Rudolph the red-nosed Kanga!

A Christmas painting on a store window made me laugh a bit :)

As you all know, I have been on the search for a job.  Well the bad news is that we are foreigners here so we are not the "ideal employees" being that we are travelers and only looking for a job for a short time.  I have handed out several CVs (resumes) and hadn't had much luck....until now!  Jenni and I had an interview today at Hotel Balaclava, which is a pub in St. Kilda not too far from the beach :).  Pat was the man's name who interviewed us and he was very pleasant and assuring and told us he'd call us on Friday.  Then I had a trial set up for 5:00 pm today, Wednesday, at a cool restaurant called Boheme in Richmond.  A trial is where I went in and they showed me the ropes and I was quickly put on my own to see if I could handle it.  Well I did handle it and I was offered the job!  The website of the restaurant I now work at is www.bohemerestaurantbar.com.au so you can check it out.  Boheme is only a 15 minute walk from where we live so that is definitely a plus whereas the Hotel Balaclava is a 30-45 minute tram ride.  Now we are finishing up the hunt for Jenni.  She is interested in a bit more of a chill scene like a cafe or coffee shop.  She brought her CV to a really cute cafe with delicious food just around the corner from where we live today and we can't wait to hear back! I know she will find something awesome and I will keep you posted.  If I am offered that job on Friday as well I will have a tough decision because there are positive and negatives of both. Either way 

I have my first Aussie job! 

There are several things different about Australia from the States, not only in the hospitality industry, but in general.  A few include:  
1.  Carding someone before serving them alcohol is offensive and employers don't want 
     you to ID, which leads me to.....
2.  Legal drinking age is 18
3.  You are paid 15-20 AUD$ per hour for waiting tables vs. $2.16 US, but tips are not 
     compulsory
4.  There are 5, 10, 20, 50, $1, & $2 Australian coins.  Most things ring up with uneven 
     cents so they round, for instance $3.96 would just be $4 and $8.23 would be $8.20
5.  Food and alcohol, along with most everything else, is MUCH more expensive here
     examples: Bottled beer is double the price here in Australia.  apprx.  8 AUD$ per beer
                     Canned sodas and candy bars are 2.50 AUD$.....and the list could go on!
6.  Light switches are upside down
7.  Electrical outlets have to be switched on and off
8.  Aussies drive on the opposite side of the road
9.  Public trams are many Aussies means for transportation
10. In a grocery store it is rare to see a brand or item that we have in the US
11. Sprite is called lemonade and lemonade is called lemon squash
12. Entrees at a restaurant are appetizers and what Americans call Entrees are called 
     "mains" here
13. It is uncommon to have air conditioner 
14. Instead of saying "your welcome", Aussies say "cheers" or "thanks, cheers"
15. Friends are called "mates"  
16. Australian deer have these funny little pouches on their bellies ;)