Day 36-42: Sydney (Week 1)
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2004
1
12
57
Trip End
Jan 05, 2006
Sydney,
Australia
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
The general theme of the week has been trying to find somewhere to live which has involved pouring over the paper and checking the net regularly and making loads of phone calls cost a fortune on the mobile
Emperor's Crown - Perth
! Up to Saturday afternoon I'd only been to see a couple of places and OH MY GOD!!! Nothing particularly inspiring and one place was just plain scary - have upped my budget a bit to find something a bit nicer and nearer to where I wanna be. Basically I'm looking to be near Oxford St, this is the main gay strip and although my entire sydney life isn't gonna be spent there it's best to be nearer the place you're gonna be stumbling home late at night from, and of course that's where most of the Mardi Gras action is gonna be.I was surprised at how much everything costs plus how little choice there actually is. THe areas I'm looking in are called Surry Hill and Darlinghurst, they're quite big areas but there's only about 20 or so places in the paper, there are more of course but in my price range - $150-200 a week (about £60-80) - there's not so much. However the big property day is Saturday so today I've been to look at three places this afternoon. First place was a lovely terrace place for $200pw, really nicely done out with polished wooden floors, my own showerroom, and the couple living there are a really nice english couple - Sarah and Steve - who I got on really well with. The main problem over here is that most bedrooms are unfurnished, and of course I don't have anything, but it looks like I'm gonna have to get a secondhand bed otherwise I could be in for a long wait and I wanna be able to unpack the backpack soon!
So that terrace was really nice, tho they did have a dog which was a bit of a put off but actually she was a little beagle and quite cute, not much of a dog lover myself but could possibly get used to it. Then I looked at a place just 2 doors down, Sarah and Steve are friends with this woman - Denise - and she was actually at Sarah and Steve's when I arrived so we got a chance to chat then. Denise's place was a bit smaller so as it hadn't been extended so much so was only $170pw, plus she had 2 dogs and the place smelt more doggy and there was only one bathroom so I didn't get my own. So out of those 2 Sarah and Steve's was the winner.
Then I went to see an apartment near the hostel I'm staying in, really good location and the place was stunning, only 6 years old it was a 2 level apartment, downstairs was open plan kitchen and lounge plus a showerroom which would be just for me. Upstairs was amazing, the available room was glass on 2 sides with it's own balcony - fantastic location and great room. Only problem was it's $220pw, bit over what I want to pay. The owner - Paul (honestly!) - was specifically looking for another gay guy and we got on really well and I asked if there was any movement on the rent and managed to negotiate to $210, not a huge difference but I'd definately be willing to pay the extra for it. Anyways, he's got loads of interest unsurprisingly so he's got viewings on Sunday and is gonna call me back Sunday evening...I'd really like it so I'm hoping he likes me enough to offer...if he doesn't I'll probably go for Sarah and Steve's place which is a bit further out but only an extra 10 min walk.
One of the other things I've been trying to do is get the work thing sorted. In New South Wales you have to have a couple of licences/certificates to work anywhere that serves alcohol or has gambling machines (pokies). These are the RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) and the RCG (Responsible Conduct of Gambling). If I want to get any sort of bar work I need these so I enrolled in a couple of day course - about £35 each - I done the RSA on Thursday and RCG on Saturday, now I have these certs I can go looking for bar work. Gonna start looking Monday (tomorrow) and will go to Oxford St first which is where all the gay places are, the main reason for that is coz it's a social thing as well as a job, want to be able to meet people so it's as good a place as any, if no joy there then I'll spread my net further. Of course having no bar experience I've doctored the CV a little - can't be that difficult can it??? Anyway I'll give it a go and if I'm shite there are bar skills courses available so I'll have to do one of those, rather try my luck first and save $125.
Of course the other thing I want to do is Body Combat....and getting a job here is gonna be more painful than first thought. Because I wasn't a member of the Register of Exercise Professionals (REP) in the UK I need to get my UK qualifications ported over to Oz equivalents. Easier said than done, as well as the certificates which of course I have copies of they want the syllabus for my Exercise to Music course, references, and any other supporting evidence. That's the difficult bit really...contacted the YMCA to get the syllabus but for some stupid reason they don't supply it, they suggested contacting the REP, so been going round in circles a bit. There are a couple of organisations here who will look at my qualifications and map them over to the Oz equivalent, of course they charge plus they kinda want a whole portfolio so it'll be easier to register in the UK and do it that way. Got the information from the REP and it's only £25 to register with them, just waiting for them to get back to me on a few questions and hopefully I'll be sorted the UK end, then gotta see how long it takes to set up this end. Found a couple of clubs in Sydney that teach Body Combat, went into Fitness First and managed to get sucked into paying for a 15 day trial which is kinda cool coz it means I'll be able to start going to the gym and doing classes again...bought all the gym kit I need so I ready to rock. I also get my money back in full if I decide not to continue within the 15 days - guess that will depend on how well it goes finding a job.
Over the week I've also hooked up with a few of the guys I'd been talking to on the net. Carlos is a spanish guy now living here we met for a quick drink last night but he had other plans so only chatted for an hour or so. He is a member of Fitness First too so we'll probably go to Combat together as he's quite keen to give it a go. Simon is a Sydney guy who's in IT, lives Surry Hills way which is the area I want to be in....we went out for a drink on Friday night with his ex, had a good night and a late one....he's been in Sydney for sometime so knows lots of people and the managers of bars so said he might be able to talk to people to see if there's any work going which is handy. Anthony and David are a couple of guys i've been speaking to since about August. David is from the UK but managed to get a sponsored job about 4 years ago so has been here since. He works in promotions and marketing for one of the daily papers here so had tickets for a media screening of Bridget Jones - Edge of Reason which hasn't been released anywhere in the world yet which is cool, and if you want to know it's really really good so when it comes out go and see it. Anthony is a local guy who helps run a family farm out in the country. It was good to finally meet with all these people and get to know them in the real world...who'll end up being a good mate I dunno but loads of time to get to know everyone.
Weather wise the first few days of the week were pretty shite, cloudy and showers or heavy rain, it wasn't until Friday when it started drying out a bit and Saturday was lovely, first time I've seen blue sky in Sydney, changed again today (Sunday) back to rain and cloud and as I sit here there's a thunderstorm which is nice.
Little addendum....the apartment fell through, he offered it to someone else who could offer him a longer lease so I'm starting from scratch again...
