Friday was my 19th birthday, my first away from home and probably my most eventful. In the morning I went to the Work and Travel office, read my emails and then arranged to meet up with Ness and Brian, some friends I know from home (Ness is the daughter of our neighbour at home and now lives out in Australia with Brian).
I met Ness down at Circular Quay and we caught a ferry to Manly, one of the suburbs on the northern shore of the harbour. We went for a quick walk round and it seemed like a nice place, although a bit too like an English seaside resort (they actually wanted to rename it Brighton a few decades ago).
After Brian picked us up and drove us back to their house, Ness drove me around the area to show me a few local sights. When we were at a lookout overlooking Manly, I got a phone call from the woman at Heron Island. She offered me the job!
Of course I accepted and much relieved, I returned with Ness to their house for dinner. We had a nice meal accompanied by champagne (and even custard; a favourite of mine that's rarely available outside of the UK in a ready-made form).
I got a phone call from home which was great and it was also nice to be with people I know for my birthday. I knew that Christmas and my birthday wouldn't be normal for these two years, but at least I've been with farmiliar company for both.
