The Epic Tale of My Job Interview

On thursday I went on Seek.com looking for new job postings. I found a couple that I was qualified for, including a brand-spanking new, like been an active post for 20 minutes tops listing for a new Hungry Jack's that was opening. (Hungry Jack's is Burger King) (Or excuse me, I guess I should be saying HUNGIE-JACKUH).......So I applied and then got an email a few hours later saying that I should go in for an interview at the Annerley store (since the one I applied for wasnt open yet). The interview was for Tuesday.

Monday I decided to make a dry-run of getting to this place, because it was not really far, but there wasn't a direct bus from where we live.
I went on Translink journey planner, and what the bus company told me to do was to take the 598 bus from Indro (the mall) and then ride it all the way to the end, where there was a large interchange where I could get on the 117 bus. Now I thought it was weird that this route:

tells me to take one bus all the way down just to get on a bus that comes all the way up PAST where the other bus had already gone down...so I opened google maps, both individual bus route maps, and found this:



I would take the 598 to Muriel Avenue, get off, then walk to Beaudesert Road and get the 117. Simple right?

Simple NO, Because here is the dumb thing about Brisbane buses - they never tell you what stop is next! Or what stop you just passed! And if you're blind like I am, you don't know until it's gone. Now I did look up the night before a street view of the bus stop. And when we came to a bus stop that I did see said, Muriel Avenue on it, the stop looked nothing like the street view, and I couldn't see the Skate Park which was supposed to be right across the street. So I didn't get off.

This is where I ended up: All the way by the "B" - and the purple is where I was supposed to get off, and the red is where I was supposed to go to get to Hungry Jacks.

So I am in Sunnybank, and I call Emily G in a panic that I'm lost, and could she please go on Translink and tell me how to get out of there.
I remembered from my original search the bus transfer without the walking (see first map image) and on the bus I started panicking and pretty much knew I was lost and saw a ton of buses changing so I figured hey, maybe this is where that original map wanted me to go, so I got off there.
Then Emily G tells me that I have to get on this one bus from the place, and transfer again at ANOTHER strange place...so I was like, uh yeah, I'm just gonna get on a bus back to Indro, because I'm lost and I'm frustrated and I'll just take a taxi tomorrow or something because this is ridiculous.

So then on the ride back I was really relaxed, and then randomly on my left I saw the Skate Park. And I said to myself, oh hey, this is Muriel Avenue! This was the right stop all along! Then I saw that right after the stop we went under two overpasses - so I said, okay, when I come back by bus tomorrow - I will ring for the bus to stop right after those two overpasses. Easy enough to remember!

I decided not to get off at Muriel Avenue this time again, because by this time it had been two hours of my life gone being frustrated and panicky and lost, so I didnt want to get lost on the second bus only to have to get lost coming back to the stop with the original bus and by then it would be night time when I got home...so I was like I'll leave super early tomorrow and wing it. I know where to stop now, and since I'll have extra time, I can just ring the bell once I see the Hungry Jack's on the second bus and walk back to it, instead of getting off hoping its the stop before it (logic logic)

So this morning I get up at 6:15 am for my 9:30 interview. I was ready to go at 6:45, and know that there is a 7:22 bus from Indro, and a 7:57 bus from Indro. So I was like, should I wait? Nah, I'll go now. So I left.

The thing about our bus stop by our house is that every single bus that stops at this bus stop goes to Indro. Every single one. If they don't go to Indro, they are express buses and they don't stop at Indro on the way into the city. So when I see our bus stop, I see a guy there waving down the approaching bus. He gets on, I run to catch up to it so the driver will let me on. The driver had closed the doors, but the light was red and he stopped so he let me on. The bus was an old one so the side didn't have the number on it, but I figured whatever, every bus stops at Indro. Then I get on and see its full of commuters, who are kinda glaring at me? That was cool. Then we start going to Indro, but he doesn't get on the ramp to go into Indro. So I was like, great, where the heck is this bus going now, why isn't it stopping at Indro? EVERY BUS STOPS AT INDRO IF IT STOPS AT OUR STOP WHAT IS GOING ON. So I ring the bell for the guy to stop at the next stop, and wherever it is, I will just walk to Indro from there, because I have time. But he never stopped!

