At the Risk of Sounding Cheesy...

FIND YOUR BLISS!

As my alarm sounded at 6am this Monday morning I did what I always do, hit snooze. Just ten more minutes and I will get up, I always promise myself.  But today I worked up enough courage to get out from under my warm blankets and get ready for all things, the gym! I found this amazing Groupon for a fight & fitness gym just 25 minutes walking from my apartment. I was drawn to this gym because they have Spartan race training and Muay Thai kickboxing (which I did a little back in college). Today was my first day giving it a shot, and it kicked. My. Ass! (I loved every second of it)

But to get to the point of why I wanted to write this blog is the feeling I had after the gym. You know those moments of clarity that just hit you and all of a sudden you feel awake? Like before that very moment you had just been a zombie going about your life but not really being present in it? Well, I had one of those moments walking home from the gym. I was all sweaty, walking through the CBD with my headphones on when Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne started playing and that wave of joy and contentment washed over me. People all around me rushing to work, sexy men in suits, students running to catch the bus, the sun bouncing off the skyscrapers, and I am in the center of it standing at a crosswalk tapping my foot to music. That’s when I realized, this is my bliss. Could this feeling all be because of that high you get after a good workout? Maybe, but don’t ruin my happiness with logic.

Some of you back home wonder why I love traveling so much, well here it is. For moments like the one I had today. Living in a foreign city, feeling both completely anonymous and part of a group at the exact same time. I am forced outside of my comfort zone in order to “survive” in this massive yet beautiful city. The thrill of moving here with no place to live and no source of income then the rush of relief when you find both. That first day of school feeling when you are unsure if you will make any friends and if they will want to sit by you at the lunch table or invite you to their slumber party. Then meeting so many new people from different backgrounds and feeling a kinship with some who share the same gypsy spirit as you. There are always highs and lows of traveling solo but the benefits are clear, at least for me. I feel like I am exactly where I am meant to be at this point in my life and its totes the best! ;-)

I guess the point I am trying to get at with this word vomit of emotional feels, is that through traveling I have learned more about myself than expected and I know what makes me happy. It’s not always peaches n cream, but chin up kids, find what makes you happy and do it, it’s that easy. If you are not happy in the situation you are in, change it, life is too short to be wasting time on things that don’t make you happy.

So that’s enough feels for one week… Also, I touched a kangaroo! AH

Update: Sydney Living 6 weeks Deep

So I have been really bad about updating everyone on how my life is going here in Sydney. In all fairness I haven't really done a ton of exciting stuff. It took me about a month to find a job and then another week to get started so most days have consisted of me sitting around the house and job searching (It's hard trying not to spend what money I have saved). Of course I have gone out drinking on the weekends but that isn't very news worthy.  Anyways, so I have officially started working at an event center as part of the waitstaff. It's casual work so I never know what my schedule is going to be like each week, which kind of stinks but I get paid really well. I am hoping to find a second job that is also casual so between the two I can work about 35 hrs a week.

A couple weeks ago I went to the Tower Eye and saw some amazing views of the city at night. I guess I didn't realize how massive the city actually was.

Also, after my first few days at my new job, I discovered I was allergic to my new work shoes! AHH I had cankles! It was actually really itchy and burned like a mofo for a few days, but I exchanged the shoes and after a few days my elephantiasis went away.

My body seriously hates me....

This past Sunday I was able to enjoy the beautiful weather at the Royal National Park. We walked along some cliffs next to the water, chilled on a beach and drank some Corona's. It was an amazing day, maybe one of the best I have had here so far. The water was beautiful shades of blue and green and the sun was shining with only a few clouds in the sky. 

It felt good to be outside, enjoying the beautiful landscape that Australia has to offer.

I can't wait to have more opportunities to explore this amazing country. 

So that pretty much sums up my first 6 weeks here in Sydney. Now that I have a job and am settled in to life here, hopefully I will have the opportunity to explore new and amazing places around Sydney and beyond. Peace and love until next time.

