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Hello, so 3 weeks in O.Z. now! and no blogs! sorry, but it been tough, for meny reasons! Firstly, trying to work out my thoughts of Cairns and the people of Cairns and the people who are staying in my hostel! there are two types of people! the first stay for 3 nights or so, they've already booked there diving, bunggy jumping e.t.c you never really see them, they go off early in the morning come home late, then go to bed then move on to another town! then you've got the rest! and my first thought was NOT to become like them! because, well they just don't do anything! But as the weeks have gone on, i'm now beginning to see why! The reason i'm in Australia is because it was easy, download a hoilday working visa and turn up, get some casule work, do 3 months on a farm and exstend the visa to an extra year! easy! and that's the very problem it is easy, and every one is doing it more and more every year and there's only so much farm work to go round! plus the real problem is the backlash from the floods and tornados Australia sufferd not so long ago! it means the farms are so far behind! there just is'nt the work! So travelers are staying in the citys, and knowing that works hard to find are staying in there jobs for the year then coming home! so the part time work just isn't there! my plan althow very vaig was to arrive in Cairns then head south! living in Austrailia is exspensive! and i can confirm that! but i was awear! and thats why i knew i would have to work! but sinse i've been here, the amont of people who have left to head south to get jobs, or gone to farms for garantead work but come back saying there wont be any for weeks! when you work on a farm you stay in there hostels at there prices it's a bit of a con but if you want your 2nd year it's what you have to do! but with no work you're basicly staying in a rubish hostel in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do and paying for the pleaser of it! So now i see why the 2nd type of of traveler just stays here and apears to do nothing! the 1st kind proberly have savings and are here for 3 months! the 2nd like me! came with not much money in hope they would get work! So the question i've been asking my self is do i head south in hope! or do i stay here! where the cost of living is as cheap as it's going to get and try and spend as little as posible, then blitz the east coast in the last month or so! and if i get a job in Cairns great! as the wages are crazy! there's a girl in the hostel who works in the mall in a milkshake shop who is on $29 an hour and a guy in a gift shop on $22 an hour! no wonder poeple are staying in there jobs! There are a number of reasons why i've stayed in Cairns long anothe to find this all this out! The first, my bank account! if you're planning a holiday working visa MAKE SURE you put money into your O.Z. account befor you leave! my thought was to open it in O.Z. then transfer the money over! oh no Natwest have other ideas! wich was basicly NO to every thing i said! they would only give me MY money if i hand wrote them a letter and sent in in the post! "IN THE POST" i said "I MIGHTS AS WELL PUT IT IN A BOTTLE AND THROUGH IT IN THE F**KING SEA!!!!!!!" (i did ask them if i could scann the letter then email it! but as you expect computer says NO!! remember i was getting charged everytime i use my card so i didn't wont to start booking trips and greyhound tickets while getting charged! three weeks later and the moneys in! and i hear that's only coz Jacks started seeing the bank manager and made her sort it! (Jack seeing a bank manager!) how long have i been away??? Secondly, my tax number, can't work without it! need an Australian address to send it to! should take 5 working days!(forunatly mine did) but a friend matt from the hostals took a mouth! badtimes! Thirdly, Medi-care card In the three weeks i've been here i've become good friends with to guys from the room next door! Masis and Pete both went to uni together! however have moved on two days ago! so Masis is not awear how he's saved me shed loads of money! One day we were sitting in there room, and Masis said they were going to the shopping mall where there is an office where you can get a medi-care card for free! you just have to fill out a form! and take your passport, travel insurence and working visa! and if you get ill or have an accedent you can get help for free strait away! with out having to pay up front and claiming it back on your insurance! so i went with them! 30 mins later all done, you get a paper card then wait for the actulle card to come throuh the post! Waiting for the post thats all i've done in Australia so far! Because of all the waiting, i disided to see if i could do the imposible get a JOB!! so i wrote a C.V. not done one of them i mean Dave's not done one of them for my since 1999! and the next day i set about handing it out! i must of walked ever inch if the town! visiting every job agencie in the town! going in every shop with a staff wanted in the window! it took my 9hours or so! so i returned home at the end of the day having handed out one C.V. no one would even talk to me! if they did! "What you qualified in?" "greenkeeping and coaching soccer!" "Cairns hasen't got a golf club, and it's not the football season!" (i bloody know that! i'm here to try something different! so although not feeling the best! after a day of being told i'm not what people are looking for! i went home and thought of a plan B! i just could see who wouldn't want me!! Sure my C.V. is rubbish! i know tha,t i'm not stupid but thats not what i'm about! I'm so much more than a piece of paper! it's that self belive that keeps me going, and the belive that it's not what you know, it's who you know!!I just needed to know someone!! The next day i moved rooms, i was in a big dorm and had most of the time had it to my self, but they wanted it for big groups, so they could all be together i was pleased to move! into somethine smaller! less chance of a group of idiots moving in! There is A girl called Kathrin (she works in the Woolshed!