It is day 4. The wacky homeless dude next to me is twitching and mumbling "SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE" and occasionally negative numbers. It is cool though, cause he is Korean.
I could have prevented all of this. That first day, through a rainy day in June, (a June which, conspiring against all decency, was in the depths of winter), I arrived in this unhallowed land. My aghast "reception" tried to defer me with speed (for I was an unenchanting figure, soaked and carrying my belongings on my back) to some hostel or another.
Hostels. They reek of foreigners. And so, most damningly, does the city of Sydney. As I warily peered at each person of unwelcome extraction, wondering from which immigrant my doom would spring, I at last arrived at the hostel that was promised, to find it was presided over by a sullen Aborigine. My spirit faltered, and I reluctantly aquiesced to stay there. I should have ran.
I was not long before I met my proposed roommate- a Belgian who was working himself to death in 80 hour weeks at some restaurant. My worst suspicions were confirmed; the hostel consumes men until they are nothing but bones for the Aboriginal to wield as tribal talismans. I took my flight.
Efforts to find a more permanent lodging were invariably full, even in this off season; My feet took me to places that billed themselves as backpackers' lodgings, but I found the claims to be filled with terrible truth. Jovial, crude backpackers loomed inside; some offensive dubstep emanated from within. I took my flight.
In the end, although I knew it to be wrong, I succumbed to a comfort I knew and understood. The Internet Cafe is a lofty institution, held to a glittering standard of civilization by the Japanese; within a proper Internet Cafe, manga line the walls, there are numerous drink machines where guests may endlessly draw from without charge, and great booths are erected to block light and provide the intimacy of a home for the man who finds himself staying there. A traveller could quickly learn to love the padded flooring, the pillows, and at times even the blankets distributed by the merciful and wonderfully professional staff of the Internet Cafe. With such an unblemished pedigree, could it be any wonder my heart longed to returned to such succor when tried and uncertain?
But Sydney does meet the base metrics of decency that would allow it to erect a proper internet cafe; indeed, convenience stores with three computers consigned to a corner might claim the prestigious title. There is but one I have found that approaches the Internet Cafe in truth, but it is as though through a scanner, darkly.
For it is run by Koreans.
Gone is any thought of booths, padding, or free drinks; Open-air computers and indifferent chairs are the rule of the day. Sizeable Australian cockroaches wander the floor, creating a sense of unease. In place of a generous and open larder, the Koreans ban any outside food or drink to ensure their ruinous prices are acceded to when their patrons finally sucumb to food and drink. (no doubt desperate for some sense of being alive and sensual stimulation after any length of time in this dismal place.) A bewildering variety of Southern country music, rap, K-pop and australian pop tunes plays on loop, calculated to please no one and assail any atmosphere of restfulness that threatens to manifest itself. The homeless and mentally ill seem to detect the negative energy of this place, for they periodically wander in- being, by all accounts, the only white men to do so.
Truly the rumors were true. The jealous and resentful Koreans, in seeking to emulate their betters, have birthed an abhorrent thing. And it is here I shall spend my evening, but it shall not wear me down. I shall return from this walkabout unbeaten, and once again take up a comfortable life in the fair city of Fukuoka.
My new colleague worked as a teacher in Sydney for a year and loved the city. (She was an English teacher in Japan before that.)
How do you pay your travel expenses?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 02, 2013, 11:49:08 AM
How do you pay your travel expenses?
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages3.wikia.nocookie.net%2F__cb20111027155030%2Fsnl%2Fimages%2F1%2F1e%2FFred_Garvin.jpg&hash=bf0d42e5a5e433dce83fc06387d7f29753de0c5e)
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
I did it once and was not a fan.
Also, Lettow sounds ridiculous. Complaining about foreigners when he is one...
Quote from: garbon on July 02, 2013, 12:03:16 PM
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
I did it once and was not a fan.
Yeah, my hostel experience was not a super awesome one either.
