8 Months and A Video!!

Hey Yall!!

I've been abroad for 8 months now. I keep learning things about myself often and I'm getting more and more comfortable in Brisbane! I know it's been a good long while since I've posted a blog so here goes! I made a little video with some recent pictures and a couple of videos that I've taken over the last 8 months!

I've got a ton of different things to talk about and hopefully I'll find the willpower to write about them soon. Until then I hope you all take care!

Steve!

6 Months Abroad: Update, Reflection, and the Future

Wow. 6 Months. 6 Months and nothing has gone horribly wrong. 6 months of making new friends. 6 months of memories that could easily keep me talking for a lifetime.

So, Update! I'm still in Brisbane! I love this city way to much! It's been the first city that I have "lived in" besides Tuscaloosa(where I went to Uni/College) and Hattiesburg(hometown). This city has been very nice to me and will always have a place in my heart. I have also started thinking of myself as a local. One of the main forces behind me feeling like a local is I recently got the opportunity, no... the privilege, of greeting Madeline Schweers here in Brisbane. Maddie is younger sister to my good friend Elizabeth Schweers and her first semester at UA was my last. Maddie's studying abroad at QUT now and last week I got to welcome her into what is now, my city! (To read more on her travels and first week in Brisbane check out her Wordpress Click Here)

Maddie coming to Brisbane also held special meaning for me. Her arrival marked the first time I had seen anyone from back home, and it has been amazing. Hearing an accent is nice, political agreement is good..... but saying "Hello" instead of "Goodbye" was awesome. I've said it before and it is still true now. One of the hardest things about being a traveler is having to say "Bye" to people. You meet people all the time who are usually: Around your age, have similar interest, are looking to make friends cause the road is lonely, and on a budget-- this is like the perfect formula for making good friends fast... but due to both of you being travelers it happens so fast that you have to part ways. So being able to say "Hello! Person I already know and will know after I get back to the states!" was an amazing feeling. And also she brought me some sweet tea packets and that has straight up restored my faith in humanity.

So, I've met a couple other Americans here. And we got to throw a 4th of July party that ended up being full of mostly French people... nothing against French people... and hey they did help us right at the end of the revolution... it was just odd throwing a 4th of July hootnanny fully of mostly French and German people with the odd Russian thrown in here and there.

Lets get some Reflection going shall we? What have I learned about anything. I have learned that it doesn't take much to keep me entertained. I have learned that Australia is a HECK of a lot more expensive than I thought it would be. I have gotten to see the generosity of people on level that I did not know existed(Shout out to Emily Aitken and Brody Higgs). I have realized that I have a lot left to learn and I'm not as all knowing as I thought I was(I'm also the most humble person I know). I now know that the road, for now, is without a doubt the place for me to be. 6 months out and I know this is where I am supposed to be in my life right now. No idea where my life will head after I move to the states again, but for now, this is where I'm supposed to be.

And finally, what does the near future hold for Steve Crosby? My plan is to stay here in Australia(working for a bit, then travelling for another bit) until the early/mid part of October. Then somehow (possibly not by plane, still working it out) get myself up to the Philippines, followed by, Malaysia and Singapore, then Thailand in December. Then fly home around December 20-23 to have Christmas in the states, and to see all my friends and family.

What am I most looking forward to? Hitting the road :) I love it here! But MAN OH MAN Ive got some itchy feet right now. Luckily for a small change of scenery/cheaper rent I am moving in a couple of days so maybe that will trick me into getting rid of these itchy feet.

Keep the emails up!
I'm about to move(this will be my last address here in Australia) So if you want to ship me anything PLEASE PLEASE email me soon to get my address and ship it asap! Once I leave this country I'll be moving to fast for you to ship anything and I don't have plans to come back for a good long while!

---->>>   SteveGoesAbroad@gmail.com   <<<----

Y'all Take Care
Happy Trails
Steve

5 Months Down! 19 Left!

Well y'all, I've been abroad for 5 months now! Acquired a few new skills, met heaps of legit people, learned a lot about myself, and seen generosity on a scale I didn't know existed.

