YAY! (very long update, but worth reading)

So, hi *waves* We’re back from Sydney and all was good. Care for an update?

Sunday I spent all morning feeling so ill and nervous, its mostly just coz I don’t like going places I don’t know. So all that stress I was feeling in my most recent entries, it pretty much just vanished once we were in Sydney. So glad for that.

Checking in at the airport was weird but odd, you got to do it on a touch-screen thingy and it was all zoom and then you just hand your bags up. They didn’t even check our photo id like they said they needed to. But then… neither did the hotel.

The flight was so fast, it was pretty much just take off, they served us afternoon tea (a delicious fig and pecan cookie that tasted like orange) and then it was time to land! Canberra looked quite cool from above, and Sydney looked awesome. I saw the Opera House from the sky and was all "oooooooh"

Our hotel room was on the 6th floor, and you had to swipe your room key in the elevator to be able to get up to that floor. Was annoying at first but most things are. We were right near a park, could see it from the window, so that was a nice change of pace from all the buildings around us.

Went for a wander to find some food, but being after 5 on a Sunday we didn’t have much luck and ended up just having those bowls of noodles you add hot water to and BAM its edible. But the walk was good coz we accidentally found the MLC centre, where the consulate was. So woo, no searching for the next day.

 

Monday we slept till about midday, coz dam its awesome to have a big bed! We are so getting one as soon as possible once we are home. It makes for a much more relaxed Sez. After getting ready we went for a wander, first to check that the MLC centre was the right place, and it was, but its good to double check. Then we went around trying to work out which direction we would have to go to find the Opera House. That was REALLY HARD to do, but my brain was smart and thought to go to the park to see if there was anything there to help us.

At the park, I was sooo glad I had my camera! It had the coolest fountain with all animals being where the water comes out. Horses snorting water, fishies shooting it out their mouths, and the coolest… turtles!

  

I loved those turtles. So funny!

There was also a pointy church-type building (must’ve been a church, all Tuesday evening there were super-loud bells going off during the new simpsons!) and this really pretty water fountain coming out of the ground with an orange base thing… so pretty. Oooh and you could see the Sky Tower real well too.

  

The good thing was, we found a sign that pointed in the direction of the Opera House, and then we found a map on the other side that showed how far away it was. After a quick stop off at the hotel, during which reception called us asking when the people could come clean our room, and we went off to see the sights.

The Opera House was awesome up close, and only took 15 minutes to walk to. It had amazing views all around it too. We could see the Harbour Bridge from there, so we didn’t go over to look at that up close coz… its just a bridge. But we have cool pictures!

     

Then we walked home, UP HILL which was evil but rather good exercise, and collapsed. We were going to go find dinner but we were too exhausted so we ordered the most delicious pizzas (a large hawaiian and a small garlic pizza coz that was their garlic bread) and some tiramisu for dessert and we scoffed the lot of it rather quickly. But it was so insanely delicious! mmmm food!

 

Tuesday was the day we were both waiting for. Got up at 7, Jake had breakfast but I was too nervous, and we headed to the consulate. It took only 5 minutes to walk there, but then we got all confused by the elevators coz they had 4 different ones, going from 9-27 or something like that, and the one that the consulate fitted into didn’t go to level 59 like we needed it to so we had to go to level 10, and go through security and wait for an elevator there and that went up to the right level, and then we went through security again and then we were sent into a room with many other people, got a numbered ticket and just sat there waiting for ages.

I really should’ve taken my water bottle, I got rather dehydrated just sitting there. But they made us sit there for aaaages, we didn’t get called up till about 9, and that was just to hand over my forms and have the girl check they were all there, then we were sent to sit down and wait again. We waited for 2 hours, and that was REALLY HARD! Our only entertainment was this lady who was there who sounded so much like Jake’s mummy, but her name was Cheryl, which is my mummy’s name! So it was funnily creepy and all that, but kept us entertained. Oh, and the view from the 59th floor was so awesome! I would’ve taken a picture, but they confiscated my camera at the second security stop.

