Thanks for supporting me on this journey

While I am still on Hamilton Island and I have not had time for a lot of reflection, I just wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who was part of making this experience so unique and wonderful, from Tourism Queensland, the other candidates and random Aussies I have met on the way to my family, friends and supporters back home, who have given me tremendous support.


Now, I can be sure that Hamilton Island and the Great Barrier Reef will be in good hands with Ben and think he has been an outstanding candidate, he is a unique and fun character and has tons of experience as sportsman, traveller, tour guide, blogger and photographer. Congratulations, Ben! Who knows, perhaps I will have a chance to drop by at some point in those 6 months?

Besides the beauty of the islands, I will also miss the company of the other candidates, as the shared experience really brought us closer together.

More details on my experience are still to follow once I actually will have free time and internet access, but since I am going on another Tourism Queensland-organized and sponsored tour of Queensland's Outback next with fellow candidate James, it may be a few days before I get to this...

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog so far, thank you and bye bye!

My May 4 Blog Entry: Another World

Since the first day that mankind got its footsteps on the moon, people wonder and dream about flying to the moon, to a different planet, exploring another world. Today I did explore another world, a precious and wondrous world! Neither did I have to be an astronaut nor travel through space. I just took a boat off Hamilton Island and got into the water at the Great Barrier Reef. What a colorful and exciting world is waiting there to be experienced! I saw blue-green chromsis that change their color from blue to green and green to blue – the name gave that away, didn’t it. But not only did I see fish in all imaginable colors, I also admired corals in the most funny and beautiful shapes.

Let’s throw in some numbers here: 1.500 species of fish, 400 species of corals, 4.000 species of invertebrate and six of the worldwide seven kind of sea turtles have their home at the Great Barrier Reef. It is the world’s largest living eco-system and – as we were talking about out of space earlier – you can actually see it from out of space. Time went by so fast and seriously, I cannot believe that it is autumn here at the Whitsunday islands, the water was so warm. What impressed me the most at Fantasea Reefworld, which is the company that took us out there and is operating the platform by the reef, was that it really is a trip for the whole family.

If somebody is inexperienced in snorkeling or gets distracted from all the magnificent under water world like me, there are ropes placed in the water that help you find your way. At the same time you can have a great time on the platform and feed the fish. The semi-submersible is not only great for grandmothers and little kids to look at the reef without getting wet, we were all so excited when we saw giant trevallies and floated along the wall of the reef.

After a great morning of snorkeling and getting our footsteps – or should I say flippers – in another world, we took a sea plane to take a bird’s eye view of what we saw earlier. Our plane took us over the Great Barrier Reef, now we could see the different coral colonies and how huge it really is. The pictures give a good idea of what I saw from out of the plane, but I also want to call out some numbers again. I know that is sometimes boring, but not if they are as impressive as these: the Great Barrier Reef stretches 2300km along the north-east coast of Australia and it is 348,700 km² big.

But our trip did not end there. The water plane took us right to Hayman Island, a private island destination situated in the magnificent Great Barrier Reef. We had a stroll on the beach and tried the en

tire world’s food at the resort, which has everything to offer up to a pool that fits as much water as seven Olympic-sized swimming-pools.

All of us had such an awe-inspiring day that the trip on the boat back to our hotel on Hamilton Island was filled with showing each other the pictures we took, being excited about all the different fish we saw or just enjoying the breeze and the memories we all were so lucky to put in our personal jewelry boxes.

Roopashree: Tutor in an Indian Restaurant

My other best friend who is also planning to stay with me for 6 weeks as housemate on Hamilton Island if I get the "Best Job in the World" is Roopashree and I would like to tell you a bit about her and our friendship here:

Roopashree and I used to work together in an Indian Restaurant in Beverly Hills. She was of great help as she is originally from India and gave me essential advice in how to deal with Indian costumers. Firstly, you have to be decisive in taking the orders and suggest who will make the first order otherwise you will lose a LOT of time until they decide who goes first. Secondly, and most importantly as this can get really dangerous if done wrong:

Once you bring the bill, take a step back, because immediately every single person at the table will desperately try to be the first to give you their money or credit card. At the same time they will each try to snatch away their friends' instrument to invite everybody. Don't forget not to step in before the fight is over, because if you did that you would be blamed for taking somebody's card over everyone else's.

Roopashree worked as an art director for national commercials in India. In 1998 she moved to the United States to study film and television at Templeton University in Pennsylvania. After finishing her degree she moved to Los Angeles and that is where we met. She is one of my best friends, along with Katalin, of course ;-). Katalin and I are always surprised by Roopashree's ability to cause men to give her flowers for any occasion and without them expecting anything in return apart from her smile. I guess, she is an Indian princess at heart.

This is what she has to say about me: ""Having good friends from many cultures has enabled Mirjam to understand different kinds of people and be open to new journeys that life will bring along her path."

Katalin: A person to contact in case of an emergency

As one of my best friends who would stay with me as a housemate in Hamilton Island for at least six weeks if I get the "Best Job in the World", I would like to tell you a little bit more about Katalin.

