Or how about getting one of Sydney’s best harbour views whilst training with some of the world’s leading dance instructors? The world-famous Sydney Dance Company located at beautiful Walsh Bay (near The Rocks) holds classes for all skill levels, and if you get a 10 class pass, classes are just $14 each for an hour and a half. And don’t worry – it’s not all ballet and broadway. If you’ve watched So You Think You Can Dance, or this year’s series of Australia’s Got Talent, then any style of dance you saw there, you can learn at the SDC, including popping and locking, hip hop and break dancing. So get along, get a good work out, and learn some moves for the club!

Maybe you’re someone who likes to be motivated by other people and work in groups? Then maybe you should try commenting on this blog post! If everyone looking for a running/walking/gym/dance/exercise partner comments here with their suburb and preferred form of exercise, then everyone should be able to find an exercise partner!

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• Skype – Loved by Backpackers Since 2003

Hey there! Now that our new blog is well and truly up and running, we want to know what YOU want! What do you want to read about? What do you want to say? Posting comments on this blog or our facebook page, tweeting us, or emailing me (georgia@furnishedproperty.com.au) are all perfect ways to share your Sydney experience with people just like you! So jump on and tell us what you think!

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If you have ever found yourself in an internet cafe listening to someone with a headset talk to the computer screen, you have more than likely already encountered a Skype call in action, but the real benefit is making one yourself. All it takes is an internet connection and a free Skype account to take advantage of the no-cost Skype-to-Skype calls.

With that being the case, why is it that so many Furnished Property tenants have not yet tried it out? Nearly half of the tenants polled had said they never used Skype and typically relied on email and phone calls to keep in touch.

One Furnished Property tenant from Ireland stated, “I mostly use email, and I ring them once a week. I sometimes use MSN Messenger.”

Skype has been loved by backpackers since 2003, the year it was released, because it helped the budget traveller keep in touch with less impact on their travel funds. Seems like anyone concerned with a few extra dollars here and there, such as working holiday visa holders and international students, should jump at the opportunity to cut out extra costs. However, that does not appear to be happening.

And, it is not the case that they had never heard of Skype before. Of those same tenants polled, all of them knew what Skype was, but half had just not gotten around to trying it out.

“No, I’m a bad backpacker,” a Swedish tenant replied when she was asked if she had ever used Skype before. “I think about Skype, but mostly stay with calls and some emails.”

Here’s how it works:

Install the Skype software on your computer by visiting the website. Create a user name and search for friends already online. When this process has been completed, Skype can be used as an instant messaging program, much like MSN Chat or Yahoo Messenger.

Attach a headset to the computer, or just use your computer’s built-in microphone and speakers, and the program can now be used to make internet phone calls to other Skype users that are also logged on. What this means is if your family and friends back home also install the program and sign on, you can talk as long as you want – FOR FREE!

To take Skype to the next level, you can add in a webcam. That’s right, not only can you talk for free, but you can also see each other in the process. The world won’t feel so small to loved ones on the other side of the world anymore when you can both sit down and have face-to-face chats.

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“I was walking down the street last week wanting to know how much it was to get into Club Soho, which is kind of expensive. I went up to a guy on the street wanting to find out – a very good looking guy – and he said, ‘Oh my god, I’m promoting for this night club. Do you want to get in for free? I’ll walk you… as long as I get a few cigarettes.’ It’s like you never know what’s going to happen.”

Kings Cross is notorious around the world for its vibrant night life, and that draws in a large amount of backpackers and tourists throughout the year. Caroline agrees with the hype surrounding this location, which is why she lives there, and even states, “I think it’s better than living outside [Kings Cross]. I pay a bit more, but it’s so close to everything.”

Everything here includes the pubs and clubs that shape the local atmosphere, and, after three long months, Caroline is still not tired of being considered a tourist amongst backpackers. Actually, Caroline prefers the backpacker establishments when it comes to going out in Sydney because “you get to meet a lot of new people”. And, when it comes to the cost of a night on the town, she suggests to either have a pre-party at home first to save some money, or (she jokes) to just find a nice Australian guy to buy the drinks all night.

