Another exciting but exhausting week at work has flown by.  It is our 7th week in Australia and I still wake up every morning with a huge smile on my face and a bit of disbelief!  Liz and I have had a few small adventures this week and the added excitement from the Red Bull Air Races that practically took place in our front yard so happy reading.

Last weekend Liz and I scheduled a tasting with the winery that she had an interview with so we made a day out of it.  The people at Jane Brooke were so much fun and we really enjoyed hanging out over there.  The wine was fantastic and we learned so much more in that one day than we did over our entire weekend in Margaret River. Our sommelier, Sheldon, was definitely trying to get us drunk because he made us feel bad every time we used the spit cup to pour out our wine.  We drove there so we couldn’t be too careless.  A few 20 tastings later left us feeling pretty tipsy so we decided to get some coffee and a desert in their café. Our waitress, Jenna, was extremely nice and struck up a convo about our plans for the evening.  She offered some great suggestions and after all that talking Liz and I decided we were going to hang out at the grocery store for the evening! Exciting right?    We stocked up on all of our favorite snacks and planned dinner for the week and called it a night.  We are wild and crazy.

The laid back weekend was gone before I knew it and thanks to day light savings, it was pitch black outside when I woke up for work on Monday.  Not only was it dark but also freezing cold.  It was a painful bike ride but getting to work made it all worth it.  I managed to escape the week without a single animal bite.  I think I am getting better at this wildlife thing.  I met a lot of Americans this week because we had a huge cruise ship stop off and tour the park.  It always makes me laugh when I ask Americans where they are from and they reply the United States.  I want to say no shit but instead I say what part?  After that question, I chime in with “I’m from Louisiana.”  Then I get the “Really?”  As if it isn’t obvious that I sound completely different from the millions of Aussies they have encountered.   The craziest thing is that I met this couple that has actually been to a basketball game in the Gold Dome.  I was freaking amazed…such a small world.  They attended the Centenary game where we unveiled Skeeter as the new mascot so that led to some fun conversations.  Everyone is so intrigued with how I ended up in Australia and how I got the job at the wildlife park so I usually end up talking more about myself than the animals.  Probably not the best situation but at least I am pretty good at talking about myself.

On one of my morning tours, I had a volunteer assisting me in the kangaroo enclosure and she was handing out food for me. She is super animated and extremely intense when she is doing her job.  It made me laugh and when I walked into the enclosure I giggled a bit and told my group to follow Maureen and to listen to her instructions because she knows just how the kangaroos like it.  I paused for a second and ran that line again through my head and realized how perverted it sounded.  A few of the guys in my group had already caught on and were laughing so I retracted that statement and tried to hide the embarrassment.  It provided a good laugh for the morning and I assured them that there was no bestiality going on in the park.  I did have a bit of a wrestle with Big Bubs this week.  I was holding her for our morning show and she was extremely agitated so she kept squirming in my arms.  She is so freaking strong it is ridiculous.  I think I won the wrestling match because she finally gave up and fell asleep in my arms.  It’s funny because you have to act like things are normal because there are small children and all sorts of visitors right by you so I just kept smiling even though I thought Big Bubs was about to make her escape from the park right out of my arms.

The rest of the week was a piece of cake and on my day off on Thursday I got a new camera!  I am going to glue this one to my side so I can’t lose it because it is a real downer not to have a camera around here.  I am planning on getting some pictures at work so you guys should all look forward to that.  I also had Saturday through Monday off so Liz and I stocked up on some Australian rum and enjoyed the Red Bull Air Race.  Our quaint little South Perth has been turned upside down with all of the traffic from the air races.  During the practice runs, the house shook and car alarms went off so we are kind of glad that everything is over.  We were hoping to have friends by now so we could invite them over to enjoy our front row seats but that didn’t work out so Liz and I enjoyed our balcony all by ourselves.  We started drinking a little too early in the morning because by 3 o’clock we were napping.  I even got in my swim suit top and soaked up some sun!  I kid you not...after ten minutes in the sun I was burned so that didn't really last long. We did the same thing on Sunday and decided to get crazy and head to the Windsor for dinner and a few drinks.  We enjoyed ourselves a little too much and I am sure the Windsor knows us by name now.  We have to find a new pub to hang out at because the drunken American act is getting old at the Windsor.  The place was packed with people and it was a pretty wild crowd.  We were filling the pain this morning when we woke up.

This has been a pretty uneventful week for the most part and if things don’t pick up soon I might have to start making stuff up for an entertaining read.  I have been invited to a work gathering next weekend so it will be our first party in Aussie!  I am pretty excited and since everyone at work is awesome I think we are going to have a good time but the downer is that I work the next day so I won’t be getting too out of control. I guess it’s a good thing because it is a little too soon to end up in the bushes and have to call my mom to come and get me because my Australian friends don’t know what to do with me.  Anyway, I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying life!

 

*Funny story of the week: So on the morning that it was freezing cold on my way to work my hands went numb from the frigid bike ride.  I got to work pretty early so I just kept trying to warm them up.  It was hopeless because nothing was working and my hands were pretty much useless.  I went into the bathroom and changed into my uniform.  All was going well until I had to button my pants.  I tried my hardest but my fingers couldn’t grasp the button.  I snuck into the staff room and cornered my friend Tracy.  I told her not to be alarmed but I needed her to button my pants.  She found it quite amusing but was nice enough to button them for me.  It was a pretty awkward situation and I was really glad that I was wearing underwear that day!

 

Skype Instructions:  Go to www.skype.com. Download the software and create a user account.  You can search for me, lcezell.  There is no phone number just a user name. Once you have added me, we can video call!  Just make sure your sound and video are on the right settings.  You can find the settings under tools and then options. 

