Chasing Amy-Lou

After what can only be described as a fantastically reaffirming time in Hong Kong where I managed to take-in, see, and splendour at all the sights and sounds I regretted to visit on my last trip there, I made my way to Perth, with a stoic optimism and a positive attitude directed at whatever lay ahead.

I reached the Western Australian capital on a dark and chilly Sunday evening, was collected from the airport by my generous and accommodating friend and made my way to a city that I hoped would be my home for the next few months.

Full of vim and vigour, I began the job search immediately; there was no time for sight-seeing here, oh no, as securing work was my number one priority; once the money came rolling in, that’s when the fun would start.

Being the kind of person that likes to think she learns from past mistakes or past errors; being the type of person who thinks she’s got everything under control and can adopt a chilled attitude, one that reeks of the type of laissez-faire outlook that should be applied to situations like this, situations where work, accommodation and a social life would take time to establish, I realised that I’d monumentally failed on all accounts; my attitude hadn’t changed at all from the last time I was in Australia: I had my shit together in the sense that I was applying for jobs and seeking a more permanent place to stay, I just didn’t realise that it would take a while for everything to fall into a kind the zen I was accustomed to, and I began to panic (typical).

Having some form of stability and support in regards to finances and a roof over my head has always been a huge factor in the way I live my life – I like to know where I’m at and that I at least have a back-up plan should things not work out. The unknown and ‘going with the flow’ has perhaps been a difficult thing for me to adopt and adapt to (except when travelling on a hefty budget and no concern or need to find work – floating along with no plan is easy when the stakes are lower and sketchy) as I’m a self-confessed worrier, although some people may like to say I’m highly strung…I would beg to differ. Should I have a regular source of income and should I have a secure base or place to lay my head, I can easily go with the flow in whatever life chooses to throw at me. But having no job, no place to permanently live, and a cash supply that I very stupidly neglected to top up before I came out (yep, you guessed it I didn’t save enough, and Australia is EXPENSIVE!) was not the ideal way to begin the big adventure (albeit for the second time around).

So that teeny, tiny issue of having no financial stability (yeah, miniscule, ey?), teamed with the fact that Perth was absolutely and unequivocally freezing, gave me a reality check I was not expecting. I had not prepared for the cold…and the rain…and I had not prepared for the blinding reality that before the end of August I would have to have found a place to stay and secured full time work.

Let’s look at the facts: in the week that I’d been in Perth, I’d applied for over 30 jobs; I’d forwarded my CV to four agencies, and I’d stomped the streets handing my resume out to just about every bar/pub I’d come across and could realistically see myself working in. I hadn’t been out galavanting, frittering my money away on fast men, fast cars and a lot of booze (although it was tempting, and I really wish I had), I hadn’t spent money on accommodation (eternally grateful to my old Marriott mate), and I certainly hadn’t spent a lot on feeding myself. But by the beginning of my second week it was apparent that my money was running low – drastically low. And my arse was beginning to twitch.

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom from here on out; I had a couple of interviews, I’d been offered casual positions, and I did have a trial for one potential place of employment, and following that, successfully secured myself a casual job (20 hours a week), with the promise that more hours would come my way as soon as the weather began to change in a months’ time. And all that in the space of a week. ‘Perfect’ I hear you say, ‘Brilliant!’ But this is me, nothing is ever perfect or brilliant until I’m completely satisfied that I’ll be alright. And I was not satisfied.

Yes, there was light at the end of the tunnel; it was great that I’d got a job already (it proves that there is work out there and my initial qualms had been quashed) and it was fantastic that more hours would come my way in a few weeks and effectively that would mean more money in my account; and rooms seemed pretty cheap to rent in Perth so I was quite confident that things would work out. However (and there’s always a however isn’t there?), after much deliberation and a little bit of cost-calculating, followed by a whole lot of, ‘woe is me, I have no money, I have no savings, what am I doing with my life, I’m almost 31 years old?!?!?’ (spot the reoccurring theme here?), I decided that it wouldn’t work. I needed to save and I needed a financial plan. Despite having a regular income and despite being able to afford a deposit on a room and the first weeks rent (just), I would not be able to support myself and save enough money to get to Melbourne before Christmas – I’d need to live like a recluse to get anywhere close to where I wanted to be.

Fast-forward a couple of days and everything has changed. When faced with financial crisis and the stark reality that the only way you would be able to save cash would be to become a hermit in a city that in a few weeks’ time would have too much temptation to go wild, party and spend money on clothes, that the life of a loner would be impossible, even for the most strong-minded of people – and I ain’t that strong when it comes to clothes, coffee and wine, trust me – what’s the most sensible thing you could do? Go to the Outback of course.

So that’s where I’m at just now. It pains me to leave Perth without giving it much of a chance and without waiting to see what the next few weeks would bring but I have to be sensible, I have to be realistic, and I have to look to the future. I didn’t save enough money before I came back to Australia which was a huge faux pas on my part (maybe trips to Lisbon, Madrid and Athens weren’t necessary but hey, you can’t change the past), and I forgot to account for daily travel expenses, neglected to remember that everything is more expensive over here if you’re not working, and was not aware that as of July 2016 backpackers now have to pay a hefty 33% tax on all their earnings while in the country (didn’t do my research did I? School boy error).

I still want to explore everything that Western Australia has to offer – there’s miles and miles of beautiful coastline that is screaming out for my presence, and there’s so many wineries that I’d be in grape heaven for weeks; and I’m sure I’ll travel the coast at some point, but for now, I gotta go where the money is.

The job I’ve accepted will be challenging, socially more than physically – I’ll be in an area so far east of Perth that if you went any further you’d reach Kalgoorlie (ok so not that far east but come on, humour me here). There’ll be no WiFi (oh no, what am I going to do?! First World Problems anyone?), and my 3G connection (yes, 3G) will be so limited that using my shitty Telstra-locked Android (yes, my iPhone is locked to a UK network. No I didn’t get it unlocked before I left. Yes I am an idiot. And yes, EE will be feeling my wrath should it not be unlocked before I leave next week) will be the only way to communicate with the outside world – bye bye Tinder (ok, I caved. Again! Don’t judge me), bye bye Snapchat, bye bye Instgram, bye bye any form of quick web-related searches that allow me to stay in touch with current affairs, events and news; and hello mining community!

I’m actually quite looking forward to the experience – being disconnected from the digital world might be just what I need and it could even bring a fresh perspective on things, because you know me, I’m all for fresh perspectives. Plus, the money I save will hopefully calm my worried mind and enable me to let go of the frantic panicking I’m so accustomed to. My writing will take a hit, and my imagination will have to soar to new heights, but it’ll be ok; plus, I’ll have miles and miles of desert and probably the odd dead Kangaroo to occupy my free time with.

So, this may be the last you hear from me – in a blogging capacity anyway – for a couple of months. But don’t fret, I have my books, I have my music, I have my running gear, and I have my sanity…well, for now at least.