Sept. 1, 2001-Almost There
(photos:Our home,
Kookaburra welcome)
We tried vegemite. It’s labeled, “yeast extract concentrate.” It tastes and smells exactly like a cake of yeast. Vile is too mild a word to describe it. People say you have to get used to it but I really think you have to come from Australian lineage and be missing a gene for taste buds. That brings me to the food we’ve eaten. If you notice there’s been a lack of descriptive detail about our meals in the emails since we’ve gotten here. That’s because, although lovely to look at, the food is truly bland. We did eat at a Malaysian restaurant and David had a dish that was described as mildly spicy and actually had flavor.
Aussies also seem to allow more uncensored formats on TV. After 9 PM anything goes. During the day we’ve heard one talk show host describe women who have liposuction fat injected into their lips as literally speaking out of their ass. Condoms are sold in public restrooms with ads that say, “Fly the Flag.” There was a sign over a urinal that said. ”Look straight ahead; pretend you are alone. See if it works. For washroom advertising, give us a tinkle.” The one I saw was an ad that said, “Don’t just sit there…….Imodium.”
Surfer’s Paradise-Real Life Australia
The flight from Sydney was lovely. We were low enough for most of the trip to see the Pacific and the coastline. Towns disappeared as the bush and The Great Dividing Range came into view. Nothing like a sensible name for a mountain range.
We were met at the Coolangatta airport by the president of the congregation, Alven , age 31 who teaches 8th grade maths (his word) and science. He was joined by his 13 month old son Marcus who has flaming red hair. Syd and Janet Bruce, age undetermined, but parents of Rebecca, 18, and Daniel, 20 completed our greeters. They loaded our belongings into the Bruce’s Jeep and hauled us to our new home.
The drive from the airport was about fifteen minutes along the coast. Most of it was business and single family residential until we neared Surfer’s Paradise. The high rises loomed in the distance. One set of pink buildings caught my eye. It turned out to be our new home. It’s well located across a four-lane road from the largest shopping center in the area. It’s a 6-7 minute walk to the beach and a short stroll to an area of cafes and the casino. The building is a new residential hotel.
It’s a secure building. We have to press the key onto a magnetic plate to get into the garage and then again to get into our parking level. If you come in from the street and only use the key to open the door the elevator won’t open. You have to again activate the magnetic strip.
We have a one bedroom, one bath apartment with a sleeper sofa. The furniture is new but sparse. The bedroom has a queen-sized bed and end tables. There is one clothes closet in the whole place. It has some shelving and hanging area. When our clothes come (I’m getting really nervous about that) we’ll have to use the linen closet and kitchen cupboard for storage. We have a TV/VCR and air conditioning. There’s no heat. No one has heated homes here. As the Europeans, Australians are in denial about flying insects. There are no screens.
Our kitchen is equipped enough to suit us. There is service for four. If we have more to dinner, we’ll use paper. There’s a microwave, a tiny refrigerator, and a dishwasher. I may never have enough dirty plates at one time to use the dishwasher. Janet Bruce bought some basics food-wise (milk, pop, bread) and supplied bath towels and washcloths. We need to fill in. We discussed whether or not to buy toothbrush holders or to continue to use the travel cases. We decided that seven months was long enough to make ourselves comfortable and to make it home.
Sliding glass doors in the living area and bedroom open to balconies overlooking the pool. They are our only windows. We also have a pair of kookaburras who don’t live in an old oak tree but have set up housekeeping on our living room balcony and in the palm tree next to it. They’re members of the magpie family and have a very distinctive call. It’s the bird version of a hyena laugh. They’re meat eaters and not easily frightened. We’ve taken pictures of them with the sliding door open and they just stare at us. I shooed them with my hand but not until I flailed at them with a pillow did they leave. If we wanted an Australian experience, I guess we have it now.
Is This Miami in the 1950’s?
The Bruces introduced us to our car. It’s an aged Mitsubishi that was probably an extra someone could spare. It’s large and intimidating considering the traffic patterns here. They took us on a drive-by of the temple. David drove. As long as I keep telling him he’s too far left he’ll do fine. The same goes for me. I got to drive home. It does take concentration. At least it’s transportation.
Temple Shalom is on the Isle of Capri. That’s as it should be given the names in the area. There’s Mermaid Waters, Surfer’s Paradise, Miami, and Palm Beach. Our apartment building is in Broadbeach. The temple building is made of tan brick and is a basic rectangle. We haven’t been inside yet. They have a website. I don’t know what it is for sure but you can search under Temple Shalom Surfers Paradise Australia.
Getting Acquainted
We went to dinner at the Bruce’s and were joined by the airport greeters along with Elizabeth, Alven’s wife. It was an informal cookout. We were at our first “barbie!” I’d told Janet about losing David’s birthday card and finally finding it when we unpacked. She supplied impromptu cookies and candles. They live in a neighborhood of nice, medium sized houses that are newish and close together. Theirs backs to the river. From what I could tell it has a large deck or patio area with a hot tub. A big storm came up and was lovely to watch.
Syd works for a company out of Spokane that makes polymer fasteners for bread packages, Kwik Lok. I guess someone has to make those slip-on tabs. His wife works at a bank and will help us set up our account here. Their son, Daniel, works in a toy store and will help us figure out which ISP will be best for our computer needs. The congregation got us major medical coverage and Elizabeth is checking to see what to do if we just need to see a doctor for a minor illness. The evening was very relaxing with lots of laughs all around.
They said that Australians consider themselves to be the 51st state of the U.S. They’re addicted to any trend or fashion that’s American. They even call soccer by the right name. Football here is Australian Rules Football. They have Indy racing although it’s a 300 not a 500. They call coaches buses and were just as confused about the sign at the Opera House that referred to “cloaked items” as we were.
Responsibility Looms
We found out there’s a BBQ at noon for the QAJEX. That’s the Queensland Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women Gold Coast Branch. It will be held at the temple. Guess we’re going. They expect 120 people. Evidently this far exceeds the usual attendance for this annual event. As in Akron, new rabbis bring out curiosity seekers. This is the part that we’ve not been looking forward to. Being “on” all the time. We now have to start learning names. These seem to be really nice people and we want to give them our best. The problem is that David retired because he didn’t want to do that kind of work anymore. Well, we knew what the deal was when we made it.
Along with the barbie at noon there will be a “tombola.” That seems to be a British raffle that Syd didn’t understand. Tickets are sold but prizes are wrapped so winners don’t know what they’ve won. Fortunately it’s informal. We’ll wear jeans. That’s all we have besides shorts, a suit for David, and a dress for me.
You’ll be happy to know I’ve already done two loads of wash. The appliances are mini- sized, after all, and running the dryer helped warm the apartment.
Toby
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