The Job Hunt

 

      I made the mistake of looking for a job RIGHT before Christmas when everyone will be too busy to hire for a couple weeks. Not smart, Sam. SO. I spent a LOT of time replying to hundreds of job adds and walking around restaurants near my place looking for employment as, hopefully, a waitress.
     Eventually places started getting back to me and I got several interviews. After these interviews I would often go and wander around the area and just soak in the new environment. Eventually I did get a job.

     I will now be working at Pigro. It's a new restaurant opening up and so far it has been interesting being there for the beginning of the project. It is set to open next wednesday but so far I like everyone I will be working with and once the job starts I should get lots of hours. fingers crossed. 

Luna Park

Theater next to Luna Park

                                                           

Me making tacos for a coworker after our meeting was canceled. 

"Tacos are like what the voices of a hundred angels singing Bob Dylan while sitting on rainbows and playing banjos would taste like if that sound were edible" - Isabel Quintero 

Because Tacos are delicious and a rare treat here where it is hard to find good Mexican food.

Holidays Away From Home

   
      Christmas and the holidays really snuck up on me once I moved to Melbourne. I got focused on the Job hunt and getting used to the new area and leaning how to use their public transportation. Once I saw how low my funds were getting and that it was nearly christmas I began to freak out and become quite stressed and overwhelmed. I think without the love and support my parents and family gave me it would have been an even more difficult time. 

     The family I was staying with was nice but they were going away on Christmas and I needed a job and a place to move to one the family was going on vacation. Thankfully I found some wonderful roommates (Dan and Sean) and moved in on christmas eve. I didn't want to spend Christmas alone and they both invited me to their family which was such a nice welcome. I spent Christmas morning on video chat with the whole family and it was so nice to see everyone together again. I have missed them all so much and it was so wonderful to see them open gifts from me from across the world. Later I got to spend the rest of the day with Dan's family and they were so nice and welcoming to me and it made being away from everyone back home so much easier. 

Dan and Sean on left.

Dad and the present mom helped me make him.

"There's a part of me that thinks perhaps we go on existing in a place even after we've left it" -Colum McCann
It was nice to talk to home and feel that I was still there in the hearts and minds back home even if I couldn't be there in person. And Myles (youngest Brother) made it possible for me to even give everyone a Christmas hug! <3

OOPS!

My new friend. 

So I have arrived at my new host's home. It is lovely and their 3 year old son is so energetic. I haven't done much traveling around the area yet as I got here just two days ago. And thank goodness I haven't been out and about spending money. I spent most of the day yesterday applying for jobs and today I looked at some apartments and did some more job searching. 

While looking for apartments I realized I didn't really know how much money I have in my bank account. Well, I should have been paying more attention because I found out today that I have just over $300AUD to my name. turns out i've been spending a LOT on gas money. I do love to drive but it is so expensive here!! Here is to hoping I get a job and soon. 

While its crazy to think that all I have is $300 and a car it is not as scary as one would think. I just need to speed up the process of getting a job and be careful what I do for the next few weeks. 

"She was a 'wanderess.' Thus, she didn't care about money, only experiences - whether they came from wealth or from poverty, it was all the same to her." -Roman Payne, The Wanderess    

It doesn't matter how much something costs it is the experience and adventure and if you learned something new that matters. I will have to keep this in mind for a while so I can save up for more road trips and some adventures that do cost money. 

On the Road Again pt. 2

The next night was quiet and tranquil. Well it was until some moron on a dirtbike decided that he was going to go tearing through the forest in the middle of the night although, it was a nice change from the wombats shaking the car from the night before.  In the morning there was still no one on my beach so I sat and had breakfast and read till some people showed up. I then moved on and headed towards Eden.

A little later in the day I felt a headache coming on so I found a nice park to camp at that was far from the road but just above Eden. It was a perfect place to just wait out the pain. Next morning I went to the Killer Whale Museum.

