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  • April's A-Ha! Travel Moments by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/8/20111:10:24 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work


    Although I had A-Ha! moments coming out of my ears the first time I traveled abroad alone, there’s one in particular that keeps me motivated to go after even my “wildest” dreams.

    I’ll preface: Remember the spin-the-globe-to-see-where-you’re-going-to-live-when-you-grow-up game from when you were a kid? Well, that’s how I discovered Tasmania. It seemed so exotic and fantastical and I can remember scheming my future escapades in my tree fort later that afternoon. I held on to the dream
    of one day experiencing Tasmania for years but considered it a near-impossible mission that only wealthy world travelers, enamored drifters who could afford a one-way plane ticket or Looney Tunes cartoon artists were able to experience. But, as it turns out, I was wrong.

    My A-Ha! moment came last year as I stood in Wine Glass Bay, Tasmania staring out from the white, powder sand beach into the crystal clear blue and green water. I did it. I’d sorted out a work and travel Australia visa and a plane ticket, saved enough from my paychecks working in Sydney to afford the trek to Tasmania and convinced two friends to come with me and live in a (tiny) hired car and exist on canned beans for nearly the entire trip to make our travel funds last. My mind started rolling… if I could make this thing happen, man, I could do anything. Traveling the world and submersing myself in foreign cultures and lands didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore… it was absolutely achievable.
     

    That awesome moment led me to unearth a majestic gratitude for life and all of its opportunities and  permanently disabled the part of my brain that filters seemingly ridiculous ideas and dreams. …Anything is possible. Just, make it happen. 

  • A Day in Queenstown, New Zealand by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/20111:03:35 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, New Zealand, Work

    Right, let’s just get straight to it and talk about Queenstown, one of my favorite places in New Zealand so far.  The first official day there dawned bright and early.  After having to get up at 6 or 7 every day for the last couple of days, I was sort of in that schedule already, so I don’t think I slept in later than 8 o’ clock.  Apparently there was a free breakfast offered until 9 in the kitchen, but since they didn’t tell me about it until after the fact, I didn’t get that until the next morning. 
    First a little Maori legendary background about Queenstown.  Yeah, I know.  Indulge me.  So Queenstown’s on this big body of water called Lake Wakatipu (which was carved out by a glacier) with the Remarkables on one side and rolling hills on the other.  The Maori tribes of the area believed that a monstrous giant named Matau once abducted the chief’s daughter and was then burned to death in his sleep when the Maori hero came to save her.  The lake is then in the shape of his body in the fetal position, curled up like an ‘S.’  Queenstown is about where his knee supposedly was.  The rise and fall of the lake with the tides is said to be his heartbeat, which didn’t die with the rest of him.  There you go, local history in just a paragraph this time.
     
    The legend, as shown in a statue
    So since most of my friends were still asleep or doing other things that day, I set off to explore the city a bit and get something to eat.  I decided to start down by the waterfront since it was the most obviously scenic place to start and worked my way around the lake.  It’s funny because Queenstown is supposed to be one of the biggest hotspots of the South Island and is one of the few “cities” in the area, and yet it was completely deserted first thing in the morning.  It’s really more of a mountain lodge kind of place rather than a metropolitan center with lots of people and traffic.  I think it’s really popular for the things it offers and for its scenery, but its appeal didn’t really make it overly crowded, which was nice.  That changes a bit in the afternoon and evening because it has quite a vibrant night life with lots of clubs and bars, but even then, it’s not impossible to navigate through the town and meet up with someone.
      
    See what I mean?  Empty
    I strolled around the downtown area for about half an hour, taking pictures of various buildings and just browsing some sites.  Even though it was about 9am by then, there still weren’t many people out except the few people getting coffee or taking morning walks.  A few gung-ho paragliders were soaring up above the mountain early in the morning, and it was cool to watch them navigate the crosswinds over the lake.  I also discovered the infamous Irish Bar Pog Mahones, which is where it all happened on Saint Patrick’s Day, but I’ll get into that a little later.  I felt a little bad about one thing, though. As I was sauntering along, taking pictures, a guy ran out of a building a few feet away from me, trailing white smoke behind me.  My first instinct was to go, “Oh God, the building’s on fire.  I should call the police or something,” but then he was acting so calm and ambivalent about the whole thing, and I sort of convinced myself that they were just fumigating or something.  Not five minutes later, cops and fire trucks were swarming all over the street.  Opps.  Guess I should’ve called after all.  Looked like it wasn’t too serious, though.  Just a little smoke, from the looks of it.  After that, I thought I’d make myself scarce and head back to the water.
      
     
     
    More of the downtown area and...whoops?
    I went down to the dock area first and was greeted with a thick layer of fog rolling off the mountains and over the water. Considering that it wasn’t exactly dawn, I was very lucky to see that kind of effect and lighting hanging low in the foreground.  No one was really around that area, so I took my time admiring the lake and lining up some nice shots.  Then the archway honoring the dead of WWI caught my eye and I started heading that way.  Most people end up hanging around the main area of town more than any other place, so it’s hard to believe that a place as beautiful as the Queenstown gardens isn’t more widely known.  I followed the footpath off to the left and starting out towards that hill, but before going all the way up, I stopped at this quaint café on the water called “King George V Coronation Bath House” made up of just a large circular room overlooking the lake and with a big crown on top of the building.  I had intended to just stop in for a quick bite to eat and a coffee, but once I was there, it was so cozy that I just ordered a full meal.  And oh my God.  Best breakfast EVER.  I took a seat next to the fireplace and browsed through the newspapers there until they brought the most delicious pancakes and chai latte I’ve ever had.  They were buttermilk pancakes perfectly fried to get that crispy golden ring around the edges with real blueberries inside.  Then, instead of syrup, there was a thin layer of passion fruit pulp swirled around the bottom of the plate so that you could dip your pieces in it.  A dusting of powdered sugar on the top and a sampling of cream on the side finished the presentation.  Absolute heaven.  And the chai latte was just superb as well.  The only downside was that it was about $18 altogether for only three pancakes, so I wasn’t completely full.  But still, it was worth the luxury for once. 
      
     
     
    Area down by the lakefront

     
    My breakfast stop with the view included.  Yum.
    I would’ve stayed there longer, but I didn’t want to waste the day away.  Continuing my original quest, I went further up the path to the gardens.  And found a Monet painting come to life.  Seriously.  I can’t believe no one mentioned the gardens to me before arriving in Queenstown, because they’re frickin’ awesome.  The first thing I saw coming up the path was a simple gazebo ringed by maple trees and flowers, but then I kept walking and discovered a duck pond, bridges, fountains, and a picturesque view of the lake through the trees.  The pictures really don’t do the whole thing justice.  If I had my other, higher resolution camera, you might have an idea, but you’ll just have to make do with what I had to work with.  I strolled around there for quite a while, deciding to just cruise around and not rush anything that day.  I ended up couched under a sycamore tree with my copy of 1984 and lazily watching ducks swim past for the better part of an hour.  I would have stayed longer, but my camera was running out of charge, so I decided to return back to the dorm, get a few bars into it, and then attack the afternoon.
     
     
     
    A taste of what the gardens were like
    Oh, I should mention that I took the long scenic route out of the gardens and passed through some redwood groves reminiscent of back home and passed a few ladies playing tennis at the courts there.  The place is pretty large, so you could easily go for a jog, play croquet, go skateboarding, and watch a basketball game in the same afternoon there.  It took only five minutes to walk back into town from there, so I did what I’d planned to do and put my camera on the charger right away and then left to get some lunch.  That plan took a little detour when I met some of my Stray friends down in the lobby.  Apparently some of them were going to go up in the gondolas and take advantage of the luge track up there.  The rest were separating off to do other stuff, but the four of them considering the luge extended the invitation to me as well.  I figured, eh, why not?  After all, I had no further plans for the day aside from walking around and looking at stuff.  It worked out perfectly because we all needed food and time to do other things, so we decided to reconvene in about an hour.  That gave me time to get lunch and get some charge on my camera. 
      
     
     
    More prettiness from the gardens before we continue on
    I ended up going to a place called Devil Burger, a place in competition with Ferg Burger with an underworld kind of theme going for it and then returning to meet up with them.  It was basically me, Lindsey (another very tough American guy. Where are they coming from?), Nathan (crazy Australian guy), and…a girl who’s name I can no longer remember, but she had a very strong fascination with Nathan.  That was a nice, small number for a day of mindless fun.  Tracey (very sweet Irish girl) and a few of her friends tagged along for the walk up there but then separated at the gondola.  They just wanted to look at the view and weren’t interested in the adrenaline part of the day.  After the stuff that I’ve done here, I honestly didn’t see the ride in the gondola or the ski lift after it as even particularly unsettling.  It didn’t even cross my mind that some people might get creeped out by it, so I was a little surprised when Nathan and his love interest started freaking out a bit.  Apparently she’s afraid of heights and he’s claustrophobic.  The Americans had it together, though.  For some reason, they were the ones facing the city while we had to stare at the hill, occasionally leaning out to take pictures of sheep on the hill below.  An offer to switch seats in mid-ride was met with horrified silence.  Which was kind of funny, actually, since Nathan has done some spectacularly fearless things like jumping off bridges. 
      
    Looking down at Queenstown from the gondola
    After we were safely (?) on the ground and ready to go, they calmed down considerably.  I had planned to take the gondola up there, do one, maybe two luges, and then go back down, but they convinced me to get the special price that required five luges, so that gave us a lot of time on the mountain.  Now, when you think of “luging,” what first comes to mind?  Is it of a guy lying down on a skateboard and rocketing down an ice chute?  Is it of one particularly bad accident that occurred in this last Olympic Games?  Is it of speed and hairpin turns and adrenaline?  Yeah, that’s what I though, too.  What I was actually greeted with was a sort of go-cart looking contraption and a race course down a hill to the finish line.  I was both relieved and disappointed to discover that because on the one hand, I didn’t want to die at something I had never done before, but on the other hand, it was like going to watch The Dark Knight in the cinemas and getting Adam West instead.  Oh well.  It still looked like fun, and we had the whole afternoon to get good at it.
    The view from up there was absolutely incredible, and every couple of minutes, another paraglider would jump off the mountain behind us and float down over the city.  I was sorely tempted to try that, but I wanted to save my money a bit. Since the Nevis is pretty expensive and the ferries to Milford Sound and Stewart Island were coming up soon, I didn’t want to be short.  I think I’ll try that next time.  Keep an eye on that large, golden-brown hill to the west that keeps popping up in the shot.  That’s Deer Park Heights, and I’ll have more to say about that place for Day Three.  We stayed up there and enjoyed the scenery for a while, and then we took the ski lift up the rest of the hill to try out the luging.  Nathan and…can I just call her Sally?  Yeah, that’s just easier.  So Nathan and Sally partnered off and got very involved in getting the perfect couple pose on the lift going up because apparently there was a camera rigged up to take photos of the moment.  Lindsey and I didn’t really care, so our photos are just us talking and using large hand gestures instead of looking at the camera. He was telling me about how he does street racing and stuff for fun, so he knows how to make cars drift and turn on a dime at 70mph.  Yeah, okay, sure.  Needless to say, I didn’t even try to compete with him on the luge.  I let the boys have their little race instead of getting in a Mario Kart scenario where I go spinning off the course.  
     
     
     
    Behold the awesomeness.  See the paragliders?
    Since we had five tries at the luge each, we took our time about it.  We had to do the first one on the “scenic route” course, which is designed to let you practice and figure out the controls first.  Then, if you feel confident, you can move up to the standard course.  There really isn’t much of a difference.  The scenic one is just slightly less steep in some parts. The controls are fairly straightforward as well.  To turn, you just lean your body in one direction and shift your weight that way.  To brake, you pull back on the handlebars a bit to get some friction going.  And to go fast, you obviously do nothing at all.  I was a bit understandably occupied at the time, so I’ll steal some promotional pictures from Google to give everyone a taste of what it was like.  Like I said before, the boys were out of the gate like the honor of their ancestors was at stake or something, but the girls trailed back to actually figure out how to operate the controls.  Sally was pretty slow, so I lapped her without much difficulty, but then I had some trouble rounding a few of the corners at a decent speed.  I think the first sled I got was a little bit faulty because it didn’t turn very well unless I through my entire body into a good two seconds before actually turning.  The other ones weren’t as difficult for the next four runs.  There was one borderline scary moment where I underestimated the curve and nearly went straight into the wooden divider, but I managed to overcorrect it at the last moment.  I mean, we had helmets, but I had instinctively tried to stop the cart by putting my feet out, and that’s a nice way to twist an ankle.  After that little hiccup, I got the hang of it pretty well.  
     
    The luge track, according to Google
    The boys were completely at ease, of course, and insisted on going straight to the standard course without any more practice, and we just sort of rolled our eyes and did the same.  Each time was a little bit smoother as I got used to the course, and by the last two runs, I was pretty much flying down the course without a whole lot braking.  They take your picture at the finish line so that you can purchase it if you want, but we didn’t really have much interest in that.  
    Right between the fourth and the final runs, Lindsey had the idea of hiking up the big hill behind to try and find the spot where the paragliders launch from.  It was a lot steeper than we had first reckoned on, so that was quite a workout.  We finally did find them way at the top of the peak and sat around watching them casually walk off the edge.  Sadly, I have no pictures, but it was nice and peaceful up there.  It was about mid-afternoon by then, so we quickly made our way down, had one final attempt at the luge, and then took the gondola back down into Queenstown.  This time, Lindsey and I faced the drop-off while the love birds talked about their romantic photos.  
    I don’t really recall the rest of that day after the ride back down, so I’m going to assume that I just chilled out at Nomads and went to bed at a decent hour.  After all, big day tomorrow with the bungy and all.  Ha ha.  Look forward to the Nevis, the third highest bungy jumping platform in the world, next time y’all!  

  • Abel Tasman: The Cancun of New Zealand by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201112:54:47 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    First things first: Abel Tasman is the Cancun of New Zealand. It’s hard to describe just how clear or blue the water there is because the photos just don’t do the place justice.  You just have to go there yourself to understand. I’ll start from the beginning.  By the way, this post is going to be a little bit shorter than some of the other ones because it's mostly about walking and taking pictures.  Not a lot of commentary needed for that.  Here we go.
    We woke up well after the sun had risen the next day.  The opportunity to sleep in had been way too tempting to dismiss, so we took our time getting ready.  At this point, now that several weeks have passed, I can’t quite remember what Elwin did or who went where, but I decided to do a scenic walk along the park.  Yeah, that thing is humongous.  I think attempting to scratch the surface of it would probably take two days at least.  A lot of people end up doing the three or four day trek where they camp out overnight and do all of the little side hikes.  I only had a day, so I decided to employ the use of an aqua taxi.  You basically ask them to take you out to a certain point and drop you off so that you can walk back on foot.  Or you walk out there and have a predetermined time and place in mind for meeting them to take you back.  Either way works, and it’s much easier than trying to do the whole thing up and down yourself.  I did it the first way, but now I wonder if it would have been easier the second way since you can just look forward to a nice trip home at the end.  I guess it doesn’t really matter.
    A good majority of the bus was doing a big catamaran thing where they got about 23 people together to rent out a boat for the day.  It involved cruising, swimming, drinking, and barbecuing pieces of meat all day and then coming back around dinner time.  I was tempted to do that as well, but it was only my second day with this particular group of people, and I didn’t want to be stuck on a boat all day without knowing if we were going to click or not.  It’s never a good idea to be at the mercy of someone else’s schedule, so I decided to my own thing that day and do something a lot less expensive.  It turned out to be a good call because they were fully booked out, and the water was too cold for swimming anyways.  I think they ended up having a good time, but I’m glad that I made the decision that I did.  Felt like I saw a lot more. 
    So I went over to reception and booked the next available bus to come pick me up, then I just hung out with Barney for the twenty minutes it took for them to arrive.  The aqua taxis themselves are kind of cool because they have to be dragged out into the water by these gigantic tractors.  The water is super shallow for quite a ways out into the cove, so a guy can literally pull the boat halfway out into the bay before having to turn back.  I was way in the back of the boat, so I had a good, unobstructed view of the scenery behind us.  The only problem was that it was a bit chilly that morning, and I was only in a T-shirt at the time, so I was pretty cold for the ride out there.  It eventually warmed up later in the day and got really nice, though.
      
