Well I'm leaving Perth. Since I last posted a lot has happened regarding me needing to make some decisions about what I will be doing in the future. So I was saying before how I wasn't sure what the future holds and I was just going to go with the flow. Well I also met with the owner of the hostel for coffee which turned into a lunch. He basically sat me down and we chatted about ourselves at first and got to know each other a little bit. He's an interesting guy and I found out he later he owns a lot of businesses (including a very big strip in the main shopping artery of downtown Perth). He talked with me some about his plans for the future as far as opening a new hotel in the Northwest but he offered me a position as the weekend manager and sometimes weekly manager at a couple of his hostels here for the next few months which would pay good money. Then he hinted that after a few months of that he would offer me sponsorship. Sponsorship is no easy thing to come by. Sponsorship basically means a company sponsors you and pays part way for you to move out here permanently if you want. After a 2-4 year contract you get Australian citizenship with a passport and everything. Many people come from all over the world to WA looking for sponsorship and a lot of people don't get it. It's a very impressive offer and with the amount of money that's coming into this region of the world there's loads to be made. Even when I would have a cheap contract I would still be making more money than almost anything I could get into in the States. He really pitched it to me and was even a little pushy. He made some good points about the boom that's going on here and how rare that is, particularly now, and the profit opportunities that are available because of that. I spent about a week thinking about it and decided not to take it. A lot of my friend's out here told me I was crazy when I first said that. First off I don't really want to work in hostels or hotels and I also want to live in the US. I didn't come out here looking to get set up long-term. I came here to be in a new place for a while and get to know it but only for a bit of a taste. Plus I really wanted to get to know Perth and like I said before I've done that. As far as where I want to get set up and what I want to do next that'll be back in the States and most likely on the west coast. California makes the most sense at this point but it's too early to say anything and that opinion is always fluctuating.
So I'm not taking it. What does that mean. I'm not gonna just keep hanging out. Time to leave. The main thing pulling me back (which I'm super glad is) is my friend Bailey's wedding in July. I really don't wanna miss that. Another thing is coming to Chicago for a bit in August before a couple of my good friends leave for good. Before that though I have 2 months to kill in Australia. So I made some money from all this and I'll be getting a good chunk back on my taxes so I'm hitting the road. In 3 days I'm flying to Melbourne. I'll be there for a week. I have some Aussie friends there that I met when I was backpacking in Ireland and another one I met at the hostel here so I'll be meeting up with them and hanging out a good amount with some locals. Then I'm catching a flight to Alice Springs. I'll be spending 3 weeks there. The main reason is because there's a shitload of National Parks there. That region is called the red center. One main thing I want to do there is hike this trail called the Larrapinta Trail. It's 223 kilometers and it's an old Aboriginal trail but looks amazing. They recommend 2 weeks but I've heard longer. Every place I call doesn't give me any direct info though so I think I'm just gonna figure it out when I get there. There's also Uluru which is supposed to be one of the top wonders of the world. Then I take a train to Darwin. I'm trying to sort out a couchsurfing spot and I'm pretty optimistic about it. I've already heard back some and it should be legit. Darwin is supposed to be dope. It's the "Top End" of the country as they affectionately call it. It's a great jump off spot for some more National Parks. There's a big Aboriginal culture there but it's also supposed to be cool city with some cool things to do. Those are the main things that I wanted to do in Australia. From there I should still have about 2 and half weeks so I was thinking I would see some more stuff on the East Coast while making my way down to Sydney. Although if an opportunity comes up to travel the west coast in 2 weeks time then I think I would jump on that. So my flight is out of Sydney of June 29th...but here's the kicker. I got a cheap ass stop off in Fiji for 6 nights on the way back. So I'm gonna hit up Fiji. I'm definitely looking forward to that. Then my flight from Fiji back to LA is July 5th. I'll spend some time in Cali before getting up to Oregon for the wedding on the 14th. I'll spend some time there, maybe get up to Seattle and then head out to Chicago hopefully for 3-4 weeks. Then if I have time and money maybe I'll road trip back to California and use that as a base for job hunting. And that's the plan as far as that goes. I've looked up some places for jobs that I think would be good so I'll be expecting to jump right into it. I'm definitely very excited for the next 4 months or so. Just gotta make sure I don't spend tons of money.
The last 3 weeks here have been awesome though. I have been sleeping like a KING! Some nights I sleep 12 hours or more! I described several days that I've had in previous entries that have been awesome days and I've just been continuing to have them. I mean today for instance I got up around noon. I got started with my day and headed over to the Witches hat to hang with some friends for an afternoon lunch we had planned. My Italian friend Phillipo, who is a cook, coked us this fantastic meat and alfredo pasta for lunch and we sat around and had a few glasses of white wine while chatting about a bunch of shit. Then I came into work and it's been a solid day here at work. It's my last day and I've been training a new guy named Dan. he's pretty much got it down so I barely had to do anything. So what I did was cook another pasta dish with some of the last of my food. Onions, garlic, tomato, broccoli, bell peppers and chicken with tons of spices in it and pesto and some cream as the sauce. Dan, Vincent and I had that and had a couple beers with some of the guys outside because we were just chillin.
