Dan had warned me, a few days before my arrival, about a trip he has planned for us to take (which will conveniently postpone meeting friends and family on my very first day of arrival). Once we collected all my belongings, packed it in the Pajero, or the 'monster' and hit the road North, to Noosa Head.
Noosa, located on the Sunshine coast, North of Brisbane, is probably my second favourite location (as first place, in my opinion, still goes to Byron Bay). It started raining as soon as we arrived in Noosa, which was not a surprise to me at all. My very first memories of this place included backpacking with a dear friend, searching for our next place to rest as the rain poured down on us and a rainbow guided most of our journey (Natalie, memories do linger).
We parked and thought to wait for the rain to pass, and when we realized it wasn't, we grabbed all our stuff and ran indoors. We checked into a lovely place called Ocean Breeze Resort, located right along the main beach. Once we moved our stuff into our room, I still had my rain boots on from the plane ride, we headed for a rainy stroll on the main strip. Some of the shops were open but most were closed. I believe I arrived on a weekday, so not much was happening. Plus, June is a winter month, so cold rainy days are not at all popular beach days.
Our 4 days in Noosa stayed rainy, but we managed to get out and shop, dine, and spend some time catching up about the last 6 months Dan and I spent apart. I shared my Red Lake stories and Dan explained what was waiting for us in the next coming weeks. I were to look for a job, a place to stay (with or without Dan) but all this had to be accomplished in about 4 weeks time (as this was the agreed time for me to stay at Dan's friend's place).
Majority of my stories weren't new to Dan, as we kept in touch quite frequently via skype throughout our distances.
Getting back to Brisbane, from Noosa was both daunting and exciting. My first weeks were filled with job searches and meeting several of Dan's friends (some I knew from my previous stay, but many were people I only knew from Dan's stories). Also, it was lovely to finally meet Dan's parents over a nice meal.
Though I had feared that finding work will be tough, as the Australian public sector is suffering greatly, I managed to qualify for a position just 2 weeks living in Brissy. I started working for a private travel clinic, providing vaccinations and travel health counselling to people traveling for either work or pleasure. Well, I must say, it's quite a tease having to tell people how much fun they are going to have during their travels (as long as they take proper precautions). Most days I offer to provide personal chaperoning, but it never seems to be necessary :-P
Another 2 weeks went by, and Dan found a place for me to rent, only a 15 minute walk from his house. Living together was an option, but my finances aren't there to cover a one bedroom, in a metropolitan city. I had no idea property rentals are so pricey in Brisbane. Regardless, it's good to have my own space, and a space that I can afford. My lease is up in the next 6 months, and we will see what happens after that.
Lastly, my final accomplishment in my 2 months of staying here, was a temp full-time research gig with my previous professor. I really cannot be any more thankful for my accomplishments and luck to settle quickly and start building my resume in the field of my interest. That is all anyone can ask for. However, I have not made it to the top of this hill. There is much more work to be done. But for now, I will enjoy and appreciate what has come to me, and take each day as it comes.
More stories to come ....
-R