 

 

G’Day,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

Things are moving along just great and it is hard to believe that we have been here for so long.  Liz and I took that random road trip I promised you so have fun reading about it.

Friday was a really sad night because it was our last chance to hang out with Scott.  We all grabbed dinner at this crazy restaurant (that we will not be going back to.)  It was like fondue but very unsanitary.  It was all you can eat and drink so there was a huge buffet of raw food.  None of it was labeled so I just threw crap on my plate hoping that I might like it.  We got to choose two bases so we chose a chicken broth and a spicy one because Liz and Scott felt like being bad asses.  We screwed things up right off the bat because we threw everything in at once.  Shrimp tasted like chicken and beef felt like leather…awesome right?  I took a little taste of the spicy base and I knew I was throwing in the towel.  Liz tried a few things but didn’t last long either.  It was so freaking spicy.  Scott however was determined to be a bad ass so we watched his face get really red and sweat profusely throughout dinner.  The all you can drink was a pathetic excuse for beer so as far as I am concerned, I didn’t get much out of the deal.  There were these little fried things on the buffet (the only cooked item) so we continuously went back for more.  After dinner, we hung out at Scott’s for a bit and then gave him big bear hugs and sent him on his way.

Liz and I woke up feeling adventurous on Saturday morning so we packed up the camping gear, made sandwiches, and hit the road.  Our adventure took us about thirty minutes down the road before we realized that we were indeed going in the wrong direction.  A little back tracking never hurt.  We finally reached our destination, Margaret River.  This place is very well known for its wineries…something like 140 of them.  We rolled into town around 3 o’clock in hopes of booking a night tour of one of the vineyards.  That was a negative so we did a little shopping and I went  broke on a singe pair of sunglasses.  I needed a really good pair for work because my cheap ones were constantly falling off of my head into a pile of animal crap.  I was a little hesitant to spend so much on sunglasses because I lose and break them like it’s my job.  I figured if they were expensive I would take care of them.   After shopping, we headed to a campsite on the beach and there we pitched our tent.  It was my first time ever setting up a tent so Liz did most of the work while I admired my new sunnies.  The set up was a complete success and we had our little lawn chairs in front of the tent and we sat for a bit just enjoying the atmosphere.  We got over the relaxation part pretty quickly and headed to the campsite restaurant. 

Liz and I always have a dilemma when it comes to buying a bottle of wine because she likes white and I like red so since neither one of us had to drive we decided to get our own bottles.  The food was great and the wine was better so after a good two hours of drinking and bull shitting we decided it was time to hit the sack.  I thought it was a brilliant idea to race Liz to the tent (keep in mind…a whole bottle of wine) so I took off running down the gravel road.  Before you knew it I was sliding down head first.  My hands were all scraped up but it was cool because it matched Liz’s banged up knee from her attempt to find the bathroom in the total darkness.  To explain our night’s sleep to you I can pretty much sum it up by saying there was none.  Our tent had huge vents so the really cold air blew through the entire night and we were completely freezing.  I was especially cold when Liz took the covers from me!  We were also trying to get comfortable on a twin size blow up mattress.  Needless to say, we were both up by five a.m. so we were fired up and ready to go. 

We had a wine tour booked at 11 o’clock so we had some time to discover other things.  We drove down the road to a town called Dunnsburough.  Since it was so early in the morning there wasn’t much to do.  We followed signs to this really cool cave except we never actually found the cave so there was nothing cool about it.  We did manage to find this beautiful area near Cape Naturliste that had a very beautiful beach.  There were huge masses of rock that the waves just crashed on.  We enjoyed walking around that area and taking some great photos.  It was time for us to catch the bus for the wine tour so we headed back and hopped on the bus with our wonderful tour guide, Chris.  He was spectacular and his knowledge of the area made for a really great day.  We visited three wineries, a deer farm, a cheese factory, the chocolate factory, and ended with a brewery.  It wasn’t long before everyone caught on to our American accents.  We had one guy mocking us the whole time and he pretty much thought he was the funniest person on the planet.  One small winery was owned by this really eccentric guy and it was probably the most entertaining of the stops we made.  He said he would give me his son’s number (who was really cute by the way) so you never know I might marry into the wine industry!

When the tour was over, we headed home for an early night since Liz had a job interview the next day.  I was fortunate enough to have Monday off as well so I did a little bike riding around the river and played on some fitness toys that they have along the bike paths.  Before I knew it, Tuesday morning came and I was biking my happy ass to work.  This week made for another exciting one and I still absolutely love it.  It involves a lot of hard work and strenuous labor but I enjoy being so active throughout the day and every day is different.  I have been released to give short tours by myself after a practice run with my supervisor and I also get to look after the koala enclosure by myself.  That just basically means that I monitor the visitors when they are feeling the koala and blab on and on about all of the koala information I know. 

I am starting to fall into my place at work so things are feeling pretty comfortable.  I am making progress with Big Bubs, the 57 lb wombat.  We had a minor set back earlier in the week and her teeth may have found their way to my shoulder.  All is good though and I am learning how to make sure she feels comfortable when we are around large groups of people.  I also tried to make friends with the Gang Gang cockatoos and one just about murdered my fingers.  You aren’t supposed to show fear when handling the birds so I was trying to act like a bad ass.  It wasn’t until after about the twelfth brutal bite wound, that I decided to ask for help getting them out and to the display show.  I obviously still have a little bit of work to do but I am getting there.  I was really fortunate to bike to work in the rain today (I am sure you can since my sarcasm from way over here) but in all honesty it really wasn’t bad.  The best part about it was that the magpie that dive bombs me every morning wasn’t out.  The little bugger has gotten so brave it actually whacks my helmet when it swoops down.  Thank God for safety gear.  It should be a nice quiet weekend for Liz and I before I have to return to work on Monday.  Man the real world is harsh!  I miss you all very much and I can’t wait for one of you to decide to come and visit us!

