What a journey I’ve been on since my last post. I look back to my birthday and I was so fresh & exposed to a new life in Australia. Months on, I am well-settled, I have found my place in my community and I am zooming back down the career path. My Australian accent is back and thick – except when I pop the champus and suddenly I’m American/Brazilian/German again. The summer months were literally one big social blur. I feel like I know almost everyone in Fremantle now… and their families… and even their dogs! I was frivolously partying almost every night and maintaining that California glow during the day by lapping up the summer sun at the beach every day. Diving, boating, sailing, surfing, fishing, music gigs, wining and dining were the activities of choice. I spent a little too much money, danced a little bit too loosely, sang a little bit too loudly, shopped a little bit too extravagantly, drank a little bit too foolishly, ate a little bit too decadently, and laughed enough to match it all. I re-explored the entire west coast, from north to south, with visiting friends from the United States, and completely reconnected with the soils of this extraordinary land. I feel completely Australian again and, for the better or worse, I’ve regained what some would call an ‘identity’.
My life now is perfect, without want of a better word. I wake up at 5am every morning and do an hour and half of ashtanga yoga at sunrise with a group of beautiful friends. Sometimes we indulge in the simple pleasures of chai or a coconut afterwards. I try to venture to the beach afterwards for a brief swim, sandy run or surf. I’m notorious for not going to into university and catching up/caféing it with friends instead, but I’m trying to get better at making study a priority. Oh yes, university you ask? Oops, just threw that one in there at you. So, long story short, I decided to do my Masters in Marine and Coastal Management. My professors have since been trying to convince me to do my PhD given my Honours research, relevant work experience and my supposed ‘enthusiasm and passion’ for making a difference. I’m not entirely convinced yet, but I’ll keep you updated. My evenings involve alternating social festivities and much-appreciated home/ family / me time. And actually, there are no words to describe how grateful I am to have connected with so many wonderful people I feel honoured to call my friends. Best friends. BFFs, one might even say. I work every now and then at a local tapas bar for some pocket-money, and absolutely love my fellow colleagues, my boss and the restaurant itself (I try to eat there as much as possible). Weekends are always jammed packed with travel, ocean-related activities, friends and fun, and Sundays are strictly reserved for rest and family. So there you have it, it’s only taken me my whole life, but I’m somewhat settled. Hoorah!
All that said, things have not been completely peachy from November until now. Unfortunately Chadia’s cancer took a turn for the worse when she contracted a virus that knocked her flat. This little personal journey is not one I feel is appropriate to blog about but, without going into too much detail, it has certainly been a humbling and transformative albeit exhausting and overwhelming experience/ time at home at the moment. Nonetheless, I have been completely moved by the support of our friends, family and wider community. People brought around food, gifts, fresh flowers, made fresh juices every morning, helped clean, and just generally gave their love and support in various ways – it’s amazing how people rise together in times of need!
Currently, I’m sitting here in the Geography labs at the University of Western Australia; the sun is finally shining through the stormy skies right into my window. The shadows create a depth and quietness about this moment that contrast the tapping of my typing fingers and I feel excited to have opened the floodgates of blog entries to come. Obviously my story has changed a little from when I first started writing this blog a few years ago; when I left Australia for what I thought was the last time. Despite being happily settled and content with the present moment my mind is definitely starting to wander off across every ocean again. Maybe it’s just me reminiscing about studying at Oxford that makes me want to go back to England, or busy intersections that make me want to go back to the United States, or big, warm scarves that tempt me to go back to Norway. My feet are certainly itchy and I’m craving those fresh and challenging experiences that come with travel. But I’m thinking that maybe I should just rechannel my energies for travel and blog writing back into writing this research paper I’m procrastinating from instead… ahh, I guess nothing has really changed! That said, better get back to it. Until next time.