12/12/09

Hmmm, ok so it's been a little while since I last wrote. This might be a big one. Things were still kind of quiet (though I managed to fill my time quite well with I don't know what), but then I got a job and fitting that in with everything else meant life became rather hectic!

So yes, I am employed! I'm a Contracts Administrator for an electrical power supply company, and essentially I do the paperwork behind the various connection projects. It's not something that particularly interests me, but it's a job and it's good to be getting some money in. It's an agency job, with a view to go permanent, but as soon as I started I realised it wasn't for me and let them know. I've been filling the gap while they get someone else in, but now they have someone, they've told me they really want me to stay and asked what could be done to keep me. It's great to know I've made an impact so early on, but if my heart's not in it I can't see a future. I've voiced this to my boss, and he's very understanding, and has suggested I commit to 3-6months, then if some fabulous job opportunity comes up that I can't refuse, then he'll give his blessing to go for it. The company has only been operating in the area for a couple of years, there's been a lot of change with Site Managers coming and going, so there's a lot of discontentment within the company which unfortunately is resulting in a rather unpleasant atmosphere. The thing is, I see various challenges here, and being someone who can not walk away from challenges, I'm slightly inclined to stay to sort a few things out. I know I can't work magic, but I can really see room for improvement in many areas. Anyway, I need to have a good think about it. I have to say though, still not digging the early mornings too much - my hours are 7am-3pm. It's good to finish early but I don't know where the afternoons go, so I'd much rather have an extra hour in bed!

Otherwise, one recent activity was a women's only triathlon which I completed a couple of week ago. I could have done more training for it, but I cycled to work and back (6km each way) for a week (which meant getting up at 0530 each morning, ugh), and I was quite good at cycling to the pool a few times, doing some laps then cycling back. A few days before the event I did this workout and forced myself to finish off with a 20min run. I was still alive afterwards so I figured I might have a chance of completing it. The distances weren't major at all (200m swim, 10km cycle, 2km run), but I certainly had to work up towards it. I managed to do the whole thing without pausing, and my time was decent enough. I'm not in any rush to do another though! There are a couple of photos floating about somewhere, I'll have to find them..

Last weekend I went to Melbourne where I attended a friend's wedding reception. I met Alisi on a little island in Fiji during my round-the-world/working in Australia trip, we swapped email addresses and kept in periodic contact, then a couple of months later she happened to mention she got a job on the Gold Coast which is where I was living at the time. We became good friends and I met up with her again in LA at the end of my trip earlier this year. So she got married to her man in Fiji in October in a small, private ceremony on the beach. The photos looked amazing! So this was the after-party, and it was a great time :)  Matty (guy in the hat) is a friend I met through Alisi when living on the Gold Coast, and he very kindly put up with me for the weekend. He's very much the joker and provided much of the entertainment for the night! Especially for Alisi's mum and various aunts who were subjected to his dancing. Not only was it a great party, but it was sooo sooooo good to get out of Bunbury. It was my first trip away since I got here, and it was just brilliant to get away.

I'm also still volunteering at the Dolphin Centre, though now only once a week at the weekend. I do miss that place, but it's good to be getting money in! I've put my name down to get involved with the dolphin research project that's in progress, which will entail going out on a boat taking photos of and identifying dolphins, taking samples, observing other marine life and probably other things too! I'm limited to the weekend now, so I'm certainly filling up my time! I have 10days off work over Christmas, so hopefully Ill get out a couple of times then too.

A few of us went to the Crush Food and (predominantly) Wine festival, and we had a merry old time! One of the great advantages of living next to a top wine region!

So Wednesday was my birthday, and I came home to find Tilly with a bottle of champers and a box of chocs, then out came the blueberry muffin cake. Ingenious! I've developed a slight addiciton to blueberry muffins recently, which evidently hasn't gone unnoticed! A friend took me out to dinner at the Lighthouse Hotel which has a lovely view over the ocean, then last night (Friday) was the Dolphin Centre Christmas party, which was a lot of fun. Afterwards a few of us got dressed up and went out to continue the birthday celebrations. Tomorrow is my work's Christmas do at a local cidery....could be interesting!

