Days 394-400! Woah! 400 days of traveling!! That’s pretty crazy to see typed out. Last week ended with a bit of unfortunate stress as the job I had lined up for my 88 days (of rural work) fell through. BUT this week starts off with some good news on that front! It also includes a lot of beach time too and a wonderful day of hanging out with friends! This was a pretty incredible week!

I ended off last week posting a “cry for help” to the Yamba notice board Facebook group. I needed to find work that would fulfill my 88 day visa requirement ASAP. It ended up being very well received and the community went to bat for me! There were a number of people commenting potential job opportunities, liking my post, and sharing it too!

In the end it got over 100 likes, 10 shares, and almost 40 comments. I guess my bartending and social skills paid off!

But the real kicker was when I woke up on Thursday, January 30th, I had a Facebook message waiting for me.

A man named Glen had reached out saying that him and his wife owned a macadamia farm and they might be able to help! Super excited, I tried giving him a ring but it didn’t go through and I couldn’t leave a message. So I messaged him back and we ended up having a call later in the day.

But before that call happened, I started my day. I didn’t feel like surfing today… I was super sore after 2 days in a row of it. Definitely going to need to rebuild the surfing muscles I had before I fractured my foot!

On my to do list today, I made my way up to the Pacific Hotel to talk to one of the office ladies. There was a chance she might have rural work for me so I was going to find out! After a brief chat though, it turns out they didn’t have enough work on their farm AND me not having a car was really going to put a thorn in that too… so another no, BUT as I say, rejection is just redirection.

But this trip up the hill wasn’t for nothing. One of the other office ladies daughters makes bracelets. I’ve been wanting to get one but they are always way too small! But, finally my complaints were heard and I had a bracelet made specifically for me waiting for me in the office.

Around the same time, I received a text from my parents with a picture… they were standing OUTSIDE the hostel I stayed in for a month while living in Melbourne. It was pretty surreal seeing them infront of a place in Australia that played such a big part in the start to this countries journey!

I then received a call back from Glen! And boy, was I about to have my mind blown. Glen and his wife Aly were interested in hiring me to be their first farm hand! On their macadamia fields, they just had their first nuts drop so they’ll need help collecting them, along with other day to day tasks on the farm. Not only were they interested in hiring me…

They were game to pick me up AND drop me off every day. Like WHAT?! Their thought was to pick me up after they drop their kids off to school and drop me off when they went to pick them up. I was shocked.

I was sold! The farm was only 20 minutes from where I lived, I’d be able to work at the hotel when I wanted to still, AND (most importantly) I’d still be able to keep surfing during this time too!! Glen sounded like a really nice guy so I was already excited to meet and work with him. He told me to reach out to his wife to chat more about pay and more of the nitty gritty details, but I was sold! He even said to keep looking for other opportunities if I wanted to, to keep my options open!

Later that day, I met up with my friend Katie for a beer at the pub. This is when I got a call from Aly! Again, a super lovely person on the phone and she sounded just as excited to have me on board. I told her the specifics of my visa and we pretty much chatted about the same things that Glen and I chatted about. She said she’d need to talk with their accountant about what pay would be for the position, but otherwise it seemed pretty much a lock! The last hurdle would be Aly picking me up on Wednesday to see the farm, sign paperwork, and make sure I was a good fit in person!

So with that, she said she’d call me back in a few days!

I was STOKED! This couldn’t have gone any better (or so I thought)! Posting to the notice board was such a shot in the dark, but truly the community really helped me out! I had a couple of other feelers out too, that I did receive emails back from. But most were out of town or needed me to have my own transport… which I don’t have!

So this was going to have to do. Somehow these types of things just keep working out for me!

Friday, January 31st rolled around and it was time to get back on to my early morning beach routine!

The waves haven’t been amazing since I’ve gotten back, but it’s been a blast getting back in the water! I’ve even met a fair amount of nice people while out in the lineups too. Surfing can be a very communal sport… can also be a little hostile at times too. Dropping in on another surfing (catching the same wave) or getting in the way of someone’s wave as your paddling out can cause some attitude. But as I learn to get better at surfing in a lineup, I’ll be able to avoid the latter!