I long ago passed the mark for "most days away from home", that record keeps getting set each day. And I now  find myself in a weird in-between place. You can ask a backpacker, "hey how long have you been away from home?"

And there are only two responses that really matter: 1- A REALLY LONG TIME like two years/ever since I left college in 1983 or 2- A REALLY SHORT TIME like 8 days/my plane landed 30 minutes ago. And here I find myself at 5 months. Neither a huge amount of time, or a small one. When people ask me how long I've been abroad... The conversation shifts away from that topic because it goes nowhere. 

Enough about that: Australia job wise was mot exactly the land of golden honey that i was lead to believe it was, yet I'm happily employed for NFI(Northern Furniture Installations) and I'm doing heaps of different things. What NFI does- furniture installation for huge office buildings. Big work surfaces. Not as easy as it sounds, the desk tops easily weigh 80lbs and we install heaps (like 75 or more) at a time. Once Paul reads this I'm sure he'll correct my numbers but we're gonna roll with that for now. And with each of those there are cable trays to screw on, electrical wire to attach, and all manner of schananigans to attach the legs(which can be in multiple pieces)... All of which has to be hand carried after being loaded and unloade into a truck. So I'm working out daily, which is a good thing! And I even get paid for it!!

I cannot stress enough how amazing all of my friends here in Brisbane are. If it wasn't for these people I would most likely have moved to a different part of Australia by now. This list includes but is not limited to: Paul, Claire, Andrea, Noa, Em, Brody, Kane, and Katey. The road is not being a lonely place right now, and for that I am hugely faithful.

I am sad to report that I still haven't been camping or backpacking in this country yet. I am still really keen to go but can't seem to line it up right.

Before I leave! I'd like to share something! On the BlogSpot tools for me as the author of this blog I get to see what search words people may have used to get to my blog!! So if someone googles "Steve Crosby New Zealand" my blog would come up and I would know what words they searched to lead them to my site! Recently very many interesting thing have been searched: "hitchhiker Steve" "hitchhiker from New Plymouth" "Abel Tasman Steve". So .... if you met me on the road please email me! I would love to say hi! SteveGoesAbroad@gmail.com 

If anyone has any questions please shoot me an email! It always brightens my day when I read an email from back home! 

Until next time!

Happy Trails!

Steve

Getting Plugged In

Well I've done it. I've moved in here in Brisbane.

I think Brisbane is going to keep me very happy for the few months I'll be spending here. I have been in Brisbane a full 3 weeks and I've managed to make some great friends, learn the city pretty good, find a very nice church, line up a temp job, and am in the interview process for my more long term job.

So! Friends in Brisbane! On the Tuesday after my first Sunday here in Brisbane I went to a CouchSurfing Social Event. Depending on the size of the city and the amount of people in any CS community sometimes the CS ambassador to that area host social events, usually at a bar type place. Brisbane does fortnightly meetings on Tuesdays. At this event I ended up meeting 4 awesome people: Paul(AU), Claire(UK), Noa(BE), and Andrea(IE). They invited me to go climbing with them the following day and I've been hanging with them ever since (Noa left to go work on a farm but was replaced by a girl named Katey(yeah you wanted to know that right?)). We go climbing an average of 3 times a week! And I can't really explain how happy that makes me. We climb together, hang out together, and have all become surprisingly good friends over a short amount of time.

The City! Brisbane is an amazing city. It's 2 million people and change, and pretty spread out. I love the public transport system here, some people hate it, but I try to look on the sunny side (At least I don't have to walk) It's taken me a while to learn the city and I know there is still tons I don't know. But, I can get from my place to anywhere people want to meet and back (with the help of the internet every now and then) via the bus system. Most importantly I can get where I need to rock climb all the time, a place stereotypically named "Kangaroo Point". The city has tons to offer to make sure I never get bored. Usually I don't like big cities(Some could argue that this still isn't), but this is defiantly the largest city that I have still liked.

