A Month in Australia - What Am I Doing Here? -

Hello hello! So I have been in Australia for about a month now, and I wanted to update you on everything that’s been going on. Basically, I’m getting my feet wet and setting up a plan for the next few months. Here are some of the highlights of what I’ve been up to while housesitting and slowly exploring Brisbane.

Moving to a New Country, A Thing I Haven’t Done Before

Here’s the reality of moving to a new country. It’s a lot of paperwork and budgeting. Blegh, taxes. Opening bank accounts. Health insurance. (I finally got reimbursed for my immunizations from July.) There are a lot of unglamorous parts of moving to a new country, even temporarily. Almost a month in, and I’m still waiting on my debit card.

I hate apartment shopping, so I’ve finally got great news – I found a place to live until mid-January! Hurrah! I will be staying in Paddington, a cute little neighborhood outside of the Central Business District, which is Australian for downtown. It will only take me about 20 minutes to get to work by bus! I spent a few weeks sifting through share room after share room, and finally found an affordable place with a bathtub, private room, and a patio. Life is good.

Employment!

I’m a naturally impatient person, and have my plans figured out before I can write them down. Before I came to Australia, I figured I could get a good temporary job at Lush while looking for yoga and copywriting jobs on the side. At one point, all of my interviews got pushed back by a week after I arrived, I went a little crazy. I Upwork’d quite a bit, had some gigs writing copy about carpets and pizza (this is my life), but things are finally sorted.

Happy Sixth Christmas at Lush to me! Catch me in the CBD massaging your arms and actively missing Vanilla Puff Powder (still). Can we talk about the Naked Shower Gels? It’s nice to have a package-free choice, but, let’s be honest, I’m going to recycle the bottles anyway. I am very down with the Sparkle Jars, like AMAZING. If they made a Celebrate-scented one, I would have to hoard. It will be a lot easier to hoard, because let me tell you guys, Australian’s rules for retail pay may make this Christmas the most magical of all.

Lush is part-time, and I will also be working remotely at a startup that offers copywriting services, Upwork’ing when I’m bored or want extra cash, and possibly subbing at a yoga studio in the suburbs. Cross your fingers on that last one. The studio is a bit of a commute for me, but I really want to teach. This week, while I have some free time, I’m going to set up some free classes in the Botanical Gardens for fellow yogis and digital nomads. Meetup! Happy hour! Stretching! Doing what I want to do!

The long-term (HA) plan? Work in Brisbane until mid-January, and then I’m heading to New Zealand!

… whaaaaaat?

Camper Van Dreams ~

When you talk to travelers about Australia and New Zealand, you hear two things: Australians live the good life, and New Zealand is the most beautiful, magical, amazing place in the world. I’ve mentioned New Zealand to so many people and instantly saw their eyes light up. Planning this trip quickly included a month or two in a camper van in New Zealand. Originally, the plan was to go to New Zealand after my Australian visa expired…but plans don’t always happen when they’re made a year and a half in advance, hey?

Turns out, my favorite digital nomad lady friend Becky has similar campervan dream, and she’ll be in New Zealand from now until June. After making a rough budget plan, staring endlessly into the void trying to figure out if I should put off Melbourne any longer, and realizing that living in a camper van by myself would be a hellish bout with anxiety every night, I made the decision…I’m going to New Zealand!

In The Meantime…Brizvegaaaaas!

I’ve got plans to buy my flight once my first Lush paycheck comes in, but until then, little pieces of my budget are going to super cute coffee shops and dessert places around South Bank and West End. Every time I’ve looked for a new place to grab a beer or walk through a park, I’m swept off my feet again. Brisbane is super charming and I can’t wait to get to know it over the next few months! Plus, the weather is heating up and I am quite excited for a boozy and warm Christmas. Slowly exploring the city, slowly making friends…but we’ll get there. Tinder and Facebook are miracles for meeting people, and my new roommates seem pretty chill (fingers crossed!)

I’m on the sloooow travel game now, but can hopefully turn out some fun blog posts about the city and trips in the next few months and year! Once I snag some decent wifi and figure out what is going on with iMovie, I’ll be able to upload another yoga video for you all as well!

Know people in Brizzy? Have suggestions for Queensland day trips? (I know, I know, I’m gonna go see koalas sometime this month…) Let me know in the comments!