Chicken on a Hot Tin Roof

When I first moved to Australia I felt reasonably prepared. I knew about the spiders, although I had purposely not researched them very closely. I'd heard about the snakes. I knew who Steve Irwin was. And I knew only to swim between the flags (thanks Bondi Rescue). So when I moved into my $300/week room in a share-house in Brisbane I had absolutely no idea what was in store.

Kalle Kalkun

Of course, I started by making the same mistake any foreigner flying for 22 hours does - I fell asleep at 7pm. This, of course, resulted in me awaking fully rested at 3am and then lying anxiously in bed waiting for the sun to rise. And that was when I first saw it. The chicken on the tin-roof just outside my window. Now, first off I was NOT expecting my first encounter with Australian wildlife to be with a chicken. Secondly, I learned later that day that it was in fact something called a "Bush Turkey" (which would explain a few things, as I remember thinking the chicken was a bit odd-looking) and that apparently these things roam wild about the suburbs of Brisbane digging and kicking loose any patch of dirt they can find. I'm still not sure if they just like to spread dirt around or if this compulsive disorder has a purpose, but I do know they're not eatable. And this particular one seemed to know it, judging on it's behaviour the upcoming mornings.

Now, the thing about tin-roofs is that aside from being very beautiful, they never rust, they deflect heat and... oh wait. That's right, they do absolutely none of those things! What they do, however, is enhance any sound within a one block radius. Even the tiniest drop of rain sounds like a hammer hitting a metal surface with full force, and so you can imagine what a naturally early-bird, crazy ass bush turkey sounds like! Luckily, I was up anyway due to jet-lag, but for some reason absolutely none of my Norwegian friends back home seemed to believe my stories of this rabid bird terrorizing what was supposed to be a lovely morning enjoying the Brisbane sunrise. That was until the video, of course.

The trick to capturing wildlife on video, and I'm sure any skilled nature photographer will agree, is to blend into the environment. To be the environment, so to speak. And this is why, when I woke up at 4am, I made the necessary preparations. Fully charged battery - check. Beautiful pink camera with hardly any zoom - check. Un-natural crouching position next to the window overlooking the desired target area, but making it impossible to move - check. Bush turkey - two hours late. For once I was actually delighted when I heard it's tiny feet crash-land on the roof and instantly starting to peck away at every twig it could find. This was the moment! Of utter failure.

In all my preparations I had forgotten one cruical thing, which was to open the window so that I could actually poke my head out and shoot some mind-blowing "Hah! I told you so!" video. Sitting in nearly the same position for hours already my movements had also lost part of their usual grace. So I decided there was only one thing left to do - move with the speed of light. Luckily it turns out bush turkeys aren't very shy. In fact, I think this one was secretly hoping to become the next YouTube sensation the way it was strutting about as if a pale Norwegian girl hadn't just opened the window with all her Viking force and was hanging over the edge video-taping it's every move. But I got it. And David Attenborough can kiss my ass!

Armed with oh so sweet video proof, my Norwegian friends had no choice but to eat their distrusting words and acknowledge the existence of this strange and exotic creature that continued to wake me up at 5am every morning for the next month. Naturally, I named it Kalle, after my father.

Considering the past events, it should therefore come as no surprise when I the following week was astonished to see these bush turkeys flying about at night. Australia being the home of animals such as the Platypus - a cross between a bever, a fish and a bird - I honestly felt like I should not be astonished at all, and tried to act as if it was totally natural to have large red-headed creatures swoop over your head at dusk. I mean, why shouldn't they be nocturnal as well? You can therefore imagine the feeling of utter horror creeping up my spine when I finally realized they were, in fact, not friendly bush turkeys that I had by then become quite accustomed to - oh no, they were GIANT fruit-stealing, possibly blood-sucking, and most certainly venomous, bats! With a wingspan of up to 1 meter it's no wonder they're actually called flying foxes. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if at one point a red fox simply decided it would be nice to be able to fly - and voila! The birth of Australia' answer to Count Dracula was a fact. I refer to them as Night Turkeys, though.

I'll have to leave the story of my encounter with another of Australia's feared natives species - the beetle - for another time. But I can promise that you will never be fully prepared for what awaits you the first time you set foot on the beautiful island of Australia.

Have you had any surprising encounters with Australian wildlife?

Devouring Brisbane...

I'm a big fan of good food! <3 And one of the things that really surprised me the first time I moved to Brisbane was all the amazing food being served up at café's and restaurants, especially in the South Bank / West End area. Although we do have some really good restaurants in Norway as well, I find the food there extremely boring and not very adventurous compared to Australia (perhaps with the exception of Svalbard, which I might tell you more about in a later blogpost).