 

*Not funny but amazing story of the week:  So remember those sunglasses I told you about?  Well I got to the train station early one morning so I hopped on an earlier train to Guildford (the station I bike from.)  To put it in a nut shell a lot happened on the train that morning and after getting distracted I left my sunglasses on the train.  By the time I noticed they were long gone and I had fallen into a deep state of depression.  It took me an extra ten minutes to get to work that day because I had lost all my spunk.  I sent Liz a text so she called the train station.  We heard nothing back so I moved on with my life.  The next morning I made it to the train station and debated whether or not to get on the earlier train again.  I decided I would and so I sat down and situated my bike.  I was jamming to the music when this older gentleman approached me.  I removed my earphones and looked at him with a puzzled look on my face.  He held at my sunglasses and said, “You left these on the seat yesterday.”  I was in absolute shock!  I wanted to jump up and hug him but the intense thank yous sufficed.  I was so excited in fact that I missed my train station by two stops and had to back track a bit.  I was amazed to know that such wonderful people do still exist in this world.

 

 

 

G’day

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

 

I survived my first full week of work and it was one hell of a ride!  I have a fun four day weekend ahead of me so hopefully the rainy weather won’t ruin that.  Things have been pretty uneventful since I left you last but there are a few exciting stories to share.

This past weekend was pretty fun and on Friday Scott was nice enough to take us to dinner.  We went to a little town nearby had some grub, hung out in a coffee shop, and then hit up the Burswood Casino.  In Liz’s travel guide book it says that Burswood is Perth’s tackiest attraction but I didn’t get that vibe.  Scott had gotten a little ahead of himself the few times he had visited the casino before so I was in charge of holding the money that he couldn’t spend.  I opted out of the gambling for once in my life because I am pretty sure that I am a borderline addict.  We met up with this guy named Jeremy that Scott had met the weekend before and we all hung out at this bar and listened to a live band.  It was just a fun night all together.  I swore that I saw my soul mate while I was there but we never actually spoke to each other so I may have been over reacting just a little.

Saturday morning came all too quickly so after a short recovery period Scott, Liz, and I all hit up this festival called Spring in the Valley.  We weren’t really sure what it was but it involved the wineries so we were game.  Since Liz was still a little sick she decided to drive us and we headed to Swan Valley about 15 minutes down the road.  When we arrived, the place was packed full of tour busses and swarms of people.  It was quite a shock to see everyone there.  The first few wineries we passed were full and not letting any more people in so we decided we would start off slow and head to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory.  BEST CHOCOLATE EVER!  I am not even exaggerating.  While Liz and I shopped around, Scott hung out by the free samples until we were ready to go.   He escaped with a pocket full of chocolates.

Our next stop was the winery across the street and I was geeked about touring the vineyard.  We paid ten bucks to get in and man were we surprised at the sites we saw.  People traveled in large groups and the groups were all dressed alike.  I don’t know that I actually ever understood what the point was but it was interesting to say the least.  One group was dress like super heroes and another was in throw back tennis gear.  It reminded me of Mardi Gras minus the parades and beads…everyone was piss drunk and acting a fool by 11 am.  We stuck out like a sore thumb in that place.  I never thought a group of people could make me look like a mellow person but the three of us just sat there looking at everyone.  Basically we paid for a souvenir glass and one free tasting.  There was no tour at all so I was a little disappointed.  We moved on down the road and thought that it would be a great idea to stop at this Brewery.  We fought through the traffic, parked the car, got out, and walked a few feet all before noticing that the line to get into this place was painfully long.  We turned our bums right around and headed further down the road. 

For such a crazy festival we sure did manage to find the calmest of places because our next stop was at an Aboriginal art gallery.  We bought some nice things but the best part was the food that they were handing out.  We tried this jam tart with cream on top and I was in heaven.  I would have stayed there for the rest of the day eating jam tarts but I knew we had to move on.  We decided to escape all the craziness and head to Fremantle for our favorite fish and chips.  After a late lunch, we stopped by this man who was selling jewelry and did a little shopping.  I really liked the rings he had and so I knelt down and was trying a few on.  One in particular caught my eye and I thought it would make a good thumb ring.  Well I tried it on and in the midst of trying to get it over my big knuckle it broke!!!  Luckily the guy was distracted by Scott who was telling surf stories so he didn’t even notice.  I just hid the pieces and went about my business.  I did buy two pieces of jewelry so I did my part to apologize.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back and Liz continued to be sick.  I was full of energy Sunday night because Monday was my first big day of work.  I felt like a kid getting ready for the first day of school.  I had my clothes laid out and my bags all packed.  Five am came before I knew it and I was on my way to the train station.  I arrived on time and headed off with Debbie to get all of the paper work out of the way.  She left me in a room to read this big binder of information and after about two hours of reading I was finished and on my way to signing all sorts of things.  I was given my lovely uniform and I felt so awkward when I put it on. They were out of small polos so I am in a frumpy looking medium until the new ones come in.  I am pretty sure we wear men’s pants and there is always the lovely hat that we are required to wear.  It took some getting used to but considering the work we do it is exactly what we need. 

