Some more notes from settling in

Some more notes from settling in-

On Saturday, we moved into a two-bedroom apartment in the suburb of Preston. It’s an interesting unit. It’s all ground level and it is attached to four other units. We are unit 2, so we are right next door to units 1 and 3. Our neighborhood is nice, but sometimes it feels a little too sleepy. I’m not complaining though… it’s hard enough to find a place to live in Melbourne period, lest one you can find in your price range as well!

Settling in was a little less smooth than anticipated. The biggest difficulty? No hot water! Normally, this is not a major problem, but remember that it is winter here. Don’t let the geography of being in Australia (and all those pictures of people frolicking on the beach in winter in Queensland) fool you… Melbourne is the southernmost city in mainland Australia. It’s chilly when the sun goes down!

Since Saturday, we’ve been taking shallow baths, filling the tub with hot water from the electric kettle. I kept thinking about that part in Eat Pray Love where the old Italian woman tells Liz (who is encountering the same shallow-water tub situation at her apartment in Rome) “Everything important gets clean.” Thank goodness for scalding hot cups of tea and warm blankets, post bath!

Today, the real estate agent came out to take a look at our problem. He had to manually light the pilot light on the hot water heater. I am hoping this solves the problem, as I am perpetually cold and could use a good sweat from taking a hot shower or bath.

We have few material possessions at the moment. Elizabeth’s family has generously loaned us a comfy floor mattress and a refrigerator. Did I mention that it would be quite unusual for most rental properties to have a fridge or washing machine included in the unit? These are items that you are expected to own. However, it is quite normal for every rental unit to have a reserved, off-street parking spot.

We are also feeling very thankful for the donations of a television set and an office chair. Justin and I will continue to look for other furniture soon. There seems to be some great stuff at The Salvation Army, but the major problem is transportation… how will we get the furniture here? We’ve been looking at IKEA as well (since they deliver for a very minimal fee) but even IKEA gets pricey. As a matter of fact, we picked up some goods there this past weekend (dishes, rugs, etc.) It’s an interesting experience to lug around those massive IKEA bags, plus a set of dishes on a crowded tram!

That’s enough about our new home… I’m sure you want to hear more about the neighborhood, right?

We live off a major road, which helps me get to sleep at night. Having lived in a city for almost all of my adult life, I’ve become accustomed to the sounds of sirens, cars, barking dogs, loud humans, etc. at all hours of the day and night. It’s funny to put it this way, but I actually have trouble sleeping if it’s too quiet.

Preston is located a little over five miles from the CBD. We are two blocks down from a tram stop, which is very handy. We are six or seven blocks from the train station too. Also, our neighborhood has more milk bars (convenience stores) than you can shake a stick at, which is awesome because I nearly always need to grab something from these places.

I’m told by Melburnians that Preston is a major multicultural area of the city. You sure do feel that on the High Street here. Chinese restaurants, bakeries, and butcher shops are abundant. I could pretty much live off of Asian food, so I am in good shape there. Strolling up and down the main drag, you are more likely to hear Chinese than English. Other languages I seem encounter on a somewhat daily basis are Arabic, Greek, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Somali.

Anyway, I better get back to studying. I nearly forgot how much reading graduate school entails. Time to get crackin'!