road again in Febuary. So next time I have anything interesting to say I will update the blog.
loads of love Rachel xxx