I don't really know how to describe my last 2 weeks in Melbourne. I have had the craziest luck and I don't know whether I should be laughing or crying.
There was the day that I set out on my apartment hunting adventure. I had a list of 22 apartments over a span of 7 hours. I got lost, agents didn't show up, apartments were already leased, I got lost some more, agents left early... it started raining...
Then there was the day that I went to see one apartment, and then couldn't get back to work until 4 hours later. It was the Friday before the Grand Final and I honestly had to call my boss and say the words, "I'm sorry. I cannot make it back to work yet. I am currently stuck on the wrong side of a parade." No matter how far I walked, I couldn't get across, around, or under the parade. And then, while talking to my boss, my prepaid phone ran out. I tried to take advantage of being downtown and setting up my bank account... no, it was parade time.
Or there was the day that I had to sign a lease on an apartment, which was 1 day before the start of the lease mind you. And I had to meet the agents at their office and go through what I thought was going to be a lot of paperwork. It was one piece of paper that I had to sign. And my keys? "Oh no. Come back tomorrow."
I believe the above day was the same day that I actually got a bank account. It took 2 hours. Enough said.
I went back to the agent to get my keys. They gave me the wrong keys, which I discovered at the apartment. I went back to get the right keys. I called to have the utilities set up so that I can actually move in to my apartment. "You will need to be there. The driver will be showing up between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m." Excellent. I needed to call the body corporate manager to schedule a move-in? "I'm sorry, this vodaphone customer does not accept calls from unknown numbers." Perfect.
I think the absolute winner though is tonight. Yesterday I got a call from a girl that I met on a bike ride. Her husband, her, and myself plus others went on a nice long ride. The three of us had coffee afterwards. It was great. She's from California, I'm from California. She rides bikes, I ride bikes. Her and her husband are young, educated, nice, outdoorsy... great! She invited me to dinner and drinks and dancing. Fantastic! (I actually had to turn down other plans, which is just crazy.) Homegirl shows up trashed! It's only 8pm and she's more trashed than I think I have ever been in my entire life. Her husbad was already at the restaurant, which makes me think she stayed behind to get trashed, and he just sits there while I try to navigate his drunk wife, that I've know for less than a week, to the table. Other people show up. It turns out that this was a set up for two of their friends, so I'm 5th wheel. The girl keeps trying to order drinks, which the waitstaff just happens to not be bringing. No worries though, she came prepared. She sneaks off to the bathroom to take chugs off the wine bottle she has in her bag. Meanwhile her husband whispers about how she's on anti-depressants and her medicine is reacting with the modest amount of wine she consumed before dinner. She goes to the bathroom approximately every 10 minutes. I catch her off guard in the bathroom and she comes out with red wine splashed down the front of her white shirt. Her husband still believes its the meds.
Because I was desperate for a drink after this debacle of an evening and tired of standing out b/c I don't know anyone, I ventured to the part of the city with all of the hostels. I sat at the bar and drank my beer. It was fantastic. As I ordered a second, a creepy older guy came up and offered to buy it. I kept trying to refuse, but he insisted. And after the bartender poured it, he awkwardly positioned himself between me and the beer, his back to me for far too many seconds, and then took the seat beside me. So of course, I had no choice but to clumsily spill the beer all over his lap, excuse myself, and call it a night.
So, thank you bike riding girl for ruining my hope that I had found a friend in Australia. And thank you creepy older guy for making me party foul what could've been a perfectly good beer.
There was the day that I set out on my apartment hunting adventure. I had a list of 22 apartments over a span of 7 hours. I got lost, agents didn't show up, apartments were already leased, I got lost some more, agents left early... it started raining...
Then there was the day that I went to see one apartment, and then couldn't get back to work until 4 hours later. It was the Friday before the Grand Final and I honestly had to call my boss and say the words, "I'm sorry. I cannot make it back to work yet. I am currently stuck on the wrong side of a parade." No matter how far I walked, I couldn't get across, around, or under the parade. And then, while talking to my boss, my prepaid phone ran out. I tried to take advantage of being downtown and setting up my bank account... no, it was parade time.
Or there was the day that I had to sign a lease on an apartment, which was 1 day before the start of the lease mind you. And I had to meet the agents at their office and go through what I thought was going to be a lot of paperwork. It was one piece of paper that I had to sign. And my keys? "Oh no. Come back tomorrow."
I believe the above day was the same day that I actually got a bank account. It took 2 hours. Enough said.
I went back to the agent to get my keys. They gave me the wrong keys, which I discovered at the apartment. I went back to get the right keys. I called to have the utilities set up so that I can actually move in to my apartment. "You will need to be there. The driver will be showing up between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m." Excellent. I needed to call the body corporate manager to schedule a move-in? "I'm sorry, this vodaphone customer does not accept calls from unknown numbers." Perfect.
I think the absolute winner though is tonight. Yesterday I got a call from a girl that I met on a bike ride. Her husband, her, and myself plus others went on a nice long ride. The three of us had coffee afterwards. It was great. She's from California, I'm from California. She rides bikes, I ride bikes. Her and her husband are young, educated, nice, outdoorsy... great! She invited me to dinner and drinks and dancing. Fantastic! (I actually had to turn down other plans, which is just crazy.) Homegirl shows up trashed! It's only 8pm and she's more trashed than I think I have ever been in my entire life. Her husbad was already at the restaurant, which makes me think she stayed behind to get trashed, and he just sits there while I try to navigate his drunk wife, that I've know for less than a week, to the table. Other people show up. It turns out that this was a set up for two of their friends, so I'm 5th wheel. The girl keeps trying to order drinks, which the waitstaff just happens to not be bringing. No worries though, she came prepared. She sneaks off to the bathroom to take chugs off the wine bottle she has in her bag. Meanwhile her husband whispers about how she's on anti-depressants and her medicine is reacting with the modest amount of wine she consumed before dinner. She goes to the bathroom approximately every 10 minutes. I catch her off guard in the bathroom and she comes out with red wine splashed down the front of her white shirt. Her husband still believes its the meds.
Because I was desperate for a drink after this debacle of an evening and tired of standing out b/c I don't know anyone, I ventured to the part of the city with all of the hostels. I sat at the bar and drank my beer. It was fantastic. As I ordered a second, a creepy older guy came up and offered to buy it. I kept trying to refuse, but he insisted. And after the bartender poured it, he awkwardly positioned himself between me and the beer, his back to me for far too many seconds, and then took the seat beside me. So of course, I had no choice but to clumsily spill the beer all over his lap, excuse myself, and call it a night.
So, thank you bike riding girl for ruining my hope that I had found a friend in Australia. And thank you creepy older guy for making me party foul what could've been a perfectly good beer.
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