Apr 6-11 Last few days in Caulfield

So if you know me well, you will know I have absolutely no idea how to braid hair. I have tried but always seem to find someone who can do it faster and better so I'll ask them to do it instead. Today I wanted to look cool for my first shift at the nightclub. I popped into a hair salon and literally paid someone to “kim kardashian” dutch braid my hair. This is getting out of hand – I really need to keep trying to learn, lol.

They did a good job on it and then I went to work for after-work drinks and then the switch over from the bar to the night club. I had so much fun working, the whole place was packed for a thing called “Fashion Fridays” and everyone was dressed beautifully. I couldn’t believe how many staff are needed to run a nightclub, with all the managers and bartenders, bussies, and security people – it was like working with a whole task force to make this night go smoothly. Even though the hours are quite long, I really enjoy this type of work and felt very safe with all the security there. It still feels like I’m out although I’m working! I came out of the night covered in alcohol and smoke though, not the cutest look! The next night I had dinner at a Malaysian restaurant with Joel and a bunch of his friends! I am blanking though on the name of the restaurant, but what I do remember is that the food was VERY spicy although they said my dish was only mild. Afterwards called for a pint of ben and jerry’s “Half Baked” ice cream – which is $11 USD here. So damn expensive.

The next day, April 8th was an awesome day because it was Joel’s sister, Amanda’s, 30th birthday party. His parents worked super hard to put together an amazing race all around the huge park near their house and all of her friends and family were split up into teams to complete all the tasks. I loved being included in this and afterwards the race ended with a delicious all-out aussie barbecue! My first one actually!

On the 9th I went to the DFO outlet mall with Joel’s mom, sister and sister’s husband! I ended up getting shoes, 2 tops and a new coinpurse. My little purple coinpurse I liked to take around with me on trips was breaking and sadly I had to throw it away! I feel like a lot of people have this sort of attachment to an item they travel with and it is always bittersweet to part with it when it is too worn down.

At night I went with Jeremie to Lucky Coq for beer. He is one of my very first friends here and it is so nice catching up and talking about our experiences trying to find work and housing in Australia. I want to try and get back here soon on a weekend because apparently there is no cover charge and good funky music. To end the night I bought a donut from this amazing place on Chapel street. The flavor was oreo glaze- need I say more? Chapel street, if I haven’t talked about it before, is this bustling area with lots of cool shops and most importantly bars/restaurants. For example, there are unique places on that street called Boston Sub, which is a teeny tiny normal sub shop, but then you go can go back into this refrigerator door it turns into a hidden bar! What an amazing concept. And yup, the subs are top notch. The next few days included a little bit of exercise, another incredible bbq at joel’s and mostly packing up all my things to move into a hostel for the next week and a half. I stayed at Melbourne City Backpacker’s in a 6 person dorm room right next to Southern Cross Station in the central business district (or CBD for short). The minute I stepped into the hostel, I felt right at home with the big communal table and open kitchen and living room area. People were drinking and hanging out playing cards. I think I will fit right in here! There is even free breakfast which I always appreciate from accommodation on the road. By the way, this hostel is one block in each direction from the bar La Di Da as well as the café Higher Ground that I will be trialing at soon.