    The tractor that towed us out there.  Kayak. 
    Once we opened up the throttle and hit the water, it was pretty easy going. Our guide took us around the other way first to show us Split Apple Rock, which is fairly self-explanatory, and then circled around to take us all out to our scheduled destinations.  A few of the other passengers on board were doing the drop-off and pick-up later in the day, so I was one of the first to get out at Torrent Bay.  I had had the option of disembarking on the spot before that – Anchorage Bay – but the lady in the reception had told me to try Torrent because it was near Cleopatra’s Pool and involved a little extra scenery.  If you look on the map, Torrent is just about one third of the way up the main track, and almost right next to Anchorage.  You would assume, then, that it wouldn’t take long to walk from one to the other.  Yeah, I’m not going to make any assumptions again anytime soon.   
      
    Split Apple Rock and heading out towards Torrent Bay
    The boat pulled right up to the beach at Torrent and dropped me off, telling me to just head along the beach in a certain direction and to try and make it back to camp before dark.  Sounded easy enough.  This is where those amazing, postcard-worthy beaches come in.  It was hard not to take a picture every few seconds because it was just that pretty.  I decided to follow the reception lady’s advice and followed the map towards Cleopatra’s Pool. According to the signs, that would take me quite a ways out into the forest and add an extra hour to my hike back, but I was feeling pretty well-rested after all of that sleep.  The trek out there was definitely memorable with trails winding in and out of the trees, always within sight of the water.  One of the coolest thing was the fact that every campground was surrounded by little beach houses.  People actually live – or at least vacation – in these bungalows right next to the water and have sailboats to go cruising every day.  Sounds like quite a life.              
      
     
    Cute little houses on the water
    This trail in particular went on for a good hour and a half through the brush, and when I finally found Cleopatra’s Pool, it was at a dead end.  There was no way to loop around to the other side of the lagoon.  The pool itself was pretty nice, but it was way too cold for swimming.  Some people had that idea and were down there already, but I was fine with just watching – nothing like walking back home for five hours with wet hair.  There’s one cool feature about this particular swimming spot in that it comes equipped with its own natural waterslide.  One of the ledges juts away from the waterfall and slopes out into the pool at such an angle that it becomes perfect for sliding down. The rock has been worn down by the water over the last couple hundred years, so it’s basically smooth, too.  I managed to go a ways further upstream for a few more photo opportunities, but the trail became all but impassable after a short distance.  All I accomplished was some creative rock jumping and nearly sliding feet first into the river before having to turn back to the trail.
      
     
     Trail on the way to Cleopatra's Pool

     
     
    Area around Cleopatra's Pool, complete with water slide
    As it turns out, that little centimeter on the map between Torrent and Anchorage is, in reality, fairly steep and winds all the way around the mountain.  It took me over an hour to get close to the ocean again, and I was practically dead on my feet by the time I got there.  Anchorage looked so nice and inviting after that ordeal that I, who hates sunbathing as a general rule and wear jeans 365 days a year, stripped right down to my swimsuit and collapsed on the beach for a good thirty minutes or so.  It was sort of nice and peaceful to just lie there and work through the remains of my food supply, but it was cut short when I looked to my right and saw this massive spider trying to crawl into my backpack.  Oh right, they like to hide in driftwood on the west coast.  After that, I couldn’t really relax, and the water was still just above freezing, so I gathered up my clothes and continued on.
      
    Sunbathing on the beach at Anchorage Bay
    It was kind of discouraging to look at the map and see the depressingly small amount of progress made in two and a half hours, and I knew that I had at least four hours of walking to go, so I didn’t waste any more time from that point on.  There were all sorts of signs leading off towards other cool spots like Cleopatra’s Pool, but I had to ignore them and stick to the main path.  I think that’s how people end up spending days in the bush – checking out all of those locations.  The path from Anchorage back to base was especially steep, too, so I was getting really tired.  For any of you thinking of doing this at some point, that little stretch between Anchorage and the next marker is definitely the worse.  After that, it’s all literally downhill. 
      
     The trail on the way back to camp
    Just at the steepest point of the trail, I took a moment to breathe and drink the last swallow of water I had when all of a sudden, a group of familiar figures emerged right in front of me.  My group of friends from Stray had managed to find me against all odds and suggested walking back to camp together.  That was just awesome.  Turns out that some of them had started out on the big party boat and gotten bored, and the rest of them had done the same thing as me, except that they had started later at Anchorage instead.  Point is, we all ended up at the same place at the same time, so it made the walk back much more enjoyable.  Natalie and Alec were the two that I ended up hanging out with the most, and they were just awesome.  Natalie is a quirky English girl from outside Manchester and Alec is a 40-something gay guy who manages to pull of the appalled silence that comes naturally to British art connoisseurs in any situation.  He was sort of the mascot of our bus, and Natalie was our morale officer.  I miss those guys now. 
    Once you have someone to talk to, the time goes by a lot faster, and you don’t really notice how much further you have to hike.  Before I knew it, we were within range of The Barn, and it was just starting to fade into sunset.  I took a few last-minute photos for the road, grabbed a celebratory smoothie from the café, and then headed back to camp.   
    That night, we made ourselves some more sausages and potatoes under the stars and enjoyed the sunset lighting.  There’s something very peaceful about being out in the wilderness, sitting around a giant camp fire, and just enjoying the atmosphere.  We were treated to some amazing constellations that night, too, because of the clear night and complete lack of light pollution. I was able to recall my intensive astronomy lesson that I got in Napier and point out a few of the major southern hemisphere ones.  Eventually, we all retired to our tents, dorms, and cabins for another day on the road.  Most of the group had to be up and on the bus by 9am the next day, but I had to get up…earlier.  I’ll tell you guys why in the next post.  It involves the booking of another activity, though.  Hmm, fun times.  Until then!

    Goodnight! 

  • Journey to the South Island - Picton to Abel Tasman by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201112:45:53 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Wow, a lot has happened since Wellington.  I really don’t even know how to start this next post because just thinking of all the things I have to catch up is giving me a bit of a headache.  Oh well, best to start from the beginning, I suppose – the ferry to the South Island.
    As I mentioned two posts ago, I had to catch the 7am Bluebridge ferry to Picton, so that meant a really early start to my day.  Anyway who knows me can say that I’m definitely not a morning person and that I’m practically useless for the first few hours of the day, but I managed to drag myself out of bed, quickly get ready, and meet my shuttle down on the street by 6:45.  Ugh.  I hate going without coffee.  So I chatted with the driver to wake myself up and ending up getting to the ferry building a few minutes before 7.  Check in and everything was fairly simple, so it was just a matter of waiting for everything to get prepped.  If I’d known that I didn’t really have to be there until 7:30, I might have slept in later, but oh well.
    The plus side was that I got to watch the sun rise over the harbor, so that was pretty sweet.  They eventually gave the call for boarding sometime before 8, and we all walked onto this truly massive boat.  When I think of a “ferry,” I think of a little 20-seater run by a couple of guys with a radio, but this thing was like a cruise ship.  I think I passed three or four flights on the stairs before I got to anything resembling the passenger area.  Then that was two whole levels itself, not including the bow and viewing areas.  They had a whole cafeteria, movie lounge, café, and reading area on one floor and a whole other seating area up above.  Just insane. 
      
     
    Wellington Harbor at Dawn

     
     
    Leaving Wellington
    I had made a promise to myself to be outside at least 70% of the trip, though, so I went straight to the viewing deck in the front.  It was exceptionally colder and windier out there, but I managed to persevere with extra gloves and a windbreaker.  I’m really glad that I did stay out there, too, because the scenery is just breath-taking.  I think it’s tempting to hide away in the main lounge, where it’s nice and warm, but then you miss out on the awesome views.  It took forever to pull out of Wellington harbor, but we got a nice look at a few coastal suburbs and lighthouses on the way.  When we were out at sea, I disappeared inside to read my book for a little bit (been trying to re-read a copy of 1984 that a German guy left behind lately), but I came out just in time to see the beginnings of the Marlborough Sounds.  People have told me continuously since I first arrived in New Zealand that the South Island is heaps better than the North Island and that I should go there yesterday, but I was a little skeptical.  I mean, the North Island is pretty awesome in its own right.  The general consensus seems to be: the North is beautiful, but the South is just more.  More wild, more overgrown, more…everything.  From just that first glimpse of it on the boat, I can kind of see where they’re coming from.
      
    My first look at the South Island.  See the trees?  Even New Zealand loves itself.
    Okay, I’ve been on the South Island for almost a month now, and I’m still loving it, but I will say that there are pluses and minuses.  Plus: Okay, really beautiful, like oh-my-God-I-need-200-pictures-of-this-from-every-angle beautiful.  Minus: Really spread out.  Like, “Oh, we just need to get from Point A to Point B today?  That’s, what, a centimeter on the map? How long will that take? …Seven hours?!!!”  Windy roads and mountain passes can do that.  Plus:  More rugged and authentic New Zealand.  Looks a lot like how the country used to before humans interfered with everything.  Minus: Sandflies.  Enough said.  I think that covers most of my bullet statements.  Do I prefer one island over the other?  Hmm, not really.  Like I said, they each have their particular strengths and weaknesses.  If someone put a gun to my head right now, I probably wouldn’t be able to make an honest decision.  Back to my initial impression.

    The sounds that we pulled into were definitely out-of-this-world.  The water was a clear, picturesque blue, the mountains rose straight out of the ocean and just kept going up, and little boats were zipping around all over the coves.  There were also a few tiny beach houses tucked right inside the bays, the only way in or out obviously the beach in front of them. That was pretty cool.  How sweet would that be, to hop in your jet boat or sailboat and ride to town for groceries and supplies?  I imagine it would get kind of old after a while, but it would be nice to stay in one of those little dock houses just for the experience. 
      
     
     
    More pretty pictures.  See all of the houses on the shore?
    We kept going towards Picton at a snail’s pace, and I took way too many pictures.  We finally docked at the harbor there and made our way down to the cargo bay of the ship, where all of the cars and luggage trucks were kept.  Once we were had all unloaded, a shuttle took a handful of us at a time over to the welcome center  so that we could pick up our bags. The big, orange Stray bus was waiting for us right across the street, so that made it nice and simple for us to head over there and get on.
      
    Docking at Picton
    At first, I couldn’t figure out where the driver was.  I thought that he’d just left his bus there on the side of the road and that we’d have to go track him down, but then this young guy standing a few paces away from me suddenly took charge and started giving everyone directions for loading their bags on.  I still didn’t get the memo and just assumed that he was a very confident guy able to take control of a situation.  Turns out that he was our driver, Caas.  I have no idea how to spell that.  Caz?  Caaash?  Think short for “casual.”  Not an abbreviation for cashmere, as he informed us.  And his name is so appropriate.  I think he’s the most laid-back guy I’ve ever met.  He’s a 20-year-old college student at Christchurch University majoring in Physics, and he’s been doing the Stray Bus thing ever since the earthquake there messed everything up.  Apparently it’s something that he’s done on previous summers, so he was able to pick up where he left up while all the students were stuck wondering what to do.  He’s very cool – definitely my favorite Stray driver thus far.  I was impressed that first day especially because he had to organize three different drop-offs and pick-ups, collect money for various activities people wanted to do and keep it all straight, and then he had to cook a big BBQ for everyone at the end of the night.  Talk about multi-tasking.  I think I would have been stressed out to the extreme trying to keep it all organized, but he was Mr. Cool, just calmly asking for clarification over the speaker system and calling it in to headquarters as he was driving these super windy roads. 
    Our bus – “Richard,” it turns out – was equally awesome.  We had a great group of people who really got on immediately, and there were quite a few entertaining characters on board.  I felt like we were on a sitcom from the ‘90s, frankly.  We had playboys, social butterflies, loners, overly-patriotic Americans, a crazy Jewish lady, and our token gay guy.  Has anyone seen the movie, “The Boat That Rocked?”  Yeah, it was kind of like that.  I bonded very quickly with a small group of 5 or 6 and stayed with them all the way to Queenstown.  I hadn’t really had the chance to make friends on the other Stray buses because I was only on them for a stop or two at a time, and I usually got on at a point when everyone else had already been together for several prior stops.  This was different because most people had taken a few days to explore Wellington, so they were all mixed up again – hardly anyone knew each other from previous buses.  Overall, it was just an amazing bunch of people.  I kind of miss them now because I doubt I’ll get that lucky with a group again.
    Back to Picton.  We only stayed there long enough to pick up a few more people in backpackers across town, but it was a cute little coastal community.  Not a whole lot there, granted, but just very quaint and pretty.  We continued on towards Nelson and our destination for that night, Abel Tasman.  Before we made it to either of those places, though, we stopped at a small winery on the side of the road for some wine tasting.  It was only $5, so I figured it would be a nice diversion.  I remembered my lessons from Henry and Nikki and was able to look like I knew what I was doing with the swirling of the glass and the breathing through the mouth thing.  Overal, it wasn’t bad.  I personally like super sweet wines, like Port and after-harvest Merlots, and most wines are a lot drier than that, so I knew that the chances of finding the perfect one were low.  Oh well.  We stayed there and walked around a bit more before hopping back on the bus with a pleasant buzz. 
      
    Wine tasting with my new friends
    That eventually turned into naptime as the alcohol kicked in, so pretty much everyone was half-asleep by the time we arrived in Nelson.  Before that, though, we made a little stop next to a bridge and looked down at the river.  We were specifically asked not to jump off the bridge, but a few people went down in their bathing suits to swim.  I thought it was way too cold for that, so I just stayed up on the shore and watched.  Then we continued on to Nelson.  It seems like a really nice, quiet town right next to the beach, so it’s a shame that we couldn’t stay there longer.  I just grabbed something to eat from a bakery and a little money from Westpac before having to meet up with the bus again.  The scenery as we left was just spectacular – lots of white, flawless beaches and people windsurfing all over the place. Again, wish we could’ve stayed longer.      
     
     
    The bridge we stopped at for a swim
      
     
    Passing through Nelson.  Sigh.
    The rest of the trip to Abel Tasman was uneventful, but we got to see some nice, green hills rolling by out the window. Caas stopped at a supermarket on the way to buy groceries for our dinner – we all chipped in $10 for burgers and the works – and he also convinced us to try mussels fresh from the ocean.  Surprisingly good, actually.  I had a feeling that I would like them since they’re similar to clams, so that was cool. 
    By the time we pulled into camp, it was already getting dark.  My day started at 6am, and I didn’t actually arrive at my destination until well after 8pm, so that was a long day on the road.  It was good to be someplace to sit down.  Our accommodation for the night was a place called The Barn, a cozy little site in a grove of trees that seemed like a fancier version of a campground.  They had the whole set up with the atmosphere, rudimentary kitchen, and a few tents interspersed between the trees, but then we actually ended up staying in buildings and having hot showers.  It was a nice tradeoff.  Actually, because I was practically the last person in line, I managed to get an upgrade on my room for no extra charge.  Instead of staying the dorms with everyone else, I got to sleep in a nice two-person cabin facing out towards the mountains.  That was much quieter and a lot less hassle for me.  Plus, I got roomed with Elwin, a guy who believes in a good night’s sleep and tries his best not to wake people up in the middle of the night.  We were both exhausted from traveling all day, so we unanimously agreed to an early night. 
     

