I just realised that I haven t updated my blog here for months. I have also blogs on facebook, one is Travelling-a way of a lifestyle, and another one is in Estonian, Vabana sündinud, vabaks ka jään.
Last update here was the beginning of June, when I still worked with Sherry nearby Brisbane and sold the jelly on the markets. When I think of that it s for me like another life or the page that s almost forgotten.
 So I moved to Sydney in July as I decided to become student and study tourism. It was quite easy to get into the school and as I had an agent who helped me with the whole process, she recommended me to take more courses and I ended up taking 4 courses, so my last course will finish in 2015. Now is 12 of Oct, 2013, so I have a visa for a while.

I m not gonna go into the details what I went through when I actually came to Sydney. Now when I look back I can tell it was the time, when I started to write music. I learned to play guitar more and more. I wrote songs, I started to perform on the street cornerns. My first song that I sang through the whole night was my own written song and it was in Estonian. I don t know what it was, luck or good will, but I remember after first or second hour on the street I was about to quit, as I didn t make much money,  just about 25 to 30 dollars maybe, but then I changed the spot. I moved to another place on the same street, where it was more quiet and people could hear me more. Also they couldn t walk around much. It was like a trap :)
 And then I started to get more money. By the end of the night I made 182 dollars or 184, I can t remember any more but funny about this is that I was singing only that one song through all night my own written song in estonian. 6 5 dollars, one 10 dollar, and one 20 dollar, then 60 dollars in 2 dollar coins, 30 dollars in 1 dollar coins and only 30 dollars in silver, small change.I remember some people asking what was the song about.
"Which language is it. Is it spanish?"
"Can you sing in english please?"
"Hey, this girl has birthday today. Can you please sing the birthday song?"

 Many similar questions like that made me learn other songs. Write songs in english. I learned to play happy birthday song, which I realised took me  only 5 minutes as it s only 3 chords.
Hmm..I wrote this post on 12 of October and today is 10 of November, when I actually publish it. Lots have happened during last month and ..so I publish this first.

Estonian, who has aboriginal background?

Couple days before my visa expiration date Sherry suggested me to go and get my luggage from her place just to have all my bags in one place if I needed to leave the country. I agreed with her. On 9 th of May I flew to Brisbane from Sydney. I was about to go back on 13 th of May, but flight got cancelled and the end of the day I realised it doesn t really matter whether I m in Brisbane or in Sydney on the last day of visa, which was 15 th of May. So I stayed in Brisbane. Just on the last day my immigration agent lodged my visa application and I got myself at least "on the process". I kept working with Sherry on the weekends in different markets and festivals.

One day we ended up in..oh don t remember where it was, but not next but one after it, was runned by one lady who said she s also estonian.

"Hey, what is your accent?" asks suddenly a lady in her 50 s.
"I m from Estonia."
"Are you really? I am too", she smiles kindly.
"Really, can you speak estonian?"
"No, it s my grandmother, actually great granfather..who was..let me write it down for you.."
She gets so excited. Goes and gets papers ready and writes down all the story what her parents went through.
I actually forgot to ask, how the estonian guy got into the middle of  'paddicks' far north and west of Queensland, she only said that in the late 18 s estonian guy came to Australia, started from Darwin, which I remember she mentioned, but how he got to Queensland, I forgot to ask, as the story following, grasped my attention more than anything else.
"So my mum was half aboriginal as the guy who was estonian, had child with aboriginal woman, who is my grandmother", she explained me, writing even the names down.

The best part of the story is following.

"My grandmother and my mother travelled from Mount isa to Brisbane in 5 years, barefoot. My mother was 5 when she started walking and got to Brisbane when she was 10."
"Wow", I could only say.
"5 years taking the journey what we can do now in few hours by any transport.That s about 1000 kms, but still barefoot, that s a cool story", I m thinking myself. "I have to really get that story to my blog".

