No more melons!

Well, the reason I haven't written in a while (not that people sem to read this anymore anyways) is because I have been picking melons in a place called Home Hill for 3 weeks. When I arrived I was greeted by a kid who looked no older than 14 and a few stray cats. I couldn't check in until 6 even though I arrived at 1pm because the owner was out drinking which means that, yes, she came back drunk. The air was filled with pot smoke and the ground was littered with butts and food. I knew that I was going to love it there. At first I was working 8 hours a day picking melons everyday for a week, until I passed out in the field and got switched to packing. It wasn't much better but at least I was out of the sun. I got up at 5:30am every morning after not much sleep since there seemed to be a riot of some sort every single night, oh, not to mention getting eaten alive by bed bugs. Then took the 40 minute journey to to the farm to begin my shift. Came back around 6pm, waited in the cue for one of the only two showers for 100 damn people, ate, and went to bed. I didn't eat all that well, seen as every time I bought food, it ended up stolen or on the floor. I sure didn't sleep well either. The first night wasn't so bad, but the next night after we went to the pub, some guys decided to stay up until 3am dumping rubbish bins, spraying the fire extinguisher, throwing beer bottles and food, and running around naked. The next morning, I had to climb over two naked guys covered in there own puke just to get to the toilet which someone had aimed for but ofcourse in a drunken state, missed. It got worse. After it was all cleaned up and they were kicked out, some new guys (Canadian) decided to have a little fun. I couldn't sleep all night because they carried on until about 5am. I got up the morning to find broken glass, piss on the floor and walls, rubbish everywhere, food, including raw meat all over the floor and it was such a nice smell I must say that I couldn't even eat because I thought I was going to throw up, and the fact that my food was now in places I can't imagine how it got there. It continued on like this pretty much each night, but in the end I did get used to it, oddly enough. I met some cool people, ate free melons, had some good nights and quite a few laughs so this made it a little better. The infamous "white bus" breaking down was pretty good too especially because it broke down next to a sign that said "paradise" in the middle of nowhere with no reception. The day I left Home Hill was probably the best day of my life. All I can say is that it was sure an experience. I took the 8 hour bus to Cairns and had the best shower and the best sleep I have ever had. It's like a 5 star hotel at this point. People are so friendly too and I've already ran into two people I know. Tomorrow I am going rafting, and then I'm going snorkelling so it could only get better from here. Today I was a bit stressed because I booked everything I needed to for the rest of my trip. It feels nice to have it done though. I just need to book a hotel in Thailand and I'm set. I was also in a bad mood because I am breaking out like a teenage boy at McDonalds and I had to run around to like 5 different stores to get some damn face wash! Tim hasn't emailed me a while too which is making me paranoid. He might email and be all like, oh yeah, I met some girl and this whole long distance thing won't work out. Furious, I would be! I know it sounds lame, but I miss home. I am actually looking forward to getting back to my family, my room, my friends, and ofcourse... Sebastian. I'm not looking forward to working my ass off to pay off my debt but I shouldn't think about that now. I'm sure the next little while will fly by and I'll want to be back here in a second. I am looking so forward to Thailand! I am still a little scared though. Thank God for Lonely Planet and my ever so helpful sister or I would be a wreck! I'm sure it will all be fine as long as I am aware and listen to Sarah. Well, I'm going to have dinner and see what tonight brings. Thanks for coming and leave comments, it ain't hard! Tracie xx

Hooray for me!

So Magnetic Island wasn't so bad after all! I went to see my friends at the YHA (which was gorgeous by the way, I'm so jealous) and the bartender there managed to get me a job picking sugarcane in a place called Ayr which is an hour south of here. I really don't know what to expect but I'm sure it will be hard work. Oh well, you can't just relax for 4 months without paying the consequences. I'm sure it will be worth it. I get $16/hour but I have to pay for accomodation but that's only $109 a week which is really good. I will finally have some cash! I will still be in debt by the end though which just means I have to work my ass off when I get home. Even though I'll only be there for two months because it looks like I really am going to England in August which I'm so excited about! Back to Magnetic Island... I ended up hanging out at the beach with some friends and then got a lift back in a topless jeep! So cool! Townsville is alright, it's just another city but I got a charger for my mp3 player which is so exciting after not having music for so long! I finally found pre-packaged salad too which you don't get in many places trust me. Yeah, not as great as sailing or skydiving I must admit. Once I get up to Cairns, I should have some cool things to share with you. It's a bit nice though because I've just been taking it easy. A bit of detox never hurt. No drinking, no makeup and definately no boys (since I do have one waiting for me *smile*) is my rule for the next little while. It kind of feels good. Cairns should be crazy so it's nice to have some time off. I really would like to start working out too so tomorrow I think I'll hit the gym. I have flabby thighs and a beer gut, well to me at least. Speaking of flabby, I'm of to cook dinner. Cheers!

How much worse could life get...

Well, I gotta say it's been rough. I just got back from a sailing trip to the Whitsundays and what a hard trip it was. I sailed around beautiful beaches, I snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef, lazed around on a pure white sand beach and swam in crystal clear water. Oh, and the food was awful too. I ate fresh fish with vegetables, spaghetti bolognase, and quiche. Could life get any worse? Seriously though, what an incredible trip! I had a blast in Airlie Beach and met some really cool people before leaving on a sailing trip to the Whitsunday Islands (the most famous islands in Oz.) The boat was small and there was only ten people. It was so relaxed and at the same time so much fun! I went snorkelling for the first time and it was amazing! I saw beautiful, bright fish and coral and giant clams! My group was really cool, except for one guy who asked me to take my shirt off and argued with me that Canada was only 5 hours away from Australia. There seems to be one on every tour. It wasn't as bad as the creep who walked around in his underwear taking photos of the girls in bikinis in Fraser Island though. The weather was really nice too except for the last day when it rained a little. There was also a tsunami that hit eastern Australia the exact day we left on the boat! We were out at sea though when it hit so we only felt the water level rise. Now I am in Magnetic Island which I think is more boring than 1770. I didn't get the hostel I wanted because as usual I booked too late so I got stuck with one at the dodgy part of the island. Honestly, I was scared walking around because is was a little too quiet. Then there was a man sitting and I asked him if there were any shops around, or well, anything really. He replied, "there hasn't been anything around here for years since it died out and everyone left," in a creepy voice. No joke. I have entered the twilight zone. I took a bus to the YHA about 40 minutes away just to use the internet and buy some soap. The girls who I travelled with here from Airlie Beach and that convinced me to come are having a great time! Arg! I won't be staying as long as planned because I'm going to Townsville tomorrow to try to find work. There is bad reception here so I'm having trouble calling the farms. I am hoping to find a fruit picking job as I am broke once again so please wish me luck! Otherwise, my debt will easily climb to about $3000 which will be painful. Tim is really serious about me going to England as well so I don't know what to do! Well, internet time is low and I probably should get back to my own hostel at some point. Bless you and take care!