OK, so apparently I'm not very good at keeping up a blog...

Since the last time I posted, I have pretty much settled in to my apartment.  My cable and internet were hooked up and I had to borrow a power strip to be able to use them both at the same.  I am so used to having everything I need that it didn't occur to me to get one for here.

Last weekend I finally made it a local market.  I went to the large Queen Victoria market and bought some souveniers.  Before going, I had been told by people to try not to act like a tourist and to haggle in order to get good prices.  I'm not very good at the bargaining to I just wanted around looking for the cheapest prices. As I was going around, I was asking prices of a specific item and finally found one that was cheaper than the rest (and made in Australia, not China).  I just asked the vendor how much it was and didn't say much.  As I was looking at it and debating whether or not to purchase it, the vendor made a comment that he sells it to the tourists for more money.  :)  I was amused and thought he wouldn't be saying that to me if he heard me talk more.  My American account stands out here, haha.  After I walked around a bit, I decided to go back to the vendor and get another one.  He showed me a larger one and tried to get me to buy it instead.  As I was looking at it, he talked the price down.  Apparently I don't have to be good at bargaining, I just need to not say anything at all.  :)

The only other thing of note lately is that I had dinner last night with the other ex-pats I work and a few high level managers that are in town a few days.  A couple of the expats are managers and know these high level managers pretty well.  I had never met them before.  It was an interesting experience and probably good that they  now know who I am.  On a side note, the food was amazing.  It was an Italian restaurant right by the water.  I will definitely have to visit it again one of these days.