Xtina in Oz

So I continue to work like a crazy person, but mostly at night, so I've had my days free to do some fun stuff. Last week I caught up with a fellow traveller, Marlies, a Dutch girl I met in the Northern Territory. She's been in Melbourne for a couple of weeks, staying with a friend, so we met in neutral territory and had breakfast in Richmond, at the Sass Cafe: Marlies enjoying her latte on Bridge Road After breakfast we went across the road to Cotton On and bought some cheap clothes. Yay!

So I've gotten some... comments (read: complaints) that I hadn't updated my blog in a while. And this is true. Travelling takes it out of you, both physically and financially. So, in the 3 weeks since I've returned from my various destinations, I've basically been working non stop. Yay for money! Boo for having no life! Here's a snippet of the life of an expat-American waitress:

A few days ago I returned from my first extensive trip since arriving in Australia. I went to the Northern Territory for 2 weeks and saw a lot of amazing things. For those of you unfamiliar, here is a little geography lesson to get started. This post will be focusing on the portion of the NT known as the "Top End": My trip began in Darwin. My friend AJ from the states flew out to do this trip with me, and met me in Darwin. We booked ourselves in for a weekend to explore the city. It turns out this was almost too much time, as there isn't a lot to do in Darwin;  luckily the hostel we stayed at had a really nice pool and patio area, so I whiled away my days poolside!

There are times when a girl just craves the tastes of home. Well, May 1 was one of those times. I set out for a bike ride with a British friend who lives in my neck of the woods, but a flat tire, too much wind and sheer laziness sent us instead to Misty's Diner in Prahran, an American style diner I had heard about but never been to. I'd had a late night the evening prior, and alcohol was consumed, and I wasn't feeling at the top of my game. A Dr Pepper was definitely in order Yes! They had Dr Pepper! And it only got better when I decided to order the Bacon Ranch burger as my meal (at 11:30 am) Would you look at the amount of Ranch dressing on that thing!? It was heaven. My only comment would be to note that the bacon on said Bacon Ranch burger was definitely not "American-style" but I have found that bacon here is exceptional on a burger, no matter. So, a stellar meal, overall. The wall next to our booth had license plates from all the states on it (Americ...

So, for those of you who are not aware, I am not a coffee drinker. Never have been. Never liked anything that tasted of coffee - coffee ice cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, nada. However, working in a cafe in Melbourne, where coffee is a way of life, I decided I might need to try and wean myself onto it. First of all, coffee here is not remotely the same as coffee in the states. Whereas at home, most coffee drinks start from a base of plain black filtered coffee, here it starts with an espresso shot. If you are like my mom, and like your coffee strong and black, in Melbourne you need to order a "long black" - and you'll find you probably need at least two of those to satisfy your normal coffee quota. If you like milk in your coffee, that's a "flat white." Then there's a latte, which is an espresso shot with steamed, frothy milk. The difference between this and a flat white is still somewhat vague, but I think a latte is stronger and frothier. Mos...

Good morning America! I come bearing gifts - well, photos of some recent adventures. As promised, I took my camera out with my new bicycle and we went for a ride on the beach.

 I'm sorry it's been ages since I wrote - time gets away from me here in Oz! Well, things on the job front have changed quite a bit, and I wouldn't be surprised if they continued to do so, but here's where I'm at for now: Slow Down! @ Harley Court didn't do the boom business they hoped to in the first couple of weeks, and I became a casualty of that. Just not enough hours to go around when people aren't coming in to eat. So I had about $47 in my bank account, and set out on a desperate job hunt for about a week and a half. But, fear not, all is well now, and I have not one but two jobs! The first is working at a cafe in Melbourne's CBD (central business district), The Terrace. It involves 6:30 am start times, the occasional room service order for the neighboring hotel, and pretty great hourly pay! So I get up at 5 am at least 3 times a week and go to work until 11 am, come home, take a nap, and then have the rest of the afternoon and evening free! ...