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I last wrote on Christmas day from Auckland (although I have a feeling
a few folk did not receive this??). I stayed in Auckland for a pretty unspectacular New Years eve then left New Zealand 363
days after I arrived. I flew to Melbourne and that evening met up with Acacia Christie! She drove us to her house, but not
before taking me to me very first tourist sight seeing destination - Ramsay Street, from that famed Australiana 'Neighbours'
!! (She lives about 10 blocks away!)
I spent the weekend at the beach with Christie's family and saw the Penguin
Parade on Philip Island, comical couple of hours watching penny guins waddling up the beach! Then proceeded to hop from hostel
to hostel for the next two weeks in search of a reasonable one. Dan the Man from Queenstown arrive in Mellie so I hopped to
his hostel and met a good bunch of folk so ended up sticking around, but it was now house and job hunting time!
The house hunting didn't go too well. There were plenty of rooms for rent
in the paper and shop windows, but the ones I went to visit all wanted long-term people, or at least employed. Being neither
I gave up and concentrated on getting a job.
This didn't go much better - but I was being a bit picky. The paper had
lots of jobs, but finding temporary ones was tricky - and finding fun ones was even harder (surprise surprise!) But I scoured
for fun jobs first, applying to the likes of the local fun fair, but my best bet was when I saw an ad "Lolliologist Wanted"
I was as confused as you, til I realised that over here they call sweeties - lollies. It was a sweetmaker job!!
It was in a small shop where they make sweets (akin to blackpool rock) infront of customers and passers-by. Now that sounded
like the job for me! I applyed with full gusto but with low expectations (obviously it would be the most sought after job
in Melbourne!) A week later I got a phone call asking me why I thought I was the right person for the job. I gave the best
speil of my life about how I was born to make sweets and have longed to create confectionery since my very first aniseed twist!
It all went well, until the inevitable question, 'You're not from round here are you?' - Sorry, we are looking for someone
permanent, blah blah blah, takes months to train, blah blah. I expressed my exasperation, but conceded and said it was a shame.
Annoyingly she agreed, 'because your CV stood out and your phone conversation was the most interesting I've had all week!"
POO!
Nevermind, there were more jobs to be had. Subway, the sandwich people,
were top of my list now.
In the meantime, the Australian Tennis Open was on. A group from the hostel
went to watch Tim Henman's first game. They were five, and I made six, enough for an H, an E, an N, an M, an A, and another
N on our T shirts, along with Union Jacks - very Wimbledon. We had a silly day being photographed by local papers and news
crews, and being interviewed by Radio Five Live, and, as we walked round, having people saying, 'Mehnan? Whats that?
Egypt Michelle was in town for the tennis, and bizarrely, so too was Katia
and Sherri, so we arranged to meet up, along with Simon. A very unexpected reunion! Crazy! Good to see them again, we had
a good night.
| Tennis.... |
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| ....hysteria |
I couldn't believe it!?! I was declined by Subway! I'm sure I am capable
of making a sandwich! It was the old 'we don't want travellers' chestnut. I had to resign myself to taking the only readily
available work. You could spot them a mile away in the paper - EARN $1000$ - No Expereience Neccessary - Travellers Welcome...
Sales jobs! It was just trying to figure out what type of sales each job was - telesales? door-to-door sales? street sales?
business Sales? I finally settled on the fun sounding 'Sports Event Marketting and Promotions' job.I phoned up to ask exactly
what that was, cos I didn't have a clue! The lady duly informed me that the job was a Sports event marketting and promotions
position. OK....what does that mean? 'Why don't you come in for a meeting tomorrow and we can explain.' OK. The next day I
went to meet them and asked exactly what happens. 'Well, what we do, is Sports event marketing and promotions'. 'YEAH, I KNOW!
But what is that!?, 'I tell you what, we think you would be great for the job and we are holding an observation day tomorrow,
come along and you can see some of the guys in action.' Right.
The next day I turned up at 8am in begged, borrowed and stolen smart clothes
and met one of the 'guys' who I was to observe. After a bit of whooping and cheering and all that motivational nonsense he
took me to his allocated place of work - namely Essendon Shopping centre, and showed me what all that motivational crap was
geared towards - selling raffle tickets! Whoop-de-doo! But how is that Sports Promotion I hear you ask?! Well, the raffle
was raising money for one of the Aussie Rules Footy clubs! (And it wasn't even Essendon's club!)
But still a job is a job, and selling raffle tickets can't be too hard
and so I turned up the following day at 7:15am and spent the entire day sitting at a table, infront of a sign saying, 'Win
This Car!' with said car behind me, in a shopping centre.
Now, this is the scary part, I was on a purely commision based wage. For
every ticket I sold, I earnt one dollar, so to make any money you have to actively sell, and force maximum sales. The instant
you start to do that... people HATE you! I suddenly realised, I had become one of those people you desperately try to avoid
when you see them. And I could see people doing it, avoiding eye contact, walking past looking at a blank wall, hurriedly
fumbling to talk on their mobile phone. I only sold to people who were genuinely interested, who weren't very many.
