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Hey Everyone,

Well, I am still jobless. I handed out resumes for two days and have not received one phone call yet. I am going to go back to the shopping centre to hand out a few more. I will also go to a few other little shopping districts and see what I can find. I am wondering if I should move on since I am having trouble getting a job. I have decided to give it one more week and then I will decide to stay or go. It feels kinda useless to stay in one spot if I'm not working. I like having a place to call home though. Yesterday I took the day off from looking and just stayed in. I cleaned the house and watched more 24.

Yesterday I spoke with my cousin on the phone and a few friends. It was nice to hear a familiar voice. Every time someone tells me about the weather being cold I am thankful I am here. But I do know it won't feel like Christmas at all without snow. It is still cool here, but everyday seems to be warmer. I am still wearing my little sweaters most places I go, but I am sure that will change soon.

Well that is my little update.

Until next time,

Cindy

Get a haircut and get a real job!

Well today I am going to try and look for a job. I have some resumes printed up so I am going to the Chadstone shopping centre to hand them out. I was there on Friday and there were lots of signs in the windows of places looking for people over the Christmas season. I got my eyebrows waxed at one salon in the mall that carried lots of product. The girl told me it wouldn't hurt to drop off a resume. So I will go there and one other salon as well as a few clothing stores. But before I go I have to walk down to the little corner store and buy a met card. This is so I can take public transportation anywhere in Melbourne. It is very cool that you can go on the bus, train, or tram with the card. Although I hate public transportation, I guess I have to get used to it.
My weekend was spent hanging out with Helen and Diana. On Friday night we played trivial pursuit (the pop culture version). It was fun, but I didn't win. On Saturday I cut and colored Diana's hair and helped Helen with hers. Then Diana's co-worker came over for the evening. We had spaghetti for supper and then played trivial pursuit again. It felt like the never ending game. We then watched the Sex and the City movie. It was very late by the time we went to bed. I didn't sleep well that night. I think I am uncomfortable with my lack of pillows. I may just buy one today when I am at the mall. I hate that I have a thing with needing a fluffy pillow. Since I didn't sleep well Sunday was full of naps. We had a big breakfast of bacon and eggs and toast. In the afternoon we went to St. Kilda beach to walk and look at the little booths set up near the beach. Most were just selling cheap jewellery that I would never wear. It was really hot but not sunny. It felt good to finally get some heat here. It was very beautiful there too. St. Kilda is the place where backpackers usually hang out. It isn't far from down town Melbourne so I guess it is sorta close to everything. I am not living very far from there, but I am off the path of the Trams. I would either have to walk to find a tram or take a bus to get into down town. I will probably go in sometime later this week, just to see more sights. The weekend ended with us watching "Team America, World Police". The girls insisted I see it. In all honesty I thought it was stupid and I fell asleep in the middle. Then we watched some Australian Idol and Rove. I was still tired so I went to bed around 10pm. I had a much better sleep last night.
I know that my life is very uninteresting here in Australia. Oh well, just wanted to keep you updated on what is happening.
Until next time,
Cindy

OMG I can't believe I spelt rather wrong. I didn't even see that until it was posted. I'm such an idiot.

Rathere uninteresting.

Right now my trip seems really uninteresting. Yesterday was a very boring day. I am having trouble getting connected with my computer so have just been using my roommate Helen's computer. I don't really have much to write about anyway. I am enjoying my new place. Yesterday I did laundry in the morning. It is very common here that no one has clothes dryers so I have to hang my clothes on the clothes line. At home I hated the way my clothes felt after hanging on the line all day. They were always stiff and stretched out. I feel the same way about doing it here. I went for a walk around lunch time to see if I could find a map and a newspaper to look for a job. I found a paper but no map. I had lunch at a little cafe and just wondered around to check things out. I came home and watched some tv. My roommates are into the tv show 24. So I have been told I have to catch up so I can watch it with them. I made a bad effort to try yesterday. Then Diana and I went to the grocery store and got some food. Of course everything is just a little bit different, but I survived. There are a few things I am missing from home. One being the dryers another is a coffee machine. No one has coffee machines here and I don't really enjoy the coffee served at cafes. I think because it isn't a drip coffee. Also they don't have cream like we do. Everyone adds milk and it is skim milk I think. I found some coffee mate in the store and have been taking it with me. Everyone looks at it in complete shock. No one has seen it before, never mind tried it. I am lucky because Helen and Diana have been to North America. Helen lived in the US for awhile working as a nanny. She said she also misses the drip coffee, because it is so much better. Diana lived in Vancouver for awhile. I have now encouraged them to come visit me in Manitoba when I get back. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they did. Of course words are also different. When you mail a letter you post it. You put your bags in the boot not the trunk and everyone says "how you going?" instead of "how you doing?". Could you imagine Joey from friends saying "How you going??" in his charming way?

