It's nearly December?

My time in Western Australia before house sitting on the Gold Coast is wrapping up much more quickly than I thought it would!  I’ve been keeping busy and sharing stories and laughing as often as possible with those I meet.  I have decided that this blog entry is going to be a more reflective blog than a story blog, telling you about my day to day.  Instead, I wanted to share some thoughts and feelings I’ve had so far on this adventure.

Tomorrow marks one month in Australia.  One month “on my own,” yet so surrounded.  One month in paradise, meeting new people every day.  One month away from those I love, yet feeling closer than I have in a long time!  For those of you who aren’t my closest family and friends, I am sure you still understand how close I am with my family – and I wouldn’t be here with a smile on my face if it wasn’t for their love and constant support throughout my every endeavour.  Allison has been fantastic for sending me videos of Kinley weekly, sometimes a few a week, of her smiling or just being the little two month old character she is.  What a gorgeous child!  I miss her so much, and crave holding her and watching her grow!  I can’t thank Allison enough for keeping me updated so often!  I am so happy I’ve got this iPad! – I save and store all of the videos and pictures I’m sent of Kinley, and although I’m only witnessing her growth and life unfold via video and pictures, I am fortunate that I even have that option, being so far away from home. 

Fellow travelers from my circles of friends back home, and those I meet along this journey, only enhance my desire to see the rest of the world.  Every friend I have back home has a story or several to share with me, has tips to pass on about particular countries or cultures.  Every traveler I meet while I’m away from home welcomes me to their table, into their circle of friends, and makes me feel like I belong.  I feel like it is an unwritten code between world travelers – every stranger is a potential friend, so make them one!   I met a really handsome fella from England named Alex, and he shared with me an article about a man that traveled all 201 countries of the world WITHOUT using a plane?!  What an accomplishment. Imagine being able to say you did that?! Dream big! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239087/Graham-Hughes-British-man-person-visit-201-countries-WITHOUT-using-plane.html

Although my travel experiences will never reach such a level, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying each and every experience.  I haven’t done anything overly wild or crazy, but each day brings something new into my life story.  I’ve spent nights in four person dorms, both female and shared dorms, and have spent almost a week in a fourteen person shared dorm, which has turned out to be an experience that I really enjoyed!  For some people, personal space and privacy is really important, and of course at times it is for me too… but what an experience to share your living space with twelve people, between seven bunk beds and tall shelves for everyone’s belongings.  Bathrooms and shower facilities are sometimes shared, or separate.  You just carry all of your bathroom stuff with you to and from the shower/bathroom.  Staying in one hostel for more than a single night means you see the same faces day after day, and I’ve met people during my time in Western Australia who have lived in hostels for months, and even years because they just love it and enjoy it so much!  There’s a particular hostel in a place called Fremantle (just outside of Perth) where I have spent some time, and it’s called The Old Firestation – and it is just that! An old fire station, right next door to the current one.  There are several larger dorms, and with so many people that have been living at the hostel for longer periods of time, it’s like a huge family.  There are common rooms, an outdoor patio, free wireless, large kitchens, lockers, ping pong, pool, tvs and movies, vending machines and computers for those who travel without their laptops.  It’s a pretty brilliant spot, and I can see why people find work in the area and live in such a hoppin’ and friendly place.  There are activities and movie nights put on weekly, and they even have an outdoor cinema, comprised of several old comfy chairs and a projector aimed at a blank white wall under an awning.  

Several streets and parks all across Australia are starting to be decorated for the holidays.  I realize that I will be experiencing a warm Christmas this year, but a palm tree with Christmas lights just looks bizarre to me!  There was one tree that really struck me, in the city centre of Fremantle, with huge Christmas balls hanging from some of the branches, the size of yoga balls!  There are large tinsel stars too, but the yoga balls really catch your attention!

Weather continues to be fantastic, lots of sun during the day with cool evenings almost instantly after the sun disappears.  It’s lovely for sleeping! Yesterday though, we experienced some wild winds and rain, but it was a nice change and it was needed.

Looking into December, I have my house/dog/cat sitting adventure coming up and I am really looking forward to it!  I have spoken to Ron and it turns out I will be sharing the experience with a Scottish couple, so I won’t be alone after all!  I didn’t mind the idea of having the house to myself, but some company is always great, especially over the holidays. He says they are lovely, and I trust he speaks the truth!

I spoke to my friend Jo who is still in New South Wales, outside of Sydney.  What a sweetheart!  She seems to have things lined up quite well with a serving job in a little town, and is renting a house with her boyfriend Steve who is also finding good work.  She has told me that she will come visit me at some point on the Gold Coast after she makes a bit of money!  I would love to see her and catch up.

I figure for the time I’m in the Gold Coast, I may even look into some café or bar/restaurant work since it’s pretty central.  It’s just a matter of getting there and shaking hands and handing out resumes.  Day at a time for now!  Nothing set in stone yet for jobs, or even lined up for continuing on with my regional work.  That is still up in the air, but I will see what I can find!

