Feeling Down, Down Under

View from Dudley Street in Coogee--don't let it fool you, that was moments before my day spiraled out of control

Usually I try to keep my blog entries cheerful and upbeat, but luck is just not with me this week. At all. It all started yesterday morning when I went to see Chris Ohio in Coogee. I packed up my backpack with laptop and charger (to possibly do some writing/exchanging of ideas over at his place) and put my purse in there, as well. I carried my wallet and phone with me (phone to answer, obviously, and wallet for bus pass) and when the 314 rolled up, I was pleasantly surprised: 1 December, and Christmas is in the air! (It's also the first day of summer in Australia...go figure.) Here's what my bus looked like:


Christmas bus!!


Damn Distracting Decorations....

Obviously, I was pretty excited and happy that I got to ride the Christmas bus. Unfortunately, I got a little bit carried away with admiring the decorations. (And listening in awe to this extremely dumb girl talking on her mobile to one of her friends. She had, by far, THEE ditsiest laugh I've ever heard in my life. She said things like, "Oh my gosh, I thought you said onions! And I was like, ohmygosh, onions aren't that heavy! And you don't even like onions! Hehe!!" It was truly intriguing. Does she have any idea how silly she sounds? My guess is no.) Anyway, I was so distracted by this silly Australian girl and the blow-up Santas and lights all around me that I somehow managed to leave my wallet on the bus. (Yes, ironic that the entire ride to Coogee I was thinking how dumb this girl is, and then I go and do something like that.) How? you ask. How, Mariah, could one be so stupid as to do such a thing? Well, it's called being absent-minded, and I'm great at it. It must have been on the seat next to me, or on my lap and slipped off without me noticing, but when I arrived at Chris Ohio's apartment, I no longer had it with me. I think that I'm so used to having it in my purse, which was in my backpack, and when I carry a backpack I usually keep my wallet inside, so nothing was unusual until I got to Chris'. I was talking about how I could only have a few beers later, because I didn't have much money, and suddenly I was overcome with panic. Of course, that's when I realised what I had stupidly done.

It gets worse. When I had gotten on the bus, I texted Chris that I was on the way. (Perhaps this is the point at which the wallet was set down?) Alas--no go. "Message failed," my phone read, and I realised that I was out of credit. It wasn't a big deal at the time, and I resolved to get more credit when I got to Coogee. But, as soon as my wallet was gone, and I had no phone credit, my day was suddenly looking pretty awful.

It gets worse. Chris and I walked to Coogee to get the number for STA (Sydney Transportation Authority) to try and get my wallet back (Chris has no internet in his apartment) and it starts to rain. HARD. I mean, it was chucking down out there. Luckily, Chris had lent me a jumper (hoodie), so I was able to stay warm, but still. My day was not improving.

It gets worse. We decided to wait around until the 314 bus came back around. We figured it had to eventually, as it only went from Bondi and Coogee, and that it would be EXTREMELY hard to miss.The outside of the bus had been decked out, too. I mean, a Christmas bus. We resolved to run after any such bus we saw. Plus, we knew that Sydney buses drive the same route all day. When it gets to its destination, it just turns around and goes back the other way. No such luck.

Tick...tock...tick...tock. TWO AND A HALF hours went by, and no Christmas bus. Lots of rain, lots of wind, and lots of OTHER buses went by (374, 373, plain and undecorated 314s), but no 314 Christmas bus. We arrived at the bus stop in Coogee (where the 314 ended) around 12:30 and stayed until 3. At one point we saw a decked out bus on the other side of the road, and sprinted after it. Alas, it was a 373 Christmas bus!! But..not MY Christmas bus. No blow-up Santa; a mini-Christmas tree stood in its place. I bet the driver never saw two unhappier people to see a mini-Christmas tree on a public transportation bus.

