Arrived in Oz

I have to say, I expected a little more ceremony when I went through passport control - perhaps a grilling about our relationship, or a quiz on Aussie sporting records, or at the very least a "welcome to Australia". But no, just a quick stamp on the passport and that was it. Mind you, we had slept very little on the flight and weren't really in a decent state for anything more complicated. As it was, deciding what to do about our customs and quarantine declaration was enough mental excercise. Gotta love the Steve Irwin promo video shown on the plane before landing - "Declare or beware". We declared our boots, and customs happily (and for free!) gave the soles a good hosing and returned them to us. Some poor bloke has the job of scrubbing all those minging holiday shoes...

So, the travelling is very nearly over, and certainly we're no longer wrestling with challenges of language barriers and menus (unless you count Aussie slang and a general lack of veggie options). We're both feeling a little displaced, and I'm certainly feeling anxious to establish myself. I guess it'll take a little while for us to settle into being here, and experience says that with hindsight these periods of discomfort usually look like insignificant blips. The trusty Aussie sun is well and truly shining on us, though :)