My Aussie Adventures: Chapter 4: So I Was a Housekeeper at a Hostel in Cairns...

Chapter 4: SO I WAS A HOUSEKEEPER IN CAIRNS...

July 10, 2012. After six-weeks on the road, I returned to Sydney and received a much needed visit from my mom, aunt, and uncle in Sydney. I spent 10 days with them touring them around the city and basking in the luxury of living in a hotel! I also started to plan my next move...do I stay in Sydney while it's wintertime (summer in USA is winter in AUS) meaning a bit chilly and thus miserable or do I move somewhere else? A really good friend of mine and former Jack's Place housemate was up in Cairns and strongly encouraged I come back. I thought, what the heck! And booked a one-way ticket to Cairns!

So how exactly do I put this? I was kinda sorta working as a housekeeper at a hostel in Cairns! That's right….."knock, knock, HOUSEKEEPING!" (or CAT FISHING as one of my coworkers started to say when we realized it didn't matter what we said). Yup, that was me!

Cairns is a huge backpacker city...it is filled with dozens of hostels, many of which have this thing called "work for accommodation." For the common broke backpacker, this arrangement is a dream come true. You put in time doing housekeeping or promotional work for a hostel and the hostel provides you with a free bed in exchange. Before I arrived in Cairns, I had not a clue what I was gonna do or how long I was gonna stay. However, my friend told me she got a "work for accommodation" job at a hostel so I decided to try my luck at the same thing. On day 2 of Cairns, I sat on the Esplanade and called a couple of hostels. I heard a lot of "no, sorry" until one nice receptionist put me on hold for a minute and then came back on the line to tell me: "See you tomorrow at 10am sharp. You can move in and get to work!"

From 10am to 1:30pm, 5 days a week, I, along with a team of about 8 or 9 other travelers, (mostly Italians at my hostel) knocked on the doors of every room in our 60 room hostel to change beds, clean garbages, scrub toilets, the usual. The work was easy peasy with a few perks…i found $20 once while changing a bed! And in a room that's considered a "checkout," anything in the fridge or bathroom that we find, we get to keep…that means free shampoos and conditioners, beer, and random jars of unopened pasta sauce. I'd happily do housekeeping for the rest of my life if it meant free rent! But let me tell you, the job comes with a price... I have stories for days!

Let's see… 

There's nothing like wiping down a kitchen counter covered with nail clippings, stepping over a dead cockroach getting devoured by ants in the bathroom, or walking into a bedroom where shreds of paper and cheese balls are scattered all over the floor leading me to wonder, what the hell went down last night?!

The greatest story of all…there was the time we walked in on a couple having sex. That's right….knock knock, HOUSEKEEPING! Enter room, see people doing the nasty, exit room!
 
There was the crazy lady from New Zealand. She was in her mid-50s and she'd been living at the hostel for over a month. On my very first day on the job, when i came in to clean she was energetic and bubbly and so smily and friendly that she actually made me feel a tad bit uncomfortable. As I changed the sheets on one of the beds, I noticed her in the corner undressing her robe and putting on her bra and underwear. I quickly looked away as it was too early in the morning to see fat rolls and saggy boobs. She insisted on helping me spread the sheets, which was kind, but then she randomly asked to touch my hair (casualty of being a black girl) and shit just got weird again. To top things off, as i scrubbed the mold in her shower she informed me that there was a new moon this solstice and asked if i would burn candles and incense. Smile and nod. Smile and nod.

Then there was crazy Desmond in room 117. He'd been living at the hostel for ages and had seemed to have lost so many screws in his head that management didn't even place anyone else in his room anymore. Yup, lucky Desmond had a 6 bed room all to himself. Why? Well when I first met him he was rambling on and on about only God knows what. I assumed he was just hungover or still drunk from the night before. But no, turns out that was Desmond in his "NORMAL" state. He's a bit off his rocker and his "evil laugh," as some described it, tended to scare off other roommates. He'd previously discussed how his name spelled backwards is (apparently) Demon (followed by his evil laugh) and he once "pulled a knife"…well to be fair, he showed off his collector's knife…to a fellow roommate, but if it was followed by that infamous evil laugh, I'm sure he freaked the guy out.
 
Then there's the ONLY time I ever felt degraded working as a housekeeper...I was cleaning the room of this stern, skinny Euro waif who sat on the couch eating her breakfast and watched us as we changed the garbage and swept AROUND her. She only spoke to give a quick thanks when we left the room and then later she apparently went down to reception to complain about this and that.

