Hi, everyone! 

Today marks one month since I’ve left the US, which is crazy to think about. It feels like I’ve been here forever. I’ve come to realize that considering I’m traveling longer term, not every day is going to be “exciting,” especially with me working out here, but I’m going to make an effort to do fun things on my days off. 

Swanbourne Beach

Yesterday, I went to a nude beach which was really fun… except that the ocean ate my sunglasses. This is the second time this has happened to me – the first time was in New York – and funnily enough it was the same exact style of sunglasses (since I had bought two). The ocean does NOT like those shades, I guess! It actually bummed me out because I should have known better. When I dove into the water, I held my sunglasses in my hand, but once I was standing, I thought it was safe. Sure enough, a huge wave came out of nowhere and knocked me on my (naked) ass… and off my sunglasses went. Lesson officially learned: do not underestimate the ocean. It’s not the same as standing in Lake Michigan. 

The beach is called Swanbourne Beach, and it’s gorgeous. There is a section where people wear clothes, but when you walk down a bit there’s a “clothing optional” sign and sure enough… lots of nudists! I first went to a nude beach in Hawaii but it was overcast and quite cold. Still, nothing like the opportunity to get a tan without tan lines! The only thing is… the sand dunes around the area have snakes, the ocean has dangerous jellyfish, sharks, blue ringed octopus, etc. Australia is out to get me haha. But still, you can’t live in fear. 

Swanbourne isn’t too far from the city. It’s about fifty minutes by bus, but would be a much shorter trip by car. Since I don’t have a car, I have to rely on public transportation which is a pain at times. Perth is definitely a city where a car would be of huge benefit. 

Hyde Park

I recently walked north to go to this spot called Hyde Park. Lots of families there, but there’s a pond in the center of the park that has plenty of birds hanging out. It’s a lovely spot for a picnic or to meditate (which is what I did). 

New Job

Other than going to the beach and checking out areas near the city, I’ve been working. I had my first day on Tuesday and it was pretty overwhelming. I have no experience in the service industry, so everything was brand new to me and I wondered if I’d be able to remember everything I needed to do. By day two, I felt a lot more confident. It’s pretty fast-paced, but I like being challenged, and doing different things throughout the day. 

Essentially, I have two jobs through the same company. 

One job is sort of “catering” various functions (on land). People will rent out the venue for workshops, wedding receptions, etc. My role is to set up for the event, get all the water/orange juice/coffee/tea ready, put out the danishes and lunch food the chef makes on a buffet table, then clear everything away. There’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s it in a nutshell. 

The other job is a deckhand on one of their boats. I had some safety training yesterday, but my first day on the boat isn’t until next week. I’m really looking forward to it and hope I can migrate towards doing solely (or at least majority) deckhand work. 

I am quite a hard worker, so I psyche myself out and cause unnecessary stress at times. I’d like to try and avoid that in these roles in the coming weeks. We’ll see what happens. I also have to keep in mind that if I end up not liking these jobs, I can always find other work. This isn’t permanent, and I’m only working to supplement my time in Australia as I mentioned in last week’s post. 

Queen’s Garden

I also wanted to mention that I found a place to exercise just two blocks away from my hostel. It’s called Queen’s Garden and it’s a lovely, tranquil spot. I’ve been going there in the mornings to exercise and then meditate for a little while. There are plenty of birds that hang out there. While doing yoga, I often see pink & grey birds, black swans, ducklings, etc. I even heard a kookaburra one day. I’m really glad I found this spot. It’s also a new development to do yoga outside – feels very grounding.

Reflections

I have a number of random things I wanted to share this week. 

Going out to dinner with other people is really nice in Perth, because at most restaurants, you usually pay for your own food at the register before or after eating. There’s no fuss about splitting the bills or anything like that. I did go to one spot that had a sign saying “no separate checks,” but that was only one location.

There is such a thing as “cheap gas days” here! I believe it’s once every two weeks, and you can buy fuel at a discount. Of course, on those days, you might have to wait in line for a while. A very cool concept, though. 

McDonald’s here is called “Macca’s.”

“Morning Tea” and “Afternoon Tea.” Have any of you heard of this? That’s what we serve at my catering job. It’s essentially the term for a light meal where you have a small danish or croissant and coffee/tea/etc. I’ve literally never heard of it in my life, but apparently it’s a thing here. 

Power outlet = Power point
Sidewalks = Footpaths
Liquor store = Bottle shop

I talked to someone at my hostel about surfing down south and he mentioned he knows a woman who surfs regularly. REALLY big waves down south. And one day as she was surfing, a shark leapt out of the wave and bit off her arm. Isn’t that insane?! She still surfs. 

The moon looked gorgeous the other night. It was a crescent moon and not only could you see the bright crescent, but also the “shadow” of the moon appeared silver. I’ve only ever seen that in Maui. In Chicago, there’s so much light pollution that it never looks quite like that. Even in Michigan, I haven’t seen the moon look so lovely. 

Everything is going well, though. I’m excited to move in with Kory next week. I kind of can’t wait to get the hell out of this hostel and have a room to myself haha. I’m also trying to take advantage of my days off and do fun things. I don’t want to get stuck in a “live to work” mindset, but I do really want to make enough money to survive in Australia without dipping into my travel fund too much. Worst case scenario: I’ll spend less time in Australia and head over to Southeast Asia where the cost of living is significantly less expensive!

That’s all for now. Sending everyone my love!