For the late afternoon and evening, since it’s a little rainy, I think I will get lost in the couch with my book.  I have had lots of time to read and I am really enjoying it!  I’m currently reading The Kite Runner, which was recommended by my friend Kate Smyth, and she was right! – It’s incredible.  Definitely a page turner.  I’ve been told it was made into a movie?  This is under investigation. :)

When back in the city, I have plans to take a guided “torch” tour of the prison in Fremantle!  It’s supposed to be brilliant, with many interesting facts and stories, so I will be sure to write about how that goes.

So, until next time!  

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Experience and Change

Since my last blog post, there have been several changes and decisions made, but all for the right reasons and all with a smile on my face moving forward!  Although it seems to be an all too short lived time here on the farm, several things have come up that have made me second guess being so isolated.  Job opportunities here and possibly at home, mixed with an itch too see more of the country now, in the even I am only here for a year.  I still have plenty of time between now and when I start teaching in Melbourne to complete my total of 88 days of regional work required for my second year visa, so I figure I will explore some more before committing myself to one place for an extended period of time.  I also have a fabulous opportunity to house sit, rent free, on the Gold Coast for three weeks, from mid December to early January!  It's in a place called Varsity Lakes, about an hour from Brisbane, Queensland.  How did I land this..?  Connections really are everywhere, and are fantastic to have.  There is a super sweet lady named Diane that works in London, who does wine and spirit in-store tastings.  She and I spoke often when she was in the LCBO I was working at.  I told her about my plans for Australia, and she informed me that her son Ron lives here and works here, and has been traveling around working for years!  She emailed me his information, and Ron and I have been in touch ever since.  Ron and his partner Trisha live on the Gold Coast, and are in need of someone to look after their house and cat and dog for three weeks while they travel!  I was notified of this even before I left Ontario, and kept it open as an option, and am now jumping on the opportunity!  I am really excited about it, and am looking forward to beach life and summer holidays on the coast.  Since it's summer here, all of the "schoolies" are traveling to beaches, so the coasts will be swarming with people and activity, so I will be in my element.

Now to catch up on the last week, since my last post! Time really is flying! Okay, so - spiders.  Not that I doubted anyone who had told me that spiders in Australia are huge. - but I saw my first "huge" spider, that I found out was actually quite small.  With legs extended, it would sit quite nicely in the palm of the average hand, with eight little legs stretching across your palm, with the body being about the size of a fat cut green bean - but hairy.  So if this is considered "small," I'm a little nervous about what big is!  I'm actually not terrified of spiders, no matter their size.  What makes spiders unnerving is that they are quiet, fast, and generally weightless in comparison to other things of similar size.  We see them in the house from time to time, but I'm okay with seeing them around... it's when I find (and haven't yet!) one in MY space... like my bed, or on my pillow, or in my bag, that I will likely scream or feel like they are crawling all over my body relentlessly.  Disgusting.

I mentioned last week how our shopping adventures go.  I added a picture of my most jaw dropping find!  What do ya think?  How much do YOU love grapes? :) We didn't buy any.  It's not always so outrageous.  It has everything to do with crops, availability, numbers, time of year, and where they come from.  Apparently a few months ago, bananas had a similar price tag, and are now pretty reasonably priced!

Also as mentioned last week, the girls here are just fantastic.  The picture shows the five of us currently here, and the nanny that just left.  Pardon my double chin and fabulous choice of angle for the picture.  Going clockwise from my face, you have Sunniva from Ireland (the nanny who left), Lisa from Sweden, (who is leaving next weekend), Laura from Italy, (sticking around for a while!), Stephanie from Reunion (sticking around for a while!), and Molly from Taiwan, (leaving next week).  It's been incredible getting to know these girls and form friendships with them.  We have such a great time here at the house.  Dinners and evenings are so relaxed and full of laughter!

I FINALLY SAW REAL, WILD, KANGAROOS!!  We were taking eggs down to the cooling shed by work van, and Lisa spotted four in the distance - it took the rest of us a second to spot them, since they blend in so well.  They are like deer for us back home, so the locals could care less about seeing them, and they're a nuisance here like deer are for us... but I nearly lost my mind!  I was so excited, especially because to were large, one had a joey in its pouch, and one was a little small joey bouncing so quickly!  He was just moving so fast!  Ahhh, he was so flipping adorable.