Things are going just great and I really enjoyed my first week.  I have learned to run the Koala enclosure and Debbie has approved me to do so by myself.  I am learning how to hold the 50 lb wombat for the wombat and friend’s show and I have also learned how to give the roos their breakfast.  They are all waiting at the gate when I get there and I take my little wheel barrow right through their enclosure screaming, "Come on guys get your breakfast, come on guys, BREAKFAST."  I felt silly at first but I am getting pretty good at it.  I am soaking up the information like a sponge!  I am so official at this point I have a name badge, key, and my own CB radio.   I work with a lot of cool people and although the days are long and I am physically drained by the end of the day I am still ready to do it all over again the next. 

I am finally getting used to my bike and I would have to say that most of what could go wrong did go wrong this week.  As soon as I enter the park, there is a magpie (crow like bird) that just starts dive bombing me.  It gets so close to my head that I can feel the wind from its wings.  The little bugger follows me for about a minute and then flies off. It does it to me every morning for the same distance.  The second day that I was on my way into the park I stood up on my pedals to pedal hard up a hill and the next thing I know I am slipping off and my knee is brushing up against the tire.  I looked real cool walking into work that day with huge black marks and a few scratches running up my leg.  On the third day, I was on my way home and the bugs were so bad that I felt like a car windshield.  I am pretty sure one went up my nose and into my throat but I try not to think about that.  I woke up for my last day of work for the week and when I got my bike out, it had a flat tire.  No biggie, I just pumped it up and took off.  Well about half way through my 10 k bike ride it went flat again.  I was about to die by the time I reached the park.  My legs were so fatigued I wasn’t even sure that I could stand up without holding on to something.

 A few minor problems throughout the first week but it was everything I hoped it would be.  I am really enjoying work and still loving every minute of being in Australia.  Liz and I are planning to take a trip soon so hopefully you will get to hear about another part of the world.  Miss you all very, very much.

 

*Funny Story of the Week:  I was working in the Koala enclosure and two ladies walked in.  I greeted them and got no response from either one so I assumed they didn’t speak English.  I directed them towards a Koala and began speaking reall slow and being very dramatic with my hand motions so they knew what to do… ttthhiiss iiisss aaaa KKKoooaalla, pllleasseee beee verrry genttttle.  Next thing I know they are just chatting away in their Australian accents so I felt like an idiot.  I am sure that they thought I was an idiot speaking to them like that.  We were able to carry on a great conversation once we all started using our “big words”.  Lesson learned and I will quit assuming things.

 

 

G’DAY

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

Happy one month anniversary to me!  I have survived a whole month without my father’s credit card, oh and I have been in Australia for a month which I guess is an even bigger deal (you be the judge!)  Things just couldn’t get better.  We are really blending right in with the rest of Perth’s population (well until we go out drinking and then the American in us shines right through.) A lot has happened in the past week so put on your reading pants and enjoy.

Uncle Joe was kind enough to invite Liz and me to dinner with his boss last Thursday.  We went to a fantastic seafood restaurant and had some great conversations.  His boss’s name was Angus and he was a very interesting man.  Liz and I got some great tips about surviving the professional world.  Angus also told us that if we were fishing then we better go where the fish are.  Meaning that if we are looking for a bloke while we are here then Perth is not the place.  It’s a good thing that since my arrival in Australia my intentions have changed a bit.  I am no longer looking to get knocked up so I don’t have to be as picky…just joking of course.  It seems that the younger generations in Perth don’t seem to care for it much but from our perspectives it is freaking perfect!

On Friday, Liz was kind enough to drive me out to Caversham Wildlife Park where my job interview was.  It was a pretty laid back interview but they asked the question I hate most, “so tell us about your self.”  Everyone knows I love to talk about myself so it is very hard to sum up my life.  I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it short and sweet but man did I say some random stuff!  Everything went well and after my interview Liz and I visited the park and got to see some pretty cool stuff.  The biggest problem with this job is that my transportation involves a 20 minute train ride followed by a 10 k bike ride…one way!  Debbie, the director, and I decided that we would schedule a trial run just to make sure I could survive the trek after a long day of working.  Once we left the park, we decided to head home and enjoy a quite evening with Uncle Joe.

On Saturday morning we were up pretty early expecting Uncle Joe to knock on our door and wake us up at any moment.  We thought he was planning some great expedition for the weekend since he was leaving for Brazil on Monday but to our surprise he just wanted to hang around the house.  He had a lot to do to prepare for his trip so Liz and I decided we would get out of the house and do some exploring.  After trying to plan an adventure, we gave up and headed to the movies.  We saw House Bunny (my second time seeing it) and then after, we headed to our favorite coffee shop and hung out for a while.  Liz and I decided we were really craving Japanese cuisine so we called our friend Scott and invited him to dinner. It was the start of a really fun night.  The food was great and after exchanging some funny stories we dropped off our car and the three of us walked to The Windsor Hotel, a.k.a. the local pub.  There were a few shots here and there and some interesting drinks to make for an all in all interesting night.  We met a friend from India who I taught how to play quarters and it was pretty funny.  He enjoyed his newly found game and I am pretty sure he plans to take it back with him to his country.

Most of us would enjoy a late morning after a night of drinking but unfortunately that was not the case for us.  Uncle Joe woke us up bright and early around 7 am and informed us that we were eating breakfast with his friends in Fremantle.  It was a dreadful morning and I am pretty sure that I was still in no state to socialize.  We sucked it up and headed to Fremantle.  Uncle Joe introduced us to his friends, Frank and Marilyn, both of which are fabulous people and as nice as can be.  Breakfast was really enjoyable and once you got past the smell of alcohol on my breath I think I made great company.  Frank and Marilyn said that they would be around if we ever need anything and best of all they have a boat! They said that they would invite us along when they go to some of the nearby islands and they know all of the cool places to go so we are definitely looking forward to that trip.  Before we headed home from Fremantle, Uncle Joe stopped and got some fresh fish and then we walked along the beach.  There were a lot of dogs running around and I just about started crying because I missed Martini soooo much!  She may not look adventurous but I think she would love it here.  After our walk, we headed home and enjoyed some baked fish for dinner.