Quote from: fhdz on July 02, 2013, 12:06:31 PM
Quote from: garbon on July 02, 2013, 12:03:16 PM
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
I did it once and was not a fan.
Yeah, my hostel experience was not a super awesome one either.
I mean it was indeed cheap but I learned that lodging is something I'm willing to pay decently for. :)
I stayed in hostels quite a bit. Never made bad experiences beyond what you must expect (snoring people, stinking people, poor maintenance etc.). You get what you pay for.
Quote from: Zanza on July 02, 2013, 12:11:49 PM
I stayed in hostels quite a bit. Never made bad experiences beyond what you must expect (snoring people, stinking people, poor maintenance etc.). You get what you pay for.
This, and once in a while you run into interesting people to share a beer or two with.
Quote from: garbon on July 02, 2013, 12:04:43 PM
Also, Lettow sounds ridiculous. Complaining about foreigners when he is one...
尊皇攘夷
That's nice.
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
As a young traveller staying in hostels is definitely the way to go. Not only are they a cheap way to travel but you end up meeting alot of potential travelling companions, or at least pick up a lot of interesting ideas of where to go and what to see.
Can you claim to be poor if you haven't slept in an Internet Café?
Quote from: Tamas on July 02, 2013, 01:09:54 PM
Can you claim to be poor if you haven't slept in an Internet Café?
You had enough money to use an internet cafe?
Luxury!
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
I've only really stayed in hostels (or the odd apartment) when travelling and I don't mind them. You get what you pay for and if you look online you can find one that's right for you. Some'll be big on organising big group nights out, which is what some people (Australians) want, others'll be more laidback and, in a few small towns, there are some outstanding hostels.
I remember I stayed in one in Morocco in a famous pot growing hilltop town. I ended up having a beautiful, well looked after room to myself and the hostel itself was nice to come back to, there was a really nice cool courtyard which, given that it was August, was perfect.
Sometimes you'll meet fun people who you can go out, see the sights and enjoy the town with but I think that's luck of the draw more than anything. But even then you don't have to. I don't really like doing things with people during the day, I don't like having to stick with a timetable when I'm going to a beach or to a museum or whatever. But it's normally really nice to meet people to go drinking and eating in the evening.
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 02, 2013, 11:37:33 AM
It is day 4. .........
Hey Mr. McBigot, relax you might enjoy yourself.
Quote
Aboriginal to wield as tribal talismans. I took my flight.
My spirit faltered, and I reluctantly aquiesced to stay there. I should have ran.
Because bigots and racist like you are really cowards at heart. :P
Quote from: 11B4V on July 02, 2013, 02:59:48 PM
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 02, 2013, 11:37:33 AM
It is day 4. .........
Hey Mr. McBigot, relax you might enjoy yourself.
Quote
Aboriginal to wield as tribal talismans. I took my flight.
My spirit faltered, and I reluctantly aquiesced to stay there. I should have ran.
Because bigots and racist like you are really cowards at heart. :P
Guess he should have just shot the Belgian and be done with it.
Quote from: derspiess on July 02, 2013, 11:56:21 AM
I've never stayed at a hostel & don't feel like I missed out on anything.
My brother caught scabies staying at one of those.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 02, 2013, 03:04:31 PM
Quote from: 11B4V on July 02, 2013, 02:59:48 PM
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 02, 2013, 11:37:33 AM
It is day 4. .........
Hey Mr. McBigot, relax you might enjoy yourself.
Quote
Aboriginal to wield as tribal talismans. I took my flight.
My spirit faltered, and I reluctantly aquiesced to stay there. I should have ran.
Because bigots and racist like you are really cowards at heart. :P
Guess he should have just shot the Belgian and be done with it.
:lol:
Spent three months backpacking and staying at Hostels in Australia, had great experiences at 90% of the hostels, made friends with people that still keep in touch with almost 15 years later.
You're dick wasn't cut off a single time?
Twice, I heard.
Twice might still be worth it.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 02, 2013, 03:51:30 PM
You're dick wasn't cut off a single time?