    Our campsite for the night
    Just before bedtime, though, we all got around to cooking that feast of hamburgers, salad, mashed potatoes, mussels, and sausages.  We had to work hard to keep it away from Barney the Goat, the cute family mascot of The Barn.  He was very friendly and curious to meet everyone, and he took to head-butting my legs in particular.  When he did that, I made it a point of calling him Barnabus, which he seemed to hate for some reason.  And that was pretty much our evening for the first night.  The next day was all about exploring Abel Tasman National Park, so we went to bed with the expectation that we’d be seeing some awesome beaches the next day.  Don’t worry, I took plenty of pictures.  Until next time! 

     

  • Good Will HUNTing by CE Founder Emlyn Lee

    6/8/201112:13:30 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Emlyn's Expressions, Love, Volunteer, Work

    "A good companion shortens the longest road." This Turkish proverb is so fitting for my final LOVE series blog because I am featuring a couple that will soon take a looooong journey ahead. Meet Bryan and Jillian Hunt, a delightful couple from College Station, TX that are heading off for a six months mission trip in Uganda, and then spending the second half of the year on Cultural Embrace’s Work and Travel Australia program.

    The two were high school sweethearts, and both are graduates from Texas A&M University. They have always wanted to travel abroad, and took the past two years to work, save, and plan for their international adventure. Their plans fluctuated for awhile since they had a long list of places they wanted to go, but their final decisions are to: serve local children at orphanages in Uganda, and have some fun surfing and traveling around while working to make ends meet in Australia. 

    I asked if they had any advice to give other travelers. Jillian shared the advice that she received from her cousin to “Just go and do it!” Bryan advised wanderlusts to “never count any option out, but also don’t be completely sold on just one option.”

    Flexibility and patience are the keys to happy trails. The main reason most people travel is to experience new things, right? We want to see new sites, taste new foods, dance at new clubs, buy new things at markets and street bazaars that you couldn’t get at home. Realize that it will get frustrating and things don’t always work out as you anticipated. That’s okay, it happens! You are out of your comfort zone, and in a new environment, but that is the beauty of traveling! Embrace the world, discover the similarities, and share the differences.

    I invite you to watch this awesome video that their friend produced (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbFA_7oZogI&feature=player_embedded), and you will see two lifetime companions and best friends who are passionate, humorous, patient, and respectful people--not only to each other, but to the communities that surround them. Jill works in the hospitality industry and Bryan is a history teacher, so serving and helping others are natural gifts of theirs. I can’t wait to follow this Good Will HUNTing Adventure, as their companionship will shorten their long journey, and their love will help to make the world go round ..

  • "You Must See the West Coast!!" by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201112:10:35 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    How many times did I hear it..."you HAVE to get to the west coast", "you MUST see the west coast," etc. etc.  What on earth made me think that a few days would be enough?! Oh, what I would give to go back! But can't focus on what I missed, this is about what I did see and do....and it was plenty enough to realize how much I love Perth!

    Perth CBD is fairly small in comparison to the likes of Sydney & Melbourne, but who needs a massive business district when you have flawless beaches everywhere you turn! I spent my first day wandering around exploring the city, checking out the local museum & art gallery; and walking along the Swan river.  I also spoiled myself with a proper hotel room after 3 days on the train and it was absolutely luxurious! I moved into the hostel the next day and met three wonderful roomates from Holland, Switzerland, and Canada so it distracted me from the luxury that is enjoyed by the other half! ;)

    I was able to reconnect with a fellow traveller from Melbourne who was staying with a friend in Perth and they took me for Fish & Chips on Cottesloe Beach.  This was apparently Heath Ledger's favorite beach and I had no doubt why that would be after seeing it---with its crystal clear water, white sand beaches, grass ledges overlooking the beach (so you can avoid sand if so inclined) and light breeze making for the perfect view over dinner. 

    One thing that was a completely unique experience that I'm so glad I did was a visit to Rottnest Island.  This island is vehicle free other than its tourist bus, trash truck, and train.  Everyone gets around by bike and you can ride the 22 km around the entire perimeter of the island, including stopping off at beaches along the shores for snorkeling.  The island is pretty remote and I hadn't packed enough water so I didn't make it around the entire island but was thoroughly impressed with what I did see. There are no more than 200 residents on the island and the longest resident has only lived there for 7 years.  There is a primary school on the island with 1 teacher and 1 headmaster.  There are cabins that can be rented and a few small shops and a grocery for you to get the basics you may need.  There was very little that was touristy about this island other than the non-stop ferries bringing people over from the mainland, however I'm not sure where everyone went because there would be miles that I wouldn't see anyone at all...it was such an awesome exerience!

    I spent a day wandering through Kings Park with a perfect view of the city and walked through the treetops on an especially beautiful day. This park is so easy to just completely lose track of time as there is something around each turn to draw you in and it is so enticing to just relax in the peacefulness of it all. On my last day I went down to Freemantle to check out their markets and stumbled into a didgeridoo (Aboriginal instrument) class where they wouldn't take no for an answer.  I learned to "speak" and make a few of the common animal noises.  Thankfully there were 3 others in the class were just as bad as I was so we wound up having a great time and weren't too embarrassed to give it our all.  The instructor was very generous with his praise and by the end of it had us convinced that we were all quite good! Maybe I'll have to buy my own and have it shipped home....then again, maybe not! :)

    So though it was short-lived, Perth was still able to win over my heart as a fan of Australia's west coast and so I will now join in with the rest in preaching to everyone..."You MUST see the west coast!"
    Take care!:) 

  • Cross the Land You'll Never Get Over by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201112:05:06 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    ....this is the slogan for the Great Southern Rail and I couldn't agree more. What a journey it was! After spending a total of over 50 hours traveling by train over more than 4,600 kilometers (2,858 miles) from Melbourne to Adelaide and Adelaide to Perth, I've finally made it to the west coast.

    I opted for the shorter train version taking the Overland from Melbourne to Adelaide, having a day to spend in Adelaide, and then taking the Indian Pacific from Adelaide to Perth. This cuts your time on the train from 3 nights to 2 nights in the reclined/upright position. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone interested, but would completely understand if some of you opted for the upgraded accommodations of a sleeper car!

    My journey on the Overland was certainly a fantastic experience. The crew was very friendly and seemed to thoroughly enjoy entertaining their passengers with funny ancedotes of both the train itself, warning that if you don't remember to push the red button to lock the bathroom "you'll literally get caught with your pants down"...and even calling everyone's attention to the poor man who did in fact forget!...They also shared interesting and humorous stories about the towns we passed through. They told us of the naughty boys (now well into their 80s) who years ago slicked the tracks in Horsham with shoe polish stopping the train for hours. The boys apparently got in trouble for the amount of shoe polish wasted as opposed to the train delays caused by their prank. I won't spoil the trip for you with the other stories...you can take the trip for yourself to hear the rest!:)

    As for the scenery along the way from Victoria into South Australia we passed a number of vineyards, and plenty of sheep and cows. It was beautiful and my seatmate was the sweetest lady, Fal, from Adelaide who was returning home after spending 3 weeks in Melbourne babysitting her grandson. She told me stories about all of the dogs in her life, but in particular her baby--Honey--who only died last year breaking Fal's heart. I could have talked to her for ages, and with the 11 hours on the train we did just that.

    I arrived in Adelaide, "the city of churches," on a Saturday night with the expectation of sightseeing a bit on Sunday before catching the train Sunday evening. I checked into my hostel and wandered around searching for free wifi...finding the ever reliable McDonalds for such..touched base with home to let them know I was okay and headed back to the hostel. Shortly after getting in, close to 9:30pm, I got the call from the Great Southern Rail informing me that the Indian Pacific would not be picking me up on Sunday due to flooding in New South Wales and Victoria. I was told that they weren't sure when it would make it to Adelaide but they were hoping it would be some time on Monday. I didn't dare complain, being the state of the weather all around Australia the past few months and how badly the people have been affected, so I'd have one extra day in Adelaide (assuming the train made it by Monday) and then one less day in Perth, but there were worse things than that! The hostel informed me that they were booked solid and gave me a list of other hostels in the area, which I contacted only to find they were also all booked. It appears my weekend in Adelaide perfectly coincided with the massive music festival "Big Day Out." I went ahead and swallowed my frugal backpacker pride and booked a hotel. It was the smallest hotel room I had ever seen mind you but it was a hotel so after a day exploring the city--markets, wine tasting, botanical gardens; I spent the evening being spoiled with my very own bed, television, and bathroom! What more could a girl ask for?! :)

    Monday was superbowl Sunday in the States so it was making the news over here being compared to all of the major sporting events finals in Australia combined into one. I was unable to find a bar showing the game at 9:30am so I spent my day enjoying the city and caught my train that night.

    The Indian Pacific crew were just as friendly and helpful as the Overland group, but not quite so much into comic relief...I think this could have been affected by the additional 24 hours spent on the train with a number of disappointed and tired passengers. Nevertheless, this journey was incredible! I've been asked what I saw and it's difficult to explain because it's really just desert--thousands of miles of nothing, but I guess this is what makes it so unique and so breathtaking. The majority of the trip takes you over the Nullarbor Plains which is translated "no water", however due to the extraordinary amounts of rainfall, large sections of these plains were flooded as we passed through. There was no phone signal and no sign of life for as far as you could see. We had one stop in Cook where they proudly advertised that there is no food or fuel for the next 862km. They also had a plaque hanging on the outside of the gift shop claiming them to officially be "the middle of nowhere."

    I found it interesting to see all the different people who traveled by train, especially those brave enough to endure the upright "sleeper seats" in the Red section of the train. There were people of all ages and backgrounds traveling for different reasons and all remaining fairly positive despite any setbacks, such as delays due to passing freight trains, etc. I think the most fascinating, and probably my favorite passenger in my car was the man in front of me, Mr. Ken. He was probably in his late 60s, early 70s and was deaf & mute. He kept a kitchen clock in the pocket in front of his seat and would become agitated at night when the lights on the inside of the train were on, further preventing him from seeing anything passing by in the night outside of his window. I kept him updated with announcements made regarding time zone changes and scheduled stops by passing him notes. He would follow these closely and let me know adamantly if we were off schedule. He was a fan of giving "thumbs ups" to everyone passing by and was treated very kindly by all of the staff on board as well. I didn't get to know much about him personally as his little notebook was practically full with little room to write so I know his name and that he was returning to Perth but nothing other than that. I think he is brave to travel on his own and his positive attitude was most inspiring. He was almost childlike with excitement when we started to see signs of life, and even moreso when we could see city lights.

    This train trip was truly unforgettable and one I would recommend to anyone considering it. There is no way to explain the beauty of vast nothing for miles on end, but take my word for it, you won't regret it.  

  • Aussie Aussie Aussie... Oi! Oi! Oi! by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201111:52:32 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    ....this is the Australian cheer...seemed appropriate for Australian Day!! In fact, I just came in from the parade which passed by right outside my hostel. I'm headed to a BBQ (which tends to mean sausages placed in a piece of bread) & fireworks later tonight. The parade was pretty unique--more of a celebration of the diversity of Australia than anthing. Countless nationalities paraded through in their traditional garmets carrying both their home country's flag and the Australian flag. There were also local clubs/organizations represented such as the "laughter club" and the "star wars club." Oh, and no Aussie parade is complete without kangaroos so they had 2 guys in kangaroo suits on springy stilts jumping down the street!--quite a sight! When the parade ended most of the crowd just fell in line behind the last group and continued down the route with them. Happy Australia Day everyone!!

    I've been in Melbourne a full week now and absolutely love it! The city itself isn't as aestheticly as pretty as sydney but the character of the city makes up for it! The city is made up of art galleries, cafes, shops (lots of shops!), gardens, markets and musicians. There are lots of hidden away hot spots down each little alley way that makes every day an intriguing one--not to mention delicious! Melbourne has a free trolley that runs around the perimeter of the city, making it a great way to become acquainted with the layout of the city straight away. They also have a free outdoor wifi spot "Federation Square" where hundreds of people have been gathered each day and into the night watching the Australian Open on the massive screen that is hanging in the square. There are also a lot of gorgeous parks and some great art galleries right in and around the city that are great for a wander (or a rest) mid-day when the heat gets to be too much. Speaking of heat, the weather in Melbourne is crazy--they tell you that they have 4 seasons in one day and they mean it. I've also heard that they tell people not to complain about the weather because if you just wait a short time it will change! This is the truth as I've found out firsthand and so I've learned to make a point of carrying a jacket, umbrella, and something to fan myself at all times.

    So my first week here has been a pretty busy one to say the least. I've gotten to spend the time with some great new friends...and FAMILY! While working at the call center in Sydney I started chatting with a really nice woman from Melbourne with whom I exchanged contact details and continued to keep up with via e-mail until my arrival. She and her husband (Lyn & Linden) have spoiled me since I got here with insiders' tips, fabulous meals, a tour of the city, a trip up to Dandenong Ranges & Cloudhill Gardens! I just adore them and feel so blessed that our paths have crossed! 

    Another great surprise in Melbourne is that my dad's cousin from Washington D.C. (Deirdre) happened to be here in Melbourne this past weekend with a few of her good friends. This gave us an opportunity to hangout, explore the city together, and get to know one another--we enjoyed a funky little tapas restuarant down one of the alley ways I mentioned. We also toured the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds) where we had the most adorable tour guide, Ken, who has requested that we post him copies of the pictures we took with him! We went to the sports museum since Melbourne considers themselves the sports capital of the country. We spent the day at the Australian Open--saw some great matches! I had been to the Open a few days earlier and got to see Andy Murray from center court. I was expecting a quiet restrained, golf-clapping, crowd but instead felt like I was at a football match!--painted faces, flags waving, cheer wars from each side of the court--it was unreal! Last night we took the trip to Phillip Island for the penguin parade. This was something that I almost didn't do but in the end am so glad I did. The penguins wait until the sun is down and slowly, make their way out of the water, quickly across the beach and safely into their burrows along the hill. They were adorable and the entire process of their daily ritual was really a phenomenal thing to witness.

    All in all I think the first week in Melbourne is definitely one for the books! I'm just glad that I have 2 more weeks here!  

  • Sydney! by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201111:45:49 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    ?


    "Ta" is what I've heard many Aussies say in lieu of both "thank you" and "goodbye." It seems most appropriate to use it now in my last blog from Sydney. I can't believe it's been over five months since I first arrived completely clueless and lost in Chinatown! Although I'd like to think I've come a long way-- mastering the ins and outs of city life-- alas this is just not the case. Though I may no longer be quite as clueless, I am still quite often lost--but then that still happens to me in New Orleans so what should I expect?!

    Christmas and New Years were both very bittersweet days. I hosted Christmas dinner, thanks to the "resort style" accommodations I've had housesitting. I don't think any of us felt as though it was really Christmas but we played along and cooked our favorite dishes from home, drank our favorite concoctions, and took turns skyping family/friends back home all throughout the day and some of us into the night--depending on what time zone we were from! The weather was gorgeous, though a bit hot, but we waited out the sun and ate our "orphan backpackers'" meal outside in the yard and later exchanged our secret santa gifts. It's funny the things you exchange as travelers. Nothing too expensive or lavish--as it will likely be broken, stolen or lost before you return home and even more so no one can afford it anyway!; also, nothing to big, bulky, or heavy--as we all considered that these gifts will end up being carried on our backs for lengthy periods of time or being weighed in an airport and we don't want to be responsible for a friend's overweight charges do we?! And so all the gifts were thoughtful--practical, edible, or small-which was just perfect! :)                                       
                                                                         

    New Years Eve was spent on working on the Sydney Harbour Cruise. The ship carries close to 600 passengers--300 on each level or "deck." I was on the "Show Deck" which is the bottom deck. Upon being assigned this spot, I had decided that I would be quite happy peering at the fireworks through the windows or at best seeing them from off the back of the boat. We served champagne, appetizers, main course and then watched as the entire "deck" cleared for the early 9pm fireworks display. They all went to the top of the ship to watch from what is clearly the best view. Having no patrons, allowed the staff to catch the display from the back of the boat and it was really something to see. We got back to our places as patrons made their way back down for more cocktails, dessert, and dancing before the big show at midnight. Around 11:30 my deck captain called me aside and asked me to bring my friend with some trays. I was sure she was going to put us to work while the more senior staff got to watch the "Sydney Fireworks Dislay" that everyone worldwide watches. Instead, she told us to go to the top of the ship and not to return until after midnight and to clear any glasses we found astray. We were giddy and rightfully so. The show from the Harbour Bridge is something magical to see! HAPPY 2011 everyone!

