Getting into the groove

This is Leonor and I on a very hot and stinky day!

Well I've been here for about FIVE WEEKS now and still haven't been paid. Preston and I are both bled dry, but we still find the energy to smile about it. My new found Spanish friend Leonor is in the same boat. She only had $100 left and decided to spend it on a $70 pair of shoes, and she looks foxy in them.

I find it hard to like my year 10 class for a whole period, but there are tiny glimmers of hope, it's just most of the time, I'm too sleep deprived, hungry or run off my feet to notice. I'm sure very soon we will realise that the hate we feel for each other really is love and it will all work out.

I'm missing Aus more than ever. A wise colleague of mine who migrated to the US from Argentina says that you never stop being home sick, but you learn how to deal with it. I think that will pretty much be my experience. I really miss my Coast crew. Irreplaceable. The Melbournites, and the boys from the Shire. My workmates at St Peter's... Man I miss my job... But it's all worth it.

I won't bore you with the soppy romance, but it's so much better than that and just have to report that I couldn't be happier in that department, and it makes living here all the more barable.

In fact it's not bad living here at all. In fact, when I feel more settled, I'm sure I will actually love it. I'm getting used of the roads. Peston came here last weekend and we found THE BEST Gelato shop. I've had 8 different flavors already. This weekend I'm going to go to DC and hopefully get to see Jimmy and David (Preston's mates), and have a great time running around the Smithsonian again. Or meeting the President. It's my goal. I'm going to see if I can get all the way into the oval office just to say 'hi' from all my mates in Australia who are 'huge fans'.

Well enough crap. As you can tell, nothing much has really happened. That's because I'm always fucking working!!! God Bless America.

PS I'm even getting fatter. And you should see how fat some of them are! Woah. You ain't seen fat until you get over here. I've seen some drinking diet coke for breakfast!

The Smithsonian

I have a cool house mate. He is kind of funny looking though


I saw cool art on the weekend at the Smithsonian with Preston Jimmy and David. I got to see Monet, Da Vince, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Van Gough. Freaking Brilliant.

And this cool one
So driving is fun, teaching is great and shit for 7th period. But what can you do. Adan is funny and we went to the gym tonight and did a cycle class. I'm still sweaty, and tired and so I ate Ravioli from a can. It was crap. I'm tired and will write something more later.

But I can drive on busy roads .. so there.

PS check out this fat lady - there are heaps of them here...

I think she is on her side for a reason...

Landing in the US

Well I'm off to a great start. We were only an hour late leaving Sydney on United Airlines and after 13 hours had barely made much ground, landing 40 minutes late. So running through customs to get my connecting flights only to find that I now incurred a 10 hour delay was less than pleasing.

I was delirious when I landed so the immediate excitement was suddenly clouded with the realization I was now a long way from home. The culture shock therefore was immediate for me. Everything everywhere smelt sweet: bubble gum floor polish, and overpowering air fresheners in the bathrooms. I went to order food and didn't know what I could get that would be remotely healthy.

I managed to get myself a free room at the Marriott hotel where I got to shower and sleep for a mere 2 1/2 hours before hauling ass back to LAX to go through damn security. Which did take a long time.

I now had to fly to Cincinnati, but got to sit next to a cool guy from New York who is a concert pianist and doing the same doctorate program Preston is doing, but Manhattan School of Music. So I wasn't fast asleep, we danced in our seats to Madonna, which made the time pass nicely. Oh and a girl fainted while waiting to go to the bathroom.

I finally got to Raleigh in North Carolina and Preston was there to scoop me up. It was very romantic, and surreal that finally our dream had come true. It's still very hard to believe. We sorted out all my stuff with VIF (the organisation that sponsored me to come to the US) and I found out that instead of going driving through the lush countryside in a convertable and making out with Preston, I had to take a driving test (on the other side of the road) and hadn't slept for nearly 50 hours. The Columbia girl I had to go with nearly killed us, but we both passed - God bless America.

So Preston and I hung out all week in the fulfillment of our dream and I met some of his friends and he met my mate Cameron from Aussie and we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast and it was ....
I am loved and loved and loved some more. I'm so lucky.

After we had got out stuff together in NC we drove up to Virginia to Richmond, my new home town. Adan from Spain and I agreed to share an apartment and have moved into a community called Breakenridge. We decided on it because it had a red door (and that is a sign). Its great but we only really have lounge room furniture and not much light. My bath leaks water all over the floor and down into the apartment below, but other than that it's great. There are shops in all directions and I don't even know where to start.

I've already been to Baltimore to see his apartment too. It's so cool to be here with him. Walking in there felt strangely familiar. All the mornings I've called him when he was waking up in there, and the nights I'd talk to him as he was falling asleep. I got to meet Jonny for sushi which was fun until I really need to take a leak, and eventually gave in to pissing in a corner in the carpark. I just had to.

We have a key to Mark and Renee's place and they are awesome. The first time I met Mark, he waited up for us to arrive and we stayed up talking for ages. Renee is such a sweety and it's great to make those connections with those who are close to Preston.

He has been so supportive of this move. And through a guy who is a family friend, I've managed to buy a cheap car. It turns out to be a Volvo station wagon. Silver. So now we even have semi matching cars. And it matched yours too Gabbie!!!

Over the long weekend, Preston came to stay (which was spectacular needless to say) and we went to Kroger's grocery store to do some shopping, but I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't find what I wanted and everything seems so expensive that we left the cart in the isle and fled the scene with a mini ceg of beer and a frozen pizza. I also got my hair cut and it's lop sided.

I've discovered Wallmart is my friend. And that's where I'll do most of my food shopping me thinks. Ok well with Hurricane Hanna approaching, I will sign off and grab another beer out of the fridge. It's stinking hot and I need one...

I'm off to Washington DC to be with Preston this weekend so if we die, at least we will be together. See ya, nice knowing ya.


I also got to meet Jimmy, David, Joy and Mark. Some more friends of Prestons. Joy made us a great lunch. That's where we were going when I was driving Preston's car in this vid.

Loving that man of mine...

"Picture this: You and me, years and years from now, cruising along some highway with the top down, stereo blasting, the wind whipping our hair. What ever we want to do, we do it. No agenda, no schedule, nobody else to worry about. We travel the country buying silly t-shirts and sending postcards, stopping to try roadside cafes in search of the world's best pie. No hurry. So rush. We relax in the comfort of a lifetime of companionship.

You and me.... lovers, friends, partners on this road of life."

Only Just Begun

Hey folks, I've decided to keep a blog of my new life in the US. I have lots to say already, but it's past 11pm and it's become apparent that teachers are overworked and underpaid here, so need all my energy to get through to lunch time without peeing or eating. Loving it though and have great kids but more on that later.

Stay tuned...