number nine

I was sitting on the train going to work the other day when I just thought "Why not apply to become a paramedic now?" I have always thought that being a paramedic would be my change of career job in my mid to late thirties. So why not now? It is only three years of university and a lot of that is on the job. However, more debt. Currently I owe the government $36,000. Just like a house mortgage, a little more wont hurt, will it??

The application process is pretty in depth with questions like "Why do you want to be a paramedic and what paid or unpaid work have you done to reflect this?" There is not even a guarantee that I will get accepted. If you don"t try, then you can't succeed.
If I apply, I can still have the option later on however if I don't apply, the option will not be there later on (if I get accepted).

I am just battling with the thought that I would be abandoning my environmental science degree. I would like to think that this would not be the case. I know that environmental management and conservation will always be a significant part of my life and a part of everything I do, I think I may just feel as though I could be doing more. While at university, (if i chose that path), I would have to work a lot to pay the bills and would endeavor to build my company. I have not written about that here, but it is something that I feel very strongly about and know that I will do one day- why not now??

I think I have too many interests. Too many different paths that I want to go down, which will all make me happy and content. I want to do them all.

Less than two weeks to departure!

Three weeks until I leave

Flights all booked, expedition booked and a plan has been made... kinda. I've gone with the Qantas flights. They are direct to Buenos Aires, give me frequent flier points and apparently are more comfortable. My bags have a less chance of getting lost too (which is a big plus, but having said that....). I am going to spend a week in Buenos Aires doing some Spanish lessons to polish up and see the sights. Then I am going to head north to Cochabamba Bolivia making a number of stops on the way. I believe it is possible to make this in one incredibly long leg (54hours!!), but I plan to do it in 3 or 4 parts. That way I'll get to see a fair bit of the place and not go totally insane. The salt flats are exciting me a lot. From what I have seen, amazing! Just looking at a map of Bolivia and South America, I think it makes more sense to go to Palacio de Sal on the way south to Chile.

After my time at the animal refuge (Comunidad Inti Ware Yassi) I will go to La Paz to acclimatise and see whats happening there before going to Santiago, Chile. I have some old friends there who I will hopefully get to see. Catching up with friends in random places across the globe is the best thing! From there, I will head east to Mendoza where I will begin the expedition =]
I have a week after that to get to Buenos Aires and be home for Christmas.

A plan, this plan sounds great to me, but also I don't usually have things this set out, usually just I see whatever happens happens. But this is good. Still lots of room to move about.

I feel good. Money is tight. Very tight. Just when I think I have enough, something else comes up. Just spent 300 dollars on vaccinations. I knew I'd need some, but they are just so expensive. And I know how fast money goes when overseas. I'll be coming home to about... zip. I am okay with that but.

I'll write more when I get more time! Happy Travels

We're going to Bolivia!

Just in the process of sorting out my flights, tossing up between Aerolines and Qantas.... Aerolines are quite a bit cheaper and Qantas are a more expensive but will possibly be better connected if airports have a melt down... most likely will be going with the cheaper option. When you are on a shoestring budget, three hundred dollars is a lot.

I am pretty pumped! But I also have that feeling deep in my belly, you know that one where you know what is coming and that is worse than not knowing. I am making reference to Aconcagua, I know what it is like to just be at high altitude let along hike and trek there. I remember in Nepal just out of breath simply untangling myself in my sleeping bag. I also know that I can push through it and keep going. I believe high altitude is 30% fitness and 70% mental. This time round I am a lot fitter, but again, that is no guarantee.

I have had responses from both of the volunteer NGOs which is making it harder for me to choose. The wildlife refuge is sounding sooo appealing, working with animals to get them back to full health and hopefully back into the wild. There are big and small cats that reside at the refuge, man I would love to spent time with the cats. Always a dream of mine to befriend a cat cat. The other organization are yet to give me a definite program or project so I cannot make a decision. The two are in relatively similar areas so it wont effect my flights or anything I need to sort out right now.

Also I've been speaking to an Aconcagua expedition company so it's all a go! As soon as I get my flights I'll book a place on the expedition.

YAY.

Everything seems to much brighter when there is something to look forward too. I feel as though I am doing something positive with my life and am heading in the right direction. =]

Stay tuned, more to come.