Liz and I decided to do some shopping on Monday and we had a lot of fun.  We found an outlet mall and a few other cool places.  I kind of jumped the gun and bought a good bike for the job that I might get at the wildlife park.  I made sure I was equipped with everything…a rack for my stuff, a bell, lights for the night time, and a bright and shiny new helmet.  Monday night was really sad because we brought Uncle Joe to the airport.  He is going to be gone for two months.  He has been so hospitable and made sure that there were plenty of people we could contact if there were ever an emergency.  We are really going to miss him (except for his early morning wake up calls!)  Now we have the place to ourselves; scary, I know.  Aunt Donna will return in early November so until then we are being extra careful and keeping the place spotless.  We are going to do our best not to throw wild and crazy parties.

Liz and I considered Tuesday to be our last day of freedom because depending on how things went with my trial run at the wildlife park, our vacay would be over.  We spent the day shopping again and we went to this another bike shop to look at bikes for Liz.  If I could take back this decision I would because the sales guy kept us there for thirty minutes explaining to us that all bums are different and how the anatomy of a woman should be supported on a bike.  I almost had to run out of the store because I was close to bursting into laughter.  He made some really good points but was just a bit extreme.  Liz did not leave with a bike but her brave soul is planning on going back to test ride a few.  After the bike shop, we drove around for a while looking for this shopping center that was right under our noses.  We hit up Target and then the grocery store.  It was no easier finding our way home and I know if we had to get there again, we couldn’t.  We had our favorite meal for dinner (fish sticks of course!) and then went to bed.

I was extremely restless the whole night with so much anticipation for the next day.  Five am came pretty early and before you knew it, my lunch was packed and I was biking to the train station.  Of course I bought the wrong ticket and then waited at the wrong platform before I was smart enough to ask for help.  This worker walked me all the way to the other end of the station and showed me where I needed to be.  I felt so awkward on the train because there are certain bike rules but I didn’t know any of them.  I expected to see a fellow biker and just mimic them but that was not the case.  I did the best I could to get my bike out of the way but I felt everyone staring at me…AWKWARD!  I arrived at the Guilford train station and then hit the road on my bike.  It took me about 40 minutes to get there and I arrived with some time to spare.  Debbie met me outside and before I knew it she had me meeting the crew and cleaning up koala poop! 

The day was wonderful and I got to see some really cool things.  I had lunch with a little joey that was being bottle fed and then I was peed on by a gang-gang cockatoo.  That was just one cockatoo because the other took a big bite out of my finger.  No worries though because I loved every minute of it.  The park was full of people and I followed Debbie for most of the day.  She is extremely good at what she does and it was neat to see how passionate she was about the park. Her parents were the ones who started the park and now it has become a family affair.  This job is the perfect mix of people and animal interaction.  I would be doing things like giving tours, putting on shows, cleaning up, and tending to the animals.  At the end of the day, Debbie offered me the job and told me to get back to her after the ride home.  I wanted to scream that I would take it but I knew it was smart to see how the ride home went.  I am not going to lie, it was rough but I made it.  I screwed up at the train station again and I was almost fined 50 bucks for not buying the right ticket.  I know I sound really dumb but the train system is so confusing.  The guy who fussed at me was foreign and he was kind enough to explain everything to me but to be honest I didn’t understand a word he was saying. The bottom line is that I do plan on taking the job and I am looking forward to having a really nice ass when it is all said and done! (here is the website www.cavershamwildlife.com.au)

Liz is a little under the weather but she is visiting the doctor today so hopefully she is given something good to clear up her sore throat.  If she is feeling better by the weekend we plan on heading to Swan Valley for a big wine tour with Scott.  If this is anything like the last time we hung out you should have some interesting reading next week. 

 

*Funny Story of the week:  Liz and I were chatting with one of Uncle Joe’s friends and she was sweet as can be.  She was an elderly lady and amongst our conversation, I answered her with yes mam.  I believe I pushed a button because she totally corrected me by telling me her name and letting me know that she was not a mam.  I felt extremely awkward but Liz and I had a good laugh after leaving.  I am not in Kansas/Louisiana anymore!  Dang you mom and dad for teaching me manors!

 

 

G’Day,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

We finally saw a kangaroo and it wasn’t a dead one on the side of the road!  I am starting to feel like I am really in Australia now that I saw one.  There has been some good news for all of you who were wondering about our job situation.  I have heard back from a charter boat company and a wildlife park.  Both of which would be exciting work (I thinkJ.)  We have had a pretty exciting adventure since the last time I spoke to you and it all started with a bright and early wake up call from Uncle Joe Saturday morning.

He woke us up and told us he was ready for the sunshine.  See it has been raining for the past week and half in Perth so there hasn’t been much to do.  He said the sunshine was up North so that is where we went.  Uncle Joe said there was no time for planning so we just packed up the car and took off up the coast.  We stopped for some beautiful photo opportunities and passed an alpaca farm that I really wanted to stop at but with a big barbed wire fence we had little hope of getting in.  They were so cute and fuzzy I might have risked a few scrapes and bruises to see them.  We continued on down the road as Uncle Joe showered us with his knowledge of the surroundings.  There were acres and acres of wildflowers and bright green grass followed by rows of grape trees and olive trees.  The vineyards are next on our list of places to visit so you should look forward to hearing about that.

