One month on the road... - Week 36

It's already been a month since September 6th that I've been on the road. It doesn't feel that long at all. I've already met many new people and looking back on this month, I've seen and learned a lot.

About this week:

Mice in the apartment

We have unwanted roommates. One evening, we saw a mouse by the fireplace, but then we never saw it again. After countless hours of questioning whether we imagined it or not, we have now set up mouse traps. Since then, we haven't seen a single mouse and the traps remain unused. So it continues to be suspenseful.

Responsible Service of Alcohol Program (RSA)

On Thursday, I attended a four-hour course on alcohol. I had to take this course because I work in a restaurant. Everywhere alcohol is served, every worker must attend this course. The course fees range from $40 to $70, which was initially very confusing. Basically, they're all the same. However, the certificate, similar to a first aid course, is only valid in the state of Victoria. Various topics were addressed in the four hours. But nothing that we didn't already know. The effects of alcohol, how intoxicated people behave, etc. It only became interesting at the end when alcohol in Australia was specifically discussed. Here, like in Germany, you can only consume alcohol at the age of 18. There are certain exceptions in a restaurant. The confusing fact is that in a bottle shop (here there are separate stores where you can buy alcohol, i.e., there is no alcohol (beer, liquor, etc.) in supermarkets), you cannot sell alcohol to an adult if a minor is present. In a restaurant, you can do this if food is served. You are not allowed to drive a car with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% or higher.
At the end, there was a little test that everyone in my group passed. The participants were all young people from different countries: Spain, Brazil, Australia, China, Chile... everything was represented, which made the four hours quite lively.
Overall, it was also very well designed. There were short films, group work, role plays, and a PowerPoint presentation accompanied by information material that everyone received.

Cleaning up the house

Ben received a job offer for three days to help a man clean out a house. After the first day, they realized that someone else needed to assist him. That's where I came in. We got up at 6 o'clock on Thursday and Friday, took the bus at 7 o'clock, and then drove an hour and a half to the house to do various tasks. This house was mainly full of pots, pans, glasses, etc. All very old and full. Occasionally, it took a lot of courage to clear away the old, dirty, and smelly things, but you do what you have to do. The man was very friendly and also provided us with fruit. We could take anything we wanted. Now we have a lot of nice new things, some of which are still in their original packaging. Our apartment already has some kitchenware, but we needed a few more things, which we have now supplemented nicely. For example, a baking pan. So we're going to have homemade cinnamon rolls right away. Fantastic!
Additionally, the job was very well paid. Unfortunately, I couldn't work there for long on Thursday because I had already signed up for the RSA course. That was a shame, but oh well.

We are now trying to get another job like this and are diligently searching the internet for it.

Sightseeing:

This week, I walked on the beach again, up to the Brighton Bathing Boxes. On Saturday, I was in the city and checked out Melbourne's street art, which I will do again. Street art, passages where graffiti artists can unleash their creativity, are very common in the city center. I've only been to a small alley so far, so I must definitely explore more.

Working at the German restaurant:

This week, I worked a total of 6.5 hours at the restaurant, which is really not enough for me. But they don't offer more shifts. However, I must say that I really enjoy working there. Having conversations with other German people and getting new travel tips is very nice. Of course, we also work in between. The highlight is always on Saturdays. The restaurant is always quite busy then. It is a tradition to dance the 'Chicken Dance' with some of the restaurant guests, which is always very funny. Oh, and German music is always played as well. Helene Fischer is also included. There is also always a live band on the weekend that creates a great atmosphere. Very entertaining.
On Thursdays, there is always a sort of 'training' where you should occasionally attend. I always dutifully go to that as well.