I just received my first mail in Melbourne! That’s enough of an excuse for Timmy to call all his friends to meet at a pub…now…at 2:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. These Aussies are crazy.
Last night Timmy brought me to his parent’s home in Gladstone Park, where I finally had the chance to meet his parents, who I’ve heard so much about. His brother, Ben, was there as well. We had a delicious meal, and I got to see how Timmy became such a nice guy, his parents are awesome. His mom is so concerned that I’m comfortable and have everything I need, it’s amazing. I can definitely live with regular meals there! His mom was telling me about how excited she is to babysit Cruz on Fridays this summer. Crus is Timmy’s brother, Sam’s son. Cruz is 4.5 months old, so he’s a little young for Jacob… But hopefully some day they’ll meet!
Today I saw my first beach in Australia. Timmy picked me up after his morning shift was done, and took me to the Brighton/St. Kilda/Port Melbourne area. WOW. Some beautiful homes and developments along the water. I’m really not sure the name of the street, but where I was walking, it could have been Monkland, but with a beach a stone’s throw away. Granted, I am a very good stone thrower, but just trust me, it was very close!!
Driving around the area, we took down the phone numbers for every property we saw a “For Lease” sign on. Wow, it would be amazing to live in that area, really beautiful – it would be the ideal “I moved to Australia from Canada and lived on a beach” story. This area was sort of what my naive side always pictured and expected Melbourne to be. It did not disappoint! Some of these units for lease are going for $850 per week – might not be that realistic!!
We then went to check out Harbour Town, where Melbourne’s Southern Star wheel (similar to the London Eye) is under construction following last year’s grand opening and closing, due to damage caused by an intense heatwave of last summer. This is an impressive place, even with the wheel not functional.
To the locals, though, the most impressive, is the Costco that opened several weeks, or no more than a month, ago. I’m basically a celebrity here, because I have a Costco card! Costco cards form anywhere work here. So Timmy and I went to check out the Costco – one problem: I didn’t have my card on me. NO ENTRY! It’s nuts! They don’t even let you walk in! Timmy has officially decided that he will not support Costco. I’m with him, sort of – it’s stupid – how would one want to buy a membership if they can’t even go see the inside of the store first? Timmy’s starting his own Costco – who’s coming with?
The Costco is quite impressive, it’s a very, very nice and modern-looking building. Peeking inside, which felt like a couple 16-year olds looking inside a strip club, I could have been at the Costco I’ve frequented near IsaiX for my weekly hotdog meal. The footprint of these stores is identical. I felt the same way at Ikea the other day, when I went to buy drawers.
So, in short, Melbourne has an Ikea, Costco, Krispy Kreme, and Lulu Lemon (yes, I saw that today in Brighton). I’m in Montreal with a beach and an accent. And to top it all off, I’m sitting here watching Monday Night Football on Tuesday afternoon. Sweet.