I've had some truly amazing meals in Brisbane and I thought I'd share some of my absolute favourite restaurants with you guys! :D These are all located in West End and South Bank - and I think the restaurants in these suburbs simply have that extra something compared to the rest of Brisbane. 

1. Gunshop Cafe is definitely one of my favourites in Brisbane! This is where I went for my 30th birthday, it's the place I make sure to take anyone who's visiting, and the place where I can be almost certain everyone will have an excellent meal! They have a lovely backyard (my favourite) where you can enjoy your meal in the shade overlooking a cool water feature, pots of herbs and lanterns. It's also very romantic at night.

I really like their menu's as they simply list the ingredients of the dish and then you have to wait until you get it in front of you to see exactly what they've done with them, and what has been given the leading role. I love it! They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and all of them are equally exciting and worth a visit! I also think they serve one of the best cappuccino's in Brisbane - and I'm picky. The only draw-back is that such excellent food sadly does not come cheap, so this is not a place I can afford to go very often, but that just makes it even more special when I do, right? 

2. French Martini - I absolutely LOVE French food! And this restaurant really gives it justice. I went to a fair few French restaurants in Brisbane until I found this gem located in South Bank - with sizable portions (it's still French though) and food to die for! They're not crazy expensive like a lot of other French restaurants I've been to, and they serve the best Lemon Merengue Pie I've ever had. Mmmmmmmm!

The atmosphere and decorations are spot on and feels like taken out of a French movie. It's a small space though, so it might be a good idea to book ahead on weekends. They're open for lunch and dinner, and have an awesome lunch deal at $25 for 2 courses and $30 for 3 courses of mouth-watering French degustation. Excellent value for such good food and a nice treat on a special day!

3. Olé Restaurant in South Bank has the best Gazpacho in Brisbane. My partner had never had it before and now he's absolutely crazy for it. The restaurant has a real Spanish feel to it, with live music on the weekends and a loooong table along the sidewalk where they seat those of us who have not booked ahead. It can feel a bit cramped, but it also contributes to that authentic feeling - munching on delicious tapas and getting to know your neighbouring dining guests. I recommend trying it!

They're open for lunch and dinner all week, and serve breakfast on the weekends. They also throw events such as Salsa Evenings or Sunset Tapas. Olé!

4. Tsuru Sushi Café in West End has the most amazing sushi! They opened about a year ago and quickly became my favourite spot for sushi. Their dumplings (I prefer them fried and my partner steamed) are just heavenly. Their maki pieces are gigantic though, so don't be fooled to think that 6 pieces won't fill you up - I always make that mistake, as there is so much good stuff on the menu - I just want to eat it all! Hehe :) More reviews: 

5. Siam Samrarn is my favourite Thai restaurant, also in West End. I'd gone past it a lot of times and never really thought it would be anything special because of it's location next to Coles. Boy was I wrong! The prices are good, the food is excellent and it's actually a really nice place to sit down and eat too - although I must admit I usually opt for take-away. I'm a big fan of their Massaman Curry, which is the dish I measure most Thai restaurants by (I love it!). More reviews: 

6. Punjabi Palace cooks the most amazing cheese and garlic naan bread! This is the place I take all my Indian food loving friends. Their Butter Chicken is so tender and tasty it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I've tried a lot of different Indian restaurants in both West End and around Brisbane, and none can measure up to Punjabi. If you haven't been there already, be sure to stop by sometime soon! You won't regret it! More reviews: 
 
Mmmmmm. I'm getting hungy just thinking about all these wonderful places to eat - and that's not even including my favourite lunch / coffee spots! I'll have to do a post on that some other time. Meanwhile, I have listed most of them in the column to the right! 

I can't wait to get back to Brisbane and treat myself to one of these awesome restaurants!

What are your favourite foods or places to go? Have I missed our on some amazing meals?

Scandi-nom-nom-noms!

Even though I love Brisbane to bits, there are a few things I really miss about Norway and that I've been enjoying to it's fullest now that I've been back home.

