Musings of a Cosmopolitan: February 2011

Monday 7 February 2011

Back in Bris-bane of my existance.

Oh goodness. It's been a whole month since I've spoken to you all! Sorry, sorry. I think since the very moment I got off the (incredibly turbulent) plane my head has been in a total swirl of nothingness. I want to tell you that it's lovely to be back in a city you know, with familiar faces and a way of life you know like the back of your hand.

But I can't.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved seeing my family again, I loved looking at pictures of me as a baby and remembering the golden era of times when the hardest decision was, well there wasn't any. But there is this huge social wall around me, I'm still waking up at 6.45 am to get ready for work like I'm still in England, I'm spending money like I still have an income, I'm still assuming that my boyfriend is going to stay because we're only an hour from his family. But none of it's true. It's like adjusting back to the old way of life is just as hard as adjusting to a new one. I don't want to call any of my old friends, I don't want to reminisce about the 18 year old who left. On the other hand, nor do I want to talk about the 20 year old who's come back.

Of course, the bigger issue is that the love of my life is not adjusting well either. Queensland is a beautiful, laid back land, and perhaps I've been naive, but I thought he'd have a job by now. But since we've been hit by a cyclone (Yasi, google some satellite pictures) and enormous flood damage have slowed the Queensland economy and pushed up rental prices. As such, le copain has no job, and we are renting a house that neither of us can actually afford. More to the point, he has widened his job search Australia wide - which means I have driven right in to financial shit creek (without a license - how did I do that?!) if he goes.

NB: Don't sign a lease with someone who is planning to leave. I know everybody tells you that, and you think something like 'psh yeah, whatever, nobody is stupid enough to do that' but it seems to strike when you least expect it.

I am hoping that it all works out soon though, we are slowly moving in and making maison Brisbane look slightly more maison-ly and I am jobhunting for anything that will provide me with an income so I can support myself through study, and my poor adorable Frenchman through his jobsearch. Chin up though, something has to give soon. Le copain still has some valuable leads, and I? Well, I'm going to be a student, I'll muddle through.

I attach a few pictures of the end of France and through South East Asia. After this, I'm going back to London (in this blog, at least).

Wish us luck, you know we need it!