Monkey Mia, Western Australia, 29th March 2023, 06:55 am:
After a 7 hour bus ride and another two hours in a small shuttle bus, I arrive in Monkey Mia completely destroyed. The bus driver drops another backpacker and me off in front of the reception and here we are: in Monkey Mia, my home for the next few months. I'll probably stay here until the end of June/July, load up my travel budget and, as it turns out later, find a little home.
After getting off the bus, the other girl and I start talking. We leave our luggage on the beach promenade and head to the jetty. We understand each other straight away. Her name is Alice, she is English and comes from Sheffield. Oh god, I love people from Yorkshire!! Maybe it's because of my year abroad in Leeds, which is just around the corner from Sheffield, I somehow have a connection with people from this area and I am always happy when I hear the Yorkshire accent.
Unlike me, Alice is just passing through. She stays in Monkey Mia for two days and then travels further north. As my job will start on the 31st March, I have two days to settle in and have a short holiday before the work life starts.
After the usual initial questions like "Where have you been in Australia?, What tours have you done? Where are you traveling to?" we somehow get on the topic of turtles and the next second a turtle appears in the water right in front of us and looks at us curiously. As it turns out later, this was the beginning of a friendship that went beyond Monkey Mia.
Shortly afterwards we see pelicans, emus and dolphins and all before 8 am.... WOW, what a crazy place on earth. At around 8:15 am I meet my future boss. She shows me around and explains everything important to me. The entire staff is divided into two “villages”. We live there either alone or in couples in a kind of container (also called a donga). Simple, but absolutely sufficient. The dongas have a small terrace and are equipped with a bed, closet, desk, shelves and a private bathroom. Pure luxury after the last few weeks in 6-bed rooms!! I start unpacking my stuff, creating some chaos and sticking some photos of family and friends to my wall.
The next two days are relatively relaxed. I live into the day, explore the area, meet up with Alice and in the evening we celebrate our work and holiday life with magnificent sunsets and dinner in the Monkey Bar.
Two days later, Alice leaves and I start my job at the General Store on March 31st. I start with two days of training in which I absorb all the information like a sponge and then it's time to show what I've learned. I have to open and close the shop by myself and April school holidays are just around the corner. This transforms Monkey Mia transport into a different place: suddenly there's a lot going on, screaming children everywhere, stressed parents and all of that in my first week. But hey, at least it won't be boring and come on, is there a better office view? I am getting paid in a place where I seel dolphins swimming by while being at work.
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