Home Sweet Sydney

My return to Sydney didn't begin on the best note but I was fortunate to have friends nearby & family on the phone to help me through my first rough patch. Unfortunately, the family that I began working for was not the right match for me, & due to differences in parenting styles & expectations, I realized I could not stay with them for three months. It was a trying few days, & I stressed myself out to the point of (many) tears because I pride myself on being hardworking & capable, & I never wanted to be an au pair who left a family; it made me feel like a quitter. But in the end, I gave one week's notice on my fourth day with the first family, because I knew the situation would not get better.

Beautiful fall colors on my walks in northern Sydney

I think everything happens for a reason though, & I was so incredibly fortunate that on the very day I gave my first family notice (with no idea what I would do for work or housing once I left), I got a text from a Canberran friend, Carys, asking if I knew any girls in Sydney looking for a host family. Her host mum's sister lives in Sydney, & their next au pair had fallen through. They were desperate to find someone available to start in a week & a half. Carys had texted me - not knowing that I was unhappy or leaving my first family -  to see if I had any friends looking for work. As it happened, I was able to tell Carys my situation, pass along my contact information, & spoke with the mum, Danika, within minutes. We agreed to meet on the coming Friday night to see if I would be a good fit for their family (& them for me). It was actually relieving to feel like I was at rock bottom because I wasn't trying to impress anyone, as I normally might have for an "interview," & was rather asking every question I could, coming fresh from the burn of knowing of what didn't work with the first family. Because I was leaving a bad situation I never expected to encounter, I was more cautious & unwilling to jump from one family to another unless the second family would be right for me. If it wasn't a good fit upon meeting them, I would try to find other work in Sydney. But I had a really good feeling after speaking with Danika on the phone, & we agreed to meet on a Friday evening; I joined the family for pizza dinner & met the parents & kids. I immediately had a good feeling when I was offered wine or beer & Danika & Rob reminisced on college with me. I felt comfortable with the family, in the same way that the Jeppesens made me feel at home for my months in Canberra.

I really loved the Southwell family & was relieved to find Bella (9) & Charlie (7) "normal"...or as normal as kids can be! Rob & Danika are funny & fun-loving & have a great relationship with their kids as well as a great social life with & without their kids. They also are very healthy/fitness-oriented & have a beautiful, clean home in a great location; we live on a peninsula between Sydney Harbour & the Pacific Ocean (more specifically, Australia's most famous beach, Bondi Beach). Harbour & ocean views are everywhere, & Rob even pulled over for me to take a touristy shot of the absolutely stunning sunset over the harbour on our ride to the house. At the end of dinner & after a fun evening with the family, I committed to begin with them on the following Thursday.

View of the CBD/Harbour Bridge, 2 minutes from my new house!

After getting through the stress of giving notice to my first family & nearly immediately finding a much better situation, I treated myself to a hair appointment & mani/pedi on my Friday off as well as some puppy cuddles at a pet store then enjoyed a dinner date on Saturday night with an awesome guy I met in Queenstown, Tan. I even got word that several of my friends would be in Sydney over the weekend for me to catch up with...truly, everything turned 180 degrees.

Highlight of my day was playing with this beagle puppy!

View of the harbour after dinner with Tan

Exploring the CBD with Carys & Kiana

Although I had planned to still work for my first host family on the Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday before I left, they arranged a babysitter for Saturday & a family member to watch the kids during the week. Understandably, they didn't want the boys to become more attached to me (nor did I), so I was free to leave on Sunday, 10 May. I was planning to start with my new family on Thursday, 14 May, so in the meantime, I headed to Al's with all of my luggage (again haha) & even got to say hello to his mum, Irene, on Mother's Day ! I am so so lucky to have had the support of the Parsons during my time here & was relieved to have a familiar place to stay during my transition time. They are the absolute best hosts & have been so kind/open to me any time that I needed, which is an incredible gift when I'm on the other side of the world from my family & closest friends. 

I spent my next days off enjoying classes at a yoga studio I bought a pass for (I'm totally new to yoga but a big fan already!) & went out to the movies with Tan; we even caught the red carpet premier of Mad Max in Australia (although we saw the new Avengers film), with paparazzi & everything!

In love with my hippie yoga studio

Someone famous?

