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Let Me Travel Forever
I've been in Australia five months to the day today and it's been one hell of an experience so far!Natalie and I have been together since the beginning, living in Sydney, watching new friends come and go. The best thing about travelling is the new friends you make from all over the world but the worst thing about travelling is having to say goodbye when they chose to move on to somewhere new. Nadine recently came back to us (she lived with us for a couple months at the beginning but then went travelling up the coast for six weeks), spending Easter weekend with Natalie, Elly and I before flying home to bright (COLD) ole England. We also have recently bumped into a couple of the boys we used to live with in the old place, and other Natalie is soon coming back to Sydney to visit us in April for a couple days before she goes wherever she is going. With all this reuniting and reminiscing going on, its got me thinking about what I love about Australia so far, and what I don't. I've got to the five month mark and it's time like this, especially when others are going home, when I start to think about home, what I miss there and what I'd miss if I had to leave Australia too. So, here are five things I'd miss about living in Sydney, and five things I won't (Yes, its possible!).
Five Things I'd miss about living in Sydney 1.The Weather - Obvious I know,but the weather is usually amazing and I'm the biggest sun worshipper. We've just had the hottest March in almost 30 years, which considering its meant to be "Autumn" weather, is pretty good. I've been to the beach numerous times, achieved some shocking tan lines walking to work and hot footed it to the nearest air conditioned shop when walking around the city, all in this lovely "Autumn" weather!Over the last five months, I've developed a pretty good tan and even some faint sunglasses marks, cringe. The weather is Australia is my kinda weather. And lets not forget a beautiful sunny day in January that would become the hottest day EVER in Sydney at a hot hot hot 45.8 degrees! 2.The Beaches - Yes, I know there are many more amazing beaches in Australia, but Sydney has some of the best beaches for sure. I live 5 min walk from the beach, with beautiful views out my kitchen windows of the surrounding bay. It's stunning, and we can watch sunrise from the comfort of our own beds. Anyone ever watched Bondi Rescue?! White sands, clear waters, hot lifeguards and all within half an hour of the city!City living with a bit of sand and waves, perfect. I'm a water baby, and love playing in the waves, trying to get Nat and Elly in whenever I can, and I've even bought my own snorkel and mask. I'd definitely miss saying to Nat "hey, wanna swim tomorrow morning before work?" or walking to the beach with Elly in just my towel because the journey is too short to warrant putting on clothes. 3.30 cent Maccas Soft Serve - Ok, so here's where we get greedy and talk about food. In Australia, Maccas (McDs) sells soft serve ice creams in a cone...for 30c!I've googled it, and that's a very inexpensive 21p in English terms!I mean...really?!Ice cream for 30c?!Errrr...yes please!Whoever said people lose weight when travelling obviously were misinformed and never had a 30c ice cream!Since we're on the topic of Aussie food...I'd also massively miss TimTams (chocolate covered biscuits similar to Penguins) and Aioli (kind of like garlic mayo..but better). 4. Bare Feet -(Amy, this one's dedicated to you!) It's socially acceptable to not wear shoes!I'm African, and its completely normal to not wear shoes for us sometimes (not because we're poor, but because we're outdoors a lot). Here, living by the beach means it's perfectly normal to see people walking around bare foot, getting on the bus barefoot, browsing shops barefoot and even eating in cafes barefoot. You don't need shoes - living by the beach means that sand (lots of it) gets everywhere and Aussies prefer living a relaxed, carefree lifestyle and this case...it means no shoes! I wouldn't recommend being barefoot in the city, and it is probably not so socially acceptable, but that's not to say I haven't seen it in the parks. In England, I'm not a big fan of socks, my toes do not like to be contained, and I will often pop outside barefoot to the car or into the garage. I like to drive barefoot, and my Dad is often barefoot too. In Coogee, we don't even double take when someone walks into Maccas wearing no shoes and if it's raining, I now happily take off my shoes and run home barefoot. I'm all for toe freedom! 5.The People - The people I live with, the people I work with and the general Australian public. I've settled completely here in Sydney and it feels like home. It's perfectly normal for me to go to the beach before a late afternoon shift at work, it's perfectly normal for me to walk past the Opera House on my way to meet a friend for drinks and it's perfectly normal for me to brush the sand off my feet before entering the flat. The girls I live with are brilliant, they put up with my mess, with my constant "would you rather" questions and with my random singing, facts of the day and laughing at their accents (mainly Elly,sorry!Midlander!). The girls I've worked with for the last four months have been fun and brilliant too, making work a fun place to go and I hopefully will see one of them in London when she goes travelling herself. Last but not least, I'd for sure miss the Aussies in general. If you've read my previous blog, you'll know how awesome their accents and words are, and the majority of very friendly. Over the Easter weekend, Nadine and I went for a walk and a total of three different people we walked past smiled a hello and wished us a Happy Easter. How often does that happen in England?! Nothing beats a friendly Aussie guy saying "G'Day girls" walking past :) .
