G'day mate! Have a minute for the environment?!

So, let me start by apologizing for not having written in 2 months!! I have so much to catch up on, my trip to New Zealand with my dad, my time in Bali with the madre, but first I'll just start with what I'm up to now. I've been in Australia for almost 3 weeks and things are going so much better then I expected. In the first week I got a job, a boyfriend, and a cool group of friends, in that order. My first day here in Melbourne I was walking around the city when a girl asked, "Do you have a minute to sign my petition?" I walked passed her like the hoards of people around me, but then I stopped and went back because I realized I had nothing better to do. She started talking about a petition for a human rights issue and as soon as she'd finished her spiel I asked if this was a paid position. It was. Are you hiring? They were. After a quick two minute chat on the lawn of the city library she wrote down an address of where I should go for my first day of training. So just like that, after 2 hours in Melbourne I had a job, and a pretty good paying one at that.




My meeting my boyfriend went just as easy, and happened on my first day in Melbourne. I'd been here for less then a day when a girl in my dorm room, Alex, asked me to join her and some friends from the hostel to go out for karaoke that night. Mark came out with us and we ended up chatting all night, and after a couple of more dates, it was official:-) When I've told friends I have an amazing new boyfriend, they're a bit reluctant to believe me with my sketchy track record, but this time providence helped me out and found me not only someone who treats me so wonderfully but also has an adorable British accent. You know how I love accents!!



So I'm still living at a hostel in the center of Melbourne while me and my friends look for a house to rent. I was surprised to find that about half the people in the hostel are living here on a semi-permanent basis while they look for work and a place. I've been at my job now for a week and a half fundraising for the Australian Conservation Foundation, and already its extremely repetitive, but I'm going to hang in there. I stand on the street and ask passer byers, "Hi! Do you have a minute for the environment!" or "Hi! Do you have a moment for Australian Conservation!" I say variations of these two phrases 150 plus times a day, and about 8 people stop to talk to me. I'll say this for the job, it definitely makes you immune to rejection!! Haha, you also can't take yourself too seriously when you're fighting entertainers and bums with coin cups for the best street corners. Last week I went to lunch and came back to find my library spot was taken by a guy on the bongos and a woman trying to get people to sign up for paintball. I crossed the street to try my other spot, but found a magician had set up shop and had a crowd of 20 watching his act. On Friday I came back from lunch and found my spot taken by a group of hari chrishnas rocking out with drums and chanting and a man selling books, only 2 books, both about animal cruelty. The job has its perks though, and after I tell you them I bet you can figure out the average age of the employees. Free coffee each morning at that days meeting spot, and the perks for bringing in a lot of donations include free lunch, movie tickets, extra money on your winter clothing allowance, and my favorite, a 6 pack of any beer of your choosing. The 6 pack is reserved for "high pacers" (a pac is monthly donation), and on my second day when I got a $100 dollar pac, I was rewarded with beer.

On Saturday night though I started to think that maybe I should just work three days a week and babysit the other two. I had a nightmare where I was stuck on a street corner saying desperately over and over and over again "Do you have a minute for the environment". I told myself it was nightmare and to wake up, but I was stuck on that street for way too long until I finally woke up and sat straight up in bed. I sighed as I calmed down and reminded myself it was the weekend. Yeah, so after I finish this post I'm looking for a second job.

Well that's all for now! Things are going so well, and the only thing left is to find a place to live. I promise I will post a bali and NZ blog soon!