Thursday 29 December 2011

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race 2011

Aside from eating turkey-based leftovers and watching movies, Boxing Day at home usually involves flicking through the news channels to find coverage of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. I'm not sure why it's become such a Boxing Day ritual as none of my family sail, but I love boats and would jump at the chance to try sailing so I always take interest.

This year, being located in the starting city, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to watch it for realz so I made the loooong, cramped and ridiculously busy bus journey to the headland above Watsons Bay to catch a glimpse of the action.

About 80 gazillion people had the same idea which resulted in myself and my two companions ditching the bus half way and walking the rest in in the muggy heat. Totally worth it, even if the bus did eventually overtake us and arrive at our destination before us… 

Once arriving at the headland we clambered around to find a good spot and eventually perched ourselves on some rocks that gave us a view back across the harbour and out to sea – perfect! The next 45 minutes or so were spent watching the yachts gradually move their way along the harbour, with small boats and helicopters following alongside, ducking and weaving ridiculously close by! Very cool to see in real life – I’m a great believer of experiencing something rather than watching it on TV, but in this case I reckon you watch it for real once and then revert to modern day technology! 

Watching the race was awesome, even if it was as muggy as hell and the rain was just hanging there in the air, waiting for an opportune moment to pour down on us! One life goal complete, one life goal created: to be in Hobart when the race finishes!

 




Wednesday 28 December 2011

A Hot Aussie Christmas

I've always wanted to spend Christmas ignoring the fact that it’s Christmas. Every year in the UK, as soon as October arrives – BANG - Christmas is the theme at every shopping centre, on every radio station and on every TV channel. There’s NO ESCAPE from festive cheer being shoved in your face and by the time Christmas actually rolls around I’m completely over it. A Christmas without any of that commercial rubbish being forced upon me would be perfect, right? So why exactly did I spend the run up to Christmas feeling like I was missing out on that cold, festive cinnamon-y cheer that comes hand in hand with December?

I’m putting it down to weather. My mental state depends a lot on the weather (weird but true) and is a large part of why I left the UK. December in Sydney was unusually “cold” (22 degrees – that’s summer to us Brits) and rainy, with forecasts telling us right up until Christmas Eve that the big day would be soggy. Not what you want to hear when you’ve saved up for eight months and left everything you know and love in exchange for a new sunshiney life and beautiful Christmas on the beach. Couple that with the fact that there is nothing traditionally festive about Australia during the run up to Christmas and what you’ve got is a grumpy expat on the other side of the world from their family, with an empty fridge and a long weekend ahead of them which will be spent watching re-runs of 80s classics such as Love Boat and I Dream of Jeannie because there’s nothing else to do. Not ideal. Not the dream.

As it turns out, the weather gods were good to us and Christmas day was brilliant. Myself and a group of friends ferried ourselves across the harbour to Shelley Beach in Manly for a day of swimming, bbq-ing and general festivities… along with hundreds of others. The gorgeous weather coupled with good friends and good food meant that everyone was in high spirits and the day played out exactly as we had all dreamt it would. We couldn’t have really asked for anything more!

On reflection, I still haven’t quite figured out quite how I feel about the whole Australian Christmas thing, purely because it didn’t feel like Christmas in the slightest. On Christmas morning I woke up alone, I saw no family members, had no Christmas dinner, no presents and no decorations. Then when the day was over I went back home alone, slapped on near enough a whole bottle of aftersun and collapsed into bed hoping I wouldn’t wake up bright red. It couldn’t have been more different.

Not that it was all a bad experience of course. I had a lot of fun, but whether I’d want to spend Christmas without family or friends again is another question. I missed having people around at home and I missed the M&S and Waitrose food - maybe if I could bring both of those things over here it’d be the perfect scenario!


Regrouping

Right, so it’s fair to say that my blogging over the past few months has been pretty poor. It’s now almost the end of December and my last blog post was in October. Shocking. Obviously a lot has happened since then and I have a lot to update. I had started putting together ‘how-to’ guides over the past few weeks (as was my original plan when moving over here) but they’ve never actually materialised thanks to my erratic schedule. I’m annoyed with myself for letting this slip but now I fully intend to made amends.

