To Tip or Not to Tip

I have been feeling guilty, in fact in addition to feeling guilty I have also been feeling down right criminal. See while I have never worked in the service industry - unless working in the grocery store during high school vacation counts, I have friends who have worked in the service industry and I know they made/make very little. So I have always happily paid my tips for good service provided, even paid tips for lousy service provided (bleeding heart that I am) and accepted the "Healthy California Tax" without complaining as it was good for society blah blah blah that the restaurant workers had health insurance etc.

Then I moved to Perth Western Australia and I discovered something strange and it was only today I finally mustered up the courage to ask about it. I noticed when I ate out (quite a bit I would admit until I have a place to call home) that when you pay by credit/debit card there is no place to put a tip. I also noticed no tip jars anywhere. I noticed that when I paid by cash no one asked me if I wanted change back - they just brought all the change back. I noticed that when I did leave a tip I got strange looks. So finally today after getting my eyebrows waxed for the first time since leaving the USA I finally broke down and asked the beautician - "where do I leave you a gratuity?" to which her response was "what's that?". I said "A tip" she looked at me and smiled and said "You don't"

No one really tips here - according to her maybe 1% of the population does (probably those foreigners like myself), my other questions to her were if no one minded not getting tips and do they make a living without them - they answer was no and yes. How strange huh? 

Apartment Hunting in Perth

Kissing Frogs and Counting Teaspoons

There is the old adage in dating that you have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince, there also is the theory that dating in a numbers game and the more people you see the better your chances are off meeting “the one”. Given those bits of information and applying it to apartment hunting I should be really close to finding my dream apartment any day soon one would think.

The last time I was this close to being homeless was October 2006 and not only did I know the city (San Francisco) very well, I also had friend which couches and beds. Something I do not have here.

Calling it a tough housing market is rather laughable – it is downright brutal. So unlike the US most of the apartment rentals are controlled by rental agencies and they are in no hurry to help find you a place to live. Even the large apartment complexes do not have their own onsite office that you can just walk up to or make an appointment with to just go in and see a unit and fill out paperwork like we did back in San Francisco you must go through these rental agencies.

So first you look on the popular websites or on the rental agencies websites and you filter by your price range per week – why the prices are per week is something no one can really explain to me but there it is. Then you call them and hope they will answer or call you back. Sometimes they will call you back 2 days later but by that time 12 people have applied for the unit already.

Every open house I have been to has lasted only 15 mins and they are really exact about it too. Heaven forbid you get there 5mins past the designated time – you will NOT get to see the unit. So let’s say you get there on time then be assured you will have at least 7-12 other people with you and ALL of them will fill out an application. This past weekend I applied for a place I knew I would not want to live in simply because everyone else was applying for it and I did not want to be the only person that walked out.

What you get for the money
Apartments are extremely expensive here especially in the city where I am hoping to be as it is fairly close to public transportation and I would like to be for at least the next 6mths till I get myself sorted out pertaining to a car etc. Even at the price of $400 per week I am having a hard time finding a place to live.

Also very strangely a high percentage; I would comfortably say most apartments are furnished – fully furnished. And of those another 60% are fully equipped meaning they have everything down to the last teaspoon and the strange collection of beer mugs. Some even have sheets and towels that tenants after tenant use – can you say ewwww!!! For the fully equipped apartments when you move out they come in and count the dishes, spoons, towels etc and then charge if you anything is broken or missing. Can you imagine living in such a stressful situation were you can't break a glass or loose a teaspoon?

And in yet another strange cultural twist those that are unfurnished are really unfurnished as I discovered at a few open houses – there was no fridge, stove or washer. Just the space for them, this means that if I get one of those I have to go and buy myself a fridge, stove and washer in addition to things you would expect to buy anyway like TV and a bed. I don’t know why this troubles me so much – I can handle buying a bed, a TV even a car, but the thought of owing my own fridge/stove/washer (a real adult sized one) really depresses me. I will let the shrinks puzzle out the reasons for that one.