But then there was the sweet guy from Canada who was so genuinely nice and struck up a conversation every time we came in to clean. You can just tell he's THAT guy who chats up his taxi driver or personally knows the guys who cleans his car at the car wash. He makes you realize how important "thank you's" are because I would appreciate and cherish his thank you's so much even when they just came after changing his garbage or giving him a fresh roll of toilet paper.

Moving along…There was the time I walked into a room and it reeked like someone freshly took a dump and the only guy in the room was this hot Swedish guy staring guiltily back at me.

There was the getting hit on by the hungover/still drunk random British traveler while I was changing a bed in his room:

Drunk dude: "How long have you been here in the hostel? I haven't seen you around much..." 

Me: "Oh, I just started housekeeping on Wednesday." 

Drunk dude: "Well, you're definitely the prettiest housekeeper I've ever seen *wink*" 

Me: "Haha thanks, umm can you pass me that pillow?" 

Or the guy that came out of the bathroom in his towel and asked: "Does housekeeping include rubbing suncream on my back? haha"

There was also the time I walked in the room to find a half-naked pornstar lookalike sprawled across a mattress laid out in living room. 

Me: "Are you or anyone checking out today?"

Girl: "Umm, I don't live here…

And the stories go on and on... Anyways, after housekeeping in the mornings, I would then quickly change into my swimsuit and spend my afternoons down by The Lagoon. Cairns doesn't have a beach but instead has a big manmade pool called "The Lagoon." While there, my friend, her co-workers (who actually became great friends of mine), and I would lay out and people watch, spot hot guys, talk shit, eat McDonalds, not read our books, and just simply enjoy the current state of our lives where we didn't have a single care in the world! 

Cairns also became the home of reunions! Remember the British couple we met while traveling the East Coast? Met up with them in Cairns and they stayed at my hostel! Also, two good guys friends from Jacks Place began their East Coast trip in Cairns, so it was good to catch up with them as well.

And then there were Cairns nights. Did I mention Cairns is a big party town?? Let's just say, many good nights were had drinking free champagne at ladies night every Tuesday at PJ O'Brien's, dancing on the tables at The Woolshed, and trying to keep it classy at good ol' Gilligans. Then we'd ALWAYS top off the night at McDonalds or Pie Face.

I ended up booking a ticket back to Sydney after one month. My two best friends were leaving to go back to England and I wanted to be back in Sydney to wish them off. Plus a month of housekeeping and partying in Cairns was enough for me! I would say this was definitely my most memorable month of my entire Aussie adventure.

My Aussie Adventures: Chapter 3: East Coast Road Trip

Chapter 3: EAST COAST AUSTRALIA

May 22, 2012. When we picked up our campervan, I couldn't believe my eyes. Our van looked like it just came off an episode of Pimp My Ride. It came complete with 2 double beds, 2 TVs with DVD players, a GPS system, a kitchen in the trunk with stoves, running water, and a fridge! This was our home for the next 6 weeks and I was SO excited to finally fulfill my backpacker dreams!

In our first day of driving, we got into 2 minor accidents! Not only were we driving on the opposite side of the road, but we were driving a massive van! The Canadian drove a little too close to the left once and knicked the bumper on a highway rail. On our first night, I was attempting to drive the van into an underground supermarket garage totally forgetting to check the clearance; I ended up scrapping the whole top of the van on a metal bar. Thank God for insurance!

Our first night was in Port Macquaire, a small beach town 3 hours outside of Sydney. We parked in a Coles Supermarket parking lot and set up shop! (Parking in Coles and McDonalds parking lots became a staple on this trip). For our first meal we ate rather heartily....a rotisserie chicken and white rice cooked on our stove. At night the three of us cuddled together on the bottom bed to watch a movie when suddenly the Canadian bursted out laughing and declared "WE'RE IN A VAN!" It finally hit us. We were curled in bed...in a van...in a supermarket parking lot. This was actually the state of our lives right now.

Our first major stop on the roadtrip was in Byron Bay, easily the most hyped-about place

Right before jumping in!

along the East Coast. I had heard stories of people going to Byron Bay and never leaving, so to say I was excited was an understatement. Too bad our week in Bryon Bay was completely marred by shitty, cold and rainy weather.  On the ONE DAY with good weather, we went to the beach and the sun unexpectedly started to shine. Not one of us had on our swimsuits and we couldn't stand to miss the one day of good weather. So what did we do? Stripped down to our skivvies on a public beach filled with children and surfers and jumped in the water!

