1 Week down

Well we have now been in Alaska for a week and a day, and what a busy week its been!
Our very first day here it snowed! Which was a little surreal for me as I hadn't seen snow.
We have been busy seeing the sights and applying for jobs.

There are no huge differences here in Anchorage, except for the driving on the other side of the road thing.
But its the little differences that make it that much harder. There are very few brand names I recognize, none of the food tastes the same and some people have a hard time understanding my accent - so yeah it's been a week full of learning curves :)

So far I have seen moose - they are HUGE! The one I got a picture of would have come up to my shoulders, but they do get much bigger - like well over my head plus the antlers. I have also seen plenty of different types of birds.

The view surrounding town is just gorgeous. I never though I would be a mountain type of person - but they are just stunning. The light hits them at different times of the day and shows a completely different view of them.

One thing that I found surprising was the fact that most people drive these big SUV's, and not just your average sized ones from back home (OZ and NZ) but these great big Dodge trucks that are just enormous. But Alaska roads are built for them - the roads are alot wider than in OZ and NZ, and so are the parking bays. Every time I comment on someones park job (last night I saw this massive truck parked smack in the middle of two bays) I just get told its the norm in Alaska. One more thing to get used to lol.

We went onto the Army base last night to do the grocery shopping. You have to pass through this massive security clearance area where you have to have a pass issued and they check all your id's. I am still getting used to seeing the Army/Police carrying guns. But then you get to this massive grocery store and buy everything cheaper as you get a military discount - it was pretty cool. They also have a really nice gym we went to last week. Its a little odd working out while there is soldiers everywhere though. You see them all over town though in their uniforms, and it's one of those little things that reminds me I am in the US!

Apart from the small things though it's pretty fun so far. Lots of new things to try and see - which is always exciting.