Headed Home

So as most of you know I will be heading home at the end of this week. I am full of a multitude of emotions, and it’s very bittersweet. I’m excited to go home see the family, friends, nieces, and my dog, but I’m going to miss so many things including my friends and family I have made here in Australia. Here are some of the main things I’m going to miss from Australia, and I will try and recreate as many of these back home as I can.

·         Café/coffee culture- It’s so common to meet up with friends in Cafes to catch up, and they are all unique and cozy cosy and not Starbucks!

·         Food- the food here is so much better than back home, it’s fresh and delicious and isn’t chalked full of added crap like in the states.

·         Some foods that aren’t common back home- cheese and bacon rolls, cordial, tomato sauce, roast dinners, I could go for a while with this list.

·         Aussie Humour- the humour here is full of sarcasm and I thoroughly enjoy it. Americans are much more serious than Australians. Australians will find a way to make light of anything.

·         Aussie/British speak-I really enjoy the terms and phrases they say, it sounds so much more proper when they talk. Why is America the only country that has all these different words, spellings, and mannerisms? And don’t get me started on the imperial versus metric system!

·         Beaches-the beaches here are GORGEOUS! I’m not sure if I saw an ugly beach while here in Australia.

·         Friendliness- the people in Australia are genuinely friendly. No matter where you are people are willing to help out, want to talk to you, and customer service at places is fantastic.

·         Non-tipping culture- The fact that I haven’t tipped in the past year and I’ve had some of the best service of my life. When you get paid a decent wage and don’t have to rely on tips, everyone is friendly, willing to go the extra mile, and helpful. It will be a shock to go back to America and have to tip.

·         Fashion- I think the fashion is more diverse here and I’ve grown to love it. Even the shorter shorts on men!

And of course the wonderful friends that I’ve made in the past year. The amount of things I’ve done in the past year has been more than the past 5 years, I’ve tried so many new things, and met so many amazing people that live all over the world. I have learned a lot about myself. The person I was when I got here isn’t the person that is leaving Australia. Traveling to a foreign country alone has made me have to become more outgoing, sure of myself, and willing to try new things. I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone more times than I can think of, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that will manifest once I return to my comfort zone of home. 

Bye for now <3

And the Wait Begins....

As I sit here I reflect over the past month. A month ago I was leaving Cairns to head back to Sydney. I was so excited about my future in Australia and getting a job and visa to stay here. I knew there would be lots of paperwork to be completed and money to be handed out, but I was up for the challenge. Those that know me know I don't back down from a challenge, and when I want something I do everything I can to achieve that want. However the past few days I've felt quite defeated. I have applied to over 40 positions in social work, and have had 2 interviews with 2 more later this week. I haven't heard back from the positions I've interviews for, so I assume that means they went with someone else. I know that not being a permanent resident is a negative factor in getting jobs, but I feel I may have underestimated the importance of being a resident and how much that is negatively affecting me. I am trying to stay positive and tell myself that it will all fall into place. The interviews this week  are for roles in a behavioral school, which is exactly what I want to do. I'm anxiously waiting to get a job, and on top of that, waiting to hear back from the social work board in Australia to see if they find my qualifications acceptable to apply for the skilled visa. I don't wait well, I don't like being patient, especially right now when I feel so vulnerable. My life is in the hands of these companies that are looking to see if I can bring something special, unique, or important to this country.  These agencies have to find my qualifications and my character a better match than a permanent resident. Can I be that person? I worry that I will not be offered any of these jobs and I will have to head back to the states. I will have to leave this wonderful country that I have started to plan my life in, and move back to a place that I struggles to be myself and struggled to feel accepted for who I am.

The waiting game has commenced and I am trying to stay positive and patient, but it's not easy. I will update with information, when I have new information to give.