An Australian model whose name I don't recall

One week ago on Thursday, I was picked up from Edgecliff Station by my new host dad, Rob, & arrived at my new home. Because the old au pair was still here, I spent a few nights in Charlie's room before moving into the au pair room across the hall. On Friday, the old au pair gave me the run-down on her routine during the day, & I got to know the kids' schedule. On Saturday, I met a large group of other au pairs in the area at Bondi Beach for lunch & drinks then played poker with Rob & Danika & their friends Saturday night. It was fun to drink & play & cut loose with my host parents & mad me miss my poker group from uni!! On Sunday, Tan & I took the ferry to Manly Beach for the day & had such a great time! We walked around on a coastal walk & got fish & chips, which we ate on a picnic blanket by the water. We got to chat & watch surfers as the sun went down then got gelato on our way to the ferry back to Circular Quay. I was a big fan of Manly & wish I'd gotten to spend some time there in summer !

Bondi Beach with new au pair friends !

Manly Beach with Tan

As the old au pair left this weekend, I began Monday morning solo with Bella & Charlie. It has been lots of fun & also lots of learning on my part (good learning, not bad learning!). Because my most recent experience has been with younger children (Andrew, Annabel, & Emily were 5, 3, & 18 months, respectively) & I have never been with older children in quite the same role as I am now, I am learning their likes & dislikes & the best ways to keep them happy & having fun while also healthy & well-behaved. It's a challenge but a totally solvable & being the overachiever that I am, I am eager to be the best possible au pair for them ! It's also funny because they are the same age apart as Patrick & myself (2 years), so I find some of their playful bickering & games & interactions to be similar (& usually nicer) than mine & Patrick's. I have had fun reminiscing with Mom about our childhood & telling her stories about Bella & Charlie.

Bella being silly in my ENO 

I am currently trying to walk a line of winning their trust by being someone they like, as the new au pair, & keeping them healthy (& parents happy!) by encouraging outside play & games...but there are so many differences I've realized between younger kids & Bella & Charlie's ages that I am adapting to now. For instance, when I try & brainstorm some activities for us, I remember doing nature walks & silly games with my younger ones but many of those quite simply won't fly with the older kids because they are at an age where they can deem something lame & simply not do it. With younger ones, it's easier to convince them an activity or a game will be fun but older kids are a little disenchanted. They have to want to do something. I've also realized that technology totally changes the game. I haven't really seen it close up because again, with younger kids, the adult can totally control it. With older ones, things like iPads & video games can be really fun tools for learning & growing as well as socializing with friends because let's face it - all the kids have it now...but it also doesn't expend energy or provide quite the fulfillment/health benefits of spending time outdoors. 

New host kitty, Mimi

Rob & Danika (& I) know that time spent outside is best for the kids & want to encourage parks & walks & fun activities, & I am getting in the swing of the best way to do it & not just bring the kids home to be bored or try & get on electronics! I've discovered that Bella & Charlie will usually complain about going to a park after school, no matter what. However, once we are there, they flip totally around & being a normal kid takes over, & they love playing on the slides & play equipment as well as playing card games with me & coming up with inventive games. They're really great kids ! However, again, with bigger ones, I can't trick them into liking something as easily; they have to genuinely like it. I even did some online homework of my own on tween behaviors & some of the best activities that tweens will like. I've got a giant list of potential activities to keep us busy & that the kids will hopefully enjoy, & I can't wait to get to know Bella & Charlie & spend more time with them in the coming weeks! 

Tomorrow is my 23rd birthday (in Australia), so I am making crêpes for myself & the kids in the morning (thanks Louise for my delicious French recipe!) then will use my free time during school to do some birthday shopping. Tomorrow night, I plan to go out in the city with some au pairs/friends & on Saturday, I will watch a German soccer game with my German girls here in the city. On Sunday, Tan & I plan to either visit the Hunter Valley for wine tasting or check out a brewery & maybe indoor trampoline park...either way, my first real weekend back in the city is shaping up to be a good one!!

On another note: I can't believe that my time left in Australia is (relatively) short. I leave the country in approximately 11 weeks. WHAT?!!!?! Where did the time go?! To be honest, I have gotten progressively more homesick as I near the end of my visa...mostly just eager to see my mom in person & give Sadie all of the love I've needed her for over this past year. But I will be heartbroken, I know, to leave this beautiful country. I really believe I'm meant to live here, so I'll be working toward that goal & others when I arrive back in the States. For now, I just plan to enjoy the remainder of my time & make all of the memories I can!