Despite the sucky weather, we parked at an amazing hostel called The Arts Factory--it was basically a hippie commune stuck in 1970s and filled with all sorts of characters. I'd never met more white people with dreads wearing colorful harem pants in my entire

Arts Factory parking lot!

life. I remember there was this one guy I constantly admired from afar...he was dark and mysterious and lived in the van parked next to us all by himself. Inside the hostel, he'd always sit at one of the booths along the windowsill drawing. One day, I saw he put up a sign saying "Will Draw for Food, Alcohol, Money, Whatever." So I sat at his table with him and started looking through his portfolio. His name was Sam (pronounced "Some") from Holland. He had run out of money and couldn't find a job in Byron. Drawing is the only thing he knew how to do so he decided to try to make money off of it. He said he drew a portrait for a girl once and she gave him a bag of cookies. He also said the hostel was thinking of hiring him to do some artwork on their walls. I wonder where Sam is now...

In Byron, we also made friends with a young British couple who had come to travel the East Coast by van for the summer (well Aussie winter). They became amazing friends of ours and we traveled much of the east coast together, filling each other in on good places to park, doing activities, going out at night together, etc.

Our next major stop was in Surfers Paradise/Gold Coast. A cousin of mine had just recently moved to Gold Coast to get his masters at Bond University so I looked forward to a familiar face. The entire week there, we somehow got away with parking our obnoxious purple and green van on his campus. Parking at my cousin's dorm also meant a break from sleeping in the van (I crashed in the public common room the entire week), free wifi, free laundry, and warmth! On the downside, Surfers was the location of the first of many expected arguments over the course of six weeks. Long story short: before parking at my cousin's dorm we parked one night illegally (in front of a big sign that actually said "No overnight parking") and patrol came knocking on our window as we slept to ask us to move. It was raining, we were all stressed, words were exchanged, and the next morning problem was (seemingly) solved. But the reality of driving 6 weeks with 2 (basically) strangers began to sink in.

Our next major stop was a 3 day/2 night camping trip on Fraser Island..the world's biggest sand island with the largest population of wild dingoes. We were BEYOND excited for our camping trip because we were finally going on a tour that gave us the opportunity to meet loads of other people (mainly boys, let's be honest). Plain and simple, Fraser Island became the clear highlight of our trip. Not only was the island beautiful...one morning a group of us woke up to wild dingos casually walking around our campsite-- a truly special sight to be seen...and we lucked out with beautiful weather, but the group of people on our tour was amazing. Everyone was young, fun, and ready for a good time! Our days on the island were spent divided into groups and driving around to different spots in our 4WDs.  Our nights were spent camped out beside the beach getting drunk and being young and dumb.

From Fraser Island there was LOTS more driving and then our next big stop was in Airlie Beach--the gateway to the Whitsundays Islands where we went on a 3 day/2 night sailing trip. Our Whitsundays tour group couldn't at all compare with our Fraser Island family, but we met some cool people nonetheless. Also a downer during our trip was the horrible weather. Sailing was an interesting and really fun experience, but after 2 days of sailing in the rain and living on a cramped boat, I was over it. We did, however, touchdown at Whitehaven Beach, voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, which was quite breathtaking.

After the Whitsundays, there was whitewater rafting down the Tully River in Mission Beach (one of my most fun days) and then we finally reached our final destination: Cairns--a small city completely infested with young, hot backpackers. Our week in Cairns was completely dominated by partying it up at Gilligans-- Cairns' biggest party hostel that was more like a beach resort for the young and horny. You don't come to Gilligans is you want to sleep. Our 10-bed dorm room had a predrinks party virtually every night and at the wee hours of the morning when it WAS time for some shut eye, the music booming from the nightclub downstairs vibrated our beds. While in Cairns, we also reunited with some friends from Fraser Island, making for a pretty epic week. From Cairns we went on several small day trips, including a trip up to the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation to go hiking and horseback riding. Unarguably one of our most fun day trips was Uncle Brian's Atherton Tablelands and Waterfalls tour where our tour guide took us to all these famous natural waterfalls to swim and frolick, including Millaa Millaa Falls-- home of a famous Herbal Essence commercial.

This road trip was probably one of the best and most challenging trips of my life. Lemme tell you, there were some lowwwww days when it came to living in a van…us arguing over foolishness, the weather being cold and/or rainy and having to be trapped in the van, paying for expensive gas, the smell of damp towels scattered through the van, wanting desperately to just lay in a proper bed, fearing our van getting moved by police, my travel mates talking constantly about their boyfriends/ex-boyfriends. But there were some HIGH moments too…cooking dinner out the back of our van while parked in a supermarket parking lot, brushing out teeth and doing our hair in several McDonalds bathrooms, cuddled together watching movies.

While the drive from Sydney to Cairns was a LONG one and driving a massive van with terrible rear view vision AND on the opposite side of the road was definitely a challenge, two VERY minor accidents and one speeding ticket later, we somehow survived.