This is Old Tom

Back in the day whales were hunted for their blubber to turn into oil for everything from bicycle lubricant to light. While this sounds sad I find it incredible that the men that hunted the whales were even successful. They would go after these huge whales in the little wooden rowboats, then one of the rowers would try and harpoon the whale when they got close enough. It must have been terrifying. The unique part of Eden’s history is the killer whales. They worked with the whalers to help them catch other whales in exchange for the killer whales’ favorite parts to eat (lips and tung). The killer whales would coral a whale into Two Fold Bay then send one of their team to alert the whalers and then lead the whalers to where they had the corralled whale for them to kill. Old Tom was the leader for this team of killer whales and sometimes he would even pull on the harpoon ropes to help out the whalers.

After Eden I went and spent the weekend in Noojee (beautiful rainforest where they have so many off roading tracks!). I started on a trail and was taking it slow when as I was crossing a bridge a kangaroo jumped out behind the guardrail and I had no time to stop; the kangaroo got hit. I was in shock but the kangaroo just kept going. I figured it was a sign that maybe I shouldn’t go off much further and made camp next to the river just below Toorongo Falls. The area is so cool. It has trails marked all over the place and even has special parking for motorcycle trailers. It is an off roaders heaven.

I spent my last night just south of Alexandra along side a river and next to some cows. There were some friendly fellow travelers and we enjoyed the evening talking over coffee. It was a perfect end to my week.

"It feels good to be lost in the right direction" -somebody

I was lost a LOST this trip but I found such beautiful places and had the road almost always to myself. It was such a strange and new feeling but it was also very nice.

Noojee Historic trestle bridge

On the road again pt. 1

 Yesterday I left Sydney and am now headed for Melbourne.   I found a beautiful spot to camp on a grassy field next to a lake. It even had ducks and wombats running around!  I thought it was perfect and I couldn't do better. Little did I know that night those cute little wombats would decide to ruin my night.

Turns out my car is the perfect hight for them to scratch their backs on. And let me tell you those things are strong! I thought someone was trying to scare my car was shaking like crazy but I couldn't find a culprit.  I got up the courage to get out of my car (it was very dark) and looked all around and it was like my car was just possessed and shaking on its own. Finally I figured out what was going on when I spotted the wombat.  I got it to go away but they kept coming back and it sounded like maybe they were even fighting over this prime back scratcher.

It was a long night.

This morning I headed down further south and found this amazing campsite near a secluded beach and I love it here to. It is like paradise.  I hope tonight the wombats don't find me!


"The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark" -John Muir    The world is huge and so is Australia. This journey I am getting a good look at a lot of things and nothing beats experiencing it all in person and not through a tv screen. Besides, then I wouldn't have a wombat story.

Australian Maritime Museum

This place was amazing and I was thoroughly impressed. The guides were kind and informative. The boats were awe inspiring and full of history. The exhibits were all great at giving you a feel of maritime history throughout the ages.

Bathroom Selfies are ok when they are on an old Destroyer.

on the submarine 

in the sub

also in the sub

The James Craig

The patrol boat Advance

"Hey ma, if you could se me now, arms spread wide on the starboard bow, gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow, Like Kevin Garnett anything is possible" -The Lonely Island

Sydney so Far

 

  The first two weeks here were very rainy and cold for a Southern California girl so I didn't go out too much.
      I did however learn how to take the train all over the city and spent the first couple days just getting lost.  On one day that was supposed to be sunny I decided to go and see 'Sculptures by the Sea' at Bondi beach which had been recommended by several people.  The walk was great and took one along the cliffs where the sculptures were. Unfortunately it was too crowded to get any good pictures.  right as I was reaching the end of my walk the sky decided to dump buckets on everyone.  It was kind of entertaining to see all these people on the beach, dressed for getting wet, running to take cover from the rain. I continued on my path as I was in a bikini anyways and it wasn't a cold rain. It was surprisingly a lot of fun. I was hoping the rain would end soon and I would get a great spot on a now vacant beach. But the rain didn't stop so I hopped on the bus and went home.
     This is the first week that has been sunny and it's going to be a hot one. I've spent the last couple days at the beach. Tomorrow I think I will go and take a tour of the Opera house.

 

"I read; I travel; I become" - Derek Walcott 

Ive spent a bunch of days reading on the beach. It is so peaceful and relaxing. It allows time for reflection and thoughts to settle.