    With 2011 came the end of an era, the "Laverne & Shirley tour OZ era" to be exact. Yes, the Bould sisters took off on their final travels before leaving Australia and heading back home to England. We met them for a meal and saw them off at the train station. It was much more emotional than I had anticipated, but thus is the life of travellers. Everyone has to head home eventually. Now it's just all the more reason to plan a trip to the UK or them to New Orleans (or both)! Great times, lots of laughs, & plenty of memories!--it's been a blast and I can't imagine my life in Sydney without Bould at my side...literally, right next to me morning, noon, and night! haha

    I finally gave driving a try, but I made sure I had a qualified co-pilot, Juni. Juni doesn't hold a license even in her own country but I was sure she was the right person to guide me to our destination--"Petbarn" --to get Jaffa's food. I was right--she was a lifesaver. Poor Juni would tell me "okay, we're clear" and I would keep looking the other direction, though she kept reminding me NO ONE is coming from that way. I also found myself hugging the curb, forgetting there was an entire half of the car between me and the curb, so there were a few close calls! In the end we made it to and from petbarn with a pitstop at the petrol station unharmed.

    I was sure to make the most of my last weekend in Sydney. We took the 2 hour train ride north to the Blue Mountains. The train looked like it was straight from the 1970s with pale green interior and carpeted walls. We also felt like we traveled back in time a bit when we arrived in Katoomba--a slow paced small town in no hurry to catch up with the rest of the world. We absolutely loved it! The mountains were absolutely gorgeous. We were warned by our no-nonsense bus driver, Peter, that we needed to be careful hiking as there had already been a few "casualties" that morning. Not exactly the thing you want to hear but we didn't let that deter us from exploring as much of each trail as we could. The weather held up for us as well which was an added bonus. We mixed it up as well between touristy stops and going off the beaten path which really heightened the experience! We became a bit obsessed with the steepest inclined railway in the world and rode it up and down about 4 times! 

    I saved the best for last--referring to both the blog and my life in Sydney--by going to the Fish Market on my last day. How I missed this beforehand I'm not sure, but oh I was so happy to have discovered it alas! The seafood was so fresh (and not pricey either so we splurged on everything!). James and Wendi had said that James' mom recommended they try some sort of bugs--I was almost giddy thinking they were talking about mudbugs (crawfish). Much to my disappointment there were no mudbugs in sight, but my eyes, and tastebuds were opened to the brilliancy called Moreton Bay Bugs---mmm! They look like lobsters with flattened heads and have crab-like legs underneath. They were divine! We didn't stop there either. We had boiled prawns (shrimp), sashimi--tuna, salmon, and octopus, chargrilled oysters, fresh oysters--sydney rock & pacific....don't judge!:) It was a true feast of a day and I couldn't think of a better way to end my time in Sydney. 

    Melbourne is where the next adventure lies and I can't wait to begin! Australian Open, cafe's, art galleries, street markets, & shopping all await me! 

  • Memories in the Making by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/201110:11:18 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work


    It's incredible how quickly time is going by and yet at the same time it feels as though I've been living here forever! This entire experience has been incredible from the exotic wildlife, festivals, and beaches to the sometimes foreign English language! All of this has been made better by the fantastic group of friends I've made in my short time here. It's been about a month since I've updated my blog (as some of you have kindly pointed out to me);) so I'll just update you on what I've been up to in the past few weeks.
     


    A few weeks ago one of my many English friends, Ceri, from work told me about Rhys Darby performing in a local suburb. He plays the manager, Murray, in Flight of the Conchords and is absolutely hysterical. Being the poor low-budget travellers that we are, we went back and forth as to whether or not to splurge on the tickets. We decided to be rational and resigned to putting our funds toward future travels, until Ceri's boyfriend got her tickets for her birthday. That was all the rest of us needed to immediately log online and order tickets!...the show was definitely worth it! I had never been to a live stand up comedy show and now I'm sure they will pale in comparison as he had us in stitches from start to finish. The best part was getting to meet him after the show. It was a moment that you wait for, hoping you'll get to meet him and say something brilliant and memorable, but when the time actually came I was just all smiles with a stuttering "you were great, so great!" WHAT?! ah well, I've never been known for my coolness! haha 

    A new experience that I was very excited about was getting the opportunity to play the part of an extra in a short film, "Second Face." It's a story about a guy and a girl who go online after being fed up with the dating scene and each pose as the opposite sex. The twist is that they are both confessing what they've done to their friends in the same coffee shop only to run into...(spoiler alert!) ;) Anyway, I had to quickly overcome my giddy"ness" each time I heard "action!" and focus on my role. That role being spending the day in a coffee shop pretending to chat with complete strangers who I believe to have convincingly portrayed to be my closest of friends. As if just being on a real live "set" wasn't good enough, we ate cake all day long, take after take after cake, err take. It was a day I will never forget, as now permanently added to my hips! 
     


    Onto the races...the race that stops the nation to be exact. So I took a day off from the phones to work as a bartender at one of the biggest events in Australia--the Melbourne Cup. This is similar to our Kentucky Derby but consists of races held all over the country and literally the whole country stops work to watch the races. It was so great to be a part of such a massive event. To be honest I was more intrigued by the hats and fashion being paraded on the lawn than I was by the racing! I made an attempt to place bets prior to race day but due to mine and Sarah's inability to work the OTB machine, race day passed without our money on any horses. Oh, and Americain was the winner of the day!

    I went to my first show (aka the movies, aka cinema) in Sydney and it was quite an experience. Tickets to the show are $20 and that's before you get your popcorn and icee! The interesting thing is that you reserve seats like you would at a concert so you can ensure the perfect seat and still walk in right before the previews and not have to crane your neck from the leftover seats in the very front row. Once you get inside the theater you completely forget about what you've paid because it is as though you have your very own recliner with arm rests...so very nice! It's probably a good thing that tickets are pricey because my love for going to the show could get the better of me here in Oz and I'd have nothing to blog about but movie reviews!
     


    An interesting event that we just attended was the Redbull Flugtag annual competition. This is where anyone that wants to can register to build a flying contraption and compete to see whose creation will fly the furthest off the platform into the Harbour. Although there were a number of really elaborate designs and coordinating costumes, I don't think there were many engineers in the group of contestants! Most of them just dropped off the edge with the teams jumping off the ledge behind it. There was an obvious winner whose design resembled that of a hand glider...ingenious concept! ha Needless to say it was a good day and the sun was finally out. I will never underestimate the Aussie sunshine again though, as I got a pretty good sunburn after only a few hours. Lesson learned!
     


     


    One of the more difficult parts of meeting all of these wonderful traveling friends is that we all move in our different directions sooner or later. We had to say goodbye to Ceri and Mark just last week as they set off on the tail end of their trip before heading back to England. We sent them off in style properly with a good night of food and drink and made Ceri's night with a book of crossword puzzles all to herself that didn't have American answers like the book she had to share with me! haha Ceri also gave us each a Christmas ornament to place on our orphan Christmas tree to remember her by. We will miss y'all! xo
     


    On a lighter note, we celebrated Sarah's 30th birthday 80's style! I was a bit concerned that not everyone who saw us realized that we were actually costumed. Maybe it shows their accepting, nonjudgemental culture or maybe it is a sign of poor fashion sense...but who am I to judge?! Regardless, we had a blast and didn't just leave it at the outfits, we brought back the Roger Rabbit and any other horrific dance moves we could muster. Good times were had by all!
     


    And to save the absolute best for last, and to share what is a bit of a confession. I have become a bit obsessed with the reality talent show that is X-factor here in Australia...not only do I have a crush on one of the hosts, Boyzone singer Ronan Keating, but am absolutely crazy about one of the contestants, Altiyan Childs. I'm convinced we'll all be saying "we knew him when..." one day in the near future. Well, with my partners in crime (and fellow X-Factor addicts), Liam and Sarah, we made the hour long trek across town to see Altiyan perform live in his hometown before the grand finale. We were relieved to see that we weren't the only crazy adults so we weren't surrounded by only teeny-boppers, though there was a close call between Sarah and a determined 10 year old in an altercation about getting to the stage..thankfully it didn't get too ugly! We're all still a little starstruck and are planning a party for the grand finale!---It sounds a bit sad when you put it in writing, but it's 'what's on!' so I must report honestly, despite my dignity. :)

    Hoping for some good beach weather this weekend and then preparing for my Thanksgiving away from home. I'm in charge of Thursday's dinner with my non-American family after work--will do my best. Then on Saturday I've been invited to celebrate with some American families from church at one of their homes so that should be really nice. Between the warm weather & no family around it won't feel much like Thanksgiving, but I'm also more aware than ever before that I have plenty to be thankful for.  

  • Q&A about Cultural Embrace's Work Australia Program by Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/8/20119:50:40 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Hey hey guys! I'm very excited for everyone's interest in Cultural Embrace's Work and Travel Program, as my W&T experience was absolutely incredible, and urge each of you to boldly go after what draws you. Dive into every opportunity to broaden your perspectives, challenge yourself with unknown territories and live adventurously. You won't regret it!
     
     

     

    My experience was awe-inspiring, and I'm still wholeheartedly living its effects. Miriam Beard explains it best, "Traveling is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."
     
     This final blog is a (Q&A) of commonly received questions and concerns and my best advice and explanations to provide an overview of my experience. Just a tip before we get into it: As I've said, backpacking/traveling is regularly a fine line between a plan and a few ideas that might sort themselves out, so don't get too hung up in trying to plan every move. Your plans are likely to scatter and change with the people you meet, travel and job opportunities, expenses, and just generally blowing with the wind... so keep an open mind for adventure's sake.

    And we're off...
     
    Program Details:
     
    Q. So, the program fee, is it worth it?
    A. Only you can decide if the fee is "worth it." If you have a fully scoped understanding of how much of the Cultural Embrace program's support services you would take advantage of, you can better assess whether or not it's right for you. After considering all of the services (listed in this final blog just below and also on http://www.culturalembrace.com/5772939_24622.htmunder 'Introduction' and 'Program Details and Highlights'), weigh them against the cost of the program fee.
     
    Q. What support services does Cultural Embrace's program, including their in-country partner company, offer?
    A. Let me see here...

    • Working Holiday Visa assistance
    • General inquiry assistance (housing, city/area advice, etc.)
    • YHA (hostel) discounts and three days of hostel accommodation including breakfast
    • One month free luggage storage
    • Private mailbox in the partner company's Sydney office with mail forwarding available anywhere in Australia
    • Job assistance (the big one) through the partner company's in-house placement team
    • Weekly emails with exclusive job opportunities throughout Australia
    • Partner company's in-house travel agency which offers exclusive travel deals
    • Airport pickup
    • 24/7 Emergency Assistance
    • Fifteen partner company locations across Australia with free Internet access, both wireless and on their provided computers (also, the constant in-office traveler/backpacker presence in each location allows you to continually meet people who need roommates, travel mates, etc.)
    • Cell phone setup: provided SIM card and also device purchase opportunity
    • General orientation in the partner company's Sydney office covering state laws (each of the states, including Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, and the three territories, Northern Territory, Jervis Bay Territory and Australia Capitol Territory, have their own parliament and laws- including vocation certification laws), transportation tips (buying a car vs. public transport), destination overviews, safety tips, casual work information, tax information, superannuation information, general information, etc. - pretty much everything you would expect and then some.
    • Tax File Number and Bank account set-up with Westpac Bank, which seems to have an ATM and branch on every corner. Also good to note, Westpac Bank is part of Bank of America's global alliance, which means you can access your Bank of America account via BOA debit card at Westpac ATMs without the $5-$8 overseas account withdraw fee. (Excellent!)
     
    Work:
     
    Q. How much aid does Cultural Embrace's in-country placement team offer in the job hunt?
    A. The amount of aide the placement team extends in your job hunt is really up to you. Although they cannot guarantee you a job, they do offer plenty of resources to find employment throughout Australia.
    The placement team is available to aid you in resume, interview and field certification preparations, and provides you with access to an exclusive job database where you're able to fill out a profile/resume section for easy online application (similar to the process on funjobs.com and careerbuilder.com). The placement team also sends out weekly emails with lists of job openings (mostly resort, hospitality and farm work positions) located all over the country.


    Key: Every job Cultural Embrace's placement team offers up- through emails, database, etc.- are exclusive to those who use their services. As you can imagine, this exclusivity can be a huge advantage.
     
    Q. What kinds of jobs are available?
    A. Working Holiday Visa only allows it's holders/travelers to work in positions for up to six months without sponsorship... and because most companies are not looking to sponsor travelers, your job options can be limited. The majority of jobs travelers hold are in the casual work and hospitality fields- bartending, wait-staff, resort work (hosting, cooking, cleaning etc.), temp work, construction, retail, and promotional work.
     
    But of course, there are cases where you meet somebody who knows somebody who can put in a good word for a position outside of casual work, or you score an interview based on your ridiculous amount of experience and expertise in a field. I did have a few traveler friends who held jobs outside of casual work- one worked in public relations, one was a pharmacists assistant, another a nurse and another an architect assistant- and each had exceptional and verifiable work experience.
     
    So, depending on your experience and expertise you may be able to find something in a non-casual work field, but again, you'll find most of the opportunities available to you lay in casual work and hospitality.
     
    ** Certification courses are compulsory for any position requiring you to be around alcohol and/or gambling, or public service jobs (such as construction assistant or flagger jobs... which pay VERY well.) Certification course prices vary per certification and per state, however when you file for your taxes upon your return to The States you will most likely receive the cost of the course(s) back.
     
    Q. How fast did you find work?
    A. The amount of time it takes to find a job depends on the season, the city and what you're looking for... just as it is at home in the casual work field. Holiday seasons require more hospitality and casual workers, which is great, but it's important to apply and be ready for work while hiring is prime. The closer you get the holidays the fewer the jobs as employers have filled their positions. Mid-November would be a good time to have found a job in preparing for the Christmas/New Years season... jobs will start to open back up after New Years when Uni kids are going back to school and travelers/backpackers are heading out. Again, it's just as it is at home, pay attention to the types of jobs the city supports and keep your ears open.
     
    I found my Surf Camp Aus job, my first job, through connections pretty quickly, and was working about two weeks after my arrival. My bartending job, my second and last job, took me around three weeks to find, mainly because it was so close to the holidays. If you're looking, and it's a good time for hiring (or just not a bad time), you shouldn't have a problem finding work within a couple of weeks or less.
     
    Q. How do employers feel about employing travelers?
    A. As far as casual work and hospitality goes, high turnover rates are typical, and it's my experience employers see hiring travelers as "fitting the bill." Occasionally you will run into retail stores desiring longer-term workers and that won't hire visa-holders, but it's pretty rare.
     
    Q. Can I expect to be paid enough to save up for travel?
    A. Depending on where and how often you work, and your cost of living, you may very well end up with some savings for travel. If your paycheck is reasonable -more than balancing out your weekly rent, bus/train passes, etc.- and you're not spending every extra dime going out, then it's likely you will have enough to save for a bit of traveling. I saved a pretty decent amount of my working money to travel, but I also ate bean paste on bread and oatmeal for months, slept in cars on road trips and finagled beers from fellow friendly beach-bums instead of going out in the city as often.  It's definitely doable if you're committed to putting money back. J
     
    Q. I want to find a job that will help further my career, and not just work in non-technical/ casual work fields, is this possible?
    A. Refer to 'Q. What kinds of jobs are available?'
     