My Aussie Adventures: Chapter 2: Jack's Place Life

Chapter 2: JACK'S PLACE LIFE

March 13, 2012. I signed up for a 3 month lease at Jack's Place before I had ever stepped foot in the place. I figured my friend couldn't have recommended a shithole, right?
 
As I lugged my 3 suitcases (I never called myself a backpacker...) up the stairs to the second floor, I was jittering with anticipation to see what my new room would look like. I turned the key in the lock, pushed open the door, and.... well.... it was quaint. Clean, so I couldn't complain. New furniture, bay windows (facing a noisy street), and a decent sized wardrobe to fit all my stuff. For $265/week for a room, I must admit I was expecting a heck of a lot more, but there was no turning back now!

After grocery shopping, I came back to my room, put on a movie on my laptop, and started to unpack, I could hear doors opening and closing in the hallways, people talking and laughing, basically my future friends going about their lives without a single clue about the new girl in room 12. And that's when the "making new friends" anxiety kicked in. Do I go out and say hi? How should I introduce myself? I wonder where they're all from... Will people be friendly? Knowing how I am...naturally shy, semi-content loner...I knew I could easily go out and buy some dinner and rush quietly back to my room and eat it before anyone ever saw me. But, the good angel said "get your ass downstairs and make some friends!"

At around 7 o'clock, I could no longer ignore the hunger pains. I fixed my hair, checked my outfit, and started to descend the stairs of doom down to the kitchen. As I walked down I could hear what sounded like a 100 people talking and laughing with each other and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and run back up the stairs. I finally walked in the room and saw a big group of strangers sitting at the table talking and laughing. They all turned and looked at me with bright faces and like a bubbly fool I gave a big wave and a big bright smile and proclaimed "Hey, I'm Natasha!" Everyone immediately started to hurl tomatoes at me, yell racial slurs, and told me to get out. Just kidding! Everyone smiled back, gave me friendly welcomes, and went around the table and said their names. It was a HUGE relief to meet such friendly people and I knew from then, everything would be okay. My housemates were from all over the world and came to Sydney for different reasons…many to study English, some to work and travel like me, some for a semester abroad. I met people from Brazil, all over England, Portugal, France, South America, Germany, Belgium, and much more. Throughout my first week, many people came up to me and said "Hey! Oh you're the black girl from New Jersey?!" It was nice to know my legend preceded me. Although it wasn't at all hard to meet and talk to people in the house, I also had a wonderful tactic and natural conversation piece: my jewelry.

On day 2 in Jack's I made a conscious and strategic move. I woke up bright and early, gathered my jewelry supplies, and went and sat downstairs by the TV in the common area. All day people came and went but FIRST stopped to say hi and ask what I was doing. I ended up explaining myself and my jewelry 100 times over, but one by one I knew virtually everyone in the house and everyone knew me. Before you know it, I was the black chick from New Jersey who ALSO made jewelry. On another note, this move also proved to be a great marketing strategy! I paid my rent one week solely using money I had collected from housemates who placed orders ;)

As much as I was making the jewelry business work for me, I still very much wanted to find a job! So back to the job hunt I went! I even started to have a few successful leads. Once, I went for a trial at a frozen yogurt place (my ultimate dream job) but ended up not getting the job. I even spent exactly 4 hours temping for the head receptionist at Intel Sydney. I also went on another interview at a pizzeria, which also ended unsuccessfully. I was nailing interviews but not getting the job which grew increasingly more frustrating and there's absolutely nothing worse on the planet than looking for work! As I continued looking for a job, my jewelry store continued to do well and I continued to get wholesale offers one after another. So eventually one day I said screw it! I'm just going to commit to making jewelry full time and that is that!

 It's funny how your life turns out. I went from a confused college grad jetting off to Sydney to occupation: jewelry maker who, by the grace of God, managed to pay $265/week rent AND save money. I was hesitant at first to commit to making jewelry full-time because that meant having to develop some strong will power to get my ass up at a decent hour every day like a real job. It also meant I had to be inside all day making jewelry and wouldn't have the opportunity to go out into Sydney and make co-worker friends. However, those "cons" soon proved to be nonsense. I basically turned the common room into Natasha's Jewelry Station...I became a staple on that couch and I got alot of GREAT TV watching done. Working from home also allowed me to become friends with basically everyone in the house. It also meant I could prey on the new people, and thus the unemployed, who would often sit with me in the TV room on their laptops looking for work. Before you know it, I was putting people to work! To help fill some of my big orders, I had friends pitching in to cut thread and I even taught a friend of mine how to make my signature woven chain bracelet so she could help me complete some orders.

