It’s been 6 weeks since I left Surfer’s Paradise. I moved to Sydney for a job at a company called CSG, which is a print and communication company in the city. I’m working as a marketing coordinator as a main support to the marketing manager. I am 3 weeks in and so far I’m really enjoying it. I have a good relationship with my manager and the rest of the team. While this is a national company and corporate office, the atmosphere is pretty laid back and quite informal. The people of CSG work together in a dynamic that isn’t built upon a degrading hierarchy system but rather on equal grounds. This creates a relaxed atmosphere and allows people to be themselves. People respect each other and as a result, good work gets done.
I’ll admit that I still have a lot to learn about this company and my position, but some of my responsibilities include organizing and planning events such as conferences, launches and corporate sponsorship parties. Also, I help with basic admin support including filing, scheduling and organizing payments/invoices to AP. In addition, I prepare documents using Microsoft Office products by formatting and manipulating docs to be sent out. Moreover, I complete Web-site updates for any marketing announcements or promotions going on within the company. Like I said, I still have a lot to learn as I’m not yet an expert in Marketing, but I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge as I go. I may even take some evening classes/a course to improve in the next few months. Another plus working for CSG is that they have offered to sponsor me, which is really nice because that takes the pressure of my Visa restrictions. So, all in all…work has been GREAT! We were just given a huge 3 week break over the holidays but I’m back to the grind on Monday.
As for living it Sydney, it’s been unreal. This city is absolutely stunning. Everything is green and lush. I love all the little side streets with terrace houses. Some people complain about driving in Sydney with the crazy random roads and one way streets. But I kinda like that. Maybe it’s because I’m a little bit crazy and random myself? In my opinion, Sydney has so much character and really has everything you could want in a city. You’ve got all the entertainment you need. There’s always stuff going on to prevent boredom like shows, festivals and there are a lot different cool venues to go, depending on what you like. Whether it’s a small little corner pub, underground house music bar, classy roof top venue, or live music gigs… WHATever you fancy, you can find it here. On top of having a city full of entertainment, you’re surrounded by nature. There are parks everywhere, for example Centennial Park, where so many people are out actively jogging, biking, playing cricket, footy, soccer etc… In addition there’s The Pacific Ocean along the coast with the most beautiful beaches like Coogee, Bondi and Manly. This allows you partake in fun water activities like swimming, snorkelling, boating, surfing etc… Last but not least, the weather is gorgeous and has so many warm and sunny days. While Sydney may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I personally love it here and can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t? That being said, it’s all still very new to me so perhaps some of my opinions will change over time. But as of now, I can’t see that happening.
I just spent Christmas/New Years in Melbourne with my boyfriend Jack and his family. It was really nice to be able to be part of a family over the holidays. It makes it a bit easier to be away from your own. However, this was my first Christmas away from my family so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick at all. The holidays seemed to spark my missing…I was missing my Mom and Dad, my brother Dan and my sisters Emily and Meghan. We are all really close so being a part isn’t ideal, but it’s what I’ve chosen, so I gotta keep on trekking. I EVEN missed the SNOW…yeesh. That was a shocker and I missed having my best friends around. But a few Skype chats and Facebook messages helped me out with that. Jack’s natural ability to comfort me did wonders as well.
Jack and I are moving into a new 3 bedroom house on Thursday in a Newtown, which is meant to be a really cool and funky area, so we are excited about exploring it. We are moving in with another nice young couple from New Zealand who are really chill. It’s sure to be a good time. I’ve also started making a few good friends in Sydney, which will hopefully continue to develop and expand this year.
I’ve been thinking about some of the goals that I want to set for myself for 2013 but it’s still in the works. I will likely talk about that in my next blog.
Anyways, time to go! Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!