Another fun day was on Saturday my friend Tom and I went to rugby game. it was my first rugby game and it was awesome. The thing about sports here is none of the sports here that are popular are followed in the slightest in the States. 2 kinds of rugby, cricket, Aussie football, netball and soccer a bit. In the States is American football, basketball, baseball, hockey and then soccer some. So I've been enjoying learning about these new sports for me. The rugby game was a great example of that. prime seats. 12th row right at the endzone. It was total downpour but with how rough and gritty the game is it felt appropriate for my first rugby game to be in those conditions. I gotta say I like how people cuss and yell at these games. It was like hanging with a bunch drunk sailors ripping into the team, lol. And what was interesting is there were kids around but it was never taken too too far. the kids seemed to understand that it was just part of the culture of the rugby game and the parents seem to have a handle on it. Then of course I went out and had a good night with some friends. Some German people I knew were leaving that Monday so it was kind of a goodbye send off for them.
That's another reason that I'm also glad to be leaving. A lot of people I know are coincidentally leaving now. The Welsh boys left. That was a bit sad for me. I got to know those guys really well. They found some agriculture work out by Adelaide. I made sure to send them off right though. I definitely miss those guys though. And just in general many other people have left so my decision to leave I'd say is a good one. I got to know a group of people from all over very well unlike other times when you travel and you only get to know people for a few days. That's been awesome. But alas, time to move on. So for the next 3 days I've got some pretty cool plans as well. I got my manager to agree to let me and Vincent put on a BBQ every Friday night that they pay for. Basically we have people come over for free food and then people get drinking and having a blast before heading out. Now usually I've had to stay in but not tomorrow night. It's gonna be kind of the unofficial send off for me even though I'll have 2 more days. But during the day I'm gonna go for one last run to Jacob's Ladder and take in that view. Then I'll get ready for the BBQ. Saturday I'm going to go to a beach that I haven't been to yet. It'll be the last neighborhood/area that I wanted to explore out here in Perth. I'll go for a dip and then find a nice spot to chill and watch the sunset on the Indian Ocean for the first time! Then I'll cruise back to town and go to the Witches Hat. A couple of the guys that I met when i first got here went off to the mines but will be back for the first time on their rotation. It's also one of their birthdays so it'll be a nice little celebration. After that on Sunday I've got tickets to an Aussie Footy game! So I'll be checking that out with a friend to be named and soaking that up. But then my flight is at midnight so I'll have to get ready and then head to the airport. Should be a pretty awesome last weekend.
Honestly I'm not gonna have great perspective on all this until I leave and probably only when I get set up in the States. I know this has been a great experience for me and a growing one as well. The main difference I can see in myself and my attitude is that I'm not as worried about the future, where I'll end up or what's gonna happen. Honestly I think I could be anywhere and be set up and successful. I was pretty big on the west coast and I still am but if things lead me somewhere else at some point I wouldn't be too disappointed. I don't have nearly as many ideas for the future but I'm ok with that and I know it'll all work out just fine. I think this may have opened my heart up a little more. I get much more emotional thinking about everyone back in the States and everybody that I care about. I'm so glad I came to the west coast for a couple of months before I took off. I really felt like I reconnected with a lot of people, especially my family. I hope I carry this over and I'm pretty confident I will. I've also just gotten in the habit of sharing a little more with the people around me here and that's contributed to a nice caring relationship everyone has for each other. Not that I was selfish but just sharing a bit more. I also hope I will bring that back over and am confident that I will.
Perth is really great little/big city. There's a lot of different activities to do out here and people are generally friendly. people really do enjoy their leisure time and you can see that as far as everyone's happiness level. I don't see this as the city for me long term but man I'm glad I got to know it well. I'm ready to go though. It's just time. To be honest it's also getting a little too routine. I don't need a routine yet. In about 4 months I will. I have definitely enjoyed myself and I feel much more refreshed in general. I'm starting to get ready for the idea of getting back into the kind of work I was doing before. Especially if it's gonna lead me somewhere grad school/career wise. I'm still putting together some ideas for that one though. I'm also going to have make time to travel for the rest of my life. I'll find a way for sure. Oh I don't know there's just too much going on now. It's been real busy here. So I'm just trying to be in the moment and enjoy my last little bit of time here before I leave. I'll have all the time in the world to reflect when I'm out on my own traveling and back in the States but many of these people here I'll bet I'll never see again unfortunately. I'll always remember them though and my time here.
Well I'm off. Hope everyone is doing exceedingly well and if not I hope you're getting through it alright. I'll see you all soon. Love you all.
