Saturday, February 28, 2009
my first week on the other side of the world...
apartment hunting...
When a man covered in tattoos came to greet me, I was slightly intimidated but I tried my best to put my stereotypical thoughts aside and followed him into the elevator. The apartment is shared by ten people, each from a different country (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, France, Canada, Belgium, Turkey, Korea and England). They all speak English fluently and came to Australia for different reasons.
When I walked in I noticed a pile of shoes near the door and Victor explained to me that "the Korean girl" prefers that everyone take their shoes off when they enter. I slipped off my flip flops and followed him into one of the nicest apartments I have ever seen. It was the penthouse apartment of an apartment complex with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a balcony with an amazing view. He showed me around the apartment announcing to the others that "the American girl" was here. I met a few of the other housemates and everyone seemed very friendly.
I visited a few other apartments after that, but none really stood out like this one. I called and accepted a few days later. I move in on Sunday...
When I walked in I noticed a pile of shoes near the door and Victor explained to me that "the Korean girl" prefers that everyone take their shoes off when they enter. I slipped off my flip flops and followed him into one of the nicest apartments I have ever seen. It was the penthouse apartment of an apartment complex with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a balcony with an amazing view. He showed me around the apartment announcing to the others that "the American girl" was here. I met a few of the other housemates and everyone seemed very friendly.
I visited a few other apartments after that, but none really stood out like this one. I called and accepted a few days later. I move in on Sunday...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
important things i learned about sydney in the first few days...
The buses do not announce the name of the stop and it is not written anywhere. I guess they assume that people know where to get off. This can pose as a slight problem for someone like me who is directionally challenged and new to the city.There are 7% asians in australia and they are all in Sydney. i have met more people in my first few days from Japan and Korea than i have from australia.
The sun in Australia is stronger than it is anywhere else in the world. An Australian explained this to be from the lack of an ozone layer.
Hostels in Sydney don't sell towels. I had to settle for a towel with "bondi beach" written in huge letters. If that doesn't scream tourist, I don't know what does.
A large majority of australians have been to America at least once and loved it. They know more about the US government than most Americans.
The same goes for Europeans. A boy from the Netherlands told me that America is on their news everyday. I can't recall a time when the Netherlands has been mentioned in American news.
Last month there were 85 rescues on the beaches of sydney; 80 of them were tourists.
It gets windy on the beaches at night, very windy.
McDonalds are a lot nicer in Sydney. And Burger Kings are called "Hungry Jacks"
Australians have a difficult time differentiating the American and Canadian accent. Canadians seem to be offended by this.
The australian Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd, not Peter Rudd as I chose to call him. and he lives in a beautiful house overlooking the Harbour.
The muttle is the state flower of Australia and to me it looks like a pine cone.
There is 10 minutes every hour when a bar is not legally allowed to serve alcohol. Also, after midnight no straight shots are allowed to be sold.
In Sydney restaurants with a French name charge double the price. There is a restaurant at manly beach called le kiosk, meaning "the kiosk." You can imagine the prices.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
where did sunday go?
So I arrived in Sydney. Without any illnesses that my mom was so confident I would catch from the other travelers on the plane and with barely any jet lag. The flight ride was better than I expected thanks to my inability to stay awake on moving vechicles. I think I slept about 90% of the ride (Kendra's influence must have gotten to me!)
As soon as I arrived a man pointed me in the direction of a shuttle. I guess that was what they meant when they said I would be met and personally escorted to my hostel.
I was still in my sweatpants and sweater that I had worn when I departed New York, so you could only imagine how much I was sweating as I lugged my luggage onto the shuttle in what felt like about 90 degrees.
