THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER...Right?!
I stayed in Wake Up! Hostel which is located at 509 Pitt Street, Sydney, 2000 - across the road from Central Station and its the giant building where Pitt and George Streets meet. As I have mentioned I stayed here almost four years ago when I came to see Leanne & Jo. We had such a good time then and in my mind that would transcend this time around. However, that was not the case, this time round I was more self concious than I was before, less confident in myself and found it difficult to integrate with people and make friends. This hostel has about 700 residents and yet it's one of the loneliest places. 700 people from all corners of the world with the same common purpose yet companionship was really very hard to find. Not that I didn't find any in my five weeks residency, I did find some gems hidden amongst the mound of bodies.
Wake Up!In my room was three Germans, one of which was always in the room, he didn't like sydney/travelling all that much, I think he too had some difficulties and it just got the best of him. He wasn't interested in making friends, all he was doing was counting the days down to his departure, despite my best efforts and free alcohol! The other two were a couple, Alex and Katharina, they were shy at first, I guess not too confident in their ability to speak English. My experience so far is that Germans are often found with other Germans but from the ones I have met they really want to improve on their English and actually do come out of their shell and integrate. After a day or two they were more chatty and I was keen to get to know them and help them improve their English, we quickly became friends. I had bought alcohol at the airport when I got to Sydney and thought it would be a great ice breaker in the hostel, a sort of desperate attempt to bribe some friends! I decided to crack it open one night before I was heading out out to Oxford Street, I thought it would relax my fellow roommates. Even the reclusive German got in on some vocal action, however it was limited.
Alex & Kat became important people to me in Sydney. They were fun, interesting, young, and great to be around. We would meet for drinks, chat in the room and just hang out. I'd attempt to help out with their English, it is fair to say I'm probably not the best person to teach anyone English given my vocab is essentially Essex English, it's a thing - OK!
Kat, Alex & I in Side Bar which is in the basement of Wake Up! Hostel.Over the course of our rooming we helped each other to find work, more on that further in this post. It was sad when they left the hostel, they moved to an apartment in Sydney but we did make an effort to meet up and we had our own Christmas drinkie poos. They eventually left to continue their adventure together, two of the nicest people I have met on my journey so far and we've remained in contact. I'm so pleased they have each other. I sincerely hope our paths cross in the near future.
Over the five weeks (!) that I stayed in Wake Up various souls came and went from the room but few left any sort of effect on me, aside from Alex and Kat, there were another two, Katie and Kelly, to northern lasses. They were so much fun, so kind, sweet and great to be around. They stayed in the room for a while and a friendship blossomed. They are absolutely gorgeous girls. We had fun together at the hostel. Kelly has since gone back home but Katie is still in the country and fingers crossed we shall meet again.
Katie, I, & Kelly in Darling Harbour waiting for the fireworks.
The three of us on a night out.Whilst staying at Wake Up! I met Dom who went on to become pretty much my best mate away from home. He wasn't staying in the hostel, we actually met through Grindr. For those unaware Grindr is a 'social media' app/tool that connects GBT/GBT curious guys locally, the app, with some sort of accuracy, will tell you in foot/meters how far away another user is, with the closest (not closeted - but likely anyhow) being next to you on the app screen. Now it is predominantly used for hook ups however whilst I've been away I have tried to use it to make friends in the area of a like minded-ish nature to have some sort of social life with. That's how Dom and I got talking, we were both not interested in meeting other guys for hook ups we just wanted someone to chill with. Dom remains the only person I have met from Grindr in Sydders. In Sydney especially Grindr really highlights the faults of the gay community and confirms what people think of gays, in my opinion. It's ridiculous actually. In the city, on the app, for every face picture there is 5 torso pics and headlines like 'MASC 4 MASC' 'MASC HOST' 'BTTM MASC' (the irony of which is not lost on me!). What makes me chuckle is those profiles with a torso and underwear on display then there headline is 'NOT INTO NSA' or 'FRIENDS ONLY'. Who are these folk kidding? Anyways I digress (!!!) and I could write a whole blog post on the issues with this 'social' app. Dom remains the only person I've met from Grindr here because no one else has been interested in just hanging out and going for a beer etc. I should state that Grindr does have its uses and not everyone on it is a tool, I'm just generalising.
