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

Study outfit + 1st Vlog Post

red wool thermal top - snowgum, jumper - witchery, teal jeans - dotti, ballet flats -H&M

Coming from working for 6 years without much of a break I am starting to find not working very difficult. I have started to get into a routine to keep myself motivated with studying. I also have to force myself to change out of my pj's to make it seem like I am going to work somewhere even if it is just to sit at the kitchen table.

Study area at lunch time

my poor feet :( all battered from breaking in my boots

Finally Hear

sleeveless top - paper and cloth, long sleeve wool top (worn underneath) - country road, wool cardigan - country road, wool skirt - witchery, fleece tights - ambra (the only way you can go outside in a skirt), socks - kmart, boots (with a hidden 1.5 inch platform) - rubi shoes

Finally I am in Germany. After the stress of giving up work and packing up my life into 6 storage boxes I am finally in Germany with my boyfriend. I have one suitcase of clothes and a computer and that is all the possessions I own. We have started our adventure in Hamburg, somewhere that I think I am falling in love with, with a little apartment while we study and start getting use to a sort of home life. I have unfortunately missed the student admissions for March for the language schools (unless I want to pay for private tutors, no thank you) so am spending my days studying on Livemocha to try to get the jump on my classes next month.

I am trying to stick with a very limited budget to try and make my money stretch as far as possible so I am scrutinizing everything I buy to see if I relay need it (no frivolity in shopping) so I am going to find lots of ways to wear my wardrobe. I have brought a large case of makeup to give my look a little style kick without having to buy any clothes but we don't have H&M in Australia so it is very hard to pull myself out of there with it all being very cheap.

Carey Mulligan pixie crop

I am starting to get to the stage where I am wanting short hair back. It always happens around April- May when my hair gets to my shoulders. It gets so a stage where I have had it up in ponytails and buns for the summer when it has been hot and it has stopped being wavy. Also at the moment I have had to blow dry it every time I wash it to get it dry and it just ends up looking bla. But my German is in no way at any stage that I could go into a salon and ask for a hair cut so I will have to just put up with it.

Learning the Language

I have only a few months to start to learn German so I am in a bit of a panic mode. You may say that I have left it a little late to start now but when your boyfriend is a huge procrastinator and is always having new ideas for where we should live overseas (I booked my tickets a week before he booked his tickets to force him into picking a definite date to leave) so I was still very skeptical that it would ever happen. My boyfriend has been learning German for about a year so he has a good understanding of the basics (last year he was learning Italian, see very skeptical) but I need to learn fast.

My Plan of attack:

1. Free online courses

I have signed myself up to Livemocha and GermanPod101 that help with the spoken language and written language. Livemocha has a focus on the online community as well allowing you to get pen pals so that you can get a language swap with your language for there's.

2. Podcasts

I am a very auditory learner so listening over and over to something I manage to absorb it. GermanPod101 has daily podcast but iTunes has many podcasts from the very basic to detailed courses.

3. Language Immersion

Surround yourself with German in written and spoken form so that your brain is trained to pick it up and it will not sound so foreign when it becomes the norm. These are the bloggers that I have been watching to help me. One thing never to do is eavesdrop on conversations it will just annoy the people you are listening to and anyone you are with that you will be ignoring, trust me one this, it has happened to me with my boyfriend.

Long time no talk

Image from budzi on etsy

Sorry about no bloging for ages but have had some bad times (sad face) but am starting to feel better and now I am happy to announce that I'm off to Germany on the 1st of March with my duel citizenship (3rd time was the charm for getting it) so I hope to keep updating from now on.

Renting in Germany

(very pretty houses)

Renting will be our option while in Germany ether by our selves or in a share house situation. You can usually find share houses (Wohngemeinschaften) through websites such as Gumtree.com and private rentals.

Real estate agencies (Makler or Immobilienmakler) are good but often you have to put down a bigger deposit or bond.

You can visit the local Housing Office (Wohnungsamt) which offers information on state-run housing associations (Wohnungsgesellschaften) with flats for rent ( A social housing permit is often needed for state-run housing and can be applied for through the local Wohnungsamt)

Most rentals are let unfurnished and empty, without kitchen cupboards and appliances. The size of the property is usually stated in square metres (m²) or/and number of rooms, excluding the kitchen and bathrooms.

Rent (Miete) is paid by tenant (Mieter) to the landlord (Vermieter). A deposit (Kaution) can be legally up to three months rent paid in advance . When lease is up, the deposit as well as any interest earned on the deposit can be given back to tenant.

When looking for rentals there are a few words to look out for:

(German = English meaning)

Altbau = Old building pre-1945

Balkon = Balcony

Kaltmiete = Cold rent (basic rent only with no additional costs included)

Warmmiete = Warm rent (includes additional costs such as water, property tax, chimney sweeping, street cleaning and waste disposal services)

Nebenkosten = Extra costs

Badezimmer = Bathroom

Zentral-/Gaz-/Etageheizung = Central, gas and floor heating

A good article on renting in Germany with more detailed information that has helped me a lot.

Lindy Hop

I have been a dancer since I was 2 in one form or another but have been dancing Lindy hop for about 6 years now on and off (off at the moment due to an injury) and love the lifestyle that goes with it. I have met many of my friends through dancing that I would have never met without being a dancer. When I move I want to keep on dancing for my fun and to meet local people with similar interests as me. I have met many dancers who have moved to Perth and have instantly found a group of friends.

The best way to find places to dance is through online swing websites that can tell you where to go and when the events are on. Most of these websites also have forums so that you can get in contact with dancers before you leave that can give you the low down on the scene before you get there.

I have found that Swing Scout is a very good German website with information of schools, workshops and events all over Germany .