Where would I begin a post such as this when so much has happened? Well, I ended the last post with LA is a hole so maybe I should start back from the begining... I arrived in a Los Angeles to Hostel International which was located on Hollywood Blvd. I never thought that it would be so loud and dirty - it's certainly not the picture you find on postcards. There were a few cool things about the place which were the general tourist activities such as a stroll along the star strip, a visit to the wax museum and the guiness world records museum. Hello to all the people I met at the hostel - you made the one night stay tolerable. When I was there I accidently walked into a really dodgey part of town (bad mistake) where people were begging for money, talking really loudly to themselves, and screaming at each other... kind of strange but quite normal for a lot of America.
So then I woke up and had to catch a bus to San Francisco, another eight hour ride. I got on the bus and saw this sketchy looking chick with tats on her neck and well pretty much every other body part, wearing long baggy pants and had the underneath of her head shaved - pretty much your typical ghetto girl. So of course I strike up a conversation and discover that she was really a sweet girl, and yes, sketchy. She made the tattoo pens herself like they do in prison and drew all the designs. Then after she got off at San Jose this 20 something year old guy named Mark recognised my accent and came up to speak to me - a fellow Aussie who had been living in San Francisco and Colorado. He told me a little about his amazing story and how he was surving on the street and the types of people he met.
Anyway, I got into the Greyhound Bus Station with $20 in my wallet and a HUGE backpack ready to tip me over any moment and no idea which hostel I was booked into and not quite sure how to use a phone. I worked it out after a bit of walking around and finally made it to the hostel around dinner time. BUT after meeting heaps of people and drinking a few too many I ended up in the common room on the couch for my first night in the hostel. The next few days after that have been a little bit of a blur of drinking, partying, pub crawls, theatre, WALKING and avoiding the ghetto.
There have been some really facinating differences between America and Australia and sometimes it is really little things that get me. The first time I went to the bathroom you have to hold a lever down to flush and I didn't know this and the water just kept on filling up and I freaked out big time thinking it was about to overflow! I am learning to calculate an approximate amount of tax because it's not included in the price, as well as the exchange rate and the transfer fees that banks charge you. Some of the street drain pipes have steam coming from them in the middle of the road - I don't understand where it's from or what is underneath the road but again it was a bit of a what the? A 1.75 ltr bottle of finlandia vodka can be picked up for around $20 in some places and junk food is cheaper than food worth eating. I obviously knew that people drove on the wrong side of the road but it is taking a lot more effort to get used to it than I thought. The ghetto is real! Even most American's I have met admit to the view of being quite dim about the rest of the world. One person I met didn't know that Australian's spoke English!? So I may have come across a unique bunch but people are quite friendly and open to listen and here Jane and I are a bit of a novelty.
I am sorting out accomodation and job opportunities at the moment and running a little low on cash... but it's helping me be very resourceful and not take things for granted. It looks like there is an opening to work and live at the hostel (you move into staff dorms which have 3 or 4 people rather than 6) and this seems like a pretty good option. But before any of that happens I have to get my insurance company to sign a health insurance affirdavit or something so I don't get deported... yeah... deportation isn't fun. Nor was this afternoon when I got picked up by the police for not having a ticket to get on the train. I thought I could buy one on the train but apparently NO! I turned on the waterworks and all that and escaped it THIS time he says... but if I don't follow rules again there will be a fine.
I skipped an entire part of what I wanted to share with you guys. San Francisco is incredible. It is certainly a place that you really can't explain or understand via photos alone. The whole of San Francisco is only 7mile square land so it really would take that long to walk from top to bottom, but you would get tired after all the hills! I asked someone today what suburb they lived in and they didn't quite understand because the 'suburbs' are really suburbs at all, instead they have districts. I'm sort of in the city centre - more where its between the Nob Hill / Downtown District which is really close-by to everything!! In San Francisco you do so much walking and so much of that walking is up and down hills... your calf muscles start complaining around day three. But one thing I have had difficulty with is the block system because it's harder to navigate when you are new to it because landmarks are corners and they are a little more inflexible to navigate - as in you have to right around the block and none of this ducking through building allyways and empty bits of land... it's all taken up by buildings. There are areas to aviod because they are the ghetto but if you go in the daytime the same people are there they will just leave you alone. It's like there is an unwritten code in San Francisco and you really have to start exploring the place at a ground roots level and not like a typical tourist to understand and really appreciate how this place works. On one hand you can view all the amazing architecture, or stand on a quiet hill out over the city, you can club and pub till 2am lockout and end up at an amazing afterclub club (explain later) or shop at Macy's in downtown and later grab a burrito at Mission which is the mexican area. There is something to do ALL the time and each area has it's own flavour.
The biggest thing that annoys me about San Francisco is the weather. Right now it's summer but it is colder than Brisbane winter!
At the moment it's always freeeezing! I have to wear a singlet, shirt, light jumper and a cardigan. Today it was so cold I pulled out the scarf. Apparently even across the bay in Oakland and Berkley is diferent again because it's not a peninsula like San Fran. I don't know how long I can go on like this and am having second thoughts about Ireland in winter but we shall see. I sound like such a Queenslander - used to the warm sun and barely counted cold days.
The grounds of SFSU are AMAZING!! I have snaked a few photos from the net because of course they are better than mine.
I have been in the Science Block all week - really usless for info for most people other than my mum - and in anycase mum... thanks for everything and I love you!
The grass is really this colour (or should I say color) and the trees are even a darker green than that... it's spectacular.
I can't wait to see it packed with people roaming around all in 'sweatshirts' that say SFSU since most people are proud about the university name here in America and there is a bookstore that sells the parafanalia.... go gators?
Anyway! I am still dealing with a messed up body clock and have to get up in a few hours... ahhhh... running away from blog. If you have actually read the small story on San Francisco well done - you deserve a prize! Love you all, be safe and all that.
xo Robyn