Dom and I are very different people. Dom is a now 22yo German lad and I am obvs an older Brit. We both view the world differently but it can be a good thing for two different people to collaborate. We bickered a lot over our few months together but ultimately we got on well and we did have some fun in the city. It's hard not to sound patronising and what I said at the time and what I say now in my blog doesn't come from a negative or patronising place but the differences were so apparent between Dom and I. I hope we have learnt some things from each other. 9 years is not a big age gap, even less so when you consider the 'culture' I surround myself, I figure I'm on a wave length of about a 15yo! However I think what I have done is forgotten what I was like as a 21yo. Although I don't think I was ever sure of anything, still not, but my outlook is very wide on life, probably through personal experiences, certainly through work life, these are things Dom has yet to experience and ultimately these were where our issues lied. Our friendship did grow but the lines blurred somewhat between us and it actually became a difficult/frustrating friendship. We pretty much did everything together with some exceptions and it became a bit too much towards the end and we decided it was best to just stop what we were doing and just go back to being mates and just mates towards the end of his trip and that was the definitely the best thing for us. I'm a line wolf really and I think I lost a bit of my identity and assurance that I could do things on my own. This was an issue of mine and not one made by Dom. I like my own company and during our time together I think I felt like I lost it a bit, my own fault by own decisions. What I will say now is that I owe a big chunk of my Sydney experiences to him, we had a laugh and he's such a nice guy and in many ways old before his time, he is someone I will actively stay in contact with and I wish him the absolute best from life and self happiness. There'll be more about Dom and I as the blog continues.
Just a few snaps of Dom & I.
One of my favourite pictures of us from one of our many nights out.Now is probably a good time to touch on JOBS and the hunt for which, which is not dissimilar to hunting the Sasquatch I imagine. Who'd have thunk it? A big city in a very developed country yet very little work around. Maybe it's arrogance or just an idealistic thought but I didn't think it would be as hard as it was to find work given my background in Policing, and way back when in Retail/Catering - I was so very wrong. The struggle is real and it's manifested in Sydders. I should sit down and count how many jobs I applied for, I could actually do it given I have the emails etc. maybe by the time this blog is ready for publish I'd have done it. (Ed - I haven't) Anyways....there are A LOT of jobs to apply for yet very very few come to anything.
Alex & Kat told me about an opportunity for some work with an Australian Children's Cancer Charity, we went along to the open meeting where they told us about the role which was basically selling reindeer antlers for the charity, it meant working in various locations and with other people, mostly backpackers. Dom came to the open meeting but he had already made his decision that he was not going to do this job. Dom was more self concious than I and when it came to wearing reindeer antlers it was just too much for him. Obviously a great thing to do for a great cause but once I found out that just 20% of the money went to the Charity itself I was turned off. I worked a fair few shifts and got around the suburbs out of Sydney which was interesting to see. Its incredible realising just how ignored these folk who do these roles are. It has made me approach them differently, even just an acknowledgement would improve their day tenfold. I started with Alex and Katharina and they continued to do the full 4 weeks with the charity.
Clearly loving life...My last shift with the charity was the same day as the Sydney Siege. Although my last shift and that incident wasn't exclusive to why I left the job however I had been posted in Martin Place in Sydney's CBD this very day; 16th December 2014. I was about 200 metres away from the incident when it happened, although I was blissfully unaware at the time what was happening until the surge of Police descended on to the Lindt Café. I still at that point didn't know what was happening but it was obvious, this was not good. Various retail units and coffee houses were shutting their doors, and one female at a coffee house told me there was a terrorist situation going on and that I should go inside or leave the area. I went online and there was nothing reported initially.