We stopped for lunch in a quaint little town called Gingin.  There was a wedding going on right next to the restaurant where we ate and that was pretty cool to see.  It was a tad bit different from the Aussie wedding I picture for myselfJ.   After a lovely lunch, we were on the road again, driving down the old super slab (that’s for you Sean).  Our next stop was at a place called The Pinnacles.  When we got out of the car, I felt like I had stepped onto a different planet.  You will see what we are talking about when we get the pictures uploaded.  We had fun taking pictures and walking around.  I saw some more pretend creatures and felt like an idiot once again.  I swore that there was a lizard sitting on a pinnacle only to find out that it was a branch.  It happens to the best of us.

We rolled into a town called Dongara for dinner and a place to sleep.  We ended up at a place called The Priory.  It was an old convent so it had a very historic feel once you got passed the loud band and drunken footy fans from the Grand final earlier that day.  Good news…Liz and my team won, the Hawthorn Hawks!  After dinner we joined the drunken crowd for a beer and observed the very interesting Aussie’s around us.  The night sky was extremely beautiful so we decided to do some star gazing.  The Milky Way was clear as day and Uncle Joe told us that instead of the North Star they look for the Southern Cross in Australia.  The Southern Cross is actually the group of stars found on the Australian flag.  It was quite a night so we hit the sack for an early morning adventure.

We woke up and headed to the downtown café for breakfast and then to the water’s edge for a nice little nature walk.  We followed the river down to the ocean and enjoyed the beautiful beaches of Dongara.  It was cool to see a stretch of beach without a high rise or souvenir shop.  We hopped back in the car and headed down the coast.  We made it a few hours down the road before stopping in a town called Lancelin.  Uncle Joe took us to his favorite restaurant that played live music and sat on a hill that overlooked the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean.  The lawn in front of the restaurant was filled with people and families picnicking.   It was a really cool atmosphere and everyone was laid back as can be just enjoying the beautiful weather.

We continued our journey home and for one last stop we headed to Yanchep National Park.  This is where we got to see koalas and kangaroos (live ones instead of the road kill we had been experiencing).  I couldn’t wait to see the koalas.  They were so cute and sound asleep because that is what they do for twenty hours out of the day (I think I would be a koala if I were an animal!)  Uncle Joe told us it was too early for the kangaroos to be out so I used my kangaroo whispering skills and sure enough they came hopping out of the woods.  Liz and I about peed our pants!  There were three moms with little joeys in their pouches and it was just the cutest thing.  It was the perfect end to our weekend journey.

We took it upon ourselves to sleep in on Monday since we were pretty exhausted from the weekend trip and because it was the Queen’s birthday Uncle Joe was off of work.  He took us to a place called King’s Park and the funny story behind this is that Liz’s aunt told us not to go there at night so we assumed it was some little sketchy park.  Every time we passed a park that looked a little on the sketch side we would jokingly call it King’s Park.  In all actuality, King’s Park probably has the most breath taking views of the city.  It sits on one thousand acres of land and has stunning botanical gardens.  Since it was the Queen’s birthday, the park was packed with people.  There was a wonderful jazz band and it was also the Wildflower Festival so things were in full bloom.  People were dressed up in wildflower costumes and there were camel rides!  It was an amazing place and Liz and I were kicking our selves for not visiting it sooner.

When we got back to the house Liz and I decided that we were going to throw a fiesta for the Queen.  After a quick walk to the grocery and liquor stores we headed back home to prepare dinner.  Our friend Scott was lucky enough to receive and invitation so he joined us along with Uncle Joe for some killer tacos and not so killer margaritas.  There were only three types of tequila to choose from and the mix wasn’t the greatest.  We didn’t let that ruin the fiesta!  It was a lovely dinner on the balcony while the sun set and when we were done with dinner we served a pazookie.  It was our first time making one so there was room for improvement on the next one.  We ended the night with some card games but when Liz started cheating we had to call it a night.

That about wraps up my adventures for the week…hopefully I will be writing to you as an employed Aussie next week.  I really want to thank all of you for reading my blog and a special thanks to those of you that leave comments because it makes my day.  I wake up every morning with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and I am glad that I get to share my experiences with you.  I miss you all!

 

*sorry the funny stories of the week all involve embarrassing moments for Liz so she threatened to hurt me if I posted them

 

Sincerley,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

This has been an interesting week to say the least.  We are finally in Liz’s uncle’s house and it was well worth the wait.  He arrived home today and it was a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Uncle Joe.  He is quite a character a very accommodating.  It wasn’t so easy getting here so I thought I would fill you in on our journey.

It all started with the day that we had to check out of the hostel.  You see it pretty much meant that we were homeless until the key arrived from the US.  Liz’s Aunt informed us that she would be sending it to Sandwell (her Uncle’s office) and that the employees were aware of the situation.  Since we had the address we decided we would stroll on down there.  There was no key at the office and our little optimistic attitudes were shattered.  Haley, the receptionist, was an absolute doll and pitied our current situation.  We left her with my cell number and crossed our fingers that it would be in the next day.  So began our relentless search for a hotel.  With our handy dandy rental car we drove and drove and drove.  Every where that we stopped was too expensive and all the places we called were booked.  After a good two and half hours we ended back at one of the first hotels we started at.  Luckily there had been a cancelation and we were able to get a decent room for an affordable price.

