“Hi, How you going?”

-“How you going” is the equivalent of How are you in North America.

Update: pictures uploaded!

Sydney

Last Friday, I finally got to see Sydney landmarks, such as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera house.

After that we wondered around CBD (equivalent to downtown) of Sydney. Other things worth mentioning are monorail, QVB (Queen Victoria Building), Queen Victoria Statue etc.  Did I mention “Burger King” is called “Hungry Jack’s” here? The symbol/logo is still the same, but it is just different name (?).

After that, we went to Shark Bar to meet more AIESECers.

Last Sunday night, after 2 house inspections, we went on a walk. The original plan was to walk back instead of taking public transportation because that way we will get to see the city more. We ended up walking for over 3 hours and taking the train back. By that time, my feet hurt more than a little.

We walked over the Harbour Bridge. It has a nice breeze in the evening. Not cold at all for a Vancouverite. We eventually got lost in Darling Harbour and then took the train home after asking around.

So far, there are lots of social events on the weekends. I want to explore Sydney more. However, my priority is still on house hunting unfortunately.

Housing in Sydney

Finding a place to rent in Sydney is really a painful process. If you are spoiled like me, you probably don’t want to live in some old, dingy place that will be flooded by flies, mosquitos, cockroaches, spiders etc. in the summer.

After searching for a place to live for more than a week, I finally found one that I really like and here is where it gets complicated. I remember I did some housing inspection with my friends in Vancouver. If you like what you see, you can “reserve” the place if you pay deposit.  It is basically first come first serve. In Sydney (I can’t say if this is for the whole Australia), after the housing inspection, if you have the intention to rent there, you have to tell the owner that you are interested. Then, the owner has power to choose who he/she wants to rent the place to. They won’t raise the rent so it’s not an auction, but they have a right to choose the best “candidate” out of the bunch. It sounds like an interview to me.

So far, I haven’t been “accepted” into any places.

Generally, houses here don’t insolate very well. It could be 20 degrees outside and I still feel very cold in the house. The result of this is I tend to overdress myself.  I know it’s colder in Canada, but we have heat at home.

*Clock in QVB

Shopping

Grocery shopping is really convenient here. Growing up in North America, I am used to do grocery for the week. However, in Sydney, shops are everywhere. There are a lot of shops close to the train station close to where I work; I can do grocery shopping after work everyday. This is pretty good for me since I don’t have a car and I don’t like carrying a week worse of grocery without a car.

*N Sydney Office

Work

VMware has two offices in Sydney.  I am based in the North Sydney office. However, because the HR wants to do some paperwork with me, I was asked to be at the CBD office on my first day.  It was a pretty relaxing day. I got a laptop setup and received some VMware branded gifts. My manager, Paul sat down with me for a quick chat before we went to the weekly staffing call.

Things got busy after the staffing call for my manager. He had to deal with some issues so I was able to use some time to do personal stuff. For lunch, Paul treat me some Korean food at a food court nearby. The portion is pretty good for the price.

The office looks amazing. It has a great view of Sydney, especially in the meeting rooms. Wish I can work there everyday if it weren’t for the distance (took about an hour to commute).

Next few days were spent in the North Sydney office, where I have my own monitor, keyboard, and desk. I had to get to know VMware’s products, which gets very confusing because it can be very technical at times. It became information overload at one point. I wish I had more comp sci background. There were compliance courses that I had to do for HR, such as harassment and anti-trust.  Next week, I will get more training on deal desk (what I will be doing).

There is a museum called DonBank Museum right outside the North Sydney office. I plan to check it out when I have time. According to google, it’s (one of) the oldest buildings in North Sydney. By the way, the more north a place is, the warmer.

Hoping the company will have more socials coming up because I still don’t know the majority of people.

I survived the first week of work! Next week will be even better!  Cheers.