Church! Keperra Baptist- Thanks to Em Aitkin (Russia mission trip friend mentioned in last post) I have gotten plugged in and am loving it here. It's not the biggest church but it has a good heart and is full of genuine people. I've only gone to a hand full of services and event type things, but I'm being welcomed and am sure that soon I'll be a regular. Thanks to Em being awesome- She has already talked with the appropriate people and wants me to help with a youth camp in September. So that combined with my continued appearance at other church functions will hopefully get me felling nice and at home ASAP :)

Temp Job- So Paul, the guy I met at that CS social event, gave me a job! He owns NFI (a furniture instillation company) and is currently letting me do warehouse work- organizing bays, cleaning the warehouse, unloading and loading shipments, inventory.... that kind of stuff. He is currently in the process of selling his business and I am currently looking into a job closer to my house, so this is definitely a temp job. But it's a nice temp job that I am familiar with thanks to my previous warehouse experience.

More Permanent job! Bunnings (Pretty much the Australian version of a Lowes) There is a Bunnings a block from where I live, and Robyn (the lady I am renting a room from) suggested that I apply there. Apparently they liked my application and gave me a phone interview! I ROCKED the phone interview, made a joke, rocked the "foreign" accent and now I have a group interview on Tuesday. And I know once I get face-to-face I've got the job! Unfortunately, yes, I did have to trim the beard. I know I know, it was a sad day. But I would not have gotten the job with the crazy beard I had. So I trimmed up some and am looking forward to working at Bunnings!

I love feeling plugged in here in Brisbane. It makes me happy that I have a community of good friends who are active and nice people. I am very excited to be part of a rockin church. Australia is treating me very well so far. I have yet to go camping (Something I hope to fix within the next two weeks). Several of my friends are currently traveling abroad including my good friend Connor Lawson who named his blog Connor Goes Abroad - No idea where he got the name but I am really looking forward to reading it!

I hope this blog post finds you all well and I look forward to hearing from you!

Take Care
Happy Trails
Steve

PS- New Twitter: @SteveGoesAbroad and New ICQ # 670274477

That Time I Got Extremely Excited About Moving to Brisbane!

Well Hello There!!

It's an exciting time in Steve Crosby's life. I have been in Australia almost 3 weeks. And I've been busy. So, even though amazing adventures haven't been had, as far as climbing on mountains or swimming below a waterfall goes... I am ecstatic about life...

Upon arriving in Australia, Chris from CouchSurfing picked me up from the airport and made my time in Sydney as good as it could have been! Chris is one heck of a CS host. He understands the plight of backpackers and does everything he can to show you a good time, let you relax, and keep Sydney light on your wallet. After staying with Chris for a few days, I received a warming invitation from Sarah Mirela (a friend I met in Russia back in 2006). Sarah extended the spare room in Phillips house in Gold Coast (a city about an hour from Brisbane). Phil is Sarah's boyfriend who she now lives with. My time with Sarah and Phil has been amazing. In keeping with the legit hosts I've managed to find, Sarah and Phil are some of the nicest and most inviting people around. I've been on complete vacation since I arrived in Australia and I'm having a blast. Fireworks shows, fun days out, hanging out with their friends, and just relaxing in an amazing house.

But it can't all be fun. So, while relaxing in paradise. I managed to secure a place to live in Brisbane through an old friend, Andrew Fainges. I ran into Andrew at a get together on Anzac Day(April 25, My Birthday) that was being hosted by a dear friend Emily Aitken. To be clear, I know Sarah, Andrew, and Em all from a Russia mission trip in 2006. And I'm glad that I already have friends in Brisbane. I have obtained my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol), something important so I can now be a bartender in Queenstown (the state that Brisbane is in). I have also started looking into churches in Brisbane that I can get plugged into, many look like great churches with young adult programs. The CouchSurfing community in Brisbane is very active so I look forward to going to community nights and meeting other locals and travelers. Also, I've been looking into ceramic studios that I can work at. I've gotten a few promising emails back from studio owners. Most who feel, at a minimum, I can put in enough work for free studio space and materials. So I'm getting back into ceramics, a hobby that I have missed dearly. And who knows, maybe some more money on the side from selling my work if that option presents itself.