While jewelry making was a huge focus of my life in Jacks Place, it was the friends I made and the fun times I had during this time that truly defined my first 3 months in Sydney. Living at Jack's Place was very similar to my study abroad experience that made me fall in love with Sydney…we all worked hard during the week, but partied harder during the weekends. Jacks Place was like a family....we had movie nights multiple nights out of the week, rooftop BBQs featuring goon (cheap boxed wine) sangria, family dinners where one person cooked and we all pitched in money, and every weekend was someone's birthday or some big celebration which meant predrinks/dance party before heading out together in a massive group to a night club---one night out even ended with a housemate cracking a bottle over a sleazy clubgoer's head after he inappropriately touched his girlfriend. Basically there was NEVER a dull moment with my Jacks Place family! Living there, I made some amazing friends and even became an honorary Brit (my closest friends winded up all being British). I learned so much about different cultures and languages and made friendships with people that have already lasted beyond my Australian adventure.

However, come May, as my lease in Jack's was coming to an end I started to think about what my next plan of action might be. My couchsurfing friend mentioned she wanted to travel the East Coast by campervan. Seeing as I was going to be homeless on May 15, I decided why not travel the East Coast together?! Soon a third girlfriend--a 19 year old Brit on a gap year between high school and college--jumped along and after a few weeks of planning, I looked forward to my new future: 6 weeks driving 1,500 miles from Sydney up the coast to Cairns and living in a campervan with 2 friends, a Canadian and a Brit, who I'd actually only known for the past 3 months. We said our goodbyes to everyone (because many of our friends would not be in Sydney when we returned after our trip) hopped in our camper and embarked on our new adventure!

My Aussie Adventures: Chapter 1: The Inevitable Return

So the last time I blogged, I had just arrived in Sydney, Australia. I wrote about being nervous, scared, and seriously jetlagged. And I concluded my last post by saying, and I quote, "I'll continue to keep yal up to speed on my life in Sydney." Well it's now 11 months later, Sydney has come and gone, I'm back home in New Jersey and I never wrote a single blog post since then. All I can say is....my bad!

But I'm back now! Better late than never right?! These next few posts, I'll update you guys on EVERYTHING that went down this past year in Australia. I've divided my time in Australia into 6 distinct chapters, basically determined by where I was living at the time.

BUT before I get into everything, first thing's first...one of the most common questions I get about my time in Australia is: "How did you support yourself?" So a little background first...
As some of you may know, one day in November 2011 (2.5 months before I went to Sydney), I randomly started making jewelry and selling it online. I started my own little handmade jewelry business called the World of Tashii (www.worldoftashii.etsy.com). One week before going to Australia, I received a really big wholesale order from a major online store in Australia (ironically) for 100 bracelets! I shipped off the order right before boarding my plane to Sydney. By the time I touched down in Sydney and for those first few weeks, my email was FLOODED with messages from other stores around Australia inquiring about placing a wholesale order. So that one wholesale order expanded into SEVEN other wholesale opportunities and as of today, I run a surprisingly successful online jewelry store! (You'll understand later why I had to give you that little history first). Ok....

CHAPTER 1: THE INEVITABLE RETURN

February 21, 2012. The first thing I did when I got off the plane was run to the nearest Vodafone store in the airport and bought a cheap little cell phone and a pocket wifi.

It had been 15 hours since I texted, Facebooked, or did anything technological and I was itching! I then hopped in a taxi and $85 later I was at my new home. For my first three weeks in Australia, I lived with friends of the family near Manly (North Sydney). They were my family away from home and living with them made settling into a brand new life in Australia much easier! I was living the dream in their guest house where I had my own bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and living room. It was pretty damn sweet!

To avoid homesickness and the fact that I had no friends and was feeling quite lonely, I threw myself into job hunting. I came to Australia on what is called a "Working Holiday Visa." Basically every year the Australian government grants around 120,000 18-30 year olds from around the world a one year visa allowing you to travel their country and work to subsidize your travels. The Working Holiday program is so intertwined in the Australian employment system that many job posts might even specify "No Working Holiday Visas" or "Backpackers welcome to apply." The easiest fields for working holiday visa holders to get jobs in are usually hospitality, administrative work, food service, etc. because such fields are used to the turnover. The British, the Germans, the French, the Canadians...they've been taking advantage of the Working Holiday program for forever! Americans were just recently allowed to get this visa and, to be honest, over the course of the year, I only met a handful of Americans...doesn't seem like we like to travel too much or are even aware that a program even exists! Anyways, that's another story....

Lots of jewelry orders!