Where to start…

So not too long after I started looking for a job, I landed a social media role at an advertising agency in Milsons Point – just across the harbour bridge and next to Luna Park. A couple of weeks later I got the hell out of the hostel (which I had started referring to as purgatory), moved into an apartment in Bondi and I have never looked back. That was 2 months ago.

So much has happened since then, I don’t even know where to begin - I’ll have to relay the stories gradually over the coming weeks. One thing I have noticed that’s happened though is that my focus has slipped. Having got swept up in the world of having a job, actually being able to afford things and having a proper social circle again, I’ve found that I haven’t really achieved much. Or at least, I haven’t achieved what I set out to achieve. I’m not saying I haven’t had fun, far from it, but I look at my bucket list (and the various other lists I’ve made since arriving) and there’s not much I can check off.

When I made the decision to move to Sydney I was at a low point, and although it wasn’t the best time of my life, the decisions and ambitions I had at that time were 100% ‘me’. Since settling into Sydney working life I feel like I’ve started losing that ‘me’ because I’ve been swept up in it all. I barely run anymore, I’m always out and I’m constantly drinking. I’ve had mid-week hangovers more times than I care to remember, and that really is not the ‘me’ I wanted to become when moving over here.

So as much fun as it’s all been, I’m now deciding to make a change. Since finishing for Christmas I’ve been running again, exploring new places, trying to get my healthy balanced diet back (ie. no dinners made purely from alcohol) and I already feel better for it. I’ve also planned out and budgeted so I can actually do the things on my various lists - which will hopefully stop me carelessly spending money, keep me active and stop me from wasting my time here.

This week I’ve been reminded of how quickly the time you thought you had can be taken away from you, and I don’t want to be one of those “I wish I’d done this, that or the other” people. I’m very aware that I may only be in Australia for a year (although I’m hoping this is not that case) and so time is of the essence. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to be here and I don’t want to look back with any kind of regrets.


Tuesday 27 December 2011

You Know We Belong Together….

…You and I forever and eveerrrrrr! Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Anyone from the UK and Australia knows the Home & Away theme. And I bet you know all the words, don't you?

I used to watch it years ago when I was growing up but have lost track over the past few years. Still, when a friend mentioned that the infamous Summer Bay was just a short bus journey north of Sydney I jumped at the chance to visit.

Getting up at ridiculous o’clock and trekking into the city at 6am wasn’t too fun, but after grabbing a coffee and a Danish pastry balance was soon restored. Much to my amazement, a return ticket from Central station – which is an hour and a half each way - was only $8. Another reason I love Australia. An hour and a half journey in England would be more like £80! And it would be horrible. You'd probably have to stand the whole way. Anyway, we boarded our bus and were on our way!

The bus journey, although over an hour, was awesome. Bus journeys at home are generally quite grey and dull. I’m particularly thinking of a bus route in London I used to take which went through Elephant and Castle and past a load of council estates where people regularly got stabbed. (Yay for London!) This journey, however, followed the coastal road, winding its way up past all the little bays and brilliant ocean vistas to our final destination of Palm Beach, the last of Sydney’s northern beaches. And to make things even better, the sky was blue, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Bliss!

Palm Beach itself is stunning. The deep golden sands and massive surf are exactly as they are on the TV, so you can see why it was chosen as the filming location! Our first stop was what can only be described as a photoshoot fest at various points of the beach, outside the surf club, in the surf, walking onto the beach, sitting on the fence at the top of the beach… here in Summer Bay I had no shame about how many photo’s I forced my friends to take of me posing. In fact, if I’d seen Alf Stewat I would’ve high fived him and asked him for a photo. But alas, this did not happen.

What did happen though, was a walk along the beach, lunch at The Boat House and a brilliant afternoon beach nap (one of my favourite things to do in Australia). On this day I was most certainly winning and I cannot wait to go back!



Summer Bay / Palm Beach
The infamous walkway 

The infamous fence :)


B.E.A.UTIFUL



Surf Club!

Monday 26 December 2011

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It… Why Is It So Hot?!