I wanted to take picture of her, as she doesn t look anything like aboriginal, but yes she did look like estonian. She said her brother looks a bit like aboriginal though.
She asked is she can send the picture to my email,  but I gave her my phone number, so she sent it to my phone. I couldn t get the picture onto computer, asked her to send the picture to my email, but she hasn t done it. Now, it happened that my phone just "gave up", broke down, doesn t turn on anymore, and therefore I don t have the picture..

So the story ends here, without picture...

Becoming a sailor on Sydney Tall Ships

Now when I look back, it is a bit funny, what I went through last couple months. Sleeping on the beaches of Gold Coast for about 2 weeks, staying with that lady after Christmas. Then finally we had an agreement that I m going to find my own place as I got job as a security. So it was when I went to library in Southport, it was very stormy day. All the news forecasted some heavy rain and flood. So I m at library and this lady comes down and says:
"Leo, look there s all your stuff here, you remember? It s Sunday and you promised you move out on Sunday."
"But it raaiins..!!!" I was shocked.
She really took all my stuff, put them on trolley and brought them to library.
Couldn t she just say it to me? I could have done it myself. My phone s battery I remember was flat, not only, it was broken I thought because of the rain. I was speachless.  Just couple days ago I met another guy who had his unique furniture business near to Chevron island. I promised I get some girl to work for him as an administrator and he gives me a place to sleep in return. So that was an option I could think of only.

I went there for couple days, then rent a room on Vista street in sharehouse with some argentinians, spanish, germans, dutch, kiwis, ozzies, canadians, korean and some another estonian too. I loved that place, I was there for a week. It was just very next to the ocean. Couple hundred metres from the ocean.
I kept working on the weekend, but then one weekend I was off. I decided to apply new passport as I lost it in Perth like a year ago and  more, and thought why not to apply it now, when I have time.
So I came down to Sydney, applied new passport, but I also applied for another job here. So many things I have had to think of.
Yes, now when I look back, I slept on the beaches, stayed with that lady -  all these crazy things hoping to get sponsorship from my job. And then after working 5-6 weeks for the company, they say that they can t offer sponsorship.
I m like..I spent 1000 dollars for the Security license, had this interesting experience on the beach. My friend, who worked for the company, was positive that they can offer the sponsorship. The company just wanted to fill up the papers for him just before the Christmas, just like couple months ago and now they can t do it..
New changes in the law in new year?
 I don t need answers, I need solutions. So I realised it doesn t work out anyway. Came down to Sydney, applied for new job and will start tomorrow as a crew member on the Sydney Tall Ships. These ships look like the ships of the Pirates of  the Carribean.
 Tomorrow I can bring my bags and stuff on the board. Move in tomorrow and start working on Thursday. Today is Tuesday. Now I have only 3 months to go until my visa expires. I m not sure what s gonna be after that, but I don t worry about that. Life is adventure. Adventure by adventure.

Meeting with an opera singer

I don t know for how long I will continue writing here as I also opened a new page on Facebook titled "Stories that need to be told", but I changed it into "Travelling - A way of a lifestyle. So I m writing there now as well.

It s been good last 4 weeks though. I m still staying with that lady and it s really cozy. I just thought to myself how many times I have had free accomodation in Australia? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..7 times!!! 4 of these have been absolutely free, other 3 included working for them. I am working now on the weekend only, but have saved some money already. Can pay back to my friend and will get my own place maybe this weekend or next week.

"Leo, can you come today at 4?" one lady sent me a message about accomodation yesterday. It was meant to be at 5.30 pm.

I went there, walked like 2 km from the bus stop. It s in Bundall, very quiet area. I couldn t believe Gold Coast has such a private area. But it was a bit remote, need my own transport to live there, but as I got off the bus, and didn t realise how far was the place, I decided to go anyway as I made that effort to get from Southport to Bundall, which is not too far, but still..

I had a little trouble finding the place. It was showering a bit, but not too much. It almost never rains, unless it s storming, anyway, it was just a little shower.

She wasn t home and I decided to wait. My phone s battery got flat as well because i was using my navigation system to find a place. 

