Day 272! I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I was done with my illness… but when I woke up in the morning, it was definitely still there. I think I’m getting close but maybe a couple more days. Today I finally found myself a job! Not one I was expecting, but it’s a fine one for now.

I unfortunately got woken up on the early side by my roommate chatting to his girlfriend on the phone… but it was my last night in that room so I wasn’t going to complain.

Also I had to pack up my things this morning, so it wasn’t the end of the world that I was up. I extended my stay at the hostel for another week, but sometimes you lose your bed and this was one of those times! So I was moving to one of the 12 bed dorms later in the day.

I brought my stuff down to the storage area in the lobby, turned my key and pillowcase in, and made myself some breakfast!

I finally got myself oats, instead of having Immy’s, and I put peanut butter and cinnamon sugar in it. I also had a couple clementines. I’m hoping the vitamin c helps me out!

I then stepped outside, because the TV room was being cleaned, and FaceTimed my parents!

It was a beautiful day out this morning and it was (as always) a very nice chat with my parents. We caught up on their week and mine and I told them all about my upcoming plans… but you’ll have to wait and see what those are.

After a nice long chat, I ended the call with them and immediately made another.

In the hostel, there’s a bulletin board with random advertisements, one of them being for a recruitment company. I’ve had some friends try it out already and they found work very easily, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The work is mostly event setup and takedown. Whether it’s pop up marquees or a stage, that’s what I’d be helping out with. It could also be moving boxes to and from a truck and a warehouse, but it’ll start with the events for now.

The phone call was super easy and the guy basically just had me send over my resume, fill out a couple forms, and then said I’d start Friday if not sooner! All I needed to get were steel toe boots and a high vis jacket. Annoying I have to buy more things for a job BUT I can sell them, use them for another job, and I’ll make the money back after this first shift.

My thoughts originally were to stay away from this line of work… but the longer I’ve been in Melbourne, the more I’ve realized I don’t necessarily know if I want to stay in the city.

So I don’t want a job or place to stay that will tie me down to it. And this will be perfect! I’ll be able to fund the city lifestyle for while I’m here and then make my next move accordingly!

I went to go back inside the hostel… and then realized I gave back my room key! Thankfully someone was at front desk and they let me in.

I then took my book to the, now clean, TV room and sat down to read more of my book! I’m getting so close to finishing this one and it just keeps getting better and better. Some friends also came to the TV room so I read and chatted while they watched some shows.

The afternoon rolled around and I decided to pry myself from the comfy couch and go make myself lunch.

I was in the mood for another quesadilla, which one of my French friends pointed out that I ate a lot of quesadillas. But I really don’t get bored of eating them! Nor do I really get bored of eating the same thing over and over. Maybe it’s the frugal person in me or maybe I just know what I enjoy and find easy and scrumptious to make!

After eating, I moved into my new room. I luckily got another bottom bunk, because my friend Charolette wanted the top bunk. I’m hoping she shakes the bed a little less than my other friend Callum (who was my previous bunk mate).

I ended up going back to the TV room to continue reading but got distracted by my friend Callum putting on the first Pitch Perfect movie. This was a favorite of mine, especially during my singing group days in high school.

They started up the second one right after the first one ended, but my friend Immy and I had plans to go to the store together. We both needed some things from K-Mart.

It was getting a bit cooler out, but it was still a pleasant afternoon for a walk. We made our way into the CBD and I bought myself the high vis vest and work boots I needed.

It was time for dinner after our outing. My dinner was ready for me since I cooked extra the night before. I had more of my rice and cashew chicken (minus the cashews). I then had some rice cakes with hummus, Immy bought a huge tub of it and I graciously offered my services of helping eat it. I had a couple clementines as well.

But the snacking didn’t stop there.

It was movie night in the hostel, which meant some tasty deserts and popcorn in the TV room. So I indulged on those while we watched the first quarter of the Hunger Games movie. A lot of people left before we got to this point and the majority didn’t want to watch it anymore, so they switched it to another one.

I decided that was my signal to go to bed. So I said goodnight to my friends and headed up to my new room.

I read a bit more of my book before calling it a night.

I don’t have too many plans before my first shift with this recruitment company on Friday. But I’m excited for it! Maybe I’ll be able to sneak in a shift before that, but it’ll be nice to have some “expendable income.” I’m also very curious to see what the world of laboring is like and what will be in store for me!

– Elie