4 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!

The last month was the most challenging month on my journey so far. I know that life isn’t always rainbows and sunshine and I am learning to deal with so many new things. I think thats what I love about traveling most....you never know what you are going to learn or who you are going to meet. I have a good feeling about Western Australia and month 4 of my travels. When I began this journey I really didn’t have any direction on what I wanted to do with my future and now its starting to become more clear.

 I came to Australia with the idea that I would work the whole time with a social service organization developing my skills further and that hasn’t really worked out yet....but I feel like I need to stop putting so much pressure on myself to be on this one track life. The skills I am gaining doing these really random jobs is all part of God’s plan for me. Sometime we forget how special and important we are and that our journey is unique and wonderfully made for each individual. So my goal for this month is remember this everyday. I may not be in the career of my choice but I am doing what I love most and that is traveling, learning about others and loving exactly where I am. One day I will fully understand the concept of patience and God’s timing but for now it will be a daily struggle....I am very very thankful for all the wonderful opportunities I have been given so far and I know when the time is right that everything will all fall perfectly in place!!! So here is to MONTH FOUR IN AUSTRALIA...PERTH EDITION.

New day new job!

So let me tell you about my newest employment adventure....I am currently working as a Promotions representative for a children’s photography company named GOTCHA! I work on a traveling photo set that is taken to shopping centers across Australia and try to get people in to get their children’s photos taken. So in honor of NOT making my job sound fancier than it actually is...I am working in a Mall kiosk. It is a sweet gig for short term employment mainly because they pay for travel, accommodation and have nice bonuses to work towards everyday. Every two weeks they will move me to a different part of Australia...which to me means that I still get to travel and MAKE MONEY!!! Hooray!!!!!! In my first week I have made quite a bit of money on bonuses and made a couple c of new FRIENDS!!! I would never be able to survive on a job in the mall in the U.S. but in Australia the minimum wage is about $17/hr....which is more than I have EVER been paid in the states. I still have my heart set on a real big girl job in the social services but I figured this job isn’t so bad for the mean time PLUS I can go to job interviews all around Australia (hopefully). 

So my first assignment is WESTERN AUSTRALIA!!!!!! So here is some information about my move. 

Gold coast is on the East side of the map towards the bottom
of Queensland and perth is ALL THE WAY on the West side of Australia!!

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Distance from the Gold Coast- 2254.18 miles or 3627.65 Km

 Its the 4th most populated city in Australia and home of the GREAT WHITE SHARK!!!!!!

I am living in a house with eight people. I share a room with four people (Paul from Ireland, Michael from Canada, and Peigi from Scotland). Our room is really big so it doesn’t feel weird to share with so many people. It been really fun to live in a house with  so many different people. Its really embarrassing how much I would rather live with loads of people than in a normal household. It keeps life interesting!!! Perth is amazing! Its a nice balance between big city and peaceful small town living. We went out for a night out on Saturday and had an AMAZING TIME! I met a ton of Irish people....and one Australian. I am starting to think that I am in Ireland by mistake. The people here are lovely and I really like the people I live and work with!!! Plus its a running friendly city so I am surrounded by beautiful running paths.

Look what I found on our big night out?!?!!

I promise to post more pictures in the near future!!!

3 MONTHS Y'ALL!!!!!!

WHOA......slow down time in Australia!!!! Yikes...has it really been 3 months already?!?! 

Well I haven't been on any huge adventures lately except the emotional roller coaster of finding a real Grown-up job. I was happily on vacation in Hervey Bay minutes away from getting on a bus (30 minutes to be exact) to Noosa for a 3 day/3 night canoe trip when I got a phone call from Big Brother's Big Sisters requesting an interview.......
THE NEXT DAY!!!! 

look how grown up I look?!??! haha

Uhhhhhh so in honor of being a (kinda) grownup, I packed up my backpack and got on a bus to the Gold Coast cutting my vacation 5 days short....lame. I got to reunite with my favorite Aussie Ji and sleep in MY OWN ROOM which was quite a nice treat though! I had a series of interviews that week but in the end I was only offered a job with Catholic Family Services through a recruitment agency. I was SUPER excited but the recruitment agent was not giving me much information about what I would actually be doing...so due to my inability to have patience or my incredible ability to think of a million questions I decided to pay Catholic Family Services a little visit to get more acquainted with my new JOB!!!! I arrived and surprised the pants off my new boss...she was so surprised that she had no idea who I was and hadn't received my resume yet. I bombarded her with a million questions anyway and well she wasn't amused or impressed by my eagerness/assertiveness. I left feeling like I hadn't made a great impression on my new boss but I was still excited to begin my new job in hopes that she would eventually love me. The next day I got a call from a very ANNOYED recruitment agent telling me that by visiting with CFS before my employment was finalized that I had broken a rule within the agency and would not be able to take that job. I WAS DEVASTATED!!! I literally had to hold back the sound of tears in my voice as I apologized for breaking the rules and tried to explain that it was merely out of excitement and not at all on purpose. She did not sound happy with me and told me she didn't have another position to offer me at this time. I won't lie. I stayed in bed the whole next day and was a complete mess. I thought that after three months of travel and working on a farm that my life had fallen into place....and then it all shattered into pieces.

Don't worry I didn't stay sad for long......the day after that I went into crazy mode of finding a job. I was a little desperate to make some money.....so I took a telemarketing job.
I went in for the interview without any telemarketing experience and the lady told me she liked how I presented myself and offered me a job that I would start the next day. My job was to call random people and talk them into investment properties....most people hung up on me or shouted curse words or couldn't understand my accent....Aussies like the terms "piss off or F*** off, no way mate....It was a funny job....but I really couldn't stand it for long. I lasted TWO DAYS before I quit!! I  got a call from a photography company named GOTCHA! the day I quit the telemarketing job. I would basically do PR work for them in a mall but they would pay me a base rate salary and pay for my accommodation and travel. Every two weeks they will move me to a different part of Australia and I will work in a team of 4 other backpackers!!! Don't worry I will keep you posted on how it goes!!!!!

I feel like my adventure in Australia is one big lesson after another. I am really really REALLY lucky to have so many people that love and pray for me daily. I got really homesick after all this stuff happened because I realized how much I relied on my support system to help me through those really tough moments in life. I do miss the luxury of calling my Mom to help me make everyday decisions or talking to my best friend anytime. I love traveling. I could do it forever and be the happiest person in the world....sometime I just wish my suitcase/backpack could fit more of the people I love in it to take with me. 

Here is a random day in life of Rachelle:

 I sit at the library all the time using their free internet..It has really interested people so I usually pick a spot that I can people watch...today I was approached by these women asking if they could draw my face...bahhaa I hesitated but thought ehh why not?!?! They asked me all about America, my travels and (of course) boys....I enjoyed talking to them but felt super uncomfortable because they kept commenting on my facial features. (She has really long beautiful eyelashes, See how her cheek bones are perfectly shaped) I literally kept blushing nonstop...

 When they were finished they gave me this picture. I didn't think it looked anything like me but thought its cool anyway....The ladies stopped me as I was getting up and said "you have a smile that lights up the room  and I just know that you are going to do such wonderful things in Australia and in life." 
Sometimes God gives me a pick me up in the most unusual way....

cant wait to see what this month has in store for ME!!!!!!!