Wednesday, March 11, 2009

home again, home again, jiggity jig

and so I arrived, with little to no fanfare in Melbourne this morning. I had an overnight flight, and very very little sleep in 24 hours, so I took myself home to Mum and Dad's and promptly went to bed.

Very little to report at this stage.
Heading into the city tomorrow, in an attempt to maintain the travellers' eyes. Taking loads of pics and meeting up with Anita tomorrow evening, which will be ace.

Any and all advice and suggestions on ways to get through this next 6 weeks while holding onto the freedom and autonomy that I have developed and nurtured while I have been away will be greatly appreciated!!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

What do I Want?

Has been asked a bit of me in the last couple of days.
After much (much, much, much, much, much) thought, I am in the process of contemplating making a decision about temporarily coming home.
I think it's what I want. 
I miss Melbourne.
I think I have achieved so, so much since I left. I have so many ideas, plans, thoughts, stuff I wanna do.
I was looking at jobs in Melbourne, preferably short-term, easy, well-paid jobs. And I was so excited at the prospect!

I am thinking of coming home for about 6 weeks. Working. My ass off. Then coming back. Hitting Kakadu, meeting up with Sabrina, heading to Vietnam, and road tripping back to Melbourne to start my 'new life'. (Of course, stopping along the way to take a fuckload of pictures.)

I know why I left.
Have I achieved everything I wanted? Maybe not.
Am I well on the way? Hell yes.

I am rediscovering myself. I am trying damned hard to do things on my own terms. I am taking good, good photos (all of which have been removed from facebook, lest I manage to get enough of my shit together to exhibit them). I am feeling inspired.  Most of the time.

I am exhausted. I feel the constant pressure of worrying about food, money, accommodation, petrol, weird room mates etc is wearing me down.

My thoughts at this stage involve taking a break, heading to Melbourne earning some cash. Setting things up for my new life as it were.

argh!!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

My little spaz out

happened on Knuckey street in Darwin.
As I walked out of the employment centre, having been informed they will only help me if I am a permanent resident of Darwin, I realised, I am possibly, completely screwed.
No one wants temps. No one wants backpackers.
No one wants Melburnians. No one wants me.
Mum is coming on Friday. She leaves on Monday. At this stage, I am beginning to think my options are going to be to leave as well. Try my luck finding work at a roadhouse perhaps?
If I had the money, I would head south tomorrow, and drive till I got home. In fact, I probably could do that. But where would that leave me?
Tickets to Vietnam on May 2nd. From Darwin.
It would add about $500 to the trip before I started. But maybe that's okay. Maybe that's manageable.

I just don't know what to do, but I do know that I am struggling right now. I know that I could go home, and likely pick up emergency teaching work within a week of being home. I know that I have somewhere to stay and food to eat.
Hmmmm.

Advice?
Solutions?
Lifelines?

Darwin.

It's been quite awhile since I blogged.
The shock of getting a fire weather warning smsed to me from the Vic Police this morning has jolted me into action in making sure I am in touch with folks at home.

I arrived in Darwin on Saturday. I stayed in a backpackers for the first two nights, and have since moved to another. I am leaving here tomorrow morning and changing to another smaller backpackers. I have decided to check out a few different ones so that when I end up staying here longer time I know I am staying somewhere that is comfortable, safe and homely.

I have been looking for work, without much success just yet. I did get a job, but when I showed up, I was informed I was no longer required. I am going to try to organise teacher registration up here and hopefully get some work that way.

I've seen some amazing stuff. Huge termite mounds. The Tropic of Capricorn. Massive Storms.
Honestly, I am about ready to come home. I am hoping a will find a job and be so busy that I will just earn alot of money, but I kinda wish the Vietnam trip was leaving from Melbourne so I could come home.

I feel like I have achieved alot of what I wanted to from this trip. I have alot of ideas about what I want to do when I get home. I feel like I have established things in my head. I certainly don't have a life plan, but I have alot of ideas.

I want to have an exhibition of my work
I want to take circus and burlesque classes
I want to have a functional veggie and herb garden
I want to get a bike and use it often
I want to live in the Northern suburbs
I want to go to more gigs
I don't want to teach full time

I feel like I am on track. Now if I could just get a freakin job up here, I would feel way better!