So then I texted Emily G, who thankfully was awake at this time, saying that the one time a bus not going to Indro stops at our stop happens to be the one time I NEED to be at Indro on a time crunch, so then I was like alright, this bus is an express to the city most likely, and I remember seeing on Translink a way to get to the Hungry Jacks by going through the city. So I texted Emily G asking for her to look up how to get from the city to Ipswich Road at Venner - Waterson stop 24.

I said it had to be either King George Square or the Cultural Centre. A lot of people get off at Roma Street, and I stayed on to go to King George Square in case it was that one. I looked at the timetables on the wall and saw that the 117 bus didn't go through there, so I got on a bus to the Cultural Centre.
Once at the Cultural Centre, I look at the time tables and see no 117 either. Then Emily texts that its platform 1, so I went to walk over there but that was in the wrong direction, so I stayed on platform 2. Then the timetable is repeated 3 times because there are so many buses that go through there, so I finally found the 117 just as Emily texted me that it would get there at 7:53, and at this point it was 7:35. So I waited with baited breath (I was super smart because I wore my GLASSES today).

Then the 117 pulled up and I nearly rolled my ankle running to get on it. Then I count the stops, even ones we don't stop at (oh thats another thing the buses do - yeah you figure you can just count the number of stops until your destination - but the bus doesnt stop at the ones that have no people hailing them while no one wants to get off there - so you could hypothetically pass one or two and not know if its on the route or if its just on the street) ((there were times in London where I cursed the fact that the bus had to stop even if there was no one getting on or off- because it took longer - but at least I always knew how many stops! PLUS London buses SAY THE NAMES OF THE STOPS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN - AND ONCE YOU GET THERE! INGENIOUS!))

So I count, we pass the Hungry Jack's, so I hit the button to get off. It's now 8:10 and I have until 9:30 to do whatever. So I decided to call my parents and chat about how I had a job interview, was waiting around outside for it, and blah blah. Here is a map of the way I ended up going:

The blue being the route I took, and the red being the route I was supposed to go on with my current plan - and what I had spent the previous day trying to figure out.

Now you look at the map above, and you're like, wow thats a big circle, just to go in a fairly straight line from house to destination. Well there ain't no route across that bridge by St Lucia.

It was an ADVENTURE thats for sure.


Then I get inside the Hungry Jacks at 9 am, order a frozen coke, and read my book until 9:27, when I went back up to the counter and said that I had an interview with Brad. Brad says to give him 5 minutes but take a seat. So I took a seat. Then Brad comes over , we shake hands, he takes out my file, and starts talking about the job. The new store is opening in the Fortitude Valley train station (you can see Fortitude Valley on the map above) and was opening on April 9th. He needed to hire about 30 people, and he had 15 so far. He hired lots of University students, so he needed people to fill in late afternoon / evening on weekdays (weekends were taken by younger students). I say thats all well and good, I'm available blah. So then he says that the only thing hindering my application is the fact that I'm on a fixed-term visa. He was hesitant that I would be part of this rigorous training and lots of work as the foundation crew of this new store, only to be forced to leave it in 6 months or I'd get deported - but I had said earlier that I would be in Brisbane until August at the latest, because I was going back to University. So then the interview was pretty much over in his opinion, only having upwards of 4 months working. But then I asked if the store in Annerley, where we were sitting, if any of the employees there were transferring, and if they were, I could change my application to work at that store and replace them instead of going through all of the group training sessions and what have you, so he said that would be fine, he'd give my application to the Annerley store recruiter, and then would email me.


(I have since gotten an email that my application to the new store was unsuccessful, but nothing about the Annerley situation.) Then we wished each other a good day and I left and walked to the bus stop nearest Hungry Jacks. I barely had time to look at the timetables before a bus stopped, and I saw it was a 124 and not a 117, so I asked the driver if he stopped in the Cultural Centre, and after pausing, he nodded. So I was like, okay here goes nothing - WHAT ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

I ride the bus and it did indeed go to the Cultural Centre, but I decided to stay on it since I'd have to cross the bridge anyway, and I knew how to get back from King George Square, and I know my way around central city pretty well anyway from our outings. So I got off near King George Square, walked around for a few minutes and then waited for the bus back home.

