Iiiiiiit's emo-time!

Well this isn’t exactly what I wanted to be writing about; unfortunately it’s all I have to say. I haven’t updated this blog in ages simply because I don’t have anything funny or interesting to say.
The fact is that I have less than 5wks until I leave Australia and I have achieved nothing. Fuck all. Zilch. Jack Shit. Nowt. I have been thinking about it for quite a while now and realised that out of the long list of things that I wanted to achieve in this year I have accomplished none of them.
One of the few things I have got out of this year is a very good insight into coal mining and soft-rock mining in general. I’m all set to begin a career in coal mining. Guess what I never wanted to work in? The one type of mining I found boring? The type of mining I looked down upon? Yup, you got it, I’m now an expert in my least favorite field. Fucking. Brilliant.

Here’s some of the things I wanted to get out of the last 12 months:

- See lots of different areas of Australia.
- Learn to scuba dive
- Get fit for rugby season.
- Make lots of friends, maybe even get a girlfriend.
- Get a motorbike and explore on two wheels.
- Save enough cash that I don’t have to worry about working for my 3rd yr.
- Learn shit loads about mining to make life easier in my 3rd yr.

Well that doesn’t seem too hard now does it? Let’s see what I managed:

- I’ve seen Newcastle, parts of Sydney and Picton, most of it wasn’t worth seeing.
- Haven’t even seen anyone else scuba dive, let alone do it myself.
- Have only just joined a gym due to the prices. Now I’ve hurt my back and can’t go anyway.
- I’ve consistently struggled to make friends, I’ve met some great people but they’re all much older or younger than me so I really haven’t ‘clicked’ with anyone. Don’t me started on the gf front, not even kissed an Australian girl which to be honest, I’m ashamed about. Fucking lame.
- I spent $200 getting my license and then realised that in no way, shape or form can I afford to buy a motorbike and still buy food.
- I stupidly signed a contract for less than half the cash we were promised… admittedly I could have saved up maybe $4-5000 (2000 GBP) but would not have been able to do the few things which have made this year bearable.
- I haven’t learnt a single thing about hard-rock mining. My course is predominantly hard-rock based. My soft-rock knowledge really won’t help until after I graduate. Fucking excellent.

So excuse me if I sound like a pathetic failure but uh, I pretty much have failed pathetically. It isn’t all bad though, I will admit.

I have learnt many, many valuable lessons this year. The biggest one is NEVER to accept less than you’re worth. I should have ripped that contract up and got a job that paid me properly and where I was given substantial work to do. One of the most depressing things about this job has been that at no point has anyone cared if I turn up or not. Several times I slept through my alarm, missed my lift to work and no one said a word. I even took 3 days off sick and they didn’t notice. It really makes me feel like a valued member of the team…
The second one is NEVER to jump ship just because you think it’ll be better elsewhere. I had a great life last June and was genuinely very happy. For some reason I thought I could be happier by leaving everything and everybody behind and moving 12,000 miles. This doesn’t work, trust me. If you’ve got a good thing going, stick with it for fucks sake!
The third is not to stick with something if it makes you unhappy. I should have arranged another job and jumped ship. Unfortunately I chose to stay in Oz which meant I couldn’t change companies for visa reasons. If I had another chance I’d have got work in the UK or Canada or Africa… anywhere but here! Working in a Scottish open pit and travelling home at the weekend would have been preferable in hindsight.

Well that was fucking depressing, you may understand why it’s taken me 2-3 months to work up to writing it. No-one likes their failures spelt out in front of them, least of all me. However I love ending on a high note so I’ll leave you with the pleasant thought that in just over a month I’ll be back in the UK, just as rude, crude and irritating as I was when I left, if a bit more cynical and bitter :D