Bye for now <3

Cairns

Wow this is very late! I didn't realize that I haven't written about my last stop on my east coast trip. Cairns was the last place Karianne and I stopped along our trip. She only had a few days there so we had to pack it all into those few days. We went out to the Great Barrier Reef one day, and swam with the fish, sharks, coral, and all the wonderfulness of the Great Barrier Reef. It was fantastic and the pictures really don't do it justice. It was such a fun experience. The day after we went out to the rainforest and did a day long tour of the Atherton Tablelands. We saw several waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. It was a long day but very fun. Karianne left the day after and once she left it rained the majority of the next week of my travels. I didn't do much during that time, just visited the shops, went to the movies, went out with friends that I had met along the coast, and said goodbye to new friends that I met along the way. Cairns Ironman was happening when I was there, and a girl I know from Sydney was competing in it so I went and cheered her on and was shocked by how well she did in her first Ironman. It was a nice end to the trip, however I didn't like Cairns as much as some of the other places I visited along the wast coast. The city itself was run down and a bit dodgy.

Now back to Sydney to try and find a job and get my visa apporved so that I can stay longer in the fabulous country.

Bye for now <3

Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Islands

Next after Fraser Island was the wonderful overnight bus to Airlie Beach. I slept 3 hours, if that, Karianne slept off and on all night. When we arrived, we had to kill time that morning until we could check in at 2pm. We wandering the small city and watched tele for a bit because the weather was rubbish. The next morning we got ready to go on our 2 days/2 nights sailing trip of the Whitsunday Islands. We booked the party boat, because I couldn't find any other boat leaving on Saturday except the Clipper. Come to find out several other boats leave that day too, but we had a blast on our boat. The boat was big, there was 60 in total, including crew on board. It was a great two days. The boat had a water slide and disco lights, it defiantly was a party boat. During the first day we relaxed on Whitehaven Beach which is known for it's vibrant white sand. The sand is made out of 98% silica and you can whiten your teeth if you brush with it, or clean your jewelry. It's also very precious sand, and if you try and take any away from the beach you will be fined I believe they said $5,000, if caught. Later that day we went snorkeling and scuba diving, and we were able to get our first glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef, and see the coral and fish that live in it. It was such a cool experience to be swimming with the fish and sea life all around you.

That night we had a big night, with games, and drinks, and lots of shenanigans. The next day we went snorkeling one last time before heading back to shore. The reef was very shallow there and we were not allowed to wear fins because it would damage the coral. Instead of damaging the coral, the coral damaged me. Fast forward 5 days and I'm in the medical centre waiting to get antibiotics for my infected toe that I cut on the coral. It was well worth it. I would say it was my favorite place that I snorkeled, unfortunately I didn't take my camera that day to capture the reef and the creatures within, but it was spectacular. Once back on dry land, both Karianne and I struggled with feeling like we were still on a boat for the next day or so. Made it fun when walking down the street mid day stumbling around looking like drunkards. But it was well worth it to see the things we did those couple of days. That night we all went out with the crew for a fun night out and the next day left on a 12 hour bus ride up to Cairns (pronounced Cannes). Thankfully it was our last bus ride!

Bye for now <3

Fraser Island

Karianne and I did a 3 day/2 night tour of the island. It's the largest sand island in the world, and the 6th largest island in Australia. We opted to do the tour that stayed in cabins versus camping, so we had showers, bathroom, and bunk beds. Day 1 we started out meeting our group and our tour guide, we went to Lake Mackenzie, which is a perched lake, which are very rare and only several exist in the world. Don't ask me to explain what makes it perched, google it! We spent the morning there and in the afternoon we hiked through a sub tropical rainforest. Both the places we visited day 1 have made it so that Fraser Island is a World Heritage Site. We headed back to the Wilderness Camp, checked into our cabins and went down to have dinner. With my pickiness and garlic problems I was limited that evening on dinner. We met a nice Scottish couple on our tour, and a girl from Amsterdam we met in Noosa was also on our tour. We sat around playing ring of fire (aka Kings Cup) that night, and Karianne got her first taste of goon. [Goon is cheap, cheap, cheap boxed wine.] We had many laughs and had a fantastic time getting in know each other.