 Another highlight occurred today! I drove! I took everything I've ever learned about driving a vehicle, and flipped it.  Literally.  I even made the wipers go trying to signal my right turn!  It was pretty funny, and made the girls laugh!  I'm thrilled that I have driving standard down pat, because that would have been half the battle.  I found myself hitting the car door with my right hand a few times looking for the gear shift, but managed to catch on quite quickly.  It sure is a strange feeling to sit, drive, and pass on coming traffic opposite to everything I have ever learned!  I got a warning about walking on the roads - BE CAREFUL.  Since a human somewhat resembles a kangaroo from a distance from behind, on a dusty road, drivers generally don't stop.  It's rare to find someone walking on these road back here so we need to literally jump in the ditch and not listen to our headphones if going for a walk.  I think walks on the beach might be more up my alley :)

Upcoming events include: three young fellas arriving from Sweden, France, and England.  Last night in the house as the group of four girls (the girl from Italy lives on the farm), and the last Saturday for Molly and Lisa!  We've just planned a nice night in together, with dinner and dessert, and it'll be really nice.  Next week, K is off traveling for a few days and her mom will be here to help me out!  Blog again soon!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Farm Life

It sure is a change having to struggle to find wifi reception with my wireless wifi device here in the middle of no where compared to having it anywhere in the cities and areas I've been traveling in so far. I can't complain, since it is somewhat refreshing not having it, but I think the only thing I'm struggling with is the desire to connect once a day to check emails and/or send emails! Oh the things you take for granted. I would have said I wasn't reliant on Internet, and I have been dealing well without it, but you sure take it for granted when it is everywhere compared to now when it is scarce. Especially when it's your life line to the people you love the most!

The nanny who's spot I am taking over left today. We were all sad to see her go! What a sweet heart she is. I have some big shoes to fill. Now for me, it's really game time. I need to be able to organize my day around the needs of these kids and this family, and I will do it! It does seem overwhelming for the time being, but K. and I had a great chat this morning and I am feeling more comfortable and confident now than I had been feeling about the whole job undertaking earlier this week.

Today ended up being great. The job is a seven days a week job, and will keep me occupied, especially once the Australian school year summer hits mid December.

The power went out mid afternoon, which meant that many of the machines and lights necessary for the other workers weren't available and that meant we were off farm property by about 3pm. The five of us girls went to the local pool in Kojonup, and it was amazing! The pool is huge and was just the right temperature for a hot day like today - the temperature got up to about 34 degrees Celsius... And it's not even peak summer yet! Going to be a scorcher!

With my copious amounts of internetless and cell phoneless time in the evenings, a fellow backpacker here named Lisa has shown me how to crochet! I told my Dad before I left that I wanted to acquire a skill during my time here. Learning to knit or crochet is also on my bucket list, so there's another item I can check off! It's quite relaxing once you get into it. Next Friday when we go into town, I'm going to by my own hook and some yarn and I must say, I'm pretty excited about my new "hobby." It will give me something to occupy myself! Hopefully I can get pretty good at it and can actually create some nice things to bring home. Lisa's skills are beyond admirable. I only have two more weeks of her company before she heads to Perth and then home to Sweden for 10 weeks!

Life in the house is a hoot. There is constant laughter and friendship and its great. One of the best parts is that we all come from different countries and our levels of English vary significantly! So often, we are in stitches, laughing so hard trying to explain a particular term, or tell a story, or explain a punch line, or say something eight different ways so that it makes sense for someone who doesn't quite get it. It's pretty entertaining! Everyone is so different, yet so similar in the same breath.

On Friday we went shopping, and that was an experience in itself! We are allowed $50 per person, per week, to eat. We shop at the local IGA in town, and split the food between us. There are only four living in the house now, so we did our shop quite efficiently for the total of $200. Since it was my first shop with the backpackers, I took a back seat and watched the experts. It's down to quite a science, even involving a calculator! First, one round is done collecting things that are necessary and on the list: the most important items, like the meats, veggies, fruit, bread, milk, condiments... We use the calculator to give ourselves an idea of the total, then go ring it in and pay, and leave the cart by the cash registers... then go on a second round for more "fun" things like extra snacks, cereals, maybe some ice cream, and/or treats. Our shop on Friday was within cents of the limit, so I'd say we did pretty well!

Mornings, we are all up shortly after 7am. We eat our breakfast together in the kitchen, pack our lunches, and get ourselves organized. We drive to the farm, and go about our days, having lunch together around 12:30. Back to our respective jobs for the afternoon, then come back to the backpacker house around 3:30-4:00 depending. We generally have a snack then find ourselves stuck in the couch for a bit reading, crocheting, trying our best to send an email, or watching tv. We take turns making dinner/cleaning up, then chill again until bed time, which is generally lights out by 10:30, although sometimes you find yourself up a little later, typing out a blog, letting your mind unwind, hoping you'll have enough Internet capacity to post it the next morning, while swatting at Mosquitos! I've now killed four and another is taunting me behind my head, escaping my attempts to end his life.

Tonight the girls and I were talking about how it doesn't feel like we are heading towards the Christmas season. This will be the first year since my exchange in Argentina that my Christmas season will be hot... My second hot Christmas ever. I won't be diving into the "cold" Christmas spirit, with Christmas music, mint tea bags in my Tim Hortons hot chocolate, Christmas candles burning, and enjoying a cozy night on the couch wrapped under a blanket. Luckily, I'll have three little humans to keep the excitement of Christmas up, with their countdown! We are working on letters to send to Santa already. Obviously my idea. :)

So for now, I'm going to call it a night! Up again early tomorrow for another full day.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

Sun, Beaches, then Farm!