She is singing teacher. I mentioned on my ad on gumtree that I play piano(just to give them idea, who I could be, apart from any other things that 29 years old male would like).

"Hello Leo!" she escaped from her sport car.

Very nice and lovely attitude I sensed from the first moment when on the phone she actually sounnded like with no emotions, more like tired of something.

Her parents were eastern europeans too, so we had something in common. Father was from Croatia and mother from Ukraine. She actually reminded me a piano teacher from Perth, who s parents were from Eeasten Europe too, Romania I think,  can t remember though.

She was very talkative and hospitable and she got all the things it takes to have a studio. So nice and big livingroom. But 200 for the week a bit too much for me at the moment.

"I have some bills to bay and am a bit behind if you could help me to get some more students for me, I could reduce the price for you," she said.

She was actually an opera singer. Once she was invited to sing in Sydney Opera House. Every year they invite some 5 best opera singers fro Australia to sing in there and she was one of them. She asked me to play one song and gave me a note.

"I m really bad in reading the notes, you are probably better than me," I said.

"No, my fingers are very short and never wanted to pay much attention how to read notes," she was laughing.

Once I started to play I realised what the song was and she helped me out singing the song.

WOW!!!

I stopped playing. She sang so amazingly! The voice was so powerful, I was pleased to hear how she sang.

"Wow, you are really, really good singer. No wonder that you are singing teacher," I said.

"I was used to have many students, but when I moved to Sydney, I packed all the things up and left this place. Now, when I m back, I don t have many, but would like to have more, " she said me later.

She dropped me back to Southport saying:"Once you get more job, more hours, let me know- if I still am looking for somebody to rent a room, and haven t got anybody, I may reduce price for you too. I think about that and you think about that," were her last words.

I jumped out of car and the public transport, the bus was behind us and peeping impatiently. I almost wanted to show the finger to the busdriver. Idiot!

Piano bar, court, that lady, oh she drives me crazy!

Little excitement is stirring inside, but things are looking pretty good at the moment. I m still staying with that lady. It s been very kind and generous of her. I don t know how I would have lived so far. I moved into her place at 25 th of December, just on the Christmas Eve and today is already 10 th of January. Huuh..2 weeks..just about that.

 She acts like mum, talks about her son and compares me with his son, well his son is 35 and I m 29, so yes, not many years difference. She wants to help here and there and one stage I couldn t stand it anymore and I said:

"Hey, relax! Take it easy! Don t get too excited! I want to manage things on my own, ok..?"

"I m just trying to help", she said.

I got my job as a security now, but it s only on the weekends and I was thinking to get some more hours, so get another job as well. Was thinking to just play piano in different bars and then once she got so excited:

"Hey, I know the place, RSL, you could play there!"

What she does, she goes to dress up herself and comes to the living room:

"I m ready!" 

I was a bit surprised and to be honest a bit upset.

"So what s happening now..I m just trying to have some fun and maybe even earn some money," I was thinking in my head.
"So I have to entertain her too," I realised her thought.
I tried to show my dfispleasurement to her, but it looked like a rudeness to her obviously. I just didn t know what to say.

So we go, I just present myself in reception. Administrator gives me the number of the manager who runs the events and stuff. I just simply walk off, find a piano and check the building. Once I don t see her, I leave the building and go back "home".

"I just wanna hear how you play, I love pianos!" she told me later. Obviously I was rude to her.
Actually she has helped me a lot. Where else I would have lived? Just on the beaches. And the venues are also near to the Southport and from Southport it s not far to go to work. So actually in that,  it couldn have been even better. So I m just quiet. I work, have place to be, start saving money again and in couple of weeks I should be able to rent a room with some young people already. Jaanus is planning to take a flat just next to ocean, with amazing view to the ocean. I just need more hours and I want to pay back some bills that I owe to my brother and ..also police tickets. Eh, yesterday I went to court, because of one incident. But in court the was no case waiting for me. It was my first experience in court and I hope I never have to go there again. Police simply lied to me. They just picked on me, made a fun of me. So there was no court case for me and I was waiting for that for a month!. It was just being drunk in public place, they picked me up, didn t give me any tickets but that paper. It said something that if you don t pay bla bla bla,  I couldn t understand it much, but I remember police telling me:

"You have to go to court on 9 th on Jan". I m like whatevver!??!