Norwegian-style waffles with brown cheese
- and bubbles, of course! ;)

Some things you just have to accept will not be possible to find or do in Australia (it is an island on the other side of the planet, after all!), like drinking ice cold, pure water from the tap or making snow angels after the first snow-fall during winter (pause here for a *sigh* at the thought of fond memories). I have, however, discovered that there are quite a few things you can actually get hold of even though you are 14,358 km away - and that makes it just a bit easier being so far away from home! :)

First off - did you know that the Norwegian Church Abroad has their own church store in Sydney selling Norwegian food/products, and that they also ship across Australia? Ok, so they don't ship cheese or meat (understandable), but oh man how I rejoiced when I realized I was just a few clicks away from a delivery of yummy salty licorice, Daim chocolate, Smash, Lingonberry jam, Kvikk lunch and other Norwegian delights! If you're lucky enough to live in, or travel to, Sydney you can also feast on brown cheese and the Norwegian Holy Grail of cheese - Norvegia. 

Living in Brisbane I have been dreaming about something similar opening up a bit more close to home, when I was recently made aware of a store called Swedish Goodies located in Surfers Paradise, just an hour's drive away. Now, there has always been a sort of feud between the Norwegians and the Swedish, resulting in a fair bit of rivalry and even it's own genre of jokes. The fact that Norway was betrayed by it's neighboring country when Sweden invaded us in 1814 might also have had something to do with it. But let's not dwell in the past - because I forgive them! The brown cheese and Norvegia that can't be sent from Sydney is now just a short drive away, in this wonderful gem of a store! Plus a number of other goodies that has your mind instantly teleporting back to fjords, mountains and snow, as you're sitting in the sun with your home-made lunch packet enjoying ballerina cookies and cloudberry jam! Thank you Sweden! :) <3

Do you know of any stores selling Scandinavian products / food in Australia?

The waiting game

For any of you that have ever had to move to another country, you might know something about this.

After spending a year in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa, I have now applied for a Partner Visa which will grant me 2 years temporary residency, and then I can apply for permanent residency after that. So far the Visa process has been going well, considering. It took forever to gather all the evidence and present it the way immigration likes it (believe me - we're talking 4 months of hard work here!), and you have to pay a small fortune to lodge the application, but we finally got it in this January!

Jacarandas in bloom in New Farm Park

I had to go back to Norway for a few months in order to finish up some work there, and spend time with my family of course, so I applied for a visa that would allow me to stay in Norway for 3 months (Yup, that's right! I needed a separate Visa to travel to my own country and back). Since the current average processing time for Partner Visa applications is a gruelling 12-13 months (!) I figured this would be no problem at all. But about 1,5 months into my stay in Norway, I got an e-mail from my Case Officer saying they needed me back in Australia because the application was ready to be processed and FINALIZED! :D The reason I need to go back for this to happen is that I lodged my Visa application in Australia, and so I also have to be in Australia when it is being finalized i.e. I get my "yes" or "no".

And this is where the waiting begins. I know my Case Officer has made a decision (and I am crossing my fingers and toes that it's a positive one), but they won't let me know until I actually return to Australia! And it will probably take some time after I arrive as well, depending on how busy/effective my Case Officer is. And I have absolutely NO patience! My partner is in Brisbane waiting for me, my Visa application is in Brisbane waiting for me, my whole future life is in Brisbane waiting for me, while I am in Norway! At the other side of the planet! It's been a few weeks already, so it's getting closer, but I just want to know for sure. Now.

I can't wait to get started on my new life in Australia, even if the process is quite scary. I have to find a new job in Australia, and from what I can tell that might take some time. I also have some studies I need to finish up and really work hard on while looking for and getting this job. And then we want to find a new apartment, as the current living arrangements aren't ideal, and then I have to actually start my new LIFE in Australia. Even after living there for a year already, I have no idea what that's going to be like. It's very different when you know you might not go back "home" for a long time, and that this will be my new home. For ever? Hm. I just wish I could take all my family and friends with me!

I just have to suck it up, I guess, and try to endure these extra weeks. Although every minute feels like forever! What I love so much about Australia, you might ask? Well, if you have a look to the right column on top of my blog you can see that I've added a few photos (OK, a lot) from my first year in Brisbane - that most certainly make me miss the place! :) Enjoy!

My first post!

Taken in West End - my favourite suburb :)

I am currently in the process of a very big change in my life - I am moving from Norway to Australia to be with the love of my life, in the wonderful and exciting city Brisbane! :)

I plan on using this blog as a way of updating my family and friends, and sharing my experiences as part of discovering a whole new country - and all the good and bad that comes with it.

I have already lived in Brisbane for over a year, but that was before I knew that it would become anything permanent. Actually moving here, to live, is far more scary. But also very exciting.

There are so many things I love about living in Brisbane, and I really look forward to the next step of this adventure. Bring it!

:-)