How not to be a backpacker

I have talked a lot on my blog about backpacking and the fun that you have and the places that you see and the fun of staying in hostels to meet interesting people from all over the world but this is not that post. This is a post about things that you should not do in a hostel if you want to keep your dignity in tact. I was in a situation early this year where I ended up living in a hostel down south in WA while working at a new job. As a Perthie living in a hostel in there own state and working in a job that is my career I wasn't the average backpacker that they have their but it did allow me to witness things that need to be said.
Even in Germany I wasn't on the normal backpacker working holiday but the people I lived with in the hostel where so it gave me a different view than i have had in the past of just with just staying in one for a few days while passing threw a city.

I know that your on holiday/working holiday and the normal "at home" rules seem not to apply to you but there are things you have to remember that just like high school your reputation can make or break you. I have one big thing to tell you, women to women.

Never be "that girl!"
I am not just talking about promiscuity (polite language) but also bitches that spread rumors because both will end bad for you. On the sex front the stories will be told endlessly, rooms will be named after you (laugh but its true) the guys that had sex with them will be eyed with a mix of high fives and disgust that they where that desperate. I have no problem with girls sleeping around (I don't and probably never will) but its a lack of respect for yourself that you use casual sex to boost your own confidence and the time will come when everyone will look at you with pity in the hostel but can also come back to bite you in the ass when you find someone that you want something more with can be forever tainted by this reputation, plus STI! (just saying). With girls who spread rumors and lies, it will come back and bite you in the bum because no one wants to be friends with someone who would be two faced behind there back and it will get to a point that you will alienate people so much that you will be ostracized from the pack. Its a sad truth.

New beguinings

After a very crazy year last this year has been tough, moving back to Australia from Germany before Christmas, finding a new job and moving down south in WA for it so being completely independent for the first time, ending my 6 year relationship with someone who I still care for a lot has been hard and to top it all off a 3 month flu from complete and utter stress.
Now I am starting to get myself together I want to start doing some changes and setting some goals for myself (along with getting back into blogging) so it is going to be Do Over November.

I have set myself a few goals for my Do Over November:
only wear 20 items of clothing on rotation for the month; this includes work gear
read 5 books from my overflowing
try to get 3hrs of some sort of exercise per week
drink 2L of water, including tea and coffee
and find a treat at the end of the month, maybe a trip?

Wish me luck

Home Front

For the first time women played a big role not only in the services but also at home. Women where asked to do there bit for the war effort by heading into factories and onto the land to keep the country going. This caused an impact on womens fashion. Women where more concerned about easy to wear clothes that you could accessories with a few thing to take them from a day at home or work to a night out dancing.

Inspiration: the common woman

heavy drill skirt and trouser suits - plaid shirts, skirts and dresses - house dresses - patterned tea dresses - wool coats - plain shirts - hand knitted jumpers and cardigans - tweed - leather low healed court shoes or wedges - scarves - hand made large envelope clutch bags - bucket hand bags - satchel bags - brogues - hand made accessories

For My Home Front Style:

- high waist A line wool tartan skirt

- fine knit jumper with a high neck line

- knitted knee high socks instead of stockings

- leather brogues

- a head scarf to keep hair out of the way

my makeup is a very light powder base with a little pink blush, mascara and a mat pink red lipstick. my hair is very loosely curled to give it a soft wave (my hair is short at the moment)

Hair

Hair was generally mid length and brushed away from the face and held back with pins. Hair was also tied into buns or rolled upwards to keep neat and tidy while at work.

Hats where often hand made out of off cuts of material or knitted. Snoods and hair nets where worn for day and night decorated with flowers and beads. Turbans and scarfs where popular as an easy head covering.

Job Hunting - Pro/Con

As this is not going to be a total holiday and needing paid work as soon as I arrive getting a job ASAP is THE IMPORTANT THING. As I am only qualified formally (and all my extra skills have been gained on the job) in one very specific area and do not have a university degree my options are quite limited. As a non German speaker I can not find work in my current field thus I will have to adapt. I do have one thing going for me though, I am a woman, making me less threatening and able to use this talent to my advantage.

There are a few options for work:

Aupair/Nanny

A grate website to use is Aupair World that can put you in contact with families before you arrive so you can already establish a relationship with them before you start

Pro:

There are many family's that are looking for someone who can look after the children on a full/part time basis with taking them to school, looking after them at home and teaching them English. You can pick up German easier as you do everyday tasks. You can also gain local knowledge by talking with the family and the children's teachers that you wouldn't get if you where not in contact with locals.

Con:

This can be exploited. You can be made to be more of a maid than someone who is primarily there to look after the children. They are not your own children and being frustrated can be ten times worse when you don't speak the same language. They can sometimes want long hours or in house Aupair.

English Teaching

There are many recruitment sites out there but you must also have a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language)

Pro:

As a native speaker there is a clear advantage going but there is also an opportunity to expand your own English skills as your students learn from you in the lessons. The classes will have many people from many different countries to meet. A very well paid job of about 2,000 euros a month.

Con:

You already have to have a very good understanding of English which is very hard for someone with dyslexia like my self who already has difficulty with the language. You also have a lot of unpaid lesson preparation before every class and as the students are not learning through language immersion your teaching can be made harder.

A lot more job looking is still to be done