So this week back to the search I have only 8 days left – I hired a relocation consultant to help cut through the BS of the agents and I don’t know how she does it but she actually gets them to call her back and actually manages to get viewings set up for me to see apartments. In the meanwhile I will have to work on surrendering to the system i.e. preparing mentally to become the proud mummy of a fridge bleh 

The Great Church Search - Riverview Church

So I finally got myself out of bed at 9 on Sunday morning after planning out my trip to check out a church the night before. On paper it seemed fairly simple; get up, get ready, get the bus, get there, attend the service, get the bus back and get a nap.

I decided the search would starch with Riverview church in Burswood – it looked fairly close on the map and the bus to get there was only 2 blocks away from where I am currently staying; a major win I thought at the time. Unfortunately, getting public transportation on Sundays is trickier than normal so after no bus I decided to take a cab, but alas it being Sunday no cabs were in the usual taxi stop on Hay and Milligan so I started walking and walked some more about 5 blocks till I found them lined up down by the mall and was able to get one.

Fifteen dollars later I was there and was welcomed with a handshake by a greeter outside the building who provided me with directions were the sanctuary was. Outside the sanctuary/auditorium was a large area with chairs, tables and small couches were some people were sitting, some with children. There were two large doors on either side with ushers – the one on the right directed those of us coming in to the left as the right section was full. Inside another army of ushers directed people to seats in a HUGE auditorium with black drapes all around to ensure no sunlight got in and the myriad of lighting and sound equipment overhead. I have honestly seen smaller theaters. Unfortunately the seating space was not well utilized as I could spot many empty seat chunks up and down the rows. Also the ushers just let people walk up and down and in and out all during the service even if they were seated up front.

The Service

The service kicked off at 11:15am with praise and worship which went on for about 35mins and was totally more or less Hillsong. Then they picked up the offering, had a guy talk about his trip to Africa and why the giving was important and then did the church announcements. This section coming when it does completely pulls you out of the worship frame of mind you were in previously. Then the guest speaker finally took the stage at 12:05 and went on till around 12:50. There were no handouts and while he did have a good speech sharing mostly about his testimony and his work with the indigenous people there was no real scripture reading/reference - he did put one verse up on the overhead at one point. At this point my bladder was screaming, I had the one bus per hour to figure out to catch at 1:08 so I decided it was time to go. When I left to go to the bathroom at 12:50 he was praying and doing somewhat of a raise your hand for prayer altar call.

Children

Ahhh Children they are adorable aren’t they, so tiny cute, cuddly, the joy of their parents life, you give your life to have them, you give your life for them etc. Well this church lets you keep them regardless of the age with you in the sanctuary. So guess what happened? I had the mewling newbie behind me and the restless popping up and down, won’t keep still or shut up 2-3 year old in front of me and the woman with what looked like the 6mth old pacing back and forth in the aisle to the side.  I have been spoiled by 6 years at Cornerstone where no one under 6 was allowed in the sanctuary and almost was reduced to screaming myself. If I go back I really have to scout out for a section that has no kids within a 5 row radius and be prepared to move if I see one coming hahahahahhaha.

Facilities

It is a rather large campus – the bathroom is nice and clean, they must clean it between services given the number of people using it. I counted 16 stalls in the regular ladies room. There was also a separate mother’s room where women could breast feed, change the baby etc which had additional stalls and sinks. There is also a large nursery for the babies, and rooms for kids of different ages so there is no real reason to keep the children with you during the service as there are facilities and volunteers there to provide child care during the service. They even flash your pager number on the screen in the sanctuary if you need to get up and tend to your child/baby so again no real reason to have the baby/child with you.

Getting Home

I might go back again but getting home was a real deal breaker. I asked for directions to the bus at the church info desk and was told “Oh it was just 5mins away” which I have discovered is what most people here think. I walked the requisite 5mins in the direction he said and no bus stop insight. I ran into some lovely ladies from different countries 2 of which were Americans from YWAM who were here in Perth training to become midwives and hoping to be sent into 3^rd world countries to serve (amazing) they were headed from the church to the train station and had no idea where the bus station was and said they would show me where to catch the train. We had a lovely chat about our various journeys but it was a HALF AN HOUR walk, 30mins of walking to get to this train. I had to jump a concrete wall, walk up many flights of stairs, clamber over many green fields the whole time I am going in my head WTH!!! By time I made it to the train I had sweaty arm pits and a blister on each foot from shoes that were 2 years old and well broken in by San Francisco streets.  Oh Cornerstone how I miss thee!! Going to church should not involve going on a Walkabout – just saying.