It’s not that I’m against experiencing new things, far from it, but for whatever reason I’ve found the run-up to Christmas in Australia both frustrating and upsetting. Call me crazy, but looking at cards, Christmas trees and decorations with fake snow on them when its 28 degrees and you’re wearing shorts and flip flops is just plain wrong. WRONG I TELL YOU.

Christmas just doesn’t really happen here in the same way it does back home. It’s like it’s not Christmas at all. The only clues are the massive Christmas tree in the CBD, the inflatable Santa on the side of the Sydney Convention Centre who looks like he’s trying to break in, and the inflatable Christmas crab (crab with a Santa hat – I kid you not) on top of the aquarium at Darling Harbour.

Since arriving on these sunny shores I’ve never really felt like I’ve missed home. Before leaving I’d been told that I would get two or three months into living here and suddenly the reality of being on the other side of the world would hit me… but I’m still waiting for that to happen.

Having said that, during this usually festive period, I’ve found myself missing really random things from home. Not ‘things’ as such, but more events. For example, yes I’ve been sad to miss out on people’s birthdays and parties, but what’s really had my gut wrenching is not being able to enjoy Firework Night, not being able to watch Children in Need or the rubbish (sorry, but it is) Royal Variety Performance, not being able to join in with Remembrance Sunday (I HATED not having a poppy to wear), and most of all… missing out on that wintery magical excitement you get during the run up to Christmas.

I’ll admit that I’ve never really been a big fan of Christmas so it may seem a little hypocritical me saying all this, but the thing I’ve found myself missing about all this is the thought that for ten straight days you’re going to be tucked up at home with your family, awesome food, no work to do and plenty of catching up with friends. This year I have none of them. Not that I’m complaining, I just mean that the one thing I usually look forward to is not an option, so I don’t know what to expect or how to feel. And most annoyingly, seeing friends from home all experiencing it all via Facebook while I am not can makes it REALLY hard to block out.

Apparently I’m not alone. Other Brits I’ve spoken to have said similar things. It’s not home as a whole that you miss, it’s missing out on the little traditions and annual events that you’re so familiar with that make you feel sad to be away.

Thank god I’m in Australia… after half an hour’s worth of feeling glum I generally take myself off to the end of my road where I can find this:


Homesickness doesn't last long here. There are so many awesome views here that you simply have to step outside in order to remember how lucky you are to be here.

Case in point: due to general frustration with the non-Christmassy vibes in Sydney, Christmas Eve arrived and I felt the only way to make things better was to revert to one of my favourite past times: nachos and cocktails at the Hard Rock Cafe. I grabbed two of my best friends here and off we went, nabbing a table on the balcony which turned out to be THE best location for the carol singing (again, so wrong – singing about snow when it’s still 25 degrees at 10pm?!) and fireworks over Darling Harbour.


A very non-Christmassy Christmas experience, but brilliant in its own way!

Sunday 30 October 2011

This Is Halloween!!!

One thing I really miss about being in the UK is my involvement with Alberg & Austin. Since I’ve been away they’ve been appearing at festivals, hitting the music scene with Dancing Lotus and making a name for themselves on ASOS.

More excitingly though, they’ve just teamed up with isavelaurence creator, Laurence Davies, to re-stock one of his most popular designs. Just in time for Halloween, this spooky little treat, which has been spotted on fashionistas such as Pixie Geldof, is now back and available in a selection of coloured tees and jumpers for the Autumn/Winter season.

Kicking off back in 2004, Laurence created his brand isavedlaurence independently and as a way of getting his designs out there into the fashion world. His style was a massive hit, being picked up by over 100 high street retailers and establishing its own concession in Topshop’s flagship store on Oxford Street just six months after launching.

Impressive stuff, huh? Over the coming months there will be more designs hitting Alberg’s online store, all of which are limited edition and will be selling out fast - so act soon or regret it later! www.albergandaustin.com GO GO GO!!! :)

I may be in Australia but I’m ordering mine as soon as pay day arrives… Which is also mainly because I want the free Wham bar that comes with it! (Australian sweets SUCK)




Wednesday 14 September 2011

Life Is A Rollercoaster, Just Got To Ride It

Oh god I can’t believe I just quoted a Ronan Keating song. I apologise. Let’s pretend I actually came up with a much cooler title and move swiftly on…

This morning I sat down to write a proper update about relocating but instead this was on the brain and felt far more relevant: The one overriding thing I have experienced since relocating is that the perception of my current situation can completely change from second to second. One moment I’ve lost focus and just want to be stuffing my face with nachos and cocktails with my best friend, then the next moment the sun is shining, I’ve met someone who restores my faith in humanity and I don’t want to be anywhere else. Days later they leave, I’m back to wanting the nachos then, as I give my reflection a pep talk about staying positive, I get a phone call offering me a job interview and I’m back to loving being here again… only I have no one to share the joy with!