Five things I won't miss about Syndey 1.Weather - Hang on, haven't we had this one already?! Yes, yes I know I said Australia has great weather but sometimes, it does rain. Actually...it rains quite a bit in Sydney!Christmas Day...it rained. It was the wettest Christmas in Sydney for a couple decades, nice one. I wore a nice dress to the city for drinks...it rained. I looked like a drowned rat in a pretty dress. We went to Bondi beach...it rained accompanied by a massive thunder storm. Don't bother listening to the weather man, he lies. Don't bother looking out the window before leaving the house, the weather may look good but it's just playing with you. All that said, more often than not it IS good weather but on the off occasion the rain surprises you, have your brolly in your bag at all times and maybe consider investing in a mac! 2. City Prices - Now, I know I live near London at home so I should be used to paying higher prices in a city. But when London doesn't even make the top 10 for most expensive cities in the world whilst Sydney is ranked number 3...even I struggle. Handing over $3.50 for a can of coke is painful, and don't even ask how much a cocktail is (even in a cheap place, you're looking at $18 for something small). Rent is over double what I was paying in Northampton, where I lived in a five bedroom, two bathroom house. Here, I've living in a studio flat a quarter the size. Granted, I have amazing sea views and location is a big factor, but it's still extremely expensive. If you ever intend on visiting Sydney, be careful of the prices, it's hella expensive. But if you're wise, you'll suss out the cheaper places and can buy a bottle of water for a $1 instead of an extortionist $4 some places charge. 3."Five years experience" - Basically, this one is about how I will not miss job hunting here! It's pretty difficult, as I'm sure it is world wide. One thing they are very big on here is experience! A lot of places not only ask for experience, they often ask for at least two years experience. I've seen five years experience required many times too. Now, I understand some people don't have time to train new people, and that experience is highly advantageous. However, when the job is something like serving in a tiny cafe or working in a bar clearing away glasses, I hardly think five years experience is necessary. Yes, some experience is great but FIVE YEARS IN CLEARING AWAY GLASSES?!REALLY?!If I had five years experience in clearing away glasses and was still looking for the same kind of job, I'd be feeling like I've wasted my whole life in education for nothing. The majority of employers won't give you a chance, let alone a look at your CV, if you don't have the required experience. If I have a year experience in a certain (easy) job, surely that is sufficient enough? Jobs in bars and cafes are literally impossible to get unless you have "enough" experience. So to all those people who have specialised in clearing away glasses and want to continue your career internationally, Sydney could be for you! 4.Hills - This sounds weird I know, but I really will not miss how hilly Coogee is! I live at the top of a massive hill, and the only way to get anywhere, beach included, is down. Sounds fine, but don't forget to get home from anywhere, beach included, I have to climb back up this stupid hill. I'm not even exaggerating, it is steep. For those reading from home, think Hillside but a lot steeper and double the distance. When you've just finished a long shift at work and want to relax, you're happy to go home till you remember that hill. No one wants to walk uphill at the end of the day. Want to go to the beach? Hill. Want to pop to the shop to get some milk? Hill. Want to walk to the next beach and snorkel? Lots of hills! Hills everywhere! I'm sure my legs have had one hell of a work out the last five months, but when it's 32 degrees, you've worked a long day and you're sweating just from standing still, those hills are a nightmare. Coogee, I will not miss your hills, even if they lead to wonderful things like Bondi Beach, the cinema or my own flat!