Till next time, 
Alli

South & North Island - 26 April - 2 May

On 26 April, I got up, after 3 hours of sleep, this time to head north from Queenstown on Tutu's bus. The first overnight stop was at Mt Cook at a beautiful mountain lodge. Along the way, we sadly lost Ulrik, who had been along from Auckland with me but decided to be spontaneous & hitchhike back to Queenstown. We carried on to Mt Cook but unfortunately couldn't see anything due to pouring rain. The rain continued all afternoon, all evening, & all night. Ian, Sina, & I were in a 4-share room, & we holed away for the evening with our electronics & books & waited out the rain. In the morning, we were rewarded with a clear sky & views of the mountains all around us.

From Mt Cook, we headed around Lake Tekapo toward Rangitata, where we would stay at a converted sheep station for the night. Usually, white water rafting & horseback riding would be activity options for the day but due to all of the rain, whitewater rafting was canceled, & no one had signed up for horseback riding. Therefore, we had lots of time to kill & made a stop at Lake Tekapo with options to ice skate, hang out lakeside, soak in the hot pools, or hike to the summit of Mt John for views over the lake/town. Sina & I opted to hike as Ian hung out at the lake/skating lodge. It was a really pleasant hike to the top, & we did have fabulous views of the stunning blue water. We grabbed a coffee at the cafe at the summit & shared a table with a charming elderly Australian couple, who shared their carrot cake & conversation with us.

Finally, we headed on up to Rangitata which was another of the Stray-only stops that I adored ! It was a sheep station that had been turned into a whitewater rafting center with beds & a kitchen for our use. The bunks were 3-high in each room, & it was all so clean & cozy. We had a fire going in the common area & played card games until dinner. Tutu cooked his first barbecue for our entire group but as Sina, Ian, & I already had food we needed to cook, we all did our own thing. I had gotten a grab bag of vegetables at a fruit & veg stand near Queenstown for only $5 (potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, onion, brussel sprouts), so I added prawns, coconut milk, & curry paste to make a delicious curry ! Drinks were flowing all night, & I was grateful for the liter of Jim Beam I had bought beforehand. The early-to-bedders headed off eventually, & we were left with some Irish, some Germans, a Brit, a Swede, a Kiwi, a Canadian, & myself playing Cranium & Heads Up! until quite late. Eventually, almost everyone had called it a night except Liz (England), Anton (Sweden), & myself. We were drinking whiskey straight up, talking about old & new loves & everything in between, & Liz confided that she planned to do anything & everything crazy before she turned 30 (She had just turned 29 that week). It was one of those perfect nights with the fire & rain beating down. Liz eventually went to bed & Anton & I chatted & drank down the whiskey until I fell asleep on the couch. At the time, with the fire & sound of rain outside, it was a great idea...but not so great when the fire died, & I woke up shivering under a thin sheet haha.

On 28 April, we lost most of our group in Christchurch, as many people flew out of Christchurch or were staying to meet up with friends. Sina & I said goodbye to Ian...& then there were two. :( The bus headed now to Kaikoura, which means "meal of crayfish" in Maori. The most popular activity in Kaikoura is swimming with wild dolphins but unfortunately, due to rough waters, it was canceled for our day. Some people decided to stay an extra day or two to try again but Sina decided to have a chill night. I, on the other hand, had heard lots of good things about "Fishing with Jerry," where a local takes us out on his boat to fish & check crayfish pots then we get to eat our spoils cooked up fresh at his house & enjoy bottomless wine from his own vineyard...so I signed up for the trip & was joined by Liz (also English but different from my drinking buddy of the previous night). Tutu also came out on the boat & a random backpacker who'd heard about the trip from his friends two years before. We had such a great afternoon! We went around to the six crayfish pots located just off the coast & checked them for crayfish. Although we caught several, they were all with eggs or too small to keep so we had to toss them back. Jerry had promised that he had a fresh one from a day before back at his home for us to eat so it wasn't too disappointing. We also saw Hector's dolphins which jumped & played around the boat as we moved about, which was a really cool experience. Kaikoura is a lovely town, & seeing it from the water confirmed that I would love to spend more time there.

