A little bit of love...

Hi everybody,

Because I'm not writing much these days, I thought I would share this video with you instead...

I discovered Emilie's songs about a year ago thanks to my sister Florence, who used to play football with her for the PSG girls' team back in the days...I  knew she was going to go far - and it turns out she is releasing her first album in a few weeks' time :) She really deserves her big break so I hope this video will have convinced you to go and listen to some more! 

The funny thing is that this particular video was actually filmed by a childhood friend of mine, Manou - and they had no idea Florence knew them both!

Manou created an amazing website a few years ago - Bruxelles Ma Belle (http://www.bruxellesmabelle.net/artistes/emiliegassin) 

He posts new acoustic videos every Tuesday: the artists sing their songs live in various places around Brussels...Such an original concept and a very good way to promote the city :) 

So proud of them both...They are so passionate about what they do, it really  is an inspiration to me.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Love,

Laura xxx

Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks for believing in me always...

Love you Mum xxx

Time flies...

Can't believe I left Paris over two months ago already...This is when I realize that this year is going to be over before I know it, so I better make the most of everything 100%!!! I can now safely say that coming to Australia is definitely one of the best decisions I've made in my life so far :) I'm so happy to be here, haven't felt homesick once, and I've met so many amazing people already...I feel truly blessed. The job is going great, my colleagues are lovely, I'm saving plenty of money, and I've just moved into a new, bigger and better flat in Chippendale...So what more can I say?! Life is good!!!

Here are few pictures because some of you have been nagging me for the past few weeks ;)

With Doro and Julien before their departure for NZ

With Doro and Ines @ Soho

With Greg (who I met in Notts during my Erasmus year)

With Greg and Michael @Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year fireworks @ Darling Harbour

A typical Friday night with the girls

Team AWESOME 

With my lovely Ines!

Love, 

Laura xxx

In full swing!!

A lot has been going on these past few days...I must admit I've been quite lazy with the blog updates, sorry!

Firstly, as promised, here are a few pictures from Australia Day - My friend Ines and I walked around Circular Quay and the Rocks all afternoon, I must admit we were slightly disappointed by the street concerts around there, I was expecting it to be much busier. We headed to Darling Harbour in the evening for the fireworks...the long wait was definitely worth it, probably the best firework display I've seen in my life! I can't even imagine what it must be like on New Year's Eve!!!

I also experienced my first proper night out in Sydney last Friday (I'm sure there will be many more...) - Went to a pub in Surry Hills to meet Ines's colleagues - she works for a door-to-door sales company and they basically organize a team party every Friday. Met plenty of lovely people there and we all went clubbing to Soho in Kings Cross - awesome night overall ;) I really needed that!! I guess I'll be going to their parties on a regular basis, it's a really good way to meet new people every week.

Other than that, the job search and persistence definitely paid off :)

Here's what happened last week:

Tuesday: first group interview with ITS Management for the incoming customer support position  - successful

Wednesday: interview with Cox Purtell recruitment agency, and follow-up with Quay Appointments

Thursday: second individual interview with ITS Management - successful; interview with the HPCA (Health Professional Councils Authority - through Quay Appointments) for a receptionist/secretarial assistant position - successful

So I basically got to pick and chose my job that very same day, and started on Monday this week!

I decided to go for the HPCA because it's very well paid (30 dollars per hour - therefore over double what I used to get paid back in France...for a receptionist job!!!), it's very close to where I live (it takes under 20 minutes to get there), the hours are good (8.30am to 4.30pm) and I'm working for the government, so I guess it looks better on my CV! The job is pretty basic, nothing very exciting - but at the end of the day it's only temporary (3-month contract) and at least I'm

making good money for my roadtrip :) Plus they assured me that it would be easy to find another position afterwards because they always need temps in the various government departments, so I'm not too worried. Here's the website (if you're interested, ha! http://hpca.nsw.gov.au/)

Shopping spree ;)

I actually also got another job offer from the Law Society of New South Wales today (through Cox Purtell) - which is a real shame because I was in touch with them on a regular basis during my time at the Union Internationale des Avocats, it would've been awesome to work there...Who knows, they might have another position available in 3 months' time...Fingers crossed!!!