Then I got off at Indro to buy Emily G a bubble tea for saving my life two days in a row.
Then I finally got on a bus home, and once inside I drank my bubble tea.
Then Cal left for HIS interview at this sketch telemarketing place. I don't think he's going to take the job either, because it was really sketch.
I have since applied to two more Hungry Jacks, a clothing store, and am working on an application for Sizzler. If I don't hear anything about the Annerley Hungry Jacks in the next few days, I'll send my application in again, to refresh it.

In the mean time angel cakes, I hope you enjoyed this pictorial map representation of my bus drama, and now you sort of know what Brisbane looks like on a map?

Win some and lose some :/

Where Did March Go, Exactly?

It has been 9 days since our trip to the Gold Coast, and I am sorry to have not posted anything about it yet. I don't really have a sense of time passing here, because I don't really have anything to do all day but hang out on my computer so nothing really happens. Hanging out on the computer all day? Wouldnt that then, Sarah, be hours of time you could update your blog?
Yes. Yes it is.
Procrastinators unite tomorrow, and all that malarkey.

Anyway!

Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast is about 2 hours from Brisbane in total travel time. Half of that time is spent getting from our house to the train station at Roma Street then to the train by the Gold Coast - the other half of that time is a packed bus that goes through every little corner of the area and makes you sick.

Now, we had a good morning, everyone was on time, the bus was on time, we had to wait a good 15 minutes for the train in the morning, but it was alright once it got there. I made the mistake of choosing a seat that was backwards from the direction of travel, but I didn't get too sick.

(I'll say that at this point I was still on a scale of 1-100% - 16% scared of a tsunami -- see previous post)

So we get off at Nerang, and immediately there are tons of people. Tons of people who had been in the quiet cabin of the train with us, and then hordes and hordes of teenagers (or wankers, as Cal called them) (a name I found fitting upon one glance) (but a name that was not nearly horrible enough for them by the end)

The bus filled up very quickly, with everyone who needed to get on it. There was one group of teenage boys, who couldn't have been a day over 16, who were creating all kinds of ruckus on the platform, and then just the way we got on the bus, the only seats left for the hour journey happened to be right in front of them.
Now, imagine a packed bus, you in the second row from the back, going through all of these side streets, up and down hills, for an HOUR after being mildly motion-sick already....and then these shitheads are behind you and I quote: (and excuse me for getting explicit)

"I was at this party and this girl was there and I took her home and she was like AH! AH! (screaming fake orgasm noises) and then I kept switching positions and she kept screaming AH! AH!"
"No way bro?"
"Totally bro, she was so f*king hot dude, but like, I don't give a shit about her I just wanted to f*k her."

(And everyone around us - including me - were all thinking the same thing - which was 100% true - he's never touched a girl in his entire life the little prick)

"I totally just farted."
"Oh dude! Why?"
"I farted, in my shorts, I think I shit myself!"
"Did you shit yourself?"
"I shit myself! There are dingleberries in my shorts! Pieces of shit in my shorts!"

(Once I saw they were behind us, I thought to myself, at some point on this bus ride one or all of them are going to fart. I just know it.)

"What's Bruce Lee's favorite drink? WAH-TAH!"
"WAH-TAH! AHAHAHAHA"
"WAH-TAH! WAH-TAH!" "WAH-TAH"
"Where does he eat?"
"HUNGIE-JACKUH!"
"HUNGIE-JACKUH? HUNGIE -JACKUH!"   (saying Hungry Jack's wrong to be racist - so clever)
*repeat Hungie-Jackuh at least 50 more times between the 5 of them*

"Hey - hey Shaniqua!"
"Shaniqua!"
"Hey Shaniqua! Shaniqua!"
(a black girl was standing near the door, so they decided it would be funny to heckle her.)
"Shaniqua! Where you goin Shaniqua? Come back here and sit with me!"
*about 10 minutes of this*

So that was the bus ride. And that wasn't even all of it, just what I can remember. Suffice it to say they were racist, loud, obnoxious, stupid, explicit, c-words. And every poor person on the bus was stuck listening to them for an hour (or more, because they were also on the train - we were just blessed to have not been in the same cabin.)
You know, I never thought I knew what a wanker was until I met these boys. The four of us agreed that we want those boys to look back on their lives and hate themselves. Realize that they're toolboxes and just hate themselves for it. I bet they never change either.

That began our day, so its a good thing I'm not one of those people who writes off the day due to a bad morning. I was still optimistic. Prob because I love the beach.