Saturday was a lovely day!  I went on a solo adventure to a gorgeous place called Hillary’s Boat Harbour.  It’s a huge harbour with little market type stores and docks that are raised over the water with coffee and ice cream shops and some other nicer restaurants.  The weather couldn’t have been any better – clear skies and a cool wind.  I made my way there early, by train and then bus, arriving around 10am.  My real reason for heading towards the harbour was to go to a touristy spot I’d heard about called “AQWA,” which is like an underwater world idea, with tours and touch ponds and exhibits, one of which was one of the coolest exhibit I think I’ve ever seen.  The main attraction for AQWA is a huge underwater tube that you can walk through, or stand on a slow moving conveyor belt to move through an underwater ocean bottom habitat with sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, and copious amounts of different species of fish!  I went through it twice, because I was just so amazed at the sites.  What a neat experience to be under water, and have sharks swimming beside and above you!

I left the AQWA and did one more tour around the little shops, before making my way back to the bus, then the train, and into Perth by early afternoon.  I changed at the hostel and was planning on another sunset over the Indian Ocean, but at a beach further south called Cottesloe Beach.  On my way there, which is nearly a 40 minute bus venture from the hostel I was staying at, the weather turned quickly and I found myself arriving to a beach where the skies had turned grey and stormy, and the waves had turned into dark and angry curls.  I figured I had to stay for a while, so I found myself seated at a burger joint on the main strip overlooking the ocean, and met a lady doing the same thing from the states.  Her name is Pam, and she’s a 39 year old nurse; six months ago, she quit her job, sold her car, and took the money she’d been saving to put a down payment on a house and booked an 8 month adventure around the world, inspired by a 48 year old man who was on his death bed.  Pretty wild move, but all the power to her!  She has no husband, no serious boyfriend nor children, making things easier for her.  She sure seems to be enjoying herself!

Saturday night in the hostel dining room area, I ran into Christine – the girl who was in my room the night I arrived, and a friend of hers named David from England.  We talked for quite a while before deciding to head to the hostel pub for a few rounds together, where we sorted out our Sunday adventures. 

Sunday, we met in the kitchen/dining room around 9:30, and Christine’s friend from Germany, Sabina, picked us up out front around 10:30.  The goal was to go snorkeling at Trigg’s Beach, north of Scarborough Beach – but that didn’t happen because the place to rent snorkeling gear wasn’t open… and it was bloody cold!  We ended up enjoying the rays regardless, and spent a few hours on the pretty white sand, watching and listening to the waves break along the beach and over the coral.  It was so relaxing!  We eventually headed back south towards Scarborough Beach, where we ate, and played cards for nearly two hours at the Dome Café, waiting for the sun to drop to watch the sunset together.  It was chilly and the wind was sharp, so we waiting until nearly 6:00pm before going out and watching the last and most picture perfect half hour before it disappeared.  There were several ocean liners that night, and it was a little cloudy, presenting us with a gorgeous show of oranges, yellows, and hints of red.  The sun tuckered us all, and we were in bed after our dinner back at the hostel, with plans to get up early and meet in the dining room at 6:30am before leaving on our respective adventures.

So 6:30am this morning, we met up in the dining room and ate our breakfasts together.  Today was a big day! I traveled down to the farm today!  Christine and David were going on a rather incredible journey today themselves, and I am really looking forward to hearing all about it!  I made my way to the train station, rode three stops east, then got out and bought my bus ticket south on the TransWA bus towards Albany.  I admittedly dozed off a few times, missing some of the green and yellow countryside, but nonetheless, made it to Kojonup where I was collected by the current nanny here at the farm.  For privacy’s sake, I’m going to keep names and in depth details of the farm to a minimum, as I totally respect this family, their employees and the efficient and well known business that they run!  So the nanny that collected me is from Ireland, and she’s lovely! I will be following her around this week, learning the ins and outs of the nanny job I’ll be taking over officially on the 18^th of this month.  I met four other girls that work here, all from around the world, who live in the workers’ house about 15km from the farm.  Everyone here seems so great, ad I’m really excited to be here! I got a tour of the workers’ house, where I will be staying starting the 18^th, and a tour of the farm and house.  I even got to pack up meat from the twelve lambs they had butchered this week! Nothing like diving right into farm life! Bring it on! I got to join one of the girls who works here in feeding on of the litters of puppies!  There are currently 17 puppies on this farm! Ten in one litter that are ready to be sold, and another litter of seven, that are only a few days old.  I cannot wait to watch them grow!  For dinner, K.’s parents and sister and her husband came over, and we had fresh meat, potatoes, and green veggies and corn.  I was in heaven, considering I’ve been eating like a backpacker for the last two weeks with the exception of the time spent with my friend Kristen and her family!

As for tonight, fighting to find internet reception, I’m calling it a night with Word.  I will try my very best to keep up with the blog and my updates and emails, but we are so far in the middle of a field that reception is hard to come by with both internet and phones.  But I’m alive and well!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Over to the West Coast!