A very notable part of the morning surf was a small pod of dolphins joining in on the lineup! They were about a wave away from me at the closest! It was so cool to be that close to a few of them!! A great way to start the day!

I spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing guitar, watching TV, and looking into more farm jobs, even though I was pretty sure I was going to stick with Glena and Aly’s farm… but better to be safe than sorry!

Later in the day I made my way up to the park I like to read in.

After a few hours, I headed home… and then I got a call from my friend Max asking what I was up to. Turns out, they were short on staff today and he was hoping I’d be able to come up and work. I said I’d be up in 5 minutes, threw on my work clothes, and made my way up the hill.

When I arrived they were definitely behind. But shortly after, the rush died and the pub was VERY quiet. So I only worked for about 3 hours. But some of my friends were around, so I hung out for a bit and had some beers with them before heading home. It was a short and unexpected shift but I was glad to be back behind the bar!

Now, remember how I said the farm work couldn’t have worked out any better? Well, I woke up on Saturday, February 1st (how is it already February) to another message from Glen. He asked me, “if we have a vehicle [for you] do you have a license?” My jaw DROPPED!

I was already blown away by their offer to pick me up and drop me off… but now they were offering to lend me a car?! They said they’d call me later today to chat more about it.

I immediately did a google search for license requirements in Australia. Turns out, for the first 6 months I actually can just use my US drivers license. But after that I’d need a temporary Australian one, so something to look into while I start the farm work.

Excitement coursing through my veins, I jumped out of bed and made my way to the beach for another morning of surfing!

It was another average day of surfing, BUT again, it was just great to be out in the waves and trying my best to surf! I caught a few waves and surfed for a solid hour before chilling on the beach.

In the afternoon, I went up to read in the park overlooking the main beach. While I was reading, I was watching a storm start to roll in. I was a little slow on my guestimation of when it’d hit where I was. So I got a little wet as I packed up my chair and book.

I had to sit underneath one of the gazebos while I waited the storm out, but it was nice to watch the rain.

While I was sitting and waiting, I received a call from Aly! She told me that they had a work Ute (classic Aussie car) that they’d be happy to lend me AND pay for petrol. She even said I could take it to the beach too! Only rule was no road trips… I was so excited!! I’d finally be able to surf Angourie Beach and the surrounding beaches that are known for their great surf!

The reason they were offering me the car was because Aly looked into my visa requirements a bit more. Turns out I really need to hit 7 hours a day, 5 days a week for it to really count. If they were to pick me up and drop me off, I’d at the most hit 6 hours and not all the time. This way, I’d for sure be able to guarantee my second visa! That they looked into more for me, cared to look into it, AND were offering me a car said a lot about these people.

I’m not sure how I got this lucky, but I love how the universe works itself out. Like this truly is the best outcome I could’ve hoped for! Now let’s just hope the work is good too! I’m looking forward to working outside a lot too.

The rain stopped and I was finally able to walk home. And then I got ready for work and made my way to the pub! It ended up being the busiest night I had seen in a while, which was a lot of fun. My manager was happy to have me back and also very happy to hear that I was able to find a farm job (especially because it would allow me to work at the pub still).

We stayed late playing pool and then I made my way home to go to bed.

My first very late night in a while destroyed the start to Sunday, February 2nd. I decided to not force myself to go surf but instead to lounge about and get rest. No reason to push myself and it was probably smart to let my muscles rest.

Before work, I forced myself out of the house and biked to Turners Beach for a swim! I didn’t bring my surfboard because I didn’t think the afternoon swell would be that good… but there were a ton of surfers out enjoying a choppy day in the water. Not ideal surf conditions but there were some decent waves! I ended up body surfing and chatting to a couple of the surfers too.

I stayed for a couple hours going in and out of the water. But eventually had to get home, showered, and changed for work! That I can go swimming in the ocean before work is just so cool! I don’t think I could ever get bored of this!

Unlike Saturday… today’s shift was probably one of the slowest shifts since I started working at the hotel. We had a fun group working and we closed up around 10pm. Which meant we wouldn’t be playing pool until super late again, but we had a few fun matches! I finally had a couple games that would’ve rivaled my time playing every day in Thailand. Glad those days didn’t go to waste!

