New Digs

This morning I decided to move out of the hostel I was staying in, the Sydney Central YHA (part of the Hostelling International group, if anyone is familiar). I was warned before I left the US that "the people who stay in YHAs just want to do tourist stuff during the day and then write in their journals and go to bed." I wish it was that fun at the one I stayed at.

As one would imagine, it's the people who make or break a living arrangement. While the facilities at the YHA were excellent (they even had a swimming pool and sauna!), the people were not what I was looking for. First of all, there was a wide age range, everyone from small children to people old enough to be my granparents. While I do love small children and grandparents, they don't exactly create the kind of social atmosphere I was looking for.

Worst, however, was one of the roommates I had. I only time I know of that she left the room the entire time I was there was once to use the bathroom. Not that I was in the room a lot, but I was in and out a good amount and there everytime, just reading or sleeping. This also meant that I had to be super-quiet (she glared at me when I was just trying to get some stuff out of my bag). She said she was from Tasmania, so maybe it is not as exciting for her to be in Sydney, but I still can't imagine wanting to just sit inside a hostel all day and do nothing. Maybe that's just me.

So now I am checked in at a new hostel and it already looks like a younger, livelier crowd. Hopefully I will not have to spend too long there either because at some point soon I would like to move into an apartment. Guess that means I should be job searching instead of writing a blog entry.

Oh, a lot of people asked where they could send letters. Here is my mailing address:

C/- Locked Bag 21
Royal Exchange
Sydney, NSW 1225

That is the address for the program and they will forward my mail anywhere in Australia for me. Pretty nifty, no? But don't send me any plants, animals, fruit, veggies, or dirt, because I know you were going to. I got a brochure in my orientation package from the customs people warning me that they take quarantine very seriously.