So for 3 weeks, I spent every waking moment online on Gumtree.com (Australia's answer to Craigslist) looking for and applying for jobs. I applied for all kinds of jobs from a bathroom attendant in a nightclub (my dad would be proud) to a sales position at a bikini shop on Bondi Beach. But I was wholly unsuccessful...the manager at the bikini shop needed someone with "experience fitting swimsuits" (really lady??) As I unsuccessfully looked for work, my jewelry business successfully was on the up and up. I came to Australia with only a couple of rolls of chains and a few strands of thread but my mom quickly had to ship me more supplies to meet the demand of all the wholesale orders and shop orders flooding in.

As much as I was enjoying my time living in my own little bachelorette pad in North Sydney, I couldn't kill my desire to live closer to the city and to meet people my age. At this point, my only "friends" were an Australian friend of a friend...awesome girl who took me out around Manly...and a Canadian girl who also just arrived in Sydney who I met online on Couchsurfing.com (yes I became that desperate for friends that I resorted to the Internet).

I started to think of possible places to move when I remembered a place a friend recommended to me where he had lived when he came to Sydney to do an internship. The place was called Jack's Place and it was a share house/student dormitory/glorified hostel kind of place. Located in Elizabeth Bay, an affluent area of Sydney and just down the street from Kings Cross, Sydney's vibrant red-light/nightclub district, Jacks Place offered housing for 40 people where everyone has their own bedroom, but residents share bathrooms on each floor, a common room, and a kitchen. The building was newly renovated, there was even a huge rooftop for sunbathing, BBQs, and views of the bay, wireless internet, and everyone living there was either a student, intern, backpacker, basically my future friends! And did I mention the perfect location?? 10 minute bus ride/30 minute stroll into Sydney's CBD, 30 minute bus ride to the world famous Bondi Beach, stone's throw from some of the city's greatest nightclubs. Sounds great to me...sign me up!

New Beginnings!

Exactly 2 years ago, I boarded a plane to Sydney, Australia for a semester abroad and the rest is history.

Two days ago, I boarded the SAME plane to Sydney, Australia and viola, I’m back again!

Coming to Sydney this time around was definitely 100 times scarier. Everyone’s been like: “Well you’ve been there before! It’ll be fine! It’ll be easier!” NEGATIVE. Coming to Sydney the first time around, I was in school, I lived in a house with 30 people, and I lived in the comfort in knowing that unless I was a complete knob, I’d make friends with at least 1 of those 30 people. In all honesty, study abroad at times felt like summer camp or a long 5-month vacation. On the other hand, this time around…I’m on my own! No friends, no school, no job, no permanent housing, basically no semblance of a plan in place and I have mere weeks to figure everything out for myself. But that’s life, right?

On the plane here, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering whether coming to Sydney was the right thing. I want to grow up, I want to mature, I want to travel, I want to make new friends, but did I have to come ALL the way to Sydney, Australia to do that? Weeks ago I was so gung-ho about coming, but on the plane I found myself questioning…wtf did I get myself into?!

For the time being, I’m staying with some friends of the family in North Sydney. When the taxi driver dropped me off, I told him I had to go through the side gate opposed to the front door because no one was home yet, and he gave me the illest side glare as if I’d come to rob the place. Anyways, I moved in to my little flat (it’s the family’s pool/guest house) and the loneliness REALLY sunk in and the reality that I’m actually here. I’m alone, no friends, no family, no comfort zone to fall back on…I have to fend for myself and get used to it because it’s just me against the world from now on.

I immediately hooked myself up to wifi and iMessaged by sister…she always has the words of wisdom…and she assured me:

“Well u are definitely doing the right thing. Of course it’s gonna be nervous and scary at first, but everything will workout for the best. You have no idea what God has in store for u.”

This is certainly going to be a trying experience! Part of me came to Australia because I wanted to and because I could and because “if not now, when?” But part of me is here because I need to grow up away from my family, away from a job, away from anything familiar, and get used to just being with myself and relying on myself. This blog will probably be therapy for me and my best friend (considering I don’t have any others right now haha) and I’ll continue to keep yal up to speed on my life in Sydney.

On the agenda for this week…

- Find a permanent place to stay

- Find a job! Any job!

- Beat up this bitch named Jet Lag (I fell asleep at 9pm yesterday and was wide awake at 3am)

Concerns of a Black Chick Moving to Australia

Moving abroad is a daunting feat. Moving abroad and wondering, “shit, what the hell am I going to do with my hair?” might not quite resonate with some of you.

