So last time I wrote, I had just finished my USA trip. I had also mentioned that while in NYC, I had received an email inviting me to a final interview with a new company. Well here's how it went down. I had a Skype interview with them the day after I flew back in Sydney, having to suit up in my own room and angle the camera away from all my wall hangings. It was also an odd sensation talking to a screen (which on their end would mean I was not making "eye contact" with them). All in all, it went well and I felt like I had left quite a favourable impression.
Fast forward a few days and I received an email from my reference saying she had just been contacted by the company. A few hours later, I missed a call. It had to be an offer!! Excitedly I raced out of the office (I was at work) and called them back. It was good news but not what I had been expecting. Turns out my final interview wasn't so final. They wanted me to meet with two senior managers and have an "informal chat", and were flying me down to Canberra specifically for that one hour meeting. Had to be a good sign. I silently hoped that it really was already an offer and that they would surprise me when I got there with a cake saying congratulations. Haha if only.
Fast forward a week to the "informal chat" in Canberra and what do you know, while it was informal, it was pretty much another interview. Luckily I had prepared for such a case, and I answered their questions with aplomb. As the interview wrapped up, I was still secretly hoping for them to bring out a cake, but I had to settle for handshakes with a "we'll be in touch in a few days". And sure enough they were. I got an offer to start working next year in their corporate division!! Still no cake though.
Which brings me to why I'm updating this blog again. Having secured a new job for next year and still suffering a case of the travel bug (I doubt I'll ever lose it), I decided to take the remainder of this year off and go travelling again. This time, Europe and a bit of the Middle East. What's more, this was the perfect opportunity to tick off something on my bucket list: experience the real Oktoberfest. Speaking of which, I should actually write up a bucket list rather than retrospectively saying that things are on my bucket list. So with that, I booked my flights, resigned from my job, and started planning my next amazing holiday.
I spent most of today moving everything from my apartment back to my parents' before repacking the things I needed for my trip (I'm flying tomorrow!!). It's still surreal to think that I'm getting the opportunity to experience another 3 month trip. Right now, I'm packed and should be good to go, hopefully not forgetting anything. But as I've always said, passport and credit cards are all you need. Everything else can be bought.
Anyways, as I'm writing this, I have less than 24 hours to go. This time tomorrow, I'll be on a flight to Zurich via Dubai. My route isn't even planned, but I plan to do more of Eastern Europe this time and possibly Scandinavia. The only definite right now is Oktoberfest since I've pre-booked a weekend package with some friends a few days after I get into Europe. After that, it's just a case of winging it with rail pass in hand. And after a bit over two months, I'll be heading over to UAE and Qatar for about two weeks before heading back to Sydney. So exciting!! Anyways, that's it for now. The next post will be from Zurich!!
HBL signing out from Sydney, Australia.
Up next: Living the active life in Switzerland...
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