While I love traveling, it isn't free. So I got my Work/Holiday Visa and am stoked about putting some money back in my pocket so I can travel again another day (soon). From what I hear, jobs in Brisbane are not hard to get and all pay very well. (Minimum wage is $16 dollars an hour)(Hopefully I won't be getting minimum but even if I do I'll still be able to save up good money)

Why Am I So Excited? Because, while I LOVE traveling, I also really love making friends and being part of a community. Something that I have been missing ever since leaving the University of Alabama. So, in the interest of making my 5 months in Brisbane as fun as possible, I'm preparing to get plugged into the CouchSurfing community, church groups, a ceramic shop, and work (wherever I end up working, hopefully a bar).

Traveling is fun. But it's not all happy-go-lucky and off-into-the-sunset times. Sometimes you need to plan out what you're going to be doing to make sure you have a hoot. I planned out New Zealand really well and had one HECK of a time. And now I've got a plan for Australia, so I'm confident I'll have a blast here too!

Thanks for all the birthday emails guys! My trip around the world would be nowhere near as rewarding without all of your constant correspondence, encouragement, and prayers. Special thanks to Zach Helton, Kathy Steele, and Dad and Mom for sending me care packages! I haven't received them yet, due to being on the other side of the globe but I can't wait for them to get here!

I would also like to give a special shout out to anybody who is considering traveling themselves. I have received a couple of emails recently from different people who have been reading the blog. I want each of you to know: Traveling can be a unparalleled experience in terms of rewards, friends, and inner insight.

I move into my new place on Sunday! Wish me luck, keep the emails coming, keep the questions coming, and care packages are always amazing(my new address will be given to anyone who requests it!)

New Zealand- A Review

If you are friends with me on Facebook you already know that I am in Australia! And now that I am here I find myself thinking fondly about my time in New Zealand. So I thought I would do a review- one tailored specifically to backpackers, young people, or anyone traveling on a budget.

0-5 stars?

The People: 5 stars

Across the board the people were ridiculously nice, and super accommodating. Most people are really good to talk to in any setting- from day to day interactions to in depth discussions. Imagine meeting somebody you want to hang out with every time you say hello to somebody. Look back at my hitch hiking post for some more on that!

The Places: 5 Stars

I cannot stress how beautiful NZ is- words, pictures, movies- none of them do it justice. There are so many places to find amazing views. Scenery that has no equal. It doesn't matter where you go, sure, some places are different than others- but few places are really better than others in NZ- just a different kind of awesome. Forest, rivers, mountains, beaches, cliffs, lakes, snow, sand, sea- NZ has legit places to offer in all categories.

Travelers Accommodation: 4 Stars

Backpackers/Hostels in any city you go to are not hard to find. Average price is not to bad- usually between 20-26$ NZ per night for a 8 person dorm room. Prices jack up close to airports or in tourist areas as can be expected. I didn't stay at a huge amount of hostels in NZ but the ones I did were mostly nice, clean, secure for belongings, and fun places. The camp grounds are usually clean, cheap, and have a great community feel.

Transportation: 3 Stars

A vast majority of the traveling I did was either by hitchhiking or hiking. And it was super easy. And while most of you reading this will never hitchhike anywhere, maybe not even in NZ, the other modes of transportation in NZ are great. The bus system can get you anywhere as can the trains. The only reason for the less than awesome 3 stars is the price. Most bus routes and train tickets are a bit more expensive than I'd like. Cars are also easy to purchase and worth it if you're wanting to see a bunch of different areas in NZ or are gonna be spending a long time in NZ.

