Getting settled in Sydney

I landed in Sydney at about 6am, feeling, as you can imagine, rather fragile.

I made my way to my friend Paul's house. I stayed with Paul in Coogee the last time I was in Sydney. I arrived at 7.30am and was ready to crash out, but he'd arranged for us to go for breakfast with some of his friends who i'd met last time I was here. So after a refreshing shower and change of clothes, we were out for breakfast, where I was having to socialise and make conversation, the last thing I wanted to do at that moment. Soon I was back at Paul's and asleep on his sofa, where I stayed for about 5 hours! I woke up with a massive cold and didn't move off that sofa for the next 2 days. Typically, following on from the weather in Freo, it had turned in Sydney and it was cold, raining and miserable! At least that meant spending 2 days indoors was completely justifiable!

By Tuesday I was feeling slightly better, and so off I went to meet Louise, a good friend of mine from home who'd been living in Sydney over 2 years, and who I also spent Christmas and New Years with last year. Today was Melbourne Cup day, Australia's equivalent to Ascot, and so the whole of New South Wales and Victoria shuts down for the races. I met Louise at the Beach Road Hotel, a busy bar near Bondi, where we ended up spending the whole day catching up over a glass or 6 of wine. After what turned out to be quite a drunken night, it was time to get serious!

The next day, it was time to sort my life out. The jobhunt began! I prepared my CV and sent it out to a dozen agencies, and then sat back waiting for the phone to ring. Whilst waiting, I started looking for somewhere to live. This proved much more difficult than I thought. With summer round the corner, backpackers travelling all over Australia would flock to Sydney to be here for Christmas and New Years. I looked everyday and there was no change - the only places available to rent were rooms to share with Korean students, not exactly what I had in mind! And so, not wanting to overstay my welcome at Paul's I booked into a hostel that weekend.

Before leaving, I spent my days meeting with recruitment agencies to discuss any possible opportunities.

That weekend, once I checked into a hostel and moved my stuff into a room with 2 disgusting and untidy Scottish girls, I went round to Louise's. Her, and her 3 housemates, were having a 'Nautical' themed house party. So, sailor hat on, off I headed to meet the girls who I no doubt would be spending lots of time with over the coming months.

Later that night, after meeting a scuba diver, several Popeyes, Spongebob squarepants, and lots of sailors, I begrudgingy made my way back to my hostel. The 4-bed room I was staying in was a tip. Two girls had taken over, with their clothes and other belongings covering the floor. There were dirty, food covered plates and cutlery all over the place, and mouldy food in the fridge. I could have cried; I have nothing against hostels but this was taking it a step too far. Paul told me I could go back and stay at his, but I needed to get out there and meet other people, and be closer to the city. Thankfully, after a few days, the girls checked out, fed up of the number of complaints they had about the state of the room. (Nothing to do with me of course)! After a good clean up, I immediately felt better.

The day after the girls' party was spent down at the beach, my first beach day since arriving in Australia 2 weeks ago.

After many meetings with agencies and lots and lots of phonecalls, I finally received the call I'd been waiting for. I was offered a 6 week contract working for Medibank, a Health Solutions company, as a Strategic Sourcing Consultant working in the Recruitment team. At last I could relax and start to go out properly, knowing that it wasn't long til I'd have money coming in. I was over the moon to have something for the interim, just to take me up to the New Year, when I could start looking for something longer term.

That week, Beth and Alex arrived. Beth is the daughter of my mum and dad's friends. Despite living down the same road at home, we'd only met a handful of times. Being a few years younger than me, and this being their first travelling experience, I was keen to meet up with them and tell them what I knew about Sydney/ travelling. So one sunny day the girls came and met me at Bondi beach, somewhere they would end up spending a lot of their time. The next night, they met me at my hostel and we went out in Kings Cross, my first proper night out since being in Sydney. We went to World bar, somewhere I'd already been the first time was in Sydney, in Feb '09. This time felt completely different. Despite being only 2 years older than when I was first here, I all of a sudden felt very old! Especially when the girls started getting chatted up by some guys who were only 19/ 20. This was my time to go. I couldn't believe that at the age of 24, I was leaving a bar because I felt old! I think this time my outlook is different. I've come back to Australia to work, and I don't really consider myself a backpacker. I've done the travelling thing and been to the backpacker bars etc.

That week it was all very much back to reality. I started my job, up in the Northern suburbs, and went back to 'responsible Pippa'. I had to commute out of the city to get to work, which wasn't ideal but OK for the meantime. My daily commute included getting a bus over the harbour bridge, with the Opera house right beside me. Not a bad view to brighten your mood in the morning!

My weeknights were very quiet, dinners round Louise's with the girls, or just a night in at the hostel. Not long after I started working, Beth and Alex checked into my hostel and were in my room, so every night there was a point when I had to resist the urge to go out. At the weekend we'd all go down to the beach, either Manly or Bondi, and then head out in the evening, generally to a backpacker bar, which wasn't my cup of tea, yet I always had a good time.

One Saturday the girls and I went to the Blue mountains, about 2 hours out of the city, for a day trip. When we eventually got there, out tour guide took us on a very, very long walk into the mountains to waterfalls, telling us the history and Aboriginal stories as we went. They were really beautiful, similar to the Grampians in Victoria, although not as vast. Still, the forest goes out as far as the eye can see, and as with the Grampians, photos just don't do it justice.

So when we went on this long walk, it didn't occur to me that walking all the way down, meant that we had to walk all the way back up. We're talking about 1000 steps (that might be an exaggeration, but that's certainly how it felt)! And they were steep too. Then add to that a hot and humid day, and you can imagine what it was like climbing back up. I could already tell that I'd be feeling this for the next few days!

After a full day at the mountains, you'd think we would come home and relax, but oh no. I was having to keep up with two twenty year olds, and so the minute we came back, we were getting showered and ready to go out!

After being in a hostel for a few weeks now, I realise that it's not that bad. After all I did it for ages when I was in Melbourne. And so I decide to start looking for somewhere to live in the New Year, when hopefully, things will have quietened down and people will start to move on. So aside from still living in a hostel, I've been in Sydney a month now and feel rather settled. I've got a job to tide me over, I have a good group of friends, and a more active social life than I can handle in my old age! I'm still a Melbourne girl at heart, but I think given time, Sydney might convert me!