Wednesday, September 8, 2010

It's funny

The things that infuriated me when I first arrived don't bother me as much now, in a scary way they even seem normal. I guess I accept things for what they are now rather than fight the unwinnable battle, this can only be a good thing and is actually a really good life skill.

At the end of the day I see the positives of this experience and don't worry as much about the small stuff. I think shovelling shit and working on a farm has humbled me a bit and adjusted my attitude to what it needed to be to survive here. It still does frustrates me that no matter how hard I try the chance of getting design job will still be incredibly slim. I think if anything I wished I knew what I know now so I wouldn't have wasted so much time and money.

I guess this is the problem with undertaking a working holiday when you are in your late twenties and a bit more establised in your career, it becomes harder to go back to the jobs you did when you were 20 as you feel you've been there, done that and moved beyond on to bigger and better things. I never wanted to be the 27 year old guy waiting tables or working in a retail store.

To put things in perspective though you are not your job, your clothes, etc (insert fight club reference). I'm here to experience this beautiful continent, expand my horizons and meet new people. If I have to shovel a bit of shit in order to do that it's a small price to pay.

Feeling a bit worn out

Woofing is tiring. It'd be really nice to get some paid work, at least something indoors. Getting a place to live and a job would allow me to build up a social life here which is the only thing I really feel I lack at the moment. Woofing means my status is always somewhat transient, it's a bit like backpacking but you meet fewer people.

I think mentally I wasn't in a good place when I first got here, I didn't adjust very well to life on the road at first, and I definitely had to eat some humble pie and face the reality of what my employment situation would be like. I knew this before I came but I think the reality took a while to sink in.

I think at the moment my attitude is I really don't give a fuck if I get work here or not, I've done almost everything I wanted to do in BC and if I get a job that's great, but I don't want to piss away the rest of my money trying to find work here. The time spent not earning money is the only thing that concerns me, only because of the cost of living is so high here.

I'd much rather spend it seeing California and Mexico. That's how I feel about the whole thing now anyway. I think I care less and less about having to go back to Australia, if I did I'm sure I'd have enough money left over to move to Melbourne and I know enough people there I'm sure I could get design work (would actually have a chance at finding work instead of battling against this Canadians before foreigners headache).

The way I see it now is woofing allows me to stretch my money further and gives me the flexibility to move around, and that's good enough for me at this stage.

Will be interesting to see where I end up in 3 months time. I think in retrospect a job placement would have been really good when I arrived. It would have given me the stability and peace of mind I needed when I first arrived, it also would have saved me some cash even if it cost an extra $500 through the agency.