Day 2 of the tour was my birthday! I had many people throughout the day wish me happy birthday, and it was a fantastic day. We first went to see the colored sand rocks, they were only white and yellow, I was hoping for rainbows! Then off to the champagne pools to enjoy the wonderful sun and blue skies. Then a walk up to Indian Head, where we had panoramic views of the east side of the island and were able to see some sting rays and turtles in the water below. As we were driving to our next stop we spotted some dingos and we got out and were able to take pictures of the dingos in the wild. [Dingos are dangerous animals that can and have attacked humans in the past, usually children.] We went and saw the Maheno ship wreck that crashed into the beaches of Fraser in the 30s on it's way from New Zealand to Japan. And lastly we stopped at Eli Creek and had a dip in the cool freshwater. We were all very well sunned by the end of the day. That evening they were serving Mexican and everything had garlic, so the chef made me a birthday dinner of lamb roast and roasted potatoes. I was in heaven! We played more drinking games with goon and enjoyed happy hour at the bar that evening. It was a great birthday with old and new friends.

Day 3 we spent at 2 lakes. Lake Birrabeen in the morning, and Lake Wabby in the afternoon. It was a very chilled day, just lounging in the sun and swimming in the lakes. The group had found out about my profession and spent the day asking many many questions about my work and what makes people 'crazy'. Karianne tried paddle boarding for the first time, however she didn't do stand up paddle boarding, just kneeling paddling boarding because she was scared of falling off. As we headed back on the ferry that evening we sat with the Scottish couple and reminisced about our whirlwind of a tour and how much fun we had on it! Karianne and I also started dreading that we were about to take a 12 hour overnight bus to our next stop Airlie Beach. 

Next stop Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Islands sailing tour!

Bye for now <3

Brisbane, Noosa, and Hervey Bay

Karianne has finally arrived!!! The first day was a long one for Karianne. We went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and were able to feed and pet kangaroos, and hold koalas! We saw several other animals native to Australia, like the Tasmanian Devil, Wombat, and Dingos. After petting the cute animals we wandered Brisbane to let Karianne see some of the city. That night the hostel was putting on a BBQ, so I FINALLY tried Kangaroo. It tastes like steak.... I was able to keep Karianne awake until 7:30 that night before the jet-lag got the best of her.

Next day we were off to Noosa. We spent the day on the beach enjoying the sunshine and wandered around to see what there was to offer in the small little beach town. My friends that I made in Byron and saw again in Brisbane stayed in the same hostel as us, so we ended up cooking dinner together, watched tv and played drinking games. We then all went out and danced the night away. It was a fun night. The next day we spent some more time on the beach, watched movies and ordered pizza for dinner to recover from our previous night's escapades.

Next stop was Hervey Bay. We bypassed Rainbow Beach and opted to leave for our Fraser Island tour from Hervey Bay. We didn't arrive into town until the late afternoon, so we just walked up and down the bay, had dinner, and enjoyed a few bevies while we chatted about life. The next day we had to be up bright and early for our 3 day/2 night Fraser Island Tour. More to come on that later.

Bye for now <3 

Sydney to Brisbane

The first leg of my trip I'm doing alone. Karianne flies into Brisbane and I figured it would be more fun to venture up the coast and see some places along the way. I've met some nice people in the hostels I've stayed in so far. The good thing about traveling alone, is that you have to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people in order to have a good time. First stop was Coffs Harbour, where I stayed for a night. I spent the day on the beach and the evening watching a movie in the hostel with some other people there.

Next stop with Byron Bay. I went to Byron Bay briefly when I was here in 2012 and I had a fantastic time. Byron is a small little beach town, it's also home to the Cape Byron lighthouse, which is the easternmost point in mainland Australia. Byron has a very laid back, chill, hippie/surfer atmosphere and I think it's required that you have dreads in order to be a resident there. I stayed in Byron several nights. While in Byron I walked to the lighthouse, enjoyed more sun baking on the beach, and took another surf lesson. I'm still horrible at surfing, but I enjoyed trying it again. At night I went out to check out the nightlife with my bunk mates. I met some really nice people in Byron that I will potentially see them many more times up the coast because we all have relatively the same itinerary.

Next was Surfers Paradise. On the bus I crossed over from New South Wales into Queensland. I am now in a different state for the rest of my travels. I spent the first day in Surfers on the beach and wandering around the city. It reminds me of Miami, with high rise buildings and condos along the beach. The city also seems stuck in the 70s, it seems to be a bit run down, has neon lights everywhere, and the architecture looks like it is from the 70s. I went out to a club with the hostel that night, and danced the night away with people I just met. It was a Monday, so it was dead in there but still it was nice to have a night out. The next day I went to the beach and laid around in the warm sun all day. I also went to the top of Skypoint, which is an outlook over Surfers, 77 stories high. For someone with a fear of heights it was a big deal for me, but there were some gorgeous views from up there.