    Hostels/Housing:
     
    Hostel Overview: As far as meeting people goes, hostels are great accommodation because you're living in a room with one...five...eleven other travelers (except in skandy places where they offer rooms with twenty+ travelers... always interesting) and it's impossible not to strike a connection with someone around.
     
    There are hostels around every corner in most of Aus, with a range of prices and amenities, some with in-house bars and clubs and others with a kickin' it vibe and awesome beach access, small ones and huge ones, nice ones and the occasional dirty one... bla bla but most are a good time and provide an affordable and clean place to sleep. Out of all the hostels in the country I jumped around to, there were only two I remember seriously despising- one in Sydney, and one in Melbourne... both were overpriced, dirty and seemed to collect serious agro wankers...  aggravated jerks...- it happens, but it's definitely uncommon to find yourself uncomfortable after checking in. 
     
    You can check out: http://www.hostelworld.com/ for hostel ideas, reviews, prices, amenities, locations, availabilities, contact info and online booking. This is a great website, but always check around with other travelers for suggestions!
     
    Big Tip: If you're looking for accommodation around the holidays in Sydney especially, think of your housing situation as you would the job scenario I explained-- Try to find accommodation by mid-November (and I highly suggest pre-booking/pre-arranging accommodation if you are planning to show up smack in the middle of the season/December to early January).There are a million extra people in Sydney around New Years time, and a huge number of them are travelers looking for accommodation just as you are. (Sydney is the place to be around and on New Years... top-notch music festivals and shows are almost weekly events, busy beaches and raging nightlife... people from all over the world flock here for good reason.)
     
    Hostels will book up quickly, and cheap/affordable more permanent accommodation has mostly the same story. For example, some hostels, specifically in Bondi and Coogee areas of Sydney, will have been completely booked since the winter (June/July/August) or earlier for most of December and January... it's crazy. I definitely knew a few people who had to find floors of more settled or sneaky hostel-staying friends to sleep on for weeks and others who had to leave the city because there wasn't any available accommodation... Don't make that mistake!
     
    Q. What can I expect to pay for hostels?
    A. For shared rooms you're looking at anywhere between $18-$40, depending on the number of roommates, city, location and amenities. Check out the hostel world site listed above, and or your Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, etc. for specific price examples.
     
    Q. What kind of housing can I expect to find if I choose to stay and work in one place?
    A. The housing options are pretty well ranged. You can find places with one month leases up to one year leases, with weekly rent from around $100 AU to the sky's the limit, share houses to typical apartments or condos, shared room or singles accommodation, and on and on. (Accommodation rents vary depending on the city and area of the city you're looking to live.) 
     
    For Sydney you can check out: http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/ (It's an awesome site, much like craigslist and has some of everything- including housing and even a few job leads.)
     
    Other hostel quick tips: Lockboxes will quickly become your best friend -check for this asset wherever you plan on booking. Also, do your best to research hostels before putting your card down to reserve several nights. Hostels typically won't refund your one or two-night deposit if you're unhappy with the accommodation upon arrival/change your plans after the 24-hour cancelation deadline.
     
    Travel:
     
    Q. How much should I save up before I head out to work and travel Australia?
    A. Along with proof of diploma to qualify for the Working Holiday Visa, the Australian Department of Immigration can ask for proof of financials showing a specified minimum amount. (I believe I was required to show an amount somewhere around $1,000.) Although the department may not ask for financial proof during your visa application process, it's a good idea to have it for customs agents upon your arrival in Aus just in case. 
     
    Aside from this, the more you save up the longer you can adventure or just hang before working. Again, depending on your lifestyle you can easily blow through a huge sum pretty quickly (especially that first month because you'll want to be exploring and out and about every day and maybe night) even if you're a seasoned traveler practiced in doing things on the cheap.
     
    Quick Tips: Use the kitchen, walk when you can to save your bus pass, and remember taxis are for divas, oatmeal is your friend and goon (extremely cheap Australian box wine) is usually only your enemy in large quantities.
     
    Q. Do most people save up for traveling before they leave for or after they've gotten to Australia?
    A. It goes both ways. It seems every other country in the world recognizes living out of a backpack for a year as a right of passage, so, some travelers have been saving for years for their great adventure (but virtually always plan to hit several countries), and most still work to make extra cash. Others, like myself, who decide to travel only a few months before departing, save as much as they can before heading off and pick up work ASAP upon arrival to save for traveling.
     
    Q. Is it pretty easy and affordable to travel within Australia?
    A. Here's a list of great affordable means of travel... not including hitchhiking which is unsurprisingly very popular: 

    • Cheap in-country flights- most one-way city-to-city flights from southern Australia, along the east coast, to the Northern Territory range from $39AU to $140AU if you plan at least a month ahead. (Flights to and along the west coast are a bit more expensive as the west coast is farther away from hubs like Sydney and Melbourne and has only a few airports. Check out:http://www.jetstar.com/gx/en/index.aspx - awesome airline.
    • Public rail transport is about the same cost as flight prices a month or so ahead of departure dates. (Trains that offer accommodation, amenities, tour guide-like services etc. will obviously be much more expensive.)
    • Greyhound Australia has affordable city-to-city and multiple-city passes, as do companies such as OZ Experience, which offer the hop on hop off bus experience.
    • Hiring camper vans such as Spaceships with friends is also a cheap route if you split rental and gas costs.
    • Purchasing cars can end up being affordable if you can resell it at the end of your use and you typically split gas costs with travel mates.
     
    I flew, used public buses and the Experience company, took rail transport and road-tripped in friend's cars and hired vehicles. With my experience, I don't suggest hiring vehicles unless it's a camper van and you're splitting costs with at least two friends, but aside from that note all means of transportation were pretty equally affordable in the end.
     
    Also, Cultural Embrace's in-country partner company has an in-office travel agency, which offers exclusive travel deals and trip discounts. Although I didn't use the agency as I usually booked my travel and trips last minute or went along with friend's plans already in action, I knew several people who took advantage of the in-house travel agency and got some excellent deals on sailing in the Whitsundays, dive trips up north near the Great Barrier Reef, trips to the Outback and on.
     
    Q. How easy is it to travel to other countries from Australia? Is my Australian Working Holiday Visa limiting?
    A. Mixing travel through Australia with trips to nearby countries is easier, cheaper and more convenient than I anticipated.
     
    Your Working Holiday Visa allows you to escape and re-enter Australia as you please, so it's pretty easy to globe trot a bit and come back and work when you run out of money. Some causal work positions across Australia even provide you with holiday pay, which means you can earn a set hourly rate while you do a bit of traveling = excellent.
     
    Looking just a couple of months ahead of desired departure dates, I've seen round trip flights from Sydney as low as $140AU to New Zealand, $400AU to Fiji, and $600 Bali (about $250AU cheaper if you go from Darwin)- Thailand, Japan and Papa New Guinea are reasonable as well. Again check out:http://www.jetstar.com/gx/en/index.aspx
     
    So, while you're in Aus working and saving, or working to make rent saving your savings, traveling Australia is just the tip of the roving opportunities in this part of the globe. Take FULL advantage of being in an excellent location/hub and venture out!! It's absolutely one of the best pieces of advice I could give you.
     
    I hope this clears up some of your questions and concerns about Cultural Embrace's Work and Travel Australia program, and the general adventuring Australia experience. But please continue to feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments. It's always great to hear from you guys! 

  • What's On?! by Work in Australia Participant Amy Riehlmann

    6/8/20119:39:54 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    I was beginning to think that Aussies were obsessed with their television programs as there are "What's On" billboards, signs, magazines, and websites everywhere you turn. Alas, it is actually their way of saying "what's going on?!"--And there is plenty!!! Although there is more of a "fall" feeling in the air, the springtime festivals are in full swing. Brazilian festival, Latin Festival, Jazz Festival, Art and About Sydney, and my favorite so far..The International Food Festival! The festivals began over the long Labor Day weekend, which is in October here.

    The Latin festival was dampened by the relentless rain over in Darling Harbour but it wasn't stopping the music and dancing taking place around each corner. We wandered from booth to booth and stage to stage in the rain, soaking it all in....quite literally! After awhile we decided to head for cover and went into the nearby shopping center where Sarah and I were lured into EVERY souveneir shop (probably close to 8 total, I'm embarrassed to admit) but we held strong and didn't make any cheesy touristy purchases....not yet anyway! Though I think there are Australian hoodies in our future! haha

    I couldn't wait to check out both Manly beach and the Jazz Festival and I got to do both at once. I wasn't let down by either! The Jazz Fest was quite impressive with about 5 different stages set up along the beach and some really talented performers! I found a way to volunteer handing out programs and got a free t-shirt!--I'm such a sucker for free t-shirts! Sarah and I both plan on making plenty more trips to the beach as soon as the weather warms up! We were delighted to discover that it was much closer than we expected it to be....just waiting on that sun to show itself!

    Sydney's Art and About takes place throughout the month of October, as does the International Food Fest. There are massive photographs that are hanging down the main walkway of Hyde Park and they are truly amazing. Another feature of the month long art exhibits is that local artists have clothed some of the most historical statues located around the city. Last weekend I thought I had lost my mind when I noticed the Queen Victoria statue clothed in bright royal blue and red clothing. I couldn't remember for the life of me if she had always been clothed, and thought it might be some kind of fashion week gimmick. I am now on a quest to locate all of the other robed statues throughout the city. Another really cool piece of work is the Bike-Bike. It is actually a bike made up of bikes. I saw it up close for the first time last night and it's really something to see! This coming weekend there is a tour of galleries throughout the city of approximately 92 different artists and this is not even the half of it. There are so many events happening all over I can't even keep up with them!

     

    Bike-Bike

    Queen Victoria Statue



    And finally, one of the most beautiful things about Sydney is October is the International Food Festival. Again, there is more taking place than I am probably even aware of but I'm enjoying as much as possible while it's on! There were wine/cheese markets down at the Rocks last weekend. To top off the day there was a local bar celebrating its 3rd anniversary with a pirate party so one of my friends from work and his friends invited me to tag-a-long for the festivities. Definitely a good time and met some great new friends! The next two weeks will be Noodle Markets in Hyde Park with loads of booths set up from all of the local restaurants serving the favorites of Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Turkish, etc. cuisine. There is live music, and entertainment taking place throughout the evening and is right next to the photo exhibition through the park. Such a good time! I went for the first time last night and definitely plan to visit again before it's all over with! The picture above is on all of the signs, and they actually created flags for each of the countries represented in the food festival---just in case you're curious (and my OCS people out there will appreciate this more than most) the stripes on the US flag are hotdogs! We are a nation of delectible tastes!

    Flags Made from Food from Each Country

    Noodle Market


    So this is what has been keeping me busy! Please forgive the length of time between blogs. Hope all is well! 

     

  • Stateside and Plotting my Next Escape by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/7/201111:52:15 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    August 19, 2010
     
    How’s it goin’ Cultural Embracers?
    I’ve officially been back home in The States for what feels like FOREVER… a month if we’re being literal. Having been used to thirty day fly-bys packed with explorations through a new city or country, trying to find a job that both rationalizes my overpriced education and will allow my passions to flourish is making time run extremely slowly, and me a bit frustrated.
    It IS still maddening being in a less-adventurous routine again, trying to figure out my next moves, jobs, potential career paths, and generally attempting to get my footing back in the city I grew up in, but it’s also wonderful and exciting in that absolutely anything and everything is possible. One concept I’ve taken from traveling is there is so much to do, see and experience and it’s really just about choosing a direction and going for it. The trick now will be actually choosing that one direction to take off in.
    I’ve been following my own advice to the extreme and have been in constant contact with my “found family” and others from my travels who keep me inspired and amused, and it’s definitely helping keep my mind and eyes open. The problem might be that all this rousing-connecting may be feeding my growing collection of must-follow passions instead of prompting me to choose and conquer. I swear I’ve been a lightening rod for bazaar and seemingly non-lucrative occupational ideas.
    But back to my back-at-home situation… it is tough to keep up the excitement for life and all its possibilities when you’re experiencing déjà vu more often than you are rejuvenation. So I’ve been doing things everyday to remind myself that I’m writing my story, and I need to be constantly be making steps towards writing the one I want to live. Before I came home I knew I’d be crashing at my mom’s house for the most part until I got my footing again. (And as you can imagine or even relate, living at home after having your own place and space can be a bit draining on your enthusiasm for life.) So, while I’m home I’ve decided to tend my mother’s garden, and as cheesy as it sounds, watching it grow and bloom under my care has kept me motivated to continue building great things for myself and has kept me in touch with the daily and big picture I’m striving for. Quoting Aristotle, “The soul never thinks without a picture,” and honestly, holding my picture at the forefront of my every day has been an excellent recent life choice.
    So I encourage those of you who are just returning from your travels to find something that stimulates the part of you that drives your passions and experience it everyday. I also encourage you to continue to recognize the changes in yourself you’re probably noticing having thrust yourself back into a familiar and probably unchanged environment. The same old familiar routine may not be as satisfying anymore- which is both a jolting and wonderful realization - so continue to explore your surroundings and find new outlets. I suppose The North Face says it best… just simply, “Never Stop Exploring.”
    Thanks so much once again for reading my blog, and continue to feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments. I’ll be back on here shortly with my final blog- an all-encompassing representation of the Questions & Answers exchanged between you guys and myself from the last year about Cultural Embrace’s Work and Travel Australia program. 

  • Tips for Reverse Culture Shock by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/7/201111:50:08 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work


    August 2, 2010


    Hello Cultural Embracers, coming to you stateside and finally de-jet lagged.


    Anyone who has ever traveled to a destination that truly speaks to him, or has tasted a particularly spectacular way of living can warn you that returning home or to a less-than-adventurous lifestyle can be a difficult transition. However, I’m finding out no amount of shared peer experiences or strategies for smoothly reacquainting yourself with the world you’ve temporarily left can fully prepare you for the reintroduction, for culture shock from your own home base, for the personal separations you’re enduring… but a few tips on readjusting certainly have helped. It sounds pretty dramatic but it’s a common reality, and I promise I’m not just “being a chick” as I’ve been rightly accused in the past. But as these struggles exist even as I write this, the lingering feeling of first hugs from family and friends I hadn’t seen in eight+ months helps me to remember where my heart has always been, even if I’ve invested pieces of it in places and people overseas.


    So, as far as my goodbyes went…


    The reality: My last thirty-six hours abroad were more emotional than I could have anticipated, and no amount of “its understandable” from family over the phone soothed my semi-panic state. Let’s be honest here, I cried my entire over-night flight from Bali to Melbourne, probably making everyone around me extremely uncomfortable, and picked up the tears again upon my connecting flight landing back in Sydney. I was a mess. I’d been scheduled for a few weeks by then to depart from my Aussie travels back to The States from Sydney the day after returning from Bali, and although the departure was expected and I predicted mixed emotions from saying bye to friends, heading back to “reality” and excitement in getting to hug my family for the first time in forever, I didn’t account for the major blow: leaving the actual life itself I’d built and lived behind! Missing my new friends, my found family- a reality shared by most backpackers who’ve stayed in one place for long enough to form strong bonds, however long that may be- was just part of what I was facing. These people, this family, were a part of the life I’d built for myself while abroad- a major part of the beautiful whole- and I was about to leave it, knowing it would never be the same perfect again. Devo.


    But as I should have expected, upon my arrival back into Sydney this amazing found family of mine refused to let me dwell on my leaving, and prompted a new brilliant light I remind myself of everyday: the next chapter I’m moving on to write has every potential to be just as beautiful in its own way, and although we’ll all be moving on soon, we can use this chapter as a leaping stone (way better than a stepping stone) for the next.


