23 April 2012

Sydney, I'm Coming!


Hey everyone,

Remember a few entries ago I mentioned a personal project that's going on in my life?
Now that plans are more finalised, I can let you into what's going on.

In Autumn, I am temporarily moving over 10,000 miles away to the other side of the world.

The title of this blog post may give some indication as to where I am headed, but just in case...


From late September 2012, I will be living in Sydney, Australia.



This is not a decision I have made lightly.
I originally planned travelling in late 2010 when I still couldn't find a job after graduating from university in the summer and discovered internship opportunities online.

I gave myself until Spring 2011 to find a job -  but when I got the job at the hostel, this obviously came first on my list of priorities.
(I did have an awesome boss from Brisbane however, which softened the blow!)

Working in a hostel was one of the most rewarding things I've done with my life - I'm naturally a nosy person, and every day I saw people from all walks of living going on adventures. 

Memorable guests included: a large group of German high schoolers who played Soulja Boy on repeat, a middle aged couple cycling across Europe for their anniversary, three girls who'd flown all the way from Texas to see Kate Nash at The Cluny, a nervous first-time inter-railer who asked for advice on how to make friends, an old Glaswegian man en route to London who described me as "like my son's second wife - pretty and chubby", a Dutch football team who left us lots of team flags to hang in the office, a group of "stags" dressed as superheroes who stopped to take photos with a little boy on holiday with his dad, as well as countless backpackers who would ask everything from what Newcastle is famous for, to which bars have the prettiest girls. 

When my job ended a few months ago, I've once again been questioning what I should do with my life - and the obvious answer is to have an adventure of my own.

I've been doing some hardcore research for the past month - and I've finally put down the deposit for flights, my visa and the programme.
I've decided to travel with Bunac, as it seems to have lots of perks for first-time travellers especially as you get grouped together on your flight from Heathrow, as well as the Hong Kong layover (hotel, tour etc.) and first week of hostel accommodation included in the price, as well as continued support from their Sydney and London offices. 

I officially leave in September.
The plan is to find work and accommodation in Sydney for a few months before moving along the east coast, which means overall I'll be gone from six months to a year.


So where does this leave the blog?
Well, although obviously I won't be packing my entire life into my scarily-small-for-me bag, I'm not the stereotypical spaghetti-straps-and-combat-pants traveller.
I'm taking my camera and laptop, so although my posts will get even more sporadic (that really seems to be my word of the moment doesn't it? I need to invest in a thesaurus...) I'd love to keep you all up to date with what I'm up to - and yes, this includes what I'm wearing!

Right, so that's you all caught up.
Have any of you guys been travelling, or suddenly moved sticks halfway across the world?

Oh, and if any readers are from Sydney, please comment or tweet me with recommendations on what I should see and do outside the usual tourist stuff?


Muchos love,
MessyCarla.



32 comments:

  1. Wow good luck Carla! xo

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  2. So exciting...! I have some friend living there and they said its beautiful country...I am from Indonesia just above Ausie and also moved half globe( now living in USA) BTW good luck & enjoy the new place!

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  3. Wow how exciting! What an adventure! Good luck to you.... for September :P

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  4. Well, you know I did it. I upped and left a boyfriend, à job, a house and a cat to move to japan. It was the best thing I have ever done. I knew no one, spoke none of the language and loved every single second.

    I did go with a job - as a tefl teacher, which gave me an apartment but the rest - making friends, having adventures & loving it was up to me!

    You will love it but remember you will get homesick - you MUST ride it out and not throw it all in because you will regret it!

    I'm so glad you're doing this. It was the most exciting and gratifying thing I have ever done and the friends I made are the kind you keep for life. Plus there was a certain guy I came home for ;-)

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  5. I'm so jealous! I spent 3 months on the East Coast a couple of years ago. I will message you a list of must see's on Facebook when I get a moment. SO JEALOUS!
    Claire
    X

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  6. Wooooooooooooooooooooooow that sounds like excellent news and a wonderful new beginning. *Hugs* Congratulations! x

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  7. This is amazing! Good luck. My dads just moved to China so I'll be going over for a couple of months next year :D Also, my friend moved to Brisbane last year and loves it, he's met so many new friends.
    my-own-treasurechest.blogspot.com
    xo

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  8. You have absolutely no idea how green with envy I am Carla! Australia has got to be the most fascinating country in my opinion and I wish with all of my heart that I could up-sticks and move over there. My husband has Australian nationality so I woulnd't need a visa it's just leaving behind all the responsibilities I now have here. You're young and have your entire life in front of you so I'm so glad you're just going for it! It'll be the experience of a life time, please let us know how it goes so I can live vicariously through your blog posts haa.

    Mel xx

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  9. I am so so pleased for you and more than a smidging jealous - I said goodbye to my sister today heading back to Melbourne with her husband. :(
    I think the experiences and the people you met at the hostel certainly wet your appetite for a bit of travel. I know that for me living and working in Japan was one of the best things i EVER did. It will always be one of the happiest times of my life. Can't wait to hear about your experiences in the blog. Lots of love to you. xXx

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  10. How brilliant!!!! So exciting for you!! X x

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  11. Awwww WHAT!! I am soooo jel!

    I lived in Bondi for a year a couple of years back!!

    This will be the TIME OF YOUR LIFE for sure!

    I am sooo glad you are doing it! You wont regret it!

    SAVE SAVE SAVE and DO everything that comes your way!

    mwah xoxo

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  12. Eventhough I live in Melbourne not Sydney, my biggest reccomendation is GO TO NEWTOWN! the main street is full of cool shops and hairdressers and a tiki style bar and just generally cool things

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  13. I'm so excited for you, what an amazing adventure. Can't wait for the posts. Have the time of your life, Carla <3

    PS: Irregular, erratic, unpredictable, inconsistent, infrequent, patchy.... those are all the synonyms I thought of for sporadic for you.

