and... Back to the Real World.. again.

 Pole dance camp has ended which means…. FML… I have to go back to the real world and find a job…again. I thought I already started over because I did when I first moved out here to New Zealand, but then I decided to quit my job, buy a plane ticket to Auckland and spend all my money traveling before making it back to Queenstown to attend Pole Dance Camp. Well, now I’m back where I started, poor, homeless, jobless, and with a jar of peanut butter in Queenstown. #winning.

I floated between 3 friends houses for 2 weeks and continuously applied for jobs. Met some great people along the way (one that tends to stick in my mind) and I found a place to live in one of the cabins. I share a room with a girl from Canada and a bed #itsnotweird #shescool. Here is a photo of my family here at the cabin: Note - we are all 23 and older and very artistic as you can see.

NEW HOME: 

We have 3 bedrooms, 4 beds, a bathroom that is probably one of the grossest bathrooms I have ever seen (it’s covered in mold in the shower), a living room with a couch and kitchen. I wrote a rhyme one night about the couch once: “I really want to go to bed, but I’m going to sit on the couch instead.” This must mean the couch is super comfy…eh.

BUSKING:

I watched my bank account here in NZ sink to less than $100… it was scary and considering I’m Fun-Employed until I find a job with a tour operator I needed to find an alternative to making money. So… I got my busking license and I borrowed a ladder from a local company and set up my aerial hammock in the willow tree in town.

Busking basically means, sharing an artistic talent on the streets for money. I have seen some people play music and sing, some do magic shows, some do acro yoga, and some do silks/pole occasionally. Well, it’s my time to try and do aerial hammock. For the record, I have only performed hammock once in front of people and that was right before I moved away from Utah in November. So it’s not like I was super excited to throw myself into the wild world of busking and attempt to make money. This is a huge self motivation thing, but on the plus side, I’m my boss, I do it when I want too and I do it for me.

I made a sign that said, “Tricks for Tips,” bought some more rock climbing webbing and borrowed a ladder to climb the willow tree and BAM, I was ready to attempt busking. I made a few attempts at different methods of trying to get money while busking and ended up settling into a mode where I start my music, get in my hammock and when I get tired I simply get out of my hammock, smile, pick up my sign and do a little dorky, awkward dance turn so people see I am trying to make money doing this, then I hop back into my aerial hammock and continue performing for as long as I can. It is exhausting, but as long as there is people, I keep going, until I can’t. Then I take a break, lay in the grass, read my book, or drink some water and people watch.

I generally stay out there for around 3-6 hours busking and then I never count the money til I get home. I do this so I don’t get disappointed from what I make since I only make tips when I busk. It’s a lot of work to set up my aerial hammock (and it’s not the safest process getting it up in the willow tree) and it’s taken me a lot of work to get where I am in aerial hammock (people don’t always realize this when they see me busking though). I don’t do it for the money though, I do need the money, but I’m just happy I have a talent I can share that can assist me in trying to make money right now. I enjoy sharing it in the eye of the public because it makes me feel pretty, elegant, and graceful. Those are 3 things that don’t seem to come too easy for me and when I get in my cloud swing, I fly, I feel freedom, I feel happy. #nobodycanbringmedown

IN THE MEANTIME: 
I go hiking in my free time and I do things that are free or little to no money. My friend's company, Water Sport World here in Queenstown bought a jetovator and so I went and tried that out as they test drove it. So basically, I was a test dummy, a very awesome test dummy. See the video of it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=EdD6BwU2GsA&app=desktop

I went hiking on Ben Lomond Peak yesterday. It was my second attempt, because the first time I went I didn't give myself enough time since I left at 5 pm and it's a 5 hour plus hike... and it gets dark at 8:30 pm. This was from the first attempt up on the saddle.... I'm joining the #ToplessTours group of women I see on social media and letting the girls loose. If this offends you, it's cool, that's your problem. No one was close, no one was even on the mountain that night, it was just me wandering around the mountain tops with my top off... wild and free as can be. weeeeee. #getweird

So on the second time around, I gave myself plenty of time. My body felt shattered from busking the day before and walking to frankton the day before that, but I didn't care. I needed an adventure this week, so it was time for Ben Lomend Peak to be stood on. I walked, I sang, I tried reciting spanish from a book I brought with me, all the way up to the saddle. Then came the steep part, that was rough, my body was very angry with me, but I didn't care, I kept going and I made it up to the top. The view, the sunshine, me, my apple, my sports beans, my water, me, lying on the heated rock. I made it, now if I could get some good job vibes my way soon that would be nice. #Freedom #Ilovehiking 

 The Mountains were Calling... So obviously, I had to go ... and go I did.

 One of my favorite things to find on hikes is fungus. It's weird, but they are so cool, especially when they come in bright red toadstools and orange mushroom bouquets!

JOB SEARCH:Just wait til you read how the job search is going. I have applied for countless numbers of tour operator jobs and it seems to be a struggle. It is easy to get a job if you settle in queenstown. There are tons of Hospitality work, but I'm capable of so much more.... ya know... stay tuned and check out the next post.