But still, an interseting experience, how long I could last, I wasn't sure,
but luckily the 'Sports event' part of the job came into plat the next day. India were playing Australia at The M.C.G, Melbourne
Cricket Ground, and we were to be there! To....sell more raffle tickets. Still, free entry to an international match, the
job was just as painful, but we had a fun Friday.
Over the weekend, purely by chance I walked past a Muffin Break coffee
shop that were looking for staff a couple of weeks before. I stopped and asked how they had got on, but they were
still looking! The manager was holding interviews on Monday. I left my CV with the hope of a phone call.
Monday morning came, I quit the raffle job and went to Muffin Break
to "check the manager got my CV". Perfect timing, he was just about to start interviews but no one was there yet, oh, but
I am here! Three days later I got the job!!! No experience required, full training given, I am now a Muffin Baker! I've
worked for a few weeks now and its great! The only downside is the 5am starts! But its fun, creative, messy, I get my afternoons
off, and all the muffins I can eat! I am a happy man.
You could almost say the jobs came rolling after that, at one point I had
three! A local restaurant wanted a chalk board artist, I lent my talents for a couple of boards but didn't hear from them
again. And, I..... err, got another job. Thats all.
Well, if you must know...My hostel said I could have my bed for FREE!!
.....if I clean the bathrooms. Yes, I'm a toilet cleaner ( I prefer Sanitation Technician, thankyou) But it all works out
brilliantly cos I can do it in my free afternoons.
So finally the job front has settled down, but I never bothered to resume
my house hunt, since I get my hostel for free, and have a good group of friends here. We have been experiencing Melbourne
together, there has been alot on. Dan the Man, Sonja, Ivan and I went to see some cars going round and round
a road - the Formula One Grand Prix was in town! We had an entertaining day there. We watched the race, not that
you could tell what was going on race wise, only being able to see one part of the track. But the NOISE!!! Jeepers it was
loud. Quite an experience.
A variety of festivals have been on too, Moomba the water Festival, a short
film festival, the greek festival was last week and the International Comedy Festival is on now. Its festivals galore!
We all went to experience some more Australiana last Friday, An Aussie
rules match.Very entertaining, mainly just trying to figure out what the hell was going on! At one point I counted 43
people on the oval pitch!!
And my Dutch is coming along famously, thanks to Sylvia and Robin, I can
already say two polite phrases, and one obsenity!
| vroom vrooom |
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| Security was tight at the Grand Prix |
Now, all these free muffins, I must be starting to chubbify, right? Wrong!
Why is that? Up until Sunday I have been in training, and on Sunday completed my very first ever Triathlon!
It was just a baby tri, and alot of fun, down in St. Kilda, a beach suburb of Mellie. The start of the race did
not quite go as I had planned. It was a 7 am race start and Ivan from my hostel had agreed to give me a lift to it, only he
went to bed at 4, after a couple(?) of ales. I had to wake him up and we drove down just in time. Just in time for the race,
not for all the preparations I had intended, the primary one being warming up and stretching, the secondary one being going
to the loo! I just had time to put my bike in the cyle compound and then join everyone on the beach for the pre race breifing.
I could stretch there I thought, no chance, with 900 people all squeezing together to hear I had no room, and I was now BURSTING!
In the end it all worked out quite well, I couldn't swim fast at all (I
was the only one doing breast stroke!) I started with the pace of the group, but soon realised the reality of the situation,
I had just jumped into the sea at 7 in the morning. I took it easy from there and spent the rest of the swim trying to relax
and take this as my one and only opportunity for a widdle. Quite tricky while swimming. I was concentrating on relaxing,
but took heed of what a friend of mine once said, 'you have to stop to get it started'!! By the time I finished
the swim I was relaxed, stretched and warmed up.
I performed quite well in the cycle and run, and finished feeling very
good and releived not to be dead. It was the last one for the year which is a shame, but it was alot of fun.
| PANNEKOEKEN!! |
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| thats dutch for pancakes dont you know! |
So now I will be in Melliebourne for another two months (I can only work
for a maximum of three months, and will move on when I finish at Muffin Break). Its odd how difficult it has been catching
up with (which was one of my main incentives to come to Melbourne) all the folk who I know live here. I see Acacia Christy
every now and then and have seen Acacia Stu a few times and spent a weekend at his folks place on the beach, very nice, but
yet to contact Trav. Have only seen Contiki Alicia and Nick once, as with Egypt Si, and still need to find NZ Nalita and Sheena.
(you think I'm bad at emailing!!) so I will be trying to see you all over the next two months!
I have no idea where I will be heading to next, but don't you worry, as
soon as I know you will be the first to know, through the wonders of William's Worldly Wide Web Site!!
Thank you and Good night!
Extra Update :
Its not all fun and frivolities though. Yesterday my bike got nicked, my phone died over the weekend, my shifts for next
week were cut down from four to two cos of Easter, and some bugger stole my shower gel AND shampoo (no smart comments.)
And Melbourne has more to offer...
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