After living in Austin for 9 years, working hard, going to
college, obtaining my Masters in Social Work, volunteering, working three jobs
at once and having a decent social life I needed a change. I felt like there
was something more and I wasn’t finding it in Austin.
I met this guy in Italy during my Euro adventure after
graduation in 2007. This handsome, kind, funny, talkative, smart, sweet and
sensual man and I kept in touch with for five years. He happened to be
Australian. After conversing for some time we were both single in 2010- I met
him in Sydney and then he came to Austin.
Sometimes you reach a certain point in your life that you
just have to take that jump. The first leap I ever took was with my brother
when we jumped out of an airplane at 17,000 feet on his 25th
birthday. The second leap that I took was by myself to Australia.
I ran through the motions. I figured out the visa, I
submitted my qualifications, I had my license notarized, I did my research, I
saved for a year, I networked with anyone that would listen, I found a place to
live when I got to Australia, I made sure all my friends had Skype downloaded,
I visited my most favorite places in Austin, I changed addresses, I quite my
job, I sold most of what I owned, I moved out of my house, I had going away
party at 219 West because it was figured that if you walked and canoed from
Texas to Australia it would take you 219 days (an alternative plan to flying),
I tidied up my activities, I said goodbye to my friends and family, I took a
deep breath and I jumped.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I arrived in Australia the day before my 27th
birthday to meet the Australian who sweetly had arranged transportation and
accommodation at the Sunshine Coast to welcome me and celebrate with me. It was
perfect.
Within the span of a month I had a working cell phone, a
great job, a room in a beautiful house in a gorgeous neighborhood with great
flat mates which I would later call friends, a make shift plastic bag dresser
organizational system and a pretty good idea of how to use the public
transportation system.
As time passed I found myself in love, traveling with the
Australian, organizing visits with friends and family, working contract jobs
that were allowing me to network and take time off for travel, deepening my
yoga practice, figuring out my calling, meeting inspirational people and having
the time of my life!
As the time approached that I knew I would be attending my
best friend’s wedding back in the states I tried to plan whether or not I was
going to be returning to Australia, the country that I had fallen in love with
that housed my love, my new friends and my new life. There were two things that
would keep me in Australia: 1. Sponsorship with an organization where I could
work and grow professionally, 2. The Australian. Neither of these worked in my
allotted time frame.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Nelly Furtado says “All good things come to an end” but
unlike the very talented and beautiful Ms. Furtado I do not think this is the
end to my story, and instead just a part of it.
Sometimes your visions do not materialize into the reality
you imagined but that doesn’t mean you stop dreaming.
All in all, I learned how to appreciate and have gratitude
for my experiences even if they don’t work out the way I had expected and
wished.
If my gratitude was a hug and the total of my experiences
(preparations, courage, new career path, love, new friendships and an
unexpected ending) was a porcupine, then I do say I learned how to hug a
porcupine.
Comments
Post a Comment