My time here in Melbourne has flown by. I have already been here 7 months, but it feels like I have both been here forever and have only just arrived. When I reached the 7 month mark in Ottawa, I was happy to be staying on a bit longer, but I knew that I wanted to come back to Calgary. When I reached the 7 month mark in Amsterdam, I was enjoying my university program but was sick of my housing situation and badly wanted to come home. Now, at the 7 month mark in Melbourne, I feel no need to go home because I know I am already there.
Sometimes this knowing that I am at home in this city hits me with such force, such clarity, that I have to give it a moment's pause. Now that spring has a firm hold over the city I find myself having these moments of clarity with more frequency. Just today, as I was walking back to my office with a bag full of fresh produce I purchased at the Vic Market, the sun hit my face and I thought "why would I ever leave?"
I even experienced this sensation this weekend, while in the midst of a nightmarish incident with my landlord. On Saturday he called our house and tried to bully us into storing a "new" stove that we do not want for "a few weeks" until he can get it installed. I told him no, we do not have the room, and when he persisted I said I would have to talk to my housemate and she would call him back. When she hadn't called him back immediately, he decided to show up on our doorstep. I let the second call go to voicemail, and when I listened to the message saying he was now waiting outside our house my face went white. I had to hide in my house for about an hour before I felt confident enough to make a run for it to a nearby cafe. He was still waiting as I snuck past. The experience left me feeling like I could no longer be free from harassment, that I could no longer spend my Saturday mornings lazing about the house, because if I was caught at home I would be harassed by a man who is legally not allowed to contact us directly.
Kirsty, my housemate, and I decided that since this man had ruined our Saturday, we would not let him ruin our Sunday and we set out to enjoy the warm weather by the bay in Williamstown. Even though we were both stressed from the day before and things weren't all going our way with the Williamstown outting, we were able to have a really nice day. We went out on a short boat tour and as we looked out at the CBD from the ocean I said to her "Why would I ever leave this place?"
Regardless of the upsets and the headaches that our landlord has taken to inspiring in us; regardless of the long, cold winter spent mostly without heat; regardless of the fact that the seasons are in reverse; regardless of the fact that summer is too hot for too long; regardless of how much more expensive things are here; regardless of how far away Australia is from the rest of the world, making international travel more expensive; this is my home and I have no desire to leave.
You'll Have to Excuse Me, I'm Not At My Best
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Ack, I've fallen delinquent in posting again. I think it's because I've
just been so tired lately. I've burned out my batteries. As Spirit of the
West migh...
15 years ago