Bolivia, volunteering and waiting by the phone

I'm checking my email like a twat. No other way to put it really. I am waiting for replies from a number of organisations that will have a direct impact on the direction I am about to take. Decided I'm going to Bolivia in a little over a months time. Pretty pumped to get getting out there and travelling once again. Traveling is something that just makes me eternally happy- I don't know any other way to describe it. Is it so strange that I sometimes feel more at home in a foreign country than in my native land and that I enjoy the company of strangers more than those I have grown up with?

At the start of this year I toiled with the idea of going to Bolivia, but it got crossed off my list after fierce objections from many people around me. I am not someone who requires the approval of my family and friends or sets goals based on what others think, but, I had one of those moments.

You know the story of Christopher Johnson Mccandless? Alexander Supertramp? Into The Wild (the book and or film)? Christopher's story has had a mighty impact on me. I relate to his need to leave and walk into the wild. There is one quote that had a huge impact on me: happiness is only real when shared. That line hit me hard when I was about ten months into my big overseas adventure. I was traveling alone (having at great time), but it just hit me, what good are experiences and stories when there is no one to share them with?

Aside from that quote, what came to me after reading the book for about the third time is something that has resonated in me. So much so that I abandoned my thoughts about Bolivia. When does my traveling become selfish? Last year at university, I was pleasantly surprised by an elective unit that I took which was based on environmental ethics. It was here that I was introduced to Peter Singer and the concept of Total Happiness. While this is a relatively new concept for me, I have embraced it wholeheartedly. And coming back to Christopher Mccandless, I had just received the soundtrack in the post and was listening to it when I mentioned to my mother what was playing. Her comment is what struck me; "It was just a waste of life, he was nothing more than a selfish person." Okay, it is the type of thing that you either love or hate, totally understand it or can't fathom doing something even remotely similar to it.

When does my traveling become selfish?

To increase the happiness of my family or that of my own? To do what I want to do and perhaps be selfish or following one's dream?

After all I have just written, how come I am going to Bolivia?

I am sick of applying for jobs. I am bored being at home without any real direction or plans in the pipeline. Sure, I would have loved to have gotten a job in the first six months out of university, but it has not worked out that way (and not for a lack of trying). I have scoured the internet for volunteer programs and internships that interest me, do not cost the earth and will benefit both me and the local community/organisation. I found one the Cape Town, South Africa that seemed great, it is just so expensive. I got a bit excited about the South African one, even told a few people about it, but that faded away bit by bit- mostly because I progressed through a government graduate program recruitment process and then got the interview for the job I have so openly whinged about here. Unfortunately it has come down to cost, and the other small thought in the back of my head that I had Africa on my list for when I am old, like 40s. Like traveling around Australia, it's something that I like the idea of doing when I am substantially older. So for the money I have, I can do 3 months in Bolivia and South America, or eight weeks in South Africa with that program.

The NGO I am looking at in Bolivia, Sustainable Bolivia, I am waiting to hear back from them. I sent a general email inquiry last weekend and yesterday I sent an application to them. Still not heard anything which is a little unnerving, I will give it time. There is also another organisation in Bolivia that I would love to go, it's an animal refuge. I would love that. It is cheap too, and will be my fall back I guess if I do not hear from Sustainable Bolivia (or get rejected). The wildlife refuge would be a great experience, however it does not carry the same weight as Sustainable Bolivia.

The other thing that I am very excited about is Aconcagua. I will be having my best crack at that while I am in the area. Already spoken to a couple expedition companies about it. I have ramped up my training and endurance as Aconcagua will be tough. It is 6962masl, the highest outside of Asia. WOW. annnnd I have been looking at flights to and from South America. I have received prices and being held some seats which is getting me even more pumped but ever so slightly anxious as I do not actually know if I have a place with Sustainable Bolivia. Should I try ringing them after a few days? There was an automatic application response which said I would be contacted within one week, but I do not know if I can hold the seats for that long (as they are waaay cheaper than most others as my flight home will be the week or so before Christmas.


WOW hugeness! one last email check... nope. Oh and btw, I not heard about the job I had an interview for. Called and left my details, no call back. fuckers.

number five

Yep no point in dwelling now.... not got a call. I suppose I could keep telling myself that they might ring but realistically, I know that my referees have not been called, so they are hardly going to offer me the position. pppft.