I'm better at putting a few photos up on Facebook every now and again, so I'm going to put up a link to my FB photo album where there are some additional pics - I hope it works! (See 'About Me' top right of this page).

I'll try and be better at updating my blog :)

17/11/09

Just had a rather cracking weekend which involved a group of us checking out some of the sights of Ferguson Valley, a local wine region, which is also home to a nice brewery and Gnomesville (a very eerie place on the side of a road which started from one guy leaving his gnome there, then slowly others decided to bring their own, and now there seem to be thousands). I had planned a little bbq on the Saturday night but ended up having quite a few people over, with more sausages than you could shake a stick at, and thanks to Mario we had pancakes! He brought the batter ingredients and I managed to dig out some cream, strawberries and crumbled meringues, which I had left over from earlier in the week. Yum :)

Molly, the new cat, is officially a schizophrenic, and decided she didn't want to be brought inside after escaping into the garden, so she took it out on me. Hence the lovely scratch down my face. Then to add insult to injury, on the Swim Tour the next day the wind picked up and blew the spongey boat seat square into my face, and as I was wearing sunglasses I got an almighty thwack and now have a lovely bruise on the bridge of my nose. I seem to be going for the 'beaten-up' look at the moment, which I can only imagine raised a few eyebrows at my employment agency interview today.

Well, there's not really much else to report re the dreaded 'j-o-b' word, aside from a minor victory in the passing of the first stage of an application for a retail travel consultant. Most encouraging development so far! Next step, a telephone interview. Through one of my networking events I heard about a small group of people who are organising a regional event called SW Games 2010, and visiting one of the 2 co-ordinators today there is so much in disarray, it looks like I'll be volunteering a fair bit of my time (while I can) to sort it out. I am just incapable of saying 'no' to a challenge!

03/11/09

Well I've now been in Australia/Bunbury for a month, and I am still job-less! I am not quite desperate enough to go back to waitressing, though I did apply for a temporary sales position at a phone shop and was rejected almost immediately! I think I was exasperatedly amused more than anything, but it's aiding my decision as to what Plan B is going to be....

But it is still early days! As Dad commented, I get frustrated/annoyed if things take 5mins longer than I think they should take! However, I am feeling decreasingly frustrated with the lack of work - I guess as I settle in more - and I have been spending an increased amount of time at the dolphin centre. I've had 2 days off in the last 10, 2 of which were really rather long days. The Open Day was a great success with over 3000 visitors. I was in my element chatting about the features and residents of the Discovery Room (see photo, but I'm quite well hidden), though I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. Talking lots really takes it out of you!

And we also had an incredible stroke of luck. A dolphin called Tangles (so-called because she was caught up in a fishing net and eventually the top part of her dorsal fin came off) had a baby, and there was a local newspaper-run competition to name the calf. We haven't had any dolphins in the Interaction Zone (a 500m2 area in front of the centre where they come to visit and have a snack) for weeks and weeks, yet 20mins before the winning name was announced along came Tangles with her calf right into the IZ and said hello to Ray (see photo). It really was quite phenomenal. The calf was eventually named Shadow.

I'm now trained on the Swim Tours so I get to accompany the paying passengers on the trips out to these hangouts. On my first day in the water I had 2 dolpins approach me and swim past me literally within arm's reach! It's so tempting to touch them, but it's a big no-no. Exhilerating though. Looking forward to more of that!

Aside from the dolphins there's not much going on! I went to a gig which was pretty good; it's the first time I've seen live music in a long while. Should do it more often! Along with Tilly (in the picture with her eyes closed!) I've signed up for a triathlon at the end of November, and we have a new cat called Molly. She's not taken too well to Zoro, who is mildly put out at someone else in his territory, so she's been keeping me awake as she visits during the night for strokes and cuddles, and mewing for goodness knows what. Unfortunately with an average of 4.5hrs sleep per night for the last 3 nights, I'm getting to the point where I'm just going to have to shut my door and put my earplugs in! Out on a double Swim Tour tomorrow, so perhaps it's time for a nap..... :)

23/10/09

I'm slowly finding my feet here in Bunbury, but I'm still job-less which is becoming increasingly frustrating.

