Waiting is the hardest part. :)

Waiting is the hardest part....knowing that you are doing all you can to get yourself out there, and people are doing their best to help you out, but you still wait, and wait....!!!!

I had a lot of promising leads this week, as far as an internship goes. I am in contact with several people inside HASSELL Architecture in Sydney, and that seems quite hopeful, as they are trying to expand their Interior Architecture department. I hope to hear back from a friend there early next week.

Also happening next week:
I will be hearing back from Hughes Bruce on Monday, a small contract design firm that is trying to help me out.
I had a phone call yesterday with the business owner, who works for big architecture firms that hire her company out. After a brief chat on the phone, she decided she is willing to be my contact inside several big firms:
Rice Daubney, Bligh Voller, and Davenport Campbell.

She personally handed them my resume, so that it came from someone they know and trust within the business, rather than an American girl fresh off the plane.

But at the end of the phone conversation, after saying that she would do all she can to help get me into a big Sydney firm, she said ".....you know what, I might just want you for myself!" I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. I am flattered that so many people want to help me out/wish they could take me on, etc etc, but at this point....I just need the FINAL OFFER. Come on, people now. :) :)

Next week, hope and pray for an awesome and exciting blog post. I need to be patient with myself, as I still have not been here long at all. ;)

In the meantime, I am working at Cafe Meni, this cute little coffee place right across the street. It is a great place to work, turns out, Australians like their coffee really, really, really pretty. So that has been fun.

Needless to say, the learning curve will be fun. Between trying to understand THICK accents, new currency, new words for things (like you never ever say trash, you say garbage. and you never say "like" you say "keen") and new drinks (a "long black" is an Americano. A "flat white" is a foamless latte) I have my hands full at work, too!!!

Week One: A promising start

I am loving being in Australia with my sister and brother-in-law!! It is so beautiful here. The first day was rough, due to jet-lag, so we wandered down to the beach by 6:30am and spent the entire day jogging, walking, eating fresh seafood, and enjoying some spectacular views.

After the weekend ended, they were both back to work at the hospital and I immediately got busy with the extensive to-do-list when you move somewhere: opening a bank account, buying internet, getting my phone set up, getting a tax ID, making the necessary walk to the grocery store, etc.

I went in to two firms, one a multi-disciplinary firm that works mostly in set design of the Sydney Opera House & MTV Awards. They are called Thomas Creative, and I will be checking back in later this week to see if they could use my help even just for busy events. What an experience that would be!

I also went in to AEJ Architects, a southcoast firm that does beautiful residential work as well as hospitals and educational facilities. I spoke with the office manager who seemed hopeful, but the principal architect is out of town until mid-week. So again, I will be checking in later this week and am hopeful that one, or both, of these firms would be willing to give me some type of work experience with them! 

The only way this would be possible is if I also happened to get a side job which would earn me some cash....so I was praying hard, that if the firms weren't going to be able to pay me but still wanted me around, God would provide financially on the side.

Well, He already did. I had wandered all around town looking for coffee shops or cafes that were hiring, but turns out sometimes He puts the most obvious answers RIGHT in FRONT of us! Cafe Meni, literally one block from our apartment and across the street from the hospital where Angela and Jeffrey work, all but begged me to come and work for them starting next week!

 They thought I was Canadian, but are apparently ok with an American. ;)

I am just so thankful for how He provides in ways that we don't even think are possible!! I will be starting at  the cafe next week, it is very busy, but small and casual. Then my hope is that I can fit interning hours around my work hours, and have the best of both worlds in this beautiful beach town!

Thank you for your continued prayers, I will hopefully have more good news soon, but I consider this a huge relief!! Angela and I will be going up to Sydney this weekend to celebrate and see some amazing art exhibits that are up there right now. :) 

As of tomorrow, I am moving to Wollongong, Australia. My wonderful sister Angela and her husband Jeffrey have really made this all possible. Because of them, a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel and work internationally right out of college has become a reality.

 The goal:
 To have "down time" for once!!! I have been pretty much non-stop for 5 years, with the Architecture program at the UO. Between summer internships, studying abroad, working for the Planning Department, and oh yeah, STUDIO, I cannot remember the last time I had actual time off. That said, this will be an ADJUSTMENT. But a welcome one. :)

 I do not have a job lined up yet, but with my Work Visa in hand....I plan on marching into several design firms (both local and in Sydney) and seeing if an internship could fall into place. Many of them do amazing work, like the stage designs of the Sydney Opera House.

 What if I don't get my dream job, you say?
 I have thought of that. I am willing to "intern", "job shadow", anything to get the international experience to make my resume unique. If need be, I also plan on working part-time at one of the local cafes, as students are not yet out of school. Yet another option is wedding planning, as I have experience in that area as well, and there are many designers as it is a coastal town.
 It is definitely scary going without an idea of what I'm doing, but face-to-face interaction is always better than the random email from some random American. :)
I am trusting that God has my life in His hands, even knowing how He is going to provide for me.
 Moments that require complete trust in Him really is what we look back on as amazing, isn't it?

 I greatly appreciate your prayers, emails, and just knowing that I have SO many wonderful people back in the States who love me is enough. :) You are all so special to me, and I feel so supported in this decision to pursue a dream and be adventurous. God has blessed me with an amazing family, and I am very much looking forward to quality time with my sister.

 PLEASE bear with me. I don't particularly like to blog, but I find this the easiest way to keep everyone up to speed, especially since communication will be a lot less than I am used to!!