They stole both his kidneys. He thought it was just a bad mattress bothering his back.
And yes, kat can run without kidneys. The man works off biodiesel.
I've had good hostels and bad hostels.
As I've gotten old I've come to appreciate spending 10 quid more for a bit of privacy.
I'm confused as to why Lettow is in Australia.
Quote from: Tyr on July 02, 2013, 08:58:50 PM
I'm confused as to why Lettow is in Australia.
Because he's nuttier than squirrel shit.
And of course he's going to complain about his situation; he's probably doing it with about $30 in his pocket. Of course the life of the wandering homeless sucks.
So Lettuce, how is this preparing you for your future career? :)
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 02, 2013, 09:05:31 PM
Quote from: Tyr on July 02, 2013, 08:58:50 PM
I'm confused as to why Lettow is in Australia.
Because he's nuttier than squirrel shit.
And of course he's going to complain about his situation; he's probably doing it with about $30 in his pocket. Of course the life of the wandering homeless sucks.
Sydney is expensive as hell atm. He picked a poor place to wander.
It wasn't cheap when I was there and we had almost 2-1 value in currency.
I will be fine; I lived on $10 yesterday. Luxury is the enemy :3
I have already plotted the date of my escape from Sydney after a suitable period. I am looking forward to it eagerly.
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 02, 2013, 09:56:30 PM
I will be fine; I lived on $10 yesterday. Luxury is the enemy :3
I have already plotted the date of my escape from Sydney after a suitable period. I am looking forward to it eagerly.
The aborigines in concert with their Belgian spies well stop you.
Too bad no dingos would touch his smelly ass.
Any place in the world is going to be crap if you have no money for a decent place to sleep and to buy or prepare a meal for yourself.
I dunno, travelling super cheap can be quite fun.
Its nice to see how far you can travel on very little money and you tend to meet a better class of people (country dependant) and see the reality of places you travel, not just the tourist sites.
Yes, but there's a difference between saving money on accommodation and food by going to hostels, bed & breakfasts or local food places instead of business hotels and four star restaurants, and living like a vagrant eating scraps.
Quote from: Caliga on July 02, 2013, 09:27:03 PM
So Lettuce, how is this preparing you for your future career? :)
that's the reason he's there. to better his chance at future career in japan, he's gone to australia to attend the university of cambridge's CELTA program in sydney. with the certificate and his recent graduation from university, he'll have much better chance at finding employment as a teacher
did languish really think lettuce would travel around australia as a tourist? :D
Staying at hostels can be great fun, but I understand how it may not be for everyone. Personally I've always enjoyed it.
Btw, you can avoid getting into creepy places that look like slasher film sets by doing some research. There are tons of websites that can help, like hostels.com.
I only stay in places with good shitters.
Quote from: LaCroix on July 03, 2013, 03:23:51 AM
Quote from: Caliga on July 02, 2013, 09:27:03 PM
So Lettuce, how is this preparing you for your future career? :)
that's the reason he's there. to better his chance at future career in japan, he's gone to australia to attend the university of cambridge's CELTA program in sydney. with the certificate and his recent graduation from university, he'll have much better chance at finding employment as a teacher
did languish really think lettuce would travel around australia as a tourist? :D
Being white, having a degree and a pulse is normally enough.
A friend of mine bummed around the UK for awhile after graduating from high school. He was from Lawrence, Michigan, which is so small even the Michigan media refers to it as "A town outside of Paw Paw." He stayed at hostels for the most part. Somewhere in the north of England he was at one where the guy next to him pulled out a bust of Stalin, shone a red light on it, and started worshipping it. So he went to the local bed and breakfast and was astounded that they six different kinds of fish for breakfast. :bowler:
In part, due to that story I never stayed in hostels in my travels. Years later I went to the House of Terror (a museum of the fascist and communist periods) in Budapest. To my amusement they sold candles of Stalin. I bought one for him.