We woke up with eagerness because we knew that today would be the day that the key came in.  A few FIVE hours later there was still no phone call informing us that the key had arrived and again we were desperately searching for a hotel.  Luckily we were able to book a hotel room over the phone so with some time to spare before bedtime, you guessed it, we headed to the local pub.   We had a couple of beers and then hit the road for our hotel (I know it sounds bad but we were very responsible about it.)  As if we didn’t have enough to deal with, the lady at the reception desk was a frigid you know what!  Apparently we were supposed to call and verify our room if we were arriving past seven o’clock.  I guess you have to be a psychic to figure that one out.  She was kind enough to put us in another room after giving us a glare or two.  It was the smallest room I had ever stayed in and just to paint a picture for you, the toilet was practically in the shower.

That Friday proved to be just as disappointing as the other days because there was still no key.  Haley was nice enough to let us sit at an office desk and use the company computer and phone.  We knew that we were spending the weekend in the hotel that we chose so we made it a good one (with a kitchen!)  While we were at the office we got to meet Scott who is an employee of Sandwell and only a couple of years older.  He is from Georgia so he was desperately searching for some cool chicks to hang out with (how lucky for him that he found us.) 

As you can see we didn’t do too much sight seeing for the week because there was little time for fun when all we were doing was waiting.  We spent Friday night relaxing and most of Saturday sleeping but we did get up in time for the semifinal round of Australian rule football.  I am already addicted and next week is the grand final a.k.a. the super bowl.  Footy, as the Aussie’s call it, is a like a combination of rugby, soccer, and a tiny bit of American football.  There are no pads and just a bunch of damn good looking players smacking into each other.  I think I will marry a footy player while I am here.  Any way the day went on and we cooked in our little kitchen and enjoyed a new kind of Australian beer.  After sleeping in on Sunday we spent most of the afternoon being lazy and watching Fool’s Gold (super cute movie by the way.)  We decided to give our new found friend Scott a call and from there we met him for drinks and dinner.  He was kind enough to go to our favorite Italian restaurant Spaghi’s.  This place is BYO so we stopped off at the conveniently located liquor store right next door and purchased some wine.  Things got pretty out of control and I think the restaurant owner was keeping a very close eye on us. Liz would toast every chance she got and for some reason she always wanted to toast to America.  I don’t think the locals were too thrilled with hearing “To America” every five minutes.  At least we enjoyed our selves.    The next morning was a little rough but we still managed to check out of our hotel on time.

Monday was the start of a new week and the return to our key dilemma.  Liz and I decided that instead of staying cooped up in a café all day waiting for a phone call about the key, we would enjoy the beautiful weather at a local park.  I went for a walk along the Swan River and it turned out to be quite an adventure.  First I found grass tennis courts and I was so excited because I have never played on grass.  Then I past this really cute old man that struck up a conversation with me and as we were talking two dolphins swam passed us.  He said there our dolphins in the river often but it is hard to see them if the water isn’t calm.  I was so geeked about seeing dolphins but when I shared my adventure with Liz she didn’t believe me so she was a total party pooper.  As the day went on we decided to take a more active approach to finding the key.  We called the local FedEx and low and behold it was just sitting there.  We raced over to pick it up and Liz told some lie about how Joe was her father and her parents had split up so the key was lost in confusion. Out of shear desperation she was able to convince the FedEx worker to give us the key.

Home at last!  We unpacked all of our things, walked down to the local supermarket, and enjoyed a lovely dinner on our balcony.  The sight from our balcony was stunning and as the sun set the skyline lit up.  I felt like a failure because even as a backpacker I was being completely spoiled.  It just follows me every where I goJ.  Unfortunately we had to return our rental car but we did get to enjoy a nice little ferry ride from the city to South Perth.  Now that we have our tax number and permanent residence we have no more excuses for not having jobs.  It will be tough to go back to the working world but I think we can manage.  Things have been unimaginable so far and I only expect our adventures to get bigger and better.  I hope everyone is doing well back home and I miss you all sooooo much!

 

*Funny Story of the Week:  On one of our desperate attempts to find a hotel, Liz and I drove threw Fremantle and as we were driving over the Pacific Ocean I looked out over the bridge. There was a school of Whales!  I screamed with excitement and told Liz to look at the whales she couldn’t really see them so I tried desperately to get close to the guard rail.  I finally reached a spot where we could see better but only to discover that they were indeed kayakers and not whales.  I have never felt so let down before…those damn kayakers.

 

Sincerely,

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

It has officially been a week since we arrived in Australia and I am freaking exhausted!  Everyday we think that we are used to the time change and it just comes back and bites us in the rear.  The sites we have seen are breathtaking and it still seems so surreal.  I still have not comprehended the idea that we are actually going to be living here so when that sets in I will let you know.

We only got a quick three days in Sydney but it was plenty of time to capture the beauty.  The city tour bus was a fabulous way to travel around the city and we enjoyed the crisp air from the top deck of the bus.  We stopped off at the Sydney Aquarium first which was funny because Liz and I discovered that we really don’t enjoy aquariums as much as we thought.  It was still a neat attraction and we had no problem having fun.  The next stop was The Rocks, the origin of European settlement in Australia.  They have done an amazing job of preserving the exterior of old buildings but still allowing the interior to be renovated for more practical uses.  The Sydney Opera House was in plain view from The Rocks and pictures definitely fail to serve it justice.  Did you know that the architect who designed still hasn’t seen it in person?  The adventure continued into a town called Bondi Beach.  This was really exciting for Liz and me because on the plane we watched an Australian reality show about the lifeguards of Bondi.  We were star struck even though we didn’t recognize anyone! We ended the night back at Darling Harbour where we ate dinner in front of the Opera House.

