NO OFFER.

I check the broken mailbox for letters. A stack of official-looking envelopes awaits me.
“Previous tenant, previous tenant, not mine, not mine, previous tenant, OOOOH IT’S FOR ME previous tenant… Oooh previous tenant is in trouble with the law. Huh. Previous tenant…”

Leaving my own letter  for last, I scrawl RETURN TO SENDER on roughly ten envelopes. Beginning to think I need a stamp, or possibly an assistant.

A letter from VTAC, addressed to me. I rip it open, enjoying the sound of tearing paper.
NO OFFER. Written in capitals, bold, and size 18 font. How polite! I complain to my bemused housemate, waving the letter around. They even included a pamphlet telling me how to accept my offer! Rub it in, VTAC, rub it in!

NO OFFER. So… What am I doing with myself this year? For the next six months? Do I continue my Science course, having enrolled yet only picked two subjects? Both of which I’m not interested in, but the system wouldn’t let me choose anything else, because I can only have so many level one and two subjects… I wonder if I can beg a course counsellor to do some magic and let me do some Psychology subjects, despite having exhausted my level one points? Or should I wait until the next VTAC round to try and get into a different course? Should I apply for Melbourne again?

I’ll talk to a course councellor I think. I’m sure this time will be fruitful. Surely!
( Last time I was told to speak to a course counsellor, it was a 1 minute meeting in which I was told “oh, I can’t help you, I’m sorry! You should go ask the Arts department.”

Upon asking the Arts department,
“You just apply through VTAC for that.” As though it was written down somewhere that I couldn’t do internal transfers. And trust me, I looked. An $80 I couldn’t afford and an obnoxious letter later, here I am…)
The only uni subject that seems to interest me at the moment is Psychology. But I don’t even know if I’d be any good at it. I never even took the subject during Year 12… Not sure.

I was thinking of taking the year off and working. Finding a job and working my butt off.

Needing a part-time job very badly no matter how my future swings, I made a resume and sent it off this week, feeling horribly unsure of myself. I got a phone interview for it. She told me I’d get a trial at 5pm the next day. I rang her the next morning to confirm the time, she was quite rude and told me she’d contact me if she wanted me. Did I miss something? She never rang me back. Did I misinterpret some kind of obtuse work-speak? Sigh. At least I am not working for someone who is rude to potential employees and customers.

Tired of mulling over my life – and cleaning and re-cleaning the house – I wanted to do something in my spare time.

I decided to volunteer at my local Salvos.

It was the best decision I’ve made for several months, by my calculations. The women (I’d say people but I haven’t seen male volunteers there yet, ha) there are fantastic, I have never felt so welcome. I only get paid in all the tea I can drink and all the biscuits I can eat and all the op-shop locals I can chat to concerning their purchases, their  family, their lives. I also get paid in all the comments about my age I can handle, and I get to discuss fashion with women three to four times my age.

I really feel at home here. I’ve only been there two days!

I suppose if I do end up deciding to work, I’ll have something “real” to put on my resume. That’s a plus as well. At the moment though, I’m just bummed out that volunteering at opshops doesn’t put noodles on my table.

Decisions, decisions…