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  14. Congratulations!! How exciting!

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  15. aw, how wonderful missy :) i wish i still lived in the area and we could go out for coffee. i'm from nsw, so maybe on one of my sporadic trips back we could meet up :) sydney is a fun city. you'll love newtown and oxford street. i also really like the rocks and the museum of contemporary art. i'm so very excited for you. i know you'll enjoy it. my hometown is 3 hours north of sydney on the train (the other newcastle!). it would probably be fun to compare the two! good beaches and lovely cafe streets (darby and beaumont). have fun lady! look forward to hearing of your adventures!

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  16. I live in Newcastle 1.5 hrs north of Sydney! Come shop with me!! Hahaha but seriously I love Sydney! It's an amazing place! I wanna work there!! Darling harbour is my favourite place in Sydney, beautiful in the sun, ice cream shops, the aquarium!

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  17. YAY! CONGRATS! I have no doubt you'll love it here, well, I hope you do. As for things to see, ME! Other then that, i'd say check out some of the smaller wildlife parks (Not just the huge zoos). If I think of anything else, i'll be sure to let you know.

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  18. That is amazing - you are so brave! I hope you have an amazing adventure :) xx

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  19. How exciting, that'll be an amazing adventure and I look forward to reading about your travels!

    http://www.rafflesbizarre.blogspot.com

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  20. I lived there for 6 years as a kid, went back end of 2011 for a visit, wow the place is just gorgeous.

    Watch Bondi Recue the guys are YUM and you can meet them and try and get rescued by them :P

    DEFINITELY go to Manly, Circular Quay, Get the ferry across the harbour, WALK across the bridge (omg views!) and get on the tram across the city, get the loop a few times it's so cheap and sightsee-ry. Omg walk through the city for the day, it took me nearly 2 hours to walk to Krispy Kremes (also beware Sydney drivers SUCK) around the city.

    In NSW itself there's Thredo, a must see for skiing, it's just remarkable. And Canberra is kind of worth a visit as well, it's got all the parliamentary shiz but it's so educational!

    And well on the outskirts of city there's Crows Nest and the burbs there's lovely restauarants tucked away and there's awesome shopping centres everywhere.

    OMG visit City Chic http://www.citychic.com.au/Store-Locator.aspx plus size retailer for Australia 14-22 it's amazing clothing, I live in City Chic. Coz you're a plus size gal like myself it'll be definitely worth a visit - warning prices are steep so going to a "Harbourtown" store is the way to shop, heavily discounted and sale stuff! Anyway Yes...

    I don't live there so not 100% on everything but I have heaps of friends there and have been there and lived there! The city is so rich with life, nightlife is also worth a peek, get your drink on and party dress :)

    Any further info im more than happy to aid you further, I'm going to be in Sydney next May 2013 so if you're there, we could meet up :)

    http://mylittelbutterfly.blogspot.com.au/

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  21. This is awesome! You will have an amazing time!

    I'm currently living in Vancouver with BUNAC's Work Canada programme. We (boyfriend & I) left England last July, backpacked across Eastern Canada & USA for 5 months and then have been living here since the end of November. We go home in two weeks!

    It's been worthwhile to travel and to experience living in another country :) You will LOVE IT.

    There are usually BUNAC FB groups which are really useful for askigng questions and getting hints and tips off other peopkle in Sydney, as well as helping you find accomodation and a job.

    Your job at the hostel sounds so much fun btw, I would love to do that!

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  22. Wow, Good luck!
    This sounds amazing!
    The adventure of a lifetime :]

    Ayeisha
    x

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  23. Lucky girl, this sounds like so much fun! I've always wanted to do something like this but the opportunity has never shown itself. I can't wait for your posts from Sydney.

    <3Honeysuckelle

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  24. Good Luck on your adventure, I hope you have the most amazing time xx

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  25. I've always wanted to do something like this, good on you for biting the bullet! x

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  26. In September, i move from Italy to London and i'm so exited!
    Good luck for your new andventure!

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  27. Wow,good luck, that's a scary big adventure!

    Maria xxx

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  28. Hey Carla! Love your blog. I'm actually from Sydney, living in London for a year. You will love Sydney. I miss it every day. There are a whole wealth of cool things for you to do. When you settle down, settle down in the inner west - somebody mentioned Newtown, that's where I used to live and it is definitely very cool. Be prepared, it's nowhere near as big as London (even though I know you don't live here), but it's beauty and weather (usually) surpasses anything else. Make sure you make some trips down to Melbourne too. The shopping there is killer. Enjoy!

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  29. Hi Carla!

    I've been reading your blog regularly for over a year now but never commented.

    But I just wanted to say have a fabulous time in Australia! I'm traveling to New Zealand with Bunac in August and they definately seem like a great company.

    Scary stuff though, such a huge step!

    So yeah, just wanted to say enjoy yourself and I'll try and keep up with your blog whilst I'm traveling and look forward to your posts from Sydney.

    Kim x

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  30. Hi Carla,

    I just stumbled across your blog - I love your style! My name is Alice and I live in Sydney - about ten minutes walk from Newtown which others have mentioned as a cool spot (it is!). If you need any further info, send me an email and I'd be happy to answer any questions :) :) possibly_probably [at] yahoo dot com dot au.

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  31. Sydney is my favorite place.I love this city very much.
    Thanks
    http://www.aamion.com/

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  32. The grass is not always greener on the other side. The grass is greener where it has been watered

    http://www.aamion.com/

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