The move to Australia is not only an adventure but a time for Shoave to do some independent self discovery. I plan to use this time not just hanging out with the cutest boy on the beach but to take time to reflect and learn new things about myself.
10 Things I have learned thus far....
1) Sometimes by leaving the country you become closer to your family. I feel closer to my family than I have the past three years when I lived across the country. I am in contact with them more than I have ever been before with weekly emails, phone calls home, and chatting on facebook or facetime. It feels great to have them in my life, it hasn't been this way for many years.
2) I don't love roaches...but if needed I can live with them (kind of). I am not a fan of insects at all, they make me scream like a little girl ( which is funny because when I was a little girl I actually liked insects). This was the first ever experience I have had with roaches and truth be told after awhile you do kind of get used to them, you see them and then you just kill it. Maybe this shows that I can live with other insects or do some extreme living and not hate it so much.
3) I'm a Negative Nancy and Dave has to be my cheerleader. Man, I have been miss negative pants more than a few times already since our move here. I get down on really small details and stay in a funk for awhile. I have stated more than once that I am ready to leave and just want to explore and go home. When things are tough I sometimes fold much to fast and easy. Dave has always been there to be my cheerleader and put things back into perspective for me. I wish I was braver and more adventurous, without getting all in a huff over the little things.
4) I feel at home in a new place as soon as I have a library card. This is soooo true! As soon as we got our apartment and finally had an address I asked Dave if we could got to the library and try to get a library card. Once I have a library card, I feel like I am part of the community, cause you know they don't just let any passerby get one! Plus the library is one of my favorite places in any town I live in. (Thanks grandma for instilling this in me!)
5) Australia is uber expensive. I didn't realize just how expensive Australia was until we moved here. I thought it was comparable to living in the DC area, but nope it's worse. I sometimes worry about how we are going to do all the things we want to do and still have enough money to get back home at the end of it. Just an FYI..a bottle of pop costs $3.45 AUS!
6) I really like watching rugby and believe that more Americans should as well. Dave played rugby at college when we met, that was really as much as I knew about rugby. They love rugby here in Australia and I finally get why! It's fast paced, aggressive, and the players endure a lot of pain. I watch and am amazed at how the players do it! Since Americans seem to love their NFL, I think they would love rugby. Imagine NFL without pads and constant play, they would eat it up in the States! I can't wait until we got to the Rugby World Cup and watch USA vs. Australia!
7) Unplanned adventures are GRRRREEAAATTT. The best adventures you have within the day are the ones that are unplanned and unexpected. It's about having no expectations or presumptions and letting the mystery unfold while you are in the moment. Some of the best days we have had here are the ones where we figure things out the last minute and just go with the flow.
8) I say "cool"/"I want to be cool" wwaaaaaayyyy to much. I'm not proud of this one, but it's something that I have discovered while here. I have this notion that I am just not "cool" and all that I want to be is "cool". I say it all the time to Dave when describing different things are talking about who I want to become. But really what is even the definition of cool? There isn't one...so why they heck do I care so much of becoming something I'm not even sure what it is?
9) MN is where the heart is. I think a lot about when Dave and I will move back to MN after Australia. I can't wait to be in Minneapolis and finally start putting some roots down. I think about getting a home, how we will decorate it, get our Winston, be with friends and family, and maybe start our own family. Minnesota holds so many things that I love, I have missed it the past three years we have been gone.
10) If you have barista skills or know your coffee you probably can get a job anywhere in the world. This is a skill I wish I had, I don't like coffee or really the smell of coffee, but I do like a good hot chocolate (does that count?). There are tons of cafes here in Newcastle, some even looking for employees..but due to my lack of skill in this area I am not qualified, hence I am still unemployed. I believe if you had barista skills you could easily get a job in any country because hey people LOVE their coffee. So kids out there go to your local coffee shop or Starbucks, get a job and learn all you can then go travel the world, working as a barista for money to supply the adventures.
I can't believe we left for our adventure a month ago!
I wonder what things I will learn in this upcoming month.