    I spent my last day in Sydney tying loose ends with taxes and bank accounts and my last evening soaking in the good people I was saying my “see ya laters” to in a matter of hours. The farewell shenanigans were perfect, but I did burst into tears all over the place at least once, which a girlfriend immediately followed with “Jennifer, am I going to have to slap you?”…. Sometimes you just need it. Quite a balanced closure I’d say.J


    But now I’m home, and thus I begin my next adventure. It’s a time of reminiscing, taking in family and other ties to home, following advice and continuing to live my “new self.” 


    I’ve only just made it home, but a few tips I can give so far to help better balance the arrival process:


    1. Take advantage of every support source you have access to! 1. Your family and friends can be a wonderful comfort and a constant reminder of the best parts of the life you’re returning to 2. Cultural Embrace and its past participants who have been where you are, and 3. the people you’ve just said your see-ya-laters to, a number of them have probably endured this process before.


    2. Gorge wisely. Common longings Americans in Australia share are for Mexican food, orange cheese, Goldfish and any other treat with fructose corn syrup (because fructose corn syrup is mostly absent in Australia and surrounding countries, making some foods a little less flavour-full to a pallet used to it), and home cooking. Having been away from all of these foods and eating mostly oatmeal, beans and rice for eight+ months, my stomach took a brutal beating to my initial face-stuffing. Incorporate slowly!


    3. Remind yourself through photos, keeping in touch with people from your travels and other treasures from your journey of your amazing experience and the courage it took to step out of the ordinary and into something unpredictable. You’ve just experienced something most people only longingly consider. Bask in knowing that you did it, and you’re capable of accomplishing and overcoming anything, even culture shock in your own city.


    4. Throw yourself out there, notice the changes in yourself and embrace them. Friends and family keep telling me nothing’s changed, but still, everything seems different. I’ve grown a lot in my travels, and am proud of the transformations it’s provoked in me. Explore these changes in yourself and in your interests and the doors it may open, and begin to shape your next moves from there. Maybe you’ll end up finding a whole other side of your city or sides of friends or family you didn’t know before- sides you can further grow from.


     


    I’ll admit, I’m definitely currently plotting my next escape into uncharted territory, but being back home is proving to be quite a journey of it’s own. And I’m anxious to see where this one will lead me.


     


    I’ll be in touch to fill you in on any useful tactics and how the life of a returned Australian Work and Traveler is faring. And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments! 

  • On the road again! by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/3/20114:15:09 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    So this time, it's Sydney to Melbourne to Darwin to Bali, Indonesia… and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it or not, but for whatever reason, I have a really annoying knack for not planning/booking trips until I’m on a completely different one. This trip I booked (and recruited amongst friends for) while I was in New Zealand, and although it hasn’t completely backfired, it certainly could have used a bit more “outlining.”

    Melbourne was perfect; I absolutely could see myself working/ living there happily ever after, and I’m bummed I didn’t check it out before! It definitely has a more Austin-like vibe about it. It’s a laid back, beautiful city with fantastic museums, live music and theaters, great restaurants and shopping (which I plan to enjoy when I return when I’m not broke J) and enough of a beach to attract sun worshipers like myself. It is also so much cheaper and more pleasant getting around via public transportation than in Sydney. The only true downside to our time in Melbourne was the terrible hostel I booked after doing absolutely zero research and having to stick to it/in the one area of the city due to pre-paying. We stayed around St. Kilda, which is near one of my new favorite movie theaters of all time, The Palace, the beach and some great nightlife- all excellent- but we would have loved to stay closer to downtown one night…. And most definitely not in the hostel we’d booked for three nights. Watch out for putting your card down to reserve nights without researching the hostel WELL first… big mistake! But aside from the few of negatives of our trip, I loved Melbourne. It is absolutely somewhere I would check out for your Cultural Embrace Work and Travel Australia experience.

    From Melbourne we flew almost directly north to Darwin. Luckily, it was a pretty clear day so most of the way north we could see directly down into the outback. Red sand raked from wind gusts and dotted with the occasional green shrubbery flew underneath us for almost the entire four-hour flight. It was a pretty cool view. And even though looking at a deep red desert would normally cause thoughts of HOT weather, stepping out of the airport was still quite a shocker.

    Darwin is way hotter and more humid than I anticipated- it took us a few minutes before we could breath comfortably outside! It sounds dramatic, but honestly I felt dumb not realizing how intense the climate was going to be. But aside from the climate, we also had a few other unnecessary surprises. Although we were working with a pretty tight budget as my friend and I were heading to Indonesia from there, we’d planned on hitting Litchfield National Park and/or Kakadu National Park in the few days we had in Darwin. Unfortunately, the parks ended up being about a hundred dollars more expensive than we planned for. It turned out we were going to have to book day tours due to no access zones for rental cars and so we ended yp opting out of them. It was disappointing, but we made the three days we had in Darwin work for us. We stayed at a pretty decent hostel with a pool (which is more important than I could stress because 1. It’s extremely hot 2. Although you’re on the northern coast, the Northern Territory is known for salt-water crocodiles as well as box jelly fish depending on the season so the ocean may not be the best option), went to the rocky shore for some attempted crocodile watching and trekked it to a local beachside market. Overall Darwin was a pretty interesting place to spend a few days, but next time I head that way I will not be missing the national parks!

    One thing we do have to thank Darwin for is the travel pal we met heading out to Bali. Like I’ve mentioned before a billion times, it’s impossible not to meet fellow backpackers while you’re excursioning- and a lot of them will have a pretty similar travel plan as you. While we were in Darwin we ended up meeting a French backpacker who was actually on our flight heading to Bali, so, we picked him up for the first few days we were traveling. It is always great to meet people who’re as into chasing a full and beautiful life as you are.

    Bali is home to all-around beautiful people, amazing rice field and jungle hikes, gorgeous beach and volcano villages and Puras (temples) to visit and is now where my “future house” coin jar is directed. Also great to mention, our flight from Darwin to Bali was around $150 and it’s only a 2.5 hour flight- excellent. So if you’re planning to head up to Darwin, check out Jetstar’s flights to Indonesia, or other nearby countries of your interest, they have incredible deals!

    As I mentioned before, one of the best perks of Working and Traveling Australia is how cheap and easy it is to hop on an international flight for a few hours and be in another amazing country for as long as you have there. As a backpacker, Australia is a great hub from which to globe trot, and as this stent of traveling abroad is coming to an end for me, I can’t tell you how fulfilling it is being able to look back and know I took advantage of traveling to other destinations, especially since they weren’t in my original plans. My advice is to get out here and check out working in and traveling the amazing OZ, and hitting some neighboring countries in between. Leap out of the box, and explore as much as you can. 

  • Great Barrier Reef by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/3/20114:14:03 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Hello Cultural Embracers!

    As I assumed, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was beyond extraordinary. Even our photos, which do the Australian national park little justice, are unbelievable! As I mentioned before, my chances of getting to dive the Great Barrier Reef, one of my lifetime dreams, was up in the air as my sinuses had been malfunctioning (the ultimate no-go in diving) for the last few weeks I’d been traveling New Zealand. But fate was on my side and by game time I was cleared to do a shallow dive and snorkel for hours on end during our two-day stent on the water.

    Friends and I booked two separate boats for our trip, a snorkeling boat, which took us to the inner reef, and a dive boat, which took us to the outer reef. I suggest doing both!

    The inner reef has far shallower reef spots over a larger area, which means more opportunity to snorkel longer distances to do a bit of unleashed exploring. Only caution: currents can sometimes take you much farther from the boat than you’d realize before popping back up to relieve your face from your mask, so check with your vessels crew for the day’s (ocean) current conditions before jumping overboard. My friend and I only had to be saved once but the ten minutes it took for the snorkel boat’s zodiac to spot us seemed a lifetime of treading in the waves and wishing we’d opted for a life vest. J The inner reef is also is sprinkled with tiny sand islands with the most beautiful and giant seashells I’ve ever seen, which visitors, like myself, leave for others to enjoy or for waves to sweep back out onto the reef where they become a part of the natural reef-growth process. (Don’t forget the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is a national park, which means you’re not supposed to leave with souvenirs anyway.)

    The outer reef is made up of patches of shallow reef spots surrounded by endless distances of deep water, offering excellent snorkeling with more “untamed” sea life and epic diving - the best of both underwater worlds. Because of these surrounding deeper spots, there’s a much bigger range of larger fish and fish schools, turtles, and sometimes the occasional shark if you’re lucky, right around the reef’s edge. The snorkeling and dive boats come to these spots so often they’re able to introduce you, by given name, to most of the turtles and giant neon fish… however, sharks are a different story…

    Unfortunately, shark sightings on the Great Barrier Reef have endured a massive decline mainly because so many of them are killed by fisheries each year. (According to Oceana, the world’s largest international conservation organization standing for the protection and restoration of our oceans, humans kill around one hundred million sharks per year.) And because sharks have such slow reproductive and growth rates, many Great Barrier Reef species are in jeopardy of catastrophic collapse, which would be devastating to the marine ecosystem of the marine park…. generating overwhelming domino effects, obviously. If you head to the Sydney aquarium you can check out the Great Barrier Reef section which holds a dozen live shark species (including a 13-foot grey reef shark which is probably one of the most insane sharks I’ll ever see), but this mock version of the reef is likely the place you’ll see any of them.

    Back to it, a quick word to the wise: booking adventure trips through third-party agents are usually okay ways to go, but you’ll probably end up getting a much cheaper rate- and sometimes more reliable plans- if you book directly through the adventure company itself. Friends and I used the travel agent Wicked Travel, and are now on a running list of other Aus travelers whose trips have been compromised due to “casual mess-ups” by the company. Massive and expensive pain!

    But if you’re not much of an open water lover, there are still plenty of things to do in and around the reef’s main access regional city, Cairns (which is where most backpackers, including myself and friends, stay for reef adventuring/rainforest trekking on the upper east coast route). Very near-by destinations, including Cape Tribulation, Daintree, and Mission Beach, offer activities such as rainforest and national park explorations, canopy touring, excellent skydiving, sailing, parasailing, jet skiing, just plain beach sprawling, etc. and there are plenty of nightspots to curb your craving for pool, beach side or pub partying. The upper east coast is a fun place to be, and even though you’ll definitely meet way more foreign backpackers than Aussies, it’s almost impossible not to feel like you’re really in Australia out here.

    Head out to the upper east coast of Australia if you get the chance, it's definitely worth the trip. I cannot wait to make it back! 

  • Maggie Islands & Reasons to Come to OZ by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/3/20114:12:34 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    May 15, 2010

    Happy May fellow Adventure Seekers!

    Let me preface by saying I'm writing this entry on a computer I believe is legitimately from 1990... without spelling/grammar check or the working letter “B.” Awesome.

    Despite Sydney and the rest of south/south eastern Australia creeping into the fall to winter season, you wouldn’t believe it here on the northern east coast. In the mid 20’s to low 30’s Celsius (upper 70’s to upper 80’s Fahrenheit), the island is sun-soaked and warm with still vibrantly colored lush tropical vegetation. It turns out “Maggie Island’s” weather is much like spring year round. And having just spent an absolutely epic month in New Zealand bundled up in most of the north island (minus a few still warm gorgeous beach spots) and all of the south island (in the mountain and glacier towns, etc.), it’s nice to be bathing suit clad and toasting again.

    I originally came up north to complete a two-day scuba recertification course, followed by a road trip up to Cairns with friends for the greatly anticipated Great Barrier Reef dive and snorkel. Unfortunately, I’m “sinus sick” which is the ultimate no-go in diving so I’m S.O.L. for my full certification for now. But great news! Most dive boats on the Great Barrier Reef, including the one friends and I are booked on, don’t require PADI scuba dive certification, offering instead a small dive tutorial the day of. So if I’m all clear in time for our scuba/snorkeling trip, I will still be able to dive and roam free in one of the world’s most prized national parks. And even though I’m stuck on land on Magnetic Island (which, by the way, Magnetic Island is one of the top ten rated locations in the world to get PADI certified, definitely a bummer to miss) I still get to veg out on the beach and explore this tropical island teeming with parrots, wombats, the occasional koala and giant butterflies. Not too shabby!

    Changing gears a bit, I want to give you yet another reason to work and travel Australia, one I’ve recently becoming familiar with. While you’re down here working and saving, or working to make rent saving your savings, traveling Australia is just the tip of the roving opportunities in this part of the globe. Mixing Australia travel with trips to other nearby countries is easier, cheaper and more convenient than I would have thought. The Australian dollar is comparable to the US dollar, so you typically get a pretty good to great exchange rate for your earnings/savings, and travelling to surrounding countries is generally pretty affordable and a short plane ride away. Round trip flights to New Zealand, Fiji, Bali and even Hong Kong can be as cheep as $350, Thailand and Papa New Guinea are fairly reasonable as well. And because your Australian Work and Travel visa allows you to escape and re-enter Australia as you please, it’s pretty easy to globe trot a bit and come back and work when you run out of money J. Some causal work positions across Australia even provide you with holiday pay, which means you can earn a set hourly rate while you’re traveling. My bartending job in Sydney did! So after or in between your Australia experiences, hop on a plane for a few hours and go explore a neighboring country. Working and traveling Australia has about 20 million perks… the list just keeps getting bigger. So get out here!

    I’ll fill you in on how the Great Barrier Reef is- I’m sure I’ll be reporting nothing short of an unbelievable experience. 

  • Road-tripping through Tasmania by Work in Australia Participant Jennifer Campbell

    6/3/20114:08:41 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    March 18, 2010

    Hello all!

    Tasmania was absolutely amazing. Two of my good friends (and Tassie traveling buddies) and I had each been forewarned about a few of the off-beat qualities Tasmania is known for, such as the semi-crazed wildlife, “disconnected” people, general rough-edgedness, etc. and although I admit most of the descriptions turned our to be true, they only added to the experience and made the trip even more spectacularly memorable.

    Our Travel Map: Hobart, to Port Arthur and the Tasmanian Peninsula, to Wineglass and Coles Bay in Freycinet National Park, to Bicheno and St. Helens and the stretch of Bay of Fires beaches, to Cradle Mountain, back up to Launceston- with several beach and other beautiful middle-of-no-where pit spots along the way. A few highlights in my Tasmania scrapbook look something like this:

    1. Taking a ghost tour in Port Arthur, known as the most haunted spot in all of Australia, and camping out that evening only to keep each other up all night questioning shadows, creeping wildlife, and your standard bump in the night.
    2. Hiking to Wine Glass Bay, digging my feet into the sand feeling for shells for my little siblings back at home whom I promised a small piece of Tasmania while watching the rain roll in.
    3. Taking in a fifteen-mile stretch of empty bleach white beach with water such an unreal glowing turquoise it took my breath away.
    4. Standing on one of the closest points in the world to Antarctica and wondering if (or when :) ) I’ll make it there. (Did you know there are actually people who will pay thousands of dollars to fly to Antarctica---12 hour flight from Aus--- only to circle over it for four hours and return home without ever actually landing… what happens if you have an aisle seat?... hah, a bit ridiculous I say.)
    5.  Driving cliff side to the top of Cradle Mountain through flourishing forestry next to gorgeous canyons, making stops along the way such as exquisite lookouts and “enchanted” walks, and the Tasmanian Devil preservation facility, etc. (Tassie Devils are one of the only animals in the world who’ve ever been given a fairly exact date of extinction due to disease and drastic drops in successful reproduction. If you make it over to Tassie, be sure to stop by the facility. All payments made are donations to the devil’s preservation.)
    6. And most random of all…. waking up next to the beach at camp at 5 a.m. with a report of a tsunami heading our way and driving as much inland and reception-bound as we could for two hours before receiving any real news about the earthquake in Chile and its effects. Although Tasmania’s effects ended up being minimal, it was unnerving realizing how disconnected we actually were from the rest of the world in most areas in Tas.
    But even thought I still have Tassie and vacation on the brain, I’m back to my reality now, and it’s actually been a pretty huge week in our lively household. One of our beloved flat mates, our token male of the house, has moved on northward, and a girlfriend from The States has moved in and taken over his spot. Aside from the sadness of seeing a very good friend go and the excitement of having another join in the madness, the coming and going of good friends is definitely a reminder that eventually my time here and in this experience will be up… sooner or later, it’ll be everyone’s time to move on. It takes any kind of feelings of permanency out of the picture, really. I still haven’t decided which I prefer- the excitement of knowing that my experiences here have really just begun/not knowing what’s coming next, or the comfort of being surrounded by good people who provide me with a sort of blanket of stability (and pure entertainment I should add). It’s also an unimaginably tough feeling wondering when you’ll again see those incredible friends who are leaving on new adventures, but at the same time it’s really cool knowing you’ll make it happen, wherever in the world it will be. It’s very bitter sweet.