Besides laying back and enjoying the spontaneity of entertainment brought about by living in a city a lot larger than her hometown in Sweden, Caroline explains that it was her positive attitude that helped her to find two jobs within the first two weeks of being here, and now a third.

“I found another job at a coffee place. I just went there and said, ‘Hi, are you in need of staff? I would love to work for you.’ They told me to come back next week, on Wednesday. Two minutes. It was that easy.”

Caroline continues, “Be very open, and don’t be negative. Don’t say, ‘Oh, I won’t get an apartment, I won’t get a job,’ ’cause then you won’t get either. Being positive is good for jobs. …If you are happy and speak English, it should be easy to get a job. Just smile.”

Being from Sweden, Caroline has been trained to want things a certain way, but this has not stopped her from adopting the “no worries” Aussie lifestyle while here. Sure, the buses might come 10 minutes late, but she has learned to adapt and accept the good that comes her way. She even met some of her best friends while sitting on a bus! Caroline is definitely a roll with the punches type of gal, and this image exudes from her personality and every word she speaks. I found it a bit hard to imagine, but she was actually a little excited about the idea of fruit picking.

“Actually, I did think about fruit picking because of the second year visa. But, it would be cool, even doing it for a couple of weeks really… just going out there and just doing it. It’s the experience, so you can say you’ve done this.”

Caroline wants to experience all that Australia has to offer. She has recently discovered a love for surfing, and she would even say that it is more amazing than the skydiving she did last Friday. However, more than just adventure, Caroline is looking for the authenticity that the normal daily life can bring.

“So many backpackers come to Australia, and they are so into doing all the backpacker things. They go to all the places that everyone else goes to, and I think it’s underrated to do real Australia things, like hang out with real Australian people. It creates a whole different view of it… it’s their real life, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Caroline has no real plans for after her time in Sydney, but I’m sure that with such a positive attitude she will have no problems in taking the next step.

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“When I was getting desperate for a job, I had an interview at KFC. The guy asked me what kind of visa I had, and I said it was a working holiday. He immediately said, ‘No, sorry. We don’t take backpackers.’ It was shocking. I’m not a backpacker. I want to work. I live in Sydney.”

Many jobs around Sydney are currently looking for residents of Australia instead of those that can only be hired on a temporary basis.

When talking to Claire about this hot issue for those on working holidays, she responded, “Residents could just as well leave in 2 months whereas another working holiday person could still work for up to 6 months.”

Claire’s frustrations on the matter are not unwarranted. It took her a long 3 months, numerous applications, and 4 previous interviews before finally getting a job at Wicked Campers. The funny part of this story is that getting that job involved no flaming hoops whatsoever.

“I applied to an ad on Gumtree, and a week later she called me and asked when I could come in. It was really laid back.”

Knowing a little bit about Wicked Campers already, I just had to ask her about the infamous Naked Special they offer customers. Claire laughed and explained, “A couple of people have come in naked that I’ve seen. We have to take a picture of it, too. This woman came in naked and was like “hi” – I was a bit shocked. Last week a couple of guys came in and one asked, ‘If I come in naked, I get a day off, right?’ He went outside and took his clothes off and came back in.”

“It’s a really good job, really. It’s really laid back and friendly.”

Even though Claire really enjoys her job with Wicked Campers, she does work 6 full days every week. She knows it’s not optimal, but compared to other people, she’s doing pretty good.

“I don’t get much time off, but if I had more, I’d love to go to Coogee Beach.”

“If I never had to work, I’d be out in the sun all the time – at the beach or in the park. I love it. The weather is so nice.”

As for jobs in general, I would say Claire has been quite lucky in her life. She has never had to flip burgers or dress up in a funny costume for children and low pay. When asking if she has ever had a horrible job, she replied without hesitation, “Not really. I’ve only worked at three places.”

After a bit more thought, she then added, “…but I guess when I worked at the bookies (a betting place), it was bad. A lot of long hours… Got a lot of drunken people in there. The all day shifts – you have no life. You work, sleep, and work.”

