It is hard to believe I have been in Australia for two months. Today marks my 2 month anniversary of arriving in the land down under and also marks my 1 month anniversary of starting my job. In a nutshell, i couldn't be any happier to be here and truly believe my decision to embark on this adventure at this stage in my life was one of the best calls I have ever made. One unfortunate thing is how fast time is going by. I would like to think that I am making the most of my time here so far, but with such little time left, i will need to have a true carpe diem mentality for every day left here. I have a little less than 2 months left in oz, and around 1 month in New Zealand. The glory about that is that the major part of my trip is coming, having not traveled too far out Sydney the past 2 months.
Looking back on work, i am pretty grateful to have landed the type of job I have. Location, hours, wage, and the fact i actually got a job. With the abundance of backpackers in Sydney, the jobs available are far more slim than i originally anticipated them to be. Ive met backpackers that are fruitpickers, guys selling magic tricks, and ones that sell housing insulation by door to door. Yea im packing airline food, but at the same time,things could be worse. This job has been a great experience, i enjoy the people i work with, and best of all, weekend pay is where its at. However saving up money isnt as easy as I thought it would be. Without any more financial support like i had in college, you see your savings dwindle when you pay rent every week and as you see the prices as you plan your upcoming trip. The reality is I will run out of money during my 2 months straight of just travelling and entertainment. Budget maintenance, survival, meeting new people, learning transportation systems, trip planning....just a few of the life lessons you learn as a world traveler, whose to say those arent just as important as a college education...you just never know where the world will take you.
Thats about all i got, but would like to some up my thoughts of these 2 months with a small list of points, because studies show, people like lists rather than lengthy paragraphs.
- Didn't enjoy my first meat pie, but they have really grown on me...a truly great tasty snack
- The weather here hasn't met my expectations, blame it on global warming/climate change/whatever, but with the exception of a few hot days, weather has been pretty inconsistent...Ive seen alot of sunny days but are ruined by alot of wind and have experience great days but in the night turn into thunderstorms
- girls are pretty attractive here, yet to meet an aussie chick but like what i see so far from backpackers, germany produces some good lookin blondes
- In all my travel books, they warned not to leave the house without applying ample sunscreen. This should have been intended only to the pasty british as the california sun has prepared me well.
- With the point above, it is quite enjoyable to see girls bright-tomato faced red after only a few hours in the sun
- I miss my daily pull up bar exercises in my doorway and occasional basketball pick up games
- Australian kebabs aren't as good as the ones in Europe, but the chicken kebabs here still give any "drunk" food a run for their money.
- Too many people smoke cigarettes in Sydney, so dirty
- no matter what I do when I get back in the states, i will never regret taking time off and going on this trip
Now awaiting xmas, new years, and traveling...great memories already had and many more to come
You are learning my son.
ReplyDeleteYour Dad with love.