working holiday

There's not really a lot of interesting stuff to report I'm afraid, but thought I'd send a post anyway!

I've been in Australia for a month now - crazy! I've paid a month's rent at the hostel, which takes me up until mid October, and then from then on I'm hoping to travel down the East Coast for at least a month, spending all my money again! I've got two jobs now, yes TWO! It's hardcore. Infact I actually had a burn out on Thursday, it was my only day off in the week and I'd decided to go to Cairns for the day to volunteer at a print house, helping to curate some aboriginal work and edition some prints. Good experience for the CV hey! I got up and tried to hide the pending migraine with some paracetamol and caffeine, but finally I admitted to myself just as the bus was arriving, that really, I wasn't fit for a day of printing and that from past experience with migraines, today was a day for BED.

And so it was, I spent a lovely day, doing absolutely nothing but sleeeep and lounge in my bunk, in a quiet dorm room while the others were out at work. Bliss. I popped out to the supermarket to buy some chocolate (my Dad swears this cures his headaches!?!) and happily ate that too. I'm going to see if I can do the volunteer day next week, or when the school holidays are over here when hopefully I am less busy!

Then it was back to work on Friday. My routine at the moment is as follows: leave the hostel at 7.15am to walk to work on the beach (lovely!!) starting work at a holiday resort at 8am. Finishing work there at approx 3pm each day. Walking home along the beach (a good wind down, sometimes run in for a dip in the sea too!) then have a couple of hours to myself, put a different uniform on and start waitressing at Mango Jam, a funky pizza restaurant in town. Run round again for at least four hours waiting on tables until I get back to the hostel, crash out, then up again in the morning. Needless to say, I don't do the job in the hostel anymore for free accomodation, so that's one thing less to do! I do get some really good tips from the restaurant though - it's such a busy place with a high turn over of guests, but the best thing is that they are happy eaters! Woo! I can kiss goodbye to all those horrible waitressing jobs I've done in the past where the food is terrible and there are endless complaints! Also the staff are sociable - I went along one night for some drinks after service as two of them were leaving. I tried a legendary Mango Daiquiri courtesy of the manager...mmm!

I am enjoying staying in the hostel here, we've had some really nice group nights. A guy called Camarle was leaving so we had two feasts over a few days - the best one was pancake night! He is an amazing cook, and made the best pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, nuts etc in them, loads of choc sauce...oh they were amazing but very filling. There's also been a toga night, a Pimps 'n' Hos night, Hawaiian night...all good fun. There is also a free bbq every Sunday, and I get free breakfast here, so saving some pennies here and there.

The German girls have now left me! Two of them moved out into an apartment in town for a bit of luxury after living in hostels for a long time, two of them have gone on the Greyhound bus down the East Coast and the other girl has embarked on a road trip to Ayres Rock and Alice Springs (to which I was invited, but I'm not in a hurry to go just yet, plus I need to work!). A new German girl came into the room though (another one, there are Germans EVERYWHERE I swear) who I've been getting on with very well, she's called Annika. Anyone remember that amazing programme Challenge Annika by the way? Well, we've been hanging out together a lot anyway, yesterday was her 21st birthday infact, so in between both of our shifts, we managed to go out for some lunch, go shopping, have some Mango Jam staff pizzas (75% discount) for tea and go out for some drinks . I'm packing a lot in really! We both keep telling ourselves it will all be worth it in the end, when we travel down the East Coast and party and sunbathe and throw ourselves out of a plane! Two new girls moved in yesterday, both from Paris, and one of them earns her accomodation by singing and playing the guitar in the bar every Sunday (easy life hey - I had to clean the blimmin dorm rooms 5 days a week for mine!!).

So that's about all really from me. I'm working and will continue doing that for a few weeks yet. Still liking Port Douglas and the sunny weather. Getting excited about Christmas on the beach too!

Bye for now!