So on Wednesday, after the job acceptance, I got myself to the airport using the free one way bus shuttle ticket, and crossed a pretty exciting item off of my bucket list: walk into an airport and and book the next flight somewhere! So I booked the next flight to Perth and left an hour later.  For whatever reason, the flight backtracked to Sydney, then flew over to Perth.  I landed in Perth around 10:30pm local time, and took a shuttle to the YHA Perth City hostel downtown. When I got into the room around 11:15, I tried to be super quite, since it was a six female room, but a girl on the top bunk sat up almost immediately and welcomed me in and told me it was fine to turn on the light! It was just her and another girl from Austria that were there and they'd just crawled into their beds.  Jenn is from Montana and Christine is the girl from Austria, and are both traveling alone!  They met the day prior, and their plans to travel up the west coast meshed perfectly so they'll be heading to Broome next week! Traveling is amazing.  You meet so many other friendly, like-minded, and welcoming people.  It's addicting.  We chitchatted about our respective adventures, what brought us to Australia, and what our plans were for our time in Perth and for longer term travels in Australia.  Looks like the girls will be heading east in May, and we may meet up!I got up in the morning around 8am, showered and got ready for the day.  Dad had suggested I visited a zoo, since they're always a good start in a new city and they're always entertaining!  I bought a transit day pass for $11 and hopped on a bus to the zoo, which was about 20 minutes away.  The zoo was great!  The highlight for me was hands down, no question, the little koala curled up in a ball.  So cute and soft looking and I just wanted to hug him!  He didn't moved much more than a simply readjustment, and that was it - but it made my day.  I literally stood there leaning on the railing for twenty five minutes waiting for him to show his whole face!  There was another one on the other side of their little zoo habitat, but he was too wrapped in branches to see well.  The koalas don't live on this side of the country, so I will look forward to seeing them in the wild when I'm back on the east, and up along the coast
next summer here.  Another highlight was obviously the kangaroos - but I didn't get half as excited as I will when I see them in the wild! Maybe on and around the farm next week!  The Orangutans have a pretty elaborate set up too! They have these wild jungle gyms with levels high up with covers that are supposed to be like trees.  They carry around baskets and put things in them, and even have working pulley systems to move things up and down from each of their levels! So neat to watch.

I have to share this, because I thought it was so sweet and it made me laugh... On a quick bathroom break, while washing my hands, I heard a mom and her three or four year old girl conversing about the little girls tongue bleeding. Apparently it was from a lolly, that got sharp and cut her tongue? Anyways, it went a little like this:

"Bubs, why is your tongue bleeding?!"
"It's from the lolly mum, remember?"
"Are you okay? Are you sure that's what it's from? Would you like some water"
"I think I need a band aid mum."
"You can't put a band aid on your tongue my love."
SO CUTE! SO INNOCENT! Made me smile.

So I saw countless animals of all shapes and sizes, and took numerous pictures, then got myself back onto the bus and made my way down to the Scarborough Beach in Perth.  It was almost excessively windy at times, but died down as the afternoon progressed.  What a beautiful beach! It goes on forever! I sat on the beach and read for quite sometime, and at times just sat and though and reflected.  I am one happy little human these days.  What an experience to be traveling alone.  Nearing five o'clock,  wind was a little chilly, and I wasn't ready to go home, so I found a half price hoody (or as the Aussies call it, a jumper... with the
 accent, a jumpa! haha!) in a surf shop along the beach and talked to the staff there who were super friendly and interested in my travels.  There was a young lad there named Matt, who was just ending his shift and offered to show me some of the hostels around the coast in case I was interested in spending a night closer to the beach.  He's 22, and just got back from a three month solo tour all over Europe.  I told him the only thing I had on my agenda for that night was watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean.  He said he was happy to join me!  I really enjoyed the company, and our talk about travels and life were great.  He's a good kid and sounds like he's been really well raised in an amazing family here on the coast.  The view they have from their house is of the ocean, and they have the view of the sunset every night.  We chose to sit on the beach in the sand and talked until the sun hid itself from us for another day.  The most beautiful yellow flowers scatter the sand dunes and grassy areas along the beach after the sun goes down.  I have no idea what they're called, but they are so pretty!

Matt and I parted ways at the intersection by the surf shop, and I popped back in quickly to say bye to the other staff I'd med earlier in the day.  A night shift staff member of course, asked me where I was from and when I got here.  I had hardly finished my thoughts when a guy jumped out of the change room (clothed!) and told me that he too had just arrived on a one way ticket a week and a half ago and was just touring around solo as well.  His name is Jules, and he's a french fella from Winnipeg!  We went out for a drink at a restaurant a few doors down from the surf shop and talked for an hour or so about anything and everything before taking the bus back into the city and parting ways. I met up again with him this morning and we just talked and chilled in the city.  He left this afternoon for Margaret River, three hours south of Perth on the coast.  He's a hoot, and definitely a free spirit and old soul much like myself.  We clicked instantly, and he seems to be so happy and adventurous! I'm sure I'll see him again on my travels here in Australia!