So the rest of my day is going to consist of figuring out the bus system so I can go to Chadstone shopping centre (they don't call it a mall). I am going to find a map there and a pair of shoes. My heels are cracking from wearing sandals all the time. I know it is so fun. I can see how everyone is jealous of my really exciting life. lol
Until next time,
Cindy

Moved

Today Corrin and I went for breakfast and then we went to the Melbourne zoo. It was very large. We started late in the morning and didn't get home until early afternoon. The zoo was great and Corrin could not believe the huge spiders on display there. I loved the butterfly atrium, the lions and the little penguins. I also got to see my first koala and platypus. All in all it was a great time there. We caught a train and bus home and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Diana then came and picked me up to take me to my new home. Corrin and Dan were going to be going out for supper so I felt glad to be gone before they left. I feel so glad to have had them there to show me around a little and give me a good taste of Australia. They also helped me with my understanding of Aussie slang. I will definitely be keeping in touch since they were so helpful and friendly to me. Diana and Helen seem equally as helpful. I feel very comfortable in my new surroundings already. I have my own room and share a bathroom with Diana. It is a nice homey place and am excited to be living here for awhile. Tomorrow I plan to type up a resume and do some laundry. I know it is very exciting. Soon I will look for a job here doing whatever comes my way. I also will do some wondering around and see what is in the neighbourhood. I look forward to my stay here. Although my travels so far have been very good I am missing home. I miss seeing my nieces on a regular basis and I miss being able to call my sister at any time just to chat. I miss the comforts of home and the little things like relaxing in the evening with a good movie. I sometimes just feel lonely because I don't have any of my best friends around me to share my thoughts with. Thank goodness for the Internet! I don't know what I would do if I couldn't email and chat with people on a regular basis. So just a little reminder to everyone..... I miss you too!
Until next time,
Cindy

Trams part duex

Sorry about that not finishing my blog yesterday. On Sunday since we had had too much to drink neither Corrin, Dan or I were feeling up to doing too much. So we got lunch at a fish shop. Your typical greasy hung over deep fried fish and chips. And then in the evening we made pizza (with pumpkin on it) and watched some truly Aussie movies. They told me these were must see movies to understand the Australian culture. So that night we watched The Castle. It was very good and I laughed a lot. If you can find it anywhere in a video store pick it up and see if you can understand them. lol. So yesterday I went with Corrin in the morning to the salon that she owns. I had breakfast in a little cafe near there. Then I took the train into the city centre and went to federation square. I met up with Ailsa and we went to the Melbourne aquarium. There was so big sharks and tons of very cool fish. I will send out some pictures soon. Then Aisla wanted to see the beach so we jumped on a tram. The very cool thing about public transportation in Melbourne is you can buy one pass and it works on buses trains and trams. So we figured out with tram to get on, which can be so confusing with 8 million people around. Once we got on the right one we rode it to the end. Ailsa got off and wondered over to the beach while I stayed on and it took me all the way to the other end of the city where I got off. I was on the tram about an hour and half in total. This is a good way to see the city. There is a free tram that goes around the city centre all day. I may go down and catch that today. Then to end the day off we watched the second movie. It is called Kenny. I think he may even have a TV show on here now. It was also very funny, so check it out if you find it. Well I am going to go grab some lunch and hopefully have an adventurous day.
Until next time,
Cindy

Trams

Hey Everyone! I have been having a good time in Melbourne. On Saturday I went to the market with Dan (Corrin's boyfriend) to go shopping for the picnic we were having that night. It was very loud and crowded at the market, but worth seeing. It reminded me of a bigger busier version of the St. Lawrence market in Toronto. The rest of the afternoon was spend looking for a place to live and seeing a few things while Dan was driving around the city. That night we had a picnic for Corrin. She was having an early birthday celebration. She invited friends and we sat on a blanket and drank and had a BBQ. It was very fun. I met two girls, sisters who I hit it off with right away. They are originally from Wollongong. They invited me to come live with them while I am here. I was so excited!! In one day I have found a place to live. They called and let me know the cost and said they would pick me up on Wednesday evening.
Once again my battery is going to die so I will finish this blog as soon as I have another spare moment... most likely in the morning.