I checked into my hostel room and luckily claimed a bottom bed. There are six beds in my room and I am sharing with girls from Korea, Germany, Ireland and two others I have yet to meet. I spent most of the day Monday exploring the area around the hostel. I got a cell phone, but still am working on opening up a bank account and setting up a tax file number and all of that. Today I will start searching for apartments and decide if I want to live in the center of the city or closer to the beach. Hopefully I find an apartment share with others my age. There are backpackers all over the place here and on the streets there are so many different places to go for information about hostels and trips throughout Australia. I can't wait to start planning everything, but first I have to find an apartment and a job...wish me luck.
As soon as I arrived a man pointed me in the direction of a shuttle. I guess that was what they meant when they said I would be met and personally escorted to my hostel.
I was still in my sweatpants and sweater that I had worn when I departed New York, so you could only imagine how much I was sweating as I lugged my luggage onto the shuttle in what felt like about 90 degrees.
I checked into my hostel room and luckily claimed a bottom bed. There are six beds in my room and I am sharing with girls from Korea, Germany, Ireland and two others I have yet to meet. I spent most of the day Monday exploring the area around the hostel. I got a cell phone, but still am working on opening up a bank account and setting up a tax file number and all of that. Today I will start searching for apartments and decide if I want to live in the center of the city or closer to the beach. Hopefully I find an apartment share with others my age. There are backpackers all over the place here and on the streets there are so many different places to go for information about hostels and trips throughout Australia. I can't wait to start planning everything, but first I have to find an apartment and a job...wish me luck.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"dwell comfortably in the midst of profound uncertainty" -john keats
Uncertainty. My last semester of college I was hit with this sensation for the first time. I was always the girl with definite plans. The girl who wrote everything down in her planner. But here i was a few months from graduating college, still unsure about what I wanted to do.
Part of me wanted to go to graduate school, since that seemed like the typical next step. Graduate high school, graduate college, go to graduate school, get a job...but i decided that going to graduate school was worthless if i wasn't sure about what i wanted to go to graduate school for. I considered playing soccer abroad, doing volunteer work in another country...you name it, it crossed my mind.
For some reason, unbeknownst to myself, I have always wanted to go to Australia. Perhaps it was the extremely easy going Australians that I met during my time spent studying in London or maybe it was the people I know who have gone there and come back depressed to not be there anymore.
Part of me blames my urge to travel on the failing American economy. "It's too tough to get a job right now" I tell people. But honestly, I am not yet ready for a full time job. I know that once I get a job, traveling will come second and I will probably never get a chance to do the things I have always wanted.
My mom says i have "wanderlust." (wanderlust definition: 1. a very strong or irresistible impulse to explore). I guess she's right.
So here I am.
My flight leaves this Saturday, February 21st from JFK towards Sydney. I arrive on the 23rd and have a hostel booked for the first five nights. After that, I am on my own. No house, no job. On the other side of the world. . .
For the first time in my life without a daily planner.
Should be interesting.
Part of me wanted to go to graduate school, since that seemed like the typical next step. Graduate high school, graduate college, go to graduate school, get a job...but i decided that going to graduate school was worthless if i wasn't sure about what i wanted to go to graduate school for. I considered playing soccer abroad, doing volunteer work in another country...you name it, it crossed my mind.
For some reason, unbeknownst to myself, I have always wanted to go to Australia. Perhaps it was the extremely easy going Australians that I met during my time spent studying in London or maybe it was the people I know who have gone there and come back depressed to not be there anymore.
Part of me blames my urge to travel on the failing American economy. "It's too tough to get a job right now" I tell people. But honestly, I am not yet ready for a full time job. I know that once I get a job, traveling will come second and I will probably never get a chance to do the things I have always wanted.
My mom says i have "wanderlust." (wanderlust definition: 1. a very strong or irresistible impulse to explore). I guess she's right.
So here I am.
My flight leaves this Saturday, February 21st from JFK towards Sydney. I arrive on the 23rd and have a hostel booked for the first five nights. After that, I am on my own. No house, no job. On the other side of the world. . .
For the first time in my life without a daily planner.
Should be interesting.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Stuff White People Like #120: Taking a year off
This is hysterical...