5.Backpackers who work in marketing - This title seems a little harsh, so let me explain. Many people who are travelling Australia often need money and quickly, and I certainly know how that feels. Some backpackers chose to work in marketing jobs, which basically is code for working for a company that puts you in shopping centres and on street corners to try and get people to sign up to a charity with monthly donations. Now, I'm all for giving to certain charities and someone has to get people to sign up, otherwise charities would rely solely on advertising (which is wasting their donations) and word of mouth. So, there are a lot of these types of jobs going and many backpackers are hired as they have a high turn over and high pay, usually based on commission. As they are mainly commission based, some people get desperate when they realise they won't be making target that day. These are the backpackers who work for marketing companies that I will not miss! If you walk down one of the main streets in Sydney, especially nearer the end of the day when the poor workers realise they aren't going to make target, you're very much likely to be approached by a good 3 or 4 people in the space of thirty minutes. They try to shake your hand, they wave at you through the crowd, they comment on what you're wearing "hey girl in stripey dress!Yes you!" or they grin and walk towards you like you're a long lost friend. Personally, any person walking towards me wanting to shake my hand is a red flag, because I probably think they're going try to mug me. Plus, where have their hands been? How many peoples' hands have they shaken previously? It's an invasion of my space and very annoying when their friend has just tried to do the same. It makes the charity look bad (they wear sponsored tshirts) and I'm even willing to cross the street to avoid them. When I was new to the city I'd often fall into their trap and once stood for a good five minutes with a guy who wouldn't let go of my hand until I actually swore at him. Not ladylike I know but after five minutes of me smiling politely, saying no nicely and trying to pull away, he still wouldn't let go. I don't like being rude to them as they have a job to do, and most of them to be fair are very polite, friendly and can tell when someone doesn't want to talk. However, it's those few who give the rest of them a bad name, such as the guy who wouldn't let go of my hand. Also, it's weird to smile and wave at me in the crowd. It creeps me out, grinning like they're a children's entertainer and they think I want to volunteer to join in. I don't, sorry. So it sounds like I've got a lot to complain about when I'm living in such a great place but just quickly reread the first five points on about how much I love Sydney. I could have written another 50 more. Thanks Sydney :)
Five Things I'd miss about living in Sydney 1.The Weather - Obvious I know,but the weather is usually amazing and I'm the biggest sun worshipper. We've just had the hottest March in almost 30 years, which considering its meant to be "Autumn" weather, is pretty good. I've been to the beach numerous times, achieved some shocking tan lines walking to work and hot footed it to the nearest air conditioned shop when walking around the city, all in this lovely "Autumn" weather!Over the last five months, I've developed a pretty good tan and even some faint sunglasses marks, cringe. The weather is Australia is my kinda weather. And lets not forget a beautiful sunny day in January that would become the hottest day EVER in Sydney at a hot hot hot 45.8 degrees! 2.The Beaches - Yes, I know there are many more amazing beaches in Australia, but Sydney has some of the best beaches for sure. I live 5 min walk from the beach, with beautiful views out my kitchen windows of the surrounding bay. It's stunning, and we can watch sunrise from the comfort of our own beds. Anyone ever watched Bondi Rescue?! White sands, clear waters, hot lifeguards and all within half an hour of the city!City living with a bit of sand and waves, perfect. I'm a water baby, and love playing in the waves, trying to get Nat and Elly in whenever I can, and I've even bought my own snorkel and mask. I'd definitely miss saying to Nat "hey, wanna swim tomorrow morning before work?" or walking to the beach with Elly in just my towel because the journey is too short to warrant putting on clothes. 3.30 cent Maccas Soft Serve - Ok, so here's where we get greedy and talk about food. In Australia, Maccas (McDs) sells soft serve ice creams in a cone...for 30c!I've googled it, and that's a very inexpensive 21p in English terms!I mean...really?!Ice cream for 30c?!Errrr...yes please!Whoever said people lose weight when travelling obviously were misinformed and never had a 30c ice cream!Since we're on the topic of Aussie food...I'd also massively miss TimTams (chocolate covered biscuits similar to Penguins) and Aioli (kind of like garlic mayo..but better). 