Wednesday, 8 February 2017

Tasmania and I: Till Monday Do Us Part

Okay so I’m in love. Like it may be the real stuff. Through thick and thin. Over long walks and garlic bread.. Tasmania and I have only known each other for 3 days and I can already foresee a very happy future.

The sole purpose of this trip is to go to the festival “Party in the Paddock” (PITP). BECAUSE IT’S STICKY FINGERS LAST SHOW. (Indefinitely) I basically just bought the ticket in a moment of hiatus shock and kind of can’t afford it.
Thanks to the internet and God caring so much about my love for Sticky Fingers I have just managed my whole trip with a $0 budget. Zero in the grand scheme and by “grand scheme” I mean like I booked couch surfing and then will be camping at the festival so boom accommodation sorted. I do actually have money, just very little and I still need to get to Melbourne, but since I got here I’ve kept the 0 rolling!!

The first day with my couch surfing host was full of awesomeness he picked me up from the airport. Awesomeness #1. Invited me to a Church bbq!! And he is a part time acrobat. He was born in Africa, traveled the world with his mates and in a circus than had his big break on Australia’s got talent. He didn’t do any back flips or balance me on his head but he let me drive his car and try his expensive butter. (Awesomeness total : 8)
The next day I got a reply from an ad I put in the Launceston Community page, to do some house cleaning. The place was a walking distance from where I was staying, the people where cool, at the end of the day I made $65 and bought me a nice avocado.

2 days deep and Tasmania has seen me as sweaty, broke and pimple faced .. this is how I know it’s true love! Of course all great loves have down falls... ours happened last night when I realized I messed up my booking so actually had to check out today and it was too late to extend. There was no more couch surfing hosts available and no air bnb in my budget.
I had been in contact with some people for a ride to the festival and they asked where to pick me up, than I basically spilled my homeless heart out and luckily they had a spare room for me to seek refugee until Friday! In wake of these serendipitous, marvellous, 2 days; and the past heart healing, sisterhood, creativity fusion I had in Bali. I’m feeling particularly confident which I think plays a big role in all this networking.

I tried my confidence with some busking today, outside of a local shopping center. In between the long trains of coin connected shopping carts pushed by super enthusiastic minors and wayward glances from old people and toddlers. I sang a collection of ukulele covered songs, classics and mainstream alike! With a variety of basic strum patterns and arrangements of the only 6 chords I know. I made $30 in an hour and had a faithful audience, consisting of these 3 guys who literally just stood there the whole time. I thanked them kindly for their loyalty.
Now here I am at the home of the fellow PITP goers. They’ve more than welcomed me into their humble abode! THE ROOM HAS A DOUBLE BED. They shared dinner with me. GARLIC BREAD.  (spoken word 2k17) They also have the cutest dogs and are near a walking trail to a beautiful nature reserve. Which I shall go to tomorrow!

Thus far it’s all working out beautifully. I’ve met all these people who’ve been traveling nomadically, off of goodwill and odd jobs. But never really was brave or knew enough to travel that way.  My first 7 months in Australia I spent just in Sydney. Which now sounds crazy because I only have 3 months left of my visa...Half of me is saying “WHY DIDN’T I DO THIS SOONER”. The other half is like “child you became wise and prosperous during that time of settlement. Let it now guide you”.

So here I am. Hot and heavy into a one week romance with Tasmania. Fed, sheltered and positive. Catch me outside Kmart. How bout some spare change?

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