Here are the facts: Australia is stark white. 92% of the population is Caucasian. My black ass is sure to stick out like a sore thumb! Now now, I’m quite used to being in situations where I’m one of few black people….I was one of 3 black people in my fourth grade graduating class….I was the only black person in my house of 30 students when I studied abroad in Sydney….and I’ve lived in a town called Springfield my entire life for goodness sakes.

This also isn’t my first time to Australia. When I returned from Sydney after my study abroad experience, one of the first questions many friends and family asked was some variation of, “Do they like Black people?” And I was happy and lucky to declare, I had a grand time in Sydney, free of racism and ignorance (at least to my face)! I say lucky because prior to Australia I heard a few horror stories here and there from black travelers. Plus, there’s no denying the cruel history of the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia (Learn something: Read about "The Stolen Generations" or Watch the film Rabbit Proof Fence).

Now, America is a very unique place. Being the “melting pot” that it is, America has a level of diversity quite unseen in most countries in the world. Just take a look at the island of Manhattan

for example. On one tiny landmass, you have the Blacks in Harlem, the Chinese down in Chinatown, the Jews of Lower East Side, and the lily whites of the Upper East Side; within a 100-block span, you’ve basically traveled around the world. Furthermore, being black in NJ is no big deal…numbers wise. Although blacks are a minority in America, in the Northeast (I can’t speak for everywhere in America) there are enough of us here not to stand out. However, being black ABROAD, and I’m speaking particularly about countries where black people are far and few, I’m sure to be confronted with my race more so than I am here.

Living in Sydney for a year, I suspect is going to be a vastly different experience from being there for a 5-month vacation, which is essentially what study abroad was. Although my experience the first time around was 100% positive, I still do have just a few concerns…

1. Hair

Black hair care. Oh the plight of black women! If you’re a white male, feel free to skip along to number 2 cuz I’m sure you’ll be lost reading this. If you’re a sista, let’s talk! Do I get a weave? Do I get braids? Do I go natural? Do I get a perm? The possibilities are endless and the heartache is distressing. Taking care of my hair really is one of the banes of my existence. In budgeting out my trip to Australia, you best believe “hair care” was a financial concern written right along with “book a flight” and “find housing.”

When I first went to Sydney, I moved in to my house, set up my room, and as soon as I got on to the Internet, one of the first things I did was Google “black hair salons in Sydney.” True story. Seeing as there are black people everywhere you go, I found a place 30 minutes from where I lived and homegirl hooked me up! But this time around, spending a YEAR abroad during a time when I JUST started a whole new hair regimen and in a country where a beauty supply store or a Dominican doobie salon isn’t readily at my disposal, all I can say is #STRESSSSSSSS!

2. Being stared at

If you’re traveling while black, you’re gonna get stared at! The simple fact of the matter is, in a lot of countries, people just aren’t used to seeing black people! Sure, they encounter black people on TV, but a real live-in the flesh black person?! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and they’re trying to capture it all by staring at you!

Being stared at while traveling can range from

flattery to annoyance. Constantly feeling eyes on you when all you want to do is pick your nose or eat a slice of pizza in peace kinda makes me realize what celebrities go through on a daily basis. When I traveled to China, my sister and I were constantly taking pictures with random people and people were constantly giving us double-takes when walking down the street. The funniest story…at a museum in Beijing, my mom sat down to rest her feet and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman in the corner sneakily snapping a picture of my mom. The level of attention we got in China was pretty entertaining. On the other hand, while riding the train alone in Athens, Greece this past summer, this old man literally stared at me for the ENTIRE train ride. Creepy and annoying.

In Sydney, I don’t remember the stares being all that uncomfortable. Noticeable? Definitely! It was mostly young kids or old people who’d look at me a little too long. Or sometimes guys while out clubbing or bar hopping, which I can’t say was always a bad thing ; )

3. Encounters with racism or ignorance

It’s never fun being the sole representative for your race. If you’re black and grew up in the white suburbs, I’m sure you can relate with me that Black History Month meant a month of awkwardness and your classmates looking over at you whenever the word “slavery” was uttered. Basically, the YouTube Video "Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls" was the story of my upbringing.

Being black and traveling abroad, you almost want to be on your best behavior for fear of fulfilling some ignorant stereotype of black people shown on TV or in movies. And while I’ve never encountered outright racism while abroad, there’s definitely been some outlandish ignorance. For instance, on the tiny island of Paros, Greece this past summer, I was talking with this guy who was so shocked my name was Natasha. He thought, and I quote, “you’d be named Shaniqua or something.” And then he asked me if there were a lot of “gangsters” where I’m from. *side eye* While harmless, I soon found myself dropping some serious knowledge on this boy on my vacation when all I wanted to do was enjoy myself.