Arrived in Melbourne

Hey Everyone,
I arrived in Melbourne this evening. I took the greyhound bus from Canberra. Eileen, my new Irish friend was also taking the bus. Since our bus didn't leave until 1:30pm we went and saw the War Museum. It was very interesting but we didn't see it all because we were short of time. There was some very interesting sites and you could easily spend a week or so if you read everything. Then Eileen and I called a cab and went to grab our luggage and headed to the bus station. We then spent 8 hours on a bus getting to know one another. The countryside was amazing and I think I have met a really great friend. I have her name and number and we are going to meet up again in a week or so when she gets back from Tasmania.
Tonight I am staying at a friend of my sisters. She and her partner picked me up from the bus station. They are letting me stay at their place for a few nights while I look for somewhere to stay long term. They seem really nice and have offered to show me a few things. I am glad I contacted them. They were also grateful to see pictures of London and of Bobbi and Nick's wedding.
Well that was my adventures today.
Until next time,
Cindy

Loving the Irish!

Hey Everyone!

I am sitting in my hostel in Canberra. The day I arrived here I stayed in a room with a few other people. There was a German, an Irish and a French girl. As Leslie tells me it sounds like the start of a bad joke. lol. It was very fun! The German girl, Nina was only 19 and she was very funny to listen to. She has been in Australia a few months and has lost more clothes and shoes than I even brought. Instead of saying "or somesing" in her German accent she said "actually" all the time. It was very funny, I tried not to laugh because I knew Caley and I would be busting a gut laughing about it! But she was very nice and had great stories. Ailse was the Irish girl. She had been in Australia for only 2 weeks. Although she had been touring Asia for the last 3 months. She said it was great. Her and I went on a walking tour around Canberra. We went and checked out the parliament building and the museum of Australia. For lunch we stopped in a little restaurant where I met an American working there. He was nice, and recognized that I was from North America right away. It was nice to know that there are people who speak my accent. lol. Last night we watched TV and I met another American who rudely made fun of my accent. Oh well, being nice back is what makes me Canadian.

Today I booked a bus ticket to Melbourne and contacted Bobbi's friend Corrin who is picking me up from the bus depot and letting me stay with her for a few days. Once I had this booked I took a taxi to the National Zoo and Aquarium. It was very good. The Aquarium was nice, but I wish it was bigger. The zoo was great, but the little penguins were hiding since it was too warm outside. I guess they come out at night when it is cooler. Also I didn't get to see a Tasmanian devil because they also only come out at night. But I saw a Kangaroo up close. After the Zoo I called a taxi to come pick me up. Long story short and an hour and half wait and a disagreement with the dispatcher I finally got back to the hostel. Once I arrived here I found that I had a new roommate. She is from Ireland. I love it!! All the Irish people I have met so far are fantastic. They are so nice and willing to help you in any way they can. Plus they always call you hun or dear or sweetie. Eileen is my new Irish friend and she likes to call me misses. I think it is great. We are going to head to the war memorial in the morning and then catching a bus to Melbourne together. She is 27 and has been in Australia for 6 months. She has seen more of the country than anyone I have met so far. She inspires me to tour all the way around this continent and see the different life styles. She was not about the parties and drinking but more about see the differences in culture. I love that, I think that is the reason to travel. I now want to see even more than I had originally planned. If she did it in six months then I know I can do it in a year. Before Australia, Eileen was in Africa for four months. She said it was amazing! I can't believe that people are so brave to go see all these different parts of the world. I have decided that if I can ever keep on travelling I would love to go to Ireland. If the whole country is as friendly as the ones I have met in the last week than I know I will love it.
Until next time,
Cindy

Sorry to cut you off.

Well I have arrived in Canberra. I actually just got to my room and got my bed made, so I haven't had a chance to look around yet. The bus ride to Moss Vale was very interesting. We went up this hill/ small mountain in a very windy road. There were times that traffic coming from the other direction had to stop because the bus couldn't turn that sharp. It was also some very steep ditches or whatever you would call it on a big hill. But the trees and the view was amazing. I was actually getting a little motion sickness because it was so twisty and so high. I had a one hour wait in Moss Vale and then caught the train to Canberra. The view on the train was also amazing. I was thinking about checking out flights to Melbourne but have decided that I will be taking a bus or train. Yes I know it is so much longer, but I think that is the whole point. I want to see Australia, not just the big cities. And I have nothign but time right now. While I was on the train I got a phone call from my long distance relative Erich. He was very excited to get a hold of me, since we have been trying since I have arrived to connect. He was away for the weekend and wanted to tell me all about his sun burn. He asked when I would be coming back his way and I said I wasn't sure. Now I am not sure where to go. I could go visit him for a few days and then maybe head to Melbourne or I could wait and just see him when I head up the gold coast. I was planning on staying in Melbourne for awhile and maybe even hitting Adelaide. Well I have a few days in Canberra to figure it out I guess.

