People say that time flies when you’re having fun. Well time is definitely flying, but I’m not sure about how much fun I’m having as I don’t have time to think!
I have been pretty busy so it’s not like I’ve been sat on my arse doing nothing and woke up and suddenly realised it’s February! Hmm, shame. A tip for those who struggle to get motivated - do everything in your power to restrict how much free time you have. It works!
In January I managed to find and start a second job as a waitress (yey!), book and pay for a tour and working visa in Oz, start a photography course and I’ve started writing film reviews again. It’s not a famously popular website but it’s keeping my portfolio alive and I get free DVDs so it’s all good.
I actually quite like my second job which is surprising. I just wanted another job, any job, that would bring in some extra pennies towards the trip so a likeable job is a bonus! It is weird working every day but it’s not forever.
I’m still a bit shaky but I’m getting there. If I was working there every day I’d have nailed it by now but I find I do a couple of shifts and am ok, then have a few days away, go back and start panicking again. I’m such a stresshead! I find that telling customers I’m new really diffuses the situation. I’m playing the pity card, why not?
It is a family restaurant so there have been challenging moments. I nearly trod on a child last week and I had a tray full of glasses just waiting to topple over. I don’t know why the child felt the need to lie on the floor and roll towards me, but hey! Oh and I have dropped things too. You don’t have to be a psychic to predict that one. Only two occasions so far. First to go was a tray of 3 drinks. It was right next to the bar, in front of a load of people waiting to be seated. Marvellous. More embarrassingly, I managed to flick cream onto a guy‘s…area, haha. That part of the dessert was NOT on the menu. I didn’t attempt to mop it up. I looked at him, we both blushed, and I bolted…
My new job and course have given me a chance to get an honest reaction to my trip. Before now, the only people that know I’m going are friends or people who know me. The reaction has been positive and encouraging which is nice but there’s always a chance that they’re telling a little white lie to avoid hurting my feelings. Just like I would rather someone tell me I look fantastic in a dress rather than tell me I need to lay off the cakes. I’d prefer the support thanks. It helps with the nerves!
This feeling became more apparent with the first, rather dramatic, reaction. “You’re going on your own!!!” (open mouthed, eyes bulging). Ssshhhh, yes I’m going on my own, don’t say it like THAT!! I’m a realist so I’m fully aware of the risks involved in what I’m doing but I want to enjoy my time away so all that scary stuff gets pushed to the back of my mind. The way I see it is that bad things can happen to anyone, at any time and in any location. Life can be cruel and you really can’t tell what’s around the corner. It’s a realisation that has encouraged me to do this in the first place! So I'm not hiding away from the fact that things might go wrong and bad things might happen but I'm not going to let those kind of thoughts take over and ruin my trip. One of my friends says that some of the best times can come from the shittest times when travelling. Here here! In your face naysayer!
The others reacted with a little shock to the idea of me going alone and asked me how old I am.
Sidenote – People at my second job think that I am 19/20. Haha! I keep getting asked what I’m studying at college. I ask them how old they think I am and it ranges between 19 and 21. I should have lied but I’m a shockingly bad liar so I wouldn’t get very far with that one!
So knowing I was a little older than the typical student gapper, they skipped the “going alone” part and asked me more about my trip. Both agreed with my reasons for going and said they were very jealous. See, that’s better. I know I shouldn’t really take it all to heart but it’s something I’ve never done before so it is a little daunting!
I’ve also decided to take every piece of travel advice/information with a pinch of salt as I’ll read something about a country and then a few days later find something that totally contradicts it. It’s rather annoying but it does make me laugh. I’m just going have to find out the hard way, dammit.
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