Little Creatures

Last Sunday, I spent my morning rushing around our tiny house before work trying to find anything to do with anything that would suit a "fairy tale/nursery rhyme" theme. I ripped up some tights, wore some bogan jean shorts and a green top, put on some brilliantly bright green make-up and eyeliner across my face, tangled my hair, made a cardboard sword - and there you go, I was a Lost Boy from Peter Pan! Why, do you ask I decided to where this this to work?? Well, like I told the many customers throughout the day - Because we can!

These last two months would be much different if it wasn't for this incredibly fun loving place, Little Creatures. It's vibrant, loud, quirky, fast-paced, and simply put - completely different than any hospitality job I've ever worked in. In a time where I had to say just one too many goodbyes and questioning my time in Perth - this job came about and the people I met just picked me right back up from the ground. I found myself in a world of backpackers and Australians alike, all working their butts off and having a blast doing it at the same time. We have fancy dress themed Sundays and are encouraged to be ourselves at work and dress as we please. Little Creatures is HUGE. Everyone talks about how "quiet" it is now because of wintertime, but the brewery still averages about 12,000 seated customers per week in this small town of Freo.

It's funny - I've found that Western Australians are afraid to step out into the "cold" weather of 60 degrees F in June ... I can't begin to count how many absurd comments I've gotten for wearing a tank top during work by Aussies who stroll into Creatures wearing what I can only describe as heavy duty ski jackets.

We were told that during the week between Christmas and NYE of this year, Creatures had a turn over of more than 67,000 customers!! I can't even begin to imagine this. During my first few weeks as a "newbie" my job was to help deliver the drinks and food throughout the ENTIRE brewery....and when it's busy, you are literally expected to SPRINT. Aka. the job description - runner. So there I was sprinting up and down staircases, across the "great hall" to the outside area back to the front patio, through the brew house next door...back up the stairs...I felt like I was running a marathon each day! I was exhausted and burnt out, but then again I had an incredible workout schedule fit quite nicely into my days...so I wasn't really complaining. What really got me through the long days were the people I worked with. After every shift there is always someone sitting outside waiting to have the long awaited, refreshing "staffy" drink with. It's a great way to meet people and start a social network. It's probably why Creatures works out so well, everyone seems to be great friends...and even if not, you always look after each other and work as a team.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I'm now bartending as well - which has brought a whole new twist to work. I love it! If you come visit, you'll still see me running around like a mad woman...but I can pour you a pint and recommend a nice beer or cider to match your palate :) I'm now starting as a waitress (more up my ally), so we'll see how that goes. So, in this ever slow moving "city", things are working out pretty well. I still have my amazing roommates from Amsterdam (Roy and Isabelle) and most of the original bbq gang....Emily, Josh, Solene/Clemont (France) and Nick/Linda (Germany). We're missing both Edgar and Minnie (Mexico), but they are both now enjoying warmer climates - so I don't feel too sorry for them! I also have a workplace that I enjoy going to each day. The last week or two, I've actually been asked to leave Creatures with my coworkers....hahah after one pint, they just can't get us to go away!

I wish everyone back home could visit.....if only I wasn't half a world away. Click on the link and check it out, I'm hoping to find a way to ship some Pale Ale's home for Christmas!

https://www.littlecreatures.com.au

Missing everyone to pieces, see you in two months :)

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are."

It's funny how you can find yourself in one of the most, gorgeous serene places that you've ever been, yet still find things to stress out about. One of the lessons we all tend to hear on repeat again and again throughout childhood is "live in the now", "worrying is like a rocking chair - it won't get you anywhere", "don't waste today"..... well, I've always found myself struggling a bit with this concept - especially since I'm an annoyingly-so, detail oriented, worry wort...

I came back to Melbourne in January and began my job search for dietetics/nutrition positions once again. After many, MANY returned resumes and seemingly repetitive talks with dietitians...my job search didn't go anywhere. I am slightly embarrassed - because I truly wish this wasn't the case. When it came down to it, people just weren't willing to give a position to someone with a year working visa verse an Australian resident. (Or I should've sucked it up and taken the Australian registration exam back in November...but I won't get into that!) On the other hand, this experience has changed me in many ways I never imagined possible. Being so far from home and 100%....okay 95%....self-sufficient has made me much more independent and self-confident than I ever was before. My views on life and where I want to go/what I want to be are constantly challenged. I hope to not take things in life for granted and to always be passionate at what I do - whatever that may be. I am constantly surrounded by health articles, news casts, simply day-to-day signs about nutrition. As I might have mentioned before, it's so interesting to see gluten-free options in most restaurants, dietitians at almost every fitness club and simply general knowledge on the subject. At least once a day I see something I want to look up or learn about...and in that way I like to think of nutrition as still a big part of my life.

I've spent the last three months in Melbourne working/worrying about finances and yet at the same time trying to live up my time here as much as possible. Coming back from holiday with little savings left and a flat not quite ready to move into can be a bit stressful. I am lucky, however, to have the incredible friends and support that everyone needs when life and job searching gets a bit rough. One of my housemates noticed I was beginning to worry too much about my job situation - it was pretty much eating away at me, making me miserable. He made me realize that dwelling on the situation was never going to solve anything or make me happy....so I needed to do something about it. I'm in Australia - an amazing, gorgeous, wild, scary, ever surprising country! Make the most of what you have and live your life. I feel like the luckiest person to have found myself where I am today...so yes, jobs may not be ideal - but I'm surrounded by friends in a wonderful country I've yet to see only a fraction of!

