I make my way along the corridor, following signs to the communal girl’s dorm. Checking-in was a piece of cake and I’ve left Dan to his own devices, which means I am a Norma no-mates again. I’m getting a weird feeling of deja-vu from University Freshers’ Week when everyone’s desperate to appear fun and friendly, wanting to make a good impression on the first day of term. This hostel seems to be full of smiley, happy, shiny people.

When I finally make it to my bunk and drop everything in a heap, I sink onto the soft duvet. A feeling of triumph engulfs me, knowing I’ve the hardest bit is done – I’ve made it here in one piece with no major drama. I’ve already made a friend and I don’t feel sick anymore. I take few moments to let it all sink in and then I remember that I really need some sleep.

‘You wanna beer?’

‘Jesus!’ I cry, startled by the voice that seems to have come from nowhere. Forgetting that I’m sitting on the bottom bed of a small bunk, I hit my head on the wooden slats above me when I stand up. I fall backwards clutching my head, too busy swearing to notice an arm and a small hand, covered in henna and a mass of bangles, appear from the top bunk.

‘I’m not Jesus. I’m Taz. That must’ve hurt.’

‘Hi. I’m Lexie…’ I shake the mystery hand and carefully extricate myself from the small space, looking up at the bunk above me. ‘And I’d kill for a beer, thanks.’

A surprisingly cold can is handed down as the owner of the hand jumps from the top bunk. She lands deftly on her two feet like an agile cat, making the smallest of thuds. I notice the dreadlocks first and as she straightens up, I’m greeted with a dazzling smile. She reminds me of a small pixie, really tiny with a mass of crazy hair piled on top of her head. She looks like she’s wearing every single item of jewellery she owns as she’s covered in beads and bangles, which jingle when she moves. She’s wearing oversized combats and a black vest top, which shows off some seriously intricate tattoos on the tops of her shoulders and arms.

‘No worries.’ She grins, her eyes twinkling. ‘So, just arrived or have you been travelling for a while? Where you from?’ she asks, taking a large swig from her can. Her accent is definitely similar to Dan’s, but I’m not tuned in enough to know the difference between an Aussie and a Kiwi.

I follow her lead, appreciating the cold beer as it hits the back of my throat and gives me a little buzz of bubbles. The beer tastes a little different to what I’m used to, but it’s cold and wet and I’m past caring. I look down at the can.

‘It’s VB. Victoria Bitter?’ She explains, noticing me reading the label. ‘I spent hours finding a bottle shop that sold it.’

‘Er, it’s lovely. Thanks.’ I say, trying to prevent a small hiccup from escaping. ‘It’s been a long day. I’ve just arrived from London. Where are you from?’

‘I’m an Aussie.’

‘I just met a guy on the bus called Dan, from Perth.’

‘Oh, right.’

There’s an awkward pause, so I hastily decide to fill it.

‘I’ve never been to Canada before.’ Way to go, Lexie. I sound like an idiot.

‘It’s a pretty cool place. You’ll love it.’

I smile shyly, glad that she’s not making a hasty exit, desperate to get away from the weird Brit.

‘Well, my new motto is nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m sure I’ve made the right decision.’

‘Good motto.’ She says, clinking her can against mine. ‘I’ve been in Fraser for a month already, but it’s been so dead. I was wondering when everyone else was going to show up. Guess you’re here for the job thingy?’

I nod again, wondering why I’ve lost the ability to make polite conversation. Oh, yeah… I’ve just flown four thousand miles and I haven’t slept for a week. That might be why.

‘Where else have you been on your travels?’ I ask, trying to kick-start my brain with another swig of beer.

‘Mostly around British Columbia. I had a pretty awesome summer, earnt a fair bit of cash tree-planting but fuck, it was really hard work! I’m quite looking forward to kicking back a bit here. Do you know what kind of job you want?’

‘Um… sure. Well, no. Er… kind of. Sorry, I’m just really tired.’

I have no idea what she means by tree planting. Well, I’m not stupid – I’d hazard a guess it involves planting trees, but I wasn’t aware that was a normal job. I suppose a country the size of Canada has a lot of trees in it, so maybe they need to plant more.

‘No worries, English Lexie. It was Lexie, right?’

There’s that country-you-come-from-before-your-name-thing that Dan mentioned. He’s definitely a man in the know. I nod again and take another sip of beer to hide a yawn and sit back on my bunk, settling back against the wall.

‘You know what the worst thing is to do is go to bed too early, ‘cos you’ll be up at the crack of dawn.’ She says, giving me a sympathetic grin.

‘I know, but I’m knackered… I’m not much of a party animal. I turn into a pumpkin once the clock strikes midnight.’

She laughs. As far as I’m concerned, bed is something that I really, really want to get into right now. But not before I brush my teeth and have a shower because I feel like stinky, travel-worn hobo right now. Taz seems fun, but she’s crap at taking the hint, sitting next to me and getting comfortable.

‘So, tell me a bit about yourself. What did you do back at home?’

