I finally have internet at home! It got connected on Wednesday…so I can do things like upload pictures and update my blog without having to trek into town and pay to use the internet cafe! Hopefully in the next few days I’ll have quite a few entries as I catch up on events from the last month.

Anyway, just about a month ago, I flew across the country to Brisbane for James’ mother’s birthday, his sister’s 18th birthday, and Mother’s Day. I planned this trip pretty much as soon as I arrived in Perth because I wanted to be there with his family on a special weekend; I thought it would be good just to see friendly faces after a month in Perth, even though it meant having to see James as well. However, about a week before I boarded the Qantas plane heading east, prospects for the weekend started looking much better when James apologized and asked if we could get back together. Again, I’m not going into full detail, but essentially, I said yes and it certainly made the weekend much less awkward!

We didn’t spend a lot of time in Brisbane itself. I landed at about midnight (since I took off right after work at 5.30), so we spent the night there and then drove up to the Sunshine Coast early the next morning. Much of the day was devoted to either being lazy (napping) or getting ready for the barbeque that night. The only interesting events were 1) Kate (James’ sister) and I went to the beach with David (their brother) but didn’t swim (I’d forgotten my swimsuit). It was a beautiful day and great for just sitting, talking, and watching the waves…and 2) we took Kate to the bottle shop so she could legally buy alcohol for the first time..and she didn’t even get IDed! I didn’t get IDed on my 21st either, so I understood her anger

Kate’s BBQ was good fun, as was going out afterwards. I’d never actually been to any clubs on the Sunshine Coast, and I quickly realized why when we were charged $5 at the Wharf Tavern just to get into the bar downstairs…and then another $8 to get upstairs. We didn’t even go downstairs (except to get into the upstairs club) so it seemed a bit of a rip-off for them to charge us for both! Upstairs, it was pretty much a normal club–lots of dancing and hit music–except for the alcohol prices, which seemed more excessive than normal. James and I got a Bundy Draught each–just pre-mixed Bundy and Coke–and they didn’t give us any change out of the $20 I gave them! We knew that the government had just massively increased taxes on pre-mixed drinks (claiming they want to curb binge-drinking) but it was a bit much. We still paid for drinks, since we were there, but it hurt!

Of course, it was just my luck to be on the dance floor when a guy danced up to us and asked “So, where all y’all from?” I knew that he had to be from at least somewhere near Texas because he knew the proper plural for “y’all,” so I wasn’t surprised at all that when I told him I was from Texas, he said, “Oh wow! Me too! I’m from San Antonio!” Turns out that he also worked in oil & gas. I thought this coincidence was really funny at the time, but after having been in Perth for longer, I find that it’s not a coincidence at all. It seems like this town is absolutely swarming with Texans or people that have lived in Houston, since pretty much every company here has a big base there.

We stayed at the club until about 1.30, when Kate’s friend Hazel decided her feet had had enough and was ready to go home. James and I jumped at the chance to go with her and left David to watch Kate and make sure she made it home okay…needless to say, he was very happy with us and looked like a zombie the next morning (although this turned out to be because he was coming down with a bad cold rather than being from a hangover). He missed going to coffee in Mooloolaba for Mother’s Day, where all of the rest of the ”kids” just stared like zombies trying to stay awake!

Overall, I really enjoyed my weekend there and it was great to see faces that I know so well. I’m settling in well to Perth but I still don’t have any people here that I’ve known as long as those on the East Coast. I’ll be heading back over there in a couple weeks, although I won’t be seeing James’ family. Instead, James is picking me up and driving us down to Byron Bay–in New South Wales and about a 2-hour drive south of Brisbane–so I can see Chelsea, one of my best friends from Rice and the only other girl comp sci in our year, who is currently on a month-long graduation trip to Australia. I’m looking forward to it, especially since I’ll get a long weekend so I won’t feel quite so much like I’m hopping off a plane only to get back on another one.