Oh and I forgot, while I was on the train I spotted my first kangaroo!!! Well actually there were three of them together. I have not seen any spiders yet, but hear many stories in the evenings from other people I have met. The other day I saw a tiny little lizard, it was gross but quiet normal I guess.

Until next time,
Cindy

On my way.

Hey Everyone,
I am just sitting in the common area in the hostel in Wollongong. I am taking a train and bus to Canberra today. I am a little sad because I have met a nice couple who are staying here. The man is originally from Wollongong so he is here visiting his children and his wife is from Ireland, which is where they live. They gave me their numbers and email so that I can keep in touch. They even bought me a present yesterday. I had been complaining that my feet were cold the other night so they bought me some slippers as a thankyou gift for letting them use my Scalp Therapy on their sun burns. My computer is going to die here so I will add to this blog a little later today.

Frustrated!

Hey Everyone,
Yes, I'm frustrated! I would like to stay here in Wollongong but I can't seem to find anywhere to work yet. I would like to work in a salon, because it would be comfortable, but I don't have the right wardrobe to do that. I would eventually like to get to Melbourne, but worry that I will be feeling overwhelmed with it being a big city. Today I have spent most of my time just researching my options. I didn't go to the beach because it was raining a bit earlier and I have no desire to go swimming. I got myself a phone today, although it doesn't seem to be working. I went back to the place I got it from and he said the network is down and will be up shortly. I sure hope this doesn't happen often, or I'll be feeling like I got ripped off. Anyway, if there is anyone out there who has any advice for me let me know.
I know this is a boring blog, sorry
Until next time,
Cindy

Wollongong

Hey Everyone!
Well I just arrived in Wollongong. I am currently sitting outside hanging out. I've already met more people than I did in Sydney. Everyone here seems very friendly. Also the city looks beautiful. I can't wait to explore. I have already noticed a salon down the street. lol. I just ran into some people from the US that were also staying at Billabong Gardens in Sydney. Looks like they are also staying in my dorm room, so that will be cool. The bus trip here was pretty simple. Great view driving into Wollongong. Although to catch the bus I had to hail a cab to get to central station with my backpack on. I sorta felt like I was in New York City or something. Well not much to say today, just letting you all know where I am.
Until next time,
Cindy

This Just In

Hey Everyone.
One small thing I forgot to mention yesterday. While I was in LA airport in my tiredness I saw a girl I thought I recognized. She was with a bunch of young people. They all had bags with pink tags on them saying "If you find this please return to Kitty Purry..". One of them was carrying a guitar. So I was pretty sure my instincts were right. I was waiting to get on a 14 hour flight with Katy Perry and her band. Of course, I still wasn't sure if it was her or not. This morning in my room I turned on the TV to find her singing on a local morning talk show. I recognized the members of her band as being the people she was with in the airport. So cool!! I tried not to stare at her in the airport, because obviously no one else recognized her. So far this is the only cool thing that has happened on my trip.
My body has not yet adjusted to the time change, which I expected. I was up at 5 am this morning and have been waiting to get online since then. I went for a deadly cup of coffee, which has given me a caffeine high that I'm sure will last until next week. I am currently trying to figure out where I will go next.
I have not found any spiders or kangaroo's yet! Although the birds sound so different that I am sure there are small children or cats crying all the time. The area of Sydney I am in is very busy, as I'm sure most areas are since it is such a large city. I sorta can't wait to get out of here. The big city isn't for me.
Well off I go to plan my next few days.
Until next time,
Cindy

Arrived!

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you all know I am in Sydney. I am staying at a hostel tonight and tomorrow night. After that I'm not sure exactly where I'll be. I plan on making some phone calls and booking a few more nights tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit jet legged today. I don't feel really tired, but I am a bit dizzy and achy from sitting in one flight for so long. So far everything is good. Weather is nice here, not too hot, not too cold. I plan to see a bit more of Sydney tomorrow when I feel a little better.
You'll hear from me soon, I'm sure!

Cindy

Shout Out!

Hey everyone! Welcome to those who are new to my blog. I figure I will have some new lookers now that I have given the web address out.
Just wanted to let everyone know the wedding went great. Nothing (as far as I know) went wrong. We had a really good time. I am pretty sure Bobbi and Nick enjoyed themselves. I danced the night away!
Well, just wanted to write a quick note. I will hopefully get one more written before I arrive in Australia.
Until next time,
Cindy