I honestly have no idea where to begin since the last time I posted. So let's try and organize this sitch.
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| Summit Apartments! 569 George Street! |
Housing: I'm sure I've said it before, but I LOVEEEE the city life (who knew!?)! Nothing makes me happier than just wandering up and down George Street, not knowing a single person, yet somehow being a part of the crowd. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I managed to find an apartment in DOWNTOWN Sydney in my price range! The apartment building is BEAUTIFUL and even has a pool, sauna/spa, and even a gym (we will see if I ever make it there....)! I am sharing a double room with my friend Lexi who is from Texas (met her here in AUS, but she went through the same program I went through). We went for the master suite so that way we have a bathroom in our bedroom, not to mention it has a shower and a separate tub (who am I, a real person!?). We will be two of six people living in the apartment. We don't know who the others are yet, but fingers crossed they are fun! This is so exciting to finally do something on my own and grown up! We put the deposit down last week and now just have to sign the contract. The only downside is that we can't move in until December. AKA living in hostels for TWO MORE WEEKS. I love meeting all these people from all over the world in these hostels...but I really just want to unpack my several (4) suitcases/bags and buy groceries (aka soup, and cereal).
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| Hotel Ibis Darling Harbour (on the right) |
Work: First day of orientation for work had us travel a good 40 minutes outside of the city by train. Let me just say while I tend to be pretty good with directions and knowing my way around a city, public transport has never been my strong suit. Ended up taking 5 or 6 buses to get there when we really only needed two. At orientation I learned that lolli means candy and bugger means damn it (amongst the other job things of course). I have been working every day all week and I'm so exhausted. Tomorrow will be day 8 in a row. My shifts this past week have been at 5:30 AM so I've been waking up at 3 so I have time to shower, get ready, get coffee, and walk there. I was a little skeptical about walking around 4 AM downtown alone...however SO COOL! This city is seriously so safe (don't worry I'm still being cautious), I was never worried on my walks! It was really interesting seeing the crowd of people out at that time (lots of business men, construction workers, and joggers). Okay so about my work; I'm a food and beverage attendant at Ibis Hotel in Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is an AMAZING spot in Sydney. You're right on the water, there's tons of parks and restaurants all around it, the casino, mall, aquarium, and IMAX theatre are all right there too, and the best part is it has an amazing view of the Sydney skyline. I am seriously so lucky to work here! Okay so I kind of came in expecting to be a waitress since that's what I have experience in and love doing...however my shifts are for the morning which is the breakfast buffet. So basically I am a glorified busser. To be honest though, this is the hardest job I've ever had. There's over 30 tables and it's always insanely busy and I am the ONLY one on the floor. So I'm in charge of clearing all tables, resetting the tables, and constantly restocking all the food and drinks. I'm hoping it will get better with time but as of right now I honestly am not doing well at all. I just need to stick it out and hope it will get better. Australia is amazing because their minimum wage is incredibly high because they have a no-tip culture. They also believe people should be rewarded for working late nights and weekends and pay you higher when you work then. So basically the pay is incredible and it is absolutely needed if I want to pay rent for my apartment and survive the living costs in Sydney.
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| Beautiful Bondi Beach |
Adventures: Last Saturday I went to Bondi Beach with a group of friends and spent the day relaxing. Bondi Beach was gorgeous and reminded me a lot of the Mediterranean Sea. Last Sunday the girls and I booked a trip that took us to a wildlife park and to the Blue Mountains. At the wildlife park I got to meet koalas and wallabies (they're like baby kangaroos)!! It was amazing they were all just roaming free and would come right up to you!! Blue Mountains is about two hours inland from Sydney and is so pretty! We hiked a bit (I know shocking..exercise), but my favorite part was CLIMBING UP A WATERFALL! Like what...who gets to do that! It was such an amazing feeling afterwards! But then we had to figure out how to come down..and thank god for strangers who weren't alarmed at me grabbing onto them so I wouldn't wipe out down the whole thing. Monday I went to Coogee Beach with some people I had just met, which was so random but also seems to be quite the norm here. Today I went to Bondi Beach again and it was amazing weather. Accidentally fell asleep in the sun and let's just say I need to buy aloe vera and more sunscreen pronto.