The next day got off to an interesting start when we realized that we were going to have to pay to store our luggage.  It had already been pointed out by fellow onlookers that we packed way too much. It was going to be quite a feat to fit our luggage into the lockers without going broke.  It was a sight to see!  We managed to squeeze 6 pieces of luggage in 3 lockers.  We were ready for bed after that but that wasn’t really an option so we went to our favorite place in Sydney, the IEP office.  This is where we had our orientation for the International Exchange Program when we first arrived.  The people there were so nice and we got a kick out of the way they pronounced names…Linda was Linder and Amanda was Amander!  After some internet surfing in our safe haven we bought sandwiches and ate in one of the many parks in Sydney.  We got to watch a game of chess on a life size game board which was pretty cool but I was personally more entertained by the pigeons that were crawling up my leg to find food.  Oh and the crazy lady in the park was pretty frightening, Liz and I were so scared that she was going to catch us staring at her so we got out of there as fast as possible! 

After lunch we gathered our things and headed to Perth, a whopping 5 hour plane ride!  We got to Perth and had no place to stay.  It was kind of funny but Liz didn’t enjoy that adventure so much.  There were a few debates but in the end we decided to fork up the cash and treat ourselves to a nice hotel for the next couple of nights.  It was totally worth it, not that I minded that hostels all that much but I totally got the shaft in Sydney on roommates and I didn’t want to risk that again.  We took a taxi to the Perth Ambassador and had a good nights rest with TV!!!!  The next afternoon when we woke up we took a leisurely stroll down the road to find a nice little café for breakfast/lunch and then ventured out to explore Perth.  We were dead in the middle of the city and things didn’t seem so exciting at first.  As a matter of fact, it was so not exciting that Liz compared it to Shreveport!   Jet lag still lingered so we decided to buy wine and order pizza that night.  Just a little word of advice for future visitors of Australia, a large pizza is about the size of my head. 

The next morning we packed up our things and headed to the youth hostel of Perth.  We booked a private room so we didn’t have to worry about roommates and it was actually very nice.  Once we settled into our hostel, we took off to find some dinner and man did this turn out to be an adventure!  We ended up at this pub called BD’s and started off with some cold glasses of beer.  The waiter recommended the Australian delicacies dish so we agreed to try it.  We were served kangaroo, emu, and crocodile!  It was surprisingly tasty.  I didn’t care for the emu sausage but the crocodile and Kangaroo were very good.  After a few beers we walked back to the hostel to call it a night! 

Our next great idea came when we decided to rent a car.  It is so much fun to drive on the wrong side of the road but it is so difficult to use the blinker.  It is on the opposite side from what we are used to so Liz and I are constantly turning on the windshield wipers.  The first destination in our new ride was South Perth where Liz’s aunt and uncle live and also where we will be living when the key arrives.  We were relieved when we made it to South Perth because it was very different from the city.  We found our house and it was such a quaint little place.  It overlooks the Swan River and sits right on a public park.  The best part is that it is a five minute walk to the Perth Zoo and we all know how much I love the Zoo! 

Later that afternoon we took off to a town called Fremantle.  It is a harbor town with a lot of shopping and food.  We went to a Maritime Museum that had some pretty cool stories about shipwrecks and then we enjoyed a cup of coffee overlooking the Indian Ocean.  Our exploring led us to an Aboriginal art store that was pretty amazing.  The art work was beautiful but the best part was didgeridoos!  The woman that worked there was kind enough to give us some tips on playing a didg so we did some experimenting while we were there!  Liz couldn’t resist purchasing a boomerang while we were there so we planned for a day of learning to throw it.  That evening we made our way back to the harbor and ate at a restaurant with the number one fish and chips and indeed they were!  The fish and chips were amazing and definitely the best I have ever had. 

Yesterday morning was pretty uneventful so we took some time to catch up with friends and family over skype (I highly recommend you all download it!)  For lunch we decided that we both wanted pasta but if we knew how hard it was going to be to find Italian for lunch I think we would have craved something different.  It took us a good two hours to find a place and I swear we just made one huge circle around Perth.  I don’t think we even know where we actually ended up.  The food was a let down but at least we got to try another type of beer!  After our big lunch, we went to the park outside of our future residence and Liz took a try at throwing the boomerang.  I would give her a 7 overall because the boomerang would head back in her direction but stop short of actually reaching her!  She for sure did better than I did so I won’t even rate myself in boomerang throwing.  We ended the night with a movie and a trip around the city to find fruit.  Apparently everything shuts down around 7 so the fruit was a no go but cereal worked just fine for dinner.

All of our adventures bring me to today and I would have to say that I am loving it so far.  Liz and I are really enjoying ourselves and the fact that we try to be as independent as possible provides much humor when we are driving around trying to find things.  We are crossing our fingers that the key comes in today but if it doesn’t we are just going to enjoy a night at a hotel and who knows we might stay up past 9 tonight!  The people here put southern hospitality to shame and I can’t wait until we make friends and eventually find work (not to high on our priority list).  I find every male attractive as long as he has an Australian accent so I am going to work on improving my standards before I meet the Aussie of my dreams. 

I miss everyone from back home so be sure to keep us updated on all that is happening!

 

*Funny story of the week:  I was sitting in the airport by myself as Liz searched for food and all of sudden our gate was swarmed with middle schoolers.  One girl asked her friend for a bite of her burger and the friends response was this (in an Aussie accent); “You betta make it a small one or I’ll punch ya face!”  For some reason this made me laugh for a really long time and I am sure if you actually got to hear me mock her then you would laugh too!

 

G’day,

 

Lindsay Ezell

LC

Snook

Ez-E

 

 

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