New education, new place, new people

How do you start talking about something that changed so much about yourself.
About the way you see the people around you...

Well... OK, give this a try shall we...

First day in EBS... Old course takes me with to go play beer pong and flair in the park... Of course after a couple of hours and a pub, I'm completely drunk and can barely get home by myself... Good start for a new beginning no?

So... All pretty basic I thought... Cocktails, flairing and some mixology... Nothing to hard right?

What I did not expect was that the studies would be a bitch...
Interesting and I'm surprised that all of this keeps me so interested... I am new to the industry and I would love to grow, but patience has never been one of my strong suits...

Everything changed with this course... I've mad a small family... Friends I will never forget... People and places to go to... They gave me a purpose while I was lost... I'm happy for meeting Josh & Freddy... Both completely different, but both good at what they do and interested in so many different things...
And Amelia... Always going about talking to people she never met before and trying to do something that scares her every day...
She has shown me a way of living I thought I would never appreciate...

Finally... Our three instructors : Nick, Naomi & Affi... They thought us so much... And even if it was a lot of time we spent together, we never really knew them 'till after the course...
Affi is my example... Straight through the woods and not taking any shortcuts... Doing everything by the book... Sometimes a little bit rude, but hell... He can afford it...

We did so many things, to many to write down... To bore people with...
Pub crawl has to be one of my favorites... All the little bars from Sydney... All the most interesting bars... From A to Z... And still so many to discover... I love this city, but it will never complete me... The western culture is way to big here...

So two months in Sydney... I have been ripped off by bars where I worked at... I have been paid by bars where I worked at... I worked as a waiter, barback and bartender... I learn every day to go up to people and start talking to them... People I never saw and maybe never will again... And it feels good to let myself go and meet up with every other guy or girl that I meet...
I learn every day from the people around me... People with diffirent passions and different feelings about life, love and friendship...
I have been hurt, I have fallen in love and I have gained so much knowledge in so little time...
It feels like my head is ready to explode... But I want to learn so much more...

I'm not wearing my mask any more... I protect myself from time to time... Wich is logic, but I'm the person I couldn't be at home... And I need to grow further... I feel old in comparison to the people around me, but I've seen that that doesn't make me wiser...

Let's see what tomorrow brings...

Sleep where needed, Flair wherever you can!

Yes I cooked my own food while stydying... And yes there were some damm fine meals!!!

Thank you EBS for this awesome experience!

Indigo slam

Look at the light, all the time it's a changing
Look at the light, climbing up the aerial
Bright, white coming alive jumping off the aerial
All the time it's a changing
And all the dreamers are waking.

Indigo Slam - Sydney

22 hours of flight, 5 hours of sleep (in a normal bed)

The day has come... I had to leave...

The hardest part of it all? Get my shit together to be honest... Whilst my best friend was helping me I was fighting against tears...

I felt like I was leaving everything behind for something I didn't know... 

A place I didn't know the people nor how they would be like...

So I started printing out my tickets and suddenly realised I couldn't check-in online... 

Panicked... Called my mom to see if I did something wrong... Looked it up again...

I had to leave... 23 o'clock in Belgium... I had to leave NOW!

Got everything together and left...

Sister, mother, father and best friend sitting in the car with me... Holding me...

I wanted to cry... To scream... But kept smiling... I needed to leave... I need a new horizon...

To see if I was right...

Got at AMS Schiphol... Checked in via a terminal and we had a coffee (beer for me to calm down the nerves a bit)

Went for a smoke or two and got my guts together to leave everyone...

Got in line and my backpack went into oblivion, only to resurface in Sydney Airport...

Kissed my parents and sister goodbey... Hugged and kissed my best friend... Told each other we won't forget us...

Whilst I was searching my gate I got back into the non-passenger zone...

I called them again and said they had to come to me... They still hate me for that one...

I kissed them a second time and whilst they were crying... I sucked it all back in and left... Not turning around 'till I was halfway and turning back around when on the stairs... 

After that... Everything is a haze... No tears... Just my stomach turning around every single step I took... For the record... I love every single person that wanted to say goodbey to me... Who understood why I had to leave... As for the people I left behind that declined saying goodbey and think I'm leaving them... That is the reason why I'm leaving... As I'm walking I know that I'll be back... Belgium is my home... Can't change that... But I can't tell how long I'll be on the road...

To continue my story... Got on my first flight... Fell asleep before the security bla bla bla was done :)

Woke up when we landed... I was knacked...

Second flight didn't go without that easily... I couldn't check in that easily into the flight so I had to start looking for the check-in... Finally got it (after a half hour of walking twice around in Heathrow) and got into the line... Whilst the guy was checking me in, computer froze, he called upon his supervisor, this went on for about an half hour. He finally got me into the list and whilst we were both waiting we started talking about Italy and Chinque Terre... How beautifull it is... Said him goodbey and got into the passenger zone... Only to stumble upon a place with Panini's, of course... Italian... Got myself a little panini and a Peroni beer... Whilst sitting there and chatting with some people on WhatsApp and Messenger, they start asking my opinion... The people of the bar and I started talking to them. They didn't know I understand Italian, what made it only funnier as longer the conversation continued. When I said them my goodbeys, I did this of course in Italian. Last thing I heard coming out of the mouth of one of the bartenders (F) "Porca Putana"... 

I did a tour of the airport... Got a magnificent view of Heathrow Airport and didn't understand why I was the only one to stumble upon this, whilst it was made for people like me (tourists)...

Got back down... Chatted with my mon on Skype and decided it was time for me to get a nap... Slept for a little hour and went for a smoke, just in time to start boarding... 

Got on the flight, and what a flight... 12 hours of flight with a connection of 30 minutes before parting.

They skipped me a couple of times because I was sleeping during dinner and they couldn't wake me (surprise there no?)

I got off the plane, every joint in my body aching and went for a smoke... Whilst all the others were checking in, I was getting a nicotine rush from the first smoke in 12 hours...

Got into the line afterwards, they took my visa and wrote down the number. I still have no idea why. The haircut?

finally on the last flight... This was it... Every movie couldn't keep my excitement at bay... Every time I looked at my phone the minutes ticked away at a slow pace... I was sicked to get somewhere unknown... Finally fell back asleep... When I woke up I felt the plane descending...

Finally got onto Australia soil... Now comes the hard part... Get into Australia... Got my sheet...Filled it in and got in line... half an hour later and I got into Australia... Finally...

Called my parents and my best friend... And of course my little sister... 

Gave everyone my love and got into a cab... Finally at my hotel... Got my key and installed myself a little bit into the chilly room...

Stood up, got my guts together and let the night beast in myself go... Went for a walk across Sydney... Talked to someone in the sailor harbor of Australia and got to the Botanic Gardens of Sydney... 

Got across some Australian night beasties, said them goodnight, have fun, and went back to my bed...

Got into my room... Took me long enough to fall asleep and 5 hours later I got up...

Went downstairs to get a coffee and see what I could eat... After a banana bread and a small coffee, got myself a fanta, had a long chat with the hotel chief and finished my blog for today... 

G'day mate (first words the australian border officer said to me) :)

Ja Ellen, ik weet het... Men puntjes zijn ambetant :p