Anyway, nothing happened. I just need to be sober and act normally.

So I have place to be, hoping to get some more work and see how it goes. Today actually I went for that interview and, in  the Oasis shopping Centre just by the Broadbeach, on  the 1 floor, there was a girl playing piano, just in the middle of the pathways..it was part of the bar. After my appointment I came down and asked about the piano.

"I saw girl playing piano here before. How does it work with this piano? I m actually also pianist."
"Aaah..mmm," the girl waves to another guy.
"So yeah, just wondering how does it work with this piano, I saw a girl playing before, I m also pianist."

"Do you just wanna play or for job?" he asks quickly.

"For job."

"The graphic is full, but you can write down your name and number and we will contact when we need," he gave me the paper, rolling it out from the receipt machine.

Done. Another chance to play. I really would like to play somewhere. If I had piano at home, I wouldn t even want to play somewhere on the restaurants, but I don t have. So if I get the chance, I play for myself, when getting also paid. Why not.

And that s it for now. If I get time and enthusiasm to write, I ll do it again.
Oh, I cut my hair as well.

A real Christmas miracle

Last 2 weeks have been something that I have never done before. That was definitely experience.
After coming back from Emerald, I stayed few night in Brisbane as I worked for Sherry, philippine girl, and then as she left for Philippines I started to camp outside.
Well, my focus was on my security license and the job resulf of those papers and finally the sponsored visa that might come out of it, but will see how it goes, when the time is up, in May. Anyway, I didn t want to spend much money anymore, really wanted to survive simply, so I didn t take any hostels anymore. 4 nights at least I slept in my sleeping bag next to Roma st train station in Brisbane. In the mornings I went to swim in Southbank which was nice and then my friend Jaanus, that I met month ago, invited me to party in Surfers.
I had been holding my bags in the lockers in trainstation, but then I took all my stuff, except one bag that I left to Sherry s place,(which, is still there) and moved to Surfers. Since then I ve been here. Well, in Gold Coast.
Basically 2 weeks I ve been sleeping in the parks and by the beaches, in Surfers Paradise and by some other lakes or riversides. Most of my bags I kept at Jaanus s place. He lives with one ozzy girl. Some nights I even slept in his car, but mostly outside. It s been I say amazing experience, though the most annoying part was, to  carry the stuff. My laptop case, my sleeping bag. I worried about my laptop that can get stolen when I sleep, but it was under my head as I used it as pillow when sleeping, hoping when somebody wants to grab I would  have woken up. Never happened anything like that.
One night I started to rain. I hated it. I was just sleeping by the beach in Surfers and I had to find the dry place, but I was hoping it will finish off. I finally moved away, but then it was late already, I was wet. My sleeping bag was wet and I was worrying about my laptop if it s ok. It is still ok, as I am using it writing this blog.
Meanwhile I got appointment for the job and on the New Years Eve I will have my first shift as a security guy.
I just did it for that. I lived for that and hoped I will get it as I wanted to live in Gold Coast. I like here.

 As Christmas came closer, I really ran out of money as I hoped I will start working earlier but it delayed, and my first shift was pushed to the New Years Eve. So I had to borrow money. Never want to owe money  and don t like to borrow, but had to do it, to live to next wages.
But it didn t bother me so much. What bothered me, was Christmas..
I still had internet on my phone, and got to see, what s happening on facebook.
I didn t care about the gifts and food pictures what everybody shared, but I cared when I saw somebody
writing:
"Christmas is not about gifts its about friends, and family and close ones that you get to see on Christmas. It s  the time, when we get to see our loved ones".
When I saw that I just simply felt bad.
I was just getting my sleeping bag ready in the Macintosh park that is next to some kind of river and I sat down on the pench. I took out my pen and notebook and feeling so emotional on that very moment, I wrote that poem(first I wrote it in estonian, but did translate it later into enghlish):

Secretly I cry

This is the first time,

yeah, probably it is

I sleep outside alone

but tomorrow is Christmas

This is the first time,

yeah, probably it is

I miss the ones,

who usually have been around

This is the first time

yeah, probably it is

Secretly I cry

but I will breakthru

Butterfly landed on my cheek

I know there are many around

But still on Christmas Eve,

Is it luck that can come around?

