Being an up-er and go-er

2 days ago, Joe and I left Toowoomba suddenly to head to the Gold Coast. It was an unexpected decision after an emotional morning. After camping around the Gold Coast for the past 2 days, this morning we woke up, cooked scrambled eggs on the camping stove, headed to Macca's for an OJ and free wifi, and an hour later we were on the road again heading 4 hours north.

But why? I'd just reached my chosen destination. We had a job in the area later that day running a food van for a monster truck event, and I was so excited about seeing the Gold Coast and being by the beach again. So why am I leaving? Because I've become an up-er and go-er.

During our daily ritual of a McDonalds hash brown (all day breakfast in Oz!) and wifi for job searching and facebooking, we found a fruit picking job in an inland town called Gayndah (please maintain your maturity). We rang the number and the guy surprisingly said "sure, it's yours as long as you can get here for this afternoon". Safe to say I was worried. I've heard horror stories about rural farm jobs and I didn't want to get ripped off, or worse. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I am afraid of what else might lie at our destination. After a quick google, we reassured ourselves that we don't have a clue what we're doing, and we up and went.

A few years ago, I was a very reluctant quitter. Now that may sound good on a CV, but sometimes quitting is exactly what you need to live your life. At the time, I was on my own, and I felt like it too. I thought I should be doing what I don't enjoy, staying somewhere I didn't want to be or starting a career that I was already bored of because that's what everyone else was doing. I made some (very thought out and researched) good decisions to move to France, and had a great time. But then I was still reluctant to make a change in times when I wasn't enjoying myself or felt that something was wrong.

When I met Joe, that was a big change that I embraced. I was still me, but now we were us. We're very alike in many ways (like our stupid humour and love for baby otters) but in others we were completely different. Joe wasn't afraid to move if he wasn't enjoying himself. When it came to jobs especially, he would be incredibly loyal to managers he respected - even returning to his Subway branch - but he also wasn't afraid to go "fuck this!" when it was necessary.

Sometimes I was glad for that attitude. Especially when we were both done over by our managers whilst working in Torquay. Ordinarily I would have been scared to leave for fear of letting people down, or not being able to find a job after. I would have grinned and beared it but cried to myself for as long as it was necessary. But instead, I had someone to support me during our rash decision, to be pissed off about it with me as we stormed out, but then give me hope for what adventures were to come.

Since then there have been a few more ocassions where we've up and gone. Some have been thought out, and some haven't - but it's always easier with someone by your side. Like, if this doesn't go right it doesn't matter, we'll just pick each other back up and get on our way. Now, if you're on your own, there's still no excuse for being miserable. If you are the kind of person who needs someone by your side convincing you to do what you know you want to, then this is me saying "do it!". I'm a real person and right now I'm your best friend saying "Get a move on!". As for feeling guilty for leaving people, well I'm not sure I can help with that because I'm terrible for it. But you have to take every situation as it comes. Think about it from other's perspective. Is anyone going to be physically hurt by you leaving? Are you going to break down if you stay? Are you expected to stay? You may think the answer to the last one is yes, but actually most jobs would like you to stay but do not expect you to stay (except maybe the army!). It's your life, so live it.

So anyway, here I am. Sitting in a bar in Gayndah. It is the only thing open in this tiny town which I have now found out is Queensland's oldest town - and it looks like it too. Tomorrow I will be starting work on a farm but have no idea what to expect. Is there even a farm there? Will they pay me? Will I get eaten by a giant killer spider? Find out all this and more next time... if I make it, that is.

British to Australian dictionary

In my last post where I outlined the differences I've seen between Oz and England, I said that Australians speak funny. For the past month I've been living with an Australian family, and remembering to use the right word so that the kids know what I'm talking about is sometimes tricky. I've only listed words here that I've actually come across (I haven't yet heard anyone say "bonza" or "dunny").

Hello = G'day
How are you? = How are you going?
McDonald's = Macca's
Peppers = Capsicum
Aubergine = Eggplant
Flip Flops = Thongs
Shorts = Pants
Crisps = Chips
Service Station = Servo
Vehicle registration = Rego
Afternoon = Arvo
Argument = Bluey
Work Breaks = Smoko
Strimmer = Whipper Snipper
Slot/gambling machines = Pokies
To buy you a drink/round = Shout you a drink/round
Card Machine = EFTPOS
Vest = Singlet
Swimming costume/trunks = swimmers
Cooler/Cool box = Esky
Off license/alcohol store = Bottle-O
Chicken = Chook

Stroke = Pat
Masturbate = Stroke (do not get these two mixed up like I did when asking kids if they want to stroke the horse!)

You may have noticed some patterns, Australians pretty much shortern eveything, like it takes way too long to say each word. As well as differences in language, there are also many differences in the pronounciation of words, so don't be surprised if I come back to England with an Aussie accent - I've noticed myself mimicking their pronounciation just to save me getting laughed at!

15 ways Australia is different from the UK

Australia is a relatively new country and has learnt the best bits of the customs and habits of it's pals (largely England and America) to create it's own. But comparing UK to Australia, there are many ways it differs, and here's what I've found so far.


1. Mcdonald's is known as "Macca's", and has all day breakfast. You can also build your own burger.

2. Winter is the equivalent of British summer (currently it's autumn, and still sunny every day though ocassionally I find myself putting a jumper on).

3. Vehicles are a lot more complicated to buy and register. I ended up crying in the registration centre, which was highly embarrasing - though it did get us served a lot quicker!

4. Subway steak and cheese has actual chunks of steak, and not those pathetic slices. They also feature egg, avocado and pizza sauce in various subs.

5. Fuel pumps can be programmed with the amount of dollars you wish to spend, to save you the embarrassment of going over by 0.01c.

6. Frozen coke is a thing, and you can get it from Mcdonald's or many other food outlets.

7. Schoolkids must wear a hat as part of their uniform, and it looks something like this:

8. There are a million and one cool wild animals you'll see in your back garden or walking down the street.

9. Burger King is called Hungry Jacks

10. Most parks, beaches and picnic areas have free bbqs set up next to benches for public use.

11. Australia has a third of the population of the UK. So given the size difference, this means the UK has 248.25 people per km² and Oz has just 2.66 people per km²

12. Property is a lot cheaper - given the abundance of land. You can get a 5 bedroom house with acres of land and a pool here for the same price as a 3 bedroom semi-detached house with small garden in the south of England.

13. Tins of tuna come not only with olive oil or brine, but also a plethora of other flavours such as tomato, chilli, pesto, thai style and more. The tins are also smaller than the ones you receive in England, meaning a better 1 person serving size. Great for picnics!

14. You get paid 10c for every plastic or glass bottle you recycle at a collection depot.

15. Australians talk funny. My next post will be a dictionary of terms I've come across. Some are hilarious and have even gotten me into some awkward situations! Stay tuned folks!

If you are Australian, or have been backpacking down under and have any other things you've come across - share them in the comments.

Picnicking at Picnic Point, Toowooba