Sushi on a Conveyor Belt

I saw and participated in a most fascinating concept I now refer to as “Sushi on a Conveyor Belt”, I am not sure I would go back as I did have a tummy ache after although I did not get sick. Perth has many sushi restaurants some of them are a little strange for instance the one that had a mostly chicken menu – I could not recall ever seeing that many chicken rolls on a menu before, but I digress – back to the conveyor belt. I walked into this place starving and wanting a little bite to eat – I noticed that they had the various rolls going around and around and thought “hmm well that’s one way to cut down on menu costs just have the visual and you point and they make it”.

I then found out how wrong I was – you sat down and you picked up items from the conveyor belt and ate them and you stacked the plates up, at the end of the meal they counted the plates and based on the color and number of plates (different colors had different prices) they then told you how much you owed for the meal. I was a little weirded out about it but then the place was doing brisk business and no one else seemed to have a problem with it and since I had already been seated I felt I had to commit.

So I had 4 plates – 1 plate had 4 pieces of calamari, 1 had 2 pieces of Krab nigiri (imitation crab), 1 had 6 small tuna rolls (no avocado), I also had miso soup and a cup of tea all to the tune of $27 Awkk!!!

Eh! You close at what time….?

Perth has an amazing array of shops to choose from. The downtown area commonly referred to locally as the CBD (Central Business District) in some areas reminds me of downtown Vancouver and Robson St and other areas remind me of downtown Burlingame in the San Francisco Bay Area. There is everything from your big recognizable names – Gucci, Prada, Hugo Boss to North Face and Target along with local upscale designers, Chemists (Pharmacists), The Body Shop etc. Basically most stores you have seen or visited in a typical mall or shopping area in a major city in the US are here. I even saw a Bobbi Brown store today which means I can finally get that lipstick replaced as I did not have time to go to Nordstrom before I left.

That’s the great news the bad news is the shopping hours….

Yesterday I got kicked out of Woolworths. Woolworths in case you don’t know is a huge grocery chain store here. I would say it is a cross between Whole Foods, Safeway and Walgreens in that you have your higher end organic meats, fish, fruit and cheeses, the regular priced store brands and you can also get a mop, a notebook, some hangers and a rain coat all at the same location. So after a week of eating most of my meals out my body rebelled in a very unhappy way so I decided an intervention was needed so off to the stores I went.

First I hit Target for a skillet then I went over to Woolworth and since the wine is in a different section decided to get the wine first but spend too much time selecting it by which time the gate was coming down by time I checked out and took this picture.

Make sure you get all the booze on the first trip

I begged and the guard was kind enough to let me into the main part of the store where I engaged in my own version of Supermarket Sweeps – me running down each aisle trying to get what was on my list and throw it in the cart while trying to dodge the worker who was chasing me going “Ma’am we are closing you have to leave”. I would duck down an aisle and hide at the end and voila there he would show up following me again finally all but dragging me to the check out line – out of 9 items I got 6. By time I checked out and got out of the store with the metal gate coming down above my head it was around 5:10pm. That’s right!!

Many of the stores close daily at 5 or 6 pm – during the week Woolworths will stay open till 8/9pm but on the weekends closes at 5pm. On Sundays nothing opens before noon, well that’s not quite accurate – Target opens from 10am to 5pm on Sundays and till 6pm during the week. The “late” shopping day of the week is Friday so last Friday night when I got back into the city after work it was the first night of the week that stores were still open and I was able to get a pack of socks. This is a whole different lifestyle to get used to – imagine that just over a week ago I would leave the gym around 8 or 9pm and if I wanted something different for dinner would just hop to Safeway or Wholefoods then head home and cook it.

Sports - First Impressions

It did not take me long to figure out that Australians really really love their sports. I have not been here long enough to really figure out all the sports and teams but so far here is my take on sports.