We stopped at Woolworths to get picnic stuff for a lunch on the beach, and then made our way to Surfer's Paradise. I'd say the Gold Coast is similar to the Jersey Shore in terms of geography, but it has way more canal systems and suburbs and stuff. It still has the long coastline that is just straight up beach for miles with hotels right on the edge. No boardwalk, but plenty of amusement parks around for another bus ride.
Here are some photos!

there was quite a bit of sand erosion, making it really interesting getting up and down off the beach. Going down was like a free fall, but coming up was worse because the sand was burning hot and it slowed down quite a bit. We were very close to the water, not as close as I've ever been, but it was perfect. The waves were big enough to keep things interesting. We were in front of the non-swimming zone, but we could still go out like waist deep without getting in trouble. It took a while for me to work up the courage to go to the swimming area.

Cal and the Emilys made a sand castle, which had a nice moat system because of the waves, but once the moat was optimized, no waves came close to it (of course).

Emily and Cal and I went over to the swimming area and I chickened out going up to my head because I wanted to still be able to touch, because if you get pushed under once and you cant launch yourself back up, you cant time your head to pop up before the next wave comes down (I've almost drowned in wave pools, I understand these things lol) I watched Emily get dragged under three times, I lost track of Cal for a minute, so I was just jumping over waves so they wouldnt crash on my head but basically keeping an eye on them. They didn't need me to be doing that, but I couldn't help it.

The forecast for the day was 90 degrees (and in the sun, mannnn it felt like it  - the pavement and the sand was white hot) and 0% chance of rain.

But we had an Upton with us (Emily.) So it rained.

so thats Emily looking incredulous at the approaching storm. It was really more of a super cell, because as it approached, before the rain started it was ridiculously windy. We had to pack up pretty much blindly, and then make our way up the burning hot sand to the burning hot pavement blindly, because the wind was catching the sand and it was blowing into eyes, ears, up noses, hair lines, every bit of skin. It was very very uncomfortable. Then it started raining. Then it stopped and got windy again, so we walked back to where the shops were and got slurpees and waited for it to pass.

We walked around for a bit, just to find something else to do since our time on the beach was cut short, and then decided there was nothing else we wanted to do so why not just go home. So we decided to get a bus to a different train station, hoping to avoid any other teenage hooligans who go through Nerang. So it was a good 30 minute find-the-bus-stop and then a whole hour on this other bus. An hour on a bus is longer than a normal hour. I did a 16 hour plane trip and I was more impatient during this bus ride than I was on the plane. That's how bad.

We got to the train station and it was a 30 minute wait for the train back to Brisbane (then a 15 minute wait for the bus back to our house from Roma Street train station). So all in all, we spent more time getting to the Gold Coast than we spent actually at the Gold Coast. But I still think that the hours on the beach were worth what it took to get there and back. If we go again, for sanity I might just have to stay the night somewhere and be there two days. I dont think I can do the commute twice in a day again. Brutal.

Recipe for A Good Weekend

I have several things to catch all you up on!
Aside from the title of this post -

I had a jolly good sit down and really made up my mind about the au pair situation. I had reservations about it, hence why I didn't immediately say yes. my whole dedicated blog post should've been some indication of inner turmoil on my part. It would've been crazy moving in with a family of strangers. It would've left my current roommates and friends high and dry in terms of rent payments, and it would've been wayyy out of my comfort zone job-wise. I've never watched kids, the one time I tried to babysit was an epic failure.

So I spoke to my mom, and messaged a few other people for their two-cents. They all said basically what I had been thinking to myself. That there were too many red flags, that I would hate it, that it was too far, too awkward, too _____. I had no way of knowing if the family was even real, if I was willingly shipping myself off into the Bangkok sex trade or something.

I sent the family a rejection email, and de-activated my profile on the website (it will be deleted automatically in 60 days - now 54 days). I felt better. I mean, I set up the profile expecting to get nothing. To hear from no one, as it has been my luck with real jobs. I don't know why I do it, or why I'm like this, but I didn't want to say no to this family because the woman sent me a personal message. I didn't want to let her down, in a way.  But in the end I totally did and I don't care. Makes no sense at all, how I torture myself with the thought of future remorse and then once I grow a ballsac and just do it then I have no remorse at all.

Anyway! I have so much more to cover.

All of my pictures from my camera for the past like, 6 days I've taken any pictures at all - are ALL of Thor. Thor has decided he likes sleeping on my suitcase. And he is cute.
 
