Day 197

Happy Easter all. Hope the big furry animal visited you all. Sydney has been good so far. Hanging out at the hostel, searching for jobs, and wandering around the city is what entails of my daily activities. I've been frantically searching for a job since it seems my funds are getting on the lower side of safe. But I have been making the most of it. It's awesome to see another part of Australia and to finally see the amazing Sydney Opera house and Bridge. The city itself is large with a tremendous amount of concrete and tall buildings (nothing like NYC), that house the criss crossing streets. Its actually not big enough to get lost in, yet filled with outlying suburbs that make up much of the cheaper housing for the city.

Weather has been grand so far. Has only rained once for a short bit, but fairly sunny otherwise. Opposite to you folks back home, the weather is finally starting to cool off. As I'm writing, I'm having to close the drafty window from spewing in 17'c weather (yes, that would be Celsius).

After a few days of being here and passing out resumes like a door-to-door vendor, I've landed a job. After going through what I'd guess was an interview and job offering, I turned down a $15/hr parking garage valet for a position in a ice cream shop. Yea, easy decision, I thought so too. The ice cream shop is called Movenpick and sells Swiss ice cream and desserts. Fancy I know, and the prices reflect just that. So until I can find something that potentially suits me a little better, the ice cream shop will provide perfect employment for me.

Since being here in Sydney I've been living in a hostel. I know that half of you out there don't even know what a hostel is (Besides being the 2005 horror flick with a progressively gory and fast past plot). So I'll explain. Think of a college dorm room, only slightly larger and filled with 4, 6, 8, or even 10 beds. Each person pays for a bed per night, which includes the use of the community kitchen, lounge room, and bathrooms. It's a place that's aimed to providing lodging for a younger crowd with no strings attached. No rules, no quiet hours, no neighbors banging on the wall to shut the music off...it's just the lifestyle of a hostel. You meet heaps of new people, almost daily, who come then go.

So I've been living in this one hostel since I got here, and it hasn't been too bad. The place claims to be one of the cleanest places (which seams pretty accurate seeing how I'm sharing a bathroom with 60 others) where they host many nights out on the town with free drinks and entry to clubs. But the best part is the great weekly deal they have going now, which includes breakfast in the morning and a "dinner" at night. Both not anything that would "WOW" you, but to a traveler, food is food and I'll take all I can get.


Today is April 4. My scheduled flight back is May 18. That's less than a month to finish seeing all I can in this enormously wonderful country. Have I missed home? Sure I have. Am I excited to get back and see all my family and friends? Absolutely. Do I desperately want to hear some good ole' country music again? Please please please, yes.

But....

Am I looking forwards to returning to an 8 dollar an hour job? No way. Am I ready to finally face the world that most college graduates face? Not at all. Am I ready to get home after cutting my visa short by leaving in May? No...which is why I'm not. I'm not doing it, I'm not coming back in May. I've thought long and hard about it and have decided to stay. I've rebooked my flight until September, giving me an extra 4 months here and the opportunity to use the year long visa I was granted.

So I say to all you unfortunate souls who read this, I'll be here trying to scrounge up more trouble and entertainment for your eyes for another 5 months. After that, I will be forced to leave the country.

My pictures thus far. www.picasaweb.google.com/joshhorton12