Looks like bedtime’s going to have to wait.

‘I was a graphic designer…’

‘Cool!’ She exclaims, her eyes bulging.

I snort. ‘Not that cool…I worked for a really boring bank.’

‘Whatever! That sounds like a great job - you must be really clever. I like to paint and stuff – just for a hobby, y’know? But to make a living out of it…’

I have to smile. Whenever I tell people I’m a designer, they do tend to think it’s a much bigger deal than I do. At the end of the day, I just know how to use some fancy programmes that make things look pretty, but it isn’t rocket science. If you want brainy, go hang out with some C++ programmers. They’re scary. Dan’s a snowboarding instructor, which I instantly think makes him the coolest man alive.

I laugh. ‘I’m not brainy in the slightest. But thanks anyway. I can tell we’re going to get on well…’

She gets the joke. ‘I’m serious!’ she grins, giving me a nudge. ‘And you’re from London. That’s proper glamorous. Like, how old are you?’

‘I was 30 in August. You?’

‘Wow… you’re pretty old.’

I almost spit my beer out in indignation.

‘No, no, no. Sorry, love.’ She grins, spotting the expression on my face. ‘I just meant that 30 is quite old to be doing the whole single-traveller-life-change-thing? I haven’t met many people in this hostel older than 28. See, I’m 23, and I’ve never had a proper job.’

‘Really? You’ve never wanted a career?’

I’ve just been travelling since I left college.’

I sigh enviously. ‘Working in London’s not that amazing, really. What did you study at Uni?’

‘Maths.’ Taz shrugs and crushes her beer can in one swift motion with one of her tiny hands. She tosses it into the corner of the room without even looking and it drops accurately in the middle of the bin with a clang.

‘Maths?!’ I laugh. ‘And you think I’m clever? I’m crap at things like adding up. I like to think the creative side of my brain takes up all the space.’

‘Well, my folks want me to settle down, get a proper job. But I just want to see a bit more of the World, meet cool people. Don’t get me wrong – I miss them. I miss the Olds a lot actually, but there’s more to life than working 9-5 until you die.’

‘When you put it like that I wonder why I didn’t get here sooner!’ I smile, remembering many similar conversations with Henry, except he wasn’t a parent. Granny, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more encouraging.

I really don’t want to seem rude, but I’m about to stifle the fifth yawn in so many minutes and my eyes need propping up with scaffolding, let alone matchsticks. I’m all for making friends, but all I really want to do is sleep.

‘Here’s me warbling on about my life and you’re probably ready to keel over.’ She smiles, getting the hint and standing up. ‘I’m going to meet some mates in the bar. You’d be more than welcome to join us?’

‘I’d probably put them off for the rest of the winter. But thanks for the offer - it’s been really nice meeting you, Taz. And thanks for the beer.’

‘No worries, mate.’ she replies. ‘See you in the morning?’

‘Great.’ I say, as another yawn creeps up on me and I start looking for my toothbrush.

It seems like I’ve just closed my eyes when I wake up to the sound of someone bouncing around in the top bunk. Surely, it cannot be morning yet? A bare, brown leg swings down past the end of my bunk, followed by the other leg as Taz jumps down.

I feel tiny fingers poking me through the duvet.

‘Morning, Lex!’ She’s all smiles. ‘It’s good that you slept right through – most people wake up really early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep – ‘cos of the jetlag, y’know.’

‘What time is it?’ I murmur, rubbing my eyes. It takes me a few seconds to remember where I am and then I sit bolt upright, almost cracking my head off those sodding wooden slats again.

‘It’s quarter after eight.’ Taz replies, glancing at the large black cuff watch on her wrist. ‘You wanna get some brekkie? All the nice muffins’ll be gone if we don’t get a shift on.’

I groan and sink back under the covers, clutching Pot Belly Bear to my chest.

‘Cute. Now get up.’ she says, yanking the covers off as I groan even more.

What the hell is wrong with a bowl of cornflakes? It’s bad enough that I’ve been dragged out of my comfortable, warm cocoon of a duvet when I feel like I can sleep for another week. And now I’m walking down a corridor in my bare feet, feeling really self-conscious in my monkey-patterned PJ’s, messy hair and not even a smidgen of make-up.

I guess I needn’t have worried. We turn the corner and walk into the communal kitchen where everyone is in varying states of undress, busy cramming food into their mouths.

‘G’day Wade.’ Taz walks over to one of the hot plates, where a bloke with a mass of long blonde curls is flipping a pancake wearing nothing but a pair of bright green board shorts. She gives his hair an over-familiar ruffle so I’m guessing they’re mates. ‘This is English Lexie. From London.’

I get a hand offered from round the back to shake while the other one deals with the pancakes. ‘Nice to meet you.’

‘You too.’ I smile, my stomach rumbling in appreciation.

‘You want some?’ he grins, gesturing at the sizzling dollops of batter. The idea of a bona fide Canadian pancake smothered in maple syrup makes my mouth water.

