Melbourne Part One

Hi and welcome back sorry about the delay in updating the blog but we have been REALLY REALLY busy. So here it goes and its gonner be in a weekly type form as for the majority of the week days and we don't want to make you go to sleep

Friday 18th July - Friday 25th July

So after a busy and hectic flight from Fiji to Sydney then onto Melbourne we checked into the Ritz for backpackers in St Kilda. Was a decent hostel a little noisy especially after the long day but what could we expect when its over a pub and it was a friday night. Anyways we checked in and colaspe into the bed.

We spent Saturday knocking jobs off the list we needed to do so that we could start work asap. Wolfie applied for the tax file numbers in the morning, Whilst Corinne got started on the mountains of washing we had from Fiji, Wolfie also fashioned a washing line in the room. We then headed to explore the city taking the tram into the city, once there we opened Australian bank accounts, wolfie had his phone unlocked and we picked some paperwork up from the post office. For our lunch we had some very VERY cheap sushi was $2.50 for half a roll (about 4 pieces), because of the Asian influence in Melbourne is cheap everywhere. We went to safeway to get a few bits of shopping in and caught up with some more sleep.

On Sunday we took advantage of a deal with the local cinema and went to watch the Dark Knight the new batman film which was awesome, and just spent the afternoon around the hostel relaxing. Monday bought another trip back into the city to drop a few bits of at the post office and we started to explore the city a little . There are so many streets and little side streets with restaurant and cafes tucked away. Wolfie sorted out a few bits for his job at the Melbourne childrens hospital so that he could start work later that week and we also booked a days work at the exhibition centre.

So after 5 whole months off not having to work we had stretched our money out we had to work. We had phoned an advertisment at the Hostel to work at the Exhibition centre and Tuesday found us waking at 6am to get ready. We took a tram to the Exhibtion centre and found the meeting point, we got our orange bibs and for the first 3 hours we just kind of waited around for the lorry full of the equipment that we need. After that the hard work started, Wolfie spent the next 9 hours assembling the stands whilst corinne dished out the furniture and plants to the completed ones. After a 12 hour day we were both very knackered and refused to stay any longer and headed into the city for a subway footlong.

Checking his emails on Wednesday wolfie seen that everything had come through just in time to start his job the next day. So after leaving corinne on the hip Aclind street to look for a job in a cafe he went to the hospitasl to meet his new work colleagues. once we were sorted we met back at the hostel for some tea and talked about the day.

Wolfie had his first day at work on the thursday and headed of to work in his own clothes as the uniform policy was either to wear scrubs or smart casual. The ward i would be mainly working on was the acute care unit (winter ward) and i meet a few off the girls, abbey, emma and leanne i was extra as supernummery for the first couple of shifts. it was cool and sooooooooo much more laid back than work in the UK, the whole working environment more easy going. I spent the day having to nip off to do one thing or the other .

Friday 25th July - Friday 3rd August

Friday had Wolfie at work again on the other ward he worked on the short stay unit apptly named the dungeon as its has no natural light. Its an kind of observation ward attached to the AED but for longer stays and education. Corinne had a lazy day sorting out a few bits so she could work at a child care centre and she went to watch mama mia at the flicks down the road.

We both worked on the saturday wolfie at the hospital on the late shift and Corinne done an early day at the Exhibition centre much to her disgust. Sunday we had a lazy day around the hostel again, really a very quite weekend (as we were running low on the money).

The second Monday in Melbourne meant proper work time now. Wolfie was doing one of his AM12 a shift were you start at 7am and work till 7.30pm doing 4 off these a fortnight and one short shift, Whilst Corinne went back to the exhibition centre (she really doesn't like it).

Corinne had the day off on the Tueday and was flat hunting. Once wolfie had returned home from work we headed off to see a couple hopefully to be better than the first one that we had seen the preivious week. Again the first one was terrible but the econd was a flat share with a kiwi guy called Richard, the flat and place were ideal, our own bathroom decent size kitchen and double futon bed.

At some point we paid the deposit, wolfie done a nightshift on the Wednesday and on the Thursday we started packing at the hostel and moved the first few bits across via tram (just take this point to say that if you lived in Melbourne you wouldn't need a car the public transport is amaizng). dropped a few bits off and had a chat with Richard our new flatmate, Before going back to the hostel. Corinne had also arranged an interview for a childcare centre near to the flat (everything was coming together).