Your end of the week update...

Friday morning, Dominik dropped me off at the Greenhouse Backpackers hostel downtown on his way to uni. I was told by the front desk that they were completely booked. Luckily a guy that worked there called the Base in St. Kilda, a more artsy community near the beach about a 20 minute tram ride from the city, and they found room for me. The guy also knew another graphic designer looking for a short term roommate. They were supposed to meet up with me that night at the hostel I was staying at so we could be introduced, but never showed. I waited as long as I could but since I was exhausted, I went on to bed around 8 pm. I found a cool coffee shop near my hostel that has free internet, so I had some coffee and caught up on Facebook and emails yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours. I had to buy a SIM card for my new Australian phone number and an adapter for my plug ins and chargers. While I was still in the city that morning I attempted to visit the bank to get my money squared away, but they were extremely busy and I didn't have time to wait. I did manage to set up an appointment for 11 am on Monday, so next week I can stop using the credit card and access my own funds locally.

I woke up this morning around 8 am. I slept pretty good the first night in the hostel except for the loud drunk foreigners shouting in the hallway around 3 am. Upon waking up, I walked down to the coffee shop for breakfast and called my dad using Skype and chatted with mom on Facebook. I know they were happy to finally hear that I am doing well. It has been difficult staying in touch while I have been getting situated. I think once I get in a stable living environment I will be doing better at staying in touch.

I went for a short run on the beach today. The weather is great. Cool but sunny. Perfect running weather! I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a hoodie, which was quickly shed in the sun. I am still so out of shape with my running. I hope to manage to comfortably get back up to 3 miles or so. I barely did one today. My plans are to work my way up to a half marathon somewhere in Australia by next year. I hope to find a job and living arrangement in St. Kilda. It is a great beachfront area and all the artsy trendy people (my sort of crowd) live here.

After a shower, I took the tram back to the city. I spent a few hours just walking around. This city is so amazing. As I walked around, all I could think is, WOW. WOW. WOW.

Last night, we went for dinner and dessert to celebrate Dominik's and university friends grade postings. The food here is amazing. I had fish and chips and then the desserts were fantastic! All homemade chocolates, tarts, etc. I can definitely get used to all the food here.

Woke up this morning and the drunk messy English guys are packed up and moved out. Thank goodness. I have new quieter roommates now. Looking forward to getting out of the hostel, but it hasn't been a bad stay. It's a good location.

Don't have much plans today other than to relax. Tomorrow I open my bank account and prepare my CV (resume) and portfolio in search for work.