Taz dashes my hopes. ‘Nope, ta anyway mate. We’re on the hunt for something else.’ I look enviously back at the pancakes while I’m dragged off in another direction. I send Wade a little wave of defeat and he laughs, giving me a salute with the metal spatula in return.

Taz is weaving her way around the kitchen, looking for these famous muffins. They’d better be bloody epic.

‘Result! Here you go, Lex. Toffee and Walnut.’

An airborn muffin is suddenly flying towards my face as Taz throws it at me. I’m not the most co-ordinated of individuals at this time of the morning, but I still catch it.

‘Oh…er, thanks.’

It’s a serious muffin – the size and weight of a small brick. I’m wondering how well my grumbling stomach will cope with something so sugary, or so big, this early in the morning. Evie would probably scarf this down in seconds (she’s been known to get through a large bar of Toblerone as a hangover cure). Toast and Marmite does it for me. Or pancakes, I sigh, looking wistfully over at Wade as he tucks into a stack of golden pancakes the size of dinner plates.

‘Is this the last one?’ I ask, looking back at Taz. ‘But it’s obviously your favourite. Honestly, you’re very sweet but I’m happy with toast. I’m sure I can borrow some bread from someone. How come there are free muffins anyway?’

‘Well, it’s a bit of a secret, but there’s this chick called Jenn…’ Taz winks, leaning towards me in a conspiratorial way ‘…and she runs this coffee shop in town, but I guess it’s not doing so well as she drops off a basket of yesterday’s muffins every morning. They literally go in seconds if you don’t make it here before 9am. Why they don’t sell out, I couldn’t tell you, because her muffins are legendary. Try one, you’ll see. As a toffee and walnut virgin, I’m here to corrupt you.’ she winks.

‘Virgins? Excellent topic of conversation at this time in the morning, I reckon.’ A familiar voice comes from behind me as Dan appears.

‘Morning.’ I beam, happy to see another friendly face. ‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Nope. The boys took me to the bar once I’d unpacked, so I’m bushed. Let me introduce you – this here is Timmo, Benno and Stevie. Boys – this is English Lexie.’ He gestures at the lads milling around behind him. A multitude of ‘g’days’, ‘hellos’ and ‘how-are-yas’ are forthcoming as they all shake hands with me and I introduce Taz.

‘So, Stevie? Why did you get left out of the names ending with ‘o’ club?’ I ask, getting a giggle and a high five from Taz.

Dan and Stevie both grin. ‘Very funny, mate.’ Dan says, turning to the others. ‘See, told you she was a laugh.’

‘What time did you get to bed anyway? You look shattered.’ I ask, taking a tentative bite of the muffin. Now, if I can just find a decent cup of tea I’ll be set for the day. I clock a kettle on one of the sideboards and remember the packet of Yorkshire Tea waiting in my board bag.

Dan grimaces when I offer him a bit of muffin. ‘I had one too many of those little green tinnies last night, or should I say, this morning. We didn’t get home til four and I feel rough…’

‘Wow, you didn’t get back until 4am? After all that travelling? I’m beginning to feel like the token pensioner. I had a quiet beer with Taz and was tucked up in bed by ten.’

‘I wouldn’t let it bother you.’ He replies, stretching out a yawn. ‘Wish I’d done the same.’

‘Who’d like a cup of tea?’ I ask, looking around at the group. ‘I’m guessing they have free tea and coffee here, right?’ There is a collective round of nods.

‘Maybe we should warn you about the tea, what with you being a Pom.’ Taz replies. ‘It’s not brilliant… but I’ll have one if you’re making.’

Dan’s friend Tim is obviously keen for a brew as well. ‘Too right!’ he nods. ‘But if I’m going to get a decent cuppa round here, it’s going to be made by a Pom. Brits and tea – it’s as bad as Aussies and beer.’

Taz shoots him a little scowl and I can’t help but smile, remembering her passionate speech about the amber nectar known as ‘VB’ last night. I make my way over to the counter and fill the kettle with some water. If there’s one thing I can do well, it’s make tea. Ten minutes later, we’re all sitting at the table clutching our mugs as little sighs of contentment punctuate the conversation.

‘Best cuppa I’ve had in ages.’ Rob smiles warmly at me while the others nod in agreement. ‘You can definitely stay, English Lexie.’

‘Thanks.’ I grin, thrilled to have made some more friends.

‘Fancy going into town later? Have a wander?’ Taz asks, her mouth full of muffin.

‘Sounds like a plan.’ I reply. I’m keen to explore my new home and get some fresh air, feeling genuinely excited. A sudden image of Joe pops into my head and I remember our conversation at the SnowDome. Get a bunch of people together with a common interest in snow, and let the friendships begin. I haven’t even talked about snowboarding yet and we’re all sitting around the table, the conversation flowing easily.

‘Awesome. Count me in.’ Dan agrees, before giving his armpits a quick sniff. ‘In the meantime, I’m going for a shower… I must stink like a polecat. Meet you all in the lobby in an hour?’

‘Delightful.’ Taz mutters.