Katalin was my „emergency contact“ in Los Angeles. Obviously apartment managers and insurances don’t want to call your family abroad for an emergency, so you need to fill in a person residing in the United States. My person was Katalin, which made her sort of my family there. She took the responsibility with joy. She is the kind of person that really calls you later that day, when she had to hang up and told you “I will call you later.” This was another thing we had in common as foreigners in another country: we really thought “later” meant “later today” rather than “later in my life” or never.

Together we learned the differences between our old continent and the brave new world. Katalin was born in Moscow, her mother is Russian and her father is Hungarian. Her family is till today filled with journalists and as her father was one, they moved a lot and she grew up in Washington D.C. as well as Budapest. She studied ballet in Moscow at the Bolshoi Ballet. She danced on various stages in Russia and at the Hungarian State Opera House. In 2000 she relocated to Los Angeles and has stayed there ever since. I met her in Los Angeles during my studies at the Lee Strasberg. She works as a freelance dancer and ballet teacher, last she was seen dancing in the Nutcracker. She also worked as a multilingual translator and editor at a famous toy company. No advertisement here, though she really looks like Barbie whenever she puts on her pink dress.

This is what she has to say about why I should get “The Best Job in the World”:
“I once heard about the definition of professional in a tv ad "Professional is someone who does things till they dont get it wrong" and thats Mirjam , she is a perfectionist and thats why she is the one for this job.”

In case I get the "Best Job in the World" I will be packing...

The winning candidate in the "Best Job in the World" competition does not have to live in his or her gorgeous Hamilton Island pad (HIP) on their own, but gets to choose who to bring along for all or parts of the journey. So, among other questions I was asked by Tourism Queensland was the one about whom I would bring with me.

I do not have a partner or children, so I am quite free in my choice of housemate for my HIP if I should win. Of course I have my parents, but they will have to stay behind in Germany to take care of my cat Cessa. My brothers and their wives have jobs and commitments, as do many of my friends - I am talking jobs here, not wives :-). So most of my family and my friends would visit me for 2 weeks at a time or so.

However, my two best friends, whom I met during the course of my studies in Los Angeles, would be staying with me for at least six weeks at a time. Katalin and Roopashree, these two young women are very precious to me and I am grateful that our paths crossed. In the course of a week I will introduce them both to you. For starters, a few short facts about them:

Katalin is Russian-Hungarian and originally hails from Budapest, while Roopashree is from Bangalore, India. The two of them still live in Los Angeles and would be thrilled to leave the city of angels to walk on heavenly white beaches. Whitehaven Beach sounds predestined for this purpose. The content of quartz crystal is 99,7% on Whitehaven Beach, which makes it the whitest beach in the world. For eight kilometres one can walk this heavenly white beach, even if you are not an angel or come from an angel's city!

On a media learning curve

The past 5 weeks have been busy with interviews for radio stations, newspapers, magazines and even some TV appearances. This kind of media attention is a new experience for me.

Initially I got a little caught up in it and stressed out by it, but it all became easier and more fun when I started taking one interview, one question at a time and focusing on the moment. By staying in the moment and organized at all times, I didn't have to be thinking of everything simultaneously and could stay more relaxed, easy-going and spontaneous instead.

Also, I realized it is important to ask journalists for the whole article for authorization, not just your quotes, in order to prevent being cited out of context in an unintended way.

This is what I learned so far.

I am very grateful for the support and interest I am receiving and I am learning every day on this journey. Let's see what tomorrow will bring on my path to the Best Job in the World on Hamilton Island by the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia!

My first dive into the blogosphere

This blog essentially is about my wondrous journey to Hamilton Island and this is how it started:

While it was snowing outside my window I saw this article online about the "Best Job in the World". The beautiful picture of the Great Barrier Reef drew me in right away and I went to check out the website: islandreefjob.com.

I saw even more breath-taking pictures there. Reading about this job offer, its tasks and crazy salary I figured it would be pointless to apply, because EVERYONE will. Although I had some ideas for the video from the start, the whole idea lingered for a week - so I finally gave in: I made the video to regain my peace of mind.

Then one morning in March I got a call. A radio station wanted to interview me:

"Why me?", I asked.

"Because you are one of the 50 candidates for the Best Job in the World!", was the reply.

I seriously could not believe it. And what a crazy day followed! Interviews with newspapers and radio stations and a TV channel. Everybody wanted to talk to me at once while I had to throw all my stuff in my closet to be able to welcome a TV crew in my home!

Since that day in March there have been a lot more interviews, live shows at radio stations, and emails to everybody I know whip them into voting for me and to make sure everybody they know was doing the same. I was invited to a popular German Late Night Show, where the host often shreds his guests to pieces but I survived!

Now, that I have made it to the final round, I am one of only 16 candidates still in the race for the Best Job in the World and last but not least I know without a doubt that I will really travel to this beautiful place, the pictures of which brightened a cold winter day for me: The Great Barrier Reef and its island world in Queensland!

This is my first blog, you guys! I never thought it would be of any interest for anybody to read a blog of mine. But maybe now is the time - anyways, bear with me - I do have to practice!