Next stop Brisbane. I spent the first day there wandering the city, seeing the botanical gardens, Parliament House, shopping centres, and South Bank. South Bank is an artsy area, with bars, restaurants, cafes, a ferris wheel, and a man-made beach. The second day there I took a ride on the free ferry and saw the city from the river, and took a tour of a brewery here in Queensland, XXXX. That evening I met up with a UK couple I met surfing in Byron Bay for a drink and ended up going to the top of Mt. Coot-tha lookout to see the city by night. It was gorgeous up there. Afterwards we went back to their friends house and had a sausage sizzle (aka BBQ) and a few drinks. Karianne gets to Australia tomorrow and we will spend out last day together in Brisbane before starting up the coast. 

Bye for now <3

The End of the Beginning

I have now been in Australia for 8 months, and have loved getting to know the country, people, and myself. As I come to the end of my stay with the lovely family I've been living and working for, I have started to reflect on my time here so far. I've had some lows and high, but I would defiantly say there has been more highs. I've met some fantastic people, made some wonderful friends, and have my Australian family here. I have done more in the past 8 months than the past 5 years, and experienced things that I never thought I would get to do. I've told several people that I like the person I am when I travel better than the person I am at home. I am more adventurous, outgoing, and confident here. My anxiety that I have had, and tried to hide from others, for my whole life has significantly decreased since living here. The hardest part is being away from my family, and watching their lives go on and not being part of it. It's hard living overseas and being an outsider. Not knowing the language, culture, using different words, having an accent, and being so far away from your friends and family. But taking yourself out of that comfort zone of home, you realized a lot about yourself and learn how to adapt. I came to a crossroads where I had to decide if I want to leave after my month of travel around Australia or stay for the remainder of my visa and get another job.

Originally I planed to go home in June. I booked my flight, planned a few trips to California and New York to see friends, and then back to North Carolina. Over the next few weeks I started to get very upset that I was leaving and going back to the states. When people would ask why I was leaving early, I would say I'm not looking forward to going back to America, but I miss my family. I realized that I was making my decision to leave purely based on my family, not taking into consideration the other aspects of my life; social, emotional, occupational, and overall well being.  After some long conversations with several different people, I've decided that I will stay until the end of my visa in September. Will I stay longer? Maybe. At this point I cannot make that decision. However, I do plan to look for a job in my field, and talk to immigration about what my options are. I can't make any decisions until I am living on my own, paying all my own bills, and working a proper 9-5.

It's a bit scary. As most of you know I'm a planner, and I research and plan about a million different scenarios to situations like this, however I do not have the time to do so this time. I will have to hope my karma is good enough so I can find a job and place to live relatively easy once back from my east coast trip. As for now, I'm finishing my last week with the family, packing, and getting ready for a fantastic trip up the east coast of Australia with my bestie.

Bye for now <3

Melbourne-Weekend Getaway

This past weekend I went down to Melbourne with a friend. Nicole and I met my first night in Australia at the hostel I stayed at my first week here. Nicole lived near me for several months, but since the beginning of the year has been in a different state (about 8 hours away), so it was nice to get to spend the weekend with her and catch up on life. Melbourne is known for being very fickle with it's weather, however this weekend it was constant with it's weather, it was cold and wet. We didn't let that drag us down though, and we spent the majority of our weekend wandering the quirky city. Melbourne has many different laneways with cafes, shops, and some with A LOT of graffiti. However this graffiti is art, it's amazing to see what people can do with spray paint! We went shopping, which is one of Melbournites favorite pastimes, and we went to a museum. Of course we also had to check out the nightlife. It was a fun weekend and I bought my first pair of real authentic Australian uggs. All in all it was a great little getaway.

Next week I leave for my East Coast trip, which is a month trip from Sydney to Cairns (pronounced Cannes), I will be meeting my bestie half way up and we will enjoy sunshine, beaches, surfing, sailing, camping, rainforests, and the Great Barrier Reef. I will post updates and pictures along the way.

Bye for now <3