On the 9th, Chris (Double Emmilly's boyfriend, and Cal's best friend from University) drove me, Emily, Cal, and Emmilly up to the top of Mount Coot-tha at night, to see all of the city lights and everything. My camera is absolutely useless at night, but I got this cool on on purpose:

Cal and Emily went off on their own for a bit, so I sat with Chris and Emmilly and chatted to get to know them a little better and vice versa and what have you. They're cool people. They ordered a plate of french fries and were waiting for like, 15 mins when I got there, and then after it had been almost 45 minutes, they went to cancel their order so we could leave - and then we all went to McDonalds. :)

The 13th was Emily B's birthday!
Emily G and I waited until her and Cal went to bed, and then we went to town decorating. Emily baked the cake, and I hung the streamers in the living room, and made some signs. Emily B doesn't like massive amounts of attention on her birthday, so naturally Emily G and I had to make things as obnoxious as we could with the supplies we had. Emily G also wanted to try to top what she did at Hollins last year (dont know if she succeeded or not).

A few weeks ago, Cal and Double Emmilly went down under the house and had a look around, and found a mannequin with no arms. They named her Tallulah, and she has been the staple of many a prank around the house, just sticking her in corners, in windows, etc just to freak people out. So Emily and I dressed Tallulah up as the grim reaper / a knight from Game of Thrones and stood her right outside their doorway. Then while Emily decorated the cake, I put together the streamers for their doorway. It was tricky because I couldn't rip tape right outside their door without waking them up, so I had to make each strand and tape it to a horizontal strand, and then Emily and I both crept over with it (streamers are LOUD when youre trying to be quiet) and hung it up.

Then Emily had bought a pack of white printer paper, planning to line the entire hallway with it, but I convinced her to just do one big patch (since we couldnt think of anything to draw on it anyway). So Emily hung up the paper and I ripped the tape pieces on each piece of paper...then she drew Emily B's portrait across all the paper, but I did Emily's mouth. Then at this point it was almost 4 AM, so I just went to bed and Emily called me a sissy. She ended up staying up all night waiting for them to wake up and react to all of it.

I slept late, but apparently Emily and Cal went to South Bank for a picnic lunch for her birthday. I believe Emily also went with, but I'm not sure. I slept through all of that lol.

 So that was the 13th. 
This weekend, I researched some things to do in the city, and so Emily B and I went to South Bank to the open markets that happen on weekends. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a street market and chintz stores.
South Bank was where we went on that first day in the city, when we went to Roma Street Parklands and then my camera died. So here are a few long overdue pictures of South Bank - which is an equally impressive public park area with a huge man-made beach, huge pool, kiddy pool system, and canal system (that we ended up walking in) before going down onto the actual bank of the Brisbane River. 

 walking across victoria bridge. we went to the 7-11 looking for the virgin margarita flavor but they didnt have it so we were stuck with lemon and lime bitters - which was (shocker) bitter.

 the tops of the market tents!

 this lines the entire walk-way through the entire South Bank park.

OB.SESSED. I am going to teach myself how to make these. Since Leather is my thing.

 part of the public pool. It was about 85 degrees on this saturday so naturally it was jam packed.

 
 Brisbane CBD, as seen on the banks of the river.

We sat on the bank of the river for a good hour, hour and a half just talking. It was a very relaxing day I found. We hadn't gotten to talk one on one like that pretty much since London so I enjoyed it quite a lot :)
Once the sun started to set, we headed off to the ferry port, hoping to get on the CityCat ferry so we could be on the river for sunset and take pics. It ended up being a little late so we missed the sun dropping below the trees, oh well. Good thing the sun sets every day, we'll catch it some time.
So it was really windy on this day, and I was wearing a pretty flimsy skirt, without a slip, it has no lining, no crinalin, nothing. I was holding it down on the  deck of the ferry (we stayed on the bow, taking pics instead of sitting inside like last time we rode the CityCat because it had been raining then).

I lift my arms to take one picture of a bridge coming up, and all of a sudden a big gust picks up, and I see my skirt hem in the corner of my eye. So I was like SHIT and tried to control the damn thing and cover my underwear but the damage was DONE. I looked directly behind me just to see if there were any guys my age behind me (which would be my luck) but I think the only people to see were this elderly foursome and a 30 year old couple.

