Go West! Where the air is, well very warm actually!

So, excellent choice to relocate to Perth. Not only do I infinately prefer it to Melbourne but the weather is the most gorgeous consistant sunshine I've ever seen in my life, and the ratio of yobby backpackers to nice people has moved in the right direction too. Due to getting a job in the suburb I'm currently living in a hostel in Fremantle, which again turned out to be something of a wicked choice as its just about the most beautiful part of Perth city. The hostel isn't the best I've stayed in, con lots of cockroaches, but a long way off the worst and they do have a (teeny tiny) swimming pool.
In my quest to earn some much needed dinero (where the AUS $ is so strong its more expensive over here than England) I've this week started a job doing appointment setting for the Federal Governments Eco Programme; basically I ring people up and ask them if they'd like a free energy home assessment. Not the most thrilling job in the world but I like it at the moment- theres an ongoing competition in the office to see who can set the most appointments and for some reason it appeals to my docile and non-competitive nature. Trying to think outside the box I also put up an advert saying I was available to do some babysitting in and around Freo- but after recieving an email off a young man asking if I would like to participate in a 'risque' photography project he was doing I've decided against persuing that employment route any further!

Backpacking Oz is definately a very different experience; I really miss being involved in a charity project on a daily basis, I miss being so immersed in another culture too- it seems a bit cuturally flat out here in comparison. The friendly backpacker spirit is also a bit lacking too- everyone in this hostel has a job so everyone goes out at different times each day, then come back lacking energy to meet new people so just zone out with thier friends or in front of the TV. I am starting to get to know the residents here, but its not the same 'instant friends' effect I used to weekly experience in the pressure cooker of South Am. Naturally there are the bonuses of the improved weather, a huge increase in safety and you can buy the stuff you want at the shop (ie. Marmite). I'm looking forward to the weekend to see if its all a bit different when everyones got some time off. Oh and Australia day next week should be a good way to make friends! That said I did have an enjoyable morning yesterday hanging out with a guy called Tom who had literally just flown in from England: we had a good laugh doing fake aqua fit in the pool- mainly made hilarious by the horrified looks on the nearby Frenchies faces that we were jumping around in the water like maniacs. Only made worse when Tom added 'frogs legs' as an exercise while I was busy drowning with laughter...