After 2 hours we were called up again to a different window and the lady there got me to sign some forms then told us to sit down and wait for the final interview. Thankfully that wait was only 40 minutes. The final interview consisted of some guy asking us questions of how we met, then calling us emo, and asking me if I was gonna work in the states… and that was it! I was approved! (saying that makes me think of SNL… heh) I don’t have it in hand yet, because they suck. On the door of the first security post (the exit door) there was a sign saying they no longer give them to you on the day, you have to either come back the next day or give them a self addressed envelope so they can send it to me. But they made me buy a giant bag that cost like… $8! And its only to hold a passport! So weird. maybe they super-pad it so you dont know whats inside unless you know.

It was so awesome being there with Jake, I would’ve gone completely nuts on my own, or been crying the whole time, knowing me. The people who were interviewing us actually said it was really great he was there, because it was more real or something. Mum reckons they were spying on us via t

he security cameras, and coz we were being lovey the whole time, that’s why it worked so well. 🙂

So once we got that and took it back to the 10th floor guard, we went to the food court and got some juice and these yummy wrap type things. Jake got… turkey with cheese and lettuce, and I got…. ham with mustard and tomato and cheese and pineapple and lettuce. So good, well mine was, Jake’s was too dry.

We ate our lunch in the park, while I messaged a bunch of people and told them the good news. This was the same park that had the fountain with the turtles.

After eating, we went back to the hotel and layed around, watching afternoon tv and just celebrating the lack of something blocking us from being together. 😀

Dinner was decided as noodle bowl things again, so we went downstairs and to the cafe to get dessert. I got a delicous brownie and Jake got something called a Florentine. Very much like a fancy honey joy. Twas a totally awesome dinner, just coz it was with Jake, in a place that only we were in.

The evening was good too, got a call from Jake’s mummy and she sounded totally over the moon about the results, then not long after that, Jenn called! Yay I love my Jenn. So glad she’s home. I get 10 days in which to spend as much time with her as i can. 😀

The hotel people made us do a census form too! That was pretty evil. But eh. It was only evil for like… 5 minutes.

 

Wednesday is today, and our last day of "holidaying". We got up at 9 and watched some tennis whilst getting ready to leave. It was funny coz one of the dudes playing was called Murray, and we have a very-funny-to-us joke about the word ‘murray’ which I don’t think I’ve explained in here… ha. We left the hotel at 9:45, I got a BIG cookie from the vending machine by the elevator (that was my breakfast!) and we checked out and caught a taxi to the airport.

The taxi trip took only 10 minutes! It was totally unexpected. Taxi driver said such a fast trip hadn’t happened to him before. Heh. But that meant we were at the airport with 2 hours to waste. It was all good though. We bought some postcards (for the pretty pictures on them, not for the use of posting a card) and a thing of juice that the girl gave us in two smaller cups so we could have our own juice, and we just sat at the departure gate drinking juice and me eating my cookie. It was nutty. Silly thing.

The flight was just as quick as the was over, only this time we got served lunch in the form of a samich with tandoori chicken on it, as well as nice crisp lettuce and cucumber. mmmm tasty.

From the airport we caught the Skybus into the city – waiting less than 5 minutes for it to arrive once we got there, from there we walked a little bit and caught the train to Greensborough – only having to wait 1 minute for the train to arrive once we were on the platform, then at Greensie we walked to the bus stop and our bus was there waiting for us. It was awesome timing the whole way. That made me happy, coz I was damm thirsty again!

Since we’ve been home, I’ve had kitty give me lots of cuddles and Petie too, he really missed us. I think its mostly that I’m definitely going away for a long time, in only 10 days. Mustn’t think too hard about it, or I’ll cry. I’ve also completely unpacked, and washed and dried our dirty clothes from the trip, so it looks like we haven’t even been away, cept the dishes haven’t been washed the whole time!

 

I think now its time for bed. There’s a Jake waiting there, and I’m tired. Tomorrow we go to Greensie and get to see Jenn!!!

If you want to see all our pictures from the trip, go here.