I definitely recommend getting in touch with recruitment agencies for temp and casual jobs here - I found that all the consultants I met were really helpful, personable and enthusiastic, they actually take an interest in you and make a real effort to follow up (they're still doing so even now that I've started working!) Plus the guy from Quay Appointments told me I could always get in touch if I needed any kind of professional advice in the future, which is good to know! (he's British). I'm so glad I put myself through the whole job search ordeal once again...I got excellent feedback on my CV and my communication skills after every single interview, which is very reassuring for me because I was kind of doubting myself at this stage. Taking the recruitment agency tests also made me realize I was going to have to work on my Word/Excel/Powerpoint/typing skills (in English) for when I start looking for a job in London next year. So I might just sign up for a course while I'm here! 

Looking forward to this weekend because Doro is spending a few days in Sydney before jetting off to New Zealand for a month!!! Will try and take a little more pictures this time ;)

;)

Love,

Laura xxx

10 days down under!

Can’t believe I've been in Sydney for a little over a week – it feels like it’s been several months already…

The move went really well – I’m living with a professional chef, a personal fitness trainer and a computer science wizz (who promised he would fix my netbook, what a sweetheart :))! I am loving the flat and the area – not at all dodgy, I'm actually surprised at how calm it is around here!! Here are a few pics:

My swimming pool :)

 

Doro c'est ton lit pour quand tu viendras ;)

I’m confident the job situation is going to work out pretty soon… I've been walking all over the CBD (Central Business District) introducing myself to the various recruitment agencies and handing them my CV in person (as well as sending the regular application emails). Seems to have paid off so far - a guy from Quay Appointments recruitment agency called me on Monday, I followed up on Wednesday and landed an interview the next day – he said he liked my CV a lot, and congratulated me on my “persistence and determination” (haha!) He promised he would put my CV forward as soon as a position comes up. He told me things were pretty slow at the moment but that it should pick up after Australia Day (January 26^th) when people get back into “work mode”. He offered me a flyer distribution job in the meantime and told me he would forward my contact details to one of his personal friends, just in case she has something for me. Another recruitment agency (Cox Purtell) also contacted me today by email regarding temp work, so I should hopefully be getting a call next week! Annnd I have a group interview on Tuesday for a part-time customer support job in the company my friend Greg works for…Fingers crossed! Can't wait to start making lots of money for my roadtrip this summer!

I'm loving Sydney more and more each day…

A few highlights so far:

- The buskers at Pitt Street Mall

Joe Moore is my favourite, check him out (just found out he'd been on Australia's Got Talent)

- Circular Quay (Opera House and Harbour Bridge, the ferries…)
- The stunning Botanical Gardens

- Hyde Park and St James 

- The Rocks
- Darling Harbour
- Broadway, Uni Campus and Victoria Park (a 10-minute walk from my place, with a lovely swimming pool where I just spent the afternoon...please don't hate me :))

- Banana Bread and Gloria Jeans’ coffee…yum!

- Priceline (Australian version of Boots ;) I am trying VERY hard not to spend all my money in there!!!)

I’m hoping to go to Bondi Beach after my interview on Tuesday, as well as Manly and Surry Hills next week. My flatmates also suggested we go to the Blue Mountains all together relatively soon, so that should be fun (approx. a 2-hour drive from Sydney). Also looking forward to Australia Day - there seems to be so much going on!!! 

http://www.australiaday.org.au/

Just wanted to end this post by thanking you for all your sweet messages concerning this blog :) I’m really glad you like it! Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions on here :)

Miss you lots!

Love,

Laura xxx

Welcome to Sydney!

My last day in Bali was really nice; I decided to go back to Jimbaran to avoid any kind of hassle, since it’s relatively close to the airport. I met a lovely Portuguese couple from Lisbon while I was walking around the streets and ended up having lunch and spending the afternoon with them before I left to catch my flight :) They told me the weather in Bali had been awful for the past week, so it just confirmed the fact that we made the right decision by going to Thailand!!!

My plane landed in Sydney at 7 am...I went straight to my backpacker hostel but they wouldn't let me check in early, so I had to wait until 2 pm to access my room, which I share with 5 other girls (1 English, 2 German and 2 Japanese) – good vibe, they're really sweet. It cost me around 22 euros/night (seems so expensive compared to Thailand!!).