As for now, early afternoon, I am getting myself organized to go back to the beach by bus, where I plan to sit and read and soak it all in while I'm here.  I am not sure what the weekend will bring, but that is the fun of solo traveling!  I did speak to Christine about meeting her and a friend she met from Germany at the bus station at 8am, and going with them to a market about a half hour outside of the city!  That kind of thing is right up my alley, and I'll most likely be joining them!

Will be in touch! Have a great weekend! 

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Guess who got the job? THIS GIRL! :)

Great news! After days and days of endless job searching and applying for jobs, I landed one that I am so excited to start!  Go figure - as soon as I took this one, I got three other call backs for similar jobs and for fruit picking jobs! But this is the one I feel the best about, and feel that I will enjoy the most!  This is the posting:

"We are looking for a full time nanny for our three children who are aged 6, 5 and 2. We are on a farm in the South West of Western Australia. All of your food and accommodation is provided on a separate location approx 15km’s away with a car available to get to and from work . You will need to have a driver’s license, and qualifications in either early childhood teaching or childcare. This position starts on 18th November 2012. Please send us through a short paragraph about yourself and also your resume with at least one reference. This is a paid position of $300 before tax each week and all meals and accommodation included. Position is ideally for 6 months. You will need to have sound spoken English. Some farm work will be available if you are needing your second year visa. We look forward to hearing from you. Our nearest town is Kojonup, WA"

So I got a call today from Kate, who owns the farm and is the mom of Jack, Asha and Lucy!  The phone chat was great, and I feel like this job is a perfect fit for me.  She was hoping for a fully qualified teacher to help with some summer learning for her kiddies, and that is something I can't wait to jump into!  Some summer teaching with the kids, nanny work, and some additional work on their chicken farm collecting and packing eggs so that the work and time spent on the farm qualifies for the second year visa application.  I will be sharing accommodations with three or four other farm worker/backpackers from around the world, which will be great to meet people and make some friends. 

I will also be spending Christmas and the New Year with Kate and her family! She says they're expecting nearly 30 people on their Christmas lunch! So although I will be missing another Christmas in Canada with my family, I'll be in the southern hemisphere again with a big family! I won't be alone! :)

So, currently in Melbourne, my plan is to fly to Perth asap, utilize my five remaining nights at the YHA Hostel in Central Perth which I've already paid for, enjoy the beaches and the sites in Perth, and then take a bus down to Kojonup on Monday morning! Although this map points out a route to Albany, ignore that and look at the big yellow dot. I'll be just outside of that. :)

I downsized some of my backpack, and thankfully Kristen (who is beyond loving and generous!) is allowing me to keep my gym bag full of teaching clothes and miscellaneous items at her place for when I return to Melbourne in April! That way I officially have my life in a backpack!  Thanks AGAIN Kristen! What a great friend to have! See you in April! :)

Something that Kristen and her mom pointed out on the weekend is that there are some funny spelling differences here. For example, care tire - care tyre. Not even kidding. It's spelled with a "y"!  Organized, realized, summarize... all the the "z" words are "s" words!  Well, that shouldn't be such a huge thing since we are supposed to use "s" in Canada, but really... who does?  So I need to get on changing that!

As for now, time to figure out flights and Perth accommodations and plans for the weekend! Will be in touch and will let you know how Perth goes!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

A Family Style Weekend!

Hiiii! I am sitting here in my regular spot at Gloria Jean's while it rains outside, reflecting on my weekend! I'd love to share it with you all, since it was stellar!



So I took the noon train to Geelong, which was lovely! Geelong is located south west about an hour by train or car from Central Melbourne, and the ride is very scenic, through country suburbs and fields and farms.  I had my country tunes playing into my earbuds and loved the ride! Kristen and her mom Gail and Kristen's youngest little girl Mackenzie were at the North Geelong station waiting for me, and it was such a great hug to walk into! So familiar and welcoming.  We met up with Kristen's Aussie husband Colin and her oldest daughter Peyton for some lunch and visits!  Her girls are both precious, and Peyton's skills on an iPad surpass mine!  She's TWO! I was thoroughly impressed!  She's a smart little lady, and her little Aussie accent won my heart.  Very sweet!

We went to the supermarket together, and spent the rest of the evening visiting a job searching for me! Haha! We had a great lasagna, caesar salad and garlic bread dinner, and then cake for Gail's birthday! Kristen hooked me up with an old phone here that I can use for unlimited incoming texts and phone calls. For $30, it is active for six months, and I have unlimited incoming everything! That's all I need for now since I now have a number to add to my resume and people can call me now! Perfect. I'll just keep chasing wifi for my emailing and blog entries. :)

Colin's parents stopped by for a visit later in the evening, and brought me a cot to sleep on which was great!  We were all in bed around 11:30pm or so, and up again on Sunday morning around 9am.  We got ready and loaded up and headed down to the Geelong waterfront for a huge brunch for Gail's birthday.  It was delicious!  You always try to eat your money's worth at a buffet, and end up in a food coma - but it was so worth it.  After brunch, we walked along the waterfront, and through a series or little market huts and displays that they have every Sunday in Geelong.  There is a carousel with old horses on it from years ago that have been repainted and fixed up, that still have the original horse hair tails! Peyton and Kristen took a ride while we watched.  There was a sweet old couple in their 80s that rode it together, smiling and laughing together - and I definitely caught a glimpse of true old people love! SO SWEET. There is hope. :)

