Initial observations from Down Under

It has been just over two weeks now since I first landed at Melbourne airport, eager to settle into an exciting new job and live in a new country, Australia.

What has followed has been an interesting journey.  I’m not ready to draw any conclusions yet given my short span of time here, but I’ve made some interesting observations which I’d like to share, beyond the obvious difference in accent and driving on the opposite side of the road of course.

Public transport has been a huge plus compared to the US.  It’s not perfect by any stretch of imagination, but I haven’t been completely crippled by the fact that I don’t have a car.  Yes, it is more convenient if you had one, but it’s not terribly difficult to survive without one, especially if you locate yourself astutely when finding a place to live.  So, I am paying a little more than I should be for my apartment, but it means that I can go to work, shopping for general household things and catch a train to Melbourne city by foot.  And let me tell you, when you’re trying to settle in and need a zillion things all at once, it is very handy to just walk 10-15 mins and get them!

The weather has been relatively mild.  It is typically chilly during the morning and evening hours (~ 5 deg C) but warms up to around 15 C during the day usually.  As long as it doesn’t rain, the rather strong breezes are also quite pleasant.  A step up certainly from the freezing winters of Nashville.  The weather actually reminds of Melbourne, FL, funnily enough, where I spent my undergraduate years.  And we have beaches relatively nearby too!

My work environment has been quite a contrast from the US as well.  It is a much warmer work environment in that colleagues are generally happy to have a genial conversation about non-work related stuff in the hallways and around the pantry area.  People generally have a decent sense of humour and a little bit of sarcasm, which I quite enjoy.  Even though I’d say the work pressure is relatively the same here, I find it a fair bit easier to get through my work days.  And oh, the best part!  People stick quite firmly to the routine of 9-5 work even in research positions.  Sometimes I come a little bit earlier or stay at most an hour later if I’ve got to finish up something, but no questions are asked about your productivity after 5 pm.  You are expected to go home and wind down for the day!  Hopefully, this situation stays unchanged over the next months/years because this is the sort of balance that I enjoy.  Work hard for 8-10 hours a day and then relax and have a good time afterwards.

My biggest obstacle, as it has been in my previous relocations, has been the lack of good friends.  It has been quite hard to meet new people in the area.  People in my apartment complex tend to stay mostly indoors since it is winter now, and I know but a handful of people that I work with.  As always, it will take time and a bit of effort to develop a circle of friends with whom I can enjoy hanging out with.  Thankfully, in the past, I’ve been very lucky in Florida and in Nashville to acquire priceless friendships that I cherish, so I’m hoping for more of the same in Australia.  All in due time, I suppose.

And Super Babe, the closest kangaroo to where I live is in the Ballarat Zoo, roughly 50 km north, where I’d been when on vacation here in 2006.

G’day mate!