Week 14: May 15th – 21st, 2023 // Coastin’ and Cruisin’
It’s been another week filled with lots of bonding with the crew, mindless days at uni, reading, and self-reflection. I’ve been finding myself needing some familiarity and re-instating of old habits and routines to give myself a sense of grounding and clarity, as well as some structure. A couple of those things has involved getting back onto Duolingo for learning Spanish and using Headspace for some guided meditation and early morning reflections. It’s a slow process, getting back into routines and healthy habits, but taking the time to sit with yourself and narrow down what it is you’re actually needing is so important and necessary to live a healthy and happy life.
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Monday was a long day for the whole crew. We spent the whole day at the university for work – thankfully I was in a really productive mood and got a lot of assignments done today and has put me in a pretty good spot I’d say! Was absolutely brain dead by the end of it though lol. Once I got back to the hostel, I ended up spending the whole afternoon/evening reading (ended up starting + finishing Without Merit by Colleen Hoover).
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Tuesday wasn’t too interesting. Spent the day at uni but couldn’t stay focused enough to get any work done, mostly spent the afternoon napping + reading + making a tasty rice bowl for dinner. I did get to drive one of the smaller busses for the first time though! Went pretty well I’d say – and let the record show that my teacher said I’m a great driver hehe.
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Wednesday was a super fun work day! Our crew got split up into two groups to tag along on some tours to get another look at what we’ll get to do for work. Jono, Takk and I got sent out on the 4WD tour to Palm Valley. One of the stops involved a nice hour long walk just before lunch. The day consisted of lots of stops in the valley, checking out really nice view spots, and seeing a wild horse! It was a pretty full day and we were all exhausted by the end of it, so we made a subway stop for dinner and a quick grocery shop at Woolies. Spent the rest of the evening just hanging out in the van.
It’s been kind of funny talking with locals/people who move to Alice Springs and stay for long periods of time, and asking what they love about it most – the majority of their answers end up including the landscape…I honestly can’t relate to this. Don’t get me wrong, the landscape here is truly stunning and so unique compared to anything else I’ve experienced; but I’m having such a hard time connecting with it… I touched on this a bit last week - having grown up near the coast, being fortunate enough to have an abundance of lakes + forests + the ocean just a short driving distance away – I’m finding myself (almost desperately) craving this. Initially I was aiming to stay in Alice Springs for upwards of 6 months to maximize the amount of money I can make for travelling again – but I think I’m going to just complete my required 88 days for the visa, save as much as I can, and look at other work later down the line so I can get back on the road and back to the coasts ASAP.
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Thursday was another big day. The whole crew spent the day at the work yard learning about the mechanics of the busses, what to do with minor fixes needed if stuck on the road, how to change the tires on such big vehicles (especially those with interior/exterior tires). We had some good laughs and fun with it and our bosses had a BBQ lunch for us as well! After work I immediately went back to the hostel to shower and get ready to go to the BANFF Mountain Film Festival premiering at one of the local theatres with Pablo + Cata. Had some ciders + hammock time w/ Jono, Ash, Cata, Pablo, and Troy before heading out. As usual, the film festival was SO good! I always love going to any type of outdoor indie film screenings as I find I always leave feeling super inspired and motivated to get out and act on the things that are important to me. Highly recommend checking some out if you haven’t been to any before! Some good annual ones include VIMFF, BANFF and Reel Rock.
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I didn’t get home until late last night so Friday I was feeling pretty fried and unproductive at uni today (really hoping next week goes better because I have really not been productive since Monday…). Cata and I spent a couple hours after work doing some shopping around for work clothing around town – checking out hats, boots and pants mostly. Afterwards, I got home and made some dinner before me ‘n’ the guys had another movie night at the hostel (you’ve gotta watch Incredibles 2 if you haven’t already – it’s such a quality sequel)! Jono brought a little travel projector which has been so perfect for setting up in the hostel living room for movies. Tonight it was just myself, Pablo, Jono and Troy since the others were feeling really tired and not wanting to have to make the trek over from their places (sadly only myself, Pablo and Troy are living at the hostel now since the others are bouncing around Airbnb’s and other hostels while trying to find a place).
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The weekend was kept super chill. Other than getting out for some climbing with Cata at the YMCA Saturday late morning and signing up for a gym membership, the rest of the weekend was spent reading in hammocks (finished The 10 000 Doors of January), watching shows in the van (started Criminal Minds from the beginning), working on life admin stuff, and napping. I’ve been finding myself feeling really fatigued since getting to Alice Springs and I haven’t quite figured out if it’s just from my body adjusting to the climate + regular socializing + having a work schedule again, or if there’s something else going on… I’m keeping a close eye on this and seeing how things develop over the next couple weeks as I continue to get more settled into this new routine. Fingers crossed it’s nothing to worry about!
Until next time…
Stay passionate and curious,
Hunter💛