I also chatted with my manager about my hours at the pub. I’ll shoot for working Saturday and Sunday and potentially working Friday nights too. But I’ll wait and see how the farm work goes and how tired I am post it. No need to push myself! Keeping the pub job means more money to pay rent and I get to keep the housing I’m currently in.

Sam, Max, and I made plans to hang out Tuesday. Which included beach, tennis, and having some drinks at the pub! So I was looking forward to Tuesday rolling around!

But first Monday, February 3rd! I started my day with a very very nice phone call with my Bubbie and Zeidie! I caught them up on all the new farm work saga and about the wonderful time I had with my parents in Sydney! Technology is incredible. That I can chat with them face to face all over the world is amazing! BUT I can’t wait to see them in person in just a few months!!

After I got off the phone, I immediately headed to the beach for my morning surf.

When I got to Pippi’s, I was greeted with 4 or 5 blue bottle jelly fish sitting on the sand (also known as a man-of-war)… so I was really really hoping I wouldn’t find more in the water. However, I had the beach to myself!! The tourists are practically gone now!

The waves were terrible and I had more nose dives than surfs. But I did manage to stand up a couple times! Today felt like a little bit of a setback in my surf learning, but it showed me just how much more work I need to do and to keep at it! I surfed until my shoulders and arms were tired and I made my way back to the sand to hang out.

I got rained on a few times over the course of the next hour or so. Eventually all the rain passed, I dried off in the sun again, and then made my way back home!

I had no work today, so I spent the rest of the day relaxing! I played guitar, watched TV, and of course had a very necessary nap. But I went a little stir crazy sitting around all day. So after dinner, I headed out for a walk and listened to music. I ended up at the park I like to sit at and watched the sunset reflect off the clouds over the ocean! There were a few people surfing so I watched them and off in the distance I spotted a large pod of dolphins! It’s so cool how often I can spot them around Yamba!

Tuesday, February 4th was full of fun and exercise!

I woke up bright and early and set out to Turners Beach for a morning surf. A big swell was on its way in, so I was told the surf was going to start getting good! I looked at my surf radar app and it told me the waves were good and around 1-2ft… but when I showed up, the waves were easy two to three times the size I was hoping for.

I maybe caught one wave, but most of the rest of the morning was paddling out, getting beat up by waves, and nose diving. However, I still had a fun time! I went in and out of the water a few times to rehydrate and rest between attempts and ended up hanging out at the beach for a couple hours!

Hopefully I’ll be able to get a more successful surf session in soon! Also, once I start working on the farm, I might be able to squeeze in a surf lesson or two!! I’m sure that would help a lot.

I had a couple hours to relax at home after, but at 1pm I was picked up by my friend Sam. We drove up to the tennis court near the main beach which we had booked for 2 hours! Sam and I played while we waited for our friend Max to show up. We then switched over to 1 on 1’s with the winner staying on.

It was a blast! We all played so much better than last week and had some incredible rallies and matches! I even was able to hone in my serving too, which made playing a bunch more fun. Eventually, our 4th player came, Simmo (my manager at the hotel)… but he came and went quickly since he had work tonight. So we just ended up continuing with our 1 on 1’s. Thankfully, throughout this all, my foot held up great! By the end of the two hours, I could feel an ever so slight pain, but nothing bad at all.

We built up quite the sweat, so Max and I headed to Pippi Beach for a swim and cool down. We hung out at the beach for a solid hour, bodysurfing some big waves! It was a blast! Today was shaping up to be my favorite day in Yamba yet. So many outdoor activities and spending time with friends, what could be better?!

Max and I headed back to my place to play some cards and then went our separate ways for a little bit to get ready before our dinner plans. I quickly hopped over to the post office, conveniently located next door, and picked up a package that wasn’t dropped off properly.

I got some guitar strings in the mail because I accidentally snapped one on my roommates guitar the other day! I’d get to restringing it tomorrow though.

Sam, Max, Max’s girlfriend Milly, and I met up at The Mexican for dinner.

While we waited for our food, max whipped out his deck of cards again! We ended up playing Presidents and Assholes until it arrived. I hadn’t played this game in forever… probably since I was at summer camp or around that time. The food was decent but what made the meal was the margaritas! We got a couple pitchers (or as Aussies call them, jugs) and very much enjoyed ourselves.