Fortunately, the majority of my time in Sydney so far has been pretty good (touch wood!). I’ve had so much positive feedback from recruiters and potential employers that it’s completely restored my faith in my professional ability - I actually feel like I might not be the waste of space the London recruitment world led me to believe I was! Over here I have people who are genuinely helping me and I am being encouraged to aim for jobs I want and apparently deserve rather than things that are below my ability. I’ve had more feedback in the last two weeks than I had over the whole two years I was job searching in London and it’s the most incredible breath of fresh air.

The only thing I’m really struggling with is being completely alone. Not that I am actually alone, just in the sense that I have no one familiar around me. There are moments when you just want to call your parents and when you want to tell a friend about an encounter with a cute guy but you simply can’t because they’re asleep on the other side of the world and won’t get your message for another eight hours! I’ve found this leaves you feeling a bit empty, but you just have to get on with it and process those emotions yourself. I can only assume that this is what they call a “character building” experience. It’s also massively crap.

Don’t get me wrong though, I love being over here alone and figuring everything out for myself. I feel like this is mine and mine alone. Everything I achieve (and fail at) is completely down to me - which I’ve come to realise was the main attraction of me coming out here. If I’d come out here with someone I knew, the experience would be completely different, and the thought of anyone I know from home coming out to join me at this point would completely rain all over my koala bear themed parade (although I encourage visitors once I’m sorted!).

So basically what I’m saying is that this transitional stage is a bit hard-going given that it’s constantly changing, but it’s also opening my eyes to new things and giving me the confidence to push myself. I’ve met people across the last week or so who, although I have only spent a few days with them, have made me look at things completely differently, and I genuinely hope that our paths cross again in the not too distant future.

And now, as the sun is shining and it’s like a good British summer day outside (even though it’s early spring), I’m off to the beach. Just because I can!

Oh and I didn't have a relevant picture to post, so I thought I'd share this with you instead. Because it makes me smile...

Monday 12 September 2011

Australia vs The UK -The Random Differences They Don’t Tell You About

Right, I know I haven’t done a proper update about life Down Under, but that’s because there’s been so much going on that I have no idea where to start! Plus I’ve been writing in my travel diary every day so I’ve simply not had the time to update everything.

So instead, while I’m gathering my thoughts together into an easy-to-decipher post, I thought it’d be fun to point out a few little differences I’ve noticed in between Australia and the UK. Here goes:

  • Burger King is called Hungry Jacks – This baffles me. Anyone know why it is? Who is Jack and why is he hungry?
  • The seagulls are exactly like they are on Finding Nemo – If you’re down by the water and stay sitting in one position for more than 30 seconds, you will suddenly find yourself surrounded – it doesn’t even matter if you have food or not! And I’m 99% sure they squawk ‘MINE’ rather than a normal seagull squawk.
  • In the city it will take you about five minutes just to cross one road – This drove me completely MENTAL for the first week or so of being here. If you’re from a big city you will find yourself teetering on the edge of the curb desperately wanting to get to the other side but being forced to wait by the unfazed people surrounding you and absence of that stupid little green man! Also, the lights beep even when you can’t cross. I haven’t figured out why this is yet.
  • You stand on the left hand side of escalators – I’ve worked in London since I was 18 so it’s been drummed into me to stand on the right for years. I spent the first week of being here generally getting in the way and being confused as to why people were glaring at me… oops.
  • It takes ages for you to order a coffee, smoothie or anything else that needs to be made for you there and then – It seems Aussie’s really do work at a much slower pace. I waited for over ten minutes for a couple of slices of toast the other day…
  • Ugg boots are not worn as casual wear – They originated as something surfers could slip on after emerging from the waves, so some Aussies find it a bit weird when they’re worn for just strolling around the shops or going about your daily routine. Oh and it’s normal for guys to wear them too apparently.
  • The coffee is GOOD – There is a massive coffee and cake culture over here and it’s all about independents. Unlike in the UK and the States where you’re never more than 10 metres away from a Starbucks, there are hardly any to be seen here! It’s very refreshing.
  • It’s expensive – I’ve been told that this is because there are less people, so less consumer businesses and therefore less competition between pricing. Which means that a pre-made sandwich will cost you $6-8, a bottle of water will cost you $3 and a tube of toothpaste will be about $7. 
  • People run and work out anywhere and everywhere – I reckon this must be because of the cakes and massive portions. Hotspots I’ve found include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Bondi and the Eastern Beaches walk. You can find people walking, running, working out, stretching, rollerblading… you name it, they’re doing it. And they all have beautiful (and tanned) bodies to show for it.
  • Pre-pay buses – With a lot of the buses you have to buy a ticket before you board. If you get on a pre-pay bus without a ticket because you’re new and confused, the bus driver will get angry. Luckily when I did it the guy let me off and just let me pay, but I’ve seen people being shouted at and thrown off…
  • The trains have three levels and the seats are AWESOME – I’d go as far as saying it’s my favourite thing about being here! On my first train journey I was just about getting over the brilliance of having three levels (we need this in London) when I witnessed the magicalness of the seats. I don’t want to say what it is because I want newbies to the city to discover it for themselves. It’s an experience. The first time I saw it, it BLEW MY MIND!
  • You can crumple up a note and it just flips back to its original shape – Ever played Monopoly and wished the money was real? Well wish no longer! Aussie notes have see-through bits on them and feel plasticy (maybe because everyone lives by the sea and sweats a lot in the summer?!). So when you scrunch one up it doesn’t really crease like British notes do. Hours of fun.
  • They don’t have one or two cents coins – I find this a bit weird because they still price things at in-between numbers, then just round up. Crafty!
  • It’s like being in a time warp when it comes to music – I’ve heard songs here that I haven’t heard for YEARS! We’re talking Billie Piper, various Eurovision songs and 90s club anthems. And of course there’s loads of Savage Garden, Delta Goodrem and Kylie.
  • They put bucket loads of salt and pepper in everything – Which means you’re constantly thirsty and sometimes things like pie and sandwich fillings simply taste of just pepper. Blarg.
  • Credit, cheque or savings – When you use your card you’re asked what type of account you want to withdraw from. I didn’t have a clue what mine was first time round. After trying the other two options and failing, I pressed ‘credit’ and it worked (even though it’s not a credit card!), so that’s what I roll with each time I withdraw money.
  • They don’t seem to care about swearing in songs or on TV – Which makes hearing the unedited version of Cee-Lo Green’s ‘Forget You’ a bit awkward when you’re in a shop and there are kids around.
  • Some places still freak out when you pay by card – With some things it feels like Australia has only just discovered technology. They don’t do ‘chip-and-pin’ (which they refer to as EPTFOS) the way we do in the UK and in most places you still sign on the dotted line if you pay with a card. Bizarrely though, my card has that ‘wave’ technology where you just perform a jedi-like hand gesture with your card against a machine and it automatically debits your account. Bit of a massive contradiction in security! They also seem to be mortally allergic to splitting the bill in restaurants.
  • There’s loads of FREE services – The best one being the completely free shuttle bus that runs up and down George Street (the main street) from Central station to Circular Quay. There are also free city walks, free tours of the Botanical Gardens and free places to charge your phone in bars and pubs. This would never happen in London – Boris, mate, you need to sort it out for us!

  • Their chocolate is RUBBISH - Like... seriously bad. I can't physically eat it. Luckily though, you can scout out places that import the proper English stuff. Thank god!
So there we have it, the first few things I’ve noticed. I’m sure there’ll be more to come…

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Things I Don’t Understand About Planes

Other than the fact that I HATE flying, there are a few things that I quite simply just don’t understand when it comes to planes. These are the things that have been troubling me since my flight to Oz two weeks ago…

1 - Toblerone  - why can you only ever get giant Toblerones at airports? It seems to be the same world-over. What is that about?!