4. Bare Feet -(Amy, this one's dedicated to you!) It's socially acceptable to not wear shoes!I'm African, and its completely normal to not wear shoes for us sometimes (not because we're poor, but because we're outdoors a lot). Here, living by the beach means it's perfectly normal to see people walking around bare foot, getting on the bus barefoot, browsing shops barefoot and even eating in cafes barefoot. You don't need shoes - living by the beach means that sand (lots of it) gets everywhere and Aussies prefer living a relaxed, carefree lifestyle and this case...it means no shoes! I wouldn't recommend being barefoot in the city, and it is probably not so socially acceptable, but that's not to say I haven't seen it in the parks. In England, I'm not a big fan of socks, my toes do not like to be contained, and I will often pop outside barefoot to the car or into the garage. I like to drive barefoot, and my Dad is often barefoot too. In Coogee, we don't even double take when someone walks into Maccas wearing no shoes and if it's raining, I now happily take off my shoes and run home barefoot. I'm all for toe freedom! 5.The People - The people I live with, the people I work with and the general Australian public. I've settled completely here in Sydney and it feels like home. It's perfectly normal for me to go to the beach before a late afternoon shift at work, it's perfectly normal for me to walk past the Opera House on my way to meet a friend for drinks and it's perfectly normal for me to brush the sand off my feet before entering the flat. The girls I live with are brilliant, they put up with my mess, with my constant "would you rather" questions and with my random singing, facts of the day and laughing at their accents (mainly Elly,sorry!Midlander!). The girls I've worked with for the last four months have been fun and brilliant too, making work a fun place to go and I hopefully will see one of them in London when she goes travelling herself. Last but not least, I'd for sure miss the Aussies in general. If you've read my previous blog, you'll know how awesome their accents and words are, and the majority of very friendly. Over the Easter weekend, Nadine and I went for a walk and a total of three different people we walked past smiled a hello and wished us a Happy Easter. How often does that happen in England?! Nothing beats a friendly Aussie guy saying "G'Day girls" walking past :) .
Five things I won't miss about Syndey 1.Weather - Hang on, haven't we had this one already?! Yes, yes I know I said Australia has great weather but sometimes, it does rain. Actually...it rains quite a bit in Sydney!Christmas Day...it rained. It was the wettest Christmas in Sydney for a couple decades, nice one. I wore a nice dress to the city for drinks...it rained. I looked like a drowned rat in a pretty dress. We went to Bondi beach...it rained accompanied by a massive thunder storm. Don't bother listening to the weather man, he lies. Don't bother looking out the window before leaving the house, the weather may look good but it's just playing with you. All that said, more often than not it IS good weather but on the off occasion the rain surprises you, have your brolly in your bag at all times and maybe consider investing in a mac! 2. City Prices - Now, I know I live near London at home so I should be used to paying higher prices in a city. But when London doesn't even make the top 10 for most expensive cities in the world whilst Sydney is ranked number 3...even I struggle. Handing over $3.50 for a can of coke is painful, and don't even ask how much a cocktail is (even in a cheap place, you're looking at $18 for something small). Rent is over double what I was paying in Northampton, where I lived in a five bedroom, two bathroom house. Here, I've living in a studio flat a quarter the size. Granted, I have amazing sea views and location is a big factor, but it's still extremely expensive. If you ever intend on visiting Sydney, be careful of the prices, it's hella expensive. But if you're wise, you'll suss out the cheaper places and can buy a bottle of water for a $1 instead of an extortionist $4 some places charge. 