Along the waterfront in Geelong, there are over 100 "bollards" which have been made out of huge wooden pylons, many recovered from the Yarra Street Pier, which was destroyed by fire in the 1980’s and later removed. The wood was sculptured and then hand painted to depict many of the events and history of the Geelong region from the times the local Wautharong People were the only inhabitants right up to modern times.  It was pretty neat to see! Colin told me that they go on forever! So I guess I really only saw about 20 total out of the over 100 of them! They all tell their own story, that's for sure!

After the waterfront walk, we went to a series of outlet malls, and then down to Torquay (tor-key) Beach, which was lovely! Another site of the ocean for me = me very happy! :) Colin and Peyton made a sand castle, and I took a bunch of pictures and stood in the 15 degrees Celsius water! Brrrrrr! Still warming up after winter!

Still haven't seen a kangaroo or a koala yet - but you'll all know the instant it happens... this I promise! Apparently there are several areas around here where they can be seen.  I am obviously on a mission to find them.

I still haven't gotten used to the driving on the other side of the road yet.  Or the fact that the vehicles are flipped and you drive on the other side! Kristen has mastered it, that's for sure!


The day tired us all out, and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and visiting and then played some Scrabble and Sequence, which got competitive! It was a great night! We were all sleeping by about the same time as the night prior, and up around 8:30am on Monday morning.  We all had breakfast together, and then Peyton got ready for daycare!  We tidied and chitchatted for the morning, and just after noon, I was delivered to the train station for my ride back into Melbourne.  Sad to say bye, but so thankful for a great weekend of friendship and hospitality! Thanks again Kristen, Colin, and Gail!

Upon my arrival into Melbourne, I made my way to the YHA Melbourne Central and checked in. I was able to meet up with my friend Melanie from Nipissing, who is here teaching through ANZUK - the company I'll be teaching through in April when work picks back up for contract supply teachers! Mel and I always have a blast together. She's a riot and has one of the most contagious laughs of anyone I know! We met up with some other Canadian teachers (who Mel knows through ANZUK) in the basement/lounge area of the building where they live, and watched the Australia version of Big Brother!

We had snacks and "girl time" which was great to just get lost in random conversations! I made my way back to the hostel around 9pm and was in bed reading and sending a few emails shortly thereafter.
Today is the Melbourne Cup. Like I mentioned in my previous blog entry, it's a huge day here in Melbourne! You should see how elaborately people dress for this weekend and this event.  It's pretty neat! Apparently I'll be going with Rocco next year, which will be a hoot. It's tradition for the ladies to wear fascinators on their heads for show, as well as fancy dresses and flashy heels.  The city is absolutely swarming with fancy people right now! What an interesting atmosphere.  (I have asked people which babe is me... Look as hard as you like, I'm not in that picture! Haha!)

I know it's early in my "year" here, but in a nutshell, I know that I will want to stay for a second year, come next October when I'm right in the middle of teaching and living in Melbourne.  NOTHING against home, and EVERYTHING for experience and life. However, a "holiday working visa" which is what I have now, is only valid for one year upon entry of the country.  Therefore, I am valid in Australia until October 30, 2013, and can exit and enter the country as often as I want within that year - as long as I'm out by October 30, 2013. There is an extension possibility. The extension can be applied for if you complete 88 days of farming/mining/fishing/harvest work, and can be done whenever in your first year.  The reason I am jumping on this opportunity now, is because come April, I will be right into teaching in Melbourne and will not have the chance to do the extension work in the even I do want to stay another year to teach and work here in Australia.  So I figure if I can get the extension done now, I will be golden come next October when I want to continue teaching and working and will not be scrambling to get the extension work done!  Planning ahead!  I have been applying for all sorts of jobs, so we will see what comes up!

I may hop on a plane this weekend/weekend to Perth to tour around there and continue the job hunt.  I will keep you all posted with my movements and job news! Keep your fingers crossed I land something soon!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Some Graffiti, Drinks and Visits

November 3 already! Well, for me anyways! Most of my family and friends are still living the 2, but let me tell you about how I spent my November 2 here in Melbourne.

