sabrinamari | Lessons about life and staying in a hostel

Last night was interesting. I showed up late, after 10:00, kind of tipsy, at what turned out to be one of the um, less lovely accommodations I have yet experienced.

It was next to an absolutely packed pub filled with loud, drunken college kids.

I think the right word would be "seedy".

Walking upstairs, I thought, "Oh wow, what have I done now?" but I put on my brave face and paid for the rest of the night, asked a few questions and stumbled upstairs.

So, it was a 4-bed room and the two lower bunks were taken. Couldn't get the light to work. The room was conveniently situated over the pub, with the joyous noise of its inhabitants spilling through the open window.

The bars to the upper bunks were broken, and I had a hell of a time figuring out how to get up there and back down without stepping all over the lower bunks (thinking, here, that maybe I didn't want to step all over whoever would be sleeping on the bottom when I left at 4:30 am).

So, after the usual couple of minutes of paralysis, I pulled out my flashlight and arranged my stuff so I could climb it and reach the top bunk. I set up a strategy for sleeping in my clothes and getting the hell out of there in the morning.

But things got better.

One of my roommates wandered in a few minutes later and got the light to work. She was friendly, kind, and I thought maybe a stroke victim? Or disabled? because her words were so slurred.

But I realized what was going on when she gently apologized for being really drunk and said she hoped she had not disturbed me by coming in. As it turned out, we had a great conversation. Poor bunny, she was an older temp worker using the hostel as a place to stay while she figured out what to do with her life. She had lots of answers to my questions about hostels, and she was kind. Most important, I could tell that she was really suffering. Talking to her, I couldn't help but calm down about my night's adventures.

Compared to her, my life is a dream come true---actually, compared to anyone's, it's a dream come true. Who cares if I have to stay in a hovel for one night? But this---this was her life.

She told me I could request an all-female room (I didn't know this) and reassured me that hostels were pretty safe. She talked a little bit about her life and I was able to listen and offer a tiny bit of comfort.

When the third (new) roommate arrived, I discovered it was an all-girl's room and felt a lot better.

The three of us decided to go to sleep and I actually got several hours of sleep before I woke up around 4:09 and left for the Skybus.

Afterwards, I made it to the airport and to Sidney, and now I'm in a nice, super-snazzy hostel across from Central Station and a guy at the desk gave me a transit day pass for the whole day a friend gave him before she left.

It looks clean and reasonable.

And guess what? The Terracotta Warriors are here! I kid you not---China's most amazing archaeological find is supposedly here, in a museum/art gallery. Guess where I'm going today?

That's right. Yay!

I love my life. It's beautiful.