I have settled into a strange area; it is more asian than previously, being something like 70% orientals, with a leavening of Indians, Lebanese and even the odd Greek or two. Anglo-Australians make up less than 10% of the populace.
For all of that, it has the atmosphere of a safe suburb, albiet a disconcertingly vibrant one. I was able to acquire good tea.
I have fallen into the company of two prospective english learners, here to steal an Australian education before furthering China's imperial interests, with the assumed names of Kevin and Edwin. They come to me ceaselessly for assistance. One loves B.B King and the blues; I feed him a steady stream of propaganda about our great city, and have assured him a career awaits him there in his chosen field and that my circle of friends would be happy to welcome him. (It would be best if he stole his Australian education for the glory of the South instead.)
Most disconcertingly, however, I seem to be living with an elderly German scientologist. The man is quite "devout". He takes to feeding us, which is a fine gesture, but it tends to consist of things such as a pumpkin porridge into which crusts of bread are dipped. (It seems I have lost a lot of weight once more; from the lofty, unassailable heights of 154 poundsin my beautiful river city, I now hover near 138.)
He laughs often and loudly, while instituting a variety of minor (german!) rules. Strangest to me is his notion that a shower should not extend past 4 minutes, but it can't be helped. Any shower at all was a welcome change.
That elderly German scientologist is so going to blitzkrieg your bunghole.
A lot of people get into scientology due to gayness.
Shouldn't you be finding a way to get to Japan?
How about swimming?
I came here directly from Japan. The return flight is already booked, and good riddance- even with improved conditions, this is not where I want to be.
Where do you want to be? Back in Tennessee, or back in Japan?
Tennessee had a great and noble dreadnought named after her, but Japan was once home to many dreadnoughts, and still is home to the one remaining pre-dreadnought in all the world.
I would like to be in both. I don't know when I can really return to Tennessee; there is no home or career for me there, and even my roommate wants to travel off somewhere. I believe it may be quite a long time before I see it again.
Japan has lots of fine places to be, and I will be happy to be back there.
Have you gotten your degree?
Of cooouurse I've gotten my degree.
College was a very pleasant time.
Do you have a place to stay in Japan now, or do you still sleep in internet cafés?
Internet cafes -are- a place to stay! They are very affordable, provide food, internet, privacy all one can drink, and a place to sleep. The more benign even offer blankets. I am in good company; many well-mannered Japanese working poor live in internet cafes :)
I see no point in a more fixed address prior to employment- pursuing opportunities requires a certain amount of mobility that rent-by-month places can't offer, and anything shorter term than that would come up very short when compared to an internet cafe in benefits analysis.
edit: I am somewhere reasonably nice at the moment, and would much rather be in a Japanese internet cafe. Don't underestimate such a fine place!
I miss it rather strongly, actually. It is quite a trial for me to be here. I am not happy, and only constant thought about future benefits and the resolve not to fail my own goal-setting is keeping me rooted here. Even as things have gotten better materially, I still have an abiding sense of misery and not anyone in particular to talk to or feel any sense of commonality with.
Lettow probably smells like ass something fierce.
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 07, 2013, 10:14:02 PM
my own goal-setting
So what exactly are your goals?
Quote from: Tyr on July 03, 2013, 01:43:02 AM
I dunno, travelling super cheap can be quite fun.
Its nice to see how far you can travel on very little money and you tend to meet a better class of people (country dependant) and see the reality of places you travel, not just the tourist sites.
Agreed. I had a great time travelling on no money back in the day. Lots of people I met along the way invited me to stay with them and I made a number of life long friends.
Quote from: crazy canuck on July 08, 2013, 12:23:25 PM
Quote from: Tyr on July 03, 2013, 01:43:02 AM
I dunno, travelling super cheap can be quite fun.
Its nice to see how far you can travel on very little money and you tend to meet a better class of people (country dependant) and see the reality of places you travel, not just the tourist sites.
Agreed. I had a great time travelling on no money back in the day. Lots of people I met along the way invited me to stay with them and I made a number of life long friends.
