... Cultural encounters & differences. Getting into a Sydney lifestyle. Twilight Zone...

I've now started to get myself involved in the daily lifestyle and culture of Sydney. When you're living and working somewhere you can really start to acclimatise to the culture and get under the surface of it all. You get a chance to become absorbed into the way of life over here and view it from more than the outsider's eyes of a tourist. And although they speak the same language over here the way of life is different.

Everything starts a lot earlier over here and everyone is up and at it being active before work. I've now joined this element of culture by going swimming a few mornings a week and walking to and from work. I'd have never done this in the UK, you'd have been lucky to get me out of bed but when the sun's shining you can help but get up and be energetic.

But I love walking as it opens your eyes up to so much and you get to take in a lot more than what you would do on a bus. Like finding out when events are on, where interesting little shops & boutiques are and watching newsworthy events unfold like when a building started to collapse on my way to work due to shoddy planning on the site next door. No wonder why they're crying out for builders over here.

Another cultural difference I've noticed is instead of dress down Fridays everyone dresses up. During the week everyone wears really casual clothes to work but when they go out for after-work drinks on a Friday they really dress up and go to town.

And I am really starting to feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. David Jones (like House of Fraser) has revealed their Christmas Nutcracker themed windows and there's a Christmas tree in Hyde Park, but it's the middle of summer and sunny… it just doesn't seem right!

Chloe my dorm mate from Cairns has now moved down to Sydney and we had a reunion on Friday evening when she joined me and some of the girls from MEA for after-work drinks. We headed down to the Establishment for a few cocktails and as they're a client of MEA's we got some complimentary champagne & strawberries, my jobs ace! The Establishment is this very plush bar with marble flooring and an interesting back area as it feels very much like a bar in Shoreditch with an old warehousey feel with bare brick walls and high ceilings and the best bit is the ceiling was glass so it had a really outdoors feel to it in the centre of the CBD.

Today I caught up with Chloe with and her friend Mim down Bondi Beach. And I had the most random baby squid salad.

I've also been getting into Australian literature since I've been here as my housemate Zilla recommended a few books by Australian writers. I'm currently reading this very engaging book called Monkey Grip that's based in Melbourne and Tasmania and the alternative culture that's down there.

Photo: Twilight Zone - Hyde Park Christmas tree in the sunshine

[Next blog entry: Sydney Sunday December 9th 2007]