This is the first time

yeah, probably it is,

But the sorrow is gone now.

Butterfly. My soul got turned around.

And that s how it was. When I was writing those rhymes, the butterfly touched me and it just changed my mood so I also gave a poem a happy end.

The miracle is not here. Miracle happened next day on Christmas day.

I heard of Christmas lunch that was organised by St. Peter s church and thought to go there.

"How to get there, I went there, but couldn t find it!" said one man by the local community center when I just got there in the morning.

"I think it is on the corner of South..and Nerang Street" I said.

"Do you know how to get there? Do you know?"

"I think so", I said.

"I get my car here in a minute and drop you there too", he went to get his car.

As he was driving one lady came near and asked if anybody wants to go there.

She knew where the place was so she came with us.

Lunch was really nice. I met one taiwanese girl that I d met just couple days ago as well so we sat together.

It was all organised and they even gave a Christmas present for everyone who came. It was a surprise.

It was all nice. The guy who organised the lunch came to talk to me as well.

I told him, that it really made me a Christmas feeling as I am travelling on my own and far away from home. 

Taken from the Christmas lunch

It all last like 1 hour. Then we started to leave, I went out with that taiwanese girl and that woman who knew where the place was.

"So where are you living?" she suddenly asks.

Taiwanese girl already knew that I was camping outside.

"Well, I m just camping outside. I m not sure, where I m gonna sleep tonight", I laughed.

She got a bit serious and said:

"You look good boy, why don t you come and stay at my place couple nights, until you get your job and stuff?" she asked then.

I was a bit surprised. Didn t expect that. But of course I couldn t say no. So I got a place to stay in.

She prepared a Christmas dinner as well and I felt that I really had the Christmas feeling.

When having that dinner I reminded my poem I wrote last night on that bench. I told about it to her and translated it into english. And then I realised that BUTTERFLY really had a roll in my luck.

This woman told me then I can stay at her place until I get my first wages. Anything better I couldn t even imagine. Amazing. A real Christmas Miracle. What else I can say?

4 months of adventure, some police tickets and a bit of work

It s 28 th of December, 2012. It s 4 months since I wrote last time. I went to cotton farm, to Cubbie station in Dirranbandi. My boss didn t like me because I asked too many questions. He liked those, who never complained, those, who just arrived to Australia and didn t know any rights they really had. Also those, who just loved to lick his ass. He didn t pay as the agreement was and of course I started to ask questions.
"It doesn t matter how many hours you write, it matters what I write", he said

. In Estonia I would have taken him to court, but I didn t want to bother myself doing it here. Still thinking to make a youtube video about what sort of job you can find when you work for him. Chinese company bought the whole station few weeks after I left and, being a bit upset, I hope he lost his job as chinese would get their own people to be in charge. I was there for 4 weeks only.

After that I came back to Brisbane. Spent a lot of money in Gold Coast, partying weeks in Surfers.

But in Surfers I also heard about the security job, that might help me to stay longer in country after May. So I did my security course, studied on those papers, payed and got my Security Provider License few days ago. It took me like 2 months. It s been crazy time though.

 During partying I did some Police visits. Just some stupid incidents. Now I have already 3 tickets to pay and  I also owe something to YWAM Perth.
Meanwhile I ve been working on the solar panels in Surfers, sold some funny girly decorations in Redcliffe when I met philippine girl Sherry and I went for Emerald, to work on the solar panels as well.
It is just the quickest way how I can generalise my last 4 months I think.