3."Five years experience" - Basically, this one is about how I will not miss job hunting here! It's pretty difficult, as I'm sure it is world wide. One thing they are very big on here is experience! A lot of places not only ask for experience, they often ask for at least two years experience. I've seen five years experience required many times too. Now, I understand some people don't have time to train new people, and that experience is highly advantageous. However, when the job is something like serving in a tiny cafe or working in a bar clearing away glasses, I hardly think five years experience is necessary. Yes, some experience is great but FIVE YEARS IN CLEARING AWAY GLASSES?!REALLY?!If I had five years experience in clearing away glasses and was still looking for the same kind of job, I'd be feeling like I've wasted my whole life in education for nothing. The majority of employers won't give you a chance, let alone a look at your CV, if you don't have the required experience. If I have a year experience in a certain (easy) job, surely that is sufficient enough? Jobs in bars and cafes are literally impossible to get unless you have "enough" experience. So to all those people who have specialised in clearing away glasses and want to continue your career internationally, Sydney could be for you! 4.Hills - This sounds weird I know, but I really will not miss how hilly Coogee is! I live at the top of a massive hill, and the only way to get anywhere, beach included, is down. Sounds fine, but don't forget to get home from anywhere, beach included, I have to climb back up this stupid hill. I'm not even exaggerating, it is steep. For those reading from home, think Hillside but a lot steeper and double the distance. When you've just finished a long shift at work and want to relax, you're happy to go home till you remember that hill. No one wants to walk uphill at the end of the day. Want to go to the beach? Hill. Want to pop to the shop to get some milk? Hill. Want to walk to the next beach and snorkel? Lots of hills! Hills everywhere! I'm sure my legs have had one hell of a work out the last five months, but when it's 32 degrees, you've worked a long day and you're sweating just from standing still, those hills are a nightmare. Coogee, I will not miss your hills, even if they lead to wonderful things like Bondi Beach, the cinema or my own flat!
5.Backpackers who work in marketing - This title seems a little harsh, so let me explain. Many people who are travelling Australia often need money and quickly, and I certainly know how that feels. Some backpackers chose to work in marketing jobs, which basically is code for working for a company that puts you in shopping centres and on street corners to try and get people to sign up to a charity with monthly donations. Now, I'm all for giving to certain charities and someone has to get people to sign up, otherwise charities would rely solely on advertising (which is wasting their donations) and word of mouth. So, there are a lot of these types of jobs going and many backpackers are hired as they have a high turn over and high pay, usually based on commission. As they are mainly commission based, some people get desperate when they realise they won't be making target that day. These are the backpackers who work for marketing companies that I will not miss! If you walk down one of the main streets in Sydney, especially nearer the end of the day when the poor workers realise they aren't going to make target, you're very much likely to be approached by a good 3 or 4 people in the space of thirty minutes. They try to shake your hand, they wave at you through the crowd, they comment on what you're wearing "hey girl in stripey dress!Yes you!" or they grin and walk towards you like you're a long lost friend. Personally, any person walking towards me wanting to shake my hand is a red flag, because I probably think they're going try to mug me. Plus, where have their hands been? How many peoples' hands have they shaken previously? It's an invasion of my space and very annoying when their friend has just tried to do the same. It makes the charity look bad (they wear sponsored tshirts) and I'm even willing to cross the street to avoid them. When I was new to the city I'd often fall into their trap and once stood for a good five minutes with a guy who wouldn't let go of my hand until I actually swore at him. Not ladylike I know but after five minutes of me smiling politely, saying no nicely and trying to pull away, he still wouldn't let go. I don't like being rude to them as they have a job to do, and most of them to be fair are very polite, friendly and can tell when someone doesn't want to talk. However, it's those few who give the rest of them a bad name, such as the guy who wouldn't let go of my hand. Also, it's weird to smile and wave at me in the crowd. It creeps me out, grinning like they're a children's entertainer and they think I want to volunteer to join in. I don't, sorry. So it sounds like I've got a lot to complain about when I'm living in such a great place but just quickly reread the first five points on about how much I love Sydney. I could have written another 50 more. Thanks Sydney :)
- comments
debbie tomlinson Great and entertaining writing. I can see the people waving across the street! Enjoy the experience! xxxxx mom