After being on the water for an hour or so, we headed back to Jerry's house, where he played lots of oldies music, danced around his patio, chatted with us, & treated us to fresh mussels & crayfish (like our North American lobster) for dinner along with cheese & crackers & jam & delicious sauvignon blanc; my glass was never empty. It was an evening well-spent. I returned to the hostel full & quite drunk, & after a failed attempt to watch a horror movie in the hostel lounge (Sina & I couldn't stomach it), I resigned myself to a full night's sleep. On the way out of Kaikoura, we made a stop at the Ohau Point seal colony. It was a short walk from the bus to a waterfall where seal pups come in from the ocean to play. It was the cutest thing!!! There were several dozen seal pups all along the river, with most of them splashing & jumping & playing at the waterfall. Then we had an express day back to Picton & the ferry across the Cook Straight to Wellington, at the base of the North Island.

Back in Wellington, I grabbed pizza from a local pizzeria while Sina grabbed a few extra ingredients to cook at the hostel. Most of us had an early night although I, always the night owl, stayed up in the lobby until half one, writing these blog entries & playing on my laptop!

Early on Thursday, 30 April, we set off northbound from Wellington for the long express haul returning to Auckland. Although I have had a hop-on/hop-off bus pass for the duration of my trip, I had not yet used the hop-off feature, as I was limited on time & hesitant to use it too early. In total, I had two nights & one full day to spare but as time went on & I hadn't used my extra stop time, I became more & more determined to again attempt the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The Stray bus makes a stop at Tongariro National Park between Wellington & Auckland, just for pick-ups/drop-offs, so weather pending, it would be perfect to hop off & attempt the crossing. National Park was about halfway through the express trip to Auckland so I hopped off around 12:30 p.m. on the 30th, with plans to stay at the YHA for the following two nights.

After checking in & changing into my second favorite hiking outfit (reserving my favorite for the crossing), I enquired at the reception area about nearby trails that I could complete before sundown. It was a beautiful afternoon, & I was eager to just be outside. The receptionist recommended a trail that went to a lookout point (2 hours return) or continued to a waterfall lookout (4 hours return) or down to the base of the fall (5 hours return) although the full trail was rated as "difficult & for experienced bushwalkers only." I would barely have enough time to complete the trail before sundown, so I set off & decided I would stop & turn around whenever seemed reasonable. Unfortunately, the first lookout point was disappointing so I continued down to the waterfall & on to the base. It was stunning but I did end up regretting that I was absolutely & totally alone. The trail became quite overgrown & even unmarked in places. I went through several sections with no handholds, a path barely as wide as one foot, & a steep cliff face on the other side. I forded a river in several places & soon realized that I was kilometers away from any person & very at risk for injury. I took my time though & was cautious in the tricky parts, & I am glad I made it safely down & back. Next time, I'll rally company from the hostel ! :) I was rewarded with some of the beautiful views upon my return of sunset over the national park.

Absolutely exhausted after my hike, I collapsed into bed for a good sleep before the Tongariro Crossing. As it happened, I was fortunate enough to have one of the most beautiful days of my entire trip spent in one of the most beautiful places of my entire trip on 1 May. I got up early for a breakfast burger at the cafe in town, where I would meet a group of southbound Stray-ers to get set up with for the hike. The group was really friendly & after an opportunity to rent cold weather gear (I was luckily able to borrow gloves & a waterproof outer layer from the Stray driver, Papa G), we were shuttled to the start of the crossing. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is 19.4 kilometers, crossing snowy plains, volcanic craters, green lakes, & geothermal hotspots. It was difficult, & it was frigid, & it was exhausting...but it was SO worth it. I saw some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, & I again felt lucky to have a young body & young heart that could conquer it; there are so many people I would love to share the experience with who likely would not be physically able to see it. I feel so lucky that I can !

After the crossing, I was sore all over & asleep on my feet. I had a first dinner of tortilla soup in the hostel & a second dinner of a chicken burger at the cafe before crashing in my bed - alone in a 10-bed room.

On Saturday 2 May, I was lucky to have a little sleep-in before meeting the northbound bus to head back to Auckland. This time, I hopped on with Motors, who seemed great although I only was with her for four hours. When I finally got back to Auckland, I treated myself to a burrito from the Mexican place I'd found tolerable before leaving on my trip. Then, I was able to meet up with Sina at the hostel before spending a chill movie night preparing for my flight out on Sunday. It was sad to leave Auckland but not as hard as I thought since the bulk of my favorite things (& most of our bus) had been left behind on the South Island. I got to say goodbye to Sina at the bus stop, which made my trip really begin to feel over, then I took the Airbus to the Auckland airport & headed on to my next adventure: becoming a Sydney local !

More to come on the Sydney adventure so far...


Until next time xoxo,
Alli