But I've been fairly active – a couple of friends of Tilly's (Tenille) and I went out on motorbikes to one of the local wineries, Hackersley, for lunch. It was a delicious 5 course meal accompanied naturally by a bottle of the vineyard's best. Then on Sunday I took part in the 10km Surf to Surf run/walk, which I didn't know I was doing until that morning (the starting gun went off at 9am) so I was rather unprepared. Still, it was something to do. It took me about 4 days to recover though! I've heard there's a triathlon coming up, which seems strangely appealing...

On Monday I started my 2 mornings of training at the Dolphin Discovery Centre (DDC), which is not only something I'm starting to enjoy, but it's also good just to have something to do. Monday was just a case of going through paperwork and the basics, then Tuesday was more hands-on. There haven't been many dolphins in the bay recently, but we're only just coming into the summer season where they become regular visitors. However I got to feed, weigh and measure the 5 baby loggerhead turtles that we are currently nursing. They were originally swimming around quite happily in the warmer northern waters of Shark Bay, but were blown off course during a storm and washed up on these much colder SW shores. So we'll be looking after them for a few more months, before they'll be transferred to a 'nursery' further up the coast where they'll learn to catch their own food and fend for themselves. On Sunday the DDC is having its 'Open Day' which marks the official start of the dolphin visiting season – though whether the dolphins are in agreement to this I don't know. I'll be manning the Discovery Pool and talking about the little things living in it – sea stars (as they are officially now known – no longer starfish - due to somewhat pedantic scientists), urchins, anemones, sea cucumbers, periwinkles, mussels etc

Aside from that, I've just moved house with my flatmate (furniture et al), which is slightly better located in terms of shops (there's a shopping centre with a humongous supermarket just over the road) and for getting to the DDC.

Otherwise I'm trying to come up with a contingency plan if a decent job is not going to come my way...

16/10/09

This is Zoro, Tenille's cat. He's been getting a few cuddles recently as I've been battling a bit of homesickness :( It's funny, I've spent a decade working, studying, travelling and living abroad, which have helped me come to the conclusion that to pursue the kind of lifestyle I desire, Australia is probably my best bet. And now I'm finally here, I haven't been feeling too happy! There's nothing like packing up one's entire life and moving to 'nothing', starting everything from scratch, to let the doubt set in. The thing is I've done it before, to an extent, when I lived in Oz the last time, but this time it's different. It's more permanent. And with the events leading up to my departure, a great summer catching up with people and exploring parts of the UK I'd never seen before....the realisation that this really is a big goodbye to many loved ones, familiar places, mum's Sunday roast with the yummiest Yorkshire puddings and gravy...I've been wondering if I've done the right thing!

Ahh but I know it's still early days and shouldn't put so much pressure on myself. I haven't even been in Australia for 2 weeks! I guess part of it is just wanting things to fall into place quickly, and things are still going quite slowly. I guess for the first time ever (!) I'm feeling ready to settle down, so finally I'm saying 'OK, I'm ready now, let's get on with it', but not much is happening! I know, I'm expecting too much ;) I just need to be patient. I think of all the advice people kindly gave me before I came, and it's a reminder that it's not supposed to be easy at the beginning....

So yah, work-wise there's not much going on. What little there is, I'm overqualified for, apparently. There is a job at one of the BHP Billiton mines down the road (1/2hr away) in Collie, but I need a car for that. I'm very reluctant to get a one at the moment because the value of the £ has dropped immensely – almost 30% in the last year or so, (in the last couple of months around 18%!) so I'm very reluctant to transfer any of my savings over just yet. I'd be quite happy cycling to work. I came here for an active lifestyle after all!

So, my days of unemployment are being spent mainly on a bicycle. I've been exploring, to an agency interview, signed up at the Dolphin Discovery Centre (training starts on Monday for 3 mornings), and going to the town's new fancy sports centre. I was offered a free 7-day pass so yesterday went for a 2km swim in their lovely Olympic-sized 50m pool. Have cycled around 35km over the last couple of days, but after yesterday's additional indulgence in the pool I'm feeling a little decrepit today.