Picture the scene. There I am standing, holding a coin collection bucket, about 50 foam reindeer antlers, green and red in colour, wearing two of these antlers on my head, blank/confusion expression on my face, probably my normal face hey?! Police all around Martin Place, shops shutting and literally chaining the doors so they're securely locked with staff and customers inside. There I am just standing there not really knowing what to do. It was a bit intense, I called the guys running the fundraising and they were aware of the situation and said I could stay if I wanted or go else where or head back to the office. Needless to say, but imma say it anyway, I didn't raise hardly any funds in Martin Place at this point. I decided to walk through the city. This very morning there had been a suspect package at Sydney's Opera House too. There was a very distinct shift in the atmosphere around the city, as I was walking away from Martin Place heading south through Pitt Street and Pitt Street mall. Cops were running around, police radios going off and sudden change of direction from them. It was very strange to be in that scenario. Instinctively I wanted to assist in some way. Having been in the police for almost a decade in London, my instincts are not to run away from trouble but to get involved, assist in diffusing the situation, that's what I'm trained in doing and that's what I got paid to do. I had to go against my instincts on this occasion. I'm not going to lie, the whole thing was pretty scary. Rumours circulating that there were other threats elsewhere. By this point the news corps had got hold of the story and they were running the terrorist angle on it. I got back to the office and handed over what little money I made and the remaining antlers and I left never to return. I went back to the hostel and just sat watching the news for the rest of the day as the Lindt Café was now a hostage scene with staff and customers trapped inside. The events that unfolded were tragic. People lost their lives and those that survived will have been scarred for life. Incredibly sad. Martin Place became a memorial site in the days after the event where people, myself included, went to pay their respects and lay down flowers. It was really breath taking and upsetting to see the outpouring of support and grief from the Sydney community.
The outpouring of grief was quite a sight to behold. The way the city came together on the day and the days after the incident will never be forgotten.The job hunt continued... Dom and I got another job with a leaflet distribution company. The 'interview' was a little ridiculous, it was basically just assumed that everyone had the job, no questions asked. This was my longest job in the city but it was badly paid, naturally, and it was hard work. You'd think it wouldn't be, walking around and delivering leaflets, how hard can that be right? You'd be wrong, as was I. Most shifts would find you walking constantly for about 4/5 hours on average, sometimes longer and rarely shorter. If you've never been to Sydney or the outer suburbs, or even just NSW generally speaking, let me tell you, it is not a flat area. It's unreal how hilly it is, how mountainous it is. We are also talking December here, which is the summer, and it gets very hot. On average I would be walking 10miles a shift I would say, in 30+ degree heat, carrying x amount of kilos on my back. But hey dem bills need paying!!!
Just to re-emphasise this, it was hard work. The pay for this was based on the size of map you got. When we went for our interview they said that there were three types of maps; Small / Medium / Large. The smallest map would be $55 to complete with one leaflet, $65 with two and $80 with three leaflets. I worked with these people for over three months and I only ever got a small map, on the very odd occasion it would take two hours, but mostly 4/5 hours and sometimes 6/7 hours. Yet they claimed the maps were of similar size. I only ever got paid for small maps. Needs must though. I wasn't prepared to go cap in hand back home for help, this journey/adventure was for me to achieve on my own, regardless of what comes my way. Naturally if my dollar wasn't stolen in Thailand I wouldn't have needed to do these kinds of jobs but it was and in order to live and have some sort of enjoyment I needed to do this job until I found other, substantial, but allusive work. My Dad and Brother offered me help in ways of financial assistance but I declined, a time would have come where I would have needed it but I wanted to hold out.
The guys who run the leaflet business were atrocious. Really unorganised, rude, and dismissive of the distributors. You couldn't guarantee that you'd have work everyday, or even most days. It required me to be very proactive with them. I'm amazed I worked with them for so long given that I had a couple of big stand up arguments with a couple of the guys running the operation. I was the only person to stand up for themselves. I wasn't going to take the shit they ploughed on others, I tried to stand up for anyone that was being taken advantage of. In the end it was clear that the whole situation was not working. I don't lose my temper easily and it's not a good sign when I'm rather loudly causing a scene in public with the so called supervisors using expletives to carry my point. Ultimately it's not a job I would recommend to anyone but if times are hard then do it. The other side of it was that I lost a whole bunch of weight, I went down to about 12st 6lbs (78KG), the lowest I have been weight wise since I was in high school. I lost just over a stone in weight. I can report that I'm putting the weight back on in, in a healthy manner now.
