To summarize the last week: rented DVDs, keys to new apartment, too hot outside, public transport sucks, moving sucks with public transport, we have air conditioning now, new apartment is nice but has some quirks, still don't have internet or computers.
On Friday we got the keys to our new place. We brought the first load of our stuff over from our temp apartment when we came to meet the lady from the property management place, who is named Angela. We don't have a car, nor do we know anyone with a car, so we had to bring all our stuff over in backpacks on public transport. It doesn't sound that bad, but it ended up being a three-day marathon that exhausted us and convinced us that we need a car. So, Friday was the first load. Angela changed the time to meet from 1pm to 12pm at about 10:15am on Friday. We had to rush home, throw some crap in our bags, and get over there. It was proably in the 90's that day (temperature) as we toted our bags to the train station (15 min walk), took the train to the CBD (10 mins), walked about 4 blocks in the CBD from train to tram (15 mins), trammed to the Docklands (15 mins), and walked the last couple blocks to our place (5 mins). All in all, it took about an hour to get to our place that is probably about 10 miles away from where we started. We were rather hot and tired. We read the lease, signed, gave them all our money, and then sat in the aircon for a while.
The new place didn't have sheets for the beds and we didn't feel like trekking to Ikea that day to get them, so we decided to spend one last night at our temp place in St. Kilda. We emptied our packs and made the trip back to St. Kilda. The people who occupy our temp place were scheduled to come back Sunday, so we had to have the place clean and our stuff out by then. Also, we had to wash their sheets at a laundromat. So, Saturday we woke up early, packed our backpacks again, and made the trek to our new place. Fortunately, on the weekend the train runs a slightly different route that circumvented our need to walk a few blocks downtown, which was nice. It did increase the time to get to our place to about 1 hour 20 mins. We unpacked and headed to Ikea in about 100 degree heat by tram. $110 dollars later we had sheets and the basics to live at our place, which we had to carry back to our place (on the tram). At around 6pm we head back to St. Kilda to bake our generous house-loaners cookies, eat dinner, and pack one more load of stuff. We left to come back to the Docklands (new place) around 10 and got home around 11:30pm completely exhausted.
Sunday was a bit nicer though I didn't feel great the whole day, perhaps as a punishment from the day before. We made only one trip there and back to our old place to clean up, wash their sheets, watch a movie, and get the remainder of our crap. Did some bare-bones shopping on the way home and stayed home the rest of the night on Sunday to rest. Whew - we have a new place. We had 1/20th of the stuff that we normally have when we move, but we had 1/20th the carrying capacity, so it was still so much work. Renting a car would have cost around $80, maybe more, but would have alleviated the suffering. We opted for the cheapitude, as usual. Someday we'll grow up. Someday we'll also have jobs.
So, we're safely getting settled in our new home on the 14th floor of a large apartment building in the Docklands suburb of Melbourne. It's about a 10 minute walk from the west end of central Melbourne, and about a 1 minute walk to a tram that will take you into town in 2 minutes. We're paying $2173 (Australian) a month and they made us pay 3 months rent in advance since we don't have jobs. So, we have no rent payment until April. Our lease is until July. We do have a 2nd bedroom but it only has a single bed. But we also have a couch. So, the offer still stands for invitiations to friends and family - we'd be happy to have you. Book early as space is limited.
Email me if you would like our new address, our mobile phone numbers are in a post below, and our home phone is getting hooked up this week. We're almost normal people again. Just waiting for computers and internet.
4 comments:
Take few pictures of your neighborhood for us! Does it look too much different from a downtown area around here?
Elijah and I definitely want to visit you. He's just getting around to applying for a passport, so I think it will be months before we can leave the country. Maybe sometime in May or June?
Good luck with your job hunt. Also, let me know if you're dying for some American-made housewarming present, and I'll send one over.
Dibs on the bed whenever I come no matter who else is there!
Angie, do you remember the pics from Aussie that my mom was showing you? If not, disregard the rest of what I have to say. So they stayed with that couple that owned the winery kinda out in the boons. Well, they're 45 mins outside of Melbourne. Tremendously nice people. Give me a buzz if you want contact info. And this time use. Don't wait until your last week when you'll be on another island to call.
Holy schnikes!! I'm exhausted just reading about all that runnin around you guys had to do ~whew~ Do it while you're young. Glad to hear you got some A/C. That's just too hot to ever get comfortable in. Is it a portable unit or central air? Well, continued good luck with everything. Stay safe. I love you.
Wow! What a moving experience. Maybe the car would have been a good idea?? Anyway, I'm glad yall are getting settled and all. How much is $2000 in American money?
We were thinking of yall on New Years and hope the job search is fruitful. I think the gecko idea to keep out the big bugs is a great idea...b/c I don't think 14 floors will deter the bugs that can smell Americans a mile away!
xoxo
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