    But for now, our pretty routine weekly lives of beach, hitting the city, small travels and work go on. Personally, it’s a pretty big next few weeks for me as I work and save for my camping trip in Yamba, Blues Festival weekend in Byron Bay and New Zealand trip all coming up before mid-April. It’s all coming so fast! I honestly have no idea where the time went, and I can’t believe it’s already mid-March! Whoa.

    So after all my rambling, I’ll end with what I’ve learned these past two few weeks: People and experiences will most often come and eventually go, but that should never stop you from giving your full self in order to gain as much from each as possible. After all is said and done, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling feeling than knowing I’ve grown from so many diverse tastes of life. And so, it continues! Have an excellent weekend, and always,

    Live fully,
    Jennifer C Campbell

     

  • Upcoming Trips and Recent Aussie Activities by Jennifer Campbell

    6/2/201110:42:11 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Good'ay all you Cultural Embracers!

    I hope February has treated you well so far. Normally, my blogs hold some sort of recently stumbled upon life lesson, travel advice or semi-meaningful message, but this particular blog is a product of my excitement over my upcoming trips and recent activities and thus probably will not be quite as evocative : ). Everything has been superb in the land down under- February is going to be an epic month.

    I had a successful move two weeks ago into an apartment with four of my friends just ten minutes from my old place on Coogee beach. And although I definitely do miss my twenty something building mates and waking up and walking straight onto the sand, I could not be happier with the new flat. Aside from the perk of living with four of my good friends, my rent is much cheaper ($115 per week from $180 pw), my name is not on the six month lease which means as long as I find a replacement I can move on string free, and I am in a beautiful area with easy access to the rest of the city as well as excellent running and bike paths through some of the most beautiful parks in Sydney. I would almost feel like I have moved out of backpacker territory and into permanent residency if it was not for our makeshift furniture- but blow up air mattresses, hand-me-down couch and table given by a random neighbor which we have surrounded with recovered mismatched table chairs, and the lack of normal kitchen appliances together emit quite the squatting vibe. Our place is a little random, but it is pretty perfect and my own person symbol of independence. For the first time in my life every dime of my rent, along with my living expenses and travel savings, etc., is coming out of my own paychecked pocket. It's a superb feeling.

    Another splendid February event is my trip to Tasmania coming up in a little over a week. Two friends and I are flying over for about a week to camp on one of the top ten rated beaches in the world, Wine Glass Bay, and hit other famous spots like St. Helens, Bay of Fires and Cradle Mountain. Should be an amazing excursion, and an interesting one as we are renting a car and I am apparently the volunteered driver (probably not the best decision, hmm). But this trip is pretty monumental for me particularly. When I was five or six I asked Santa for a globe (do not judge me), and that Christmas morning as I was spinning it under my finger, playing "where I am going to live when I grow up" (you know what I'm talking about), I discovered Tasmania. It was so mysterious to me and I can remember wondering who in the world got to visit such a far away place. So, I suppose I am fulfilling a childhood ambition- I am getting to explore a destination I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit. Really cool.

    With Tasmania set on the horizon and being in a better financial situation where I can start to save a bit more, I am definitely planning my next adventures more aggressively. A few weeks ago I booked my New Zealand travels and am currently drooling over all of the Kiwi awesomeness. Glacier hikes, sky diving over crystal clear waters surrounded by lush mountain ranges, white water rafting, trekking to the first point on the globe to see the sun per day- I do not think I have ever loved researching as much as I have lately in planning all of my travels. So with NZ planned for April (in order to miss the extreme cold that hits shortly after then and not sacrifice pure enjoyment in water activities) I am pushing my trip up the Aus east coast (to Cairns, the Whitsunday and Magnetic Islands which I declared were coming up in February and March on Cultural Embraces work and travel Australia Facebook group wall http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=416345310612&ref=ts) back to May. Fortunately for me, even though May is the beginningish of winter for Aus, the northern east coast essentially only encounters two seasons: rainy season (which is slightly rainy, scorching hot with lots of jellyfish) and not rainy season (which usually brings temperatures around 78 degrees F and no jellyfish), perfect! And because I will be spending a bit more time up the coast than I will in New Zealand I have more time to plan and save for it.

    Life is good, and between making small beach and mountain escapes up and down the coastline with friends a weekly habit, cheaper rent, and remembering I am swapping posh evenings out for saving for a day of Whitsunday sailing, bungee jumping in New Zealand or kayak rentals in Tasmania, keeping a nice balance between play and traveling, and work and saving (key word) is easier than ever. All smiles in the world of an Australian work and traveler. And I can't wait to share my Tasmania adventures with you!

    Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia.

    Live fully,
    Jennifer C Campbell

     

  • Holidays in Sydney by Jennifer Campbell

    6/1/20113:36:43 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Happy January Fellow Adventure Seekers!

    I hope your holidays were spectacular! I have received so many questions via email and Facebook messages asking what it was like abroad over the holidays, spending New Years in Sydney, what my plan is now that the holidays are past, even questions about my New Years Resolutions having been abroad for the last three months. So I will start from the top!

    My holidays were wonderful but being away from family on Christmas was definitely tough. Most of the people around me were bummed at one point or another on the big day, running in and out of our Christmas Day barbeque bash to Skype with family and answer their phones, but we did have an excellent out-of-the-ordinary celebration. We rang in the holiday with a swim in the sea, grilling burgers and, yes, shrimp on the barbie just to stereotype the day, exchanging gifts, and watching naked Santas (neighbors) run amuck down the street to quote-un-quote lighten spirits. Although we were missing our families, I am pleased to report all in all it was a joyous occasion.

    But even aside from random shenanigans, great company from all over the world, Santa hats and Aussie lager on the beach, the one thing that definitely helped all of us get through Christmas time was the promise of an absolutely first-class New Years- the reason there are an extra million people in Sydney over the holiday season. Sydney has been rated one of the worlds top cities to ring in the New Year- And I will stand for it!

    Friends and I spent the hot New Years Eve morning through afternoon just past Rushcutters Bay, across the water from the Sydney Harbor Bridge, with about a thousand other tent-poppers cheersing chilled beers and ice cream cones. (It felt a little like Fourth of July in The States.) Most of our group stayed to see the midnight harbor fireworks, which I have since caught on video and it is definitely worth Googleing, while a few of us went on to hit Shore Thing at Bondi Beach. Shore Thing is a yearly massive New Years Eve party featuring top DJs and guest artists from around the world, incredible light shows, count down and fireworks, and thousands of people going mad with glow sticks having the time of their life. Everything, especially the music was top-notch. Breaks in killer mixes were filled with short light shows choreographed to instrumentals by classic artists like Pink Floyd (including at the strike at midnight during the fireworks- Floyds Time- amazing). The glimpses of light twirlers on the beach also made for an absolutely eyegasmic event. (Eyegasmic is a word, I promise, look it up.)

    We followed the epic New Years Eve with the noon to night Space Ibiza show in Moore Park, which featured world-renown artists from Ibiza, Spain and guests. The performances and scene was everything Space promised. And seeing the sun fall behind the park lined with giant butterfly-people on stilts, feather dancers and hundreds of body painted rave-goers dancing to music unveiled by artists for the first time was a truly surreal ending to the holidays. Positively one for the books.

    Since the holidays have past, I have been working a few days a week, getting wear out of my new snorkel and fins, and traveling bit- I FINALLY made it to the Blue Mountains, about two hours west of Sydney. I had been holding out to make the trip in hopes of getting to camp, but trying to match weekends with mates was a tough task so we took a day trip instead. The mountains were breathtaking with plunging ranges and lush vegetation, rain forest hikes, troops of wild kangaroos, and at least fifteen waterfalls to dance around in. I spent most of the day behind the group with my camera, capturing everything I could and playing catch up when realizing I had not heard another voice around for a bit too long. The best part of the trip happened two hours into our first hike- at about one thousand meters up walking along an edge path which ran next to a huge canyon of rainforest below- when a thunderstorm and light showers rolled in. It was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. The thunder echoed through the canyon as the dark clouds came over the mountains and the rushing water over the falls became heavy. I have never had a more magnificent moment just watching and listening. We were only caught in the rain for twenty minutes or so before the sky cleared again, but the flash weather left the air fresher than I have ever breathed, and the waterfalls and forests surrounding and below extraordinarily more beautiful than I can describe. I am definitely currently rallying future camping partners. Anyone in?

    Now, for a fast change of feeling, I will admit last week after all of these superb festivities had past I had a pretty hard hit when I realized I had accomplished what I wanted in Sydney and I did not have a plan in action per say for my next move. But I figured, like I still figure today, feeling stagnant in such a beautiful country and time in my life is not an option. So I have been forming a sort-of plan (since backpacking is regularly a fine line between a plan and a few ideas that might sort themselves out) and am excited for what is coming next, semi-planned and not.

    I have decided to stay put in Sydney, moving into another flat with friends just ten minutes inland from my current place, for another month or so after this lease is up to work and save money for my trips to Tasmania, New Zealand, and up the east coast. (Friends and I finally booked our trip to Tasmania and are throwing around the idea of camping in Wine Glass Bay. Google Images it. The scenery is dreamlike.) After that I would like to say I am moving to the Southern Gold Coast where I will land and work a bit before making a further ascent, or hit New Zealand first before it gets really cold there, but like I have said before, plans can change rapidly depending on whims, funding, job opportunities, etc. So instead of stressing about making certain timing happen, I will guide what is to come next when it gets here.

    Really, the beauty of my current situation abroad is that I AM able to stay just to the right of making a set-in-stone travel timeframe and can focus on one month or so at a time. (One-month apartment leases are fairly easy to come by, I have not locked myself into a six month job contract, and I still have nine months left on my visa = flexibility.) Also helping me ease my way into feeling more relaxed about not knowing exactly where I might be in two months is the fact I have Cultural Embraces partner company to lend a hand with certain logistics once I do make the decision. No matter where I want to move in Australia the partner company can assist me in finding a job and living arrangements. The partner company can even assist me in setting up job training for particular fields in advance, and can offer resume guidance as well. (Australia uses a much different resume model than what America typically uses, so that help is very valuable.) I also have the privilege of resting easy knowing I have Cultural Embrace, a company run by experienced travelers behind me wherever I am in Australia. So, even though I might be a tiny bit directionally challenged when it comes to where my next few months are going, I am confident I will be gaining even more excellent experiences than I have in the last few.

    And finally yes, the last few months here has definitely shaped my first ever absolutely to be followed New Years resolution (or recent development turned commitment-to-self)… which I will get to. It is hard to believe I have been in Australia nearly three months, but it is even harder for me to believe what all I have been privileged to get into since arriving. Living part-time in Gerroa my first month in Oz working for Surf Camp, spending my days surfing and ending them paddling down river to get back home to camp with a friend on high tide evenings. Immersing myself in the different cultures Sydney has to offer hitting scenes across the board. And most recently spending days snorkeling and beaching it in my own neighborhood with the amazing people from all over the world I can for certain say will be friends for life. I have been very lucky and am so thankful for every opportunity I have had. So, with that said my three-part New Years resolution: Taking in my experiences, appreciating each of their significances and details and recognizing the opportunities they present. I have learned and grown from each of my experiences listed above, and know I am where I am presently in my life having had each one of them.

    So, for those of you who were wondering if leaving right before a holiday season is bad choice – for fear you might turn around and fly right back home – keep in mind the reason you are traveling abroad in the first place: to gain and grow from new experiences. Consider yourself lucky to have the opportunity to be out-of-the box whenever you can, and take every detail in. After all, it is the details that make the great stories so great.

    Thank you so much for reading my blog! I appreciate all of you so much and I look forward to hearing from you!

    Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia.

    Live fully,
    Jennifer C Campbell 

  • Apartment and Hostel Living, Expenses, and Being on Your Own by Jennifer Campbell

    6/1/20113:13:09 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Happy Wednesday all! I hope you have had a momentous week.

    In light of the messages I have received asking for more specifics on the life of an Australia work and traveler, I am dedicating this weeks blog to addressing some of your questions and concerns about apartments and hostel living, expenses, and traveling on your own.

    On the apartment front, the amount of time you will dedicate to finding a place is dependent on similar items as you would have at home: season, budget and location. In Australia – especially in and around Sydney – the earlier you start the search for an apartment this time of year the better. You can usually lock in an apartment or reserve a hostel room up to a year in advance in most locations. (A lot of the beachfront hostels in the Sydney area have been booked since last March for the holiday season!)

    Apartments are actually a bit easier to find this time of year than hostels and conveniently run much cheaper. For instance, I have friends who have reserved shared beachfront hostel rooms for the holiday season and are paying around two-hundred and twenty AU per week, whereas I am in an apartment with my own space for one-hundred eighty AU per week. (My rent is on the more expensive end, but I’m right on the beach so prices are going to be a bit higher- I have friends who have really nice flats about a twenty-minute walk from the beach and are only paying one-hundred fifteen AU per week, which is average year round.) And signing with an apartment does not have to be a long-term commitment either; you can find flats with one month to one-year leases depending on the location and property type. Really all it takes to land an apartment is a little extra time- it might take you anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to find a suitable place-, and a bit of resourcefulness if you are pressed for time. Fortunately for my roommate and me, I had Cultural Embraces partner company guiding me through rental avenues, locations and other important specifics such as lease agreements, etc. The partner company referred me to several contacts at furnished property companies- which was how I found my flat- other online companies with a good track record, and offered their open list of people looking for roommates in case I needed it. Great help!

    On hostel life, I personally found it to be one of my biggest pre-departure anxieties. I had never lived in a true dorm situation, sharing a bedroom and bathroom with more than one other person, so I honestly wasn’t sure how it was going to go over for me. But despite my apprehension, hostel living was really not anything difficult to get used to. In fact, more than half the people I have kept in touch with since arriving in Australia have been the friends I made in hostels.

    A good item to note is each hostel situation is different, so unless you are getting feedback on a particular hostel, take it with a grain of salt. There are small groupie type hostels that house fifteen to thirty people or so – where you end up knowing everyone pretty well by the end of just the first nights stay -, large hostels that can house over two hundred people and have their own clubs, pubs and restaurants attached, and some that are in between, all depending on the area you are visiting. Most hostels room two to twelve people, with prices ranging anywhere from nineteen to thirty-four dollars a night depending on the capacity. And depending on the availability, some hostels will let you reserve stay for up to a month and without penalties if you choose to leave even after the first night- a huge benefit if your plans are really up in the air! Another important item to note is mixed – meaning guys and girls – shared rooms are much cheaper- up to ten dollars cheaper per night-, easier to come by and most of the time not advertised as mixed rooms, so if you mind, don’t forget to ask.

