Happenings

Being that this was my FIRST week of full time work in sydney I thought I should document it.
         It started last week with a temp agency placement in North Sydney (which I recently discovered is an actual suburb name-- like Manly-- not a region-- like Northern Beaches) I was so excited to get my first whole week of work that I didn't even care I was also scheduled to work the weekend at my (newish) restaurant job Havana Beach. Let's get busy!! we all know I've had plenty of time to chill!

The view from my Restaurant

So I worked a half day Friday (to begin the full 9-5 thing starting Monday) then got home to change clothes and go straight in to HB. I wasn't quite geared up for what was coming- a full restaurant and I was the only official server on the floor (the owners kinda help out) it's not a big place so it really shouldn't be a problem except that it was only my 3rd shift working off the a la carte menu and 2 of those were "dead" (my other shifts have been private functions where I was tray passing 'canapés' and helping the bar polish glassware) so the reality is I still don't know the menu or the POS system and quite frankly- I'm rusty on my waitressing skills overall (it's only been 7 years since I worked at Joe's Crab Shack in San Diego) yikes!! Surprise, surprise I made a few mistakes that night which I'm still trying to make up to the kitchen crew and my boss :S oh well, everybody was new at some point right?!! The good news is they feed us! (And it's the closest version of Mexican food I get out here.)
          Speaking of feeding- my office this week went beyond having the typical kitchen to provide tea, coffee, and milk. This place had a full bread and cereal line-up complete with all the smears you could want for a morning toast (including the Australian staple vegemite, and my favorite Nutella) My flatmate tells me fruit and toast is a big thing down here for an at-the-office-breakfast. Hmh

         Two days in to my assignment I realized how good God is to have spared me from a role like this long term! I've certainly applied to a million places across a broad spectrum yet nothing has panned out. Even most of my temp agency placements are just a few days at best. And this job made me thankful for it! I think people there had "buns of steel" in a sense.  I had to get up and move around every hour, and if not for the ease of my bottom, just to stay awake.  I've never been in such a quiet office space, with such little interaction.  But that drove me out of the office at lunch seeking sun and fresh air which led to some lovely walks in a new part of town (another bonus of temping- it gets me places I probably wouldn't have otherwise) 

Blues Point Park

        So after another weekend of night work at the restaurant, I'll be back at it monday morning with my next placement lined up for 3 or 4 weeks. I'm returning to the telemarketing gig, which isn't my favorite. But hey- it pays the bills, expands my skill set, and you can't beat the hours and the short commute (at least- these are the things I tell myself to get through) But I'm always thankful!

Rooftop lunch

SawMillers Reserve

Chinese Friendship Garden

Friday night on the ferry ride home- looking back

hitting the phones....

and BONUS since this blog is all about work-
here's a little pic of me in my penguin suit for
catering jobs (which I haven't had much time for as of late)

Make Me Wanna Roll My Windows Down and CRUISE

Over Easter I had the chance to really start to see some of this amazing country with a road trip down NSW's south coast and it was so lovely!! I hired a car with another American gal from church (as a duo we are the Sara(h)s and I call her lil Sarah which makes me big Sara. Ha) we got a tiny Nissan, brand new, (39k off the lot) and put about 500 miles on it over 5 days. So I now consider myself an excellent driver on the left side of the road :)

         Our adventures took us on a tour of all things beautiful (except I saw my first road kill kangaroo) lots of beaches, scenic lookouts, iconic landmarks, some of the bush and also rolling green hills of cattle grazing and vineyards.
         A little town called Mollymook was our Easter destination where we spent two nights with a friend's family (10 years after she spent Christmas with my family in MI. How cool is that?!?) We went to a small-town parade/festival and I was instantly transported back to childhood memories of high schoolers' homemade floats, marching bagpipe corps, and firetrucks running lights and sirens. The only thing missing was the candy tossed to the onlookers and curb-campers. Oh yeah. And 'elephant ears' But nobody has those except Michigan. :( We did manage to find some yummy cinnamon sugar fresh donuts (like an orchard makes back home) from the Lions club or something :) In addition to my time-traveling rendezvous, It was really nice to have home-cooking and be around a family dynamic after being a travel-induced-orphan for the past 3 months.

 

           Monday morning after a beach run and swim we headed into (the next neighboring) town for brunch and a little shopping before we hit the road for more adventure. Compared to the drive down on saturday where we did a lot of quick stops, and brief photo moments (there was so much to see) on the way back to Sydney we wanted to slow down at a few places to enjoy a little bit more. So we took beach walks and beach naps. We hit cafes and shops. It really started to feel like a proper holiday.  Wellllll, one of those budget holidays where you sleep in the car and eat PB&J for lunch. It wasn't all that bad (but you can see why we even more appreciated our 'home stay' for a few days) The second night we were able to get a spot in a campground (called a camper van park) so we were really high rollers that night with a kitchenette and hot showers. 

Sarah representin' well in her cut-up camo shirt
and americana bandana

         I'm convinced that traveling on-the-cheap and without much preplanning can be the best way to get the most laughs, make memories, and really experience a place.  You can bet we had a laugh about airplane-recline-style sleeping arrangements after discovering that our "or similar" rental car's back seats didn't fold flat as we were expecting from the online quoted car (we should write the company and inform them they were NOT that "similar") And microwave S'mores taste that much better when you didn't think you would get any at all once informed that nearly the whole country is 'protected national forest' so NO bonfires allowed. Then we got invited in on a game of darts with some of the local caravan folk (quite possibly genuine bogans) These are experiences that never get booked by any travel agent ;)

caravan park: outnumbering the tent & RV sites were these more
"permanent" "vacation homes"

There were a few downers about the trip however, 1: We didn't see kangaroos at Pebbly Beach like we were expecting. 2: we couldn't find a decent place for night-cap because some of these towns are so small that there may only be one option (and it may be already closed down early, just dead and empty, or the 'geriatric express' as one lady described our options. Come on. Sarah and I were scouting for local talent) 3: My surfboard didn't fit in (or on) the car. 4: The rest area that had signs for 'free coffee' was a total let-down! The place wasn't even a proper bathroom but a dark port-a-potty on a gravel turn-off. They must have to lie to get people to heed all the signs (posted every 5 miles) that say "STOP. REVIVE. SURVIVE." I guess they have a problem with bad drivers...?!?!

And the last (and obvious) disappointment was we woulda loved to have doubled the amount of time we had to see more and stay longer!!

Is it bad if I can't even remember what beach this is?!? Just another
beautiful stop on the coast

Sea Cliff Bridge. Supposedly
one of Australia's most photographed
locations

"Little BlowHole" at Kiama

Jervis Bay: voted Guiness Book World Record white sand beach
(we were the only ones there for hours!)

Beauty

Rolling Hills

A little town called Berry that felt like a step back in time to 1950s Pleasantville :)