Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Hostel Life...

Heh, while I was definitely living the high life getting here to Australia... more recently I’ve been living a more humbler lifestyle after I got here. While you’re on vacation, hostel life is great as there’s always a party going on and people to have a drink with and stay up half the night. However when you’re running out of money, looking for work and taking life a bit more seriously, it can be a source of anger. Hostel life is what you make of it, remember YOU chose to live here... by no means are you forced to stay. Here are a few interesting tidbits of my daily life living in a hostel.

Sleep hard... or buy earplugs!

Notice those towels? That's the only way to get privacy... Why a bottom bunk is prized!
Many people would argue that it’s an Olympic sport to wake me up in the morning. Thankfully that’s a good thing here in a hostel. Depending where you are, noise levels can be pretty high, so it’s a good skill to have to sleep like a rock. The only problem however is getting to sleep... It can be a little frustrating when the bongo drums start a drummin or there’s an impromptu Oasis singalong at 1 or 2 am, but that’s just a fact of life here. Thankfully my brain could tune those out! What’s a little harder is when the couple sleeping in the bunk next to you (or god help you the bunk beneath you) are a shaggin’. I’ll always remember at one hostel there was a couple going at it next to me, as uncomfortable as it was I couldn’t help but laugh as all the girl could do was whine. Bravo Romeo... lol! Now some would recommend earplugs, but those are a double edged sword as if you have an alarm clock well guess what... your ears are plugged! Nightshades can be useful as well. It can be a little frustrating adjusting to living with 6-12 other people in the room, but you get used to it.

Kitchen Frenzy!

Try finding your bag in here...
As I’ve mentionned in my article Stretch That Australian Dollar, cooking food will save you A LOT of money. Only thing is that EVERYONE DOES IT, so sometimes space is an issue... the worst is if you have something like beer or goon which takes up a big chunk of space. The other thing is be sure to label everything! There’s always an opportunist waiting around the corner, and they WILL steal your beer or goon if they think they won’t get caught. Personally I recommend keeping your alcohol secure in your room and cooling it in the fridge in a cooler bag available from your grocer. For your goon, label both the box AND the bag that way you can try and catch the fool who stole your drink!  

Friends, roommates, and unsavory characters

It might not stop a determined thief, it makes it inconvenient for the amateurs!
The people you meet at a hostel will vary, thankfully while travelling you learn a very important skill that will help you weed through the unsavory characters. I’ve met tons of great people during my stays (you’re probably reading this right now!), and I’ve also met some unsavory characters as well. There’s always a few bad ones staying in the hostel, usually you can easily tell who they are and avoid them, but other times you’re stuck with them in your room. I’ll always remember one fellow in Halifax, he seemed really nice but something was off about him, we later found out he was kicked out for supposedly stealing laptops... I do recommend getting a security device for your backpack, but I recommend only using it when you REALLY feel sketch about the people you’re staying with. Otherwise a) you’re announcing to everyone you have something really valuable and b) you’re basically accusing everyone of being a potential thief, so exercise some restraint on using it in first world countries, third world...LOCK IT UP!

To be quite honest I never expected to be living the hostel life this long! While it’s been a challenge at times, and I can be caught cussing about it, deep down inside I do think it’s all right. I’m quite happy where I’m at right now... But don’t get me wrong, although I may complain about it from time to time, I still chose to live here. Sooner or later though, some privacy would be nice...
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Location: Melbourne VIC, Australia

1 comment:

  1. SarahFebruary 15, 2012 at 8:43 PM

    As a bit of an Australian hostel veteran, I will say that a lot of it is extremely dependent on the hostel. In this one in particular, there's a lot more of a social atmosphere - long-termers, a central outdoor area where you can hear the noise from *any* room, etc. So you get a lot more noise and a lot less stealing - of things other than alcohol, anyway - than some hostels. It also makes it easier, on a separate level, to sleep, though, since people don't really drink in their rooms (a bit of a more common practice in other hostels).

    Hostels with bars, in particular, are usually a lot more loud and party-ish than ones with multiple floors of rooms, with a less obvious common area, can be. In most ones without a bar backpackers actually leave the hostel a lot more often for a night out.

    Also, something you'll learn if you travel Australia long enough: if a hostel has a bar, legally the people staying there are not allowed to bring in their own alcohol. Not that it isn't snuck in all the time anyway, but drinking in rooms can become a bit of a covert operation in some hostels. However, it does mean that if somebody steals your alcohol, you can't really complain, since you weren't supposed to have it in the first place.

    Lastly, the longer you live in hostels, the more you will start judging them by the state of their kitchens. I was in one in Rainbow Beach, in particular, that was way too small and was horribly stocked in terms of dishware and cutlery. Rooms and bathrooms, no matter the state of them: so long as you've got a pillow and a place to piss, you're fine (and honestly, they're never that bad). But the kitchen is the clincher. If you're surviving on toast and noodles - and given the expense of Australia, it's not uncommon to resort to that - having a pan, plate, fork, and not having to wait forever to use the stove makes all the difference.

    That said, hostel life is definitely a lifestyle that some will love, and some will hate. You've managed to cover the vibe of it perfectly. :)

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