bondi or bust

september 27/09

my mind is spinning from lack of sleep, the whirlwind of activities that have taken place and the thoughts of what is yet to come. since i have been here i have been thrusted into a culture and city that i only know so much about. between people driving on the left side of the road, the awe-inspiring architecture, attractions such as the opera house and a blatently obvious cultural acceptance of those who are homosexual - well, its all quite a bit to digest.

i have been to the botanical gardens, viewed the opera house and gapped at those walking uptop the sydney harbor bridge. i ran in a dust storm (to which i was actually shown on the local news later that night), explored the shops on george street and gazed upon the sands of bondi beach. ive also been out for japanese, tried my luck on the local transit system and bar-hopped with a vaste array of locals and travellers in bondi. and there is so much more to come. i can only imagine what is around the next corner and though i am thrilled at the prospects around me - it also is slightly nerve-racking. i need a job. i neither have one or any potentials at this time. i also need a place to stay and i havent really begun looking yet. and both these things i am crossing my fingers that i will come out on top financially. it should be an interesting experience, to say the least.

overall though, i have really found that australia is built for backpackers and the budget traveller looking for adventure. there are campervan rental sites at almost every block corner, hostels everywhere a person looks, longer term lodging properties that are furnished and tenants pay by the week, temporary work opportunities and flatmates gallore. and its a beautiful country to boot.


september 29/09

theres something i always find so hard about looking for a job. especially when looking for a job thats not in my field of work. especially when looking for a job in another country. i wish i could be that person who "knows people." i wish i could even be that person who is hired on the spot - even that person who is sought after by the employers. but i am none of those. not even back in canada.

instead i am the person who wanders aimlessly, asking for jobs at every possible venue and each time i am told, "sorry, no jobs here," or that i dont meet the qualifications or they want a detailed resume to be produced on the spot - one that i dont exactly have in my back pocket 24/7. *sigh* what keeps me going is that i HAVE to find a job or i will soon have to hop on a plane and go home. and that is most definitely NOT what i feel like doing. i have made it so far and it is not the time for me to go home.

****

well, i have called it quites for the day. i have officially been to every possible place along bondi beach that i could get away with asking for a job in ripped up jeans. all the other places will have to wait for another day when its hotter as in this cool weather (low 20 degrees) jeans are all i have and this is my only pair. ahh - the life of a backpacker.

now i sit overlooking the shore of bondi beach. pure bliss. the surfers and beach buns are out in full force today even though it isnt terribly hot. i can only imagine how packed it would be at christmas day when its sweltering hot and everyones off work. tomorrow will be hot. i cant wait!


september 30/09

today turned out to not be quite what i expected. i first went out to get my bank account activated. by 9:30 i made it there, sat down with wendy who got me all good to go. only thing was that she cleaned me out of my change in order to open the account and so i was clear out of cash to hop on the train in order to get to bondi beach as i had originally planned.

onto plan b: get some moolah. i attempted the atm without luck and reacted with no surprise as my debit card hasnt wanted to function regularly since i left canada. i figure theyve probably frozen it despite my written letter to the bank stating id be travelling. *sigh* as i also didnt have my pin # to my credit card i figured the best course of action would be to call home to see if any notices came through from the bank and get my credit car pin number. i went to the nearest pay phone to use my calling card. it didnt work.

so i walked on over to "global gossip" that is an internet cafe and calling centre with super cheap rates. their phones just HAPPENED to not be working today. my heart sank. the last option i had was to go all the way back to tiffanys flat to use my calling card on her landline. so i did that - feeling completely foolish lugging all my beach stuff when it was looking more and more as though i wasnt going to use it at all.

i made it back to tiffs, mde the phone call and by the time i was done, i was spent. to top it off, my foot was sore so i soaked it in some hot water. my foot had given out on me a few days ago. i figure ive just been walking so much that ive over-worked it and now its strained. all it needs is rest and since all signs seemed to point that way today - thats what i did. nothing.


october 1/09

"AGAIN! they torment me. people come over to me and torment me. AGAIN! how would you like to live like this for 38 years? frustrations. AGAIN! im allergic to all things. life. the sun. beach. people. AGAIN! they torment me. people torment me. AGAIN! i cant see where im going. im as blind as a bat - dead as a beetle. im blind. cant see nothing. go away. piss off. go away. piss off." (a portion of the spontaneous monologue done by an australian woman)

theyre everywhere. the screaming, yelling, aggitated, mumbling self-talkers who appear to be found everywhere in sydney. since i got here about a week ago, i have seen more than 5 different people such as this already. driven by paranoid delusions and filled with the incescent need to proclaim to the world all thoughts running through their heads. right now im at bondi beach and was enjoying the ocean waves untill a woman nearby began her neverending monolgue.

****

about 45 minutes later she finally quieted down. everyone avoided any sort of contact with the woman the entire time and then afterwards. it was difficult to know what to do considering my background in helping those whose thought-processes are slightly different than the average person. i ended up keeping my sunglasses on and avoiding eye contact. all the while i continued to wonder what this womans beef was with the beach, water, people, etc when all the while she was runnig around in her two-piece, splashing in the waves. who knows.

anyway, i spent the afternoon lazing around on the beach, enjoying the hot sun. lazy some might say, but my excuse was my foot. though it did feel better this morning, it was still slightly sore. another day of rest was called for and i cant say i could complain with my toes in the white sands. job hunting can wait untill tomorrow.