Melbourne, Australia

I got down to Melbourne after an 8 hours uneventful train ride. The loud, busy city environment hit me straight in the face and made me wanna turn around and jump on the first train back to Leeton.  As I by this point didn't have any credit on my phone I had to relie on my friends to call me, which they did only when I was unable to pick up thanks to the service on the train.  In a jungle of traffic lights and cars, dusty streets, smelly people, taxi drivers and trams I finally found my way to St Kilda where I met Stina just at where I left her 2 months ago - in the bar. 

The main reason for me to head back to Melbourne this specific time was because of Fiona, one of my best friends from school who just got to Australia with her friend Fanny and would be in Melbourne only for a few days. Not only was Fiona and Fanny here during this time but my dear friend Cornelia who I keep bumping into in different places all over the world. 

That night i headed in to the city for a night out with Chloe. We met up with Cornelia and Paula who seemed to have dragged their whole hostel along and ended up at one of the rooftops. As Fiona and fanny stay'd in st Kilda as well I catched up with them first thing in the morning. As we were walking towards the beach we passed an Australian footy court where they had a female practice game. Trying to understas the rules we started chatting to the camera guy, Callum, who kindly did his best to make  us understand. Apparently we must have make some kind of impression as he decided to come to st Kilda the very same night to meet us in the bar. He then offered to drive us to Philip island a couple of days later to watch the penguins. And we did. 

Fanny, Fiona, their Italian friend Lorenzo and I took the train down to Callums area of town where he picked us up for a 2 hour roadtrip to Philip island. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, and more of  tourist attraction kinda of thing. But it was cool watching the penguins wandering down the beach in the sunset even if it looked more like tine white spots from where we were sitting. And as Callum a I was chatting away we manage to lose our friend which made the whole situation feel more like a first date. I tried to spend as much time as possible with Cornelia and Paula before they left, after just a couple of days in Melbourne. Fanny and Fiona followed a few days after. I kept seeing Callum for a few weeks, but it didn't last very long. He showed me me around his favorite spots in the are where he lives and took me up to the viewpoint one night where we got a stunning view over the city all lightened up in the dark. 

Job hunting

In the middle of all this I did my best trying to find work as a slowly but steady started to run completely out of money again. I got a trial at Stina's cafe but they were looking for someone more experienced. I got a trial at a kebabshop down the street from ours, who turned into a full 8 hour day of training. And in the end they didn't even want me in the shop but on the corner of the street as the 'promotion girl' handing out flyers to drunk people trying to get them to buy kebab in the early morning. I did this once. And of all the jobs I've ever done, including endless hours at the farm, this is by far the worst and most depressing one. From 12 - 4 am outside in the winter cold. No way. I'd much rather go back to the fruitshack! The next day I got a trial up in Carlton, Chloe's area,  in an Italian restaurant. During the 2 hours I was there I didn't seem to do anything right. I also didn't speek Italian which seemed to be the employers way of communication. Their menu was to be fair thicker than the bible itself. I got straight into taking orders from a table of 10, who all wanted shared starters and different types of food, all modify to suit each one of them. I got everything wrong. I felt sorry for the owner as a walked out laughing at my own stupidity knowing that I would never hear from that place again. 

Up the street, in Carlton as well, I ended up waitressing during the dining service in an Italian -ish resturant. The owner was the most greedy, depressing Slovakian man I've ever met and the way their business was working and the way he treated his staff was nothing but disgusting. I lasted a week. A week of endless yelling and under appreciation. I knew at once I wouldn't last. During the weekend he had 3 people in on trial, each day, with no intention to keep any of them. In that way he wouldn't need to pay them. He surely knew how to use poor backpackers desperate for jobs, and I happend to be one of them. I lasted a week, as mentioned, before I accidently dropped a tray of drinks over a table of people during a highly busy Saturday night. That caused major chaos. It wasn't my fault really, even if it surely looked that way. As I was announcing the drinks one girl raised her hand that tipped the tray over. Glass went everywhere as it hit the floor. Lemon soda, vodka red bull and diet cokes all over the table, floor and not to mention the poor girl. Straight after cleaning up my own mess I got sent home. I didn't at all mind the fact that I never got called back, but I did mind the fact that he did all he could to avoid giving me my paycheck. After calling him unnumberous times I turned up at the footstep of his resturant forcing him to pay me. So he did, but not even close to the almont he owned me. I didn't have the energy to fight for it. I was done with that place! 

During my week at the resturant I manage to get a daytime job at a cafe to combine the hours. This was a dreamjob compared to my last experience. Located in the Australian vision building, in the western suburb I found myself in 'Tillys cafe'. I loved it from the first time I went throught the doors on my way to my trial - which I got paid for! The owner, who's also the boss and the head chef (only chef), is a mid age, super nice and fair man treating his staff with nothing but respect and appreciation. Apart from him there was only three other staff members. We were a great funny team who created happy atmosphere and comfortable working environment.  I felt as my melbourneon life finally fell into pieces. Or so I thought ...