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| Feeding a baby wallaby |
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| Friends at Bondi Beach |
Food: I swear to god every day I alternate eating sushi and greek salad. There's a sushi place around the corner from my hostel that sells about half a roll for $2.50!!! It's an amazing deal and it's so cool because the sushi isn't chopped so you eat it like a sandwich! And the soy sauce comes in little fishy containers which are too cute. There is a mall right next to my workplace so I find myself eating there (always ordering a greek salad which is too, too good) and shopping. It's actually painful that I have to go through the mall after work to get to darling harbor..way too tempting!!!
Nightlife: What a dumb topic name. This may shock all of you...but I really have not been drinking!!! Being that my shifts have had me waking up at 3AM I've been going to bed early! I did go out both Saturdays I've been here and they were fun! The first Saturday was after we spent the day at the beach. Our hostel has a bar in it called Side Bar and it's actually really fun! Every Saturday they have a beer pong tournament which I participated in. No one plays the way we do though...no heating up, on fire, swat the ball if they try to bounce it in, grab the ball after your shot before it lands on the ground gets you a free behind the back shot, etc. Finally I played against a guy from California so we could play the real way haha. Didn't win but still had fun (so tacky)! The bar then turned into dancing and my arms definitely came out....for sure scared quite a few people and got some weird looks and odd comments the next day. Whatevs lolz. This past Saturday went to the fireworks in Darling Harbour, then drank with our German friends in the hostel, then back down to Side Bar! Last night I went to a bar around the corner called Scubar with Lexi and friends from Denmark. They actually had crab races and gave away prizes like skydiving and a trip to fraser islands! Everyone picked really clever or funny names for their crabs...mine were named 'Crab' and 'Ralph'. They both lost. Oh and to everyone who told me I'm going to meet my Aussie husband here...hasn't happened yet haha.
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| Climbed up a waterfall! |
Solo Travel: I totally had a breakdown the Sunday before I left. Not excited about it at all and just basically freaked out. Monday I became neutral and shut off all emotions. Tuesday I was happy and ready! I surprisingly didn't cry at all this time at the airport (unlike last summer before Semester at Sea). Haven't cried once since being here. I like that I'm doing my own thing. It's something different. This really is an amazing experience and I am so happy I'm doing this. It has been tough being so out of touch with everyone and of course major fomo. Time difference makes it nearly impossible to talk to people who I consider to be my best friends. I have no idea what is going on in anyone's life and no one really knows what's going on here. There's a huge barrier between my old life and this new life and I don't know how I feel about it. The major issue besides from time difference is wifi. PAYING FOR WIFI SUCKS. I've already spent at least $50 to get wifi in my hostels. Not to mention, I already used up all my data on my Australian phone. It's Day 13 and it was suppose to last a month...whoops! I blame it all on SnapChat lolzies. Anyways though, I hate being out of touch with my friends since they are the world to me, but at the same time, if I've learned anything this summer in my 6 weeks of non-stop trips, is that no matter how long you go without seeing someone, if you were close then it's like nothing changes when you do see them. Everything's going to pick right back up when I eventually do come home. Okay so solo travel. I LOVE IT. While I never had a problem going to a movie theatre by myself or reading my kindle in a chipotle alone, this kind of independence is totally different. I've spent several afternoons just wandering the city completely by myself, and it's a great feeling. I've learned how to get around on my own, have discovered some amazing parks, tanning spots, and gelato, and have really learned to like being alone. This being said, I still do find myself wishing my besties could be here with me so I could show them this amazing city. Seriously guys, come visit me. It's been around 80 degrees and sunny everyday, and it's only getting closer to their summer season.
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| Hiking in the Blue Mountains! |
I feel like I'm really growing up here. I have a job, am leasing my first apartment, have an Australian bank account and phone/monthly plan, a bus/train card, and am just being on my own in a new city! I seriously love Sydney...everyday something new surprises me and makes me so grateful I am here. I am probably forgetting a lot per the usual but at least this is something. I apologize for it being so long as well...the girls trying to nap in my hostel room must want to kill me after all this pounding on the keyboard.