Football aka Footy

Football in Australia is nothing like football in the US, the post thingys at the end of the field are higher and there seems to be an extra pole the purpose of which I have yet to figure out but so far it looks like the ball only goes between the two. The ball is not as long and is more rounded on each end and can be different colors. I have yet to figure out the rules of the game but how hard can it be? You have two teams, a ball, a field and two scoring ends J But best of all the players wear no big heavy padded uniforms, helmets or associated paraphernalia and in fact wear the most adorable tiny uniforms – which has made Australian Footy a sport I can definitely embrace

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/wiAtjzBk5L6/West+Coast+Eagles+Training+Session/6MQ5Brcgrds

Cricket

Ahh I have not seen a cricket match since I left the Caribbean but I have to admire the grace and mastery of a cricketer, so unlike those baseball players HeH J I did watch a bit of a game at what has now become my local watering hole now that I am in temporary housing “The Melbourne Café and Bar” with its multiple huge flat screen TV’s, the channel playing the game did this replay with infrared or xray so you could see the skeleton of the player in motion - it was really cool.

Netball

Here Netball is a sport on TV, for those of you who have no idea what netball is think basketball played by girls with lots of rules like no going outside the circle, no dunking, bouncing the ball, moving with the ball etc or read up on it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netball. Watching Netball on TV brought back such great memories – I once had the potential to be a great netballer if not for the tendency to duck, cover my head and scream whenever the ball was thrown to me.

There is also Rugby and I am certain many yet to be discovered sports………I will keep you posted

The Journey Begins

After weeks of careful, meticulous sorting and packing I finally headed off to the airport on June 30 well rested and full of joie de vivre for the journey ahead. Ah who am I kidding – up until Monday June 26 I had not packed anything, as in nothing, zip, nada! Oh I had a good idea of what I was taking and I had piles of it strewn about the apartment but actually packing nope – seriously when was I supposed to find the time? So when the kind lady at the SFO check in terminal said “Do you have any bags over 50lbs I started my “God please let it only be one” prayer over and over in my head while smiling and trying to look cute and innocent in hopes she would somehow miss the gigantic oversized 3 bags sitting at her feet and the 2 carry on’s and the cross body purse I was trying to hide behind the counter.

The verdict? 56, 61 and 66 pounds. High fives all around for keeping things under 70, not that I had a goal of 70 but it was worth celebrating. U & B helped me move 6lbs from the first one to the 2^nd one to save $50 of overage fee – the total damage was $100 in over weight plus $150 for 3^rd bag.

After a good cry in the SFO bathroom the flight from SFO to LAX was a non event although if you ever have to transfer to the international terminal in LAX you will discover to your shock, awe, delight, dismay that the bus used to transport you shares the same runway as the planes. Yup, the drivers look to the right, then to the left left oh goody big plane still a ways a way so go for it. At one stop we were so close I could see the pilot’s eyeballs – quite fascinating. It made me think it would be cool to get out there in one of those busses and try to race an airliner. I wonder how many accidents have happened out there?

LAX to Sydney on Qantas – Ahh a dream! It was aboard what I believe is the Airbus A380 where first, business and premium economy are upstairs and everyone else is downstairs. We even board through completely separate doors that are a good half a block apart in the gate. The first question upon boarding was would you like a glass of champagne or orange juice – I went for the orange juice hahhaha of course not!! Two glasses of champagne later I was in a happy place and we had not even taken off yet – see the plane held 450 people and only 80+ of those were upstairs getting hot towels and champagne a good 40+ minutes before they got everyone else boarded.

What was not to love about Premium Economy?  Let’s see: unlimited alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages of your choice, real food on read china with real stainless steel utensils and cloth napkins and glassware, unlimited snacks (they even took into account my gluten allergy/sensitivity so all my meals and snacks were different and had my name on them), your own good sized touch TV with current movies, TV shows, news programs etc (it came up out of the arm rest), the seat really went back and the legs part went up like a recliner, not to mention flight attendants that came over and personally introduced themselves and said they will be taking care of me tonight. Did I mention they were also reasonably young and attractive dressed in black suits with ties - it was no hardship!

Made it to Perth in one piece after barely making my connecting flight. Ever been in an airport and they are paging someone “Last boarding call for xxxx the flight is now closed etc”? I always wondered what those slackers were doing that caused them to hold up the flight for everyone. For the first time ever I heard my name – I was that girl. The one doing the walk of “shame” on to the plane that has been delayed pushing back from the gate for that last passenger.  In my defence is their fault for making things take so long in customs and quarantine, for booking the flights so close together and for making the international and domestic terminals so far apart J