15/11

Well it's finally happened...i've caught the confused backpacker bug. It dawned on me back in Christchurch after having had a flick through the Vogue that i treated myself to at Sydney airport, i then found myself skanking the little bottles of shampoo and moisturiser that the girls from my room had left when they checked out. The latter in true backpacker style. Other factors however convince me that i more on the verge of true backpacker than confused backpacker...i feel a list coming...

1. I have started going without eyebrows in the day, in public, and at night if im heading out i only apply they VERY lightly. For those of you who really know me im sure you'll agree this is quite something?!
2. I found myself enjoying the bus ride from Christchurch to Queenstown even though it reminded me of being back on those in Asia...i think they call it nostalgia or something?
3. Im fully embracing the loner side of backpacking life as earlier whilst i treated the local ducks to some of my chips i found myself actually saying OUT LOUD to them 'are those nice?', 'one more then', 'i've no more im sorry'........oh dear.

18/11

Well as you can see i am writing this in installments; what with being a busy working backpacker now i just cant seem to find the time in a day to sit down and write this fully!!! Haha...not sure who im trying to kid with the 'busy' bit, but i must admit that working 2jobs (cleaning the hostel for my free accomodation and working at the bar for money) is totally knackering me out. 5 months off has clearly turned me into a workaphobe. All the same, its good fun, though i am concerned about how to make my extremely tired mole-esque looking self presentable tonight at the bar!

I am working with lots of South Americans in the hostel and so spend most of my cleaning hours ear-wigging into their conversations, understanding NOTHING of course but hoping that the language will just gradually make its way into my brain and i will magically be able to speak Spanish...this is the plan anyway.

My room at the hostel is pretty cosy; if you consider a crumb-tastic, crap everywhere floor and bathroom that permanently stinks of feet (because one of the lads who likes to cycle decides to keep his boots and old socks in their as opposed to out on the balcony) cosy...though of the plus side someone has tried to make an effort with some (dying) fresh herbs out on the balcony. It's home for a month and im quite happy!

19/11

Im not cut out for this working thing anymore...a 6pm-1.30am shift at the bar last night (followed by a few sneaky bevvies until 5am) and then my 10am-1pm house keeping today has very nearly killed me. I then had to sit in a bar staff meeting this afternoon and pretend to listen not to mention understand. My brain has already been pushed to full capacity just having had to do a food shop this afternoon so im afraid i have no power left to write anything more...i just wanted to fill you all in on the novelty that is me working for a living for the first time in 5months.

21/11

Im sorry guys but yet again this is going to be a short entry because i am suffering from the same symptoms as my previous entry - extreme lack of sleep topped off cherry-style with just a slight hangover! Was working at usual last night at the bar and then headed out for 'one' (you all know how it goes)...next thing i know its 6am, the sun is rising, birds are chirping away quite merrily and i have to be up in 3/4 hours for housekeeping at the hostel! I am determined to make a better impression on this place than just as an incomprehensible (is that the right word or is my totally non-functional brain dishing out some fancy but bulls**t vocab?), half-conscious, zombie/mole-eqsue confused backpacker. I'll let you know how i go on that mission. I also have another mission...let me tell you about it. I have found here that i am surrounded by an alarming number of terrifyingly talented people (artists, musicians, writers, etc) who insist on asking me what it is that i 'do' or am good at. This question always strikes fear into my very soul as i have to either a) bulls*** or b)admit that aside from being able to get through a day (just) on only 2hours sleep i really have no distinctive talent or skill. How can that beeeeeee? I'm determined to discover what my talent is because, as one guy put it, 'everyone has something they do better than anyone else'. Do i? I'd like to think so; though this may take some serious though and my brain hurts too much for that at the moment so any suggestions would be much appreciated...?

Ok, so im signing off now all...think bed is calling out to me, or tea and television.

"Lone pommie does working for a living...and nearly dies only a few days in. Will she survive long enough to make another blog entry...?!"

Love you all - best say that now before i fall asleep and never wake up again!

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