Prices: 2 stars

New Zealand is unquestionably expensive. Fresh food from Pack N Save is the best way to get food. Beer? 16 bucks for a drinkable 6 pack. Tobacco? 15 bucks for a pack of cheap cigarets. Petrol aka Gasoline? $2.30 per liter! (4 liters in a gallon FYI) Everything is pretty pricey in general. Going to NZ? Buy everything you can in the states. Especially outdoor equipment of any kind. Camping, hiking, anything at all- USA quality and prices are better. I would suggest REI.com. While hostels aren't to pricey, and cheap food can be found... It all adds up

Fun Level: 5 stars

If you're willing to look hard enough, go off the beaten track, or try new things out- New Zealand could be a great place for you. Tons of fun things an opportunities to really experience joy.

Giving NZ an average of 4 stars!

I loved NZ thoroughly just really was surprised by the prices. Now I'm in Australia- Staying with a CouchSurf host, Chris, in Sydney. Soon I'll be getting up to Brisbane and celebrating my birthday! All I really want for my birthday is emails from friends!

Y'all Take Care,
Steve

New Experiences in New Places

Internet far from a sizeable town can be very hard to find- but I managed to find some!

So, what's been goin on? I've done loads of camping, hiking, climbing, and all other sorts of outdoor fun! Ive been staying busy, losing weight, an relaxing heavily. Now I'm at a host in Decanter Bay- outside of Little Akaloa. Haven't hear of it? Surprising because it is a very large town. They almost have 50 people now. It's an amazing location. Far from tourist. Beautiful bay-

Sorry for my email list people you get to read this next bit again!--

Decanter bay. A long bay with steep hills on either side. It only has a beach at low tide, at high tide the waves crash on the rocks that roll around slowly turning into sand themselves. At the mouth of the bay there is a row of rocks that dog legs left from the right. The rocks are tall spires showing the only evidence that the ridge used to extend into the sea. They have iconic sharp shapes that any local could recognize instantly. Looking from the beach to sea they do not block the view, instead the compliment it. It takes about 30 minutes in a sea kayak to get to them from the beach. Once on the rocks themselves they change nature entirely. On a heavy swell day it is one of the more terrifying experiences I have endured. Big waves crashing on the rocks from the sea side, each time one hits you realize that the rocks are not solid. Instead they are covered in tubes that have slowly eroded for who knows how long. Each time a big wave comes, parts of the wave of rushed through the tubes and dozens of blow holes erupt with spray. It's awesome. Literally. It fills me with awe.

The host here- Brad and Marie- emailed me to request that I come work for em- it came at just the right time. Right as I was starting to look at my bank account. Yes- I am over budget- NZ can be expensive- luckily I have my Australia Working Holiday Visa now so I'm not really worried! I allowed myself to splurge one to many times. Back to being strict once I get to Australia!

For my last days in New Zealand I've decided a nice place with good work on the beach would be nice! Been doing a lot of digging holes, transplanting plants, harvesting just about everything, and eating tons of animals. Lot of chainsaw work to come- I'm very excited about all of that!

However, sadly and happily at the same time, in one week I will be moving to Australia. I will miss this country for sure. But I am very excited to move to my second country. While my world wide trip is 3 months down, it doesn't really feel like I'm really "under way" so to say. I feel like moving from one foreign country to another will really make me feel more like my trip is going along. It's kinda snuck up on me. I remembered to revise my visa and make CouchSurfing plans and email people and everything but next week I'm flying.... That just hit home again.... 7 nights from tonight Ill be falling asleep in Australia. Stoked.

I have been receiving a lot of emails that always keep me very happy. I even received 4 books from my cousin JJ for my kindle app! Shout out! I know my trip abroad could not have been as successful or fun without all of you. Thanks so much!

Before I leave NZ I will try to do one more post and make it a good read! What do you want to hear about NZ guys? Ask and you shall receive!

Take Care!
Steve