Like I said before, Australia has a pretty nasty history of the government’s treatment of Aboriginal people. Knowing this before going to study abroad in Sydney, I naturally did wonder if I’d ever encounter racism or ignorance while abroad. I ended up having a completely positive experience while studying abroad in Sydney and the Australians I did have conversations with, I found them to be pretty receptive to African-Americans. But while in Sydney, I know if someone is ever a jerk to me, it’s natural for the first thing to think—its because I’m black. In my 22 years on this Earth, I can count the number of racist encounters I’ve endured on one hand. Let’s hope it stays that way!

4. Missing Black culture and Black people

I am going to miss my favorite morning radio show—The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne.

I’m going to miss Jamaican food. I’m going to miss hearing hip-hop and dancehall in the clubs. I’m going to miss commiserating with someone over the struggles of my hair. I’m going to miss talking shit about white people.

Why is that guy wearing flip-flops in the rain?

SMH. White people.

Where is that girl’s jacket? It's cold as hell outside!

SMH. White people.

Moving to Sydney for a year means I’m gonna miss out on some good ol’ black on black bonding. Yes there are black people in Australia…around 250,000 African immigrants, which is far and few compared to the general population, so I’m not banking on making a whole new group of black friends in Australia. The good thing—never once when I was in Sydney did I NOT feel like myself or was made to feel like the odd girl out because I was the only black girl around. But I will admit, there were definitely moments where a fellow darkie might have been nice.

So I'm Moving to Australia!

So it’s been a while since I’ve blogged…4 months to be exact. But I’m back! Because I finally have something worthwhile to write about…SURPRISE! I’M MOVING TO AUSTRALIA! This is something I’ve been thinking about, torturing myself about, secretly killing myself over for quite some time, but I’ve finally officially booked a ticket, I got a year long working-holiday visa, and it’s all really happening!

So why am I moving to Australia?? I can spend hours answering this question and will probably address this very question in several more blog posts to come. But for now, below you’ll find a stream of random ramblings I wrote one random night a couple random months ago, when I was extra-specially confused about the state of my life. I sounded like a crazy person, but I think somewhere in there I put together a feasible explanation for why going the conventional graduate college-get a serious job route just isn’t for me….at least not for now.

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Why does my fancy shmancy Ivy League degree feel like a burden? (Side note: I definitely need to make sure my Dad never reads that very sentence). I’m trying to find a job, but I’m so confused about what I want to do. I have a slight loss of passion and ambition because more than anything right now I want to travel! The travel bug is here again but I’m supposed to get a job! I sound like a selfish little brat…people would kill to go to college, be able to afford it, have the experiences I have had, but there are more life experiences to be had outside of going to college and then getting a straight 9-5.

Am I crazy that I want to work as a waitress? Seriously though, I’ve always wanted to try it at least once. The other day I found myself on a website about getting a job on a cruise ship, then I thought “what on Earth would my Dad think if he saw me right now?” I have all these selfish-hippie-live life- be young and dumb-free-spirited desires, but I’m afraid to pursue them because it’s not what I’m SUPPOSED to do. When u graduate from a school like Penn, anything less than a corporate job or run of the mill entry level position in your given field is blasphemous! Only the best is expected of you and ASAP.

I slaved at unpaid internships for three summers and now I’m expected to do the next step and get a job in communications for the mere sake of fulfilling my bachelors degree and everyone’s expectations and ensuring everyone not to worry, that my $50,000/year education didn’t go to shit. After graduating, some of my friends hadn’t found jobs yet and were panicking. I was panicking thinking about all the traveling I wanted to do and how I probably wouldn’t be able to do it had I signed up immediately for a job.

Old people always says: “Do what makes you happy.” But I don’t think any of them actually believe it when they say it. What people really need to say is: “Do what makes you happy, but don’t go too crazy!” I been trying to keep the “do what makes u happy thing” at the forefront of my mind, but between college grad expectations, watching my friends move on to the real world job market, a travel bug crawling up my leg, and trying to please my parents, I’m all jacked up in the head!

All I know…what I want to do right now is live boldly, live fearlessly, take risks, and shock not just the people around me, but surprise my damn self. At the end of the day, this is my life and I have to be happy with it. It’s moments like sitting on the cliffs in Coogee Beach, Sydney or riding on the back of a scooter through the streets of Barcelona that made me feel most alive and that’s all I really want right now. A 9-5 entry-level desk job ain’t going anywhere! Whether I take the job now or 5 years from now, either way, those types of jobs will always be around. Traveling while I’m young with nothing to lose…no serious job, boyfriend, apartment lease, car note, or kids…this opportunity won’t always be here.

“Life won’t always be just about you.”