So it wasn't as bad as it could have been...and I was laughing...I tried not to look behind me ever again because they all got dinner and a show.

Fishing for Jobs - Most Promising Bite

So I have been applying for jobs for the past few weeks (some even before I arrived in Australia). So far, they have all resulted in rejection or no word at all. Aside from a three.

McDonalds denied me on three locations, but two locations will keep my application on file for a future vacancy.

Woolworth's (Grocery store) sent me the same thing for one of their stores (of the nine that I applied to).

I joined a website called AuPairWorld, because you can post an advert of yourself for an au pair position or as a local tutor. I figured hey, I could tutor someone in writing, flute, or jewelry making or something non-useful like that, just to have some kind of pocket money.

Then I started getting messages for people wanting me to be their au pair.

Just in the fact that I am desperate for a job, I am considering them. I do think its a leap into the unknown within my already-performed leap into the unknown. The only family I replied to (of the three) was one who sent me a personal message, not just the form letter to view their profile. They live on the Sunshine Coast (about 1.5 hrs north of Brisbane) and have four kids, age 4-11.

I did make it clear in my response email that I have never been a nanny, but I have worked a bit with kids (at Silver Bay) (so I have a healthy respect for nannys and how hard a job it really is). 

But apparently the mother wants me anyway.

So this is my dilemma now, should I sit around in Brisbane as I've been doing for the past month, or do I move a bit north, watch some kids, live with a family of strangers, for some nice free room and board, a weekly allowance of around $200, and see what happens? If it doesnt work out, then at least I tried?

Here's the Thing *warning - depressing

I don't mind doing nothing all day, in fact I quite enjoy it. But there comes a time when I just HAVE to leave the house.

When I was home, I'd go shopping alone. I'd go to the bank and then get food. One night I just drove around and went to a few places but didn't get out of the car.

I've found that staying inside makes me sad. I get nostalgic for people, places, or things. Like I've explained before, sometimes I just can't stop myself. Sometimes I wonder if any person in my life just wants me to shut up already about London. Maybe even the people who were there too want me to shut up. It's over. It happened. Move on.

What can I say about Australia so far? In the future when I'm talking about it to everyone for whatever reason what would I say?

I suppose I can say oh well, speaking of internet, when I moved to Australia with friends we didnt have wifi at the house for weeks, and had to pay $3 bus fares to the public library just to go on Facebook #firstworldproblems. And check email...that was important too....

Oh your dream is to go to Australia? Well I have been. I moved there for no reason except the opportunity arose and I took it. What's stopping you? Then it would become a "My Dinner with Andre" scenario only more people would roll their eyes at my pretentiousness.

Hey speaking of monsoons, we've been in the middle of a two week - soon to be three week - rain storm. Have we conquered it? Yes. Have I laughed as my friends yell Disney lyrics while absolutely soaked to the skin? Yes. And it was great. It was freeing. It was cool.

But then it has been weeks. Our last outing was Shorncliffe, and the last time I left the house for a decent amount of time was going into CBD with Emily U to meet up with Emily G after her job interview.
Emily and I had to stand on the bus the entire way, because apparently the City was just the place to be that day (maybe because the sun was out in the afternoon for once). We met Emily and walked into Queen Street Mall to go to the tourist information centre.

We stopped in a souvenir store, where I bought two more shot glasses that are so cute. Emily G made fun of me because they were hand painted and I checked the entire stack on the shelf for one that was perfect. I guess I'm like my mom in that way, always picking the best one (or the fullest one, if its a soap) (or the cutest one, if its an animal in any form). Finally found one that was good.

Then we went to the Myer Centre food court, where Emily U and I got bubble tea, and Emily G got some japanese food. The bubble tea I picked was absolutely disgusting but I drank it anyway. Emily said hers was delicious. Emily G ate her food, and we talked about jobs and her interview and CVs/Resumes and all that.

We went to the tourist information centre and grabbed ALL the brochures. everything we could ever want to do in Queensland, we got a brochure for.