I'd called the RTA three times (with Chris' phone), and each time they promised to follow up on my wallet case and call me back. Luckily, since it was the Christmas bus, they knew the bus number AND the driver's name (Chris, actually). But apparently the bus I was on was his last shift (of course) and he was not able to be contacted. They have my phone number if it turns up, but I have little hopes. I also filed a report with the New South Wales police, but again--I can only hope. What keeps me going/hoping is the fact that (as you can see above), the bus was filled with lots of old people (as it usually is in the middle of the day). Maybe old people are nicer and more likely to turn it in? Also, I'm hoping that all the Christmas decorations put passengers in a lively, spirited, Christmas-y, GIVING spirit. I hope. Come on, Australians, let your kind and hospitable nature shine through for me!

What exactly was in my wallet? Luckily, I'm pretty poor at the moment (wait, that's not lucky...), so only five dollars in cash was lost. Importantly, however, my USA driver's license is gone, along with my UNSW student ID card. Furthermore, I've lost my health card, credit card, bank card and a few business cards. The credit card was cancelled within minutes, and a new bank card was on the way within an hour. (My bank branch was a few blocks from the bus stop, and in between 314s arriving I ran over and explained what happened. Luckily, I have my bank information stored in my phone, so I was able to take out some cash as well as order a new card.) Unfortunately, I now have no identification. I highly doubt that I'll be able to get a new Michigan license, and a new student ID card will probably cost around $25. This means I have to carry around my passport for ID, and that just has DANGER...BAD IDEA written all over it. I think I can get a "proof of age" card of some sort from NSW (New South Wales), but I have to figure that one out.

Anyway, so I ended up not going to work, in desperate hopes that I could find that 314 Christmas bus and get my wallet back. No such luck, and I still missed work. Of course, I couldn't call them to let them know, as I had no phone credit nor their number. Since I'd called the RTA office with Chris' phone, by the end of the day he was out of credit as well!

Around 4 we gave up and headed back to Chris'. We watched Super Troopers, which made me feel HEAPS better, and walked to Randwick Rugby Club around 7 to meet up with Marty and Dave for steak night. Home, then bed, only to have a restless sleep.

TODAY, Wednesday, started out ok, like yesterday. Still no phone credit, so I couldn't follow up on my wallet. I wrote and read this morning, finished The Old Man and the Sea, and edited my brother's college essay a bit. I worked heaps on my Yamaha music, which made me SUPER happy :) Plus, i got an e-mail from the recruitment agency to which I had interviewed for yesterday morning, and I'm officially registered. That was fantastic news, as all I need now is for a company to need me and for my agency to call! I headed to North Sydney around 2 for work, stopping at a news agency to get a bus pass on the way with the cash I had withdrawn yesterday.

Work was boring, but fine. I took a bus to Randwick to get some groceries after work, and as I was walking out I realised that my bus pass had fallen out my pocket. My back pocket, in jeans. How does that happen? Why me?! Sooo I lost another $8 today from the bus pass that mysteriously fell out of the back pocket of my jeans. Sigh. I'm hoping that my luck will turn VERY VERY soon, and that someone calls me for FULL-TIME WORK very very SOON!

Moral of the blog: Things aren't always as happy as they seem. There are always things going on between the lines of BEACH and YAMAHA and BEAUTIFUL DAY and !!!! I never blog about my personal relationship problems, or when I'm feeling sad or homesick or missing my friends, because I want this to be a reflection of the HAPPY American in Oz. But I've just had such a stream of bad luck lately, and I need to get it off my chest. That being said, I do have many, many things (and people) to be thankful for. Life isn't so bad, no matter how stupid of a thing I do or how much money I can't make or how many things I misplace. I have to keep my head above water, and hope (know) that things will look up for me soon. Because they will!

"Everything will be ok in the end. If everything isn't ok, then it isn't the end."

(Yes, what a silly saying. I remember reading it on someone's AIM profile back in the height of AIM, aka 7th or 8th grade. For some reason, I've always remembered it. It's not a profound Chinese proverb or anything, but it works.)

Oh, and the dude below also made me really happy while I was shopping tonight. An Aussie in Wooly's without shoes on, just hangin' out, buying some bananas, no big deal. Shoes? Too much effort. Does it matter that it's 10 pm at night, and that he is absolutely NOT about to go to the beach? Most definitely not. We're in Australia. Shoes/socks=overrated.



Good night, Australia. (Good morning, America.) Hopefully my next entry will be a happy one!