All of the staff at The Mexican drink at the hotel, so they were very happy to see us hanging out in their establishment too!

After dinner, the night wasn’t over yet. We made our way up the hill, to the hotel, to have a few more drinks and play a new game.

Sam got a game called Don’t Drink and Draw… I’m not entirely sure where the drinking element comes into play, but it was a fun, silly game nonetheless. Each round, you pick 3 cards: a person, an action, and a location. You then have 3 minutes to draw it all as best as you can.

For example, one of mine was SpongeBob, giving the middle finger, on the Great Wall of China. You then get points for guessing someone’s correctly and also get points if people guess yours correctly. It was a fun game with lots of laughs… but it basically was a repackaged Pictionary or any other game like it.

We called it a night and my adventures continued bright and early again the following day!

On Wednesday, February 5th, I was picked up just before 9am by my new employer, Aly! We had a really nice chat as she drove us to their family’s farm. I wasn’t sure what to expect from today, but I knew it would entail getting a tour of the farm.

And it ended up being just that. Over the next hour, Aly drove us around the entire macadamia farm, running me through the history, the plans, and what they were planning on having me do! My main tasks coming up will be mowing the fields (on some fun sit down mowers), pruning up some of the branches that are too low, and also spraying some chemicals around the trees as well.

Their almost 1 year old puppy was along for the ride too and would hop off periodically to explore, get messy, and go on a run. It also hopped off at one point around the same time as we spotted a big red bellied snake slithering towards our small 4×4 vehicle. Aly told me that it’s fairly rare to see one, but if you do they usually run off quickly… this one didn’t do that though… but also apparently wasn’t dangerous. I guess I’ll finally be getting my taste of Australian wildlife!

I even saw some kangaroos jumping around the fields! And also, apparently wild pigs AND emus will show up around the farm from time to time!!

I got to see the car they’d be lending me as well. It’s a Ute, which is a VERY Australian car to be driving around. It’s basically a work truck with two rows of seats. So I’ll be able to drive friends to the beach now! I’ll also be able to strap down my surfboard to the back, I’m very excited! But they’re going to spend the weekend getting it cleaned up and ready for me. So on Monday I’ll be driving it home.

The slightly unfortunate news was that they might not have enough work for me for all 88 days… however, they have connections to the surrounding farms AND farms in other parts of the country. So I should be fine to get it all sorted out before I leave the country!!

I got so lucky meeting these people.

Aly drove me home and told me I’d be picked up on Friday for my first day of work! I honestly am so excited. I think this is going to be such a unique experience and another opportunity to learn a new trade! I’m really looking forward to seeing how this new job goes. Especially because a lot of the work I’ll be doing solo.

I relaxed at home for a bit after getting back and sent Aly some information to get me into their work system. I then restrung my guitar and played for a bit! I got some very light and thin guitar strings and I think they sound great for this guitar!

A bit after 2pm I set out for an afternoon swim! It was a bit of an overcast day, but I biked over to Pippi Beach and still had a fantastic time. The waves were perfect for body surfing and I had them all to myself for the first 30 minutes! I sat on the sand for a bit before getting back in and going at it some more. I still can’t get over how accessible the beach and ocean are to me right now. It’s incredible!

When I got home and showered, I immediately hopped on a FaceTime with my parents!

It had definitely been past our weekly FaceTime schedule and we had a lot of fun updates to share! They’re now in New Zealand!! Which is so cool. It sounds like they are thoroughly enjoying themselves, which makes me very happy to hear!

It’s always great catching up with them, especially when we’re practically on the same time zone! Makes things way easier.

I ended off my day relaxing and getting very excited about the next few months in Yamba!

I have a solid friend group, lots of activities that are keeping me outdoors and healthy, and I’m about to embark on another new adventure! We’re about to step into the farmer Elie saga!

I can’t express my thanks enough to Aly, Glen, and the entire Yamba community that helped me land this job. I have no idea if I’ll spend another year in Australia… but I’m excited to hopefully have the option available to me!

I have a feeling there’ll be some fun updates to come!!

– Elie