Before leaving, I asked Claire if she had any advice for Furnished Property tenants still looking for jobs in Sydney.

“Try Gumtree. Before, I was looking on Seek and other job sites. The job sites are more awkward. A lot of jobs are commission-based and say you can make lots of money, but it’s basically impossible to make money. Gumtree is more down to earth.”

Claire is planning on sticking around Sydney for a while to work and save more money. She hopes to make it to Melbourne and Brisbane, and possibly stay in Australia for a 2nd year. Thanks, again, Claire for meeting with me, and I hope you enjoyed your dinner voucher for Wagamama’s!

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Why did you decide to leave London and come to Australia?

A – “I wanted to do it for a long time. Aussies do the opposite and come to England to work, and I loved the carefree attitude they all seemed to have.”
M – “I also wanted to do it for a long time.”

Do you wish now you had given yourselves longer than 2 months to prepare?

Both – “No, not really.”
M – Since it was so rushed, we didn’t have any expectations, so there have been no disappointments.”

Were you nervous?

Both – “Yes.”
M – “I was nervous just it being us and being away from all our friends and family. One year is a long time.”
A – “I was a bit more sheltered. I still lived at home, so coming here was a big step.”

What do you do here?

M – “I work at Hurricane’s in Darling Harbour as a waiter. It is more than enough work for me. I easily work 5 days a week, and the money is pretty good.”
A – “I work as a stylist at Noddy’s on King in Newtown.”

*You might be surprised to know that not only do both Michael and Ashley have great jobs, they both got said jobs on the very first day they went looking! Yes, they are quite lucky.

What has been the most surprising, shocking or funny aspect – culturally – about moving to Australia?

M – I don’t understand how people walk around barefoot everywhere.”
A – “Yeah. When I see someone walking down the street barefoot, I have to wonder, ‘Are they homeless?’”
M – “The slang.. tipping is bad.”
A – “Tipping is poor at the salon, too.”

What has been your favourite part of Sydney, or favourite part of living in Sydney?

M – “My favourite area in Sydney is definitely Surry Hills. I think it’s a very nice area, central, full of bars and shops, close to Oxford St, Newtown.”
A – “I like the weather. I like the sunny mornings because we’re limited with sunshine in London. So, every day is a treat for me.”

Ashley and Michael with housemate in Kitchen.

Why did you choose to live in one of Furnished Property’s residences?

M – “A couple of our friends in the hostel were moving out with Furnished Property, and they told us about them. We didn’t want to live in a hostel anymore. It’s so easy when you’re a traveller because their places are fully furnished.”

What has been the best part of living in a Furnished Property?

A – “You know where you stand. We had friends go on Gumtree to find a place and a few weeks or months into it, they got evicted. They had no contracts.”
M – “They [Furnished Property] have been really helpful. I don’t even know how many times they drove us around to look at places. When our last contract ran out, we went to Thailand for two weeks and got a new place immediately when we got back.”

Do you plan on travelling around Australia?

M – “We plan to leave in November and travel north to the Gold Coast, Cairns.”
A – “We want to get out of the city.”

Have you ever travelled to Third World countries?

Both – “Thailand?”

Do you want to?

A – “I like luxury. As shallow as it sounds, I don’t really want to slum it.”
M – “Kind of the same.”
A – “Well, maybe Peru.”
M – “Africa just for a safari.”

Would you consider yourselves backpackers?

M – “We’re not backpackers. It was a bit hard to start off.”
A – “Yeah, we’re learning to… slum it.” [laughs]

Do you think you’ll want to extend your visa for another year?

M – “It’s hard to say right now…”
A – “It’s been a great trip, but I think we’ll be ready to go home.”
M – “There are other places we want to see… New Zealand… I want to go to Canada. He wants to go to America.”
A – “It’s made us feel appreciative for what we have back home. It’s so isolated here.”

I would just like to thank Michael and Ashley for taking the time to share their experiences with us. We wish you luck on your future travels whenever and wherever they may happen!

If you would like to be a featured tenant in next month’s newsletter, get in touch by using the contact form on this blog.

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