So perhaps you’ll remember my post from a couple of weeks ago where I shared the woesome tale of my search for accommodation. After staying in 4 different places in 7 weeks, I had finally found a somewhat permenant abode. The only problem was… well, let me be self-indulgent and list all the problems. Cus there were actually tons of them.

•   sharing a room with three guys, one of whom often talked about how the “b*tch” at reception was threatening to kick him out for continued antisocial behaviour
•   my roommates smoked, so there were half rolled cigarettes left around. One guy smoked inside the room next to the half open window, which was where my bed and towel was. Drying yourself with a towel that reeks of cigarette smoke – not so good!
•   the “en suite” bathroom was essentially a tiled cupboard with a sliding door that “locked” by a flimsy hook on a latch. When closed there was about 2 inches of “viewing” space either side of the door. Which is great for when you’re pooping and you want to carry on that conversation with your roommate about shagging girls and getting wasted
•   floor of the bathroom/shower was black with dirt from the guys shoes
•   my room seemed to be the focal point of all social activity on the second floor. Crowds of random burly tattooed guys coming in and out of the room as they pleased.
•   Being woken up by awful house music on tinny little speakers owned by strangers who have been up all night drinking.
•   cockroaches
•   essentially too many northerners altogether (absolutely everyone was either British or Irish)
•   no buses to or from work after midnight, meaning an hour walk home after a 9 hour shift

So, anyway, I must have moaned about this loud enough and to enough people for someone to take pity on me and tell me that there was actually a bed free in their place. And it all worked out. Let me tell you about accommodation no. 5!

It’s a 2 bed flat on Oxford Street (the street on which I work) in an apartment block. However there are 5 people living in this flat. I make 6. One of the rooms has two bunk beds, and that’s where the free bed was. The rent is super cheap (because it’s split between a ridiculous number of people) at $130 (£67) a week (all bills included). There’s a living room, sizeable bathroom, balcony, washing machine (broken dryer) and a medium size kitchen. My roommates are an Argentinian guy I work with named Cristian and 4 Vietnamese guys, who are either never about or spend all their time playing DOTA. I don’t even know two of their names and I’ve been here a week. Lolz. But the point is they’re a marked improvement on the guys I left behind in Glebe! The flat is literally a 5 minute walk to the very centre of Sydney, and maybe 20 minute walk to the Opera House. It’s freaking sweet.

Funny story though, over this long Easter weekend, the main guy in the flat had some of his family from Melbourne over to stay. So a young couple with their baby were also here in the flat. That makes 9 people in a 2 bed flat. And the baby cries like constantly. Ah the glamorous life of a British backpacker…

So now I’ve got myself a comfortable and cheap place to stay for the next few months and a fairly straightforward and enjoyable job, I can start saving up for the next leg of my trip. And make the most of Sydney life (within a budget). I need to sort myself out with busking, and I’m signing up to learn german at the University starting in a few weeks time. And with one of my best mates from the UK arriving on Friday to join the Australian dream, things couldn’t be better!