Maze Backpackers is located on Pitt Street, very central, a 20-minute walk to Circular Quay and a 5-minute walk to Darling Harbour. I don’t think I would recommend it though - it’s not too bad compared to other youth hostels I've been to in the past, but the WiFi connection is absolutely awful: I had to pay 12 dollars for a 7-day “high-speed” Internet access (Global Gossip), which never works properly…It's very annoying since Internet was critical for my job/flat searches during the first few days...I managed to get by thanks to a travel agency providing free WiFi access for backpackers (Wicked Travel on Pitt Street and George Street) and a hotspot at Darling Harbour (near the Chinese Garden) – but I often wished I was back in Asia where you literally have free WiFi everywhere you go! The backpacker is also located right above a pub on a busy street, so it’s always very noisy (no AC, the windows are always open!) There are plenty of other good hostels around though, and from what I've heard it’s better to be around this area than Kings Cross for example!

Anyways, I went straight to Vodafone to get an Australian mobile number, and opened an account at Commonwealth Bank to make an international transfer as soon as possible…Very easy and straightforward compared to what I had to go through in Spain! I then walked right to the Opera House – it was a dream come true…I guess that’s the moment when I actually realized I was finally in Sydney :)

I went to visit a few flats on the second day: the first flat is the one I chose, located next to Redfern train station, a “dodgy” area from what I’d heard (known as "The Block" with an important aboriginal community), but I wanted to check it out anyway (please note that I lived in the UK’s number 1 city of crime for 2 years!). I met a French couple who were living opposite the day of my first visit; they reassured me and told me the flat was a good deal compared to other offers (for someplace central). Other people have told me there’s nothing to worry about, that the area is getting better and as long as I’m street-wise I’ll be fine!

I'm actually moving in tomorrow lunchtime. The landlord is very friendly and helpful, and the flat is fine; not very appealing from the outside but perfectly alright inside. It seems clean enough, not too modern, but all the basic equipment is there. The rent is 210 dollars/week, all included, with a 2-weeks’ notice if I ever want to leave. I’ll reevaluate my budget in two or three months - depending on the job I find and how much money I get per month I might go for something a little more expensive ;)

I’ll be living with three guys, all students: Spanish, German and Chinese…It should be fun being the “New Girl” ;) This is my 7^th shared-flat experience, so I’m looking forward to it!

The second flat I visited was in a very modern building in Darling Harbour (quite touristy, but I think it’s got to be my favourite place in Sydney so far)…The advert mentioned a shared room, but I basically walked in on 4 girls living in one tiny room with bunk beds and an en-suite bathroom + 4 guys in another room… The place was an absolute tip! Needless to say I was not impressed…170 dollars/week (bills not included) – not for me, thank you very much... One of the German girls from the hostel also went to visit a shared room: 20 people living together for 150 dollars/week (with only 2 bathrooms)!

In addition to looking for a flat, I've been sending CVs to various recruitment agencies, and looking through Gumtree, SEEK, SimplyHired, etc… on a daily basis for administration/office support/secretarial work positions…I reckon I've probably sent over 100 CVs in less than 4 days. Hopefully I’ll get some interviews very soon – fingers crossed! All the people I've met so far have told me it shouldn't be difficult for me to find a job, I hope they’re right. There are so many Europeans with WHV out here; you can feel the competition all around. 

Another anecdote was my first visit to the doctor/chemist: I got stung by a bee on my first day (typical!!) and it wasn't getting any better after 2 days…The chemist told me it was infected, so I went for a consultation – the 5-minute appointment cost me 70 dollars (!!) and the antibiotics another 22 dollars! Thank god for my WHV insurance…

Apart from that, the weather is perfect: beautiful blue sky all day long, with a nice breeze. We had a heatwave on Friday (45 degrees!!) but it only lasted for one day.

The city feels like a mix between London, New York and Valencia – I really think I’m going to love it here! I met my friend Greg and two of his friends for lunch today which was really nice; they told me about the city and places to go to, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of Sydney very soon! Here are a few pictures ;)

Opera House

Circular Quay

Darling Harbour

Love,

Laura xxx