I bumped into the guys I knew at the hostel, so will be popping over for drinkies sometime over the weekend probably. I joined Tenille and some of her friends for a gourmet pizza night, and tomorrow we're heading out on motorbikes for a ride somewhere. They're all divers so there's already been talk of trips, and have been invited out to the Gili Isles in Indonesia in Jan! I've heard it's an amazing place, but I've already got Borneo on the cards...

So, in some ways things are going ok, which I am grateful for. I'll get over the homesickness. At least I have my ticket home for a visit next year. Gives me options :)

11/10/09

Dolphin Retreat hostel is the 2nd building from the left with a tree in front. Handy for town and the beach :)

Well things are picking up! I've moved into a place with a girl called Tenille who used to be a hairdresser but is now studying to be a teacher. She's 29, likes diving and bushwalking so I think we'll get on well :) She's only in her current place for another 3 weeks and is at present looking for a new place, and if all goes well then I'll join her there too. But rent is significantly cheaper than the hostel aaaaaannnd I have an internet connection! Whoop! It's just so much easier now to not only keep in email/Skype contact with home, but also for looking for jobs, completing applications, checking timetables etc. It's quite a bit further out from town, about 4km away, but I have use of a pushbike which is a huuuge bonus.

Bunbury itself has also grown on me. It's quite a bit bigger than I had first thought, and despite the appalling transport links I'm optimistic that the town (it's considered a 'city' but really, it's not at all) is growing quite quickly. I've handed in my application for the Dolphin Discovery place. Part of the reason I tried to convince myself that I should give Bunbury a chance is because of this centre - I'm really keen on getting involved!

In terms of jobs, the agencies haven't gotten back to me yet, but I've found a couple more I need to mail my CV to. I have to remember I've not even been here a week, so am starting to relax a bit more. I know things work out eventually, but I can only do what I can do and the rest will hopefully fall into placed! I've actually found one job online with a local international consultancy which I'm quite keen on. The role is Business Support Officer, and looking at the spec the tasks are all ones I have done before, so fingers crossed. Not only would I be able to do the job, but I'm hoping there would be potential for training into the consultancy area itself.......

Another little idea I have simmering away in my mind, which I had actually forgotten about until last night, and that is importing textile goods from Guatemala. Random you may think, but perhaps no surprise! I was up last night chatting to some of the guys in the hostel, and all complimented me on my colourful slipper/booties which I picked up in a market called Chichicastenango (Ill get a picture on at some point). The market also had baby versions, and blankets and cushion covers with the same fabulously bright colours. So, I'm going to investigate this as a potential side project. Might never happen, but who knows.... :)

06/10/09

Well today I got free rental of a bike thanks to the hostel I'm at, so off I went to the Dolphin Discovery place and picked up a volunteer application form, called into most of the employment agencies in town and I've just emailed across my CV to them. I've also just applied for the Ningaloo job. Well....I might as well!

I'm currently at McDonalds (I don't want to become a connaisseuse of McDonalds in WA but there is the inadvertant potential), which would not have been possible with out Monsieur le Bike (unless I got a taxi, but I still consider myself a traveller at this moment in time and therefore taxis are far too much of a luxury). It is the only place in town with free wifi (albeit 15mins bike ride away), and one of the only public internet places. Apparently there is one (one!) internet cafe in town. Wowee. There are computers at the hostel but they are screened off so no connecting of usb sticks, plus its £1 per 15mins. If I do end up staying here I might just open up my own hostel for the hell of it. Would be far superior to the rubbishness of the ones I have come across so far.

05/10/09

I woke up with the plan to go to Bunbury, but felt the urge to stop at Mandurah, but then I was distracted when I decided to open up a bank account, and upon completing that decided I would definitely go to Bunbury and even went all the way to the bus station to buy a ticket to make sure I wouldn't change my mind.

So I got the bus and sat on it for 2.5hrs, during which I was called by a woman who found my profile on EasyRoomMate, and was offering me a room in her Cape Cod style house on 5acres. She has 2 dogs and 3 horses, the place is 8mins from the beach and there are palm trees on one side then across the peninsular popular beautiful surfing beaches....I was pretty much sold! Only problem was that it was in Dunsborough, a small place further along the coast from Busselton, which is ½ hr south of Bunbury, and being so small there is less guarantee of a job. I suggested I look at her advert online and I'd get back to her.