I am currently reading In The Footsteps of Tenzing Norgay, Touching my Father's Soul by Jamling Tenzing Norgay. Great book so far. The insights into Jamling's journey are evoking and entertaining- hard to put down. Cannot wait until I return to Nepal and once again make the trek into the Khumbu. Already got the thoughts of what gear to bring and what to wear. I know, getting just a lot ahead of myself, but if you can't dream, then what else is there?

I've been thinking a lot about what to do since I've not had any luck getting a job job. I see that there is not too much point in continually applying for jobs without getting any responses without adding to your skills set and ultimately your resume or CV. There are a number of internship programs I have been looking into, but they just cost so much. I understand that there are costs involved. I get that.

There are too many people in this world getting rich off people just wanting to make a difference.

It has become fashionable, particularly in the UK to take a gap year and volunteer overseas. On paper, this is a great idea. Helping people while learning about yourself. Life experiences. In reality however, a lot of 'projects' are doing little good. And they are being charged an arm and a leg. I know from first hand experiences that only a very small proportion of money goes to the local community or to where it is needed most. Breaks my heart that it is becoming increasingly hard to find volunteer projects where the bulk of the money is not going straight into a couple pockets. Yes, there are administration costs, in-country support, marketing and advertisement costs, staff wages but the four thousand pounds some agencies are charging for a two week project is just extravagant. The local community that you are paying to help generally does not get a very large proportion of this, some even state that the donation is (as small as) $US200. 200 is a lot when the average annual wage is less than that, but still, out of thousands of dollars, two hundred is such a small percentage. This just raises the age old question that is something better than nothing?.


over and out... for now.


PS I really could go a sunny forest walk today.

Hope is quickly deteriorating. With each passing day the likelihood that I have landed that job decreases. It's a bit depressing, but I am keeping positive; perhaps they are taking their sweet time to decide or; that there was some sort of emergency that is delaying their assessment process. While that may in fact be true, I highly doubt that. Still, this interview has given me more confidence, after all, they must have liked my resume and application. Instead of now waiting for a phone call, I am expecting a letter in the mail. Dear..... The quality of applicants has been extremely high and I regret to advise that on this occasion blah blah.

But enough of this sad dribble.

Number three

As I sit here at the beginning of the next chapter in my life, I cannot help but to wonder how I got here and that if those small simply little things that happened along the way actually had a significant impact on where I have come to. I think they do, but only to a point. It is what you take away from the experiences that make the difference. I am quietly confident that if I did not go to university, I would be in a similar situation as to where I am now. I was adamant at the end of high school that if I didn’t get into university, that it would be fine; I would get to where I need to be in due course.

Having said that, all of life’s encounters have a big impact on you. It is commonly said that it is not the destination but the journey and I believe that no matter what path I take, I will get the most out of my journey.

This leads me to my next thought (and, of course the continual thoughts of Everest).

WAITING. It is the hardest thing to do- funny thing is, it doesn’t even involve doing anything. You just sit there and wait. I am currently awaiting a phone call about a job. It’s a job that is not my dream job, but far from settling. It would be a fantastic opportunity to have. I really hope I get offered the position. I was told early this week I would know, so that means Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Was not today (Monday) so just two more days of having my phone next to me from 9 to 5. I felt that the interview went really well; I hit it off with the three on the panel and had an answer for everything, but if I left myself believe that this is the one, then the disappointment is so much greater. Still, I am secretly hoping....

My dream job however, one that I spent a very long time completing the Key Selection Criteria for, was given to a ‘redeployee’. How f**ed is that?? I understand that priority is given to employees who are classified as ‘surplus’ but man oh man what a waste of time. I spent a lot of time getting all my answers polished and concise in the hope of getting a call- this was a job I really really wanted, something that I was qualified and would have been great at. But alas, cannot cry over spilt milk or opportunities that are missed.

In the interim, I have recently become qualified as a swim teacher. I really like it and it is something that I can come back to in the future. Also something that I can do until I get a job job.

I preserved limes on the weekend, a very nana thing to do, but I just love homemade foods and condiments [Photos coming]. I put some lovely hot red chilies in a couple of the jars, I think chili and lime goes great together. Can’t wait to start using them