Another chapter of my Oz adventure is coming to a close so I figured it was a perfect time to write another blog post and catch up on the past three months!
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| Story Bridge |
So last time I wrote I was just about to start my job at Gelato Messina, and it was great. I've been working there for the past three months and have found it to be a really positive experience. The people I met were lovely, they were from all over the world and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately the hours didn't really add up to what I needed to save money. So in early May I decided to look for another job to fit around Messina. I was extremely lucky to get an all-rounder position at a cafe for weekdays mornings. It was weird how quickly I got that job compared to the month it took me to get my first job. However I'm so glad I was able to get the cafe job, it has been a lifesaver and means I'm able to leave Brisbane a month earlier than originally planned.
The other main thing in my life since I last wrote is my boyfriend, Tom, (which still feels weird to say, let alone type!) We'd actually just got together the last time I wrote but it was so brand new it felt weird to shout it out to world, which it still does but he's become such a big part of my life that I want to explain why 'I' has turned to 'we.' It's definitely an unusual start to a relationship - living in the same room and being together 24/7. It's intense and could definitely go horrendously wrong but we are lucky and it's gone very, very right.
As well as working, April was spent exploring more of Brisbane. We had lots of barbeques around the city- at Kangaroo Point, Roma Street Parklands and Southbank. Most Sundays were spent exploring new places like Bulimba and Redcliffe (our Redcliffe trip is possibly one of my favourite days in Australia so far.) The weekday evenings were spent in the hostel getting competitive at Killer Pool and the pub quiz, as well as many movie and card game nights. Midway through April Tom had his birthday so we treated ourselves and stayed in an Airbnb for two nights which was so lovely, it was great to have our own space, get away from the hostel and just relax. I did also have another spout of tonsillitis which meant I was bed bound for a few days, but I spent it watching Harry Potter so it had its perks.
The first two weeks of May were fab, we had a day trip to the Botanical Gardens by Mount-Cootha which was a lovely break from fast-pace city life. Tom and I also had a spontaneous trip to Byron Bay as we both had a weekend off work. This is definitely one of my favourite couple of days in Australia so far. We rented bikes, ate amazing food, drank wine on the beach, stared at the stars, climbed up to the lighthouse, Tom nearly trod on a snake and we saw wild dolphins. I think its definitely the happiest I've been in Australia.
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| Byron Bay Lighthouse |
The next week we realised that Tom's job was not continuing which caused some panic as I hadn't got enough money to travel further but, he didn't have a job. We both started cleaning for the hostel in exchange for accommodation in an effort to save money quicker. This was such a saviour for me as although the next three weeks were 50 hour work weeks, it meant I was able to achieve my money goal in a much shorter time. Tom ended up getting a construction job for a month so we decided to leave Brisbane at the end of that job and travel up the coast - which we are doing on Monday!
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| Kangaroo Point |
It's odd that I've been in Brisbane for over four months now. I’ve been in the same hostel all this time, some friends have been constantly there and others have come and gone as they travelled through Brisbane. I've met some really amazing people here that I know I will either see somewhere else in Oz or back home. It's bittersweet leaving Brisbane, I'm so excited for the adventures to come but I feel so comfortable here, comfortable in my job, my relationship, my living situation that it honestly scares me a little that I'm leaving.
I don't know what our plan is after we get to Cairns. Ideally we will travel to Melbourne or Perth to work some more to save up to do the West Coast but one thing I've learnt about this backpacking lifestyle - you can't really plan anything. That part is completely out of my comfort zone but I'm learning to live with it. I feel so happy right now with my life and really do feel like I'm thriving in Australia, who knows what comes next but I'm sure I'll update this blog once I know!
Thanks for reading,
Christina xox
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