2 – Safety demonstrations – I understand being shown how to use your life jacket and oxygen mask just in case the cabin depressurises or you land in the Hudson River, but why bother with a ‘brace position’? Having your head leaning against the seat in front is not going to help you if the plane crashes (although I’ve been told this is so that your neck is broken on impact which avoids any suffering). And bizarrely, if you’re in First Class, you’re told to sit in an upright position with your hands on your lap… as if that’s going to do anything except make you feel a little bit stupid! Someone please explain this to me.

3 – Cup? This is more to do with my Qantas flight to Australia. What exactly is this:


Is it a cup? And if it is a cup then why have I also been given an actual cup? Is it actually for something else? Is this an Australian thing? Admittedly this was a 22 hour flight and I only had a couple of hours sleep over that period, but I literally didn’t know what to do with this… so I resorted to using it as a rubbish bin.

thing with actual cup. confused.

4 – Orange juice in a pot – they always do this on flights. WHY? How exactly am I supposed to open and drink this without spilling most of it down me? It’s like drinking from a yoghurt pot. Why not just give it to us in a bottle?



Can anyone shed any light on the matter?

Sunday 28 August 2011

Becoming A One-Man Wolf Pack

So I made it! I’ve been here just under two weeks now and I haven’t done anything particularly disastrous yet (touch wood) which I think is an achievement in itself!

It’s a very bizarre feeling being here – I’m not sure it’s a feeling you can really explain to someone unless they’ve been in the same situation. All I can attempt to describe it as is an overwhelming mix of stunned fear and absolute contentment - when you think about it in a literal sense it should be terrifying but in reality it’s actually quite cool. Think of it in the same way as doing a bungee jump or sky dive – throwing yourself off or out of something should be scary but when you actually take the leap its brilliant. Or so I hear. I’ve never done either!

Anyway, hooray for me because I can now tick off four things from my bucket list – fly to Australia, open a bank account, sort out a phone and make some friends  (although this is a work in progress). I only just realised this a few days ago, but I actually got on both of my flights without going through the usual freaking out, crying and needing a strong drink (or five!) to calm my nerves. Maybe I was too preoccupied with what lay ahead or maybe I was too tired to care about the wing falling off. Either way, I got on a plane without crying or turning to hard spirits to help me through it. Check me out guys, I’m growing! 

Before I left England, I opened up a bank account and transferred my money across like a proper grown-up. Now that I’m in Australia I have a bank card and internet banking set up so I can spend everything I spent months scrimping and saving up for. Win! My phone has also been sorted. I’m on a rolling contract with Optus where I have to top up with $30 every month – pretty sweet, especially as all social networking is free! And finally, I have made a few friends who are doing the same or similar thing to me. All of this will feature in ‘How to’ posts as soon as I no longer have to pay bucket loads for internet time!

So there we have it. I’m in Australia and embarking on my One Man Wolf Pack Adventure! More to follow…


Thursday 11 August 2011

Freedom & Reflection

Last week, after 16 months of being stuck in a role where I can honestly say I never once experienced a day I could categorise as ‘good’, I left my job.  5pm arrived, I shut down my computer for the last time and stepped onto the streets of Farringdon where I did a little victory dance and skipped off into the sunset. FREEDOM.

On the train home I reflected on the past year or so, trying to piece together the highlights. I couldn’t think of any. In fact, there were no working days I could actually remember - everything just blurred into one. My only memories came from colleagues’ birthdays and leaving days where we’d gone out for lunch or drinks. Proof that I have absolutely done the right thing in leaving.

Thinking back, I was applying for so many jobs at the beginning of 2010 that I don't even remember applying for this one. I knew nothing about the company as it was undisclosed, only the basic details of the role and nothing about the salary. Fail, fail, fail. When I was invited for an interview the first thing I did was Google the company and, ironically, for a company that said it specialised in websites, the company website included little to no information. In hindsight I should’ve know there and then that this wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, the interview took place the next day in a small room with no windows but plenty of artificial yellow light, they offered me the job and here I am today.

