Working Life in Oz

Having started to settle into my new working life as a street cleaner, it is only about a month and half until I notice a somewhat worrying news article. Although the crew I work on is pictured for this article which is exciting, the content is a little more concerning. Apparently, Melbourne’s local government is cutting funding for street cleaning and taking some of the major routes off the list. As a relatively new agency worker, who, as far as I know, isn’t licensed to drive a commercial vehicle in Australia plus the fact I am also unwilling to drive for this job, I am pretty sure I am for the chopping block soon. However, the next couple weeks go by without a hiccup, if anything it feels like the crew and managers are warming to me and the other agency workers. Then one Sunday night as I am getting ready for bed and the start of another week I get a call from the agency and the manager, who on Friday evening was laughing and joking around with me, has decided both I and another agency worker are no longer needed. It even makes the local news!

After looking around for a while I get a call back for a role as a charity fundraiser. After a few rounds of interviews I am offered the job and accept. It is a pretty fun job with good people working at the company. You do have to get over the occasional conspiracy theorist and the once in a blue moon F off. My favourite part of this job is that one week a month we go on a road trip to a different town. Although I am working, I appreciate getting to see more of the country I am in. I won’t lie though, there are quite a few long days and hard days. Although I do have a decent hourly rate, we also have targets to meet and who doesn’t like earning more money in bonuses? The main problem I have with the job is it often leaves me with not that much free time and after a day of pitching to people I was rarely in a sociable mood after work. But all in all I appreciated it, I got to travel round Melbourne, and further afield on the road trips, spend my days outside and really got on with my colleagues. That was pretty much life for the next 4/5 months or so.

With that kick in the teeth I get back to looking for work. Luckily for me, due to the fact that I’ve only been in the role for a limited time, the construction agencies I have signed up for over here are still looking for day labourers. So for the next couple of months I spend my days as a day labourer, often not knowing if I am working on a particular day until 6/7pm the night before. The work flows relatively steadily between the three different agencies I am signed up to, and I’m getting between three to five days of work a week. I also enjoy the early start and early finish nature of construction work. It means I can get into the pool and gym in my building before it gets too busy with the after work crowd. I keep up this admittedly healthy lifestyle and work for a few months before I have had enough of the uncertain nature of it and decide it is time to get myself a solid five day a week job. So while still picking up the agency work here and there I set my sights on finding another job. I decide to focus my efforts on sales jobs because, although not a career I wish to pursue, it is what I have experience in and, well, I need a job. Plus by this time I have come to the conclusion that I am not gonna be doing my second year of work holiday visa straight away, as I have signed up for a professional diving and marine conservation apprenticeship starting in April next year.

That's me in the main pic on the extreme left, my head poking above the car

Home, for the time being

I did have a room mate at this point called Sam but we barely saw each other. I was usually up pretty early whether that was because I needed to travel for fundraising or because of the construction work and he mainly worked nights as a sound technician. We did go for drinks a few times but, if I am being honest, I don’t think we ever really hit it off. This was confirmed to me when I found out his plans to move out via email from the management company arranging a viewing of his room.

At the gym with my co-construction worker, Whitti

Bumping into a chugging mate's mum

Setting up shop

And the odd night out in Melbourne

Luckily for me around the time my new flatmates moved in – Georgina from Mexico and Tatiana (Tati) from Colombia moved in, I gave up my job to have a couple months to myself in Melbourne and just relax and enjoy myself. During this time I tried to speed run the Melbourne highlights. I managed to see the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sea Life Aquarium, the Shrine of Remembrance, the National Gallery, the Town Hall, Victoria State Library, Melbourne Museum, a footy game at the MCG, a comedy show and more. Suffice to say the last few months in Melbourne were fun, who knew life without work is a lot more exciting even if not financially viable long term. I also get to spend plenty of time with my lovely new flatmates we share dinners, have some movie nights and exchange some Spanish and English lessons together.

My new flat mates, Georgina and Tati

Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

Sea Life Aquarium

Shrine of Remembrance

Victoria State Library

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

Working hard – Pride Promotion's promotion

Playing hard – beating my Pride Promotion's work buddies

At St Kilda's Footy

My time in Australia comes to a somewhat poetic end when my cousin Ted comes out to Melbourne, the first stop on what is hopefully gonna be an awesome adventure of his own. Suffice to say I spend my last couple days showing Ted the Melbourne highlights, many of which I only discovered recently myself. Ted joins me, Tati and Georgina for a hello and goodbye to Melbourne meal on a floating restaurant on the Yarra river. It is a lovely way to end my time in Melbourne and what has been a fun year. However, I am already excited for the future, my very soon four day lay over in Singapore, my safari trip in Tanzania with my parents and then another adventure - six months getting my divemaster and working in marine conservation, three months in Fiji and three months in Mexico.

Meeting up with cousin Ted

Melbourne Docklands