I was up in good time, since I had to check out of my hostel by 10am, and the jet lag still has me up early, and in bed early!  I went directly to the VIT (Victorian Institute of Teaching) to have them photocopy my license and passport for their records and for my file, since I apparently missed that important detail last time I was there!  In my defense, I tried to get all the VIT paperwork done the day I arrived. :)  After dealing with VIT, I bought my round trip train ticket (about an hour one way), since this weekend I will be spending the weekend with an old friend and her Australian family. The return trip ticket was only $12.60! Dynamite! Kristen used to date one of my old high school friends, so we originally met years ago.  Her mom used to work at Archie Stouffer, where my mom works!  Kristen moved here on a working holiday visa seven years ago, had the visa extended for the second year, fell in love, got married, and now lives here with her hubby and two babies! :) Her mom is here visiting, so it will be great to have a weekend of familiar faces and home cooked meals!  After buying the ticket,  I made my way to a cafe called Gloria Jean's, across the street from the Southern Cross Train Station, which is only a few blocks from the hostel I've been staying at, in a pretty central part of the city; where I've been getting my free wifi with purchase :) It works quite nicely! Sit here, have a tea, reply to emails, search for jobs, meet people... my kind of scene!  Around noon, a fella that I met here in this cafe, Tim, met me for a coffee, and then around 1pm, Jo showed up and the three of us chitchatted and searched for jobs together.

We waited for the sun to come back out, and when it showed it's face, we trekked to the other side of the city's CBD, or Central Business District, and saw some of the neatest graffiti I've ever seen! It's a tourist attraction here, but is hidden well enough that you need to go down some tiny alleys and side streets to find this coloured and beautiful, interesting and story telling series of graffiti walls.  As you can see in the picture, the two friends I've acquired so quickly are completely opposite!  Jo is a whopping 4'11" and Tim is pushing 6'9"! I fit in the middle.  The three of us get along really well.  Tim is from a forest fire crew in Northern British Columbia, and is going to be completing a six month contract here in the state of Victoria.

Some of the walls had everything from flowers and designs, sayings and quotes, right down to terrifying pictures of clowns and gremlins! Altogether very interesting! How artistic people can be with a can of spray paint is beyond me...

We wandered some more, before getting a craving for something cold and delicious, such as beer or cider! We all agreed that making our way to a local and very popular rooftop bar was the plan!

When we arrived, the sun was still out and warmed all of us on the roof for a while! It was so lovely up there, and you can see quite a bit of the city's centre.  We hiked up nine floors worth of stairs, so the beers that Tim and Jo had and the cider I had went down quite nicely!  The whole upper floor outside where we sat is all faux grass.  They have big areas you can sit on, and tons of tables and chairs with umbrellas and a burger and chip stand.  We sat there for about an hour and a half, talked, shared stories and obviously people watched! That's always a blast! When the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly and we got the chills! At this point, we'd all walked around with bags long enough to call it an evening and make our way back to our respective "home away from homes."  Jo took her tram back to where she is staying, about a half hour outside of the city, and "TooTall" Tim and I walked back, stopping at Nando's for some chicken before going back to the hostel.
I had to stay at a hostel around the corner.  I had checked out of the one I had been staying at... okay well, here's the story.  I had booked at the YHA Melbourne Central Hostel for three days when I arrived, (So Tues/Wed/Thurs) with the option of booking for a fourth night if I needed.  However, I checked out on the Thursday morning when I had the option of staying with a friend, Rocco, for the night just outside of Melbourne.  There is a massive horse race here this weekend, called the Melbourne Cup.  Apparently horse racing is huge here, and this weekend (four days, ending Tuesday) is such a big deal that they even take Monday and Tuesday off for it! Check out the links :)
( http://www.racingvictoria.net.au/default.aspx / http://www.races.com.au/melbourne-cup/ ) Rocco is a Stock Broker, and was coming here for work.  A friend who's away offered up his apartment for Rocco and his work mate, so he offered me a room to save the hostel fees! (Yes please! Every little bit helps!) People come from everywhere in Australia for this weekend, and it is insanely busy in Melbourne.  The airports are packed, and flights are extremely hard to come by, since they've been booked so far in advance.  Needless to say, he couldn't get a flight until late, and had to (and very apologetically) back out of his offer.  However, he felt so bad that he spent his morning searching all over for a hotel (not hostel!) for me to stay in.  Hotels here in Melbourne are ridiculously expensive, and  I told him a hostel was just fine, and that he didn't owe me anything - but he ended up looking after my accommodations for last night at a hostel right around the corner from YHA Melbourne Central, called NoMads All Nations.  Thank you, Rocco! :)  He ended up getting lucky with flights, and flew in around 9pm, since his sister works for Quantas Airlines here in Australia, and called him up saying "be at the airport in 25 minutes and you can take the next flight to Melbourne" - which he did, and this allowed us at least enough time to visit and catch up before his other mate arrived.  Since the hostel had already been booked, I stayed there, but it was great to catch up and visit, and I will be seeing him again in the next few weeks.  He travels a lot for work, and has offered to show me around Perth if I make it over to the west coast at all.  Good to have connections! :)

So today, I checked out early, and now find myself sitting at Gloria Jean's again, with a night hot tea.  I find these blogs are so relaxing to write, and I apologize if they tend to ramble on! I think of them as a sharable journal of my adventures, and love to share my life here with you all.

I'm waiting for the noon train to North Geelong, where I will be picked up by Kristen and her mom.  Wishing you all a great weekend! I know I'm going to be enjoying mine!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!