How a Little Bit of Luck and Meeting the Right People Can Go a Long Way

As I mentioned in my earlier post How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney, it was the sheer kindness and generosity of the Smith family that brought me to Sydney. They had originally bought me round trip tickets so I could go back to Surfer's Paradise, but after only my first two days in a suburb called Manly, I knew that this was a place I would much rather live.

I hadn't seen Susan or Maddie since the summer of 2011 when I was Maddie's summer swim team coach, and I had never actually met the father, Warren. Yet still, Mrs. Smith flew me down so that I could watch over Maddie while she and Warren went to Thailand for a week and a half. Not only did they kindly pay for my flight, but they had a spare bedroom made up and ready for me, and gave me the keys to their car to drive around while they were away.

My first night in Manly they took me out to their favorite fish and chips place near the beach and even though  in mid-October Sydney was MUCH colder than up in Surfer's Paradise, I still had a blast seeing the family again and being around fellow Tennesseans. And it was incredible to see how much Maddie had grown since seeing her last! I'm 10 years older than her and she's almost taller than me!!


While spending my first week in Sydney, I took Maddie and her friend down for an afternoon at the beach and on the way back home, I stopped at a random cafe to grab a coffee. I noticed how busy the place was and asked the guy making my coffee is he was the owner. Turns out he was. We got to chatting and within the length of time required to make a coffee, I had a new job, starting as soon as the Smith's got back from Thailand.

I was stoked.

The week and a half taking care of Maddie flew by and before I knew it the Smith's were back in town. I announced my decision to not fly back to Surfer's Paradise and in complete surprise, the Smith's were just as happy for me. So happy, in fact, that they immediately offered for me to stay at their house with them free of charge for as long as I needed. Again, I was absolutely blown away by their kindness.

I started working at the cafe part-time, making enough money to survive (especially since I didn't have to pay for most of my food or rent - again, thanks to the Smith's). And ironically enough, it was through the cafe that I started making a lot of new friends.

Being an American, let's just say that my waiting services were MUCH HIGHER than the other waitress's. I was kind, attentive, and worked as though I was going to get tips (which is NOT common in Australia). And because of my friendliness, a lot of regulars and locals started to know me as the "Girl from Four Olives Cafe".

And it was through the cafe that I met two super awesome people: Angus and Luke.

Luke and I quickly became good friends, and since he was quite older than me, he became a mentor of sorts. Not only did he take me around in race cars and introduce me to a more "fancy" side of Sydney life...







...but he became someone I could talk to about all my fears and worries...and receive confidence, guidance, and wisdom in return. He was there for me when I had a lot of concerns about what I was doing with my life, where I was going, and what in the world I was going to do next. For his friendship and willingness to show me the true meaning of Aussie generosity, I don't think I could ever thank him enough.

And then one day in November at the cafe (exactly one month from me arriving in Sydney) I was minding my own business when a very handsome and energetic man walked up to order a muffin and a coffee from me. I had seen him at the cafe before, and for some reason or another, that particular morning we happened to hold each other's eye contact for a bit longer than usual. Then he left and I went on with my shift...until about twenty minutes later when I walked outside to greet a new table and there he was. The same cute guy, with a friend, sitting down to order more breakfast and another coffee. "This can't be a coincidence," I remember thinking to myself.

Angus (Gus) proceeded to be the most needy customer I ever had, making me run back and forth to get cracked pepper, avocado, Vegemite and everything else in between. But I had a sneaking suspicion that he was just trying to find ways to keep talking to me (since it was VERY busy at the cafe that morning) and by the time he and his mate finished up breakie, I made up my mind and in a rash moment of confidence, told him that he should add me on Facebook so we could catch up sometime.

(TIP TO THE LADIES OUT THERE: Telling a guy to add you on Facebook first is usually a much better option than giving out your number, because this way you can kind of suss the guy out through his profile.)

Gus seemed to be very taken aback by my forwardness, but quickly wrote down my name and when I got off my shift a few hours later, I had a message from him waiting for me. And on a whim, I decided to take up his offer for dinner...

And we haven't looked back since.



He started off just showing me the sights and experiences to be had in Sydney, and in between all of that I began to fall quite hard for him.




It's almost the end of February now, and I still can't believe so much has happened to me since moving to Sydney on October 17th. I will never forget the absolute kindness of the Smith family, nor will I ever forget them. I consider them all to be part of my family now, and I know that time will never change that. All three of them mean the world to me.

Luke and I still keep in touch when he meets Gus and I on the weekends for breakie and he and I still chat like little high school girls about life and relationships. 