+1 to both of you. :)
Tyr enjoy your time in Italy. :cool:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM
Lettow probably smells like ass something fierce.
Uh, yeah.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM
Lettow probably smells like ass something fierce.
Lettow, CdM is maybe on to something. You are keeping up with personal hygiene while staying at internet cafes, right? :unsure:
Quote from: Barrister on July 08, 2013, 02:41:02 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM
Lettow probably smells like ass something fierce.
Lettow, CdM is maybe on to something. You are keeping up with personal hygiene while staying at internet cafes, right? :unsure:
I'm sure he's keeping himself to the hygiene standard imposed by Forrest on his troops :D
Quote from: Barrister on July 08, 2013, 02:41:02 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM
Lettow probably smells like ass something fierce.
Lettow, CdM is maybe on to something. You are keeping up with personal hygiene while staying at internet cafes, right? :unsure:
I'm sure the hand soap and the brown paper towels in the internet cafe's public restroom is doing him just fine. Sometimes nobody even notices him rinsing out his shirt in the sink and using the hot air dryer.
I mentioned this before, but I will reiterate:
Being bastions of mercy and civilization, internet cafes have showers available. I of course shower quite regularly- although I have not yet found an internet cafe that does laundry, and this necessitates going to a coin laundrymat every week or so, which is no great trial.
Actually, showering is much harder here in Australia; the German Scientologist does not believe in the luxuriant 30 minute showers one might take in an internet cafe.
Edit: As to my goals, I think that's an important question. Obviously if I came here to get a CELTA certification, one goal is to obtain it- it would be disgraceful, to me, to fail or give up beforehand. Fear of the shame associate with failure is a traditional motivator.
Beyond that, I very much want a stable home life. I would like a private apartment of my own, with stable employment and a modest salary to live on. I want a Kotatsu, a nice tea set, and fast internet. This will fully satisfy all my goals for at least a year. In the long term, I would like to become fluent in Japanese, and start a family.
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 08, 2013, 04:53:34 PM
Kotatsu
*googles furiously*
Hey, that's pretty neat! :)
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 08, 2013, 04:53:34 PM
I mentioned this before, but I will reiterate:
Being bastions of mercy and civilization, internet cafes have showers available. I of course shower quite regularly- although I have not yet found an internet cafe that does laundry, and this necessitates going to a coin laundrymat every week or so, which is no great trial.
How hippyish
My laptop came in! I have internet in Australia, and thus, freedom!
This is also the halfway day of the course. It will be much more pleasant from here on out. There is a new chapter of Otoyomegatari, and I picked up some pleasant taiwanese tea from a gentleman who didn't speak english. I have no lesson plan tomorrow; it will be a wonderful evening.
Lettow's laptop smells like ass by now, too.
A photo of Lettow.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.retronaut.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F07%2FWestern-man-in-traditional-Japanese-dress-1-620x899.jpg&hash=2205ea646252d89e6969319c402d55bb98555d4a)
It's Jeff Foxworthy's cousin.
The flight out is in less than 100 hours; I only have to bear things out.
I am worried about failing the course; so few people fail it that I couldn't bear the humiliation, to say nothing of how meaningless it would render this ordeal. I hope my fears have no foundation in reality, and try to convince myself they musn't.
This is in some ways the nadir of my time here, although it is so close to the end; Three assignments critical to my passing are due in six hours, although only two are done. The third nears completion and will be finished by the morning, so I will be up for at least 24 hours, it appears.
More concerningly, or perhaps less concerningly as it only indirectly relates to passing, I am feeling intense abdominal pain. I am not sure why, but suspects exist. I haven't defecated in what I believe is a few days, my diet is somewhat irregular, and I am feeling a very large, disconcertingly omnipresent amount of stress. I can ignore the pain, although it is severe, and in some respect welcome it as it helps keep me awake and is an appropriate thematic accompaniment to my present circumstances, but I am worried about it taking me out of productivity or having some serious consequences.
