Delay

I am feeling better physically. I have slept well since finishing the moving and packing. My family have welcomed me very warmly here.

My plans are delayed because I don’t have enough money.

I have about $2300 in savings. Zero debt on credit cards. $2500 in personal loan debt. I have $1680 bond but this may totally disappear soon because I broke the lease 2 months early on my 18 Gillespie Street rental and need to pay rent until it is occupied by another tenant. The agent also wants me to pay for scratches to the wooden parquet floor and some extra cleaning to the kitchen.

In hindsight, I should have read the fine print for the rules for superannuation and long service pro rata. I previously estimated about $30,000 from super and about $14,000 from long service leave and annual leave. I was unable to get either. I found out about my super maybe two weeks ago and the long service leave on Thursday.

I had already resigned my job, ended my rental lease, told all Canberra friends and family of my plans to leave and bought my flight to Perth. So on Thursday, despite feeling a bit foolish and sad, I decided to continue to fly to Perth. I can stay with my Perth family.

Now my plan is to live cheaply with Mum in her 3 bedroom house, get a job and save money quickly to pay my personal loan debt and put aside $5-10,000 for my trip OS.

I shall go to Centrelink this morning to register unemployed and make contact with many employment agencies specialising in office work. I can try with the local universities for administration work as well as with the WA state government and branches of federal government departments here in Perth.

I would pay some board and for some incidental transport costs but otherwise, I should be able to save most of my income. I can’t predict exactly when I can save enough money. It depends on what work I can get. I may not be able to travel until sometime early next year.

There are always obstacles while we are unenlightened. I am determined to go on this journey.