(one of the best bars/clubs in Cairns) who was in a big room like me! we didn't know it, but there plans was to move us in together! to free up our big rooms! i'd seen her around and she seemed nice, but more importantly clean! which is somthing a lot of travelers don't worrie about to much! (howevery they do stink!) the Woolshed was where the hostel sent us for our free meal every day! So that evening Kathrin and i went together to the Whoolshed for our free dinner! (she gets hers free coz she works there!) during the meal the manager came over to say hello! i nearly fell out of my seat when i relised! i knew someone!!!! now it was just a matter of timing! (and as we know timing is everything!) so i waited till the next day! saw the moment, and took it! it was over so quickly, i had a trile, the next day! If you want a job! don't hand C.V.'S out or trapes round recrutment agencies! fine out who the manager is and aproch them directly! they are the only one who can say yes or no on the spot! no one else has the athority! so will just say send us your C.V. and will put it on file! in the bin you been!! So on saturday 17th at 11pm i started my trile 2 hours later the job was mine! and they payed me for the rest of the night! So basicly the girls (only good lookers) work the bar and my job is to do the rest! hard work but good fun! and the money's decent to! I guess the job is reason four! save as much as i can then! then head south in style doing what i want! not what my small buget would alow! Now reason five, on the way home from my new job a said to Kathrin, my arm really hurt! we looked at it to find it look as if it was broken! (it felt like it to!) the next morning i went to the doctors across the road thanks to Masis i had the medi-card so they would see me strait away! and for free! the doctor wasn't sure! so he told me to go for a blood, test x-ray and a scan! the blood test cost $150 even with the medi card! but they told me to go to the medi-card office and they would reinburs me! (which is what i'd heard could happen) but they said i may only get $20 or $30 back! Now my money was in limbo! between the two acounts! so the $150 was all my money gone i really didn't want to start spending on the credit card! already!! but $150 for a blood test!! what was an x-ray and scans going to cost! plus i didn't even know what i'd done! (i still don't!) so massively upset i went back to the hostal and phoned the x-ray place one of two places they told me to go! medi-care would not cover me! it would cost about $7/800 for both! and that's only to find out what was wrong! i'm now thinking it's all over! i'm going to have to come home! but that wasn't fair i came here to change or maybe start a new life! not write a letter, wait for the postman, break my arm! and then have to come home! But lifes never been easy so why would it start now!! So i pulled my self together! and rang the other place this was miles out of town but, there was a chance medi-care would pay! and they would! i nealy ran there! i had the x-ray! nothing broken!! yes! so that then lead to next question! why was my arm in peaces and difformed! the scans are on monday! 3rd Oct! so i guess we'll find out then!! so staying in Cairns is the only opption for now! When i first got here, i didn't understand why people would just stay here and do nothing, and i didn't what to become one of them! but one thing is for sure they are all good people, and like a big family, and every one has there story for why there in Australia, but its there story for why they stay so long in the asylum hostal that really intrestes me!
- comments
Julia Blake Dear David, My goodness you seem to have had more than your fair share of trials and tribulations and what hassle with your bank account! I hope that the problem with your arm is being resolved you must let us now because we are all worried about you now and wonder what is wrong with it. Reading your blog and then having to wait for the next installment is like watching one of the tv programmes where they leave you on a cliff hanger!! Well done for getting yourself a job at least you can now start saving some money for the next stage in your adventure. Also, you will start to make contacts and friends that could be of help and will make your stay so much better. However, as Keith has said Cairns is a strange place and perhaps when you move south you will need to consider going to major tourist places where there will be plenty of bar work or to Sydney where there should be plenty of work- that is where Phil worked in a bar whilst he was in Oz. All is well here- still busy watching the rugby world cup matches. Also we have had the hottest week of the year here with temperatures in the high 20's which is crazy for this time of year - next week because it is October we could have snow!! Take care and keep in touch.