Still, I expect to finish my time in Australia before it finishes me, and will be on the mend once I escape to the land of tea and internet cafes.
(Naturally, i will be resuming my residence in an internet cafe for a time.)
If the pain doesn't go away soon you should really have someone look at it. Easier said than done, I know.
Quote from: The Brain on July 21, 2013, 12:01:24 PM
If the pain doesn't go away soon you should really have someone look at it. Easier said than done, I know.
I should, I know. In a few hours I'll have access to an orange and some water, which is hoped will alleviate the situation a bit. The traditional family curative is cranberry juice, but I don't have much in the way of time to get any. Actual medical examination would be odiously expensive, I don't know where to go, and of course taking time off from the course is out of the question.
One of the perks of living in Japan I am looking forward to is going to a doctor and a dentist to get an appraisal and needed treatment for long-neglected ailments. I intend to look after my health once I am there.
Go take a dump, you'll feel better.
Severe abdominal pain can be the sign of something serious that you can't wait 3 days to get treated. Go to the hospital, don't worry about the cost--I'm not sure how they can collect from you anyway.
Quote from: Lettow77 on July 21, 2013, 12:05:56 PM
Quote from: The Brain on July 21, 2013, 12:01:24 PM
If the pain doesn't go away soon you should really have someone look at it. Easier said than done, I know.
I should, I know. In a few hours I'll have access to an orange and some water, which is hoped will alleviate the situation a bit. The traditional family curative is cranberry juice, but I don't have much in the way of time to get any. Actual medical examination would be odiously expensive, I don't know where to go, and of course taking time off from the course is out of the question.
One of the perks of living in Japan I am looking forward to is going to a doctor and a dentist to get an appraisal and needed treatment for long-neglected ailments. I intend to look after my health once I am there.
Doctors in Japan are expensive.
And their English sucks and medical Japanese isn't something people normally learn.
Go to a proper English speaking Australian doctor.
Quote from: alfred russel on July 21, 2013, 05:30:19 PM
Severe abdominal pain can be the sign of something serious that you can't wait 3 days to get treated. Go to the hospital, don't worry about the cost--I'm not sure how they can collect from you anyway.
Indeed, appendicitis is the first thing that came to mind.
Quote from: Tonitrus on July 21, 2013, 07:47:31 PM
Indeed, appendicitis is the first thing that came to mind.
After eating like a homeless sewer rat, that is.
Perhaps he should just have some coffee and ex-lax.
You don't need to make a damn doctor's appointment. Just go to the hospital... look for the sign that "EMERGENCY" or whatever the Brits call it... "CASUALTY"? In the meantime, or preferably while you're on the way, go to a damn drugstore and get some laxatives.
Trust, you won't be the first college-aged American admitted to a Sydney ER. They'll just be surprised it's not alcohol poisoning. You'll get ultrasounded or MRIed or whatever and the problem may be solved. And like you said, you're leaving that ghastly hellish place permanently in 100 hours: like AR said, even if they charge you boo-coo, how they gonna collect anyways?
Appendicitis can actually kill you if you don't get treatment within a short period of time. Acute pancreatitis takes young lives too.
Not paying one's bills is immoral, especially if it is for life-saving services. Ducking out to dodge lawful payments is for browns. In the end, I sought no treatment- as I have never really sought treatment for anything. If the pain had persisted further (as it was, it was around six hours), I might have, but I take a fairly fatalistic view of things. Life is transient, I have enjoyed most of the pleasures I aspire to, and I have nobody I support or who supports me by which I might be chained to pursuing self-preservation through social obligation. I am happily expendable, and this affords me the great comfort that is carelessness.
But! I have alleviated my problems with a storied and successful bowel movement (which spawned a successor), and no less importantly, passed the CELTA course. I fly out of this unhappy country in less than eight hours. I anticipate warm and pleasant times in Fukuoka; one of my first actions will be to poke my head into the belgian beer festival that will be taking place there.