I arrived in Bunbury which seemed like a quiet but agreeable sort of place. It is the usual criss-cross grid-like town layout with a few daring streets veering off in various directions. I found the hostel quite easily and was soon off exploring. I came across the library which I had heard offered free internet, and seeing as apparently there was still no wifi around, in I tootled. To check emails one has to pay for separately (my dislike of WA's attitude to the internet is increasing) so I resolved to have another look at the websites for Mandurah, Bunbury and Dunsborough. At the same time I was checking out job sites, and came across something which I am considering potentially 'a sign'.

There, in the midst of various job titles for uninspiring companies, was a job vacancy for Front Office Receptionist at Ningaloo Reef Resort. Now I know of this place quite well, purely because I had researched what was on offer at Ningaloo and this fancy place popped up. It looks stunning. My original considerations/plans (versions #4354-5221) included getting into the resort somehow and working my way up. I'm still quite keen on getting into the (eco)tourism industry and this could be a really good way in. I haven't got exactly what they say they require, well, I do at a pinch, but they haven't met me yet!!! ;) To top it off, there is a whale shark volunteer project up there so there's something else to get my teeth in. Not wanting to rest all my hopes on this, I also looked up volunteer projects in the southwest, and the only one I found that involved marine life was the Dolphin Discovery Research Centre here in Bunbury. Perhaps my choices are narrowing down after all!

Feeling as though I had enough food for thought, though not in my tummy, I left and on the way out asked where the nearest supermarket was. I was given directions and told that it may have closed at 6pm, but could possibly be open till 7pm. I was optimistic the latter was true as surely supermarkets open later, especially during the week. But no. It was shut. So off I wandered in search of a general store of some sort.
In the back of my mind I was contemplating my newly-reduced options. I was debating each of their merits and downsides. Bunbury is a more civilised place with a population of over 25,000, whereas from what I can ascertain, more people have been in Space than live in Ningaloo. I don't think Ningaloo is actually even considered an inhabited environment – referring it as a 'hamlet' seems somewhat over-zealous. The nearest township of note is Exmouth which is 150km away, holds in comparison a staggering 3,484 people (approx). However it's all that I could want from a marine enthusiast's point of view. The problem is, I have been known to be sociable, so should the desire to meet up with a load of people arise, I may find it rather difficult and therefore depressing. With Bunbury, on the other hand, I could actually envisage having a social circle of friends, having a greater choice of jobs (though not necessarily appealing ones), being able to reach Perth by car in 2hrs rather than 2 days, still volunteer with dolphins but maybe get nibbled on by a shark.

As I walked along the street in search of a convenience store, musing the minor predicament, I came across a pizza place and asked inside. Yes there is one, I was told by the woman behind the counter. Go out of the restaurant, turn left, at the roundabout turn left, go to the end then take the right. Carry on that road for 3km and there's a service station on the left.
'You're kidding', I said, bewildered. 'The only place to buy groceries is over 3km away?'
'That's right' she said.
'There's no 7-11, corner shop, newsagent open after 6pm around here?'
'No' she smiled.
I walked out, mildly flabbergasted, musing that perhaps being stuck in a resort in the middle of no-where might not actually be so different.

I could always apply for the job in Ningaloo and see what happens. Maybe Ill just stick to Bunbury for the moment, aim to get myself sorted then if I do get the job then I go from there.....

04/10/09

I was up at 6am this morning but no matter. It's just that no-one else was. Anywhere. Shops and things do open on Sunday in the city, but only from around 11am, so after pottering around for an hour or so I took my laptop to McDonalds and indulged in the free wifi. I found it quite annoying that, after being in Central America minus a laptop, there was free wifi in every single hostel I stayed in. However, in Perth hostels most certainly do not offer it for free. Anyway, off I trundled for what ended up being quite a productive day, from unlocking my mobile and getting credit sorted, to researching medicare and banks. I also upgraded my account on the EasyRoomMate website as I need to get serious about finding a place to live! I have contacted a couple of people so hopefully they'll get back to me....