Then we decided to walk to the Botanic Gardens. Brisbane CBD is lovely, and all of the parks we've been to in Brisbane so far have been so impressive and beautiful that I'm just wasted on city parks forever. This one gave Belfast's Botanic Gardens a run for its money:

Then about 3/4 of the way to the ferry stop, it began raining. As usual. So there we were, walking along the muddy low-tide looking and smelling banks of the polluted river, dodging cyclists and joggers walking to the pier where we were getting the CityCat ferry (a ferry service which takes the same card as the buses and trains!). Meanwhile raining. Meanwhile mosquitoes. Meanwhile low-tide and dead bird smell.  Then we found the literal dead bird.

Then we saw the pier, and stood under an overpass for like fifteen minutes because the ferry was late. Then we walked out on the pier, when it began raining harder, and got onto the slippery metal deck of the ferry, where thankfully there were still open seats inside.

Looked at the river during the ride, surprisingly un-seasick (and I didnt have any booze to quench that) (and even if I did have booze, I couldn't drink it without getting fined $220). Then we got off at Regatta, walked up the stairs in the rain to a little bus stop, waiting for a bus. The bus that came next wasn't going to our house, so we took it to Indro shopping centre and caught a different bus, in the rain, that drove us down to our bus stop.

In the rain, almost didn't notice (in fact Emily G didn't notice) that Cal had walked down to the bus stop with umbrellas and my raincoat, so we wouldnt have to walk back to the house in the rain. He won a few husband points for that from Emily U/B.

Since that day, I've gone to Indro to get groceries, or to go to a certain store. I just went there yesterday to get groceries and a few cards. I'm planning on going to Indro today to buy some more groceries that were on sale....and then get some bubble tea. boom.

I've been sitting around worried about grad school. I applied to four schools, and have been accepted by two, denied by one, and the other hasnt answered any of my emails yet.
I got accepted to one that has immediately asked me to register for classes.
I got accepted to another that prompted me to accept their offer of a place (so to not lose it) and then says they wont give any information on the super specific program details until July.  Then they opened their scholarship application - which I applied to - and won't hear a verdict on until July.
I don't have until July to wait.
I have been going crazy waiting for the fourth school to give their decision - because that is my number one choice.
I have been going crazy trying to figure out what I'll do if I get denied there and find myself having to scramble for the loans and find enough money to pay for the 2nd school that I won't know if I can afford until July.
I dont like the classes being offered at the first school, and I dont really want to go there, but if I have to, if I am almost forced to because of money, or for personal reasons, then I can't say I'll be happy.

I watched a documentary on the 2004 tsunami. I say watched, but the movie is split into 8 parts on youtube, and I watched one and a half parts before I had to turn it off and try to go to bed - because I was sick to my stomach and about the throw up if I watched another second.

I spent all night thinking about it, having my stomach in knots every time an image crossed my mind.

I started getting really anxious, almost to the point of full blown panic attack, thinking about how dumb it was for me to be thinking about graduate school when all I should be thinking about was how far I was from home and how if something like that happened here, I wouldn't be with my family. if something like that happened in the us, i would be able to fly back right away. I was thinking about how I've been bitching about the cost of graduate school and how I was livid that I can't get a job here - and then seeing videos of people on holiday in paradise dying.

It was a real bum night.
The next morning I called both of my grandparents and talked for two hours. I've been really homesick and that just made it all the more important for me to contact everyone, let them know I love them and I'm thinking of them.

Then after that, I knew I had to finish the documentary. I had to do it to feel better.
So I watched it.
I felt better in the sense that I no longer wanted to throw up at the thought of it - but still not better, because then I thought about the Brisbane river flooding again with all this rain. I thought about our upcoming trip to the beach and how if a tsunami happens there, we won't have anywhere to run.

Here's the thing:

Every single moment, we are in danger of death. We are almost as fragile as the flys we swat. Every day I have to remind myself not to think about it.
Instead I think about graduate school, where I'll be, if I'll be away from home for another two years, if I'll be spending all of my time away and then coming back to have people not be there? Why do I want to go away so much, if my biggest fear is death? Would I choose to spend every moment in the presence of someone I care about? Someone I will miss, or someone who will miss me? Shouldn't I choose that? 
I am with my friends from Hollins here, but if I go to graduate school in London, I will be alone. For two years I will be gone, home for christmas and summers.

This post has gotten heavy. And this is the reason that I've found I NEED to leave the house. Because apparently if I dont, I will watch youtube videos of natural disasters, panic, and then re-evaluate my life and where I have placed priority and where I have placed myself.

So what do we say to the god of death?

Not today.

I'm gonna get bubble tea now.