All in all, I wouldn't say the last 16 months have been a complete waste - if anything they’ve reminded me of who I really am, which was someone I had lost amongst the previous few years: I want to live rather than exist, and actually make something of my life.

My levels of non-achievement at work have caused me to take up running, do more with friends, see more, travel more, meet new people and generally just have fun.  On the flip side, doing a job I really didn’t enjoy has been difficult and at times really got me down. But now I’ve escaped and vow to never go back to that situation. There will be no more masquerading as someone else. Life is too short.

It’s now only a few days until I leave and everyone is asking me if I feel scared, nervous or excited. To be honest, I am looking forward to it but I don’t really feel any of those emotions. The only way I can describe it is that I feel content. It just feels right. I’m finally embarking on something I’ve wanted to do since I was young and something I’ve been planning since University, and it’s come with the added bonus of having a bit more life experience, more money, and not having to share it with someone who caused me to lose who I was in the first place.

Since applying for my visa back in February everything seems to have been working in my favour and falling into place. Even in the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to recognise the opportunities that are out there for me and find closure on other issues. My philosophy these days is just to trust the universe and go with whatever happens. If it’s meant to be it’ll work itself out. I’m in the best place I’ve been in since I was 18 and I’m worried I’m tempting fate!

I know what I’m doing is going to be challenging. I know there are going to be times where I hate it and want to jump on the next plane home, but I also know that even if it’s an awful experience and I lose my limbs to a hungry white tip reef shark / rabid possum then at least I will learn something from it and will have a story to tell. (And I’ll be able to talk about it at TED!) Unless I die… in which case it will have been the biggest mistake I ever made.

Hooray! :)


Thursday 28 July 2011

What Not To Do When Running In An Unfamiliar Location

Over the past five months or so I’ve been trying to convince everyone (myself included) that I’m quite sensible and will be fine travelling solo to the other side of the world… and then I go and prove the exact opposite by not only getting lost, but getting lost in the Dorset countryside whilst accompanied by two other people – one of them being “a seasoned scout leader”. 

Less than 12 hours earlier, the weekend had already started off on the wrong foot. Having arrived at the station 15mins early for our train we found the ticket queue to be longer than The Great Wall of China and of course only one window was open. Typical. We got to the front of the queue with minutes to spare and just as we were about to pay, the bright spark serving us decided now was the time to cancel our transaction and see if there was a better discount we could use. There was not. We made it through the ticket barriers just as the train pulled out of the station. Balls. Onto plan B… we could get the train to another station and change instead of waiting an hour for the next direct train. 

20mins later we arrived at said station. Pretty certain of the train we needed to get, but not trusting ourselves, we went and asked a train man to confirm it for us. The guy on the customer enquiries desk (who was on the phone the entire time he was talking to us!) couldn’t have looked or acted more disinterested. He mumbled the train we needed to get, which was not the one we thought, and off we went to catch it. Of course once we were on it and it had pulled out of the station we realised it was the wrong one – which meant another change. So in short, we ended up getting two slow trains, only to end up at a station just a little way down the line, waiting for the train that left our initial location an hour later than the one we missed…

Anyway, after arriving at our destination, doing some food shopping (where we excitedly bought marshmallows to toast over the fire but somehow forgot the skewers) and finding the campsite (which was run by a complete fruit loop!), we started looking forward to the weekend… starting with our morning run.

Now, in case you’re not interested in how this all happened, these are the main lessons I learnt that day and the main points I want people to take note of:
  1. Always ALWAYS look at a map and figure out a route before setting out
  2. Take a phone
  3. Take a camera
  4. Take some water
  5. Take a small amount of cash
  6. Wear sun cream
  7. Listen to your common sense
  8. Do not trust maps that have been drawn by locals and stuck to village notice boards
Now you can stop reading. And for those of you who want to hear about the full extent of my stupidity, here’s how it all unfolded: 


9am: Alarm goes off. I eventually crawl out of the tent, get ready and spend the next 30mins waiting for the others to do the same.

9.40: The OS map has been unfolded and the other two are arguing about looking at the map. I stay out of it and subsequently don’t take a look myself. Neither do they.

