Oy! from Aussie Land,
The last few weeks in Australia have been filled with some of the most unconventional, even strength of mind searching, but wonderful and real days in my twenty-two years of living. A few curve balls after another such as a job change, a move, new best friends leaving to travel elsewhere, lost items, exploding expensive electronics, etc have made for a pretty interesting time. But even though I have both found and face planted on these and a few other bumps in the road I had been warned about from other travelers, I can honestly say I have still had the magnificent quote-un-quote I cannot believe this is my life moment at least once every day. I am embracing the twists and truly learning the meaning of going with the flow -which I believe is absolutely vital in traveling.
My brother recently reminded me of John Lennon’s famous quote - Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. In a traveler’s world, I am taking this to mean your plans are going to scatter and change, so just enjoy the moment and have no expectations for the next. Because that is what traveling is all about right? Taking on new chapters and adding onto your cultural gains whether they are expected or not.
So in saying this, I will share with you a few pieces of advice most backpackers I have met would agree on:
1. Never take good people you meet for granted. Enjoy them now and keep as many connections as possible, even if you are traveling with your best mates.
2. If you take the wrong ferry, bus or train and have time to explore where you have accidently ended up, do it. It will probably make an even better story than you started out to make
in the first place.
3. Do not try to cram your day full of attractions, because you will not have enough time to let any single one of them sink in. Pick one or two and really take them in.
Other important tips worth mentioning:
4. Take note of EVERY free Internet café!
5. Combine your travel book advice with the information the locals give you on a destination. You will usually find the destination to be somewhere in the middle of the two.
6. Watch your spending and use every kitchen you have available to you. Nothing burns money faster than eating out!
7. Pack light or get ready to get rid of some of your favorite items. There is nothing worse than hoping on a bus and whacking every person sitting in an isle seat all the way to row
fourteen because you cannot fit everything in your backpack.
But apart from recent trials, tips and notes circling around in my head, I have actually had a pretty remarkable few weeks.The Manly Beach Festival of Surfing, which I mentioned earlier this month in my blog, was absolutely top notch. Aside from the Rip Curl and Billabong pro surfing legends and newer to the scene surf pros chatting around and their surf offs to settle twenty-year-old rivalries and competitions to claim new glories, the beautiful weather and perfect surf brought heaps of other wave and sun seekers- all combining to complete my own perfect vision of Australia. Meeting pro surfing world champion Mick Fanning was not a bad touch to the weekend either. I have still been living in a bathing suit, enjoying the sun and surf almost every day in beaches scattered from Seven Mile to Maroubra, etc. - which is an incredible way of living minus the fact that finding last minute hostels in the area you end up in can be tough this time of year and no matter how many showers you take you will still end up with sand in your bed. (Other items I have learned to embrace.) And since I FINALLY moved into my first apartment in OZ (which is fifteen meters from the beach in Coogee- awesome) a few days ago with friends, it is even easier to commit to the beach-bum lifestyle. However, now that I am a bit more settled and done running in and out of hostels for a while, it is seriously time for me to brush the sand off and find another job to pay the rent.
And thankfully, because of my connections through Cultural Embrace, I have wonderful job-hunting resources. The job database Cultural Embrace hooks you up with is a great tool for starting the search. With the time I have spent on the database I know the kinds of businesses in need of holiday employees, which kinds of jobs are keen on employing travelers and what areas of the city are looking to hire. Another avenue I have been taking, which Cultural Embrace’s partner company helps you locate, are classes that certify you to work in bars, restaurants, and casinos, and other day classes that offer training in several different fields of work. And because the job market, even for simple jobs in retail or bar work, is so competitive at the moment with the extra million travelers in Sydney this time of year, I am glad to have the support of the partner company in my search.
However, if retail and bar work is not your thing, no worries, there are plenty more professional opportunities available here as well. Most of these opportunities require a six-month commitment, but if you are looking for resume building experience, and maybe even sponsorship to get your once-in-a-lifetime year visa back, it is definitely doable and worth it!
In the meantime, between online job hunting and stopping around at local businesses, I have indeed found a few things to keep myself occupied. Since moving into my apartment one of my favorite time passers is the amazing 6k Beach Walk – or run - from Coogee to Bondi Beach. On the route are several beaches, snorkeling coves and bays such as Bronte, Clovelly, Gordons Bay and Tamarama and a cliff view cemetery named Waverly. (All of which are Google Image worthy! Beautiful!) And I cannot forget to mention the beer festival going on a street over from me – I am very excited about that one! I also have my flat mates, and the other twenty-five people from all over the world living my beachfront building to keep me company while watching the cricket and off season rugby matches in the palm tree surrounded field across the street, cooking out on our deck sized balconies, and taking exploratory excursions to a few of the less well known areas in our coastal neighborhood. And since I signed a two-month lease (which, in most areas in Sydney- including the outskirt beaches such as where I am living- you can find flats offering one month to one year leases) I have plenty of time to explore, take in my surroundings and report excellent local spots your travel books left out!
So, because I have had the opportunity to seek and soak in so much the last couple of weeks, I will end with a word-to-the-wise-ish message I have been living by: Whether you are on your own or traveling with your best mates, every breathing moment is an opportunity to learn and progress in your cultural immersion experience. Letting go of your stresses and appreciating everything for what it is, learning from your mistakes and moving on to the next adventure with an open mind and a wiser point of view are all key in the imprinting process of your environs.
I urge you in your next adventure, whether it is visiting a new area in your city or another country, keep your mind open to all of the possibilities that lay ahead of you. And most certainly, enjoy the person next to you and invest in listening to what they have taken in as well. They might have discovered something you have wondered right past.
I am so thankful to be able to share details of my life traveling in Australia with you, and hope they give you a better idea of some of the opportunities the Australian Work and Travel visa can give you. I still have itchy feet, and lots of expeditions planned so look out for my blog again next week! Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want some specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia. Cheers!
Live fully,
Jennifer C Campbell
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