So yesterday was my first down day of travelling and the first time I've cried since Rach met me in Melbourne. Picture me walking through the grey, rainy streets of Sydney looking rather like a drowned rat, no let's say a drowned Rudolph because of the nose, with no coat or umbrella, having only eaten a sandwich all day, trying hard not to cry. All it took was Rach to laugh at me when I walked into her office and I had a mini breakdown (you know me ever the drama queen).

Basically I'd woken up that morning to a grey sky and realised I was going to have to assess my financial situation and take stock of my money to see whether I could afford to move into a flat with Rach for the next month. So I checked my balance, worked out how much my Fraser Island and Whitsunday trips would be, worked out how much the rent would save me instead of paying $35 a night for hostels, worked out how much the bus from the flat into the city would be a week, and what I would roughly be getting paid from the 4-5 shifts I would be working. Basically my wages would cover the rent, buses and trips and a bit more for food etc. so I would leave Sydney in a month with roughly the same amount of money I have right now. That made me happy!

Then as it was raining a bit (in hindsight I should have brought my raincoat with me) I spent the afternoon wandering around the NSW Art Gallery, I probably, no definitely wouldn't have gone there if it was sunny outside but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The contemporary stuff was especially great. But when I finished and went to leave the heavens had opened and it was torrential rain, I sat around in the foyer for half an hour waiting for it to stop but that was just wishful thinking you couldn't even see the tops of the buildings and the whole sky was grey. So I just walked in it, to make matters worse the gallery is in the middle of a park so there's absolutely no shelter but oh well at least I'm not sleeping on a metal bench in Jo'burg!!!

When I eventually got to work I got paid and asked about this weeks rota as I hadn't worked since Sunday and was told I hadn't been put on it but he'd "text me if he needed me on Saturday". I was a bit confused which turned to anger later but in typical me style I said nothing and let myself get walked all over. Basically all my financial calculations from the morning depending on the 30-35 hours he told me I'd be getting when I was offered the job and now I wasn't even on the rota. Walking back through the rain I thought "this is NOT what I thought it would be like travelling" and I wondered what the hell I was doing here. Basically it is costing me way more to stay in Sydney than I'm going to earn and as I know I have enough money to do the East coast and SE Asia right now why wait a month paying 200 pounds (they have no pound key here!) to live in a rainy city where I've seen and done everything apart from beaches which I can't do in the rain. I don't want to run out of money and run to my parents with my hand out because I feel like people expect that from me, not Rebecca she's a saver and a hardworking but Catherine she's frivilous and bad at saving. I just wanted to ring Mum but with the time difference I couldn't plus I knew I would definitely cry if I did and then I'd be soaked and crying whilst walking through the streets of Sydney. So I held it together, barely, until I walked into Rach's office and she laughed at me for looking like I'd just climbed out of the harbour.

We talked a bit about it but ended up going back to my hostel and drinking boxed wine (aka Goon) with my room mates and playing drinking games to drown my sorrows which ended with me falling asleep in my clothes at 10.30pm and not going down to the bar with everyone else. BAD DAY!!!

This morning with the mother of all hangovers Rach once again sorted my life out for me and I am leaving Sydney on Wednesday. She's sorted me out with a job at a busy backpackers bar up in Byron Bay where I will be needed at least 5 nights a week. It makes more sense that I head up somewhere cheaper where I have a job and hang out there for the next 4 weeks rather than stay in the city not working all day. So that is the POA at the moment. I will be sad to leave Rach she has been a God send since I've gotten here and even before and I know she loves having someone here with her as do I but that's the way it goes. I will also be sad to say goodbye to my lawyer friend, he's cooking a farewell meal for me on Sunday, but I'm sure I'll find another bloke to date up in Byron I'm unstoppable out here haha!

Other than the trauma of yesterday I have enjoyed Sydney a lot. I did the Coogee to Bondi clifftop walk the other day and it was beautiful, the beaches here are amazing. I swam in the sea at Bondi and lay on the beautiful beach with factor 30 on but yet my nose is still like a little lighthouse sitting on my face! I will get all the photos up before I head off (of the beach walk not my nose!).

Please don't let this blog entry worry you, I am a tad dramatic, I am having a great time here still. Yesterday was just a blip but today I feel better now everythings sorted and I know what's going on. I do miss home and you lot though xxxx