    And obviously the more cheaply you live the longer you can travel, so anything you can do to save a buck helps. After all, probably the biggest pre-departure concern among most travelers is expenses. So here are a few key items to keep in mind before and during your travels:

    1. Over-shoot how much you think you will spend. I have had days when I have not spent a dime outside of housing, and others when I have blown my daily budget on items I did not think would be as expensive.
    2. If you have several nights reserved in a hostel check to see if you can pay nightly instead of all up front. Plans change pretty quickly depending on people you meet, weather and whims and hostels do not give refunds.
    3. Do not be a diva. Take the bus.
    4. If you are planning to do a day tour, be sure to research and compare all of the companies that offer similar experiences thoroughly. You will find a lot of companies offer the same basic trip at dissimilar prices.
    5. Carry cash. It is an excellent way to see how fast you are spending.
    6. Like I have said before, utilize all of the kitchens you have available to you. Nothing burns money faster than eating out.
    7. Locate the free Internet cafes in your area!
    8. Check around your area for hotel, hostel or other sponsored free barbeques. They usually attract both locals and backpackers, throw in a free beer or two and are weekly gigs.

    Traveling is expensive, but you can do it cheaply if you do a bit of research on the area. And most other backpackers are on tight budgets, leaning towards spending money on a bus up the coast instead of a gourmet meal, so stick close to those who have been there a bit longer and your funds will go farther.

    Taking in tips from locals and travelers experienced in your area is also key in feeling a bit more adjusted, especially if you are traveling alone, which many of you have asked about. And although I have a large group of friends all planning to stay in my area and others relatively close for the next two to six months, I do still have the days where I remember I have come on my own.

    Yes, traveling to another country without mates from home can be a little overwhelming at times and yes there are definitely the bummer moments when you are in the middle of an incredible experience and wish you had someone to take the story back home with, but traveling on your own certainly offers an extremely genuine experience as far as doing your own soaking in. And honestly, it is a lot easier to meet people traveling on your own than it is traveling with your mates (any backpacker will tell you that). So even though my family and best friends are not here to share these experiences, I have not found it difficult to root myself. I have met incredible people who are as eager to explore as I am, and whom I will absolutely keep in touch with for the rest of my life- I honestly do not know if I would have made so many close connections if I had come to Australia with one already. It is also a pretty cool thing to look at yourself in the mirror and know YOU are here, and YOU did it. It can be unnerving to think about traveling so far away on your own, but personally, knowing I have the backing of wonderful family, friends and a very experienced company behind me has kept me in the go, feeling comfortable and secure.

    Thank you so much for your questions and I hope I answered some of them! Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want some specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia. Cheers!

    Live fully,

    Jennifer C Campbell 

  • Advice from an Aussie Backpacker by Jennifer Campbell

    6/1/20113:01:06 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Oy! from Aussie Land,

    The last few weeks in Australia have been filled with some of the most unconventional, even strength of mind searching, but wonderful and real days in my twenty-two years of living. A few curve balls after another such as a job change, a move, new best friends leaving to travel elsewhere, lost items, exploding expensive electronics, etc have made for a pretty interesting time. But even though I have both found and face planted on these and a few other bumps in the road I had been warned about from other travelers, I can honestly say I have still had the magnificent quote-un-quote I cannot believe this is my life moment at least once every day. I am embracing the twists and truly learning the meaning of going with the flow -which I believe is absolutely vital in traveling.

    My brother recently reminded me of John Lennon’s famous quote - Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. In a traveler’s world, I am taking this to mean your plans are going to scatter and change, so just enjoy the moment and have no expectations for the next. Because that is what traveling is all about right? Taking on new chapters and adding onto your cultural gains whether they are expected or not.

    So in saying this, I will share with you a few pieces of advice most backpackers I have met would agree on:
    1. Never take good people you meet for granted. Enjoy them now and keep as many connections as possible, even if you are traveling with your best mates.
    2. If you take the wrong ferry, bus or train and have time to explore where you have accidently ended up, do it. It will probably make an even better story than you started out to make
    in the first place.
    3. Do not try to cram your day full of attractions, because you will not have enough time to let any single one of them sink in. Pick one or two and really take them in.

    Other important tips worth mentioning:
    4. Take note of EVERY free Internet café!
    5. Combine your travel book advice with the information the locals give you on a destination. You will usually find the destination to be somewhere in the middle of the two.
    6. Watch your spending and use every kitchen you have available to you. Nothing burns money faster than eating out!
    7. Pack light or get ready to get rid of some of your favorite items. There is nothing worse than hoping on a bus and whacking every person sitting in an isle seat all the way to row
    fourteen because you cannot fit everything in your backpack.

    But apart from recent trials, tips and notes circling around in my head, I have actually had a pretty remarkable few weeks.The Manly Beach Festival of Surfing, which I mentioned earlier this month in my blog, was absolutely top notch. Aside from the Rip Curl and Billabong pro surfing legends and newer to the scene surf pros chatting around and their surf offs to settle twenty-year-old rivalries and competitions to claim new glories, the beautiful weather and perfect surf brought heaps of other wave and sun seekers- all combining to complete my own perfect vision of Australia. Meeting pro surfing world champion Mick Fanning was not a bad touch to the weekend either. I have still been living in a bathing suit, enjoying the sun and surf almost every day in beaches scattered from Seven Mile to Maroubra, etc. - which is an incredible way of living minus the fact that finding last minute hostels in the area you end up in can be tough this time of year and no matter how many showers you take you will still end up with sand in your bed. (Other items I have learned to embrace.) And since I FINALLY moved into my first apartment in OZ (which is fifteen meters from the beach in Coogee- awesome) a few days ago with friends, it is even easier to commit to the beach-bum lifestyle. However, now that I am a bit more settled and done running in and out of hostels for a while, it is seriously time for me to brush the sand off and find another job to pay the rent.

    And thankfully, because of my connections through Cultural Embrace, I have wonderful job-hunting resources. The job database Cultural Embrace hooks you up with is a great tool for starting the search. With the time I have spent on the database I know the kinds of businesses in need of holiday employees, which kinds of jobs are keen on employing travelers and what areas of the city are looking to hire. Another avenue I have been taking, which Cultural Embrace’s partner company helps you locate, are classes that certify you to work in bars, restaurants, and casinos, and other day classes that offer training in several different fields of work. And because the job market, even for simple jobs in retail or bar work, is so competitive at the moment with the extra million travelers in Sydney this time of year, I am glad to have the support of the partner company in my search.

    However, if retail and bar work is not your thing, no worries, there are plenty more professional opportunities available here as well. Most of these opportunities require a six-month commitment, but if you are looking for resume building experience, and maybe even sponsorship to get your once-in-a-lifetime year visa back, it is definitely doable and worth it!

    In the meantime, between online job hunting and stopping around at local businesses, I have indeed found a few things to keep myself occupied. Since moving into my apartment one of my favorite time passers is the amazing 6k Beach Walk – or run - from Coogee to Bondi Beach. On the route are several beaches, snorkeling coves and bays such as Bronte, Clovelly, Gordons Bay and Tamarama and a cliff view cemetery named Waverly. (All of which are Google Image worthy! Beautiful!) And I cannot forget to mention the beer festival going on a street over from me – I am very excited about that one! I also have my flat mates, and the other twenty-five people from all over the world living my beachfront building to keep me company while watching the cricket and off season rugby matches in the palm tree surrounded field across the street, cooking out on our deck sized balconies, and taking exploratory excursions to a few of the less well known areas in our coastal neighborhood. And since I signed a two-month lease (which, in most areas in Sydney- including the outskirt beaches such as where I am living- you can find flats offering one month to one year leases) I have plenty of time to explore, take in my surroundings and report excellent local spots your travel books left out!

    So, because I have had the opportunity to seek and soak in so much the last couple of weeks, I will end with a word-to-the-wise-ish message I have been living by: Whether you are on your own or traveling with your best mates, every breathing moment is an opportunity to learn and progress in your cultural immersion experience. Letting go of your stresses and appreciating everything for what it is, learning from your mistakes and moving on to the next adventure with an open mind and a wiser point of view are all key in the imprinting process of your environs.

    I urge you in your next adventure, whether it is visiting a new area in your city or another country, keep your mind open to all of the possibilities that lay ahead of you. And most certainly, enjoy the person next to you and invest in listening to what they have taken in as well. They might have discovered something you have wondered right past.

    I am so thankful to be able to share details of my life traveling in Australia with you, and hope they give you a better idea of some of the opportunities the Australian Work and Travel visa can give you. I still have itchy feet, and lots of expeditions planned so look out for my blog again next week! Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want some specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia. Cheers!

    Live fully,

    Jennifer C Campbell  

  • Arriving in Australia by Jennifer Campbell

    6/1/20112:50:46 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Hey guys! Whoa. So much has happened in the last week and a half I am not even sure where to begin!

    An unplanned landing in Fiji on my flight into Australia and catching the most beautiful sunrise I have seen yet, getting to Australia - yooah! Patio Salsa dancing in the harbor across from the Opera house, taking the wrong ferry to the zoo and ending up in Lavender Bay only to stumble across one of the most amazing gardens I will ever visit, Bondi Beach and rock art, Seven Mile Beach and kite surfers, Snakebites and crab racing, finding out what the term mixed shared hostel rooms ACTUALLY means, non-stop live music and beer festivals, meeting tons of awesome people, interviewing and job finding an incredibly unbelievable job, and the list goes on and on!

    Let me just say that when Cultural Embrace, and any one else who has ever been backpacking in Australia, says it is easy to meet other travelers - this is an understatement. Within the first five hours of landing in Sydney I was having a beer with a group of locals at a popular outdoor cafe right in the heart of Sydney Centre and hooked up with an AWESOME group of girls from the UK whom I have been running around with ever since. A few other wonderful people I have seen quite often are the employees of the company Cultural Embrace sets you up with to receive hostel discounts, an orientation, and job, travel and other support.

    The partner company has actually been one of my greatest assets since arriving- I use them way more than I thought I would, and I am so glad Cultural Embrace hooked me up with them. On my second day in Sydney, I attended an orientation with twenty five or so other work travelers, where I had help setting up my bank account, tax file number for paid work, online resume for quick submission when finding jobs on the database, and my phone account. They also walked us through the must sees and dos of OZ, safety precautions for the water and outback and met with us about specific job enquiries and such. Very helpful! And aside from all of the more professional offerings, everyone in the partner company office is incredibly welcoming, and ready to give you tips on fun hot spots around the city, and some are even ready to hit the scene with you! haha.

    Speaking of hot spots around the city, Sydney has it all. Beautiful beaches and running routes, phenomenal museums and architecture, live music spots around every corner, awesome sports bars such as Cheers (perfect for a little football Liverpool versus Manchester United. I am still recovering), Scubar for a little crazy backpackers bar fun, Empire in Kings Cross for a bit of a classier evening- it is a great city for all interests.

    But honestly one of my favorite things about Sydney so far is that there are a million different suburbs (Bondi, Coogee, Surry Hills, Glebe to name a few) so there is a great mixture of cultures offering something for everyone. Even the locals still appreciate hot tourist spots such as Bondi, Coogee and Manly Beach, and the night scene spots as well.

    And although I have had an incredible time running around with my newfound friends from the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, Holland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I have actually had an equally mind-blowing time with the job that I landed six days ago. And actually, I am at work right now! And guess what I am doing? I am lying on the grass, forty yards from the beach, at the camp grounds of Surf Camp Australia, enjoying the sun in between surf lessons, hanging with the surf coaches, crew and twenty plus camp goers. Yep, I am at WORK right now!

    Through the connections that Cultural Embrace offered me, I landed one of the most proper wicked jobs in all of Australia. I am a promotions and marketing rep for Surf Camp Australia. My job requires going to surf camps to surf and hang out with the crew and camp goers at least Monday through Wednesday every week in Seven Mile Beach, Byron Bay, Yamba and/or Gold Coast, promote Surf Camp Australia at their events and parties and any surf festival and event around the Sydney area they attend. What is also pretty cool is that Surf Camp Australia is sponsored by Rip Curl, so this coming weekend, November 5- 8 I am attending the Manly Beach Festival of Surfing by day and Surf Expo by night, hanging out with pro Rip Curl surfer Mick Fanning and I am even getting paid enough to live comfortably and potentially even end up with a bit of savings. Pretty awesome huh? I still can not believe this is actually a job pinch me! Thank you Cultural Embrace!!

    Life could not be any sweeter. And it is pretty easy to get all of my friends and family on the phone and Skype. So although I miss all of the people that make my life so fantastic back in the States, I am in touch everyday. So I will leave you with this: take the leap and embrace your adventurous side, it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. Traveling to Australia has changed my life forever; it is a feeling I can not describe through words in a blog or in conversation. So give it a go!

    Please feel free to email me at Jcampbell@culturalembrace.com if you have any questions or want some specifics on the adventures of a Work and Traveler in Australia.
    Live fully,
    Jennifer C Campbell

    Thank you for all of your love and support family and friends.
    Mom, Dad, Marsha, Dan, John, Katherine, Adam, Claudia
    All of my wonderful friends back home
    And all you superbly awesome Cultural Embracers: Emlyn, Katy, Miranda, and Julie
    You guys rock! 

  • Traveling Australia by Jennifer Campbell

    6/1/20112:47:34 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Australia, Featured Participants, Work

    Hello fellow adventure seekers!

    I'm Jennifer Campbell, your Work and Travel Australia blogger.

    A little about me: I'm Dallas, Texas bred, but a definite Austin, TX enthusiast. I love anything outdoors, including deep sea, surf and bay fishing, diving and snorkeling, zip lining, biking, running and hiking, and I'm also a photography and travel fanatic. This past May, I graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in Advertising, and a craving for a life altering next chapter.

    A year ago, if you'd asked me what I would be doing after graduation, I wouldn't have said "Um, embarking on one of the greatest adventures of my life in the Land of Oz," like I would today. My original life after graduation plan was to attend law school directly after undergrad, work and save a little money before I set off to travel. Fortunately for me, Cultural Embrace helped me find a loophole. It turns out Australia's government recently widened their doors granting work visas for young adults, like myself- between the ages of 18-30, to work in non-technical fields for up to a year. With this opportunity, I will easily pay off the cost of living abroad while roaming the Australian country. Great news! This brilliant concept allows foreigners to travel with "no worries" about any limits of unearthing the awesome Australian lifestyle, sites, people and culture. So although my dream of law school still exists for down the line, I couldn't be more excited to start this new journey and take advantage of being young, string free, and adventurous at the most convenient time I'll probably have in my life. I've embraced the travel and adventure bug, and I couldn't be more excited for my ‘gap break' and to work and travel in Australia using Cultural Embraces support!

    So why Australia? Although I'm not a fan of meat pies (ever so popular in Australia), I do fancy awesome beaches and surfing, a laid-back life style, outdoors, camping, shrimp on the barbie, kangaroos, and the occasional wombat. I even think I'll learn to appreciate cricket! On the more practical side of things, the fact that their infrastructure for tourism is one of the worlds best, helps reassure my (and my parents), with help and safety concerns. The dozens of hostel chain options, campgrounds, transportation options, and about 4 million tourists annually from countries such as the U.S., U.K, New Zealand, and Germany – great for networking - helps too. I haven't found a destination that sets you up to work and travel, and meet other trekkers more excellently than Australia. To top all of these travel Australia perks is the encouraging support I've received through Cultural Embrace with assistance with my questions and concerns, arrival arrangements, and granted access to a national job database with diverse listings across the Australian country (making it that much easier to find casual jobs to off-set my cost of living abroad). It's also comforting to know I have their support and assistance, from their Austin offices, throughout the entirety of my stay abroad. I feel more prepared knowing I have the backing of a company that has such extensive experience arranging (and participating in) travels abroad.

    While I'm Down Under I'll be sharing my experience of a lifetime and the broadening of my horizons every step of the way with you. I'm extremely excited to report an insiders work and travel experience through Cultural Embrace, and answer your questions and even inspire you to take a leap into your own explorations (or better yet, join me in Australia!) Check out my weekly blog, videos and photos documenting my quest to achieve the greatest voyage of my life so far! 

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