I showed up in Melbourne with little reservations or expectations, a burnt out, broke, wandering soul coming from a few months of down and dirty backpacking. In the space of a year, although it may not seem like it, I've learned so much about so many things. Love, friendship, money, travel, responsibility (not too much of this though) and a zest for life that could have very well gone untouched had I not left home. The friendships, however fleeting, stay with you and shape you in a way you don't really notice, but of course keep with you in your proverbial breast pocket of life.
Julie, my 60 year old boss at the restaurant, taught me there's no time limit or rules as to what you do with your life. After the restaurant closes this month, she's finishing her degree in early childhood studies and has an opportunity lined up in a preschool after that. She made a great manager of childish backpackers, but will be an even better mentor to actual children.
Chris, my coworker and friend, taught me that even though it sucks to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, a good 7/11 coffee and meat pie will always set you right. Putting a goal in your head, working hard at it and making tough decisions, whether in England or Australia or anywhere, is one of those parts of life that everyone has to come to eventually, and this is what Chris was faced with this year. He left a lot of sad faces in his wake, but needed to be true to himself, however challenging that was. He's back in sunny England (joke) progressing his career and being closer to his family.
Edgar, my Mexicano Amigo, taught me you don't always have to go by the books to make it work out. He rocked up to Australia without a working visa, bought a van and built it up to take him around the country and did odd jobs here and there, eventually leaving with a taco-load of good stories, and a profit! He left home, child and business in Mexico to carve out his own adventure, because that's what he needed to do, and made it work every step of the way.
Caballo, my first roommate from Ecuador, taught me to just keep smiling in the face of adversity. He spent thousands on tuition for audio engineering school, even after realizing you needed to know people who know people to get a job in his field, especially if you're from out of country. He got detained in Thailand because the school defaulted on his visa, eventually spending 3 months instead of the original 3 weeks he was planning. Of course, he missed the semester due to this, fighting tooth and nail to re-enrol for the next one, only to learn a few days after that he had to fly back to Ecuador for a family illness. But still smiling!
Roy and Isabelle, our Dutch roommates, taught me that even if you have everything going for you at home, it's okay to pack up and make a new adventure. Roy ran a pretty high end clothing shop in Amsterdam, with only an upward career ahead, and Isabelle managed a prolific water-front restaurant. Six months later, they're living in a van, working at a souvenir shop, pruning plants and cleaning public toilets. And why? Because what's comfortable and current, isn't always where it's at. They're currently taking their van around the circumference of Australia, hanging out on beaches and sipping cold Australian beer with the money they saved.
German Nick reiterated the sheer joy of travel for me. He left Germany, flew to Mexico, America, Canada, Fiji then Australia where we met him and his girlfriend Linda. He overflows with passion for meeting new people, having incredible stories and getting yourself in situations you would never dream of in a million years (Harpoon to the chest in Fiji, tropical gale storm on a 20 foot catamaran in Mexico etc) He maintains a really good blog, is open for any new adventure and can weave quite the tale in your choice of German or English. He's currently in Thailand hammering out some more of these stories with Linda.
Patty taught me that even if it's tough, sad, gross or full of spiders just keep at it. I'm sure there were many times, while I knew her, that she could have said 'F THIS! I'm going back to safe, easy USA' But she didn't. She roughed it with the best of us, even when the going was extra tough on her, and made it work out through sheer tenacity. She ended up working at a famous micro brewery, made loads of friends and is now basking in the Queensland sunshine for the fruits of her efforts with her best friends.
Emily taught me that even if it looks like you have everything you need, only you can decide that. With a job, relationship, money and a car disappearing in her rear view mirror, she came to Australia ready to greet whatever came her way, which ended up being many things. She didn't step off the plane into her dream job, far from it, but gravitated so many people towards her into a tornado of fun and friends, that it didn't matter. She also taught me that, try as you might, you can't help falling in love. You can push away and shake your head and say it's not for me, but when the right stars line up over the right people, it's too late anyway.
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Of course I will miss Australia. It's sunny, the people are hilarious, the sand is white and kangaroos make great wrestling partners, but it's the people, the tiny little fractions of interactions that make any trip what it is. I'll miss you guys! Bye Bye Australia!
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