I'm writing this near the end of February and Gus and I are now officially dating and still going strong. He makes me so happy it's a tad bit ridiculous, really. But I don't want to say too much about him just yet because my next post is going to be about a very VERY special thing he did for me and my very strange obsession with Lord of the Rings.

Until then...

-Little Blonde Traveler



Why 2012 Was My Best Year Yet

It's a pretty surreal feeling when I scroll back through my blog and my picture albums on Facebook. From where I was this time last year in 2012 to where I am now in 2013...well, I'm literally on the opposite side of the earth and in a completely different mindset.


Since I had blown my entire life savings in 2011 while traveling through South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand...from January 2012 to the beginning of July 2012 I was working an 8-5 job on the weekdays, and working a part-time gig on the weekends all to save up for my ultimate trip to leave the country and move to Australia. But the "corporate world" soon had me depressed and longing for world travel and in February, I took $1,000 and two weeks off to visit some friends in Europe.

I visited Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Barcelona, Spain:

And Aalborg, Denmark: 


But after I returned to the States, I had to bite the bullet and work and save, work and save...

I lived in a condo with my two best girl friends, Sarah and Carolyn but other than that, was quite a social recluse, constantly fantasizing about where and when I was going to leave Tennessee next. In the end, I decided that I wanted to apply for a one year Working Holiday Visa in Australia. $175 and 24 hours later, my visa was accepted and I had up to April 2013 to arrive in Australia for my visa to begin.

So then I had to decide the hardest question of them all...WHEN?

I did some math and realized that I would have around $7,000 by July (which included selling my car and computers and other electronics). My family is famous for our annual July 4th party so I decided that I would make my departure date a week later on July 10th. I also realized that since I had a few grand, I was definitely going to make a few pit-stops along the way before arriving in Australia.

That's when I got to work looking at my flight options and ultimately decided on this schedule:

-San Diego for one day
-Oahu, Hawaii for one week
-Kauai, Hawaii for two weeks
-Oahu, Hawaii for two days
-Bali, Indonesia for two weeks
-Jakarta, Indonesia for one week
-Then arrive in Brisbane, Australia and figure things out from there.

The night before I left, I decide to throw a last minute going away party, which turned out to be the worst decision I could have made. Because EVERYONE I loved and cared about most in Knoxville showed up to say their goodbyes and give me their well-wishes...which made me realize just how much I had taken all of their love and support for granted over the past years.




But the next day I stemmed the flow of tears as I said goodbye to my parents, slung my massive backpack over my shoulder...and began my Epic Adventure of a Lifetime.


...And that's where my this blog began. At the very beginning of my adventure.

If you've followed along with my blog, then you know about my experience falling down the waterfall in Hawaii, or the thieving monkey in Bali. If you don't know these stories, then I've created links to all of my blog posts (in chronological order) below...

BEFORE:
  1. My Last Day of the "Corporate Grind"
  2. Mixed Emotions
HAWAII:
  1. My First Few Days in Oahu, Hawaii
  2. My Week in Oahu
  3. My First Impression of Kauai, Hawaii
  4. How I Discovered the Moodswings of Poseidon and His Ocean
  5. So Much to See and Do in Kalalau!
  6. A Native American Sweat Lodge in Hawaii
  7. Homesickness
  8. How to Fall Down a Waterfall
  9. The Ultimate Sea Kayak Adventure
  10. Our First Night at Polihale Beach
  11. Not the Best Experience at Polihale
  12. How I Learned to Hitchhike
  13. Saying Goodbye to Hawaii and Hello to Two Days of Travel
INDONESIA:
  1. Why HOSTELS Are the Key to Successful Travelling
  2. Surfing the Indian Ocean For My Daddy
  3. How to Party...Bali Style
  4. Monkeys in Indonesia...They Own the Place!
  5. The Wonder of Ancient Temples
  6. Ripcurl Anyone?
  7. This Post Has Been A Long Time Coming...
  8. Why You Should SERIOUSLY Avoid the Water in Indonesia
  9. My Jaunt Through Jakarta - The City Where Blonde Hair Is a Traffic-Stopper
AUSTRALIA:
  1. My First Week in Australia and the Generosity of Strangers
  2. How to Start a Life in Australia
  3. How Life Took Me From The Gold Coast to Sydney
So, to re-cap...

2012 has without a doubt been the best and most influential year of my life. And I can't wait to get back in the swing of things and update on the crazy experiences that have fallen my way while here in Sydney...

But in the mean time, I'll post this picture as a sneak preview...



-Little Blonde Traveler