For those of you who don't know, I have a 5year visa which, for the first 2 years, I have to live and work in a 'regional' part of Western Australia, i.e. anywhere that is not metropolitan Perth. This type of visa is available to encourage people with certain skills to help develop the economy in the more regional parts of the state. As I'm no city girl, this suits me down to the ground! After this 2 year period I can move to live and work anywhere in Australia. If I live and work in Australia for 4years, I could potentially apply for citizenship, but that's a long way off yet ;)

So, at the moment, I have narrowed down my choices to 2 separate areas. The first is the Southwest region, between the large town of Mandurah and the much smaller Margaret River, which are around 3hrs by car apart. The further south one goes, the less populated it becomes. This is less advantageous in terms of numbers of job prospects, but on the flip side, the lifestyle is arguably better – cheaper rent, better beaches (I know I know, I'm shallow, but I like a nice beach!) and better diving. Though it is cooler (still sunny though). However, on the complete opposite side of the coin, I'm also considering moving 'way out woop woop' (translation: 'in the middle of nowhere'), to a place called Ningaloo. This place is 1200km north of Perth, the nearest airport is 120km away, where shopping centres, bars and restaurants are so non-existent, that to those who don't escape the place much, they are all but figments of imagination, founded on the stories these foreign travellers bring when they visit. But, the marine life is fantastic. Whale sharks (whale sharks!) frequent these waters every year for several months. Manta rays are common. Whales come by as they reach the end of their migration north to give birth to their young, before heading back down to Antarctica. With my love of diving, and keenness to improve my underwater photography skills, this place sounds incredible. Did I mention it has some of the most stunning beaches in Australia??!! OK, Ill leave the beach thing for a bit. But there is less risk of being munched on by a shark. Unfortunately the waters up to 600km or so north of Perth are rather well known for their Great Whites/White Pointers. Makes my other region of choice a little less desirable. Still, I don't believe in not doing something just in case something happens! I'll still keep it in mind as an option.

Having said what I've said, I'm feeling more I inclined to stay south for 3months or so, just to get myself sorted job- and accommodation-wise. It's easier to find work in this area rather than trekking all the way up north to find potentially nothing. Then I can see how I feel and make the move up if I want. I'd want to be fairly assured of a job first.

So, this morning I woke up feeling Mandurah would be the best place to start. 60,000 people, brand new world-class marina (if I get back into sailing, or maybe I could work on some boats), fastest growing regional city in Australia, but full of retirees. Then lunchtime it was Bunbury – smaller but there were more accommodation adverts with people my age, still a decent size place and near to Geographe Bay where the whales are due to frequent for the next 3months. Then in the evening it was Margaret River, everyone says its beautiful, quite touristy so certain of a job of some sort, and the centre of WA's viticulture industry. What's not to like??! Ok, it's the coldest place so far and 15mins by car to the coast. I need the sea.

I really need to go and see all these places, but I am so keen to just find the right place straight away that I'm actually trying to make the decision without actually going to these places. There is a fundamental flaw in my plan, I know! I'll figure it out....

03/10/09

After a rather long 24hrs which started in Heathrow, with stops in Dubai and Brunei, I eventually arrived in Perth, somewhat wilted though surprisingly compus mentus. I had managed all of about 2hrs sleep, albeit a disturbed one when the stewardess woke me after ½hr to serve lunch (beef was on offer for the 4th time). Managed to drop off again which is nothing short of a miracle but I suppose sometimes one really doesn't have a choice when exhaustion kicks in.

I got to Perth international, fished out the google map I had printed out the night before leaving (I selected 3 hostels from a website and marked them on the map), chose one of my options and got the shuttle bus over to it. Luck was on my side as there was one bed left (apparently). I deposited my things, went for a little wander to get the circulation going again and some fresh(ish), dropped a quick mail to the family to advise of safe arrival, indulged in some cheap Japanese food, wandered back to the hostel and managed to stay awake until 8pm. How blissful sleep can be! Eye mask and ear plugs worked a treat.