Whilst doing the leaflet drops I was also still applying for jobs online and in person. There was a lot of work about but it was very specific for certain skills. As a Police Officer back in the UK for sometime I've gained a lot of skills but they're not very job specific outside of the police. My customer service skills are second to none however I think people are turned off to a degree when they see Police on my CV. I got a job interview for a call centre job, this was to raise funds for a charity and it involved warm calling (calling previous donors) and cold calling. This was my first proper job interview in about 9 years. I was pretty nervous, and when I'm nervous I swear a lot. A LOT. I was wearing a pale blue shirt and the sweat patches were repugnant, the more I was noticing the patches the more I was sweating. To make matters worse their air con was broken. Despite my revolting appearance they still hired me. They were intrigued by my police background and just talked to me about what I did in the police. I worked with them for 8 days before they got rid of a whole bunch of people they had hired. It was pretty hard. I started of well, raising quite a bit of money but it quickly went south and I struggled to raise hardly anything towards the end. I raised a few thousand for the. In the short time I worked there. Really difficult making so many calls and getting knocked back almost immediately for most of them.
I then went back to leaflet dropping. I always went back to leaflet dropping. Le sigh.
In the Thailand jungle I met Zayla and Cheeky, I spoke about them in a precious blog. Well they had come to Sydney in December and we met up. More about that in a future blog post but when they were in the city they got a few days work sorting some product recall for an airline. Anyways, Zay called me up one day after they had left the city and asked if I needed some work as the bloke she got the job with before and had called saying he needed help for some further work. My number was passed and I got work near the airport in a warehouse for about 7 days. Paid OK and it was pretty straightforward work. I worked with some Finnish girls and another British guy for the most part of it. The girls are Jenna, Suvi, Tuulia & Emilia. Regulars will remember how I met some Finnish people, particularly Miiko in Thailand back in November, and he stood out as a character that I've met, well I hadn't actually met any other Finnish people since then until these girls. They have cemented their places in my heart. We became very good friends very quickly. They were so much fun to be around. There were no issues with language, their English was exceptional, as was their sense of humour, they seem to get me which few people do really,meek without thinking that I'm a bit weird. Work was a breeze with them, once the work finished we hung out a bit and had drinks. They've since left and I'm gutted. I had left the city for Kiama but I got to spend one last night out with them before they headed off to whatever was coming next. I miss them and I will absolutely be heading to Finland at some point.
❤️ FINLAND! Tuulia, myself, Emilia, & Suvi!
Fooling about in the pool.The job basically involved going through airline packs that contained; socks, toothbrush etc. a complaint had been made by a customer that the pen in the pack had a rival airline logo on it which then required us to go through all the packs to check the pens in them and then re-seal them in a production line manner. After the work ended we stayed in contact whilst we were in the city, albeit staying in different parts. That was probably the best job I did whilst staying in the city.
Serving tradie realness. 
The packers! Great group! Tuulia, Jenna, Emilia, Chris, & ???I even put an ad for myself on Gumtree, not just once but twice. Advertising my assistance in anything reasonable. I did this on recommendation, I had met a few people who had done it and got some casual gardening work for people amongst other things. I posted a few photos and my working background. I didn't get any 'serious' offers, none that I considered serious, however I'm sure the guys that messaged me were serious about their offers. I got various messages about cleaning their houses, massages, sexual relief. Needless to say I wasn't THAT desperate.
I'm happy to write I am currently in employment and there'll be more of that in a future blog post but I should state that I am loving my job.
The next chapter of my Sydney Chronicles will be more activity based. There will be more about Dom, Zay & Cheeky, Matt & Vince, my birthday, Christmas and particular focus on Sydney at Christmastime in the summer.
As always thanks for reading! X
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