Moving Down Under

So I have just finished up my first week of living in Sydney.  I haven't done much in the way of tourism because I have been busy apply for jobs and acquiring the right documents in order to get these said jobs.  I did however one day stumble up the harbor and the Sydney Opera House. It is most definitely as cool as it looks in pictures, now I would love to go see an actual show there.

The first week flew by so quickly because when I arrived on Tuesday, in order to stay awake, I applied for a couple jobs on a site called gumtree.  By that afternoon I had been emailed back by one company about an interview. I really had no idea what this job was all about because the description was very vague, but hey a jobs a job so I went for the interview on Wednesday. I thought the interview went terrible because it was the first time since I was 15 that I was in a group interview (weird).  Apparently, I looked more together than I thought because I got the job and on Thursday I was back for training. Turns out though that this job was essentially a door-to-door sales job and I am most definitely not about that life.  Yet, I stayed because I figured I could stick it out for a few months just so I could make a little cash then find a better job.  By Friday I learned that this was not the case at all. We had in the field training and I was miserable! I hated it so much that once I was on my own I hid in a bush so I didn't have to knock on any more peoples doors (I'm an idiot I know).  So after that work day I let the manager know that this job was not for me and went back to the internet to apply for more jobs. 

Throughout the week I was also apartment hunting and on Saturday morning after some very bleak tours I found my new home. It is a roomshare in Pyrmont, right next to Darling Harbor. I have five other roommates (don't worry dad, all girls) and a pretty  nice view of the city. Even though I quit my job I still jumped on this apartment because I was ready to get settled into the city. Luckily I saved up enough money back home that I have a nice little cushion to help me through until I find a job. 

Until next time, keep it classy people!

A Parents Perspective on their Traveling Kid

Fortunately for me (sometimes not so fortunate) my mother is always brutally honest with me. I generally always know her opinion on my life choices. Generally, her opinion doesn't sway me one way or the other but that doesn't stop her from telling me. In this situation, it is nice to hear that even though she doesn't fully understand my love for travel, like why I would enjoy sweating it out in the jungle or living in a house with 35 people and one working shower, she still supports me. If you are ever wondering what your parents think of your travels, it's best to just ask! Their answers might surprise you. Here is what I asked my mother:

BIG NEWS: I am Moving Down Under

That's right! It is finally official! I am moving to Australia this summer (their winter, I am a poor planner). I will be leaving June 21st and have a full year visa, so I can work and live anywhere in their country. I have no plans yet because like I mentioned before, I am horrible at planning in advance. I am super proud of myself because I managed to get my visa approved 6 weeks before I actually leave. My vague sense of a plan is to fly into Sydney, stay in a hostel, find a job, then find an apartment. I need to get that money before I can afford to live in an apartment for $200 a week.
I just wanted to post a quick little blurb about this exciting news! If you didn't know I also have a vlog on youtube where I post videos about travel and my life! I like to think I am somewhat of a better vlogger than blogger, but that's really not saying much. Check it out! Subscribe to my channel! I will be a lot more active on both this blog and my youtube channel once I start traveling again!

Why you Should Volunteer in South Africa

It is really hard to put into words all the reasons why you should volunteer in South Africa. I think it is because living there for four months had such a profound effect on my life. The children at Christian David stole my heart, and the countries culture, people, and landscape enraptured my soul.
Check out my video below, which shows you some of the great things about Volunteering with Dreams to Reality in Muizenberg, South Africa.

So I am actually on a cruise this week in the caribbean which is why I decided to make this video now. Honestly, I think about going back to South Africa at least once a month if not more. There is just so much more of the world I want to explore as well, which is the only thing keeping me from returning right now. If you are interested in volunteering, I posted a link to the IVHQ page below. IVHQ is who you can book your volunteer program through for a discounted price, but THEY ARE NOT THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM. Dreams to Reality is actually who you will be volunteering with and I posted a link to their site as well. If you have any questions about my time in South Africa please leave a comment below, or you can get my email from the "about" section.

Link to IVHQ's page:
https://www.volunteerhq.org/

Link to DTR:
http://www.dreamstoreality.co.za/