Careful what you wish for

Have you ever been so busy you didn’t have time to clip your toenails? That recently became an item on my To-Do list. It’s been under post on your blog and I finally got a night off to do it.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I went from being depressed because I was unemployed to being depressed because I was working too much. Against my better judgment, I applied for work at a temp agency. I had to wear that dreaded suit that I have often tried to leave behind while I’ve been traveling.  I almost left it San Francisco twice, but my practical side won and I took it with me. After several weeks of not working enough shifts to get by as a waitress in the bistro of a pub, I needed to find a second job. 

After being called for an interview, I uncomfortably sat on the bus in a suit on an unseasonably warm spring day. It was an 11:00 interview, past the hour most people in suits are on the bus. I felt out of place, and dreaded the suit even more. When I arrived at the office, I waited. I met the first girl, then the second girl. They both asked typical interview questions and I’d be surprised if either of them were over 25. Then I had to take computer tests on my software skills. I fought the urge to leave several times in those 2 hours. I questioned myself on why I was even there.  I was leaving Chicago to get away from exactly this, administrative office work.  I tried to get a work in more enjoyable fields. The yacht club said they’d call, but they didn’t. Coffee shops wanted 2+ years experience making coffees (Sydneysiders are coffee connoisseurs). My limited visa status always scares away the non-profits and other career-focused work. So I am a temp. In an office.

Here is the bright side, its on Garden Island, a naval base for the Royal Australian Navy.  I have an amazing view of the Sydney Opera House and the bridge from right outside my office. It’s a mobile office on the wharf, just picture a shipping container with windows. The company I work for repairs old Navy ships and my morning meetings are conducted on a battleship. My work clothes include jeans,  steel toe-boots, safety glasses and a hardhat. My co-workers are nice and my boss makes me coffee.

However working two jobs has taken a toll on me. I work from very early in the morning, to the afternoon then head to the pub to work nights. It becomes easy to lose sight on why I am here. I have settled in and have a routine. Work is my main concern,  Sydney is a very expensive city, but the summer going by in the background of my days. I try to write but my creative energy is zapped. It seems all too familiar.

Its easy to get lost in the mundane details of life. Being in Australia isn’t any different to being in Chicago or any other place you settle.  The key is to figure out what you want to get out of any experience and then decide if you are achieving it. My current goal is to make to travel Australia, but how much of my travel time is being absorbed by making money? At least I’m only a temp.