Last month, a group of us traveled to the Great Ocean Road. It is about an 8 hour journey, starting 2 hours south of Melbourne, along the shore. Travelers can find themselves stopping at surf towns, along remote beaches or high cliffs, or at one of the many tourist attractions. With the ocean on your left and rainforest on your right, I couldn't imagine a more gorgeous drive. We spent the weekend "learning to surf" (I use that term loosely because I was absolutely terrible), petting a koala on the side of the road, exploring The 12 Apostles in Port Campbell National Park and stopping at beach towns along the way. It was exactly what I needed to put everything back into perspective and stop worrying about what's ahead of me. I had an incredible weekend that reminded me of why I came to this country in the first place. I may not be able to change the job portion of my life - but I can make sure that I am fulfilling everything else I came here to do. Challenge myself as an individual. Explore other cultures and their values/ideals. Make lasting friendships. Discover the strange and beautiful places. Question my goals. Follow or even change my dreams.....pet a koala, shake hands with a kangaroo, and learn how to surf!!!!!!

Life is all about balance. If one part is down, make sure you are doing everything else to the best of your capability. As annoying and as corny as I sound - no one likes a 'debbie downer' or 'negative nancy'. Next time you find yourself stressed...go for a run, try something new like hot yoga (shout out KJ) or boxing, get a drink with a friend, or go to your favorite cafe and relax with a coffee. This blog is for my family. As much as I miss you soo soo much (the downside to this adventure....), I promise you that this year will be a year that I will always look back on as something that has forever changed me. UPSIDE :)

Miss you all. My next post: our upcoming adventure. Google Perth...hint hint.

In the land of footy and breaky...

"Fear less, hope more; whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."

I'm beginning to love this country more and more...not just for the gorgeous beaches and exciting city life, but because of the people I am meeting. Before my move, I spent the summer emailing dietitians about my plans to come to Melbourne in hopes that I could make some good connections. I couldn't believe how kind people were in response to my inquires and how willing they were to help once I got to Australia. However, before I knew it September came and I still felt very lost. I didn't know where to live, let alone how to find a job that could really excite me with the restriction of a working/holiday visa. Everyone knows how dreadful job searching can be - the endless search online, phone calls to grumpy secretaries, email after email to just get one response back - well let me tell you, I randomly called a sports institute in Melbourne and the secretary was the most cheerful person to talk to! In every aspect, people are just willing to help each other out. For the most part, people say "excuse me sweetheart" or "watch it mate!" when I bump into people for awkwardly walking on the "wrong" side of the sidewalk....which I much prefer to the "watch it stupid" look I'd get back home. I may have just gotten really lucky for once, but I have come across some amazing people these past few weeks!

Two weeks ago I met for coffee with Emma Stirling, a dietitian who I'd been in touch all summer. We ended up chatting for two hours and had a great afternoon! Her 8 year old daughter, Lucy, was there as well and I swear she knows more about Twitter than I ever will! Emma is an entrepreneur, editor of her own blog, has a lot of experience in communication and marketing and is very big in the dietetics community! We've decided to keep in touch and work together as much as possible during my time in Melbourne! I'm hoping to help with some projects and attend some dietetic conferences/lectures with her, I couldn't be more thrilled! I was ecstatic to have such a wonderful person reach out to me - so thank you, Emma!

Today I met with a friend of her's, Jo Shinewell, who is a sports dietitian for the Melbourne Footy Club.

Quick Side note - If I haven't mentioned this before, footy is a combination of football, rugby and soccer. It's a huge sport in Australia and the professional season just ended last weekend with the Australian Grand Final. I'm officially a St. Kilda fan since I live in the suburb, haha...well and MY team, the St. Kilda Saints, were in the final! We were in Portsea to watch this "Superbowl-esque" game when it ended in a TIE! Completely bizarre. The rematch was last weekend and we unfortunately were demolished by the obnoxious Collingwood Magpie fans...

Back to Jo - we met today for coffee and chatted about my interest in sports nutrition. Jo was so great to talk to....at one point she mentioned that she has met with dietitians for the New York Giants and New York Jets! Jo offered to let me help her out next month during footy preseason. I'll be helping with "sweat tests" to analyze the nutrition status of the players. From these results, she then creates individual diets for every player on the team (about 46 guys). Again, I kept thanking her over and over - and she looked at me like a was crazy - like this was not a big deal to help me out! It's amazing how one kind gesture to meet someone for coffee can open so many doors to new experiences :)

In the middle of all these great opportunities...I do need to find a way to pay the bills. Emily and I both passed out resumes for waitressing positions last week. It's a great temporary job because, unlike the states, you receive an hourly wage of 15-22 dollars an hour verse relying on tips. I've had a few trials in places ranging from a really cool beach bar to a posh (think posh spice - upperclass) city restaurant on the river....and after the whole "what do I do/where should I try to work?!" dilema, I ended up going with a restaurant called West Beach Bather's Pavillion. It just opened about 6 months ago and is about a 20 minute walk away from our place along the beach. I'd describe it as my surfer's paradise - it's located right on the beach where surfers can walk up for a lunch of fish & chips and families can have their kids run off into the sand. West Beach is open for breaky, lunch and catering/wedding events - so for the most part, no night time shifts for me!! The restuarant is very open with floor to ceiling glass windows/doors looking over the bay and a wrap around patio going out onto the beach. I walk out onto the patio on a sunny day and look at the kite surfers and sailboats in the harbor....and I just can't complain about the fact that I'm a waitress or wearing a very unattractive black apron. I'm serving classic diner style Australian dishes (yes, vegemite included!) and home baked goods, so it's very laid back and nothing too fancy. I'm also in the midst of being taught how to make coffee - a huge deal in Melbourne, as they pride themselves in their skillful coffee making. Seriously, today I got a 20 minute lecture on where the beans come from.... And with dietetic projects hopefully to come, this is great and carefree way to pay bills. Not to mention making some spending money and meeting new people! So as for now, I'm simply serving on the beach with hopefully many sunny days to come :) Cheers!