When someone goes through a stressful experience they usually require some time off to clear their head, regain focus, and recover from the pain and suffering. Of course, in white culture these experiences are most often defined as finishing high school, making it through four years of college, or working for eleven months straight with only two weeks vacation and every statutory holiday (”they don’t count because I had to spend them with family.”)
Though you might consider finishing school or having a good job to be “accomplishments” many white people view them as burdens. As such, they can only handle them for so long before they start talking about their need to “take a year off” to travel, volunteer, or work abroad.
It is most common for the person taking the year off to use this time to travel (see Post #19 for reasons why). Generally, they will start off with a set amount of money that will use to travel for as long as possible. This explains why a white person with an $800 backpack will haggle with a poverty-stricken street vendor about a $2 dollar plate of food.
If you work with this person, be sure to give them a FAKE email address on their last day on the job or you will be inundated with emails about spiritual enlightenment and how great the food is compared to similar restaurants back home. Also, within the first five days following departure, this person will come up with the idea to write a book about their travel experience. Sadly, more books about mid-twenties white people traveling have been written than have been read.
Some of the more enterprising white people will extend their time off by working abroad as a bartender, ski lift operator, or english teacher. Their stories, emails, and publishing plans will be identical to the previous white person but will include additional stories about working and complaints about “tourists.”
Finally, there is the white person who takes a year off to volunteer at home or abroad. Though they are equally likely to write long emails about their experience, these people are often using the experience as an excellent resume pad for their application to law school. This way they are able to put off real life without the crippling derailment of a career or education.
Regardless of how a white person chooses to spend their year off, they all share the same goal of becoming more interesting to other people. Sadly, the people who find these stories interesting are other white people who are politely listening until they can tell their own, more interesting story about taking a year off.
Thankfully, there is an enormous opportunity for personal gain. You see, whenever a white person takes a year off it opens up a valuable apartment, job opportunity or admissions slot. Consider it to be the most pretentious form of affirmative action.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
When someone goes through a stressful experience they usually require some time off to clear their head, regain focus, and recover from the pain and suffering. Of course, in white culture these experiences are most often defined as finishing high school, making it through four years of college, or working for eleven months straight with only two weeks vacation and every statutory holiday (”they don’t count because I had to spend them with family.”)
Though you might consider finishing school or having a good job to be “accomplishments” many white people view them as burdens. As such, they can only handle them for so long before they start talking about their need to “take a year off” to travel, volunteer, or work abroad.
It is most common for the person taking the year off to use this time to travel (see Post #19 for reasons why). Generally, they will start off with a set amount of money that will use to travel for as long as possible. This explains why a white person with an $800 backpack will haggle with a poverty-stricken street vendor about a $2 dollar plate of food.
If you work with this person, be sure to give them a FAKE email address on their last day on the job or you will be inundated with emails about spiritual enlightenment and how great the food is compared to similar restaurants back home. Also, within the first five days following departure, this person will come up with the idea to write a book about their travel experience. Sadly, more books about mid-twenties white people traveling have been written than have been read.
Some of the more enterprising white people will extend their time off by working abroad as a bartender, ski lift operator, or english teacher. Their stories, emails, and publishing plans will be identical to the previous white person but will include additional stories about working and complaints about “tourists.”
Finally, there is the white person who takes a year off to volunteer at home or abroad. Though they are equally likely to write long emails about their experience, these people are often using the experience as an excellent resume pad for their application to law school. This way they are able to put off real life without the crippling derailment of a career or education.
Regardless of how a white person chooses to spend their year off, they all share the same goal of becoming more interesting to other people. Sadly, the people who find these stories interesting are other white people who are politely listening until they can tell their own, more interesting story about taking a year off.
Thankfully, there is an enormous opportunity for personal gain. You see, whenever a white person takes a year off it opens up a valuable apartment, job opportunity or admissions slot. Consider it to be the most pretentious form of affirmative action.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)