It's 3am and I can't sleep. Of course I'm thinking about the move and today, about how much I'm going to miss Australia.
In June 2006 I moved to London. I was 23 at the time and had always wanted to go and so one day decided the time was right, I took out a loan (bad choice!), booked a flight and flew out 6 weeks later. About 4 weeks into my trip I got homesick really badly. I missed my mum and dad, I missed my best friend, I was missing out on seeing my nephews grow up and I was struggling with money and my relationship at the time and just wasn't happy. It wasn't the UK trip I had always dreamed of and a big part of me just wanted to come home. I remember one time sitting in the shower and crying because I didn't want anyone to see me and feeling more alone and sad and so far away than I'd ever felt before.
Of course, that feeling passed and I made some really awesome friends and had some of the best times I've ever had, but when I came home 15 months later I was ready. I was ready to settle down for a while and just enjoy being in one place, to get to know all my old friends again and to be close to my family and to meet my 6 month old nephew who had been born while I was away.
But anyone who has travelled understands that the bug soon bites again and I started dreaming of where to go next. When I was in London, the best friends I made were Canadian (and South African and Australian, but mostly Canadian!) and they had said that Canada was a lot like Australia - similar people, similar way of life. Since I love Australia, I knew that if I was to go anywhere else, it would have to be Canada. Then along came the lovely Shan, who had actual concrete plans of moving to Vancouver, and after a short while we decided that we would go together and started the many months of planning.
And that brings us to today - 6 days away from our big move. Our paperwork is in order, the first few weeks of our Vancouver life are planned, parties have been had, goodbyes have been said and the only thing left to do is pack our bags and leave on a jet plane. And of course it's only when the time is so close that you really start to think about everything and everyone you have in your life and how much you're going to miss it all. Having travelled before I know that no matter how prepared you are, and how happy and excited you are to go, you still get homesick.
I know this time around, my experience is going to be completely different. Shan and I have paid off all of our debt and we have all of our paperwork firmly in order so we won't have any stresses back here that we're worrying about. Plus, I love her madly both as a friend and as my fiance, and I can't wait to travel with her, knowing we always have fun no matter where we are or what we're doing. I guess it's just because I have loved our life in Brisbane so much that I'm a little scared of what we're walking away from, especially when I have no idea what to expect in Canada. I have no doubt we're going to have the time of our lives, but I know that there's always that period of adjustment before a new country and city feels like home.
Anyway, I've been rambling for an hour and a half (between checking facebook and reading the news) and I should try to get back to sleep. We're babysitting Noah today and it's Shan's first official day off so I should probably try to get through the day without napping!
Zanne.
In June 2006 I moved to London. I was 23 at the time and had always wanted to go and so one day decided the time was right, I took out a loan (bad choice!), booked a flight and flew out 6 weeks later. About 4 weeks into my trip I got homesick really badly. I missed my mum and dad, I missed my best friend, I was missing out on seeing my nephews grow up and I was struggling with money and my relationship at the time and just wasn't happy. It wasn't the UK trip I had always dreamed of and a big part of me just wanted to come home. I remember one time sitting in the shower and crying because I didn't want anyone to see me and feeling more alone and sad and so far away than I'd ever felt before.
Of course, that feeling passed and I made some really awesome friends and had some of the best times I've ever had, but when I came home 15 months later I was ready. I was ready to settle down for a while and just enjoy being in one place, to get to know all my old friends again and to be close to my family and to meet my 6 month old nephew who had been born while I was away.
But anyone who has travelled understands that the bug soon bites again and I started dreaming of where to go next. When I was in London, the best friends I made were Canadian (and South African and Australian, but mostly Canadian!) and they had said that Canada was a lot like Australia - similar people, similar way of life. Since I love Australia, I knew that if I was to go anywhere else, it would have to be Canada. Then along came the lovely Shan, who had actual concrete plans of moving to Vancouver, and after a short while we decided that we would go together and started the many months of planning.
And that brings us to today - 6 days away from our big move. Our paperwork is in order, the first few weeks of our Vancouver life are planned, parties have been had, goodbyes have been said and the only thing left to do is pack our bags and leave on a jet plane. And of course it's only when the time is so close that you really start to think about everything and everyone you have in your life and how much you're going to miss it all. Having travelled before I know that no matter how prepared you are, and how happy and excited you are to go, you still get homesick.
I know this time around, my experience is going to be completely different. Shan and I have paid off all of our debt and we have all of our paperwork firmly in order so we won't have any stresses back here that we're worrying about. Plus, I love her madly both as a friend and as my fiance, and I can't wait to travel with her, knowing we always have fun no matter where we are or what we're doing. I guess it's just because I have loved our life in Brisbane so much that I'm a little scared of what we're walking away from, especially when I have no idea what to expect in Canada. I have no doubt we're going to have the time of our lives, but I know that there's always that period of adjustment before a new country and city feels like home.
Anyway, I've been rambling for an hour and a half (between checking facebook and reading the news) and I should try to get back to sleep. We're babysitting Noah today and it's Shan's first official day off so I should probably try to get through the day without napping!
Zanne.
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