9.50: We set off into the unknown Dorset countryside promising the friend we’re leaving behind that we’ll only be around half an hour. 

10.05: We’ve been running for 15 mins. The thought enters my mind that we could turn back now (thus making the run 30mins - genius) but we’ve just turned onto the main road and I figure there’s probably a lane that’ll loop us back round to the campsite in a few hundred yards. The others have looked at the map after all…

10.20: Nobody told me Dorset had hills! The road we’re running along resembles the foothills of the Andes. There’s still no right hand turn in sight.

10.30: We realise we’re going to be nearer to an hour and joke about our friend calling search and rescue. The skies are brilliantly blue and it’s starting to get hot, but for whatever reason none of us mention turning back. There’s definitely a turning on the right and we must nearly be there, so it’s not like we’re not lost or anything.

10.40: YES! We’ve found the turning! The excitement is short-lived when we realise the road takes us uphill. The sun is also getting hotter. I contemplate the health implications of licking a puddle.

10.45: We arrive in a village. East Lulworth to be exact. There’s no one around but there is a tap! We decide not to trust the water and opt to put it on ourselves rather than in ourselves.

10.50: At this point we finally realise that none of us actually looked at the map. Luckily we find a hand-drawn map on the side of an old wooden bus shelter which seems to show the main roads. If the map’s right then we just need to go to the the next junction, turn left and we’ll be there. So off we go again, jogging in an attempt to get back faster. (I’m not convinced we were going any faster than we would have been simply walking.)

11.10: We found the junction!!! The only problem being that there are no road signs. Option A – turn right and run about 200m to the only signpost we can see. Option B – turn left (which is uphill) and follow what the dodgy hand-drawn map said. We end up opting for secret option C – sit in the middle of the main road and talk about how ridiculous this whole expedition is.

11.15: We’ve taken option A, only to find that the signpost doesn’t mention anything that was on the map. Our intentions to ask for directions are completely steamrollered when a delivery van man simply waves back merrily as we try to flag him down. The next two cars don’t even acknowledge our existence. So much for the good of the British people. THANKS A LOT GB.

11.25: Having decided to head back the way we came and up the hill we had initially avoided we find a woman in her garden and ask for some directions. She responds with “you’ll need to go two miles down the road into Wool village, then take the turning on the right and it’s about another two miles from there…” She could’ve said anything after that. I was no longer listening. All that was going on in my head was buzzing and a little voice saying “2 + 2 = 4 MILES!!! Why God WHY?!”

11:35: After a brief chat and much buzzing in my head we left the woman’s house and headed back down the road again, past the signpost where the delivery van man had waved at us. Bastard. Then we walked/jogged for what felt like days.

11.55: Finally arriving in the village, we pop into a bakery (torture) where we ask where the nearest place to get a taxi would be. The station was the answer - which means more walking. 

12.00: Like a mirage in the desert, the smallest station I have ever seen appears in front of us and… YES! ONE EMPTY TAXI! IT’S D-E-S-T-I-N-Y. In we jump. The driver is worried we’re going to sweat all over his seats but we don’t care ‘cos it’s OVERRRR!!! 5 mins later we’re back and I’m running AGAIN to get money for the taxi!

The friend we left behind is not too impressed, but luckily none our other friends haven’t arrived yet and thus are completely unaware of our stupidity. We relay our story and swear never to speak of it again. Ever. Until now… sorry guys! 


The thing is that despite the fact that we felt guilty about leaving our poor friend alone in a field for two hours, it was actually quite fun. At no point was I annoyed or frustrated with myself because it was all quite funny and a bit like being on an adventure. This probably means I haven’t learnt anything from the experience (let's hope there's no repeat in Oz). My only mild regret was that I didn’t have a camera on me. It wasn’t until eight hours later when I realised the full extent of my sunburn that I felt any real pangs of regret. Three words: t-shirt tan lines.

Oh and you’ll be happy to know that the rest of the weekend was pretty awesome. Aside from the detachable pan handle being accidentally left on the roof of the car, eventually falling off into the middle of the road as we turned out of a junction and subsequently being run over and squashed by a BMW, everything else went pretty smoothly!

our route: 12k, 2 hours, 1000 calories burned

just to give you an idea of distance...